Opus Dei

BURNING MAN · 07-26-2009, 07:40 AM

The priest Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer formed Opus Dei in 1928. Its name means the "work of God". Teaching Catholic fundamentalism, it encourages members to lead holy lives. The vast majority of the members of Opus Dei live very normal and highly spiritual lives. At the extreme end of the scale, some members of the organization have allowed it to dominate their lives, right down to which books they should read and to supporting those who indulge in flagellation and self-harm. However, the organization strongly denies it is a cult.

When Escriva was made a saint in 2002, the Catholic Church and Opus Dei itself worked hard to try and suppress information about the man. But according to Carmen Tapia, a former secretary to Escriva, his attitude to women was misogynistic and with strong undercurrents of sexual degradation. He would often call women names such as sow, bitch and whore. Expressing his anger in a meeting of senior Opus Dei members over a women who had offended him, he said: "She has to be spanked throughout . Draw up her skirt, tear down her panties and give it to her in the ass, in the ass until she talks, make her talk."

Despite preaching a doctrine of self-denial and humility, he insisted upon gourmet dining and exorbitantly expensive wine always being served in his luxurious palatial HQ in Rome. Given that Opus Dei was not only linked to Franco's fascist regime but to more recent far right groups, it is no surprise they also try to keep secret Escriva's positive views on Hitler. Escriva not only said: "Hitler has been unjustly accused of killing six million Jews," he also claimed the Nazi leader had been good for Catholicism because: "Hitler was against the Jews and Slavs."

It is reassuring to discover that the Catholic Church is so broad minded when it comes to defining Sainthood isn't it?

kidflash2008 · 07-26-2009, 12:54 PM

With the groups Opus Dei and The Family having high ranking government officials, it is high time they get investigated. We are just beginning to learn of The Family through the scandals of a few leaders.

Some scary stuff.

Sillygoth · 08-05-2009, 04:28 PM

As a heathen, I am privately very frightened of Opus Dei. It's little more than a private army assembled to do the will of the Pope. I actually find any religious group infiltrating government to be quite frightening.

kidflash2008 · 08-06-2009, 01:32 PM

The Family is much scarier as they have been a very well kept secret. It seems they want to start a dictatorship with Christ as the model. Either way, both groups keep their agendas secret.

Sillygoth · 08-06-2009, 06:50 PM

Yeah, The Family is a scary one as well, but I don't think they're as well-funded.

I also don't think they're as positively perceived Christianity as a whole, due to the general fracturing of Protestant faiths as a whole.

Opus Dei, on the other hand, is well thought of by 95% of all Roman Catholics. There's a whole ton of them.

kidflash2008 · 08-07-2009, 01:04 PM

The Family has many powerful members of the Senate and Congress in it, along with some Governors. That is what makes it scary. It does not need to be well funded as it has more to do with political connections than anything else.

07-26-2009, 07:40 AM	#1
BURNING MAN Investigator Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: New Holland Posts: 351	Opus Dei The priest Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer formed Opus Dei in 1928. Its name means the "work of God". Teaching Catholic fundamentalism, it encourages members to lead holy lives. The vast majority of the members of Opus Dei live very normal and highly spiritual lives. At the extreme end of the scale, some members of the organization have allowed it to dominate their lives, right down to which books they should read and to supporting those who indulge in flagellation and self-harm. However, the organization strongly denies it is a cult. When Escriva was made a saint in 2002, the Catholic Church and Opus Dei itself worked hard to try and suppress information about the man. But according to Carmen Tapia, a former secretary to Escriva, his attitude to women was misogynistic and with strong undercurrents of sexual degradation. He would often call women names such as sow, bitch and whore. Expressing his anger in a meeting of senior Opus Dei members over a women who had offended him, he said: "She has to be spanked throughout . Draw up her skirt, tear down her panties and give it to her in the ass, in the ass until she talks, make her talk." Despite preaching a doctrine of self-denial and humility, he insisted upon gourmet dining and exorbitantly expensive wine always being served in his luxurious palatial HQ in Rome. Given that Opus Dei was not only linked to Franco's fascist regime but to more recent far right groups, it is no surprise they also try to keep secret Escriva's positive views on Hitler. Escriva not only said: "Hitler has been unjustly accused of killing six million Jews," he also claimed the Nazi leader had been good for Catholicism because: "Hitler was against the Jews and Slavs." It is reassuring to discover that the Catholic Church is so broad minded when it comes to defining Sainthood isn't it? __________________ === “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God ?”=== -- Epicurus

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07-26-2009, 12:54 PM	#2
kidflash2008 Senior Investigator Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,726	With the groups Opus Dei and The Family having high ranking government officials, it is high time they get investigated. We are just beginning to learn of The Family through the scandals of a few leaders. Some scary stuff.

08-05-2009, 04:28 PM	#3
Sillygoth Junior Investigator Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 48	As a heathen, I am privately very frightened of Opus Dei. It's little more than a private army assembled to do the will of the Pope. I actually find any religious group infiltrating government to be quite frightening.

08-06-2009, 01:32 PM	#4
kidflash2008 Senior Investigator Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,726	The Family is much scarier as they have been a very well kept secret. It seems they want to start a dictatorship with Christ as the model. Either way, both groups keep their agendas secret.

08-06-2009, 06:50 PM	#5
Sillygoth Junior Investigator Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 48	Yeah, The Family is a scary one as well, but I don't think they're as well-funded. I also don't think they're as positively perceived Christianity as a whole, due to the general fracturing of Protestant faiths as a whole. Opus Dei, on the other hand, is well thought of by 95% of all Roman Catholics. There's a whole ton of them.

08-07-2009, 01:04 PM	#6
kidflash2008 Senior Investigator Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,726	The Family has many powerful members of the Senate and Congress in it, along with some Governors. That is what makes it scary. It does not need to be well funded as it has more to do with political connections than anything else.