oh look another thread about freemasonry

reply to post by vcwxvwligen

Individual members may have their own opinion on Catholicism, but Freemasonry as an organization doesn't hate Catholicism. If a follower of the Catholic Church petitioned they would be welcomed just as any other man of Faith. So you've heard stories about anti-Catholicism from someone else? You didn't hear it first hand? Interesting.

The current Pontiff is anti-Mason so I'm guessing Catholics still face excommunication if they join the Freemasons.

reply to post by vcwxvwligen

He is saying most anti-Masons are ignorant. Plus, I didn't see him say he is anti-Catholic. In fact, I've seen him specifically say recently that if the Catholic Church wasn't anti-Mason that he would be Catholic himself.

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen
reply to post by network dude

 

The impression you get from most apologists is that not only do ALL people who criticize Freemasonry cite less-than-cheerful sources, but that somehow they have some sort of chronic character flaw which is usually corrected by joining the lodge.

yes they do have a fatal character flaw, but it's not anything that Masonry can cure, it's obstinateness. They refuse to accept that most of their information is wrong or at least skewed by their sources. An hour spent on Freemasonrywatch.net doesn't make a man smarter. Those are the ones that believe anything negative and nothing positive about masonry. You know, the dumb ones.

Originally posted by Unilluminist
...would any Freemason care to tell me where in the Bible that says Christians can be Freemasons?

How could a book written millenia ago give permission to join a fraternity that started well after it was written? What kind of logic is that?

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen
He had Pope John XXIII beatified

Contrary to conspiracy theory reports, Pope John XXIII was not a Freemason.

www.ephesians5-11.org...


I thought that I would post this, because there are so many things wrong in that article its funny.

Heck but what do I know. I still am waiting on 2 more recommendation letters and a response on my candidacy status.

I AM still confused as to why there are some masons who are Catholic and still in freemasonry. Apparently that does not make you Catholic any more. If I were to believe some of the ideas and principles in freemasonry, if I were still a Catholic, I would not consider myself a Catholic any more if I chose to stay.

Then again, like I said, what do I know about freemasonry other than what a bunch of loony funadmentalist christians ranting on the internet. If there masons here on ATS that profess to be Catholics then I am missing something... either my knowledge about Catholicism or my knowledge of Freemasonry or both.

reply to post by fordrew


I am one of those, but I never stopped to ask the church what they thought of it. I had fallen out of love with the idea that I needed a mediator when talking to God a long time ago, so I guess I chose to leave the church unofficially. But I went as far as confirmation and do believe Jesus died for me. I can't see anything that man made, being divine in that it's God's will. I think he shows us his will by guiding us. If you think masonry and catholicism is incompatible, then it probably is to you. But masonry holds no ill will toward any religion.

reply to post by Unilluminist

Well as a Christian, and more specifically, as a licensed Christian minister, I take great offense to say that my membership in the Freemasons makes me non-compatible with my Faith, my relationship with God. Who is anyone else think they are to define my relationship with God because of their interpretation of a book that has been edited, mistranslated, and misinterpreted?

Exoteric? Do you mean 'esoteric'?

Freemasonry is not a religion as it doesn't meet the following basic requirements to be a religion:

* Freemasonry advocates no sectarian faith or practice.
* We seek no converts.
* We solicit no new members.
* We raise no money for religious purposes.
* We have no dogma or theology. Religious discussion is forbidden in a masonic lodge thereby eliminating the chance for any masonic dogma to form.
* It offers no sacraments and does not claim to lead to salvation by works, by secret knowledge, or by any other means. The secrets of Freemasonry are concerned with the modes of recognition only and not with the means of salvation.
* By any definition of religion accepted by our critics, we cannot qualify as a religion.
* Freemasonry supports religion. Freemasonry is far from indifferent to religion. Without interfering in religious practice, it expects each member to follow his own faith.

Freemasonry allows men of various Faiths to join. While many Masons are Christian, there are plenty who are not. A good friend of mine is Jewish as well as the guy who replaced me as Worshipful Master last year. I've met Buddhists, Deists, Christians, Jews, and Muslims who are all Freemasons. Freemasonry only requires a man to have faith in a Supreme Being, its neutral in the members Faith and practice. Now certain bodies have certain requirements such as the Masonic Knights Templar (of which we claim no lineage from the Crusaders) that requires a Christian Faith.

would any Freemason care to tell me where in the Bible that says Christians can be Freemasons?

