Why can't Catholics be Masons?

[benjohnson]

I read where a late actor who had his own TV show for many years was a devout Catholic who was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre by Pope Paul V1…and he was also a 32deg…

Being a Mason, I knew exactly who you were talking about based on the description.

My lodge has an amazing amount of Catholics in it. Ironically, the Masonic oath that I took to “frequent my house of worship” turned me into an LCMS Lutheran, and under their rules, I’m not supposed to me a Mason.

If I had to give advice to any Catholic - if you think you need to join Masons, then you shouldn’t joint. If you think it will get in the way of your Catholic obligations, then don’t join. If going against the clear teachings of the church would cause you suffering, then don’t join.

If Masonry would fill some sort of hole in your life - don’t join. If you don’t go to church every week, don’t join.

If the lodge you’re going to join thinks that Masonry is anything other than a historical fraternity of men, then DON"T JOIN. There are some crackpot Masons out there. Never join a lodge outside the Commonwealth - continental Freemasonry deserves the reputation.

Do check out the Knights of Columbus first - it’s has all the positive attributes of Masonry without some of the weird baggage.

 

[benjohnson]

I read where a late actor who had his own TV show for many years was a devout Catholic who was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre by Pope Paul V1…and he was also a 32deg…

Being a Mason, I knew exactly who you were talking about based on the description.

My lodge has an amazing amount of Catholics in it. Ironically, the Masonic oath that I took to “frequent my house of worship” turned me into an LCMS Lutheran, and under their rules, I’m not supposed to me a Mason.

If I had to give advice to any Catholic - if you think you need to join Masons, then you shouldn’t joint. If you think it will get in the way of your Catholic obligations, then don’t join. If going against the clear teachings of the church would cause you suffering, then don’t join.

If Masonry would fill some sort of hole in your life - don’t join. If you don’t go to church every week, don’t join.

If the lodge you’re going to join thinks that Masonry is anything other than a historical fraternity of men, then DON"T JOIN. There are some crackpot Masons out there. Never join a lodge outside the Commonwealth - continental Freemasonry deserves the reputation.

Do check out the Knights of Columbus first - it’s has all the positive attributes of Masonry without some of the weird baggage.

 

[gh4]

I was a Rainbow girl and there was nothing anti catholic or satanic about it. Dad was a Mason, Mom and Dad were Eastern Star. None of us were satanic and we all went to church every week without fail and both my parents were Christians.

I guess a good catholic would never put their child in a Shriner’s hospital, you know, the Shriner’s are Masons first and then Shriners… their burn hospital in Cincinnati is wonderful facility as are their 21 other non-profit hospitals for children.

And with all the hate talk about Mason’s, I’m surprised that the Shriners don’t ban Catholics from their hospitals. But they don’t, and that’s probably the Christian thing for them to do.

Kind of a sore spot with me.

"Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 non-profit hospitals across North America. Children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, the hospitals, known as “The World’s Greatest Philanthropy,” are owned and operated by Shriners International, formerly known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, a Freemasonry-related organization simply known today as the Shriners. Patients must be minors under the age of 18 and are not required to have any familial affiliation with the Shriners order nor Freemasonry."

 

[MattofTexas]

Being a Mason, I knew exactly who you were talking about based on the description.

My lodge has an amazing amount of Catholics in it. Ironically, the Masonic oath that I took to “frequent my house of worship” turned me into an LCMS Lutheran, and under their rules, I’m not supposed to me a Mason.

If I had to give advice to any Catholic - if you think you need to join Masons, then you shouldn’t joint. If you think it will get in the way of your Catholic obligations, then don’t join. If going against the clear teachings of the church would cause you suffering, then don’t join.

If Masonry would fill some sort of hole in your life - don’t join. If you don’t go to church every week, don’t join.

If the lodge you’re going to join thinks that Masonry is anything other than a historical fraternity of men, then DON"T JOIN. There are some crackpot Masons out there. Never join a lodge outside the Commonwealth - continental Freemasonry deserves the reputation.

Do check out the Knights of Columbus first - it’s has all the positive attributes of Masonry without some of the weird baggage.

1. How do the Catholics in your lodge deal with belonging to an organization their Church has prohibited membership in? Do they keep their membership a secret? Do their priests or bishop simply not care?
2. So then what exactly would be a good reason for a Catholic, or anyone for that matter, to join the Freemasons?
3. What do you mean by outside the Commonwealth?

