B
Bl_Pope_Pius_IX
Guest
Masonry has 33 degrees. The 33rd is merely an honorary promotion.
- Status
E
ess1113
Guest
Thank you for your sorrow but I pray for you and your misguided beliefs every Sunday as I go to receive Holy Communion and I look among the congregation and see many other Masons.
When we condemn Freemasons but we allow KKK members, racial extremist, and pro choice doctors and politicians in our communion lines then my pity is with you and your beliefs.
Despite what you may say or believe, God will judge me and not you or any other person on earth. My belief is in the Trinity and no matter what you may believe, YOU are not included as a member of the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit.
Blessings on you.
B
Bl_Pope_Pius_IX
Guest
Freemasonry is a very dangerous movement. Holy Mother Church has nothing to be “sorry” for and nothing to “reconcile” with the Freemasons. Freemasons are heretical, and thus it would be a scandal for the Church to concede any error that has been committed in judging the Masons Anathema to the Christian Faithful. This ability was granted unto Peter. The Bishops are our shepherds.
When you look and see those masons in the congregation, mingling among the faithful like a plague amongst the well, or wolves among the sheep, you see excommunicated individuals. Individuals who, by virtue of their own will and defiance (or ignorance) have discerned to approach Our Lord, ever Present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, to receive and, in turn, desecrate Him. They are in a state of mortal sin, and yet they reject the blatant gravity of their actions!
Be confident in my prayers for you, brother.
What, pray do tell, is so misguided about what R_C said? He was completely correct, and his stand is commendable.
When you look and see those masons in the congregation, mingling among the faithful like a plague amongst the well, or wolves among the sheep, you see excommunicated individuals. Individuals who, by virtue of their own will and defiance (or ignorance) have discerned to approach Our Lord, ever Present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, to receive and, in turn, desecrate Him. They are in a state of mortal sin, and yet they reject the blatant gravity of their actions!
How do we allow these individuals that you mentioned? Furthermore, what do we actually “allow” them to do? We allow them to be reconciled, to come back into the fold and repent. Excommunication is not unforgivable, you can be redeemed. You can come back, if only you repent. His Excellency Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska formally excommunicated all Masons, Call To Action members and various other dissidents. Your pity is made purely out of ignorance, friend. Both concerning what Freemasonry truly is and likewise what excommunication is.
R_C never claimed to be part of the Trinity. However, as a Catholic you are indeed subject to Rome. To our Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ and Supreme Pontiff, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, and the Bishops under him.
Be confident in my prayers for you, brother.
T
thistle
Guest
Why are you so in favor of the Masons. They are the deadly enemy of the Church.
The Church says you must not be a Freemason or it means you will be in a state of mortal sin. The Church has spoken and that’s where your obedience lies.
B
Bl_Pope_Pius_IX
Guest
He says “…many other Masons” thus leading one to believe that he, in fact, is a mason. That being said he would naturally be inclined to be in favor of them.
M
MtnDwellar
Guest
There are only 3 degrees. Any higher number belongs to one of the appendant bodies, ie York Rite, Scottish Rite, French Rite etc. Various bodies have different numbers of degrees. I once heard mention of 360 degrees.
S
Sonic
Guest
Here’s a bit of trivia for you. As I understand, there are 33 Active 33rd degree members who sit on a council in each grand lodge. All others are awarded honorary 33rd degrees. The honorary members are basically on a waiting list. When one of the active council dies or retires, one of the honorary members are selected and he moves from inactive to active member status.
S
Sonic
Guest
Correct! All appendant degree systems are supposed to compliment or broaden the knowledge espoused in the first three degrees. Hence, having been initiated into the lodge is often a “prerequisite” of entering certain masonic inspired occult organizations.
Doesn’t masonry officially consider the some of the much larger degree systems “degree mills” or ways to suck money out of members by promising them more and more enlightenment?
