finnerty@sal-sun64.usc.edu (Brian Finnerty) (10/01/90)
(I joined Opus Dei about five years ago, shortly after I graduated from Cornell. I am currently on educational leave of absence from IBM, doing graduate studies in computer science at the University of Southern California.) Opus Dei is a Roman Catholic organization of lay men and women and priests which attempts to further the ideal of the universal calling to sanctity. It was founded in 1928 by Msgr. Josemaria Escriva, who was recently declared venerable by the Pope. Opus Dei teaches that all men and women, not just priests and religious, are called to strive for sanctity. We can do this by living by trying to imbue with a Christian spirit the ordinary things of our everyday lives. By doing our work well, by being a good friend, by being loving with our families, by doing all of this motivated by a love for Christ and grounding all of this on intense prayer and sacramental life,... this is how we can encounter Christ in our ordinary lives. That's the basic idea. To carry it out, the members of Opus Dei practice certain norms of piety which include (daily) mental prayer, mass, rosary, reading of the gospel and some spiritual book, weekly confession, and a yearly retreat. Just as important, they try to live their ordinary activities (work, personal relationships) with a Christian spirit. For example, Opus Dei teaches that by doing my study well, motivated by a love for Christ who lived and worked in obscurity for thirty years, an hour study can be like an hour of prayer. The Pope is very fond of Opus Dei, and, of course, the members of Opus Dei have a deep affection for and loyalty to the Pope. Brian Finnerty
mmh@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Matthew Huntbach) (10/04/90)
Since no-one has mentioned it (do no liberal RCs read this newsgroup?), Opus Dei is treated with great suspicion by many Catholics, particularly the more liberal ones. It has been criticised as a dangerous cult, a sort of RC version of the Moonies. I haven't had sufficient personal experience of it to say either way, but I report the above in the interest of balance. Matthew Huntbach
arm@Neon.Stanford.EDU (Alexander d Macalalad) (10/07/90)
In article <Oct.3.23.19.57.1990.1944@athos.rutgers.edu> mmh@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Matthew Huntbach) writes: >Since no-one has mentioned it (do no liberal RCs read this >newsgroup?), Opus Dei is treated with great suspicion by many >Catholics, particularly the more liberal ones. It has been >criticised as a dangerous cult, a sort of RC version of the >Moonies. I have a few friends who are in Opus Dei, as well as a few friends who are very critical of Opus Dei, and so I have seen both sides. On the one hand, there are many things about Opus Dei which could be interpreted as cultish. Much time is devoted to recruiting new members, and members are encouraged to donate a large percentage of their earnings to Opus Dei. (Some have even leveled the charge that those recruited are generally people with high potential or actual income.) People are encouraged to go to confession only with a priest of Opus Dei, and they are told (or at least recommended) what they should and should not read. So far, so good. These are all things that have been said about many other Christian or Catholic groups. For example, there are Christian missionaries recruiting new members, televangelists asking for lots of money, and fundamentalists burning books. More disturbing is their attitude toward obedience. Members are expected to be totally obedient to their superiors and follow their every command. Coupled with Opus Dei confession and Opus Dei reading, there is the danger of mind control. Many other Catholic groups ask for a vow of obedience as well, but most of them take a broader and more liberal view of obedience. Perhaps the most disturbing to me is the fact that they practice self- flagellation. They whip themselves daily, and for long periods of time. This borders on fanatical, from my point of view, although to be fair, many saints practiced self-abuse. But that was a different time, with different values. To me, this says volumes about the mindset of the people in Opus Dei. There are also accusations of secretiveness and wild rumors about what it is they are being so secretive about. Not knowing what these secrets are, if there are any, I can't really comment. I know of no hidden agenda. On the positive side, every person I've met from Opus Dei is really theologically solid. Opus Dei makes sure that members know much more than the average Catholic about Catholicism, and they are especially strong in medieval theology and philosophy. (I guess that you'd have to be, in order to accept the Opus Dei culture, which strikes me as being really medieval.) And they are doctrinally in tune with the rest of the Church, though they tend to fall on the more conservative side. Critics may question their methods, but any quibbles they have with their teachings are quibbles about the teachings of the Catholic Church. Personally, I have problems with their fanaticism and their idea of obedience. I also wish that they would spend less energy trying to recruit people, and more energy on social work, like working with the poor or teaching. (Basically, I wish that they were more like the Jesuits. :-) But I do think that they play a useful role in the Church. Cult? I don't think so. But I hope that those who consider joining Opus Dei keep their eyes open and know what they are getting into. Alex Macalalad
finnerty@sal-sun79.usc.edu (Brian Finnerty) (10/22/90)
In his discussion of the Roman Catholic lay organization Opus Dei, Alex Macalalad writes: >Personally, I have problems with their fanaticism and their idea of >obedience. I also wish that they would spend less energy trying to >recruit people, and more energy on social work, like working with >the poor or teaching. (Basically, I wish that they were more like the >Jesuits. :-) I am a member of Opus Dei, and I can tell you that if anyone in Opus Dei ever tried to tell me to change professions, whether it be to go into teaching or any other career, I would leave Opus Dei immediately. Members of Opus Dei are laymen, they do NOT take a vow of obedience, and they enjoy the exact same freedom in their political, financial, or professional affairs as enjoyed by all other Catholics. Not only teachers and social workers, but also clerks, engineers, homemakers, plumbers and everybody else are all called to sanctity. Opus Dei's primary focus is to give people the spiritual and ascetical assistance they need so that they can live a Christian life in whatever circumstances they find themselves. Prayer and a commitment to live the Christian virtues come first, and after that, everything else will follow. When I lived in New York, I spent some time with other members of Opus Dei giving catechism lessons in the South Bronx. This summer I volunteered my Saturday mornings in another Opus Dei program teaching math to hispanic kids in the slums of East Los Angeles. Brian Finnerty
