The founder of Opus Dei is being canonized. I don’t know much about Catholic sects, but I do remember the minor scandal that ensued when ND‘s magazine revealed the existence of a local campus branch. One of the guys in my Philosophy class was in it. (He was an ass, but in all fairness I don’t think that had anything to do with religion.) I remember being horrified reading about their self-flagellation. I seem to remember the article going into great detail about some wire thing you were supposed to wear around your leg that cut into you all day long. I still shudder at the thought. Hey, I’m all for self-discipline, but some of this stuff borders on self-mutilation. I don’t think it’s very saint-like to endure suffering that you yourself cause. The guy in the article tries to play it down, but he still emphasizes the “constant sacrifice” that is necessary for “God’s work”. It sounds so cult-like. (You can read an “unofficial FAQ” here.) What do you Catholics think? Is this good or bad for the Church’s image right now? (Does that even matter?)
Important Note
This site features content going all the way back to 2000. The posts you’ll read reflect my views and writing style at the time. While I have gone back to clean up a few of them, I think it’s important not to sanitise too much. This site is a record of who I am and how I’ve grown. Any blog post written years ago may not reflect who I am today, nor how I would write about the same topic today.