Unfortunately, according to the first-hand accounts of ex-members of TFP, it certainly is an offshoot of Opus Dei.

That's interesting, because their origins are quite different. As best I understand, Opus Dei was started in Spain by Josemaria Escriva, and TFP originated in Brazil. Opus Dei seems to be a little savvier than TFP - just compare their websites: http://www.opusdei.org vs http://www.tfp.org. Opus Dei creates an impression of being more generally palatable. If you get into TFP's site, you see things like anti-gun control rhetoric. I think it's quite possible that there are people sympathetic to both Opus Dei and TFP, but I'd guess that Opus Dei would not want to be associated with TFP because it could be embarrassing.[/url]

That's interesting, because their origins are quite different. As best I understand, Opus Dei was started in Spain by Josemaria Escriva, and TFP originated in Brazil. Opus Dei seems to be a little savvier than TFP - just compare their websites: http://www.opusdei.org vs http://www.tfp.org. Opus Dei creates an impression of being more generally palatable. If you get into TFP's site, you see things like anti-gun control rhetoric. I think it's quite possible that there are people sympathetic to both Opus Dei and TFP, but I'd guess that Opus Dei would not want to be associated with TFP because it could be embarrassing.

Back to Dervish's question of cults adopting kids.

Yes and in Victoria, Australia. 60 Minutes produced a story on 25 July 2004 exposing an infamous woman by the name of Anne Hamilton-Byrne who ran her own cult and abducted newly born babies from hospitals with the help of cult member doctors and nurses.

This is one of the most hidieus cult stories I have come across - please read the overview to the story. The transcript can be purchased:
[sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au]

Children were hidden in the mountains and lived in shocking conditions. They were brought up to believe that Anne was the re-encarnated Jesus Christ. They were starved of food and received both psychological and physical torture. Her cult has been running for over 30 years.

Oz

I have heard of Anne Haas adopting at least two children (siblings) whose mother "disappeared". This I heard first hand from a good friend of the two children. Haas took over Alex Horn's Sonoma Valley Gurdjieff Ouspensky "school" after their divorce. "The Group" as it is called is a cult and still going strong, although I have heard that she has "retired". Haas and her husband have raised at least 8 children. It is not known if more than 2 were adopted. Haas also ran a number of private grammar schools in the Cotati and Sonoma Mountain areas. If anyone knows more about these schools, please post.

Don't know for sure about adopting but kids in need definitely ended up with Jim Jones, can't remember the name of his group, but infamous now for murder/suicide/forced suicide. A terrible tragedy and I believe some children were in his care by way of the court system. Very frightening!!

Know anything about [hope4kidz.org] ???

Some of the leaders of "churches" and "cults" seem to really enjoy getting hold of children they can form and manipulate. I refer to them as "vampires". Then it seems the dedicated followers continue the same pattern and like to collect kids. Fresh blood. Unformed minds and opinions. And many kids might be flattered and feel warm and fuzzy being the object of special attention. Even those who already have loving homes.

If I remember correctly, Haas has actually adopted three kids. I'm pretty sure it was a boy and a girl who were born as twins, and another boy, a couple of years younger. I think that they were all born of the same mother, but I would not like to swear to this without checking some reliable sources.

Anne's other children, those she had with Alex Horn, are much older and were adults by the time of said adoptions. She and Horn had three sons and two daughters. I have not seen any of them for years, but my recollection is that they are all good people and that though they have inherited a bit of their parent's intensity of presence, they have not, as far as I know, attempted to abuse it and in fact, several of them are quite troubled by the weight of this patrimony. (I am told that one of them has recently taken a vow of silence, which is not necessarily a negative, but does indicate a certain depth of feeling. Perhaps not coincidentally, another older son of the woman who bore the adopted children also took a vow of silence which he observed for several years though he is now said to be a practicing and well-adjusted Benedictine (?) monk.)

Oh yeah, the mother of said adopted children has not "dissapeared." I actually find that notion a bit amusing. I know where she lives, and while it may be true that she likes to travel a lot --certainly she and her husband have the money to do so-- and that she does not care to be contacted by random folks, it is not true that she has ever tried to make herself invisible. She is a very nice though deeply misguided lady with whom I have been friends for many years.

Reason I know all of this: I was raised in the Haas Group.

Want more info? Please contact me. I have the means and training to write a book on the subject. I think of doing so.

I've meet Anne's son "Mo" (short for "Moses). He's got Anne's curly hair. He'd be in his mid-forties by now. He claims to have four college degrees but refuses to get a real job because of the antiestablishment rules he was taught. Anne's husband, Anthony's construction business employed Mo and many other cult members. Do you want me to list their names?

At first glance, Mo seems friendly and affectionate, albeit a bit spacey. It doesn't take long to see that his attitude is that the world, and everything and everyone in it - is on display just for him.

He had two male children during his first marriage/partnership who are now in their early twenties. Much later, he had a boy and a girl - Flora and Leon - with his German spouse/partner Sarah.

At age five, Leon was extremely violent. On many, many occasions, he physically attacked other children for no discernable reason. On at least one occasion, he tried to drown his small sister. There is definitely something wrong with this child!

After Sarah discovered that Mo had left pornography materials in full view and reach of the children, that incident, among others, drove Sarah to flee from Mo with her children. Unfortunately, Sarah is not a U.S. citizen, so she was forced to relinquish her children to Mo's custody when she went home to Landau, Germany.