Would you like to tell us where in the Bible it says we can't? History is an interesting thing, but it shows us that only tyrants, dictators, and extremists have ever banned or attempted to ban Freemasonry.

Don't worry. I'm not a 32nd degree Mason, I went the other route first and jumped into the York Rite. Very fascinating branch, and often very overlooked.

You realize that it was the Catholics that threw the first rock against the Freemasons, right? You realize that this attack against us is because of religious intolerance, right?

reply to post by Masonic Light

It does make for interesting plots in story books.

Originally posted by KSigMason
Individual members may have their own opinion on Catholicism, but Freemasonry as an organization doesn't hate Catholicism. If a follower of the Catholic Church petitioned they would be welcomed just as any other man of Faith. So you've heard stories about anti-Catholicism from someone else? You didn't hear it first hand? Interesting.

"Individual members" become more difficult to ignore when they begin to comprise the majority.

I did hear it firsthand from a Freemason who was not a Catholic.

The current Pontiff is anti-Mason so I'm guessing Catholics still face excommunication if they join the Freemasons.
He is saying most anti-Masons are ignorant. Plus, I didn't see him say he is anti-Catholic. In fact, I've seen him specifically say recently that if the Catholic Church wasn't anti-Mason that he would be Catholic himself.

"Most" is a powerful word.

So, then, he doesn't believe in the religion that he currently practices.

Originally posted by network dude
yes they do have a fatal character flaw, but it's not anything that Masonry can cure, it's obstinateness. They refuse to accept that most of their information is wrong or at least skewed by their sources. An hour spent on Freemasonrywatch.net doesn't make a man smarter. Those are the ones that believe anything negative and nothing positive about masonry. You know, the dumb ones.

The Freemasons have a way of skewing not only their sources, but also counter-arguments ...

Originally posted by AugustusMasonicus

Originally posted by Unilluminist
...would any Freemason care to tell me where in the Bible that says Christians can be Freemasons?

How could a book written millenia ago give permission to join a fraternity that started well after it was written? What kind of logic is that?

By allowing for blood oaths to be taken

Originally posted by Masonic Light

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen
He had Pope John XXIII beatified

Contrary to conspiracy theory reports, Pope John XXIII was not a Freemason.

Which "conspiracy theory reports" are these?

reply to post by KSigMason


Freemasons have written saying that it's a religion.

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen
reply to post by KSigMason

 

Freemasons have written saying that it's a religion.

really now? Whoever wrote that was obviously trying to fool you.


and why make 5 different posts when you can just hit the edit button?

My view of freemasonry after some research is that its a tool of the NWO
God hates secrets and even in the bible it states that what men hold secret God will reveal
This is why we have Wiki Leaks... Prison Planet. ATS and hundreds of other places revealing truth
and doing Gods Work.
Grand Masters or Wizards of Freemasonry include
Albert Pike the founder of the KKK
Eliphias Levi (Levi) as in Leviathon
Aleister Crowley OTO known as 666 or the Beast
Google David Bowie OTO to see who is the newest Grand Wizard....

Where did Freemasonry originate?
Knight Templar..... There base in the Al Aqsa Mosque...
They dug underneath and discovered the hidden books left by King Solomon....
King Solomon once beloved by God but corrupted by evil in which he became the richest King and
had over 300 Wives or concubines ...
Kabalah is the lost religion ... Gaining control over the 72 Demonic Powers ...
72 pillars on the Library of Congress
Highest rank in Freemasoney 33 the age the Christ Died....

Its a pyrimid scheme of utmost deception and I know some Masons are good people
but the good Mason will never get passed the 3rd Degree....
I was once invited to be a 10th Level Mason ... The rank of Knight Templar but I refused...
I post this as a warning ..... Secret Socieities are there to corrupt .... Go research yourself ...
This post is meant as info not an attack but believe me I am well versed in the secrets of Freemasonry.
God Bless ...

reply to post by vcwxvwligen


Who, Pike?

From Pike's "Address by the R.W. Master", delivered April 3, 1861 in New Orleans

It is very desirable that Freemasons should understand what Freemasonry is. If it were everything at once that even its Initiates imagine it to be, it would be difficult to conceive of anything more intrinsically incongruous. It is not a merely benevolent association, for the mutual relief and assistance, and the dispensing of small charities to the needy. It is not a society for mutual admiration, got up in order to gratify the ambition or the vanity of those who are fond of office, insignia and jewels, of the glories of resonant epithets, and the gauds of high-sounding titles.

