Q about Freemasonry and the Catholic church

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Sepharad

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My son is looking into joining the Freemasons, so I decided to research them a bit, and see what I can find out.

I’ve always known that the Catholic church refuses to let its members become Freemasons, but I never knew why. I came across a lot of Catholic anti-Masonic stuff in my websearch, and it reminded me to ask about this.

Does anyone know why Catholics cannot be Masons? Is it because they are a secret society, or is it for other reasons?
 
Essentially, their beliefs are at odds with ours. You may find this interesting:

**FAQs on Freemasonry

scripturecatholic.com/freemasonfaq.html#faq10**

Especially this**:
**
Why is Freemasonry incompatible with Christianity?

Freemasonry is incompatible with Christianity because it promotes indifferentism. Indifferentism is the heretical belief that all religions are equally legitimate attempts to explain the truth about God which, but for the truth of His existence, are unexplainable. Such a view makes all truths relative and holds that God can be equally pleased with truth and error. Because Christians believe that God has definitively revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ, and desires that all men come to the knowledge of this truth, indifferentism is incompatible with Christian faith. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6).
Code: 
                                      Freemasonry's teachings and practices also result in syncretism which is the                      blending of different religious beliefs into a unified whole. This is evidenced                      most especially by Masonry's religious rituals which gather men of all faiths                      around a common altar, and place all religious writings along side the Bible on                      the Masonic altar. This is also demonstrated by the Lodge's prayers and its                      unique names and symbols for God and heaven. Syncretism is the logical                      consequence of indifferentism.

                
                 The Lodge's practice of requiring its members to swear immoral oaths is also                      incompatible with Christianity. These oaths require a Christian to swear on the                      Holy Bible that he will uphold a code of moral conduct that prefers Masons over                      non-Masons, and to preserve secret passwords and handshakes. Such oaths are                      gravely immoral because their subject matter is trivial or does not give rise                      to the necessity of an oath. These oaths are also sworn under symbolic,                      blood-curdling penalties of physical torture and death called self-curses                      (e.g., having my throat cut across, and my tongue torn out by its roots). These                      penalties show a lack of respect for God and amount to blasphemy which is a                      serious sin.
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/freemasonfaq.html#faq10
 
Thanks for that info. I really don’t see what the whole purpose of Freemasons is anyway, which may also be why I never knew what they were all about.

I also don’t know of any religious Jews who belong to them, only nominally religious ones or secular ones. Ditto for the Protestants…it seems to not be the bornagain ones and more the mainline ones. I guess that religious indifferentism of the Masons has a lot to do with that!
 
You’re welcome. I’ve never really known too much about them either, except when conspiracy theorists come around and talk about the New World Order and an “Illuminati”.
 
I think the allure is to join a group of men who believe strongly in personal development and achievement. People rise to the highest expectations of their peer group so that makes a group like the masons attractive.

If a Catholic joins are they excommunicating themselves? I thought Catholics could join the Masons since Vatican 2?
 
DarinHamel said:
I thought Catholics could join the Masons since Vatican 2?
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No, a Catholic cannot join the Masons. Freemasonry is not just a fraternal, social society, although the lower ranks appear to emphasize that.
 
Overall, the punishment is the inability to receive communion until one renounces his membership in the Masons. Some diocese can have stiffer penulties.

You must sware an oath not to reveal the secrets. They claim it is for show, so instead of an oath, it is taking the Lord’s name in vain.

You must favor Masons over others. Enough said.

The French branch was notoriously anti-Catholic.

Masonic enrollment in ALabama have a high corolation with KKK membership. That enough is reason for me to have nothing to do with them
 
Even if the local Freemasons were the ‘nicest people on the planet’, that still does not make their teaching correct.

This seems to be the hardest thing for people to understand: They automatically think that if a person or a group ‘does good’ or ‘is nice’, then what the person believes is likewise right, or what the group teaches must be okay, because, “look how nice they are.” How could such NICE people be WRONG?
:banghead: :banghead:

The important thing is never the ‘appearance’ of truth; it is the ‘actuality’ of truth.

