Are the International Order of Odd Fellows Masonic?

[BJRumph]

Hmm… the NYT article posted by OSL seems pretty clear to me:

While there was disagreement before reaching a conclusion, the conclusion was nevertheless reached and proclaimed. Odd Fellows is not allowed.

Granted, it is a third party source, however that doesn’t really affect the outcome. Now you can just look for the source document issued by the church that this news article is talking about.

Just because some members of the investigatory council may have disagreed with the outcome, doesn’t mitigate or change in any way the final decree of the Church on the matter.

Vatican I, II, Trent, or any other Church Council did not meet with a 100% agreement on any topics respectively addressed; yet we don’t say the Church’s stance on a lot of issues is confused or otherwise non-discernible.

It IS clear as to if these memberships are allowed by the Church (again, they are not); it is not very clear as to why, or as to how these organizations meet the canonical requirements given for their prohibition.

Two separate issues altogether. One is very clear, the other… not so much.
:aok:

 

[O.S.Luke]

All that being said: a bunch of guys drinking in a pub and pooling their resources for false teeth seems pretty harmless to me.

Oh well. For sure, the Odd Fellows aren’t Masonic.

 

[Zooey]

OK, I read Luke’s (very informative!!) link, and this is what it looks like to me:
Catholics cannot (or at least, should not) join the Odd Fellows. But the question seems to remain, whether an Odd Fellow can join the Catholic Church without resigning from the Odd Fellows. Or, at least, ceasing to actively participate. Which appears to me, to mean that this gentleman mentioned in OP, is, at the least, going to need to resign his active leadership in the OF…
It doesn’t seem so clear as to whether he can remain a nominal Odd Fellow.

(I have to confess that, while I know this is a serious question, that I am having a terrible time swallowing back the :whacky: uch: at typing about men becoming “odd fellows”…as opposed to “normal fellows” or “even fellows”).

OK, here is the sum total of my knowledge of the OF: When I was growing up, the elderly man who lived just south of me, was active in the OF. He explained to my grandfather (who was opposed to all lodges, freindly societies, etc, on principle), that he had joined the OF rather than the Masons, because he felt that the Masons, whether they realized it or not, were at least somewhat anti-Catholic, & he felt that as a Christian (Presbyterian), it would be wrong to join any group that was opposed to any Christian body. Leaving me with the feeling that Herb (may he rest in peace) probably could have answered this question better than:blush: me…

He certainly wouldn’t have appreciated my giggles…

 

[O.S.Luke]

It doesn’t seem so clear as to whether he can remain a nominal Odd Fellow.

I wonder if being a nominal Odd Fellow is better than being a full-fledged Odd Fellow.

How very odd.

 

[MrDubyaAyeSee]

The content of the Odd Fellows ceremonial is probably the reason Catholics were (and are still) banned from being members. A quick look at the degree work (available at stichtingargus.nl/vrijmetselarij/ioof_en.html) shows that membership in the Odd Fellows is predicated on agreeing that, among other things, the world can be saved from its “darkness and chains” by Christ-less, humanistic, and syncretistic “brotherly love”, obliges members to absolute secrecy regarding the ritual work of the order, and espouses “Truth” as the “ultimate virtue.”

The Catholic objections to just these three points should be obvious:

1. Only the redemption wrought by Christ can save man from darkness and/or chains of any sort.
2. Catholics can’t take oaths of absolute secrecy about things that do not warrant absolute secrecy (a major and early objection to Freemasonry in moral theology.)
3. Truth is not a virtue, let alone the “ultimate virtue.” Charity is the highest virtue. Truth is a Person named Jesus.

---

The major, fundamental, threshold objections to Freemasonry and Odd Fellowship, along with a bunch of other fraternal organizations based on similar Enlightenment principles, has less to do with that organization’s historic attempts to undermine the Church, and much, much more to do with flawed or wrong or evil ideas about the nature of sin, the uniqueness of Christ, the necessity of the Church and the Sacraments, and, in general, the idea that man can save himself through esoteric wisdom, humanism, etc. Indeed, the idea that man can save himself, period, without recourse to Christ.

