Posted on 09/20/2009 10:37:51 AM PDT by NYer
From a September 2006 article featured on the Our Sunday Visitor website:
Sandra, by the way, has already finished reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol (I'm on page 30 and don't know if I have the strength to continue). I spoke to her yesterday shortly after she had reached the underwhelming conclusion of the novel, and she noted it was a sort of "love poem" to Masonry, with occasional swipes at Christianity. And today she wrote: "I finished THE LOST SYMBOL, which is a tad better than DA VINCI CODE despite being rah rah pro-Masonic propaganda.By no means is it a 'good' book, even for popcorn reading." She is working on a piece about the novel, the Masons, and other esoteric topics for Catholic World Report (so subscribe now!).
For a more detailed examination of the Masons, consider Christianity And American Freemasonry, by William J. Whalen:
Ping!
Now if Freemasonry is a secret order, how would the Church know that you’re a Mason?
I don’t think any Christians should be Masons...and I know that will bring on the whole hootin’ pro Mason fringe! I’m not saying that one is not a Christian if one has joined the Masons, just saying a Christian should honestly reflect then get out!
Can someone post a short “Why Catholics Shouldn’t Be Masons” post? I have had and do have the opportunity to join. Many of our Founding Fathers were Masons. So why is it heretical? (And I’m not looking for “because Pope XXX said so,” rather the WHY as it relates to today.)
I don’t think someone who wants to comment on religion with any sort of authenticity wants to have any mention of the works of Dan Brown anywhere in his or her argument.
One does imagine even the most obtuse bishop or cloistered deacon is going to figure it out eventually ~
I too would like to know as I have several good friends who are 34th degree masons, are good conservative Christians, and good conservative Republicans. All are veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam (one has five combat tours in Vietnam). These are men I would love to have my children emulate. I do not understand what the problem is, and as I understand it, each bishop is allowed to decide for his diocese.
“Now if Freemasonry is a secret order, how would the Church know that you’re a Mason?”
They wouldn’t, but there is a spiritual dimension to living a lie.
Masonry in the US has always been more of a social club than anything else. But the roots of Masonry are in anti-Catholicism, a secret society of the elect that in the minds of its founders, would know better than the boobs in the Catholic Church. However, a significant difference in the case of the US is the fact that our Masons were British, and the Catholic Church had ceased to be something worth attacking at least two centuries before the time of our Founding Fathers; therefore, while there’s a mild current of anti-Catholicism, it’s no worse than average modern Protestant anti-Catholicism.
But in traditionally Catholic places like Austria, Spain, Italy, etc., Freemasonry was an actively anti-Catholic force. It has its own deity, its own set of rituals and its own heirarchy. In Catholic countries, it was not content to maintain these quietly, but actively sought to influence the government and destroy the Church. It was very successful in Spain in the early 19th century, and had patchy success in other places over that century.
One thing you have to keep in mind is that there is a difference between British/US Freemasonry and the Continental European variety, although their roots are one and the same.
As a Mason, I listen to the opinions of others and try to understand so that I might apply their wisdom to my life in hopes of betterment. I do not see where the conflict between the Order and Religion as I hear the concerns of others. Masons do not seek to replace the Creator or even challenge the Creator for position. They do not counter the religious leanings of members, in fact they (in my Lodge) discourage religious discussion as it is their goal to include rather than draw lines.
The goal of Masonry is to make good men better and this is not dependent on their religious persuasions.
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Catholics-Cannot-Be-Masons/dp/0895558815
I’m not Catholic, but the book is very insightful. I’d say most members at lower levels are innocent, hardworking guys who like to bump elbows and have above-board spiritual beliefs. At that level, Masonry is like the ongoing sketch where Jackie Gleason and Art Carney wore coonskin hats, said mumbo-jumbo and supported the charity raffle. The issue arises beyond that, where the formerly-secret “upper” orders have a hidden power agenda and, according to some who have left the conclave, blood oaths to a “god” who is not God. Several Christian denominations, not just the Catholics, disavow Masonry. Some say that we are at a juncture in human history where the Shadow Masters are playing their trump card, using mass media (including novels, film, TV, cartoons, porn, anything needed), political manipulation, a false presidential “messiah”, economic extortion, invocations of racism, islamist-vs-zionist hate, resurgent Soviet-ism and all forms of international division and violence to control the Earth. There are no sidelines now. As they say, the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing. Pray to God, tell the truth, and work for the good.
http://www.ewtn.com/library/liturgy/zlitur161.htm
"In order to clarify the issue the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published a declaration on Nov. 26, 1983, shortly before the present Code of Canon Law came into effect. This declaration, signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, states:"It has been asked whether there has been any change in the Church's decision in regard to Masonic associations since the new Code of Canon Law does not mention them expressly, unlike the previous Code.
"This Sacred Congregation is in a position to reply that this circumstance in due to an editorial criterion which was followed also in the case of other associations likewise unmentioned inasmuch as they are contained in wider categories.
"Therefore the Church's negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.
"It is not within the competence of local ecclesiastical authorities to give a judgment on the nature of Masonic associations which would imply a derogation from what has been decided above, and this in line with the Declaration of this Sacred Congregation issued on 17 February 1981 (cf. AAS 73 1981 pp. 240-241; English language edition of L'Osservatore Romano, 9 March 1981).
"In an audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect, the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II approved and ordered the publication of this Declaration which had been decided in an ordinary meeting of this Sacred Congregation."
The congregation's judgment, therefore, was not so much based on whether the Masons as such or any specific group of Masons effectively plot against the Church today. This does not deny that some Masonic groups have historically combated the Church nor that even today, in some countries or at certain levels, the lodge remains at the forefront of those who oppose the Church's freedom of action.
Rather, the Vatican congregation above all stressed the incompatibility of some Masonic principles with those of the Catholic Church.
This incompatibility resides in some aspects of Masonic ritual, but more importantly in elements regarding the question of truth.
In its effort to bring together people of different provenances, Masonry requires that its members adhere to a minimal belief in a supreme architect of the universe and leave aside all other pretensions of truth, even revealed truth.
It is thus basically a relativistic doctrine, and no Catholic, nor indeed any convinced Christian, may ever adhere to a group that would require him, even as a mere intellectual exercise, to renounce the affirmation of such truths as Christ's divinity and the Trinitarian nature of God.
Of course, for many people active in Masonic lodges, the conversations and activities are more social in nature and rarely veer toward the realm of philosophical speculation. A Catholic, however, cannot ignore the fundamental principles behind an organization, no matter how innocuous its activities appear to be."
34th degree? Thought 33rd was high as you can get.
Thanks for the info. One thing stood out: The continental side had (has?) their own deity (God)? That would be a deal breaker for me, to say the least!
I don't think I can give a “christian” reason for not joining.
For me, I avoid secret societies, secret oath's and secret allegiances.
If you want good fellowship and a chance to do good in your community and around the world, join the Rotary Club.
“The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.”
That is a deal-breaker for me. Thanks.
Apart from that, I once attended a Masonic funeral service, held at the parish hall of a Catholic church, for a man who had joined the Masons before converting to the Catholic faith. I didn't hear anything in the ritual that could be considered anti-Catholic or anti-Christian.
A long time ago I read something about groups that fostered anti-Catholicism in the US, and they had the Masons as one of them.
One Mason I do admire in particular is George Mason, who participated in the Constitutional Convention but refused to sign the final document because of its lack of a Bill of Rights.
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