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flash fireBRONZE Member
Sporadically Prodigal
2,758 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia


Posted:
I'm reading The Da Vinci Code at the moment (am fashionably late) and gotta say I am a bit freaked out, and am only in Chapter 5.

The reason for this uncharacteristic freakedness from me is due to the Opus Dei component. I went to an Opus Dei school for 5 years (from year 4 to year 8) and blame much of my prior spiritual retardation on the teachings and cult-ish concepts the school propogated. It was really, really full on and after leaving the school I turned my back on all things (dogmatically) religious for several years. It has only been in the recent past that I have been able to accept the concept of ‘god’ in conversations with others and have finally come to peace with the fact that I am not damning my soul to hell by not adhering to Christian law.

Whilst at the school, I was taught some bizarre social values by female ‘numeries’. These women all lived together in a commune type situation and had vowed celibacy and a life in service to their god. Which is all well and good. However, I had heard rumours about barbed belts worn under clothes and other disciplinary actions undertaken by the teachers, which, as a 12 year old, I didn’t really understand. A link is noted in the book The Da Vinci Code www.odan.org is a ‘watchdog’ of sorts on the Opus Dei community and has information that backs up claims of ‘corporal mortification’, handing over of all income and requiring permission to do virtually anything. Their list of banned books is 297 pages long!

I don’t really know why I am posting about this. I guess I am just curious if any other Hoppers have had direct contact with Opus Dei. Their teachings really screwed me up and I guess I’d like to share some of my experiences with people who can relate.

For staters, I was told by my school principal that it was up to me, with god’s help, to stop my parents from getting divorced. I was 12 years old. She told me that if my parents did get a divorce that they would be going to hell and that I was helping their damnation by allowing them to go through with it.

My parents got divorced and we were asked to leave the school, as the offspring of people eternally cut off from god could not be a good influence on other children, could they?

My experiences are numerous and I guess reading this book has brought a lot of things to the surface which I had forgotten about.

Anyone else?

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GottaLoveItSponge
883 posts
Location: Stevenage


Posted:
I ******* loved that book! It's still sitting next to my pillow. The last book I read was Digital Fortress by Dan Brown, that's pretty good too! but not as good!
It's out in paperback now Dr (can I say that now?) Mike. That's what I've got.

The stuff about Opus Dei is a bit mind boggling, I don't think any of my beliefs are strong enough to lead a life like that, or they are strong enough but they're fair to human comfort and pleasure in their strength.

Anyway, yes I loved that book.... must go to the Louvre again at some point in the near future...

Monkeys monkeys and bananas


Lillie Frognot a stranger
558 posts
Location: wales


Posted:
I don't mean to be rugeor anything, but i was wondering.
Thor, from your posts you seem to be a committed christian, if this is so why have you got the name of a pagan god? I assume, as this is a net name, that you chose it yourself. It just seems odd to me and I was wondering why.

Eat when you're hungry
Sleep where it's dry
No one is ever what they seem
Gabriel King - The Wild Road


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