I was a Rainbow girl and there was nothing anti catholic or satanic about it. Dad was a Mason, Mom and Dad were Eastern Star. None of us were satanic and we all went to church every week without fail and both my parents were Christians.

I guess a good catholic would never put their child in a Shriner’s hospital, you know, the Shriner’s are Masons first and then Shriners… their burn hospital in Cincinnati is wonderful facility as are their 21 other non-profit hospitals for children.

And with all the hate talk about Mason’s, I’m surprised that the Shriners don’t ban Catholics from their hospitals. But they don’t, and that’s probably the Christian thing for them to do.

Kind of a sore spot with me.

"Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 non-profit hospitals across North America. Children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, the hospitals, known as “The World’s Greatest Philanthropy,” are owned and operated by Shriners International, formerly known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, a Freemasonry-related organization simply known today as the Shriners. Patients must be minors under the age of 18 and are not required to have any familial affiliation with the Shriners order nor Freemasonry."

My mom was a Rainbow Girl too and my great uncle was treated at a Shriners hospital. I think that’s how my family got involved with the Masons.

 

[Lochias]

The Masons hold beliefs and practices that are incompatible with Catholic belief and teaching. The two are mutually exclusive, and always will be.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

The main reasons that I know of are:

1. 
   *]It is a secret society with oaths that information is to be revealed to no one. (Try reading a masonic ritual book with its squares, squigles and other symbols)..

1. 
   Greek Lettered Organizations are secret societies with oaths that information is to be revealed to no one. It is a lifetime membership that I am still apart of, even after my college days.
   
   I will not tell you anything about my sorority’s ritual, but I will say that I didn’t do anything wrong. If you look at any crest of any fraternity or sorority they too have symbols.

 

[ComeHome2Rome]

kinda funny that you bring up a hospital considering Catholics are the ones that invented hospitals in the first place. Catholics run the most hospitals operating in the U.S., including St.Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

I was a Rainbow girl and there was nothing anti catholic or satanic about it. Dad was a Mason, Mom and Dad were Eastern Star. None of us were satanic and we all went to church every week without fail and both my parents were Christians.

I guess a good catholic would never put their child in a Shriner’s hospital, you know, the Shriner’s are Masons first and then Shriners… their burn hospital in Cincinnati is wonderful facility as are their 21 other non-profit hospitals for children.

And with all the hate talk about Mason’s, I’m surprised that the Shriners don’t ban Catholics from their hospitals. But they don’t, and that’s probably the Christian thing for them to do.

Kind of a sore spot with me.

"Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 non-profit hospitals across North America. Children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, the hospitals, known as “The World’s Greatest Philanthropy,” are owned and operated by Shriners International, formerly known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, a Freemasonry-related organization simply known today as the Shriners. Patients must be minors under the age of 18 and are not required to have any familial affiliation with the Shriners order nor Freemasonry."

 

[signit]

I read where a late actor who had his own TV show for many years was a devout Catholic who was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre by Pope Paul V1…and he was also a 32deg. Mason and a Noble of the Al Malaikah Shrine in LA…many of you may know who I’m referring to…I won’t name him as he was not only a fine actor but his charity work with sick children is beyond reproach and that is what his legacy should be.

No denying, some of them do fine things for the community, but the bottom line is that the Masons present a world view with a generic God who can be the Christian God or can be Buddha or Allah. That’s not compatible with our view that the Christian God is the one true God.

I was a Rainbow girl and there was nothing anti catholic or satanic about it. Dad was a Mason, Mom and Dad were Eastern Star. None of us were satanic and we all went to church every week without fail and both my parents were Christians.

Not denying that most Masons don’t “hate Catholics,” but that doesn’t mean we should all join (see above).

 

[benjohnson]

1. How do the Catholics in your lodge deal with belonging to an organization their Church has prohibited membership in? Do they keep their membership a secret? Do their priests or bishop simply not care?
2. So then what exactly would be a good reason for a Catholic, or anyone for that matter, to join the Freemasons?
3. What do you mean by outside the Commonwealth?

1. The Masons here in the Puget Sound are ‘less crazy’ than the general secular population. Perhaps that has something to the tolerance. Their membership isn’t a secret - some are KoC as well. Frankly - the Bishops here have more pressing problems, as Generally most Masons here are good folk - mostly pro-life, religious, and faith affirming.
2. It’s a fraternity that helps you learn the softer morals: friendship, charity, courtesy, fidelity.
3. Commonwealth - generally the old english Empire . Masonry in South America, Mexico, and Europe is NUTS, and I really do mean that. NUTS.

