Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Leader of Christian faith group linked to Amy Coney Barrett admitted driving women to tears in leaked video

People of Praise is a Christian Charismatic group, the movement that inspired the dystopian series “The Handmaid’s tail

Andrea Blanco
Friday 26 August 2022 15:34 EDT
Comments
Sandy Hook victim’s mother confronts Alex Jones in court

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A religious leader at a secretive Christian faith group linked to Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett seemingly admitted that the church’s teachings about gender made women cry.

In a leaked video obtained by The Guardian, Dorothy Ranaghan — the wife of People of Praise founder Kevin Ranaghan — recounts how women who first joined People of Praise in the 1970s wore sunglasses to hide their tears when they heard teachings about “hardships and the role of men and women.”

“Some of the women – who are still in my women’s group, as a matter of fact – were wearing sunglasses all the time, because they were always crying and would have to hold on to their chairs every time somebody started teaching, because ‘What are we going to hear this time?’” Ms Ranaghan said.

She added that “it all worked out just fine in the end.”

People of Praise is a Christian Charismatic group, a movement that inspired the dystopian series The Handmaid’s Tale. The group reportedly only favours men in leadership following biblical interpretations of gender roles, the Washington Post reported.

Ahead of Justice Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing to the Supreme Court in 2020, the Post reported she had an active role in the group.

A directory obtained by the outlet listed her under the title of “handmaid,” a role held by women in the community. Handmaids usually advise fellow women about their marriages and how to raise their children, sources told the Post at the time.

The justice also lived in the Ranaghan household while she was in law school at Notre Dame, according to the Guardian.

Sources told the Guardian that the group calls “for complete obedience of women to their husbands.” A previous report by the outlet also found a former member filed a lawsuit in the 1990s complaining members of the group’s finances and dating lives were controlled by Mr Ranaghan.

People of Praise have never officially confirmed Justice Barrett to be a member of the group.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in