Opus Dei: An Investigation Into the Powerful, Secretive Society Within the Catholic Church

by Michael Walsh and Michael Walsh

Book Overview

An Inside Look at the Secretive Catholic Organization Made Famous by The Da Vinci Code

Is Opus Dei a spiritual institute dedicated to preserving Catholic orthodoxy in the face of modernist assault? Or is it an independent society, a "church within the Church," promoting its own allegiances and preserving an antiquated set of spiritual and penitential practices?

This small organization wields enormous power within the Catholic Church...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060750685
• ISBN13: 9780060750688
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 226 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Balanced and informative

Bottom line the book was very informative, which is what I was looking for. The writer takes a critical look at Opus Dei, and does a good job covering the history of the organization and the founder as well as describing current activities. If you are looking to learn about Opus Dei from an outsider's point of view, I highly recommend this book.

a decent expose

This one shares the spotlight with Lucien Gregoire's "Murder in the Vatican' for tops in murder and intrique within the Church. I strongly recommend that you not pass this one up

brainwashing

Michael Walsh discusses systemic aspects of Opus Dei that achieve a regime of thought control within the organization, rightly describing Opus Dei as a "hothouse."By Maria del Carmen Tapia, Beyond the Threshold, 1998:Opus Dei silences critical minds. Monsignor Escriva used to say, "I don't want great brains in the Work, because they turn into swelled heads. Average intelligences, if they are docile and faithful, are very effective." An engineer, banker, or scientist tends to have fewer problems with superiors in the Work than humanists, philosophers, or theologians, who are almost always frustrated within the Work. As soon as someone--who may even be a priest--is outstanding in the field of philosophy or theology, Opus Dei will almost certainly end by silencing him....He frequently ends up by leaving the institution or becomes the patient of a psychiatrist. Opus Dei does not let you think nor engage in speculation.

OPUS DEI IS UNMASKED

WALSH HAS DONE HIS HOMEWORK! AN EXCELLENT BOOK FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN POLITICS, CONSPIRACIES, OR RELIGIOUS ISSUES. WALSH IS ABLE TO GO DEEP INTO THIS WORLD OF OPUS DEI AND GIVE US A HISTORY OF THIS ORDER AND REASONS WHY IT HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL ORDERS IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SINCE THE JESUITS. VERY INFORMATIVE AND BACKED BY OTHER BOOKS, NEWSPAPER ARTICLES, AND INTERVIEWS, AND PERSONAL TESTIMONY. WALSH REVEALS SECRETS OF THE ORDER, ESPECIALLY ITS ROLE IN POLITICS AROUND THE WORLD; THE READER WILL NOT WANT TO PUT THE BOOK DOWN. AN EXCELLENT PLACE TO BEGIN THE SEARCH FOR THE HIDDEN TRUTH OF OPUS DEI. THE BOOK IS MORE INFORMATIVE THAN BIAS AND CRITICAL, BUT MOST IMPORTANT IS THAT THE READER IS LEFT WANTING MORE!