We've inherited some Masonic stuff - what to do with it?

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I find the bauble very disturbing…seems to represent hidden knowledge to me. (When the thing is closed up you don’t know what is represented on the inside). I don’t know what all the symbols are but do recognize the five-pointed star which symbolized satanism and maybe eastern star as well??? I know from experience that one can entertain very negative spiritual entities by owning demonic items and can invite harm into ones life. Personally I wouldn’t have it in my home. I’d give it to the others and let them do with it as they wish. I think that it is the Holy Spirit of God who has caused you such discomfort over your position in order to protect yourself and your family. If I were in your shoes I would have nothing to do with it.
 
Freemasonry’s primary and ultimate goal is the utter desruction of the Catholic Church. Masons will happily embrace anything that appears Christian in order to deceive. Your little spherical pendant that morphs into a cross is a case in point–it is a cross all right, but it is covered with Masonic symbolism and serves to perpetuate the drive to overcome Catholicism and give Atheism the victory. If it were mine, or I could obtain full interest in it, I would sell it for scrap—literally melt it down—and use the proceeds to pay those who have an inheirited interest in it, and use the remaining funds as a donation to have a Mass said for the conversion of our enemies.
If anyone is interested in learning more about Freemasonry, I recommend a book I just finished reading: Grand Orient Freemasonry Unmasked by Msgr George Dillon. It’s an old book, reissued in 1950, originally published in 1885. That it’s old is irrelevant since the freemasons have been pursuing their goal for five centuries. It hasn’t changed, but their progress is phenomenal and heartbreaking.
 
I would desecrate them, and then throw them into the parking lot of a lodge after hours.

…But if you feel uncomfortable desecrating objects that have nothing to do with God, then maybe just throw them into the parking lot afterhours in the condition you found them in.
 
To many of those who have commented on this thread: Do you really think that masonic regalia is somehow inherently evil and possessed of supernatural powers??? Are you so superstitious that you believe in voodoo dolls and such things. The Catholic Catechism warns against superstition and I think the reactions in this thread are awarding superstitious dread to items that are more silly than fear provoking.
Comments made in this thread betray a lack of due diligence, for example that the five pointed star is identified as a satanic symbol where in reality it is an ancient insignia that has had many meanings most of which are quite positive. I seriously doubt if the Star that led the Magi to Our Lord was sent by Satan.
The Freemasons are not a religion and certainly not an evil cult bent on destroying the Church. They are actually not a secret society, have no real secrets, just ways of identifying each other that they keep to themselves. They require belief in God and their aim is to make good men better. Their philosophy is simple: The brotherhood of man under the Fatherhood of God.
That there are evil people who happen to be masons is without doubt, just as there are evil people who wear the Roman collar and hold valid Holy Orders. Please do your homework before you spout absurd statements that could well lead people away from the Church by turning them off with such drivel.
By the way, my source of information was a conversation, in which I took part, between His Eminence Basil Cardinal Hume, OSB, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England and Wales at my club in London about 15 years ago.
 
I think we will probably do best just to stick with the OP’s question rather than debate the entire “Freemasonry” topic in this thread.
 
I have been reading most of the answers to the post about the Masonic items and what to do with them.

My word, where does this stuff about the Masons being a Satanic Religion come from???

I have for the past 1 year been on this forum and have found the Catholic rligion to be very interesting and something that I am very interested in BECOMING, until I read this stuff about the Masons.

Is this truly what the church says about the Mason’s??? I did read 1 answer “amasonwithout” and I think that I have seen a ray of sunshine in ALL OF THIS DESTRUCTION. Go back and read his comment if anyone of you are interested.

The Mason’s ARE NOT A RELIGION…THEY ARE NOT RUN BY SATAN. Have any of you ever heard of George Washington??? Have any of you ever heard of the other 20 something presidents of the United States that were Mason’s.

Anyway, if this is really the way the church believes about Masonry, than I MUST give serious thought to becoming a Catholic.

By the way, sell the items on E-bay and split the money accordingly. Problem solved.
 