C
coachkfan1
Guest
The Popes and the Magesterium have consistently said no on this! How many times and ways do the same answers to the same questions on this subject have to be given? Refer to the first sentence to get the answer to all of your Freemasonry questions.
E
ess1113a
Guest
Here is a clarification on the trivia:
Every state is sovereign unto itself. In the US there are 51 Grand Lodges that govern all things masonic in their states (all 50 states plus the DC).
There is NO council of 33 in each state. The state grand lodges only have governing authority over the first 3 degrees. As correctly stated earlier the degrees from 4-33 belong to the Scottish Rite (nothern and southern jurisdictions). There is the York Rite that had three main bodies and they are the Christian degrees.
To reitterate: states only govern the 1-3 degrees in each state. They do have authority over all masons in their jurisdiction and on occasion can prohibit members from attending the other masonic organizations when it is for the best of the lodge like when there is a dire disagreement.
At the Scottish Rite where 4-32 degrees are awarded, there is a 33rd degree and it is honorary.
Although I am not being argumentive or belligerent, there is no satan worship and no ulterior motives within a lodge. There is a Holy Bible on each altar within each lodge and that is mandatory. I have belonged to the Knights of Columbus longer than the Masonic lodge and I have never seen a Bible at a KC meeting. That doesnt mean that either is more inclined to good works, its just a fact in my experiences.
If anyone has any experience with Freemasonry, then you will know that any organization that has difficulty deciding what to eat at the next meeting probably will have a great deal of difficulty in overtaking the world or the Church.
Love the good information within this forum but good debate requires good information otherwise its just a forum for random opinions. Yes there are alot of Catholic masons in parishes throughout the US and they tithe and partake of the sacraments. That doesnt make them bad Catholics. I see parishoners every Sunday that I know support birth control stances, doctors that perform tubiligations, and even couples that are having sex outside of marriage. I am a sinner as they are so I dont stand in vocal opposition to their presence in the mass. I understand we are on a path to salvation.
A
AlanFromWichita
Guest
You mean it doesn’t make you a nervous wreck, being under the same roof as the likes of them?
Is it worse if they don’t vote for the right political candidate?
It’s like the joke where the old nun only got upset at the word “prostitute” from a girl telling her plans for the future, because the nun thought she said she wanted to be a “Protestant.”
Alan
M
MtnDwellar
Guest
Is it possible that you don’t know everything?
B
Bl_Pope_Pius_IX
Guest
Catholics that are likewise masons are Latae Senentiae excommunicated. Their tithing and participation in the sacraments don’t change it, they are excommunicated. From 1738 to today, they have been condemned and criticized for their actions. Freemasonry is, indeed, as I and others mentioned previously, a heretical movement. Admittedly, the American movement may be “watered down” so to speak. However, in Europe, I trust that the Carbonari and other heathenous branches shadow all of the Masons. For that they must all be regarded as anathema.
The Masonic “doctrine” of indifferentism and near relativism is astounding. These philosophies are very scandalous to the ordinary layman. So much so that it is necessary that the masons be considered liberals and opposed to our own teachings. We are reminded, in this discussion of Leo XIII, and his predecessor Pius IX. Leo XIII in His Holiness’ Encyclical “Humanum Genus” says the following,
If those who are admitted as members are not commanded to abjure by any form of words the Catholic doctrines, this omission, so far from being adverse to the designs of the Freemasons, is more useful for their purposes. First, in this way they easily deceive the simple-minded and the heedless, and can induce a far greater number to become members. Again, as all who offer themselves are received whatever may be their form of religion, they thereby teach the great error of this age-that a regard for religion should be held as an indifferent matter, and that all religions are alike. This manner of reasoning is calculated to bring about the ruin of all forms of religion, and especially of the Catholic religion, which, as it is the only one that is true, cannot, without great injustice, be regarded as merely equal to other religions. (Paragraph XVI, Humanum Genus)
Emphasis is mine. I think this encyclical which was directed SQUARELY at freemasonry must be regarded as relevent. This truly “hits the nail on the head” so to speak and I’d really like to see what you have to say concerning this statement.
