Comments on: The Catholic Church and Freemasonry

By: delta_steve

delta_steve — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:30:15 +0000

Being a Freemason and being an American are in no way the same. Joining any fraternal organization is a choice. Unless you are an immigrant and became an American then you were born an American, the result of no decision made by you. And the American currency is the only currency that states “In God We Trust”. Implying that even though we are a nation of tolerance we have a Christian foundation. I do not know much about the Masons and I don’t claim to. Being a soldier in the US Army I have met many Masons and became friends with them in a less secretive fraternal organization known as US Partroopers. I have nothing against Masons or their lodges, but I come from a K of C family. When I get out of the Army later this year I will join the K of C just like my great grandfather, my grandfather, and my father before me. Obviously I will not be a Mason due to my strong relationship with the Church. She is my guide in life, and she has not failed me yet. As far as Masons go, I wish you luck (as long as your endevours are not against the church), and as for Catholic Masons, you can not serve two masters. Make your choice and hope it’s the right one.

By: The Masonic year that was 2009 | freemasoninformation.com

The Masonic year that was 2009 | freemasoninformation.com — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 06:15:21 +0000

[...] The Catholic Church and Freemasonry – From Gate City Lodge on FmI [...]

By: John J. Deltuvia, Jr.

John J. Deltuvia, Jr. — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:30:28 +0000

Answers to the 12 points raised above by the Rev, Mr. John J. McManus, JD, JCL:

1. Many documents of the Catholic Church encourage a well-formed conscience, and many approved writers such as Merton, Aquinas, and Augustine endorse it as well. Formation of conscience requires consideration of ‘what if’ something were not dogma; and indeed teachings of the RCC have changed based on such premises.

2. The Catholic Church says that abortion is wrong at all times, while at the same time stating that an expectant mother may undergo surgeries which might threaten the fetus. Thus, non-spontaneous abortion is OK in a relative context according to the RCC. The RCC accepts relativism in its teachings.

3. The Second Vatican Council proclaimed “She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men.” This objection is completely counter to that teaching.

4. Although not a Mason myself, I know Masons who hold a personal relationship with one or more deities.

5. Derives from 4 and countered by 4.

6. The United States of America promotes an idea of toleration regarding ideas. By the author’s logic, one cannot be a Catholic and an American.

7. Other organizations, such as the Boy Scouts of America, have rituals of passage of a transformational manner. Yet Catholic parishes actually sponsor BSA troops.

8. If the allegation provided by the author in #1 is true, then #8 contradicts that; Masonry clearly cannot state that it provides all that is necessary for perfection if it rejects dogma.

9. Although not a Mason myself, I know Masons who have other oaths, other commitments, and have no problem keeping true to those other oaths and commitments.

10. If the allegation provided by the author in #1 is true, then #10 contradicts that; Masonry cannot “adhere” to Christianity in any lodge if it rejects dogma.

11. It has been made clear to me even back when I was a Catholic that, by and large, Masonry has no problem with welcoming Catholics in any lodge. The problem resides in the failure of Catholicism to “her task of promoting unity and love among men, indeed among nations, she considers above all in this declaration what men have in common and what draws them to fellowship” (Second Vatican Council.)

12. The Catholic Church already requires the necessity of grace in justification. This is a non-issue; Protestants of different denominations have differing dogmas, so a joint statement would have to include that.

