
Amy Coney Barrett
Have you ever heard of a religious group called People of Praise? It’s a conservative cult-like group that mixes Catholic traditions with Pentecostalism. It was founded in 1971 in South Bend, Indiana, with a core group of 29 people, and now has groups in 11 other states. The groups emphasize “intentional community living,” not like you and the folks in your neighborhood, but rather committing to deeply sharing one another’s lives. “We’re not just praying together, we’re putting our lives in common,” Craig Lent, the group’s current leader, said in an interview. (Having grown up Catholic, I can’t think of a better name for a charismatic group leader than Lent. Synchro one.)
Why is People of Praise cult-like? Members swear a lifelong oath of loyalty to the group. Each one is accountable to a same-sex adviser, called a “head” for men and a “handmaiden” for women, who gives input on a wide variety of personal decisions. Anyone who has read The Handmaid’s Tale or has seen the TV series by the same name can’t help but notice the irony of that designation for advisors. It also certainly sounds like a trickster synchronicity, and possibly a warning of more to come from this group. But how could People of Praise have any effect on the rest of us non-members? Read on.
President Trump is currently considering a member of People of Praise for the Supreme Court, a woman who has a handmaiden advisor or possibly is a handmaiden herself! Her name is Amy Coney Barrett and she has emerged as a strong potential favorite to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy after he resigns from the Supreme Court later this month. Barrett is fiercely conservative, a former law clerk for fellow Catholic Antonin Scalia and holds membership in the extremely conservative Federalist Society.
SLATE.com, in an article on Barrett, cited one blogger who described her this way: “Barrett is a dangerous religious extremist who believes a federal judge can subvert the U.S. Constitution and the laws of the United States in order to promote her own religious agenda.”
You’ve got to wonder if Barrett has ever watched The Handmaid’s Tale and seen her image among the powers-that-be that rule.
Hang on.Trump says he will make his pick for the court July 9.





















