"When did you stop beating your wife?"

First of all, is Opus Dei really bad? (hint: no).

The question you should be asking is "why do people say Opus Dei is bad"?

Answer: because they either hate the Catholic Church and all it stands for, or they are ignorant fools who believe what they read in a fictional novel by Dan Brown..

Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Pope. It was founded by SAINT Jose Marie Escriva and in short, encourages people to find God in their daily work. There is NOTHING bad about it.

http://www.opusdei.org/en-us/
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You phrased your question with the assumption already made. That's not a sign of asking a question in good faith.

The proper phrasing is: "Is Opus Dei bad? If so, why?"

Let Opus Dei speak for itself:
http://http://www.opusdei.org/en-us/article/message/

Read about its SAINTED founder:
http://www.opusdei.org/en-us/article...e-john-paul-i/

Read what St. John Paul II said when he erected Opus Dei as a personal prelature.
http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/cbisutsi.htm

Your friends' perception is probably due to the fact that it is a secret society (if I understand correctly), and to people outside such groups this secrecy lends an air of having secrets they need to hide, and this is reinforced by the rumors of mortifications that they practice.

 Re: Why would Opus Dei be bad?

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Because of bad fiction and conspiracy theories.

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OP, you might find this thread from last year useful: What is Opus Dei? and why are they so controversial?

I will re-purpose my answer from that thread. For a rigorously even-handed portrayal, you can check out John Allen's book: "Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church". It's about $5 used on Amazon.

Allen's one of the most well-rounded and fair-minded Catholic journalists out there (IMO) and he gives a thorough airing to the arguments for and against Opus Dei. He comes at it from a neutral perspective and really gets at the heart of all the issues (and ends up coming away with a surprisingly positive view). I am thoroughly glad I read it.

I have heard many people say that Opus Dei is good. 

It probably has some secrets, but they're not all that secret. While he was in school, my son was invited to teach in one of their schools in NYC to "at risk" teenage boys. While there, he lived the life the Opus Dei people live. Kind of Spartan. Lots of prayer. Also, lots of interesting talks by some extraordinary people. The meals are good but just a little short of ample. In the evening, they tend to get together and listen to some expert on something or other talk. Tonight it might be theology. Tomorrow night it might be nuclear physics. Next night it might be some aspect of the law. Next perhaps medicine. Next perhaps some argument of St. Thomas Aquinas. Typically, they have one (just one) beer, mixed drink or glass of wine at those talks. That's their relaxation time. They don't watch TV.

Pretty intellectual, but also pretty spiritual. Their habits are very punctual and regular.

What I think puts some people off is that there is, within it, an even more Spartan group that live celibate lives in community, which is what my son experienced. They share a life of prayer and work. All or most of them work outside the community and are all kinds of things; doctors, lawyers, architects, government people.

They're not conspiring to take over the world. A lot of Opus Dei is about showing your faith in your work and setting example.

I don't see a single thing wrong with it.

"...due to the fact that it is a secret society." ???

What is that supposed to mean?? That is no "fact." And what is the source of such "facts"? Hearsay and gossip from folks who loathe orthodox Catholicism I'll guess.

The label "secret society" gets thrown around casually, yet no one seems to define what that is. I suppose for some people, unless Opus Dei members publish when they eat, sleep, drink, pray, and fart each day, they're being "secretive." 

I'm not sure what "secrets" some people are after. Ridiculous. Probably after information that is personal and none of their business anyway.

Hi.  I have my doubts about certain societies, and in some cases these come in the form of very strong reservations, yet, still, we have to be careful not to get pulled into the conspiracy theorist's undisciplined imagination, no doubt often accompanied by too many D.B novels, and material of a similar brand. Start with fact, not fiction. It is okay to not like everything and even to seriously call into question some areas of religious practice, but do make sure that your reservations and questions on the matter, are accompanied instead, by lots of prayer.

Heh.  I wonder what the percentage breakdown would be between those who hate the Catholic Church and those who are ignorant fools.

I wonder how many posters have any personal experiences with Opus Dei, and how many simply google to find what they are looking for?

Opus Dei, in my experience, attracted many good Catholics to practice their faith within a group of Catholics. They also attracted men and women who, for their own reasons did not want to become nuns and priests, but could offer their lives to God in a 'working' way. How many posters have done that?

That said, they are 'blessed' in the manner they accuмulate property and wealth. No more than the Church of 2,000 years did judging by the property and buildings they accuмulated up to 1960. If one finds fault in this, then the Church itself must share that fault. As individuals, they do not share in any wealth, but live modestly as any Catholic should.

Unfortunately, such is their 'system' that volunteers are inclined to become institutionalised, with little or no opinion of their own. They must comply to what unfortunately is obedience to modernist Rome without QUESTION.

To sum up, one recently told me Pope Francis is 'a breath of fresh air.' Need I say any more.

All this as it may be, there are in its ranks many Catholics living very good lives as God would want us to do.

My father when he was alive used to go to their days of reflection and to confession to them.

So that explains why you, the most liberal poster on Cathinfo, are all gung-ho for Opus Dei? That's not very intellectually honest, is it?
My dad was in the Knights of Columbus for the last thirty years of his life. Does that mean I should be a cheerleader for them, too? Any organization, however pious or well-intentioned, that goes belly up for the N.O. hierarchy, is in the long run an enemy of the restoration of Our Holy Catholic Church and the salvation of souls.