Posted on 07/05/2005 9:01:32 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan
JULY 4 is a date firmly fixed in the consciousness of all Americans. Perhaps it should also be imprinted in the mind of Scots with a sense of history. Who was involved in the building of the White House? And who helped to start the American War of Independence? The surprising answer might be Scottish freemasons.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Yeah, it is the Pashal (Good Friday) service, being mis-reported or misinterpreted by your author. Remember most American Masons were also Anglican (as was the majority of the populace in the Colonies at the time).
The Tenebrae or Service of Darkness takes place in the evening. It derives its name from the gradual extinguishing of candles and lights at various points in the service. The ensuing darkness is a symbolic recreation of the darkness that covered the land when our Lord died (see Mark 15:33). It also brings to mind the fading life of our Lord as He hung on the cross. Scripture readings and hymns direct the hearts of the people to repent of the sins that made our Lord's crucifixion necessary. The last remaining candle (representing Jesus) is carried out of the chancel or extinguished. The Service of Darkness ends with the strepitus, a sudden loud noise caused by the slamming of a book or door. The strepitus symbolizes the tumultuous earthquake that accompanied the Lord's death (see Matthew 27:46-53) and the shutting of the tomb when He was interred. It also foreshadows the breaking of the tomb at the Resurrection described in Matthew 28:2. The Christ candle is then relit or returned to the altar as a reminder to the worshippers that even in the midst of death and darkness our Lord was not defeated by the devil, but rose in triumph on Easter morning. The people then disperse in silence.
i'm WAY to old to fight anymore... screw that business, i carry a gun
yeah i still cuss but i NEVER cheated on my Wife!!!
Whoring??? never paid for sex in my life.
SECRET AMBITION: To become rich enough that he can open his own combination dope den / whorehouse / microbrewery... and be the only customer.
never been THAT ambitious... 8^)
Thanks for the info. A link to Jewish masons:
http://www.sullivan-county.com/id3/fm_jews.htm
Good link, although the writer seems to be from one of the more loosy-goosy Mason groups that really don't fairly represent Masonry, so I tend to disagree with a good bit of what he said.
One paragraph caught my eye as a major gloss-over of the problems in being a non-Christian mason that I have stated:
"While there are many common aspects of Judaism and Freemasonry, [Jews] can be uncomfortable about being asked to say Christian prayers . . . Some parts of Masonry use New Testament prayers, references to Saints [I presume St. John], the cross as a religious symbol . . . and one Masonic organization requires aspiring members to swear to support the Christian faith [presumably the York Rite]. . . . "
Other than what I read here on FR, I have no knowledge of Free Masonry.
Do you know if Ronald Reagan was a mason?
Nah! The ACLU knows for a fact that ain't so.....LOL
Ronald Reagan has often been referred to as a Freemason. President Reagan is not a Freemason, although he is an honorary member of the Imperial Council of the Shrine. President Reagan has on numerous occasions been involved in Shrine and masonic functions throughout his career.
The confusion as to his membership arises from a ceremony held in the Oval Office of the White House on February 11th, 1988, when a group of Freemasons presented President Reagan with a certificate of honor from the Grand Lodge of Washington, D.C., then he was made an Honourary Scottish Rite mason. The title of Freemason can only be conferred by a Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In Reagan's case this was not done, probably because the ceremonies would have taken a full day to confer and the president's time was limited; therefore,President Reagan should only be referred to as a Shriner or Scottish Rite mason. The Shrine and Scottish Rite are concordant bodies and cannot confer the title Freemason on any person.
from mastermason.com
No, the claim that the roman church forbids membership is the slander.
Below is the text of a letter from the Office of the Archdiocesan Tribunal, Archdiocese of Los Angeles, dated September 15, 2000, to the Masonic Service Bureau of North America:
Thank you for your inquiry of September 11, 2000 directed to Cardinal Mahoney, on whose behalf I am replying. The question is "whether a practicing Catholic may join a Masonic Lodge."