 

[benjohnson]

the Masons present a world view with a generic God who can be the Christian God or can be Buddha or Allah. That’s not compatible with our view that the Christian God is the one true God.

This is an issue. It isn’t an issue for Masons who are strong in their faith, but if you’re coming into the fraternity with a vague image of God the fraternity would not be good for one’s Christian soul.

 

[Lochias]

1. The Masons here in the Puget Sound are ‘less crazy’ than the general secular population. Perhaps that has something to the tolerance. Their membership isn’t a secret - some are KoC as well. Frankly - the Bishops here have more pressing problems, as Generally most Masons here are good folk - mostly pro-life, religious, and faith affirming.
2. It’s a fraternity that helps you learn the softer morals: friendship, charity, courtesy, fidelity.
3. Commonwealth - generally the old english Empire . Masonry in South America, Mexico, and Europe is NUTS, and I really do mean that. NUTS.

Any Catholic who is knowingly a member of the Masons, and understands Church teaching on the matter, is committing sin. To join the Masons is to tacitly agree to their views of the world, life and religion.

Catholicism and the Masons are mutually exclusive.

 

[MattofTexas]

Any Catholic who is knowingly a member of the Masons, and understands Church teaching on the matter, is committing sin. To join the Masons is to tacitly agree to their views of the world, life and religion.

Catholicism and the Masons are mutually exclusive.

The Church doesn’t teach that studying in the Church of Scientology is inherently sinful (although believing anything they teach that contradicts the revealed Truth of God would be, but note that it is the belief and not the affiliation that’s the problem). If the Catholic Church simply lifted her ban on Anglo-American Freemasonry would Catholic Masons be sinning? Are there any aspects of Masonry that are necessarily sinful beyond the “because we said so” aspect?

 

[Lochias]

The Church doesn’t teach that studying in the Church of Scientology is inherently sinful (although believing anything they teach that contradicts the revealed Truth of God would be, but note that it is the belief and not the affiliation that’s the problem). If the Catholic Church simply lifted her ban on Anglo-American Freemasonry would Catholic Masons be sinning? Are there any aspects of Masonry that are necessarily sinful beyond the “because we said so” aspect?

I don’t know enough about Scientology to comment on it, but it doesn’t matter either way.

Freemasonry is formed on beliefs that inherently conflict and contradict the Catholic way of life.

The two are mutually exclusive, and as such, the Church will never lift the ban on being a Mason.

Other people have already demonstrated why the Masons contradict Catholicism; just go back and re-read some of the posts. It is sinful to be a Catholic and knowingly join an organization that does not recognize God as sovereign and supreme, for one. It is a willful denial of an objective truth, and therefore it is objectively sinful.

The Church didn’t just “decide” all of a sudden that Freemasonry was incompatible with Church teaching; it’s been that way from the moment the organization formed. The Church is simply stating an objective truth.

 

[ffg]

The Church doesn’t teach that studying in the Church of Scientology is inherently sinful (although believing anything they teach that contradicts the revealed Truth of God would be, but note that it is the belief and not the affiliation that’s the problem). If the Catholic Church simply lifted her ban on Anglo-American Freemasonry would Catholic Masons be sinning? Are there any aspects of Masonry that are necessarily sinful beyond the “because we said so” aspect?

The secrets aren’t really secret with the internet and drop-outs yaking.

Try to google ‘Mason Religion’ You will have plenty of reading, which should include as a top hit a higher up in NY who wrote a letter to his crew about why he had to get out.

There are people who’s conversion claims are from ‘Mason’ to Catholic. They might provide the best ‘Why’s’.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

What I find kind of surprising is that people will say the Church forbids Masonry simply ‘because we say so’ and that of COURSE that kind of blind obedience is bad and thus we should disregard the injunction on that basis. . .

yet when people are confronted with the fact that the Church goes into great detail as to why Catholics may not be Masons (IOW, proving that the whole ‘because we say so’ line is a bunch of hooey). . .they then shift into “But that was all said years ago”. . .“it only applies to Europe”. . .

You can’t have it both ways, people. Seems that people are more interested in trying to justify going against the Church’s AUTHORITY in the matters of faith and morals. Not surprisingly, the whole argument to disregard doesn’t depend on the truth of what is being taught, but rather on the desire of the individual to be the authority.