 

[Shareit]

In a desert their was a town that was built to mill silver for a rich mine. The town grew by 123 buildings and the Methodist and Catholics came to spread their influence in their churches; no surprise though, soon rose two lodges, the OddFellows and Free Masons to spread their influence. I Read about the town named Pinal in a ghost town book for Arizona. The way the book talks about the buildings makes if feel like a 2 vs 2 thing. I have never heard of them before I read this book and looked into it because it was next to the masons which I dreadfully do know about, so my gut instinct would tell me to suspect they were masonic esoteric weirdos. Peace God Bless.

 

[gamewell45]

There seems to be some disagreement as to whether a Catholic is permitted to be a member of the Odd Fellows. I know that the Church prohibits the faithful from joining the Freemason’s, but I am unsure about the Odd Fellows. Therefore, I would advise Catholics not to join the Odd Fellows just in case the Church forbids it. It would be better to err on the side of caution, instead of joining and then finding out later that the Church forbids it.

I know the church prohibits membership in the masons, but I can tell you that not all Catholics agree with that rule as around 40% of my lodge is composed of Catholics and they full know well that its forbidden by the church. I don’t know much about the Odd Fellows so can’t comment on that.

 

[bradwilcox]

One cannot be an odd fellow or rebekah and be a Catholic who expects to receive Sacraments.

newadvent.org/cathen/14071b.htm

Read carefully and stop the rank denial that it’s just ok.

Christ suffered and died for our near-infinite amount of sins: a list which contains, surely near the top, our horrifyingly hard-hearted way of being flippant about, yes, you guessed it: the fact that Christ suffered and died for our near-infinite amount of sins. I wonder, if any of us found ourselves taken back in time and were literally standing on Calvary with The Blessed Virgin and John and Magdalen, would we be callous and flippant at Christ’s mangled feet? Would we cling to what we wanted: to be in a secret society forbidden by His own vicar and Church? Or would we just sob bitter tears that we even stubbornly clung to that lunacy for a second? We would electrically realize that our rank denial, in and of itself, had been the cause of great offense to our Lord.

“He must increase; I must decrease”: until a mason, or similar, repents (which, while excommunicated, is not as easy as going to confession, since confession is a Sacrament, and Sacraments are often and usually barred to excommunicati!) and acknowledges Christ above both his own pride and the masonic dogma of Indifferentism, to which he is held in thrall, woe to him.

We will die one day, at any time, and face the four last things. Don’t we all want to be in a state of grace within the boundary of the seven Sacraments? We, mankind, are truly terrifying in our pride to think we would voluntarily remove ourselves from that boundary. It is proud insanity in the style of Lucifer, the patron, rarely admitted to, of the illuminati, masons, et al.

I write this, and write it in this tone, because I read 2 Tim 4:1-5 tonight and am trying to help someone. I don’t imagine I am any better than the masons or masonic-excusers whom I address. I am a sinner and the lowest of our Lord’s servants. Every day I offend the Trinity. I live totally on God’s mercy, with no merits to speak of, as St. Terese would say.

Ave, Maria.

 

[system]

As a baptised catholic and very proud member of both freemasonry and odd fellows, I find this appalling. If a Catholic priest ever denies me sacrement for my fraternal association with either orders, I can very easily show him where to stick it. GTH

 

[Dymphna82]

Posted yesterday:

Thomas_Casey:

**Effective immediately, threads on free masonry are banned until further notice. **

An opportunity was given to discuss Free Masonry. Some members abused it by posting links to their sites or endorsing it as appropriate for Catholics. Such posts are inappropriate. Therefore, they are not allowed.

Anyone who violates this rule will be “counseled”. After that, I may choose to take other measures. If you have questions, shoot me a PM.

**This is not a voluntary moratorium. **

Thomas Casey
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