Do Catholics Still Prohibit Catholics From Joining The Freemasons?

Question

I am aware that the Catholics forbade other Catholics to join the Freemasons; the Knights of Columbus was formed to be the Catholic society. However the Freemasons do welcome Catholic members; I know a few masons who are practicing Catholics?

How did the Catholic - Mason war start and is the rule forbidding Catholics from joining still active today?

Answer 1

It is not prohibited but, many Catholic churches still talk bad about the Masons. The choice is up to you. THe Catholic Church cannot stop a persons free will. The whole Masons vs. Catholics thing actually started with two Methodist ministers. They told everyone that the Masons were evil and were a secret socitey for followers of Satan. THey told eveyone this because they believed the Masons had lots of power within the government and became scared. This passed on to the Catholic Church who still spread those lies today.

Answer 2

Freemasonry beliefs go against Catholic beliefs in many ways. Here are a few examples:

Freemasonry promotes indifferentism, the heretical (to Christians) belief that all religions are equally legitimate attempts to explain the truth about God but that this truth will never be explained. This is incompatible with Christian faith 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.

Freemasonry's teachings and practices also result in syncretism which is the blending of different religious beliefs into a unified whole. This shown in 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.

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 to non-Masons, and to preserve secret passwords and handshakes. Such oaths are immoral because they are trivial and not necessary. These oaths are sworn under penalties of physical torture and death (e.g., having my throat cut across, and my tongue torn out by its roots). These penalties show a lack of respect for God.

For more information, see: http://www.scripturecatholic.com/freemasonfaq.html

With love in Christ.

Answer 3

The reason for ill feeling towards Freemasonry from the catholic faith can be so easily explained by looking at the above catholics answer:

"Freemasonry promotes indifferentism, the heretical (to Christians) belief that all religions are equally legitimate attempts to explain the truth about God."

NO NO NO... This is absolute bull!! Freemasonry has NO opinion on faith, it's legitimacy or any kind of comparitive view on which religion is "true" or not. It at no time attempts to explain anything of God, or any religion.

"Freemasonry's teachings and practices also result in syncretism which is the blending of different religious beliefs into a unified whole."

NO NO NO... Freemasonry doesn't teach, discuss or debate anything to do with theology in its lodges. It is against the rules of Freemasonry to discuss religion.

"This shown in Masonry's religious rituals,"

NO NO NO, the rituals are role plays, the telling of a legend to illustrate good morals, nothing to do with faith, religion or theology it merely uses a current story as a backdrop.

"which gather men of all faiths around a common altar, and place all religious writings along side the Bible on the Masonic altar. "

NO NO NO.. All masonic lodges have to display the VSL, which in the western world would be the bible. However those of differing faiths may ask to have their holy scripture present as that is their volume of sacred law.

"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 to non-Masons,"

NO NO NO... the obligation of a mason places his loyalties in a precise order that of

God
Country
Family
Dependants
Freemasonry

Also we obligate ourselves to ALL mankind, and not just fellow Masons.

"preserve secret passwords and handshakes."

It is not the secret we keep, but the moral act of keeping it. And you should look at your own faiths history... handshakes and passwords...

"Such oaths are immoral because they are trivial and not necessary."

Again you should look at your faiths history before you point the finger! Plenty of swearing, oath taking in the pages of your book.

"These oaths are sworn under penalties of physical torture and death (e.g., having my throat cut across, and my tongue torn out by its roots)."

These penalties are symbolic, and were changed YEARS AGO because of such mis-interpretations, either you are reading a ritual from the 1700's or someone is just flapping gums and repeating what they've been told like a puppet.

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In short and as I have demonstrated ill feeling towards a noble, charitable and gentle fraternity comes from the immoral act of lies, slander, and mis-information.

I have been a Freemason for years, my faith has never been questioned, no attempt has been made to make me see any alternative faith as equal to mine, and no alternate faith has been presented to me. A true understanding of the obligation shows it does not interfere with my faith and seeing as up until very recently the Arch Bishop of Cantebury was always the chaplain of the Grand Lodge of England (and I reckon his position should denote a better knowledge of both Freemasonry and Christian belief than either I or our catholic friend above) I very much doubt there is any issue with a Christian being a Freemason.

Trouble is, as we can see, you get people who blindly believe what they are told with no prior knowledge, and do not verify what they hear before they repeat it.

Dont know about anyone else, but to lie, slander and bare false witness was always taught as a sin in my Sunday School?

The only thing that bothers the Catholic Faith is that Freemasonry lets it's members choose what they believe and makes no attempt to make them believe in Catholic doctrine and dogma.