[Clemenza]

Doesn't change the fact that some of the GREATEST men in American history were Freemasons, more than can be said of the Tomas de Torquemada wing of the Catholic Church.

(Dons flame retardant suit).

I can understand your desire to warn Catholics against joining the Masons, but this article seems to imply that all Freemasons are the equivalent of Communists and Fascists.

[SaintDismas]

You must have been insulted by what you read, because I sure didn't get the impression at all that this admonition against the organization implied that the individual members were evil people. The writer seemed to bend over backwards to say that they weren't, that they had no idea as to what the "purpose" for the organization is. Wow, it's pretty crazy when these secret socities keep THE secret from it's members....

[Conservative til I die]

Doesn't change the fact that some of the GREATEST men in American history were Freemasons, more than can be said of the Tomas de Torquemada wing of the Catholic Church.

This appeal assumes that all Catholics view America as the end-all be-all of life and that the Founding Fathers' greatness was defined by their quasi-Protestant, Deistic, Masonic, hyper-capitalistic worldview.

230 years later, I'd say their experiment has been at best, semi-successful.

[sitetest]

Dear Clemenza,

"I can understand your desire to warn Catholics against joining the Masons,..."

That's good. After all, the Church has a right to determine what is and isn't compatible with Her membership.

"...but this article seems to imply that all Freemasons are the equivalent of Communists and Fascists."

Actually, I got the opposite message. The message I'm getting is that the overwhelming majority of Masons are NOT bad folks, just that they don't know the secret agenda of Freemasonry.

Here's a representative quote from the article:

"In the first place it is necessary to say that very few of the rank and file of Freemasonry are acquainted with the real purpose of the order."

I'm not commenting on whether or not such a world-wide secret conspiracy exists, only that the article doesn't implicate most Masons as witting accomplices thereto.


sitetest

[nickcarraway]

Did you read the article? It clearly stated that just because freemasonry had ideas contradictory to Catholicism, it didn't mean that most Freemasons felt that way, etc.

[BlackElk]

Now, now! See #231.

Tomas de Torquemada was/is a friend of mine, etc.

The oaths of the first three degrees of Masonry, among others, are uncommonly silly and disordered (Barnes and Noble sells the degree work of the Masonic Order without having its heart torn out to be devoured by jackals on the plain of...., etc.) and probably not worthy of Christians and other believers but the specifics are drowned in an ocean of fraternal camaraderie and, yes, good works in many cases.