Opus Dei in their Critics' Words
The Controversial Catholic Group of Da Vinci Code Fame
Opus Dei was founded in 1928 but it was the 21st century and Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code that shot it to fame and lay it open to many critics.
Opus Dei has always faced criticism, but it is since the release of the book and film The Da Vinci Code that the criticisms have become more well known. Opus Dei maintains that it is an ethical part of the Catholic Church that believes and follows all Catholic doctrines. This has been examined in a previous article. Despite its protestations, however, Opus Dei does still have its critics, many of whom are in the organisation "Opus Dei Awareness Network" or "ODAN" which is largely made up of ex Opus Dei members.
Criticism of Opus Dei
- Opus Dei is often said to be elitist and secretive, only allowing married or celibate members who have to go through an extensive application process and sign a contract before being accepted as a member. It is seen as a Catholic Freemasons.
- Corporal mortification. Among the practices ODAN claims that Opus Dei encourages are: use of the cilice, a spiked chain worn around the upper thigh for two hours each day, except for Church feast days, Sundays, and certain times of the year; the use of a discipline, a cord-like whip used on the buttocks or back once a week; cold showers; deprivation of food such as butter on toast; deprivation of a comfortable sleep once a week.
- Aggressive recruitment/undue pressure to join. Among ODAN's claims are that Opus Dei forms teams, zeroes in on potential members and forms a strategy about how it can best approach that person and convince them to join. Members are typically taught to always have 12 to 15 non-Opus Dei friends, with at least three or four who are very close to joining. They then also complete statistics on each friend and their efforts to convert them.
- Lack of informed consent and control of environment. Opus Dei numeraries are expected to hand over their entire salaries to Opus Dei, and generally may not hold their own bank accounts. Both incoming and outgoing personal mail is generally read by the directors of each Opus Dei residence. Reading material is strictly controlled, as are television viewing, listening to the radio, and other forms of recreation and entertainment.
- Alienation from families. Opus Dei teaches individuals (despite their ages) that it is acceptable and even advantageous to leave parents and loved ones out of the decision-making process because "they will not understand."
These are just some of the criticisms levelled in popular culture and by ODAN. There are, of course, two sides to every story. Here is the story of Opus Dei in their own words.
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