CONS.ELF@AIDA.CSD.UU.SE (Ake Eldberg) (10/29/90)
Las autumn there were a couple of articles in the official newspaper of the Church of Sweden, where Opus Dei was referred to as a "Secret organization that supports military dictators". The group was said to be politically on the extreme right wing. There were a number of accusations against it, in sensationalist style, but very little in the actual text to substantiate the charges. I had never heard of Opus Dei before, but these articles were so badly written that I wrote to complain about them anyway. My letter was not published. Instead, they follwed up with more accusations. I still wonder, not knowing much about the organization itself, why this happened. It was obvious that the writers were politically leftist and "liberation theology" oriented. Has Opus Dei been subject to similar attacks elsewhere? Is it politically right-wing? Is it a secret, devious organization working under cover names so as not to be recognized for what it is? Is it an extention of US imperialism in South America? Does it support military dictators? I just wonder. Ake Eldberg cons.elf@aida.csd.uu.se [I have seen some better-documented attacks of the same nature, also by someone associated with "liberation theology". The main accusations were (1) that Opus Dei tends to be right-wing, (2) that it tends to be authoritarian, though this may vary from place to place, practices self-flagellation, etc., and (3) that it tends to have cult-like aspects. I don't recall accusations that it is secret, though there is a claim that portions of its constitution are kept secret. There are definitely secret groups associated with the lunatic fringe of right-wing Catholicism (and Protestantism, for that matter). There may be some overlap with right-wing members of Opus Dei, but I didn't get the impression that the organization itself was secret and devious. We've had postings from people with more or less experience of it in the U.S., and who say they do not see an authoritarian tendency, nor any tendency to glorify its founder. I don't recall them being asked whether they practice self-flagellation. --clh]
finnerty@sal-sun59.usc.edu (Brian Finnerty) (11/05/90)
Opus Dei has been very effective in promoting the Catholic Church's teaching
through a personal apostolate of ordinary men and women sharing their faith
one-on-one with their family and friends. Some groups who misunderstand the
Catholic Church and its teachings may also have a distorted understanding
of Opus Dei.
The charge that Opus Dei is somehow politically conservative or "right wing"
is very unfair. Opus Dei has no political agenda and its only purpose is to
spread Catholic teaching and to help people live it in their daily lives.
In 1987, John Paul II released his encyclical "On Social Concerns"
("Sollicitudo Rei Socialis"). The Pope argued that the major East- West
blocks were characterized by two different versions of materialism, a
relentless desire for profit on the one hand, and a relentless desire for
power on the other. Political conservatives like Buckley, Novak,
and Safire reacted by sharply criticizing the Pope's critique of the moral
failings of western capitalism. Opus Dei energetically promoted the teachings
of the encyclical by distributing copies of the encyclical,
giving classes on the subject, discussing it in talks and sermons, and
doing everything to spread the Pope's message as widely as possible. A couple
of weeks ago, I lent a copy of the encyclical to a friend of mine, and
when I went on an Opus Dei retreat recently, I read an article we published
defending the encyclical's teachings.
The Catholic Church recognizes that the Church must have a love of
preference for the poor, and recent Church teachings have outlined
principles of a genuine "theology of liberation". Nevertheless, the
Church rejects ideologies which are inconsistent with principles of Christian
charity, which ignore man's eternal destiny, and which forget that man's
struggle for liberation must be founded upon a personal struggle for
liberation from sin. Opus Dei defends the Church's teaching on this point,
so Opus Dei has been attacked by some who would reduce the Gospel to a temporal
political utopia.
The Catholic Church recognizes failings in Marxism and liberal capitalism.
However, Catholic social teaching does not constitute a political program
or a set of particular solutions. Instead, the Catholic Church gives criteria
for judgement and a vision of man and his eternal vocation. Catholics have the
freedom and the responsibility to apply these principles as they see fit.
The Catholic Church attempts to preach the Gospel, but it would be a
violation of the freedom of Catholics and a usurpation of power for some
Catholic religious organization to attempt to promote a particular political
ideology.
Opus Dei does not attempt to impose any particular ideology or political
program. Any such attempt would be absolutely contrary to the spirit of
Opus Dei.
I would not label myself as a liberal, but I don't think I'd qualify as
a "right winger". I oppose the deaf penalty, I am in favor of gun control,
I believe that Reagan's war against Nicaragua was unjust and immoral,
and I turned town a job offer from Bell Labs to develop computer systems
for anti-submarine warfare because I had ethical reservations about that
kind of work.
If you come to a center of Opus Dei, no one is going to ask you about
your politics. However, you may be asked if you pray, if you do your work
well motivated by a love for Christ, if you spend time with your family,
if you share your faith with your family and friends, and if you attempt to
live the Christian Gospel in your ordinary everyday life.
Brian Finnerty