Pius IX, the fearsome and defiant enemy of modernism and heresy, had this to say concerning the “lawless alliance”. Though, it should be noted, that the Freemasons are not mentioned directly in this Encyclical, it is often used in defence of the Catholic teaching regarding Freemasonry. Indeed, Humanum Genus cited this Encyclical, as well.
Each of you has noticed, venerable brothers, that a very bitter and fearsome war against the whole Catholic commonwealth is being stirred up by men bound together in a lawless alliance. These men do not preserve sound doctrine, but turn their hearing from the truth. They eagerly attempt to produce from their darkness all sorts of prodigious beliefs, and then to magnify them with all their strength, and to publish them and spread them among ordinary people. We shudder indeed and suffer bitter pain when We reflect on all their outlandish errors and their many harmful methods, plots and contrivances. These men use these means to spread their hatred for truth and light. They are experienced and skillful in deceit, which they use to set in motion their plans to quench peoples’ zeal for piety, justice and virtue, to corrupt morals, to cast all divine and human laws into confusion, and to weaken and even possibly overthrow the Catholic religion and civil society.(Paragraph IV, Qui Pluribus)
Again, emphasis is mine.
A
AlanFromWichita
Guest
Jesus came to unite. I’d like to see us in the Church doing more of learning how to live with other people than what names to call them. 
B
Bl_Pope_Pius_IX
Guest
May I ask to whom and to what this was directed to?Jesus came to unite. I’d like to see us in the Church doing more of learning how to live with other people than what names to call them.
M
MtnDwellar
Guest
While it is common to think that Jesus came to unite, in fact, He came more for the opposite purpose.
Matt 10:34-36
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
A
AlanFromWichita
Guest
S
Sonic
Guest
I am replying to this because I’m a bit confused as to how you were able to reply to my message. Then I noticed that the poster whose name is ess1113 is blocked from me seeing his messages using the ignore filter. That filter was put in place 6 months ago. Your account name is ess1113a. I have to ask for clarification purposes. Are you the same person, have you created another account to circumvent the filter, and do you know that is a violation of forum rules which could get you banned?
I will reply once you have clarified.
E
ess1113a
Guest
Thank you for asking and I am not sure why you are blocked from seeing anything. I need to be totally honest, I am not tech saavy enough to know how to block or ignore anyone on this forum. I also have never used an alternative account. I apologize if you thought I had blocked you, ignored you, or created another account to circumvent anything but please rest assured that I have done none of the above intentionally.
S
Sonic
Guest
You are not the one who is using the ignore filter. I have this person ess1113 (forums.catholic-questions.org/member.php?u=239648) blocked using my ignore filter. Bloody coincidence you two share the same account name save for one letter, and you are both in the same topic defending masonry. Bloody coincidence with the same 2010 join date, and the fact both of you have only posted in masonic topics on CAF. You can see how it would be easy to think you might be the same person. If that is not the case, then disregard my inquiry. I just don’'t want someone to get banned when in fact they aren’t actually trying to do something wrong.
Anyways, getting back to your previous reply. There’s a lot more in it than just my post concerning the 33 degree. Let’s just stick to that post, and save the other information for those other posters you were answering.
Your previous reply:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=9582818&postcount=30
My previous reply:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=9582105&postcount=27
I’ll just restate it to reflect what I meant. I was preoccupied when I made the post and should have been more accurate.
As I understand, there are active and inactive Honorary 33rd degree members in each Scottish Rite Jurisdiction (33 in the Southern and 66 in the Northern Jurisdiction). And the Supreme Council (who are active) that confers the 33rd degree consists of other 33rd degree members.
This information came from a mason I know. If it is inaccurate, then sourced clarifications will be welcomed.
- Status