Jesuit_Boy_63 said:
To many of those who have commented on this thread: Do you really think that masonic regalia is somehow inherently evil and possessed of supernatural powers??? Are you so superstitious that you believe in voodoo dolls and such things. The Catholic Catechism warns against superstition and I think the reactions in this thread are awarding superstitious dread to items that are more silly than fear provoking.
Comments made in this thread betray a lack of due diligence, for example that the five pointed star is identified as a satanic symbol where in reality it is an ancient insignia that has had many meanings most of which are quite positive. I seriously doubt if the Star that led the Magi to Our Lord was sent by Satan.
The Freemasons are not a religion and certainly not an evil cult bent on destroying the Church. They are actually not a secret society, have no real secrets, just ways of identifying each other that they keep to themselves. They require belief in God and their aim is to make good men better. Their philosophy is simple: The brotherhood of man under the Fatherhood of God.
That there are evil people who happen to be masons is without doubt, just as there are evil people who wear the Roman collar and hold valid Holy Orders. Please do your homework before you spout absurd statements that could well lead people away from the Church by turning them off with such drivel.
By the way, my source of information was a conversation, in which I took part, between His Eminence Basil Cardinal Hume, OSB, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England and Wales at my club in London about 15 years ago.
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Finally some common sense here. I was a Mason for many years, being initiated in a lodge commissioned by Paul Revere, and in a building right across the street from Lexington Green where a bunch of Mason’s started a revolution which led to the formation of the United States of America which is based on the principles of the Holy Bible.

Most (but not all) of our Founding Fathers were Mason’s. If Masonry was satanic, why would these guys structure our Declaration of Independence and Constitution around the Holy Bible? And you can’t possibly think that the good things that Masonry does today like Shriners circus and children’s hospitals are satanic. Masonry is a fraternity of good men who strive to become better men with the help of God.

Bottom line is that Mother Church is not always right. History has proved that the Church has made mistakes in the past, and the continual declaration that Masonry is satanic is also a mistake.

To the OP: Do you really think your father-in-law worshipped satan? If so, then these should be destroyed. If not, then I recommed you lock them away for many years. Perhaps one day Mother Church will come to her senses on this issue.
 
DavidFilmer said:
As I see it, I have these options:
  • Sell these things on eBay and divide the proceeds (this is what I am expected to do)
  • Give the items to the other sisters, even though they don’t really want them (and, thus, they would probably just figure out how to sell them on eBay anyway).
  • Destroy these items (and compensate the other sisters for the lost value)
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Personally, I would explain what I would want to do (#3) and my reasons for wanting to do such. If they did not agree, #2 would rule the way and they could just divide up the items and decide for themselves what they want to do.
 
Jesuit_Boy_63 said:
The Freemasons are not a religion and certainly not an evil cult bent on destroying the Church. They are actually not a secret society, have no real secrets, just ways of identifying each other that they keep to themselves. They require belief in God and their aim is to make good men better. Their philosophy is simple: The brotherhood of man under the Fatherhood of God.
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I don’t know what the true aim of Freemasons is, and maybe there isn’t a true aim as there are Freemasons all over the world in disparate groups and so I guess the relative positions and aims and styles and activities also vary.

However, many Freemasons do dabble in the occult, or at least hesitate to condemn it, and quite a few scary occultists were Freemasons.

Having said that, I don’t think that onjects are somehow infested by evil just because Freemasons used them. They are just objects and should be judged by their historic and artistic value. If a collector gets them or a museum, what evil can come of that?
 
douglas714 said:
I have been reading most of the answers to the post about the Masonic items and what to do with them.

My word, where does this stuff about the Masons being a Satanic Religion come from???

I have for the past 1 year been on this forum and have found the Catholic rligion to be very interesting and something that I am very interested in BECOMING, until I read this stuff about the Masons.

Is this truly what the church says about the Mason’s??? I did read 1 answer “amasonwithout” and I think that I have seen a ray of sunshine in ALL OF THIS DESTRUCTION. Go back and read his comment if anyone of you are interested.

The Mason’s ARE NOT A RELIGION…THEY ARE NOT RUN BY SATAN. Have any of you ever heard of George Washington??? Have any of you ever heard of the other 20 something presidents of the United States that were Mason’s.

Anyway, if this is really the way the church believes about Masonry, than I MUST give serious thought to becoming a Catholic.

