Yes, it can be confusing, especially when one wants to be confused the “right” way (ie in a permissive way).
Well, as mentioned, my characterization of the incompatabilities between Masonry and Catholicism are necessarily constructed from my own understanding of Masonry itself, and how I reconciled/applied it to my own worldveiw. I had always veiwed it from a Christian religious perspective principally, and only delved into it as a purely secular philosophy as a secondary consideration, such as when assessing and assimilating the SR degrees, which, as you noted, are occasionally derived from non-Christian religious practices, so as to translate them into something viable and useful in my particular religious veiws. As such, even in the Blue Lodge ritual, I drew more religious elements out of them than what either of us would objectively assert is intended by the modern American ritual.
Basically, I took to heart the “masonic” idea that the ritual was of necessity religiously “neutral”, but that each Mason was to interpret it from their own religious Faith, which for me is from the POV of Christianity. This is also why I use a religious term to characterize the “problems”, rather than a philosophical one.
Note (for the others reading this) I am not suggesting that Freemasonry is
a religion; it is plainly & truely a philosophy/philosophical system, though it is one that, IMHO, was meant to be integrated into one’s total worldveiw, and therefore impacts and
recognizes religious faith as a reality (rather than simply trying to
replace religion as some philosophies attempt).
While I attempted to read everything I could get my hands on when active, I have to admit I had heard nothing of the Red Lodges you mentioned. I am assuming they are clandestine lodges?
Granted, I never completed M&D (I only got as far as the 28th Deg in my readings), but while Pike critisized Craft Masons who did not explore beyond the MM degree, and so seemed to critisize the first three degrees, he does make a point of including them in his various books as part of the “whole” system, rather than (as I would expect from more current delvings into the SR system) simply starting at the ritualistic beginnings of the SR, the 4th Deg.
Ironically, if it hadn’t been for the religious anti-masons, I would never have bothered reading any of Pike’s works, as they especially love to mis-quote him. Even as an SR mason, I would have probably contented myself with the exerpts in BtL and the actual degree work itself.
At any rate, at this point of my journey, while I do miss Lodge and my participation (which was with many “hats”), I cannot say with 100% honesty that I want the Church to lift the Ban on masonry.
Here is a question for all of you ex-mason Catholics: Have you joined the KoC? Why/why not? The preist who gave me the instruction to resign my leaderships within the Lodge suggested that I should/would be interested in joining the KoC when elegible, but I am still torn for a variety of reasons. What little I have been able to find out through research says that the KoC is simply the replacement for the Lodge for Catholics, but that seems wrong somehow.
) to getting new brothers into the SR business meetings (which the prevailing attitude of the time determined were what the SR was really all about), and so the ritual suffered drastically for years.
