Gov. Pat McCrory attended a prayer rally on Saturday, September 26, at the Charlotte Convention Center, after previously trying to distance himself from an ad that ran in the Charlotte Observer ahead of the event. His office said it overstated his involvement.

“Come join me in a time of worship, prayer, fasting and repentance,” the ad said, alongside the Governor’s picture and name.

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The rally was organized by the far right, Christian Conservative group the American Renewal Project.

After speaking about substance abuse, McCrory asked for prayers, both for himself and for those who suffer from addiction, at which time religious leaders took to the stage and surrounded him where he sat.

They laid hands upon him and American Renewal Project founder David Lane spoke to the crowd, casting America as a lost country that “deserves judgment” and must be saved.

“The problem is us,” Lane said. “A Christian nation, founded for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith, has left God.”

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He proceeded to lay out a litany of what he sees as offenses, including “homosexuals praying at the inauguration.”

He also took issue with the removal of the Bible and prayer from public schools, abortion, which he said has left “55 million babies dead.”

You can watch the video of this below.

In May of this year, McCrory vetoed a religious exclusion bill to allow court officials to avoid officiating same sex marriages if it goes against their beliefs, gaining praise from the LGBTQ community. The state House voted to override that veto, which is now law.

The community was less pleased with McCrory’s decision to exclude LGBT protections in an executive order he signed in July of last year, which prevents discrimination for state workers on the basis of “race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability and genetic information.”

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Posted by Jeff Taylor / Social Media Editor Jeff Taylor is a journalist and artist. In addition to QNotes, his work has appeared in publications such The Charlotte Observer, Creative Loafing Charlotte, Inside Lacrosse, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. He graduated from the State University of New York at Brockport and has lived in Charlotte since 2006.@jefftaylorhuman.