 

[gamewell45]

The main reasons that I know of are:
It is a secret society with oaths that information is to be revealed to no one. (Try reading a masonic ritual book with its squares, squigles and other symbols)…

Freemasonry is no more secretive then the Knights of Columbus. Not all ritual books are in code; many, depending on the jurisdiction are in plain english.

The oaths sworn are blood oaths (something like “binding myself by no less penalty than that of having my throat cut from ear to ear, my tongue torn out by its roots, and buried in the sands of the sea…”).

If anything, they are symbolic oaths, not the real thing.

Jesus is treated as nothing more than a teacher or a good man. Masonic writings put Christ on the same level as Buddha…

No God or Supreme being is better then another in a Masonic lodge. Each Brother is expected to be steadfast in the faith of his exceptance.

Masonic imagery is reminescent of nature religions and acts as if all religion is descendant from its ancient knowledge…

Freemasonry is not a religion, nor a substitute for religion. If one expects to find religion in a Masonic Lodge, he will be truly disapointed.

That being said, while Freemasonry does not agree with the church, it nonetheless respects the churches position. Those seeking admission into the fraternity are encouraged to speak with their spiritual advisor to make sure that there are no conflicts between their religious institution and Freemasonry.

 

[gamewell45]

I was a Rainbow girl and there was nothing anti catholic or satanic about it. Dad was a Mason, Mom and Dad were Eastern Star. None of us were satanic and we all went to church every week without fail and both my parents were Christians.

I guess a good catholic would never put their child in a Shriner’s hospital, you know, the Shriner’s are Masons first and then Shriners… their burn hospital in Cincinnati is wonderful facility as are their 21 other non-profit hospitals for children.

And with all the hate talk about Mason’s, I’m surprised that the Shriners don’t ban Catholics from their hospitals. But they don’t, and that’s probably the Christian thing for them to do.

Kind of a sore spot with me.

"Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 non-profit hospitals across North America. Children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, the hospitals, known as “The World’s Greatest Philanthropy,” are owned and operated by Shriners International, formerly known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, a Freemasonry-related organization simply known today as the Shriners. Patients must be minors under the age of 18 and are not required to have any familial affiliation with the Shriners order nor Freemasonry."

Thank you for your very informative post. The Shriners Hospitals do not discriminate against anyone seeking treatment at their hospitals; they are there to serve society as a whole.

 

[MattofTexas]

What I find kind of surprising is that people will say the Church forbids Masonry simply ‘because we say so’ and that of COURSE that kind of blind obedience is bad and thus we should disregard the injunction on that basis. . .

yet when people are confronted with the fact that the Church goes into great detail as to why Catholics may not be Masons (IOW, proving that the whole ‘because we say so’ line is a bunch of hooey). . .they then shift into “But that was all said years ago”. . .“it only applies to Europe”. . .

You can’t have it both ways, people. Seems that people are more interested in trying to justify going against the Church’s AUTHORITY in the matters of faith and morals. Not surprisingly, the whole argument to disregard doesn’t depend on the truth of what is being taught, but rather on the desire of the individual to be the authority.

I think the line of reasoning goes that if the reasons behind the prohibition on membership in Masonry are shown to be based on a European form, things that occurred a long time ago and are not relevant to all lodges, or misunderstandings then the only reason that remains is “because we say so”.

 

[Denimguy]

Freemasonry is no more secretive then the Knights of Columbus.
.

I would beg to differ with that opinion:knight1:

The ceremonials are the only “secret” part of the Knights of Columbus and they are only so to give candidates a better way to learn the lessons of each degree. The Knights of Columbus is not a secret society.

 

[ffg]

I think the line of reasoning goes that if the reasons behind the prohibition on membership in Masonry are shown to be based on a European form and things that occurred a long time ago, then the only reason that remains is “because we say so”.

And this probably translates a bit to the confusion from the USA Catholics that are members.

Basically, what we are considering here, is if the Masons in contemporary formation and ritual changed their name and dis-associated themselves from the historical group.

Would it then be possible to change the ban?

But, but, but, though I am not a Mason, I’ve done my fair share of reading and Ben can correct me if I’m wrong, but one of the big parts of the Masonic attraction / rituals / whatever else, other than contemporary duties, is…

A link to the past.