It is not a system of political clubs or organizations, conservative, radical or revolutionary. It wears neither the mask of the Carbonari, the cowl of the Jesuit, nor the black robe of the Inquisitor.

It is neither a religious or irreligious Order or Church, propagating any faith or unfaith whatever. Its altars are neither Hebraic, Mohammedan nor Christian, but simply Masonic.

It is not the apostle of any particular form of government, not the advocate of any peculiar political faith. It is the Apostle, the Preacher, the Advocate of Truth alone, and not as the creed of any man, or party, or multitude of men. It will not descend from the high places on which it sits enthroned, to engage in controversies and polemics, to become the organ of a party, an agent to effect political changes, or a schoolmaster to teach rudimentary lessons or a particular class of political, governmental, or economical ideas. If wisely conceived and carefully expressed, all these may be applications of Masonry; but they are not Masonry itself….

Albert Pike
Author of Morals and Dogma
Luciferian Doctrine is probably the best bit ...
Albert Pike and The Great Luciferian Religion
Date: Tuesday, April 29 @ 01:42:11 PDT
Topic: International Politics


by Rick Salbato
Lets go back a few years to 1871 and read a letter written to a man in Italy, named Mazzini, from a general in the Confederate Army from Little Rock, Arkansas named, Albert Pike. On August 15, 1871 (Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) Albert Pike wrote:

"We shall unleash the Nihilists and the Atheists and we shall provoke a formidable social cataclysm which, in all its horror will show clearly to the nations the effect of absolute atheism, the origin of savagery and of the most bloody turmoil. Then everywhere, the citizens, forced to defend themselves against the world minority of revolutionaries, will exterminate those destroyers of civilization, and the multitude, disillusioned with Christianity, whose deistic spirits will form direction and leadership, anxious for an ideal, but without knowledge where to render its adoration, will receive the pure light through the universal manifestation of the pure doctrine of Lucifer, brought finally out into public view, a manifestation which will result from a general reactionary movement which will follow the destruction of Christianity and atheism, both conquered and exterminated at the same time."...

[FLI Readers: This piece is a few years old, but has aged very well. Highly-recommended reading.]

ADORATION OF SATAN

One has to wonder, how does President Clinton survive all the scandals that keep coming at him? Why do people still support him? Why does the American public support him? Why do feminists support him? Why, even, would he want to stay in office since he is the laughing stock of every comedian and cartoonist? An answer to those questions might have come in Ireland as a reporter overheard Clinton tell an Irish politician that there were powerful people above him that made the rules.

Any theory of international conspiracy has always been ho-hoed away as being from a conspiracy fanatic or right wing nut-case. Very often that is true, as some people see a conspiracy in every problem. To claim that the most powerful man in the world (the President of the United States) could be controlled by someone more powerful than him is a little far out. A claim like that would have to be backed by a lot of facts or people would laugh so hard at you it would give them a side ache as they rolled on the floor, because conspiracy theories has been spun by the newsmedia as being equivalent to a phobia, in the same way as a Christian (who once was the majority in saying that homosexuals are sick) is now the sick one - a homophobic.

CONSPIRACY-PHOBIC

At the risk of being called a conspiracy-phobic, let's see if there are any facts behind Clinton's statement! Lets go back a few years to 1871 and read a letter written to a man in Italy, named Mazzini, from a general in the Confederate Army from Little Rock, Arkansas named, Albert Pike. On August 15, 1871 (Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) Albert Pike wrote:

"We shall unleash the Nihilists and the Atheists and we shall provoke a formidable social cataclysm which, in all its horror will show clearly to the nations the effect of absolute atheism, the origin of savagery and of the most bloody turmoil. Then everywhere, the citizens, forced to defend themselves against the world minority of revolutionaries, will exterminate those destroyers of civilization, and the multitude, disillusioned with Christianity, whose deistic spirits will form direction and leadership, anxious for an ideal, but without knowledge where to render its adoration, will receive the pure light through the universal manifestation of the pure doctrine of Lucifer, brought finally out into public view, a manifestation which will result from a general reactionary movement which will follow the destruction of Christianity and atheism, both conquered and exterminated at the same time."

Think about this statement. This man, Pike, claimed to be able to control a group of people in order to destroy another group of people, the Christians; but his goal was to destroy both groups by having them fight each other. The Nihilists denied existence, any basis for knowledge or truth, and totally denied all traditional principles, values, etc. They advocated the destruction of all political and economic institutions. Atheists evolved from Nihilists; and communists evolved from Atheists or the two put together. If Albert Pike was not an Atheist, Nihilist or communist, what was he, and what was he after?

