DES MOINES — A gathering of thousands in an Iowa ballroom and online across America may prove to be a turning point in the war on religious liberty.

Ted Cruz hosted the “Religious Liberty Rally” Friday night to bring attention to the government persecution of Christians in the United States today.

“These threats have been growing, they have been growing for decades, but never have the threats been greater to religious liberty than right here where we are now and today,” Cruz told some 3,000 people in attendance at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center, the Des Moines Register reports.

Cruz
Sen. Ted Cruz (The American Mirror)

“We are just one justice away from the (U.S.) Supreme Court saying every image of God should be torn down,” Cruz said.

“There is a war on faith in America today.”

During the nearly three hour event, Cruz conversed with Iowans Dick and Betty Odgaard, a couple whose business is ending after they refused to host a gay wedding at their privately owned church.

“We could not celebrate a sin,” Betty Odgaard said. “We could not take part in what we believe is a sin.”

Christian business owners, military members and a fire chief told their stories of being persecuted for their deeply held religious beliefs.

Naghmeh Abedini, wife of Pastor Saeed Abendi, an American imprisoned in Iran because he was caught spreading the Word of Christ. He’s currently serving his third year of an 8-year sentence in what Cruz called the worst prison in the Iranian system.

An organizer with the Cruz campaign tells the American Mirror there were some 573 viewing parties in homes and churches taking part in the event online, as well.

The Quad City Times reports Donna Red Wing of the LGBT group One Iowa, dismissed the theme of the event, accusing Cruz of “bloviating to win votes.”

Several of Cruz’ guests became emotional as they told their stories.

“They didn’t ask for confrontation and the government came to them and said, ‘Choose between faith and obedience to government power,’ and they said, ‘I follow a higher power and that is God almighty,'” Cruz said, according to CNN.