Why Catholics Cannot Be Masons, [Part 1]

I know of no lodge that would require such a thing...it would be strictly against Masonry rules. All Masonry rites and rituals are the same in any lodge and may not be written down. There are no readings of any bible and certainly not any passing out of any bible. There is no mention of GOD per se.

Not so in the lodge I joined...I was given a very large Masonic hard cover KJV bible.

Also, you don’t have to swear on a bible, if you are muslim you can use a koran, jewish a torah, etc.

And I can't imagine a muzlim being accepted into my lodge...

i can’t either, but i was told there’s a bunch of them around dearbornistan.

Inconsistently, novel “liberties” such as abortion and sodomy are defended just as strongly since they emerge from new and “enlightened” realizations.

Where do you guys come up with this stuff???

Never have I had a conversation with another Mason on the pros and cons of sodomy...

In my experience, Masons are men (and women) with strong family values and pretty much leave the inner workings of the topic of sodomy to those groups who share a fondness for it...Given the proclivity perhaps it's a common topic in your religion or your fraternal KoC...

One man was asked to head an entire region which also included a visit to the initiation of young girls for Eastern Star. (He has three girls). When he saw what his daughters would be subjected to it shook him up in ways he never would have imagined....and to this day bears the scars of what he has seen within Masonary. But he did leave.

I've known ladies and their kids of the Eastern Star...They seemed normal to me...

What is it specifically that their daughters are subjected to???

“Scottish Rite” + “Third Degree Master Mason oath”?

Your entire post is bogus, including “if” and “the”.

First off, the Scottish Rite has no involvement with the Third Degree. One must attain the Third Degree before one can even pursue the Scottish Rite degrees.

Secondly, that’s not the wording of the oath in the Third Degree.

Thirdly, in NONE of the Masonic degrees does the oath involve swearing to actually inflict the penalty on somebody. The swearer is, in essence, inviting the penalty down on himself...at least one author has suggested that the invitation is for God Himself to inflict the penalty for such an egregious violation, along the lines of “cross my heart and hope to die”.

My father’s Masonic lodge included an Iranian Muslim. (He had been expelled from his homeland in the late 1940s for being falsely suspected of Communist activities.)

A helluva nice guy.

The most amazing statement here is the implication that people have actually read “Morals and Dogma”.

So help me, I have economic treatises that are more interesting....

I don't believe that either...They require a belief in God, not a deity...

No, they do not. Masonic ritual makes no reference to a specific deity, though I myself am a proud Christian.

25-year Mason and blue-hat Scottish Rite speaking here.

Are you serious? I really don’t believe you were ever raised.

How do people condemn a private group with secrets when they don’t know the secrets?

It would seem if any of the tinfoil stuff were true it would have been reported already.

(btw in poking around the net I found the oldest reference to masonry is called the regus poem which is dated at 1390. I also found a slew of religious kookery sites.)

and that right there is when I knew he wasn’t a Mason.

That and I just participated in a practice for the 3rd last night for another lodge.

Pretty funny guys.

Freemasonry is a religion as follows:

Masons meet in temples, ....such as the Scottish Rite Temple. ...They have an altar ...and there is a "holy book" on it.... They have prayers, ..deacons, ...and religious titles for their leaders, ...such as High Priest and Worshipful Master..... They say that they bring men from spiritual darkness to spiritual light. ...In some Masonic degrees, they even serve communion.....

Although Freemasonry is a religion,' most Masons deny it.'..... They use double talk and say "We are an order of religious men, but not a religion." .....Most of them are quite sincere about this....... (Tom C. McKenney, "Please Tell Me," pages 81-82)

"Freemasonry is not Christianity, nor a substitute for it. It does not meddle with sectarian creeds or doctrines, but teaches fundamental religious truth."..... (Albert G. Mackey, "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry," page 162)