No matter how nice the Mason (individual) can be, no matter what ‘great things’ he does for the community, the teachings of Masonry are totally antithetical to Christianity (which is truth). If something is ‘antithetical’ to truth, that something is FALSE, no matter how ‘nice’ it appears.

The most brutal serial killer can be ‘nice’ to his grey-headed mother. So what? We are SUPPOSED to be ‘nice’ to our mothers. And his ‘niceness to Mom’ doesn’t cancel out his serial killings.

See what I mean?
 
I usually use this example when discussing how Islam must be true because of all the nice Muslims, but it can apply here.

I used ot work with a man who, among other jobs, was an enforcer with the mob. Now, he was exceptionally violent in that role, but he was as nice and kind ot me as he could be. Granted, he had reformed, but before that he was a dedicated family man. If you used him as an example of a leg-breaker, you would be very very mislead.
 
They cant receive communion? I can see why most dont care about that penalty. They look around and see unmarried couples who are living together going up and receiving communion and the priest says nothing. In my chuch we have a gay couple and a transvestite that go up to receive communion.

I wonder if the bishops are ever going to put their foot down?
 
DarinHamel said:
They cant receive communion? I can see why most dont care about that penalty. They look around and see unmarried couples who are living together going up and receiving communion and the priest says nothing. In my chuch we have a gay couple and a transvestite that go up to receive communion.

I wonder if the bishops are ever going to put their foot down?
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I see your point. Part of the issue is that, in the words of a famous Catholic Apologist, American Freemasonry is a silly little club. They do some good in the community while flirting with serious trouble.

The other point you raise is a more serious matter. Too many people do not understand the danger that they place their soul in by receiving unworthily. Or they do not care. More should be done to teach and see that those who publically sin are prohibited.

Not to derail, but the transvestite may not be guilty of a mortal sin.
 
DarinHamel said:
They cant receive communion? I can see why most dont care about that penalty. They look around and see unmarried couples who are living together going up and receiving communion and the priest says nothing. In my chuch we have a gay couple and a transvestite that go up to receive communion.

I wonder if the bishops are ever going to put their foot down?
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If this is true have you said anything to the Priest? If not you need to, He maybe unaware the the gay couple are a couple or that the person is a transvestite.
 
oneGODoneCHURCH said:
If this is true have you said anything to the Priest? If not you need to, He maybe unaware the the gay couple are a couple or that the person is a transvestite.
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I am sure he knows but even if he didn’t, priests dont do anything. Have you ever heard of a Catholic wedding being put off because the couple was sleeping together. Premarital sex is another grave sin like contraception but nothing is done so it doesn’t seem serious to the average Catholic.
 
DarinHamel said:
I am sure he knows but even if he didn’t, priests dont do anything.
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That’s a rather unsupportable statement. You do not know every priest, everywhere nor what they have or have not done privately or publically regarding things brought to their attention.
DarinHamel said:
Have you ever heard of a Catholic wedding being put off because the couple was sleeping together.
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Yes, in fact I have. I know priests who will not marry a cohabiting couple unless they separate.
DarinHamel said:
Premarital sex is another grave sin like contraception but nothing is done so it doesn’t seem serious to the average Catholic.
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What, exactly, would you propse be “done” about it?
 
DarinHamel said:
I am sure he knows but even if he didn’t, priests dont do anything. Have you ever heard of a Catholic wedding being put off because the couple was sleeping together. Premarital sex is another grave sin like contraception but nothing is done so it doesn’t seem serious to the average Catholic.
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Actually, I know priest that have refused Communion to those that they know are not catholic or are in a state of sin, that have refused to preside at the wedding of cohabiting couples. to make such a generalized statement is very unfair to all involved. I do not know the size or this parish, but to think that the Priest know very thing about all that come to Mass and the state of their soul or they are able to receive is not realistic.

Talk to the Priest he may not be ware or he we may know something that you do not know about the people involved. Either way you are doing him and yourself a disservice by assuming that he knows and is just refusing to act.
 
You guys live in better places than I do. I have Bishop Gumbleton and crew here. Cardinal Maida… nevermind.
 
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