I was once involved with New Age Guru, the now vanished Werner Erhard, AKA Jack Rosenberg, through EST. This was a quasi-cult in that recruitment was always a priority in every contact with everyone, continuing "education" through courses called seminars were a requirement, and retreats that lasted anywhere from a few days to ten days were always said to be worth while. The people involved either left or became adoring acolytes of the "leader." Women were particularly affected. Werner was right about everything.

This evening, because there were no games on TV I roamed through some mags on the net. I happened to read Hewitt's piece in Weekly Standard regarding Opus Dei, an organization I felt was unfairly attacked in the fiction best seller "Di Vinci Code." When you have time I urge the Catholics among you to read this link (supplied by Hewitt) which lays bare the American version of Opus Dei. The piece appears in a Catholic mag called America and as you read it I think you will see the similarity with Erhardt's "work." People who have been involved with Erhard say that he lifted his entire "schtick" from Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard.

I have no idea regarding the purposes of Opus Dei other than getting converts into the fold. Their separation of women and men seems almost Muslim---sexes were never separated by Erhardt----and their methods of reacting to attacks seem right out of Scientology, without the law suits. Read the piece and see what you think.