Most Masons sincerely (but wrongly) believe that Freemasonry is not a religion. How can they be so wrong when they are so sincere?...... Tom McKenney says, "...they were told upon entering the Lodge that, whatever their religion, Masonry would not conflict with or contradict it. They believed this because sincere men told them so. Those sincere men who told them so believed it because an earlier generation of sincere men had told them the very same thing. And so, this deception, which originated as a lie in Masonry's dark beginnings, is perpetuated generation after generation." (Tom C. McKenney, "Please Tell Me," page 82)

Masons are not supposed to mention the name of Jesus in the Lodge:

"A Christian Mason is not permitted to introduce his own peculiar opinions with regards to Christ's mediatorial office into the lodge." (Albert G. Mackey, "Lexicon of Freemasonry," page 404)

"Whether you swear or take God's name in vain don't matter so much. Of course the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as you know, don't amount to anything, but Mah-hah-bone--O, horror! You must never, on any account, speak that awful name aloud. That would be a most heinous crime--unmasonic--unpardonable." (Edmond Ronayne, "Masonic Handbook," page 184)

James Shaw, a former Thirty-Third Degree Mason, was appointed Chaplain in the Scottish Rite. Since at that time he didn't know how to pray, he got a book of John Wesley's prayers and read one, ending "in Christ's name". For that he was sharply rebuked by his Commander and reported to the Secretary of the Scottish Rite, who told him that he was never to end a prayer "in Jesus' name" or "in Christ's name." (Tom McKenney, "Please Tell Me," page 72)

The vast majority of Masons, Freemasonry is 'a lifelong succession of deceptions'. .......Most Lodge leaders do not realize that they are deceiving their members. ......For the most part, they are simply reciting the same things they have heard and said, over and over, assuming that they are right and good...... However, the Princes and Adepts of Freemasonry deliberately deceive the Masons under them......... (See Tom C. McKenney, "Please Tell Me...Questions People Ask About Freemasonry -- and the Answers," pages 123-133.)

Masons take blood oaths, but are told that they are only symbolic. They participate in rituals that they don't understand, assuming that they must be alright because their masonic friends have done it.

Part of the symbols are displayed there to the initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them; but it is intended that he shall imagine he understands them." .........(Albert Pike, "Morals and Dogma," page 819)

Masons believe that God is the Light-bearer until the 19th Degree, .......as Pike writes, giving them new revelation.

This insight completely squares with stated Masonic policy of... 'deliberately misleading Masons in the lower degrees'... until they were really ready for the "truth....

This is the truth -- Masonry worships Lucifer:

"Lucifer, the Light-bearer! Strange and mysterious name to give to the Spirit of Darkness! Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light, and with its splendors intolerable, blinds feeble, sensual, or selfish souls? Doubt it not!"................ [Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted 'Scottish Rite of Freemasonry,' p. 321, 19th Degree of Grand Pontiff

"When the Mason learns that the key to the warrior on the block is the proper application of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the mystery of his Craft....... The seething energies of 'Lucifer' are in his hands, ......and before he may step onward and upward, he must prove his ability to properly apply energy....... He must follow in the footsteps of his forefather, 'Tubal-Cain', who with the mighty strength of the war god hammered his sword into a plowshare .....(Tubal-Cain is the password given in the Third Degree of Master Mason)....[Manly P. Hall, 33rd Degree, K.T., The Lost Keys of Freemasonry or The Secret of Hiram Abiff , Forward by Reynold E. Blight, '33rd Degree', K.T., Illustrations by J. Augustus Knapp, 32nd Degree, Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company, Inc., Richmond, Virginia, p. 48

"Freemasonry is not Christianity, nor a substitute for it. It does not meddle with sectarian creeds or doctrines, but teaches fundamental religious truth."..... (Albert G. Mackey, "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry," page 162)

The similarities between the witchcraft (first level) initiation and the masonic one are striking:

The initiate (candidate) is skyclad (naked) in the witchcraft ritual but in the masonic ritual he only need bare his left breast area. In each initiation a blindfold is applied and a rope is tied about the neck...symbolizing that the candidate is going by blind trust in the word of those who initiates him and that he/she is bound in such a commitment. ..........The candidate is led to bind himself by oath to the craft (occult) or lodge (masonic). Believers in Christ who submit themselves to such things violate the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to not make such oaths:

"But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation." James 5:12.

