Posted on 04/19/2005 10:58:33 PM PDT by andie74
ROME -- Sure, Peter Bancroft said, he does use a small, cotton whip to lash his back or buttocks once a week (in private). And yes, most days he wears an abrasive metal chain around his thigh for a couple of hours that causes him discomfort but no lasting damage.
But no, neither he nor anyone in Opus Dei is a pain-loving murderer like Dan Brown's villain in the enormously successful novel "The Da Vinci Code."
"As soon as you meet an Opus Dei member," said Bancroft, sitting in an ornate room in the headquarters of the conservative Catholic lay group and showing no signs of self-mutilation, "it doesn't take long to figure out that not all Opus Dei members are masochistic monks."
No part of the Church has been so shrouded in conspiracy theory in recent years as Opus Dei, which has 85,000 members worldwide and espouses a very conservative form of Catholicism. Critics within the Church worry about its wealth and influence; Web sites accuse it of being a cult, and Brown's best-seller casts it as a dark, violent force within Christianity. Even its own members acknowledge it is too secretive and defensive.
New challenges
Now it faces a new challenge far from the realm of fantasy: As 115 cardinals meet in conclave Monday, there is no guarantee the next pope will treat Opus Dei with the favor Pope John Paul II bestowed upon it.
Among Opus Dei members, "Their basic concern is that they might actually end up among the big losers," said John Allen, Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and author of a forthcoming book on the group. But the men and women within Opus Dei insist its future is secure.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
I know that it played a prominent role in the Da Vinci Code, and I have read about it on some cult awareness websites...curious as to thoughts from fellow FReepers.
When even Andrew Greely says the "conspiracy" ideas and the thought that it is anything more than a group promoting orthodicy are baloney, you know there's no fire here.
davinci code is pure bunk, people are going to wonder about you if you mention it as a starting point for any serious discussion. :)
Of course Da Vinci is FICTION...not to worry...still have my wits about me.
But there are a lot of Americans who seem to not know that it is indeed fiction...which has made me wonder about the constant mention of Opus Dei, which has been casually mentioned in every major article I have read on the subject of this pope without a whole lot of substance or discussion about what the group actually is.
People start associating the pope with Opus Dei as portrayed in the novel (I stress NOVEL!), and they'll distrust the church, especially when it comes to liberal pet peeves.
But, I guess that was in the plan.
It seems like every year, a cult following results from a quasi-religious novel being taken too seriously. A few years back, it was The Celestine Prophecy that turned into its own cottage industry.
I thought Opus Day was a couple of weeks ago?
(This thread may now return to the original topic)
Might want to direct those folks(who take Da Vinci Code as fact) to a mini-book available for free downloading at:
(The Da Vinci Code - Separating Fact from Fiction)
Might provide a bit of re-assurance
Yes.
And of course we all remember the scandal of the Larry Hagman Rubber Band Cult.
I am not a member of Opus Dei, but I do know a lot of families who are members of this group. There is nothing sinister about Opus Dei. There are good and bad people within the movement, but I will not dwell on the bad things I have heard about a few individuals.
The Opus Dei have provided Catholics with the best Bible Commentary via the Navarre Bible series. The members of Opus Dei that I personally know are very genuine people. Yes, I am deliberately going to a doctor I know to be a member of Opus Dei, because I know that he is faithful to the Catholic Church teaching on matters relating to abortion, the pill etc. He is also very involved with right to life and opposing the pro-euthanasia lobby.
It is because people do not understand the original purpose of Opus Dei that they have become suspicious. The group is not part of a cult. The writings of the man who started Opus Dei, St. Jose Maria Escriva, are widely available for those who want to read his thoughts on a variety of subjects, especially the need for personal piety, and fighting for justice for the poor and disabled.
Archbishop Gomez of San Antonio is a member and has been tipped to be made Cardinal in the next few consistories.
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