New Catholic Outreaches - Due Diligence Required

Let me preface this post by saying that I'm a former member of Mother of God Community (MOG) in Gaithersburg, MD.  I was a member for most of my young adulthood, up till the mid 1990s.  It is part of a larger movement called the "Catholic charismatic renewal".

Some may recall the scrutiny by the Archdiocese of Washington that MOG underwent as evidence mounted that MOG was engaged in thought-reform.  In fact, many other similar groups throughout the country were undergoing similar scrutinies as they too were discovered to be engaging in thought-reform.  In 1997, the Washington Post magazine did a two-part series on MOG.  I normally do not endorse much by the Washington Post, but based on my own first-hand experience, I'd have to say the Post's treatment was fair, even kind to MOG.

Shortly thereafter, I ended my own affiliation with MOG.  Whether or not MOG, as a group, retains cultish characteristics, I've no way of knowing.  I remain friends with many current MOG members.

I began to read many works about thought-reform in general, to get an idea of the dynamics to which I had been subjected.  I read works by Robert Jay Lifton and Margaret Singer (not to be confused with Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger) and others found in the Cultic Studies Journal website.  The information found in those works - and my own experiences - cause me to be rather vigilant to what I recognize as "warning signs" when I come across various organizations.  The organizations may well not be cults, but I've learned to trust my instincts and do some "due diligence" - bringing me to the topic of this post.

How Groupthink And Political Correctness Are Damaging Faithful Catholics

Last Thursday at Our Lady of Lourdes in Bethesda, I attended a fascinating talk given by Stella Morabito-Green.  It was entitled "Living Faithfully In A Culture Of Fear", and it dealt with the threat of political correctness.  Her focus was on political correctness as it exists in secular culture and the very real threat it poses to faithful Catholics who seek to integrate their faith in all facets of their lives.  As I listened to her talk and related it to discussions I had been having on Facebook and elsewhere, I could see how even some faithful Catholics were embracing and even using some tenets of political correctness interlaced with groupthink.

Progressives have been quite adept at using political correctness, by seizing control of language and vocabulary to shape public thought.  Largely they've been successful because 1) most folks (including most faithful Catholics) don't understand the dynamics of group-think even though 2) they latch onto group-think as a means of social survival.  As she spoke, however, I could understand well what she was saying.  A little over twenty years ago, I had been involved with a "charismatic" group that had more and more assumed the characteristics of a thought-reform cult.  After many of us started questioning things AND the local church forced leaders to step aside, I left the group and started reading voraciously about thought-reform techniques, mostly from the Cultic Studies Journal.  Most cults exhibited similar behaviors.  The late Dr. Robert Lifton listed eight such characteristics.  As you read them, recall how the politically-correct left has hijacked certain words and phrases: "freedom of choice", "bigot", "homophobe", etc.  This is what Dr. Lifton would have called "loading the language".  Here is another summary on characteristics of cults.  As I go through the discussions in which I participated, I'l try to remember to point out these cult characteristics as I saw them at play.  You might want to keep these pages open and refer to them as I relate the examples in following paragraphs.

The "Answer" According to Real Catholic TV

As promised yesterday, here it is.  But read below for my opposing viewpoint.



As we know, in matters such as these, there are many areas in which good faithful Catholics can disagree -this is one of them!  With all due respect to those good and sincere people associated with Opus Dei, I now issue my "caveat emptor".  As you examine the site that Voris recommended, I suggest that you review the materials of the Opus Dei Awareness Network at http://www.odan.org/.  What you'll read are the accounts of ex-members of Opus Dei who relay their stories of how they were subjected to subtle thought reform and increasing mental control.  Note that there are few complaints about the doctrine espoused therein; the focus lies in how they were treated.

Opus Dei is by no means the only group to practice such tactics.  There have been similar complaints about Regnum Christi; the sad, sordid story of Father Maciel is a typical tale of what can happen when one or few people exercise near-total mental/emotional control of their followers.  Other of the "new liturgical movements" have come under similar fire: Focalare, etc. 

Some of you might recall that some of the "Catholic charismatic" groups also were caught up in such practices and some shut down by their local bishops; with this last scenario I am all too familiar as such was my experience.  I therefore know first-hand the harm that can be done - in the name of God - by individuals who seek to arrogate total authority over other people.

Therefore I disagree most vehemently with Mr. Voris on this topic.  Opus Dei is no answer and in fact may well bring its own slew of serious problems.