At the time that he is led in the oath, the candidate is disoriented, blindfolded, half naked, confused, afraid, and humiliated. He has been stripped of all his clothes and his wedding ring, and has put on something similar to pajamas, with one leg rolled up and the shirt half off his torso. He has been blindfolded with a hood, and had a rope put around his neck...... He has been led around during the initiation ritual like a blind dog on a leash..... He has no idea who is watching him or how many men there are.... He has been told that he is in darkness and must depend on Masonry to give him light.

After having been pressured into taking an oath that he never expected to take -- and which he only partly understood because he was disoriented and only heard a few words at a time -- the initiate is given a written copy of the oath. He is required to memorize it word for word. This is similar to being pressured into signing a blank check, and later finding out what it is going to cost you.<[> All of this is a powerful means of subjugation and mind control. It can bind men to the Lodge and its authority both mentally and spiritually. (See Tom C. McKenney, "Please Tell Me," pages 66-69 and 124).

The upper level masons are still not the highest level in their craft. In such highly secretive groups such as.... 'the rites of Memphis, the rite of Mizraim, the Palladium rite', etc. ....they grant candidates up to 90 degrees. In some it is even higher.

It is difficult for a man to turn away from Freemasonry because of the many blood oaths which he has made in order to obtain his degrees..... Furthermore, he has invested a lot of time, effort and money into Masonry, and many of his friendships and business connections are with fellow Masons.

Why would that seem amazing....it's a book...and available to any who have interest in reading cult propaganda and study of the cults.....You would do well to add discernment to you're judgment cap and make “righteous” judgment of those you critic. However you are right in that it's about the most boring reading one can get into.....however one does read.

how do you force a group to become a religion when they say they do not want to be?

Again go back to the Olympics example. alters etc.

Every president has taken an oath on a bible.

all the religious fanatics have done is demonstrate the “eyes by refuse to see” concept. Is there even a recruiting program? I have never seen old men in fancy aprons trying to recruit people in airports.

Pure crap from start to finish.

You seem to think that if a group doesn’t cite the name of Jesus, why then it must be EEEEE-VIL. Ummm...no. Life doesn’t work on that kind of either/or basis.

You also seem to want to believe that all Masons must be horribly benighted saps, with no ability to grasp what they’re being hoodwinked into. Try again...most of the Masons I’ve known or met along the way have been quite intelligent and ethical. The kind of people who want to learn everything they can about their interests...the kind who, if they discovered they had been deceived into joining a malicious organization, would have not only left en masse (oaths be damned), they would have publicly denounced it in large numbers. Masonry would not have survived for hundreds of years if many of its members had concluded they were being hoodwinked.

The people that I knew who departed Masonry either were expelled for wrongdoing (stuff that would have gotten them fired from a job) or left for personal reasons (like getting passed over for advancement, or not getting the acclaim they felt they deserved). It would be interesting to know *all* the reasons the authors of these various “Freemasonry Exposed” and “Masonry is evil” tomes had for leaving the organization, assuming they ever actually belonged in the first place. Too many of them remind me a bit too much of David Brock.

Regarding the business about “Masons worship Lucifer”: Albert Pike was an extremely educated man. In this case, perhaps a bit overeducated...his “Lucifer” reference was based on a Hebrew translation of the Biblical “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Son of the Morning Star”. In the Hebrew translation, the figure identified in modern translation as “Lucifer” isn’t Satan-who-rebelled-against-God-and-was-cast-out-of-Heaven, it’s referring to an ancient king with such a high opinion of himself that his attire earned him the name “Son of the Morning Star” (a reference to the planet that rises and shines brightly in the eastern sky before dawn), and fell out of God’s favor for his hubris.

In short, Pike was referring to obscure knowledge that *he* understood, but his audience didn’t and still doesn’t. “Speaking over the heads of your audience” is never a good idea because, as in this case, it’s just asking for misunderstandings.

