Controversies About Opus Dei - Allegations of Aggressive Recruiting

Allegations of Aggressive Recruiting

Opus Dei has been accused of engaging in aggressive recruitment practices.

Critics point out that Opus Dei puts great emphasis on recruiting, and point to Escriva's writings which say "You must kill yourselves for proselytism." Opus Dei has been accused of using friendship as "bait" to entice new members. According to critics, Opus Dei encourages its numeraries to form friendships and go to social gatherings explicitly as a means to recruit. Critics also claim that Opus Dei uses a cult-like recruitment technique called "love bombing", in which potential members are showered with flattery and admiration by members of the organization in order to entice them into joining.

Opus Dei says that joining "requires a supernatural vocation." They emphasize that being admitted to Opus Dei is an extended process which requires at least six months to complete. According to Opus Dei, "One’s life can only be given freely, through a decision coming from the heart, not from external pressure: pressure is both wrong and ineffective."