The Disturbing Sect That Influenced Coney Barrett

 

There were some mentions during Amy Coney "Coat Hanger" Barrett's rushed Senate confirmation hearings of a strange religious group that Barrett was part of. But in lightening speed for the Senate, she was confirmed and sworn in to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the third Justice to be appointed by the Malignant Loser in just four years. Then the 2020 election consumed everyone's attention for weeks to come, and the issue was mostly forgotten.

Now, the Guardian is providing more details about the religious group that Barrett was affiliated with, the "People Of Praise," a charismatic Catholic sect with extremely retrograde attitudes toward women. Barrett apparently stayed at the home of the founder of the sect, Kevin Ranaghan and his wife Dorothy, in South Bend, IN while she attended Notre Dame law school in the late 1990s. Here's part of what the Guardian reports, starting with a sworn affidavit filed in the 1990s by a former member of the sect:

"The founder of the People of Praise, a secretive charismatic Christian group that counts supreme court justice Amy Coney Barrett as a member, was described in a sworn affidavit filed in the 1990s as exerting almost total control over one of the group’s female members, including making all decisions about her finances and dating relationships.

The court documents also described alleged instances of a sexualized atmosphere in the home of the founder, Kevin Ranaghan, and his wife, Dorothy Ranaghan.

The description of the Ranaghans and accusations involving their intimate behavior were contained in a 1993 proceeding in which a woman, Cynthia Carnick, said that she did not want her five minor children to have visitations with their father, John Roger Carnick, who was then a member of the People of Praise, in the Ranaghan household or in their presence, because she believed it was not in her children’s “best interest”. Cynthia Carnick also described inappropriate incidents involving the couple and the Ranaghan children. The matter was eventually settled between the parties."  (our emphasis)

Shades of David Koresh. Call the Republican pedophile police! The account continues:

"Cynthia Carnick stated in the documents that she had witnessed Dorothy Ranaghan tie the arms and legs of two of the Ranaghans’ daughters – who were three and five at the time the incidents were allegedly witnessed – to their crib with a necktie. She also said that the Ranaghans allegedly practiced “sexual displays” in front of their children and other adults, such as Dorothy Ranaghan lying with her clothes on and “rocking” on top of Kevin Ranaghan in their TV room." (our emphasis)

Shades of Jerry Falwell, Jr., who enjoys watching, too. The article also notes that Barrett's husband, Jesse, also lived with the Ranaghans while in South Bend. It's a rich account of the perverse nature of far-right charismatic, evangelical sects that have attached themselves to the far-right politically, and who now have an influential member at the bar of justice at the highest level.