Barrett tied to faith group ex-members say subjugates women

[RandySF]

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court has close ties to a charismatic Christian religious group that holds men are divinely ordained as the "head" of the family and faith. Former members of the group, called People of Praise, say it teaches that wives must submit to the will of their husbands.

Federal appeals judge Amy Coney Barrett has not commented publicly about her own or her family's involvement, and a People of Praise spokesman declined to say whether she and her husband are current members.

But Barrett, 48, grew up in New Orleans in a family deeply connected to the organization and as recently as 2017 she served as a trustee at the People of Praise-affiliated Trinity Schools Inc., according to the nonprofit organization's tax records and other documents reviewed by The Associated Press. Only members of the group serve on the schools' board, according to the system's president.

The AP also reviewed 15 years of back issues of the organization's internal magazine, Vine and Branches, which has published birth announcements, photos and other mentions of Barrett and her husband, Jesse, whose family has been active in the group for four decades. On Friday, all editions of the magazine were removed from the group's website.

People of Praise is a religious community based in charismatic Catholicism, a movement that grew out of the influence of Pentecostalism, which emphasizes a personal relationship with Jesus and can include baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. The group organizes and meets outside the purview of a church and includes people from several Christian denominations, but its members are mostly Roman Catholic.



https://www.startribune.com/barrett-tied-to-faith-group-ex-members-say-subjugates-women/572567352/

[enough]

1. K&r. NT

[SophieJean]

2. Who will be making judicial decisions-Barrett or her husband/People of Praise?

There is no way Barrett could distance herself from her close ties to People of Praise, and this fact should not be whitewashed.

"One of the most controversial aspects of People of Praise is the severely patriarchal belief system it promotes. People of Praise used to refer to female members as “handmaids.”

Former People of Praise member Coral Anika Theill, who joined the group in 1979 and is now 65, told the Associated Press that when she was a member, women were expected to live in “total submission” to their husbands. Theill told AP, “My husband at the time was very drawn to it because of the structure of the submission of women.”

Theill has written about her experiences with People of Praise in her book, “Bonsheá: Making Light of the Dark.” Biesecker and Smith note that in her book, Theill “recounts that in People of Praise, every consequential personal decision — whether to take a new job, buy a particular model car or choose where to live — went through the hierarchy of male leadership. Members of the group who worked outside the community had to turn over their paystubs to church leaders to confirm they were tithing correctly.”

"Adrian Reimers, another ex-member of People of Praise, wrote about the group in his 1997 book “Not Reliable Guides.” According to Reimers — who now teaches at Notre Dame University — People of Praise believe that wives must “submit in all things” to their husbands.

Reimers wrote, “A married woman is expected always to reflect the fact that she is under her husband’s authority. This goes beyond an acknowledgment that the husband is ‘head of the home’ or head of the family; he is, in fact, her personal pastoral head. Whatever she does requires at least his tacit approval. He is responsible for her formation and growth in the Christian life.”

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/09/amy-coney-barrett-tied-to-far-right-religious-group-that-believes-women-must-submit-to-their-husbands/

[MosheFeingold]

3. Painting her as a shrinking violet

Under her husband's thumb is a losing argument to anyone with eyes and ears.

She's a tough lady. She's clearly smart and accomplished. Nice, too, on a personal level.

She's just wrong on the issues that matter.

Lots of smart, independent, people are wrong, all day long.

[FBaggins]

4. I doubt there's a single Democratic senator interested in "going there"

But there will probably be a couple republicans giving her a chance to score points by teeing up some softballs on the subject.

"Tell me Judge Barrett... we've been hearing from the left that you have to do whatever your husband tells you to do. How does that make you feel?"

[Bettie]

5. What are they trying to hide

why would they remove the magazine unless it contains something they don't want seen?

[Sherman A1]

7. A very worthwhile question

and one deserving an answer.

[UTUSN]

6. K&R