Unfortunately, the matter is too complex for a straightforward "yes" or "no" answer. But at least for Catholics in the United States, I believe the answer is "probably yes." Permit me to explain this qualified response.
Your letter states that a member's "allegiance to one God is all we require." To the extent that this is an accurate statement of the organization's beliefs and teachings, and that its activities are humanitarian and charitable in nature, there is no reason to prevent a practicing Catholic from joining.
Past history, of course, has muddied the waters because earlier church law (prior to November 27, 1983) specifically named Masonic groups as a forbidden society (canon 2335, 1917 Code). The dialogues between Catholic and Masonic representatives in the years since the Second Vatican Council were generally very positive and yet did not resolve questions or concerns raised in certain parts of the world.
There is no agreement, however, among the experts in church law who have considered the matter. Consequently one can only judge the individual circumstances in light of the principles that clearly do apply. These principles are set forth in canons 1374 and 1364 of the 1983 Code, which forbid a Catholic from joining "an association which plots against the Church" and impose penalties for heresy under certain conditions.
If "a particular Masonic lodge truly promoted heretical teaching or conspired against the interests of the Church" (Ronny E. Jenkins, "The Evolution of the Church's Prohibition Against Catholic Membership in Freemasonry," The Jurist, 56 (1996), pg 735,) then a Catholic would be bound to avoid membership.
The reason, then, I answer 'probably yes' is because I am unaware of any ideology or practice by the local lodges that challenges or subverts the doctrine and interests of the Catholic Church. In the previous paragraph, I have cited the article which best presents the current state of the question. The 1974 newspaper clipping that you enclosed with your letter probably refers to a letter written by Cardinal Seper, then in charge of the same doctrinal congregation mentioned above, which was addressed to certain bishops. In this letter one can see the movement at that time from a blanket prohibition to the application of a case-by-case judgment whether a group did in fact conspire against the Church. The history of the development of the Church's current law suggests that this case-by-case approach is what canon 1374 on forbidden associations intends."
maybe you should get a pet to bother.
I told you earlier that if you have a problem with the Catholic Church you and/or your little friends in the robes and hoods should sue the Church.
I posted the links from the Catholic Church which clearly shows the Church's position on the Masons and secret societies.
Now go bother somebody else...
don't have time for you, secret handshakes and the rest of the nonsense. LMAO
I have no problem with the roman church, although they are often a bit misguided and mystical for my taste.
I do, however, have a problem with people who misrepresent the roman church's position, which is clearly stated in the letter above.
I am unaware of robes, hoods, or the like used in masonry.
NOW GO AND SLANDER some other group of good men, which include, Samuel Nicholas, who created the U. S. Marine Corps, by the way.
Not to mention these Medal of Honor recipients: Maj. Randoph Berkley (Marine); Audie Murphy, Jimmie Doolittle, Carl Sitter (Marine), Buffalo Bill Cody, Col. Miles, Lewis Millet, Wendell Neville, Eddie Richenbacher, Hulon Whittington, Ernest Dervishian, William Wilbur, Gen. Wainwright, Joe Jackson, Dennis Bell, William Blackmar,William Blackwood, Frank Baldwin (got 2 actually), and Nathan Allen.
Maybe loosen the tinfoil cap, too.
It's obviously cut off circulation for someone who claims to be a Marine to willingly slander an organization that such men would join as mere "nonsense."
2B1 ask1.
bttt
Try again. Your citation is outdated (1983).
Read the letter by Cardinal Mahoney in post 128.
You're pathetic. I doubt you were a Marine.
Don't be ridiculous and take off the tinfoil.
It was sarcasm....
Washington was an active FreeMason. It's the tinfoil wearing, conspiracy nutters who say otherwise.
You're posting utter tripe.
Some people, who were Masons, then went off and delved into the occult; however, that doesn't mean that FreeMasonry has anything whatsoever to do with occult.
You have been through a '33rd Degree Initiation'?
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