The
Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei
A Sect or A Cult?
PURPOSE
The purpose of this
brief document is
to question the validity of the allegations that the Opus Dei is a sect
and/or a cult. To avoid falling into the trap of mindless name calling
we thought it appropriate to let two impartial sources decide - (a) an on-line dictionary,
Dictionary.com and (b) a
dictionary in book form, Concise Oxford English
Dictionary.
Following, the reader will find the definitions of the words "sect" and
"cult" with our brief commentaries in brackets " [ ] ".
DETAILS
cult
[noun]
Definitions
From: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cult
1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference
to its rites and ceremonies.
[A Prelature is in fact a parallel
church (1)]
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing,
esp.
as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
[The object of their veneration
(adoration in practice) is Josemaría Escrivá]
3. the object of such devotion.
[Josemaría Escrivá]
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing,
person, ideal, etc.
[The object of their veneration
(adoration in practice) is Josemaría Escrivá]
5. (in the sociology of religion) a group having a sacred
ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or
extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society
under the direction of a charismatic leader.
[Could not describe Opus Dei better.
The "false" part is because, by word and deed, they espouse that one
can serve mammon as long as the is done in the Name of God. (2)]
7. the members of such a religion or sect.
[Most of them hide their affiliation
with Opus Dei.]
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person
usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and
that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.
[The "disease" in this case is what
Josemaría Escrivá deemed to be whatever he did not agree with. (3)]
Origin: 1610–20; "cultus" habitation, tilling, refinement, worship,
equivalent to "cul-", worship + "-tus" suffix of v. action
Other
Definitions From: Concise Oxford English Dictionary
(book form)
1. a system of religious devotion directed towards a particular figure
or object
[The object of their veneration
(adoration in practice) is Josemaría Escrivá]
2. relatively small religious group regarded by others as strange or as
imposing excessive control over members
[Could not describe the Opus Dei
better.]
3. [as modifier] a thing that is popular or fashionable among a
particular group: a cult film
[After the film the Da Vinci Code the
Opus Dei became popular or fashionable among "kindred spirits".]
Origin: C17, from French "culte" or Latin "cultus", "worship"
sect
[noun]
Definitions
From: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sect
1. a body of persons adhering to a particular religious
faith; a religious denomination.
2. a group regarded as heretical or as deviating from a
generally accepted religious tradition.
[Opus Dei adherents do.]
3. (in the sociology of religion) a Christian denomination
characterized by insistence on strict qualifications for membership, as
distinguished from the more inclusive groups
called churches.
[Opus Dei demands that of its members. (4)]
4. any group, party, or faction united by a specific doctrine or
under a doctrinal leader.
[The object of their veneration
(adoration in practice) of Josemaría Escrivá]
Origin: 1300–50; "secte" , "secta" something to follow,
pathway, course of conduct, school of thought.
Definitions
From: Concise Oxford English Dictionary (book form)
1.a religious group or faction regarded as heretical or as deviating
from orthodox tradition
[The behavior - not necessarily the
religious rites - of its members totally deviates from orthodox
tradition]
2. [as a derogatory term]: a group that has separated from an
established Church; a nonconformist Church
[Why set up a Personal Prelature as
Opus Dei was set up unless its founder and followers did not conform
with the established church?]
3. a group with extreme or dangerous philosophical or political ideas
[When one considers that their "Bible",
for all practical purposes, is Escrivá's inspirational booklet "The
Way" and Escrivá is considered "The Father", as it is engraved on his
tomb lid, when in reality The Way is Jesus Christ, and that Jesus
Christ is the only Son of The (only) Father, it is impossible not
to
call extreme and dangerous such blasphemous claims made by The
Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei.]
Origin: Middle English, from Old French secte, or Latin secta,
"following," hence "faction, party" from the stem of sequi,
"follow"
CONCLUSION
It is obvious that, regardless of the denials of the Opus
Dei
Administration and followers, by definition, their activities and
methods can only be classified as those of a Cult with heavy Sectarian
overtones.
NOTES
(1) Official
definition of The
Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei
(2) The fallacy of their
working doctrine
(3) A bird's eye
view from
a
Opus Dei friend
(4) High level
witnesses
from
the bowels of Opus Dei speak out -
English - Spanish
Published on October 25, 2008
© Copyright 2008 - 2022 by The M+G+R Foundation.
All rights reserved. However, you may
freely reproduce and distribute this document as long as: (1)
Appropriate credit is given as to its source; (2) No changes are made
in the text without prior written consent; and (3) No charge is made
for it.
The M+G+R Foundation
Please Note: If the above dated image does not appear
on this document, it means that you are not viewing the original
document from our servers. Should you have reason to doubt the
authenticity of the document, we recommend that you access our server
again and click on the "Refresh" or "Reload" button of your Browser to
view the original document.