By the way, sell the items on E-bay and split the money accordingly. Problem solved.
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1.) The Catholic Church has not declared Freemasonry to be Satanic. Historically certain branches of Freemasonry and their philosophies have been seen as anti-Catholic, but not Satanic. The Church does prohibit Catholic men from joining the Masons, due largely to the fact that Freemasonry, while using religious-style ritualism, refuses to promote the notion that any one faith is superior to another. The Church sees this as a denial of the truth of Christian revelation and also as a potential to indoctrinate members with a sense of religious indifference.

2.) If you must give serious thought to anything, it should be whether or not as serious a decision as converting to Catholicism should be governed by what a small group of people on an online forum thinks the Church says about Freemasonry.
 
Jesuit_Boy_63 said:
To many of those who have commented on this thread: Do you really think that masonic regalia is somehow inherently evil and possessed of supernatural powers??? Are you so superstitious that you believe in voodoo dolls and such things. The Catholic Catechism warns against superstition and I think the reactions in this thread are awarding superstitious dread to items that are more silly than fear provoking.
Comments made in this thread betray a lack of due diligence, for example that the five pointed star is identified as a satanic symbol where in reality it is an ancient insignia that has had many meanings most of which are quite positive. I seriously doubt if the Star that led the Magi to Our Lord was sent by Satan.
The Freemasons are not a religion and certainly not an evil cult bent on destroying the Church. They are actually not a secret society, have no real secrets, just ways of identifying each other that they keep to themselves. They require belief in God and their aim is to make good men better. Their philosophy is simple: The brotherhood of man under the Fatherhood of God.
That there are evil people who happen to be masons is without doubt, just as there are evil people who wear the Roman collar and hold valid Holy Orders. Please do your homework before you spout absurd statements that could well lead people away from the Church by turning them off with such drivel.
By the way, my source of information was a conversation, in which I took part, between His Eminence Basil Cardinal Hume, OSB, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England and Wales at my club in London about 15 years ago.
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You’ve been brainwashed. Now, do your own homework. Their own publications, which go back 3 centuries, tell exactly what they are about, and they are not merely a benificent social club.
 
cjmclark said:
If you must give serious thought to anything, it should be whether or not as serious a decision as converting to Catholicism should be governed by what a small group of people on an online forum thinks the Church says about Freemasonry.
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Well said! cjmclark has pointed out the essential consideration of your quandry. May I suggest that his advice is sound and wise. Please do not be mis-led by a small group whose OPINION on matters is not the doctrine of the Church. Our Holy Mother ther Church is inclusive - not exclusive. She exists to assist us in our journey to God as explained by Our Lord.
I do not dispute and I accept completely the authority of the Church in matters of Faith and Morals. I simply suggest that one should determine what that authority actually has to say in this or any other appropriate matter before I allow any small pressure group to influence my relationship with and in the Church and my personal relationship with Our Lord and Saviour.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
 
RC1947 said:
You’ve been brainwashed. Now, do your own homework. Their own publications, which go back 3 centuries, tell exactly what they are about, and they are not merely a benificent social club.
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Well, if I have been brain washed it was done by Jesuits and Benedictines who, last time I looked, were learned Orders of Priests and Monks of the Roman Catholic Church.
On my first day as a new boy at a Jesuit prep school the Rector gave us a memorable bit of advice. “Young gentlemen, when God gave you a brain do you suppose He might have had it in mind that you do something with it?” So, I do make a practice of ‘doing my homework’ in this and all other matters requiring a bit of reflection, consideration, and conclusion.
I have done research on these fellows and it seems to me to be clear that they are in no way a satanic cult. Yes, there are groups who call themselves masonic bodies but are, due to their atheistic or anti-clerical/religeous intents and purposes, excluded from REGULAR freemasonry and regular masons are forbidden by their governing bodies to have anything to do with them.
This is a discussion that could go on for page after page, but I suppose my thought is that if one takes a doctrinaire position one should be sure and certain what that doctrine actually is.
 
