Had to include a graphic of Rick Santorum (R-Opus Dei)
There is a huge fuss over the role Opus Dei plays in Dan Brown's novel (and now movie) 'The Da Vinci Code'. But what exactly is Opus Dei and how did it come about.
Opus Dei (the work of God) is a lay Catholic organization that was founded in 1928 by Spanish Catholic prienst Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer (now Saint Josemaria). There is a lot of religious 'politics' involved with St. Josemaria and Opus Dei. First of all, Opus Dei was made a 'personal prelature' by Pope John Paul II. This means that Opus Dei enjoys autonomy from local bishops, a privilege no religious order enjoys. As far as St. Jose, well he was put on a fast track to sainthood. During the beatification process some witnesses had questions about Father Escriva suitability for sainthood. Father Escriva was accused of having a bad temper, that he was cruel, that he was vain, that he was close to Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, that he was pro-Nazi and that he was so dismayed by the Second Vatican Council that he even traveled to Greece with the idea that he might convert to the Orthodox religion. He apparently did not care for Pope John XXIII. He has been criticized for his attitudes towards women. Others wondered whether Opus Dei is a cult and asked whether they use 'brainwashing' techniques to recruit members?
Though he doesn't believe Opus Dei is a cult, Father James LeBar, who has been the Archdiocese of New York's consultant on cults for some 20 years told ABCNEWS.com that some of Opus Dei's practices resemble those used in cults: "Yes, because they do use practices that were prevalent in the 1950s in all Catholic orders, [though] many of the orders have done away with them, the close supervision ... " he says.
Pope John Paul II supposedly wasn't interested in hearing criticisms of Father Escriva. More about Father Escriva can be found here.
Opus Dei is controversial enough that there is even a dedicated 'Opus Dei Awareness Network'. ODAN claims Opus Dei even has a forbidden book list. Authors such as Sinclair Lewis, Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal, John Updike and Allen Ginsberg may not be read unless permission is obtained from the Prelate of Opus Dei in Rome.
4 comments:
Did you look any of this up on wikipedia (always a reliable source, I know). The reason I ask is that, when I looked it up there a year ago, they had a link to a young ladies testimonial about joinging Opus Dei in college. It was pretty scary sounding - before she knew what was happening she was cut off from friends and family, and I believe she claims she was even drugged. Interesting stuff. Oddly, though, I CAN see how certain aspects of that sect would appeal to a certain mentality.
Actually the info on wikopedia seems to be pretty neutral. Opus Dei probably has someone keeping track of the wilopedia info 24/7. The bad stuff is all on ODAN.
Hey PdiddySL,
Pay close attention, profundity knocks at the door, listen for the key. Be aware, scoffing leads to blindness...
There is a way to verify the truth...
There's a bit more to the story of the Vatican's reaction than most are yet aware of. Read my missive below to understand what they truly fear. It's not the DaVinci Code or Gospel of Judas per se, but the fact that people have been motivated to seek out the unequivocal truth about an age of deception, exactly when they expect me to appear. The Gospel of Judas and DaVinci Code controversies are allowing people to take new stock of the Vatican/Papacy and the religions Rome spawned.
Remember, "I come as a thief..." ?
Yes, the DaVinci Code is a novel. It is no more accurate as a literal version of history than is the New Testament. In other words, neither is the literal truth, which is a key fact of the story and ancient history. The primary sub-plot is about purposeful symbology being used to encode hidden meanings, exactly like the Bible and related texts. Arguing about whether the DaVinci Code, Gospel of Judas, or the Bible are accurate history is a Machiavellian red herring designed to hide the truth by misdirecting your inquiry away from the heart of the matter.
Want to truly understand why we can't let the Vatican succeed at telling us what to think about ancient history? There is a foolproof way to verify the truth and expose centuries-old religious deceptions. It is also the common thread connecting why the ancient Hebrews, Yahad/Essene, Jews, Gnostics, Cathars, Templars, Dead Sea Scrolls, DaVinci Code, and others have all been targets of Rome’s ire and evil machinations. What the Vatican and its secret society cohorts don’t want you to understand is that the ancient Hebrew symbology in all of these texts purposely encodes and exposes the truth about them. Furthermore, the structure of ancient symbology verifiably encodes the rules to decode messages built with it. This is what they most fear you will discover.
If the Bible represented the literal truth or even accurate history, there would be no need for faith in the assertions of deceptive and duplicitous clergy and their ilk. Wisdom and faith are opposing concepts, because wisdom requires the unequivocal truth where faith obfuscates and opposes it. Religion is therefore the enemy of truth and wisdom.
It is undeniable the New Testament is framed by ancient Hebrew symbolism and allegory. The same is evidenced in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Gnostic texts, biblical apocrypha, DaVinci Code, and other related texts. All ancient religious, mystical, and wisdom texts have been shrouded in mystery for millennia for one primary reason: The ability to understand their widely evidenced symbology was lost in antiquity. How do we finally solve these ages-old mysteries? To recast an often-used political adage: It’s [the] symbology, stupid!
It is amazing the Vatican still tries to insist the Gospels are literal truth. It is beyond obvious they are replete with ancient Hebrew symbology. Every miracle purported for Jesus has multiple direct symbolic parallels in the Old Testament, Apocalypse, Dead Sea Scrolls, and other symbolic narratives and traditions. This is the secret held by the ancient Gnostics, Templars, and Cathars, which is presented with dramatic effect in the DaVinci Code. None of these narratives or stories were ever intended as the literal truth. That is a key fact to unraveling ages-old mysteries.
Likewise, the following Washington Post article ( The Book of Bart) describes how many changes and embellishments were made to New Testament texts over the centuries, unequivocally demonstrating they are not original, infallible, or truthful.
It's no wonder the Vatican fears the truth more than anything else. Seek to understand the symbolic significance of my name (Seven Star Hand) and you will have proof beyond disproof that Jews, Christians, and Muslims have long been duped by the great deceivers I warned humanity about over the millennia. What then is the purpose of "faith" but to keep good people from seeking to understand truth and wisdom?
Now comes justice, hot on its heels... (symbolism...)
Not only do I talk the talk, I walk the walk...
Here is Wisdom!!
Revelations from the Apocalypse
Wha-at the deuce is all of that? I used to like using psychedelics as well, but I never took any of my "visions" that seriously.
I warned humanity about some decievers over the millenia as well, and all I've got to show for it is this stupid t-shirt.
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