As to your last statement, it was remarkably easy for me to turn away from Freemasonry...I just stopped being involved. I will, however, happily step up to defend this fine organization when I see it being defamed by the uninformed, or people or organizations with ulterior motives.

You seem to think that if a group doesn’t cite the name of Jesus, why then it must be EEEEE-VIL. Ummm...no. Life doesn’t work on that kind of either/or basis.

That is simply one of many reasons to see Masonry for what it is and it is not compatible with Christianity. You can argue against the authors comments....and excuse Pikes statements all you want....but I am not speaking from any lack of experience with those involved with Masonry.

Yes, most Masons at the lower levels are saps...though the upper levels lead them to believe otherwise of course, but they would be the first to acknowledge to one another the low enders are the grunt workers and all about deceiving them.

Intelligence has nothing to do with one being deceived, it does have to do with an individual getting high off the rhetoric the upper enders hand you...."Oh look what we can do for your business"....Oh look at the connections we will give you"...Oh look you're a member of a very prestigious secret organization privy to only a few "special selected men", "And oh my, Presidents and highly prolific individuals are Masons"......Which does play to men's egos in a big way...especially those who see themselves as "Intellectuals".

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell they are after the revenues the wealthier individuals bring to their table in order to go from one degree to the next...... Doctors, Lawyers, Politicians is where the big bucks are and they will "Pay to Play" with other big boys...... Heck look at those supporting Obama if you really want to see the 'intelligence' of our day, if you insist on calling it that.... and why claiming "intelligence" isn't exactly a favorable thing.

As for morality....just wait until they rise in the organization...and discover what goes on behind closed doors...... BTW my friends have left Masonry...and they were not at the lower levels....it was no easy feat I might add...and they did not come away unscathed of course........ These men who left did so because of much prayer for them...their blinded eyes finally saw Masonry for what it is, not what they wanted and determined it would be for them. Embarrassed that they, of "intellect", had fallen for the scam....and frightened for having mis-lead all those whom they did while they themselves rose thru the rank and file and recruited others.......

And contrary to what you think you know of other peoples involvement with Masonry's.....you do not have a corner on understanding Masons...in fact I would say you are much limited....one could easily assume you did not go the distance as my friends had done. I say this because those who have gone the distance and thereafter left would not at all agree with you.

I am curious if you wrote a formal resignation of leaving Masonry.....and in that why you were leaving. I'd assume you did not.

Women may join the Eastern Star or the Daughters of the Nile - both are masonic orders

Boys can join Demolay and girls can join Rainbow

how do you force a group to become a religion when they say they do not want to be?

That's the whole point...you don't have to force it...it's how it is presented, and that over a period of time....just as in any cult group....it has all the signifigance of a religion without calling itself that....and why it's deceptive....most cults and false religions do likewise...Scientology and Mormonism comes to mind as are others...such as new Age and other so called "secret" groups.

People generally do not "follow" an organizations tenants unless they stand to gain something of value for themselves....Masonary tempts many with "success" stories and "better business" for the contacts. A good ol boys network appeals to men of "intellect"...But i must add that of recent years Masons ability to attract the intelligent as fallen short of doing so as before....thus they've become more relaxed in who they will now allow....thus to fill the rank and file of it's drain on membership..

BTW The President of the US swears an oath to uphold the nations constitution, and scurity of this country...not to a man....he does not swear allegiance to "Herman" the bizzare...nor does he go thru a mock representation of baptisim, the burial and reserrection pledging alligence to To 'Herman'...not even close to the masonic oaths nor the rituals they peform ...not even close.....

Yes there is a recruitment program....all members must have a sponsor...someone who "recommends them". Although some lodges no longer hold that as necessary since they are loosing members. They recruit generally from business meetings, other organizations where men of significance might attend, and the like..."who's who " if you will...are sought and attempts to persuade. So yes...they do "recruit"...they simply "hang out" at different places...

I have to go with his own writings.