Jesuit_Boy_63 said:
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Well, if I have been brain washed it was done by Jesuits and Benedictines who, last time I looked, were learned Orders of Priests and Monks of the Roman Catholic Church.
On my first day as a new boy at a Jesuit prep school the Rector gave us a memorable bit of advice. “Young gentlemen, when God gave you a brain do you suppose He might have had it in mind that you do something with it?” So, I do make a practice of ‘doing my homework’ in this and all other matters requiring a bit of reflection, consideration, and conclusion.
I have done research on these fellows and it seems to me to be clear that they are in no way a satanic cult. Yes, there are groups who call themselves masonic bodies but are, due to their atheistic or anti-clerical/religeous intents and purposes, excluded from REGULAR freemasonry and regular masons are forbidden by their governing bodies to have anything to do with them.
This is a discussion that could go on for page after page, but I suppose my thought is that if one takes a doctrinaire position one should be sure and certain what that doctrine actually is.
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No disrespect to the Jesuits and Benedictines who are faithful to Holy Mother Church, but, Pope Leo XIII and others HAVE indeed condemned Freemasonry on the whole:

vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_18840420_humanum-genus_en.html

I don’t know what advice you were given, nor the contents of your research, but, I don’t see how you can arrive at the conclusions you have without totally disregarding Catholic doctrine on the Freemasons going back to 1783 and being expressly stated later on by Pope Leo XIII in the supplied link.
 
@OP

If these things were mine to do what I wanted with them then I personally would destroy them. Hmm this must be why my friends call me old fashioned, lol. 😃
 
Thanks to all of you for your answers about what you think of Masons

I would like to thank Jesuitboy63 for his VERY INTELLIGENT ANSWERS and this is what I was primarilly looking for.

Jesuitbor’s answers has led me to believe that I’m on a GOOD path to becoming a CATHOLIC. Thank you very much.
 
douglas714 said:
Thanks to all of you for your answers about what you think of Masons

I would like to thank Jesuitboy63 for his VERY INTELLIGENT ANSWERS and this is what I was primarilly looking for.

Jesuitbor’s answers has led me to believe that I’m on a GOOD path to becoming a CATHOLIC. Thank you very much.
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So what you’re saying is that Jesuitboy63 told you what you wanted to hear, because you want some secret part of you which holds on to the Freemasons to be vindicated and convinced they’re really not, at their core and high degrees, actually worshiping Lucifer?

Have you actually read Masonic writings from 33rd Degree Masons? Albert Pike is one. Dude is twisted and totally given over to luciferian doctrine.

I posted the link for an encyclical by Pope Leo XIII regarding the Freemasons.

It’s not laudatory to say the least. 😉
 
Please stay on topic and remain charitable or this thread will be closed.
 
As a general statement, I was attempting to comment on the question posed by the fellow who was having difficulty in his path to the Church because of what he saw as condemnation based on his impression that Church Doctrine identified Fremasonry as satanic. I was speaking neither for nor against Freemasonry per se but relaying what I had heard from what I considered authoritative sources: A Cardinal Archbishop and the Grand Master of England and Wales.
Whatever reasons the Church has to instruct Catholics to keep away from Freemasonry are not based on satanic worship. I do not argue against the authority of the Church to take any stance regarding Faith and Morals - I accept this absolutely. I did want to point out that the reference to “Doctrine” troubles me. To my knowledge there have been no Doctrinal pronouncements regarding Freemasonry. There is a significant and substantial difference between an encyclical and a pronouncement ex cathedra of doctrine. As I was taught, doctrine is a statement of an absolute tenant of the Faith, an encyclical is a papal statement of policy that falls short of doctrine. It provides an opinion, in the legal sense, but is not an infallible statement.
Am I bound to obedience? - yes, to doctrine. Am I bound to observe policy as contained in Encyclicals and other ‘official’ communications? As a Catholic I am obliged to follow such guidance remembering, however, that this guidance is not ‘writ in stone’ but may be modified or changed (remember no meat on Fridays).
When God gave us the great gift of Free Will he also gave us the Church to assist us in the proper use of that gift. He did not bind us to blind obedience as this would make a mockery of His gift to us. We need to follow the lead of the Church but likewise we need to think, consider, and conclude. We need to know what is doctrine and what is guidance. It puts a bit of responsibility on us but it honors the gift that God has given us.
A.M.D.G.
 
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