Glenn Beck's rally in Washington, D.C., had something in common with Martin Luther King's: Religion.

During a rally Saturday, the conservative Fox News commentator and other speakers often compared the pilgrims, the Founding Fathers and President Abraham Lincoln with the Old Testament's Moses, who led his people from slavery in Egypt.

"America today begins to turn back to God," Beck said, calling Americans the "chosen people." "For too long, this country has wondered in darkness."

The rally, which attracted between 87,000 and 200,000 people to the National Mall, was billed as nonpolitical, despite speakers' and attendees' affiliations with the tea party movement.

In that sense, it differed from King's 1963 rally, which used speeches imbued with religious language, gospel music and support from religious groups to push for civil rights bills in Congress.

Still, many attendees at Beck's rally shared the host's conservative political leanings.

At 9 a.m. Saturday, two 60-something-year-old men were sitting on the Metro, heading for the National Mall. Dressed in patriotic-colored t-shirts reading, "Support our troops," they'd left their Connecticut homes at 3 a.m. in hopes of securing good seats at the "Restoring Hope" rally.

Both had a bone to pick with Congress.

"No one is going to tell me what kind of light bulbs I can buy, or how much water I can use in my shower," said one.

"We definitely need to get back to the basics — limited federal power, the fundamentals of the Constitution," said the other.

Still, they said they were headed to the rally because it would be a "spiritual event" about "morality and the true American values" — not necessarily to express their political views.

One African-American pastor, who received a special -recognition award from Beck at the rally, called attendees "warriors in Christ." Another award recipient, St. Louis Cardinals baseball player Albert Pujols, spoke of his Christian faith as well.

Those words resonated with the attendees.

"I came here to stand with my fellow patriots that love Christ and freedom," said one attendee from Tennessee while waving a large American flag.

"Religion is what makes this country what it is," said a Charlotte, N.C.-native who'd left his home at 11 p.m. the previous night to get a spot on the lawn. "To honor the Constitution, we need to bring God back into this country and stick to our values."

One female activist from Annapolis, Md. — after speaking of the importance of religion in politics — had tough words for Medicare and unemployment benefits: "People need to stop living off the government," she said. "These programs kill their ambition to find work."

Packed shoulder to shoulder, from the Lincoln Memorial clear past the World War II Memorial, the crowd included a large number of Republican supporters who said they wanted smaller government and fewer taxes and encouraged a more active military.

People wore t-shirts reading "I love capitalism," "One nation under God," and "Got Principles?" One woman she loved to watch Beck because he "has faith in God and stands against socialism."

"This administration is ignoring the Constitution," said the attendee from Annapolis. "We don't want 'Obamacare,' we don't want cap-and-trade, and we don't want amnesty for the illegal immigrants."

Some criticized the recent debate over a mosque in lower Manhattan.

An activist from California said the debt-to-GDP ratio is 85 percent and will eventually lead the U.S. into an even greater economic depression due to current federal spending.

He also criticized what he called the "unjust persecution" of controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is being investigated on charges of racially profiling immigrants.

Speakers also politically charged the atmosphere. Although few spoke about policy-related issues, many had reputations as conservatives or were outspoken leaders of the religious-right.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) made an appearance and set the crowd wild with an ear-splitting applause.

Speaking as the mother of an American soldier, Palin introduced and told the stories of three military members — one who survived a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan, another who lost both hands in a Fallujah, Iraq bombing and the last who spent two years in solitary confinement as a prisoner of war in North Korea .

She encouraged those in attendance to recognized today's "real heroes" — American military members.

Despite the lack of a clear political agenda at the rally, it was clear by the end that many in the crowd will be turning out to vote in November along conservative lines.

Rachael Bade writes for Roll Call. 

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