233: DC’s Catholic Power Center (w/Gareth Gore)
Conspirituality21 Marras 2024

233: DC’s Catholic Power Center (w/Gareth Gore)

Josemaria Escriva founded Opus Dei, an ultra-conservative, high-demand, secretive Catholic organization in Madrid, Spain, after receiving a supposed vision from God in 1928. His small inner circle initially initiated university students into strict obedience, celibacy, medieval practices of self-flagellation, and deceptive recruitment techniques to convert their friends. Operating outside of the mainstream church, Opus Dei rose to prominence under Spain's authoritarian dictator, Francisco Franco. Escriva was eventually canonized as a saint while the group amassed enormous wealth and influence around the world. Today, their reactionary religious and political mission has established a foothold in Washington DC through the Catholic Information Center—the tabernacle closest to the White House.Bill Barr, Leonard Leo, and Project 2025 mastermind, Kevin Roberts, all visit for spiritual guidance. Meanwhile, scandals and lawsuits involving child sex abuse, money laundering, and human trafficking plague Opus Dei's reputation. Gareth Gore joins us to discuss his controversial new book on the past and present of this secretive organization, Opus. Show Notes Pew Research Center: America’s News Influencers How Opus Dei Converted DC Gareth Gore Author page for his book, Opus Opus Dei Paid $900K to Settle Sexual Misconduct Claim Argentine Prosecutors Accuse Opus Dei of Human Trafficking Maria del Carmen Tapia Book Summary on Opus Dei Financial Times on Opus Biblical omen uncovered in aftermath of Hurricane Helene | Daily Mail Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Bonus Sample: How the Self is Made...and Unmade

Bonus Sample: How the Self is Made...and Unmade

Derek looks into behavioral economics to better understand the fluidity of the "self," finding that recent research aligns with a very old Buddhist concept. Show Notes What Does Extreme Wealth Do To...

20 Huhti 5min

Brief: Pope Leo vs AI Slop Jesus Trump

Brief: Pope Leo vs AI Slop Jesus Trump

Donald Trump's shitpost attack on Pope Leo XIV, followed within the hour by an AI slop icon of himself as Jesus, has cracked open the evangelical-Catholic coalition that has anchored American conserva...

18 Huhti 28min

304: Twisted Tantric Yogi

304: Twisted Tantric Yogi

Consider the bright-eyed students who signed up for tantric yoga and sacred sexuality courses through their local yoga studios, only to eventually find they were sending the guru photos of themselves ...

16 Huhti 1h 11min

Bonus Sample: The Philosopher, The King, & The Holy Man

Bonus Sample: The Philosopher, The King, & The Holy Man

When the exiled Ayatollah Khomeini received Western media in a small French village in 1978, he sat cross-legged in his robes and black turban under an apple tree in the garden. They described him as ...

13 Huhti 8min

Brief: Is There a "Deep Self"

Brief: Is There a "Deep Self"

Billionaire tech bro Marc Andreessen recently claimed introspection is a pathology. Derek and Julian discuss the Trump advisor's claims while the investor continues making bank from defense technology...

11 Huhti 39min

303: When Men Gather

303: When Men Gather

New Yorker writer Charles Bethea recently decided to attend men’s retreats—well, at least those who would admit him. His expose on the modern men’s movement got us thinking about what’s happening over...

9 Huhti 1h 8min

Bonus Sample: A Course in Miracles Reconsidered (w/Joseph Baker)

Bonus Sample: A Course in Miracles Reconsidered (w/Joseph Baker)

Listen to the full episode If you heard Matthew’s Brief from March 28, you’ll know longtime Conspirituality listener Joseph Baker died on Feb 4 at the age of 51. Matthew recorded this conversation w...

6 Huhti 4min

Brief: Mikki Willis and Russell Brand Rewrite History

Brief: Mikki Willis and Russell Brand Rewrite History

Mikki Willis recently joined Russell Brand to discuss a whole host of issues, including rather suspect rewritings of the histories of AIDS and Covid-19. Derek and Julian discuss. Learn more about you...

4 Huhti 23min

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