Thousands Rally For Religious Freedom Nationwide

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Protesters rally for religious freedom in front of Philadelphia's Independence Hall on Friday. Rallies took place nationwide to protest the mandate that some religious organizations cover the cost of contraception.

Protesters rally for religious freedom in front of Philadelphia's Independence Hall on Friday. Rallies took place nationwide to protest the mandate that some religious organizations cover the cost of contraception.

Across the country, thousands of people skipped lunch Friday to protest what they see as a threat to religious liberties in the United States.

The protesters' specific complaint was the birth control mandate in the new health care law, but the discontent runs far deeper.

It didn't take much for the Rev. Pat Mahoney, an evangelical minister, to warm up the crowd in Washington. He gazed out at hundreds of people who filled the plaza in front of Kathleen Sebelius' office at the Department of Health and Human Services.

"Come on," Mahoney urged the crowd. "We want Secretary Sebelius to hear you!"

Beyond Birth Control

Earlier this year, Sebelius announced that the nation's new health care law would require some religious organizations, like Catholic hospitals and universities, to provide birth control coverage to employees.

Many conservative Catholics and evangelicals not to mention the Catholic bishops were furious at the announcement. That anger sparked the nationwide rallies, dubbed "Stand Up For Religious Freedom."

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Thousands Rally For Religious Freedom Nationwide