By: Maranatha Carey

Maranatha Carey — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 03:44:22 +0000

Since this sounds like an “american thinking person’s conversation” here, I am reminded of the publically prophetic utterance of Thomas Jefferson when asked what might be the most destructive ememies for undermining such a fledgling republic. He replied: “the ever-present tyranical abuses of church and state.” Notice how he had experienced both as 2 different faces of the very same coin and that one is never without the other, and cannot, in fact, operate or exist without the other. Historically, the twin Janus faces of church and state have always found indoctrinating, coersive, threatening and dictatorial methods and means of punishing and excommunicating folks who took a deeper, more conscious and mindful inquiry. That is, a choice for a self-examined human life with a concsience, a life of the mind and moral imagination. Through the ages, all great literature and wisdom traditions, poetry, art and music is made of this same primal struggle material. As Doevtoesky knew only too well, in the masses of men, the fear of freedom is vastly far greater than the fear of enslavement…on this side of the two Grand Inquisitors (church and state). Its hard for a thinking mind, acting heart and open soul to accept this! Mankind unanimously chooses slavery over his/her own freedom! When church and state hold up the exact same Janus mirrors to each other, let each see their own tribally collective terrors, brutal suspicions, pathological paranoia and ungodly wrath reflected in the other–and let them conduct their own self-perpetrated wars accordingly–on each other. Now…as for you and I who have long-struggled to outgrow and trancend these dark age dreads …we live and act and love and think in the heart of our Creator God…one human heart to another human heart…and where the Kingdom of Heaven and all the powers and principalities in and beyond the universe: rules supreme.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:34:15 +0000

I am a Catholic and my daughter was initiated into rainbow girls last night. Her father is presbyterian. Her godmother who was with us stated that the ceremony had a lot of similarity to a sorority ceremony. I have no problem with her being in Rainbow b/c I believe that she needs to experience things to make her own determination later in life as to what she believes. I disagree with the church’s viewpoint on masons. I believe that it is important to teach our youth to question and to ask why as that is the only way the church or the government or any other organization can change. In the past, women were second class citizens within the church. It was wrong about that. The way it handled pedophiles in the past was wrong. Instead of looking for the differences with the masons, it needs to look at the similarities and build on that.

By: Nathaniel

Nathaniel — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:54:23 +0000

I am not a Freemason. I must congratulate the Second Gate for publishing such a candid and valuable tretise. I can only very humbly conclude that the world must needs both points of view in regards salvation and fraternity. May the Peace of The Lord be with you.

By: David R VadBunker

David R VadBunker — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:11:09 +0000

Wow
I have taken for granted my Libertys provided by the Constution of this great country! I have a renewed resolve! I have a appreciation for just how fragil these Libertys are. I am amased that this ignorance is tolerated let alone apparently promoted.

By: Bro. Scott A. Wynn

Bro. Scott A. Wynn — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 03:22:09 +0000

I really liked this article.
As one who was born and raised Catholic and later in life became a Freemason I have struggled with the issues discussed here.
As a Freemason I have found myself and become closer to G-d than I have at any time in my earlier life.
What Freemasonry promotes in the Fatherhood of G-d, brotherhood of man is, in my opinion, is what is right for our world as a whole.
I haven’t received communion since becoming a Mason, but have no regrets.
My respects to the Church and all the good they do, but I believe that Masonry is the future and I feel good about being a part of it.
Let the past be the past.

By: Steve Brettell

Steve Brettell — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:27:43 +0000

This works if you accept the first premise: that what the Pope says has a meaning beyond that of any other man. If you don’t accept that, then this is simply self referential: it is so because I say it’s so. If you accept the original statement that Freemasonry is bad, then all the legal issues built on that are acceptable.

However, the stated reasons given for the badness of Freemasonry in the Humanum Genus encyclical (not an infallible statement, by the way) are highly debatable, and are the same principles upon which the government of the U.S., among other progressive governments, is based. Arguably, these principles are good and pure except that the Pope says otherwise in this letter.

By: MP

MP — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:38:29 +0000

That’s easy, Raum: i ceased to be a Catholic, though no one else knew it, and realized that could not, in conscience, remain a Knight.

Additionally, I felt the KofC did not present enough of a “rite of passage” for me, and I started to research the origins of the Knights. I had no interest in the insurance plans, so my only reason for joining was for the fraternalism and initiatic experience. I got the former, I don’t think the latter is there.