My supervisor (who is Opus Dei) at NML sent me over to meet the Opus Dei leader in St. Louis. I learned nothing except how secretive they are. Escriva was quickly named a saint after he died.
Many Lutherans are moaning about how mean, radical, and nasty the Left is. They are right, of course. Most fail to recognize that their own "conservative" leaders are no better. Their leaders protect criminals, hide felonies, and persecute believers. They are like the jurors in Vanity Fair, The Pilgrim's Progress - in case you have not read the book.
It did not happen overnight, but it is clear that the conservative leaders are unbelievers. Many are mere figureheads, finger-puppets of the ones with real power. I would call the actual leaders Opus Diaboli, the Work of the Devil, parallel to Escriva's cult, the Work of God (sic).
It is easiest to see this in WELS. The ELS-WELS-LCMS papal candidates project a theme of reformation and restoration, only to be even more dictatorial and apostate once elected. They try to look majestic and powerful, but they are more like wood chips carried and moved by the tossing sea.
People ask me about angry responses to the blog. I used to print the best ones with spelling corrections so they would not be erased (kilcreased) once sobriety took over. The diatribes stopped. I am quite sure the big guys told them to cease, because all they did was prove my case.
Now is the ultimate stage, silence and shunning.
