Justice Amy Coney Barrett has been the subject of quite a bit of online chatter this week after The Guardian published a bombshell report on Monday about People of Praise, a Christian cult where she once served as a handmaid female leader.
People of Praise was founded in South Bend, Indiana in 1971 by Kevin Ranaghan and purports to be “a charismatic Christian community” that “provides a natural support for marriages and families.” In reality, it’s an anti-woman, anti-LGBTQ, anti-anything-not-Christian cult that has been psychologically torturing people for the last 50+ years.
We did a little digging and found a creepy video of Ranaghan speaking at the 1977 Kansas City Charismatic Renewal Conference that was uploaded to YouTube three years ago.
According to the video’s description:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
In 1977, 50,000 Charismatics came together from different denominations in one of the largest interdenominational conferences ever held. One of the significant things about this event is that 25,000 of those in attendance were Catholic.
Ranaghan, who can be heard beginning around the 2:30 mark, was one of a dozen or so religious leaders who spoke at the gathering.
The then-37-year-old gave a sermon about how Christians of all dominations must band together so that “the whole church, in every corner, in every congregation, in every assembly may be thoroughly and totally filled with the spirit and equipped with every spiritual grace and gift needed to be the body of Christ in an effective, world-changing way.”
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to change the world for the better. The problem with Ranaghan’s sermon is that his organization, People of Praise, has been working to change the world for the worst since its inception in 1971.
When it comes to LGBTQ people, the group believes homosexuality is a sin and gay marriage is evil. Members who admit to engaging in any sort of homosexual activity are immediately expelled, and children with same-gender parents are banned from attending the group’s schools.
Related: Creepy new details about Amy Coney Barrett’s cult emerge and wow, what a holy nightmare
A 1980 article from National Catholic Reporter quoted over a dozen ex-members who accused Ranaghan of “brainwashing” and creating a “siege mentality” in their community. They also reported being directed to sell their homes, stockpile six months of food, and engage in “survival drills.” One man said he was forbidden from buying a car with the “luxury” of air conditioning after his old vehicle broke down.
But Ranaghan’s “effective, world-changing” ideas don’t stop there.
According to the The Guardian’s report this week, he allegedly showered with two of his daughters, ages 10 or 11 years at the time, and he and his wife, Dorothy, would perform “sexual displays” in front of other people, including kids, in their TV room. He also kept tight control over women’s personal lives.
One ex-member is quoted saying, “When I was part of the People of Praise I was in full life submission to Kevin Ranaghan, under full obedience to him and he exercised this authority over most areas of my life… Kevin Ranaghan controlled my dating relationships, deciding who and when I should date.
Related: Marsha Blackburn has some thoughts about Amy Coney Barrett’s cult and we’re all a little dumber now
In response to this week’s bombshell report, People of Praise issued a statement saying, “Since 1967 Kevin and Dorothy Ranaghan have been known and respected for their tireless work sharing the free gift of the Holy Spirit with hundreds of thousands of people around the world. We are proud that they are members and leaders of the People of Praise.”
The group has also been directing media to a statement it made to The Washington Free Beacon in 2020 when it denied allegations of physical or mental abuse and said “charges of the mistreatment of women, insularity, lack of privacy and shunning are contradictory to our beliefs and our practices as a community.”
So far, Barrett, who lived in the Ranaghan’s home for two years in the mid-90s, hasn’t commented on her involvement with People of Praise.
whereshouldistart
I grew up catholic. In all my years I have yet to find a single catholic who follows the rules of catholicism…especially where birth control is concerned.
Cam
And all of this should have come out during her hearings but Democrats were terrified because Fox News and Republicans were SCREAMING that nobody should mention her religion.
If Republicans scream about something, that means their terrified of it and Dems should have dug in deep on that. Instead we have a Religious nut on the court who would be happy to erase the last 100 years of progress.
James
Aney coney blah blah……
I HATE HER.
SHE’S AN IDIOT AND A NARCISSISTIC PIG.
white-queer-african
Erect the gallows in the town square. Bring the evil bitch forward. The crowd is going wild in ANTICIPATION – Rocky Horror Picture Show style.
Apologies. Dreaming of my previous life.
IF ONLY!
Fname Optional Lname
I would pay good money to see Frank -n- Furter in his corset and pumps telling Mrs Batsh#t about herself!
monty clift
They are always ugly. Being butt ugly and bigoted seem to go hand in hand.
Jer
The kindest favor this cult could do to an interested individual would be to deny them contact. The most cruel? To accept them into the group, of course.
rand503
I’ve never heard of a cult that actually admits to brainwashing, mental or physical abuse, and they all claim that anyone can leave at any time.
In fact, if they have to deny all that, then that’s exactly what they are doing.
skywriter
There is a reason why there are more Catholics who have left the church and the Episcopal Church has welcomed them with open arms by being a church for all and not ruling with strict rules to follow.
Fname Optional Lname
This!