Every now and again, well at least since my late high-school days – the term freemasonry pops up. I must admit my understanding of the organisation (cult?) is a little sketchy. Over the years, I have pieced together bits of information about the organisation. Here are a few of these incidences;
Freemasonry is often portrayed as highly secretive – the organisation behind every plot and ploy within society to do with acquiring power and influence. Was there a rumour that President Bush was a freemason?
From my undergraduate history days, I remember learning that freemasonry was one of the many products of the enlightenment (Deism maybe?) coupled with the creation and spread of public opinion. Apparently, they had “Liberty, Equality and Freedom” as their three tenets of faith well before the French Revolution.
I have heard that freemasonry and Christianity are in complete opposition to one another. Apparently 8 Popes have condemned the organisation! From what I have heard, some of the higher levels of freemasonry are very anti-Catholic. Is it right to say that they have a distaste for organised religion? Also, some Catholics say that if you have freemasons in your ancestry then its wise to seek council from a priest, why exactly is this? I recall vaguely a conversation with someone about freemason curses, although I could be wrong.
One of my friends got a university scholarship from the freemasons and I think the run a rest home in Auckland somewhere, are they social philanthropists as well?
Lastly, I went for coffee this morning with a couple of mates and broached the topic, asking what they knew about the organisation. One of my friends said that he knew a guy who converted to Christianity from freemasonry. He said that once he converted, the freemasons cut all contact with him and nearly sent him bankrupt – apparently they have intricate business networks as well. He wasn’t very high up so he couldn’t really speculate much on the goings-on of the organisation. My friend did say that fostered a good work ethic though. Hmm….maybe I’ll google freemasonry next week sometime…..
My family had a bizarre run-in with a belligerent freemason neighbour farmer and mason judge a generation back so the animosity did exist. I can’t comment about now.
There have been many rumours about the Masonic lodges. I can’t confirm any of them, but I can affirm what Filia Day has said about a rest home; there used to be a Masonic Village rest home on Pah Rd or Queenstown Rd, and I know of two Catholic Sisters who were admitted there during their failing years. As far as I know they received perfectly adequate care including access to religious and spiritual services that they needed. And when I lived at St Benedict’s, the Masonic Hall along the road used to give us the surplus sandwiches and cakes from the supper after their meetings! For the poor, of course. We enjoyed them – when the poor stayed away.
When I studied at the University of Auckland, I looked into applying for scholarships when I went into my MA. One of the scholarships on offer in my department was a Masonic Scholarship (provided by one of the lodges nearby).
I was advised that, as a Catholic, I was not eligible for the scholarship.
The department in question was one of the founding departments of the Arts Faculty, and I believe the scholarship had been around for some time. That may explain it – or a degree of anti-Catholicism may explain it. Or both.
For those who are interested the Church has had quite a lot to say on the subject of freemasonry and contrary to the opinion of some it is forbidden for Catholics to be free masons.
Yes, that is right oremus,
Here are some links:
Not all these encyclicals and letters from these Popes are about freemasonry per se (some are), but Feemasonry is mentioned in them, and their errors, and dangers are condemned
These ones below from Pope Leo XIII is about Freemasonry, and utterly condemn it.
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo13/l13ms4.htm
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo13/l13human.htm
These others mention Freemasonry and condemn certain errors and practises:
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo13/l13praec.htm
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius09/p9syll.htm
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo12/l12quogr.htm
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius11/P11ANIMI.HTM
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo13/l13ms1.htm
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo13/l13spess.htm
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius09/p9etsimu.htm
Interestingly, in the apparition of Our Lady of Good Success (16th century, equador, approved by the church), Our Lady said that during the 20th century, western society would be controlled and ruled by the masonic sects.
The chief error of freemasonry is “naturalism” – no God, i.e., atheism. They are into Reason as the highest thing in this life, and must be promoted above all religion. Remember at the end of the French Revolution, the revolutionaries put a huge statue of the goddess of reason on the altar at Notre Dame in Paris in defiance of God, Christ, and the Church – this is what the Freemasons are on about mostly – sometimes openly, sometimes insidiously.
They are into promoting naturalism, materlialism, atheism, secularism, of which one major part involves the promotion of evolution (because of what it does to Christianity, and how it removes the truly spiritual and supernatural – correctly understood of course – from an understanding of reality and the human person) – even if some of them have other bizarre spiritual practices, and even though some of them are “Christians” too.
They want the death of all religion ultimately, because, in their eyes and mind, it hinders Reason; and despite the fact that they say religion is “good” for society. Publicly they say that they are for certain things, but privately they hate religiion, especially Christianity.
Much of the modern thesis promoting pluralism in the state (all religions having equal place) have been pushed by the Freemasons, because for them, it is the first step in crushing the role of Christianity within society (it doesn’t have it priviledged place as it should), and after that they seek to move religion into the private sphere all together, so as to finally have the triumph of secularism, and naturalism.
Apparently, many of the bioethics centres in Australia, which indulge in very immoral practises, are funded by the masonic sects – and they are open about it – because they sell it as a “great thing” for the modern times. Most people these days see these bioethical practises as “compassionate”.
In 1717 the ‘freemasons’ (they weren’t called that then) were founded as a secret sect of illuminatii, and set up a plan to destroy the Church in 200 years. They were mosrlty made up of powerful bankers with alot of money. They were also prominent Jews involved who had ‘apostasized’ (or abandonned) their Jewish Faith.
All these “plans” and “movements” and “desires” of Freemasonry are only truly exposed and put forward to the highest members of Freemasonry. The average ‘mason’ probably wouldn’t realise what is the true goal of Freemasonry.
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Hence the Popes warnings about Freemasonry. It is truly satanic at its core.
I trust that noone will mention the rumours about Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, the man essentially responsible for the novus ordo.
There’s really no need. Just look at the liturgical extremes in the Auckland diocese.
That could answer any lingering questions.
Thanks JPIII, great post!