THE ILLUMINATI

To answer that question we go back almost another hundred years to what is now the feast of St. Joseph, the Worker, May 1, 1776. On that day a former Jesuit Catholic priest named, Adam Weishaupt, officially organized the Illuminati. The Illuminati, using protocols of Zionism, was the Synagogue of Lucifer or Angel of Light, ushering in the age of Enlightenment. Weishaupt, who took the name "spartacus" set up the Illuminati for the House of Rothschild. Father Weishaupt did this by taking control of the Masonic congress of Wilhelmsbad with the help of Rothschild. It was Weishaupt who convinced the Rothschilds that worship of Lucifer would bring power over the entire world. Weishaupt came to that belief from Scripture itself.

(Matthew 4:8-9) "Again the devil took him up inot a very hight mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. And said to him, `All these will I give to you, if falling down you will adore me."

The purpose and goal of the Illuminati was to have a one world government with a puppet dictator controlled by the Rothschilds and their fellow billionairs. This world government would have a world religion, the religion of light, Lucifer. They felt then and feel now that their power comes from weekly worship of Lucifer.

THREE WORLD WARS

Inspired somehow by Lucifer, they knew that they first had to get rid of those who could most stand in their way, the Kings and Monarchies of Europe and South America. Their first attempt was the French Revolution ordered by Adam Weishaupt in 1774. Robespierre worked for Weishaupt. This failure made them look to a more long turn plan. They needed a world wide organization with members in governments, newsmedia, and schools. This re-organizational work took almost a hundred years. In the mid 1800s they hired Albert Pike to work out a plan for three world wars, which they believed would end the Monarchies, the governments, and all Christian Religions. The first war was to end the Monarchies, the second war was to end the power of Europe, and the third war was to end all Christian religions, especially the Catholic Church.

Albert Pike organized and founded "The New and Reformed Palladian Rite" with three councils in Charleston, SC, Rome, and Berlin, Germany. He had 23 subordinate councils throughout the world. These councils found a way to get information around the world in a few days using pigeons with messages tied to their legs flying from one council to another. Because of being exposed by the Baverian Government, the Illuminati had to change its name. In America it became known as the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). In England it is called the British Institute of International Affairs. They also had the Knights Templars in St. John Hall In New York and the Fabian Society of England founded by Israel Colten, Zangwill, and Shaw. These three men supported a man named Mordecai, who later changed his name to Karl Marx. Although against communism and atheism, it worked into their plans to divide and conquer.

Now to go back a little, we must understand that Rockefeller, Garriman and Carnegie were all financed by Rothschild, who also financed Pike, Karl Marx, Lenin and Trotsky. They in turn were able to get Woodrow Wilson into the White House. It was Wilson who tried to get us into the League of Nations after getting us involved in World War I. The sinking of the Lusitania was arranged by the Illuminati and Wilson knew it. They had used the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Habsburg as an excuse to start World War I and may have had a hand in it. However, the real purpose of World War I was to destroy Czar of Russia and the other kings of Europe because they stopped the Congress of Vienna. This was successful as 32 Monarchies fell by 1922, the last being the death of Charles von Habsburg on April 1, 1922.

THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM

It was during this time period that a meeting took place at the Jekyl Island Hunt Club. This club was owned by J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Colonal House, Senator Nelson Aldridge, Schiff, Stillman and Vanderlip, W&L Seligman, Eugine Meyer, Bernard Baruch, Herbert Lehman, and Paul Warburg. At Jekyl Island Hunt Club, these men designed the Federal Reserve System and had it made into the law of the land. They owned and controlled the FRS and still do. Most people do not know that the Federal Reserve System is not Federal. It is privately owned by these bankers.

It was also during this period of time that the Illuminati changed their name in America to the Council on Foreign Relations - CFR . This was set up by Colonel House and Bernard Baruch. Colonel House was the power behind Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Both presidents took orders from "the Colonel", who was never a colonel.

On Dec 23, 1913, when most of the members of Congress were gone home for Christmas, they passed the Federal Reserve System, run by Paul Warburg and Jacob Schiff (both from Europe). The FRS is owned by the member banks of the list of people on Jekyl Island. Next Woodrow Wilson signed the infamous Federal Income Tax law (which is against the constitution). In order to avoid the same income tax, the members of the CFR formed FOUNDATIONS: the Rockefeller Foundation - the Carnegie Endowment Fund - the Ford Foundation - the Melon Foundation - and hundreds of other tax-free foundations. The CFR then started the FOREIGN AID PROGRAM to build up countries with American tax dollars where they had made investments or where exchanging on the money market.

