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Any device that is designed to solely inflict pain and injury is a torture device
Self-inflicted torture, indeed. That is called self-harm in psychiatry and is a symptom of mental illness. Sorry, but is true.
I was in the Opus Dei. They tried to recruit me. I'd recently started practising catholicism (was a free-thinker before) and they rushed to get me into it. That was in Argentina.
There are some truths in this tread, and some misleading facts.
First of all, I believe that even if the OD is officially part of the Cath. Church, it fits in the description of a cult.
That said, the self-harm is not encouraged, but not disencouraged neither. A lot is said about Escriva de Balaguer doing it "to purify his soul through pain". So, since he is worshipped next to Jesus -I saw it- many devotees want to emulate their "Master" by doing the same.
The brainwashing is done by guilt.
"God gave you your life, -would say to me a priest, a numerary or a supernumerary- He gave you a good lifestyle, He gave you intelligence. Would you hurt Him so badly refusing to do His will?"
Being His will to join the OD.
"God is sad because of what you do/think/doubt."
"If you love God, wouldn't you try to make Him happy?"
As a young person who just found her faith, that made me feel terrible.
Was I failing God?
But because God gave me some intelligence, I saw that faith doesn't go together with guilt. You don't love your God because you fear him or are afraid to "hurt" Him. You love Him, period.
About exploiting the "lower class members", yes. The "maid group" -so they called them- had their own house, weren't encouraged to join the "professionals" or "Universitaries" and they had to serve them, cooking and cleaning.
And what makes me sick is that they are still part of the Catholic Church, mostly due to economical power, when their practices are often against the mercy and tolerance that Jesus Christ preached.
And also makes me nauseous the fact that they recruit CHILDREN as numeraries in their schools, making them assume a compromise that a young mind -as young as 15, as far as I knew cases- is not able to psycologically hold healthily.