NEWFOUNDLAND, Pa. — Worshippers clutching AR-15 rifles drank holy wine and exchanged wedding vows in a commitment ceremony at a Pennsylvania church.

The event Wednesday at the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary led a nearby school to cancel classes.

The Rev. Sean Moon leads the church. He said in a prayer that God gave people the right to bear arms. Moon is the son of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, a self-proclaimed messiah who founded the Unification Church, often described as a cult.

The sanctuary believes the AR-15 symbolizes the “rod of iron” in the book of Revelation, and encouraged couples to bring the weapons to the ceremony. An AR-15 was used in the Florida high school massacre.

Several protesters held signs outside the church, including one calling the group an “armed cult.”