RUSSIAN COMMUNISM

Lenin had replaced Mazzini and was working for Albert Pike. He was headquartered in Paris and later in Switzerland. Trotsky also worked for Pike and was in the lower East side of New York. Neither Lenin or Trotsky had any visible means of support, and yet, they always had lots of money. Trotsky moved in and out of Jacob Schiff's mansion and trained Russian Jewish refugees in the streets of New York. Schiff was financing Trotsky. Trotsky and 300 Russian Jewish refugees left New York for Switzerland in 1917 with $20,000,000 from Schiff

There was a party planed in Switzerland in 1917 when Trotsky and his 300 men would arrive. At the party were Lenin, Colonel Edward Mandell House, Warburg of the German Bank and Chief of the Secret Police of Germany, Rothschilds of London and Paris, Litvinoff, Kaganovich, and Stalin

The Schiff chartered ship taking Trotsky, the 300 men, and the two hundred million dollars was intercepted by a British warship. Woodrow Wilson convinced the British into releasing the ship in exchange for getting America into the war on the side of the British. After the party in Switzerland, Warburg helped Lenin, Trotsky and the 300 men move through Germany into Russia. This story of the money and the 300 men from New York was confirmed by Schiff's grandson to Charlie Knicherbocker, a columnist for the Hearst Papers. Albert Pike was only using communism to destroy governments and weaken religion. He, himself, was not a communist, nor was Lenin and Trotsky. Communism was just a tool.

THE NEWSMEDIA

How were they able to do this without the world learning what was going on? They didn't they just out shouted those who saw what was going on. They out shouted the lies because they had already taken over the newsmedia. Henry Luce had been financed by Rockefeller to set up a takeover of Life, Fortune, Look, etc. Rockefeller was also taking orders from higher up and was given the job of the newsmedia. He did such a good job, he was even given a greater job later - takeover of the religions. Anyway, Rockefeller financed Eugine Meyer to fight against good papers and financed Sam Newhouse to set up a chain of new papers with the CFR agenda. The columnists they controlled were Walter Lippman, Drew Pearson, The Alsops, Herbert Matthews, Irwin Kanam, Ed Morrow, Chet Huntley, Howard K. Smith, Eric Sevareid and many more.

UNITED NATIONS

Remembering that their goal is one world government, we must go back to their attempt to create the League of Nations with the help of Woodrow Wilson. When that failed, they did not have control over Harding, Collidge and Hoover. They moved them out by creating the great depression. This was manufactured by the Federal Reserve System, controlled by the banks that created it. They lost nothing as they moved their money from one country to another creating greater wealth at the lose of millions from small people and small companies all over the world.

Alger Hiss, Pasvulksy and Dalton Trumbuill designed the United Nations Charter. They all worked for the CFR. Alger Hiss became the first Secretary General. He later was convicted of being a communist spy for Russia. Earl Warren was placed at the head of the Supreme Court so that he could made decisions based on the United States Charter, moving us closer and closer to world government. Rockefeller donated the land for the United Nations Building. Hiss and Molotov met to see to it that a Russian was always the head of the military secretariat of the UN. Think about it, Russian General Vasiliev, head of the UN military Secretariat ended up commanding the North Koreans against the UN forces that he had headed. Truman fired General MacArthur because he would not tell the UN what he was going to do in advance. The plan of the United Nations is the plan of the Illuminati, now known as the "Council on Foreign Relations".

That plan is "one world government, one world laws, one world court, one world Army, one world Air Force, one world schools, and one world church (no Christians)."

ONE WORLD RELIGION

The job of creating ONE WORLD RELIGION was given to John D. Rockefeller. His orders were to first turn all religions into one world religion. Later this one world religion would reach the ultimate goal of Satanic Worship. For now, one pluralistic religion, where everything, and every belief is OK would suffice. To do this Rockefeller needed to control the pastors. He started by picking and financing Doctor Harry F. Ward, known as Reverend Ward. Reverend Ward founded the Methodist Foundation of Social Service at the instructions of Rockefeller. This Methodist Foundation of Social Service changed it's name to The Federal Council of Churches and then to The National Council of Churches. Ward was the founder of the American League Against War and Fascism which became the American Communist Party. Ward was a communist.

