Posted on 05/25/2013 3:31:08 PM PDT by marshmallow
Not a Roman Catholic, but I’m liking this Pope more and more.
To be fair, it seems like this Pope is doing so now.
LOL
Well said.
Many years before I became a Knight, my council would have an annual Mason-Knight dinner (sounding like the wallboard Masonite) where the council and the lodge together would have a black-tie affair and donate the proceeds to a common charity.
It would appear that the former priest has been excommunicated latae sententiae which resolves any conflict between his "Catholicism" and his membership in the Lodge. He is now a Mason and no longer a Catholic whatever he may imagine unless and until he repents and renounces his membership in the Lodge.
The American rituals of Freemasonry are available from Barnes and Noble which published them in one volume. I suspect that the Vatican has adequate intelligence assets or other sources to be quite familiar with the rituals of Europe's Oriental Lodges. Don't you agree?
Wrong. A doorknob is not a supreme being
He has greatly. He and I went to Sunday School and Church together today. This afternoon we drove around and surveyed the wheat crop. It is all about ready to harvest. He is happier if he is busy and does not have much time to reflect on the loss of my mom.
He has health issues but is pretty tough for 87. We reflected on his & other's military service today before our Sunday School lesson. I reminded our classmates that we do not really direct our path but God does. They all understood what I meant.
And thank you for your reflection on our fraternities and the local relationships. The citizens of the U.S. have always been kind people as a whole. The most generous and compassionate in the world. We often get a bad image for the actions of a few. The part that is largely ignored or missed by the press is that the few bad among us are generally not Christians. We are charged to be more than that and be a force for good in the world and our communities.
Although I agree generally with the tenor of your comments, it must be noted that American freemasonry did provide support to the anti-Catholic forces in Mexico during their revolution, and was also waist-deep in trying to deny American Catholics their civil rights in the United States through their efforts (often successful at the state level) to pass Blaine Amendments, and in one northwestern state, an actual attempt to ban Catholic schools altogether.
I imagine most American masons today are not such active, rabid anti-Catholics, even while the evidence suggests that some of the European lodges are still virulently anti-Catholic. But even American masonry, historically, is steeped in anti-Catholicism.
sitetest
Thank you very much for a truly informative posting that indicates the KofC is not biased in the manner that some previous postings on the thread had stated.
I worked for about 20 very closely with two men who were very active in leadership in their KofC. Salt of the Earth! I’m well aware that KofC, like Masons, provide much to the needy and to charitable causes.
Thanks for your long service.
The fact that some Masons in Mexico did something horrendous does not add a damn thing to your argument....are you insinuating that any organization that has members who do horrendous things then by association all members are guilty. If this is your standard then please share your opinion of an organization that conceals for years the sexual assault on children by some of the leaders of that organization. Would you hold this organization to the same standards you seem to hold Masons to. Masons have the same problems as any other organization in that certain individuals and certain groups of individuals do not abide by their oaths. Nothing in freemasonry excludes Catholics from joining and Catholics were excluded not by the Masons but by the Catholic church. Your assertion that Catholics were excluded by Masons is patently false. The fact is there are numerous Catholics in Freemasonry now and were in Freemasonry when the KoC was created and the Catholic church forbid Catholics from joining freemasonry.
One of the stupidest post I can recall!!!!
I known many masons and believe me God is not in the equation. Or the Supreme Being as Masons call it. I got the door knob reference from a good friend, who happens to be a Master Mason of many years.
I am a Mason and God is very much in the equation, you know nothing of Masonry as your post testifies to and spare me the “I know many masons” BS . Unfortunately any one can come on Free republic and claim anything they wish.
I highly recommend you read some of John Salza’s work, he used to be a high-ranking official in the Lodge, but left and became a KofC. He runs the website ScriptureCatholic.com, and has a special section for Freemasonry. Here’s one of them: http://scripturecatholic.com/freemasonfaq.html
Ditto.
I knew the Knights of Columbus was a mutual benefit society, which in the early days worked well for members.
A couple of weeks ago I was talking with a friend, who is a member of the K of C.
He has whole life insurance and annuities through the K of C.
Two of the biggest ripoffs in the USA, regardless of who sells them to you.
What the members of the society do for good deeds may be fine, but they should run in the other direction when the salesman shows up.
As far as being a Mason goes, if it was good enough for George Washington and many of the other founding fathers of the country, it's good enough for me.
One of the main reasons this country was founded with our religious freedoms was what various religions, such as the Catholics, Puritans, New Awakening, and other such religions had done in Europe and in the colonies.
There was plenty of shame to go around, both Catholic and Protestant.
http://scripturecatholic.com/freemasonfaq.html#faq04
“Freemasonry also reverences all religious writings and places these writings on par with God’s written Word found in the Bible. Thus, Masonry places all religious writings on its altar (Book of Mormon, the Vedas, Zend Avesta, the Sohar, the Kabalah, the Bhagavad-Gita, the Upanishads or any other religious writing). This is because, unlike Christianity, Freemasonry does not believe that the Bible is the revealed written Word of God. Instead, Freemasonry views all religions as equally plausible attempts to explain the truth about God which, in the end, cannot be known”.
~ As for me and my house we will serve the Lord
Joshua 24:15
The fact is there are numerous Catholics in Freemasonry now >>
I am well aware of this fact and know many Catholics who are in the masons; I even know some K of C members who are also in the masons. It doesn’t mean that it’s right and they risk excommunication.
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