I was always free to come and go as I pleased

By Dave, at Political Dogs. Dave is a non-Catholic.

The Associated Press (AP) refers to Opus Dei as an "ultraconservative movement" which has "been accused of secretive, cult-like practices, brainwashing of members into blind devotion and murky financial dealings." Most people, even Catholics, have no idea what Opus Dei is about and are surprised to find that there may be a "secret society" within the Roman Catholic church.

If one reads the hot-selling book "The Da Vinci Code," which I have not, one might come away with the feeling that there is much secretive, perhaps clandestine, stuff going on behind the scenes in the Roman Catholic church. Then again, maybe this whole thing is just hype.

My experiences with Opus Dei came while I was a college student. I am not catholic but I did attend a catholic university and was befriended by a priest who happened to be my philosophy professor and an Opus Dei member. The way the group was described to me is a section of the church which owes allegiance directly to the pope and which practices prayer through work. To put it another way, there are some who believe that acting in a perfunctory and non-caring way is a form of blasphemy, it dishonors God.

Opus Dei members acknowledge that work fills the largest single chunk of our day after we are done sleeping, so to approach work as a means of prayer is truly to give a large chunk of your day up to God. I did not join the group nor convert to Roman Catholicism but I acknowledge that as a Protestant, I do hold much in common with Catholics in general and, as a person, I agree with Opus Dei that viewing my actions during the work day as a prayer is helpful on a number of levels.

As I said, I did not join Opus Dei. That probably had more to do with where I was at the time I made acquaintance with the group than it did with the group itself.

The group is conservative because it believes as a matter of philosophy that the World holds Truths, those Truths are absolute, and those Truths are God's law. There is no wiggle room for, as examples, the mandates of the Ten Commandments or the behaviors Jesus instructed upon in the Sermon on the Mount.

Killing is wrong. Killing is killing. Abortion is killing. Therefore abortion is wrong. To fantasize about another's wife is the functional equivalent of adultery. It is strict and simple but many would agree undeniable.

I never found the group to attempt brain washing. It is a group of very bright people who enjoy discussing classical philosophy. I was always free to come and go as I pleased. Members gave me a few philosophy books which helped me to grow and often took great pleasure in discussing the meanings behind books and ideas. It was very much like some sort of club of intellectuals which, of course, had religion at its core.

Opus Dei members hold firm to strict values. They live their faith. They also happen to mostly work in the real world, frequently as business people, and as a result they do tend to make a lot of money. It isn't that the group consists of a secret society of extremely wealthy and powerful business people. Rather it is that a person who views his work days as being watched over by God, at least as much as his one hour per week at church, is likely to succeed!

I doubt my mentor professor brought up the group because he felt I would be a good person for espionage operations. Rather he felt I was a moral individual who believed in God and hard work. So Opus Dei generates a few bucks for the church.

It also is very active in such movements as the anti-abortion one. As such it is ripe cannon fodder for pro-abortion activists and those who fear conservative thinking as stemming from brainwashing and the like.

Before you form your opinion about Opus Dei, take a look for yourself. The group is hardly secretive. Look 'em up and pay 'em a visit. But be forewarned, you may find them, their beliefs and mission irresistible.