I know, I know - "accused" doesn't mean "guilty". But...
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Cynthia Carnick, a woman who was suing to deny visitation rights to the father of her children citing his membership with the People of Praise, filed the court documents in question in 1993. The allegations made in the documents primarily name Dorothy and Kevin Ranaghan, the founder of the religious group, which is a covenanted community that requires members to live together and share their incomes.
Per the allegations, Dorothy Ranaghan would allegedly “tie the arms and legs of two of the Ranaghans’ daughters—who were three and five at the time the incidents were allegedly witnessed—to their crib with a necktie,” The Guardian reports. Carnick further alleged that the Ranaghans practiced “sexual displays” in front of their children and adults in the household, including Dorothy lying on top of Kevin and “rocking” in front of their kids.
One affidavit supporting Carnick’s written statements came from a woman who had lived in the Ranaghan household, and said she had been “shocked” to learn Kevin showered with two of his young daughters. She recalled later being told by Dorothy that Kevin had “decided to quit showering with them,” shortly after the woman had questioned Dorothy about this.
Another affidavit by a woman who had lived with Kevin and Dorothy Ranaghan in the 1970s confirms that she also witnessed inappropriate sexual behavior from the Ranaghans, and details the extreme control Kevin had over her life:
“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. For example, we were ‘in common’ financially, which meant that I had to hand over my paycheck to Kevin Ranaghan and he would decide on how that paycheck would be used. Kevin Ranaghan controlled my dating relationships, deciding who and when I should date.” [...]
According to public records, Barrett lived in the Ranaghans’ household during her time in law school in the 1990s, and her husband Jesse Barrett, also a member of People of Praise, lived there as well. On top of this, Justice Barrett served in a leadership capacity as a “handmaid,” or female adviser to the group’s other female members. And from 2015 to 2017, Barrett served on the Trinity Schools board, which requires its members to belong to the People of Praise, and proudly bars the admission of children of same-sex parents as well as openly LGBTQ teachers.
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In any case, Amy Coney Barrett was a member of a cult.