“Are prospective Masons told that joining will not affect their church relationship, or something to that effect. Is this correct in your experience?”
There is a statement prior to our oath that says that the obligation will not ask anything of us that will interfere with our duty to God, family, country, neighbor, or self.
This is absolutely true, as there is nothing there or after that requires us any activity, indoctrination, or prosetylization that would interfere with any of those.
Now, to parse that out a bit, we do not mention our interference with our relationship with any church - only God. It is up to the member to decide whether what he does interferes with his relationship with his church. Not to nitpick, but even Catholics have varying standards of what interferes with their church that have changed from pope to pope.
thanks for your reply..
I’m not sure what you’re referring to on varying standards here. The specific proscription on Freemasonry goes back about 300 years I believe.
I can understand your point about leaving it up to the member. However for a practicing Catholic not being able to validly receive the sacrament of Holy Eucharist and being in grave sin would certainly interfere with his relationship to God. By definition, this is the state that one knows his relationship with God needs repentance and repair.
Again, I’m not arguing for Catholic beliefs to you here; just stating what they are.
I appreciate your time and courtesy in reply.
You’ve been very courteous and I feel like I’m brow beating you and I don’t wish to.
But I don’t think I have communicated effectively, likely because of the difference between the Catholic church and others.
I’d like to make one last attempt, and then I promise I will shut up and leave you alone.
If I may try an analogy. One that likely could not ever occur, but that’s irrelevant, I’m just using it to explain in a manner closer to your experience.
Let’s reverse the situation in a fashion.
Say that your Rite had a severe rule against its members joining a particular organization - whatever reason, it’s irrelevant. Only that the prohibition was clear and serious.
Say that if a member violated the prohibition, he could no longer participate in your rites and rituals or any other greatly significant event or working that makes masonry unique.
You explain this to a brother and he chooses one of four options:
1) He doesn’t join the other organization and remains in good standing.
2) He joins the other organization and leaves freemasonry and never returns.
3) He joins and and just goes to your bar-b-ques and social events, staying away during all significant mason meetings, rites, rituals. This is all that he wants from masonry.
4) He joins and participates in the other organization, but doesn’t tell you and continues to participate in your rites and rituals just as before.
If you can imagine this analogy, then you can see how I see the options for a Catholic considering freemasonry. Regardless of what the two organizations are in the analogy, I think we would have the response and respect for an individual depending on which of the four possible options he chose.
My last attempt at this.. thanks very much for your patience.