Product Description

This is the history of a secretive international Roman Catholic organization, Opus Dei. It considers the charge that Opus Dei is an "ecclesiastical Mafia" - a cult that promotes bizarre ascetic practices and enslaves its members by mind-control techniques.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1027628 in Books
• Published on: 1996-05
• Original language: Catalan
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Review
"Joan Estruch goes a long way toward explaining the notoriety that has plagued Opus Dei since its inception...His methodology and his tone are balanced and evenhanded....the narrative fascinates....Estruch charts the history of Opus Deis in extraordinary detail."--Michael Sean Winters, The New Republic
"This significant book tells a story that is fascinating in itself. Beyond that, it places the story in the context of the modernization of Spain and it contains highly intriguing insights into the unintended consequences of religious movements."--Peter L. Berger, Director, Institute for the Study of Economic Culture, Boston University
"This timely book should be essential reading not only for watchers of the Catholic Church but also for sociologists of religion. It carefully dissects a 'total institution' within catholicism and it clearly explains why Opus Dei has become such a controversial feature of the Church's struggle to come to terms with tradition and modernity....A model investigation of an omnipresent Catholic movement."--Jim Beckford, Professor of Sociology, University of Warwick