It's Not Anti-Catholic to Ask Amy Coney Barrett About Her Religious Group "People of Praise"
SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
Before the TV show appeared, women leaders were referred to as handmaids.
STEPHANIE MENCIMER
Senior Reporter
Members of the Christian right are lobbying hard for President Trump to tap 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. A current Notre Dame law school professor, 48-year-old Barrett is a devout Catholic and mother of seven children, two of whom were adopted from Haiti and one who is a child with Down syndromeall attributes that conservatives see as evidence that she will help overturn Roe v. Wade if confirmed. But Barrett brings another resume entry to the table that, while possibly enhancing her appeal to evangelicals, makes her an unusual candidate for the job.
Shes a member of People of Praise, a charismatic covenant community in South Bend, Indiana, that has been criticized by former members for being a religious cult. Though most of its members are Catholic, its practices, including speaking in tongues and faith healing, draw more from fundamentalist and evangelical Christianity than the Vatican. One of its most notable features is the submissive role played by women, some of whom were called handmaidsat least until the Handmaids Tale aired in 2017, At that point, the group started referring to them as women leaders.
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Barrett has written and spoken publicly about being a devout Catholic lawyer, even saying that during her confirmation hearing that she would not enter an order of execution if she were a federal trial judge because it would conflict with Catholic Church teaching. In 2006, she gave a commencement speech at Notre Dame law school in which she told the grads, Always keep in mind that your legal career is but a means to an end, and
that end is building the kingdom of God. But Barrett has not publicly addressed her involvement with People of Praise.
That hasnt kept reporters from writing about it. Recent news stories about Barretts unorthodox religious community have prompted Republican supporters to go on the offensive. These ugly smears against Judge Barrett are a combination of anti-Catholic bigotry and QAnon-level stupidity, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) complained on Tuesday, suggesting that Democrats were spreading their bias through the media. People of Praise is basically a Bible studyand just like billions of Christians around the world, Judge Barrett reads the Bible, prays, and tries to serve her community. Senators should condemn this wacky McCarthyism.
More:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/09/its-not-anti-catholic-to-ask-amy-coney-barrett-about-her-religious-group-people-of-praise/
Captain Zero
(6,845 posts)If you want to join a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, you have to disclose your income so they can be sure you are giving at least 10 percent.
He spoke out against Trump a couple years ago, but I'm thinking they jerked him back into line with some kompromat.
He is showing up for choir practice pretty regular now.
FBaggins
(26,778 posts)Though questioning three years ago came across to many as such...
... but it could still be seen as an unconstitutional religious test.
walkingman
(7,683 posts)CaptYossarian
(6,448 posts)I think we've found the nut jobs of Catholicism.
In every poll I've seen on the subject, a vast majority of real Catholics are pro-choice and have practiced birth control.