[dangus]

I wasnt going to quabble about whether Freemasons welcome Catholics or not. IMHO saying that they do is like saying that Calvinist churches welcome Catholics: Come on in, as long as you leave your stuff at the door.

>> I can't for the life of me figure why patriotic people hate Masons. You are hating the foundation of who you are. <<

...But I can't tolerate this! It is true that several of the founding fathers (Washington, Franklin, Hamilton, Mason) were freemasons. But they certainly were the minority, albeit a very important minority. Freemasons were important in the formation of America in several key ways, but they are not the foundation of who I am, or what America is.

[chuckles]

A Calvinist church would just try to teach you what the Bible says, that has nothing to do with Masons. The reason you are a Catholic and I am a Baptist is the way we read the Bible. We could joust for hours reciting one verse after another, to no avail. The Catholic ( and other denominations that rely on traditions of men), have been taught traditions that Christ nor the Bible approve of. That has nothing to do with Masonic teaching. Masonry is not a religion and says so from the beginning of the teaching.

As far as Mason founders, you need to read more. The MAJORITY were Masons. Our form of government comes from the Bible and Masonic teaching.

Become a Mason and you can find all these things out.

[nopardons]

Washington, Franklin, Paul Revere, Monroe, the boys who threw the BOSTON TEA PARTY, Lafayette, Moses Cleaveland...all Masons.

Hey, did you know that both Samuel Colt and Richard Gatling were Masons?

BTW, most of America's first astronauts were/are Masons. Is there a theme emerging here, or what? LOL

[Redleg Duke]

"Freemasons were important in the formation of America in several key ways, but they are not the foundation of who I am, or what America is."

True. If it were up to you, America would be a theocracy with Roman Catholicism as the official and only religion.

[patton]

Name to me, the signer of the Declaration, that wasn't a mason.

I will be duly surprised.