A quick look backwards at their plan to take over America will put light in our eyes. They planned to first control the money system, then to place stooges in high places in the government, then to create minority group strife. (The Council on Foreign Relations created and financed the NAACP whose heads were all Jews appointed by the CFR. The CFR created the Anti-Defamation League of the B'nai Brith- ADL ADL controls the NAACP, CORE, and the Urban League - including leaders of these groups such as Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael, Bayard Rustin, etc. Finally there plan was to destroy religion.

SCHOOLS

Any student anywhere in the world that looked like he had promise and could be controlled by these people would be given a scholarship. These scholarships given out by the Illuminati were called RHODES Scholarships. Clinton received a Rhodes scholarship when at England, and also made it into Russia for a "visit" at a time when getting into Russia was almost impossible. Why did he get this scholarship? How did he get a pass into Russia? Besides the Rhodes scholarship, the Illuminati set up special schools like Gordonstown in Scotland, Salem in Germany, Anavryta in Greece, and then special clubs within most other major colleges throughout the world. It was in these clubs that they discovered who they could control with the promise of fame and fortune.

PRESIDENT CLINTON

Now take a look at President Clinton. Over 90 people have died to keep him in office. He survived Whitewater. He survived the death of Ron Brown. He survived the FBI files. He survived the China technology conspiracy. He survived rape. He survived having a baby out of wedlock. He survived Monica. How is he surviving and maintaining a popularity with the public and the newsmedia? Who really controls America, America's thinking, America's newsmedia. America's government? Who is the new Colonel? Clinton just signed a Presidential Executive Order giving all our governmental power over to the United Nations. Our Senate and Congress is so busy with his trial in the Senate, they are not paying any attention to it. When it become the law of the land, maybe the new Colonel will say, we have had enough of this man and let him be kicked out of office. After all, they already proved that they have the control they have wanted for two hundred years. Maybe they will now kill him and blame it on the conservatives as they have done in the past.

THE WAR AGAINST RELIGION

Look back again at the fact that Rockefeller was given the job to take over the newsmedia and to destroy religions. Right after Pope Paul VI came out with Humani Vetae, the Notre Dame Theologians came out against his Encyclical. Considering that Rockefeller had sent a letter to the Pope offering to write the Encyclical for him, and that Rockefeller had just given a large donation of money to Notre Dame, what would your conclusion be? Considering that Notre Dame's decent from the Holy Father was the first in modern history, and considering that the charismatic movement came out of Notre Dame, and considering that Call To Action came out of Notre Dame, and that Renew came out of Notre Dame, and that Medjugorje has been heavily promoter from Notre Dame, what would your thinking be about a conspiracy to take over the Catholic Church in America? Considering that magazines like the Jesuit "American", "The US Catholic" and "The National Catholic Reporter" all came into being in the same Call To Action time frame, who is behind these magazines? Who finances them? Well! These are all questions that may never be answered.

There are two spirits at war, and we are the chess men.

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen
By allowing for blood oaths to be taken

I know you enjoy volunteering answers for others but that was not the question he asked.

Read it again.

reply to post by KSigMason

Sorry didn't notice this thread get active again

"Exoteric? Do you mean 'esoteric'"

No I meant exoteric.
The exoteric is the "front" of Freemasonry, the public image that does not look like a religion and just teaches the official interpretation of all the meanings and symbols. Like saying the Square and Compass mean squaring your actions by virtue, drawing a boundry, etc when they actually have hidden esoteric meanings that show Freemasonry is a pagan religion. Books written by Freemasons like Mackey admit this.

Encyclopedia of Freemasonry page 232 and 249
"The priesthood of egypt constituted a sacred caste. Their doctrines were of two kinds, exoteric or public, which were communicated to the multitude, and esoteric or secret, which were revealed only to a select few. That secret portion of masonry which is known only to the initiates is distinguished from exoteric Masonry. which is accessible to all who choose to read the manuals and published works of the order. Masons are divided into two classes, according to the degree of initiation to which they had attained, as being either fully admitted into the society, and invested with all the knowledge that the Master could communicate, or as merely postulants, enjoying only the public instructions of the school, and awaiting the gradual reception of further knowledge. This double mode of instruction was borrowed from the Egyptian priests, whose theology was of two kinds, the one exoteric, and addressed to the people in general; the other esoteric, and confined to a select number of the priests"

Looks like a 33rd degree mason says it is a religion.

Originally posted by robertauthor
Lets go back a few years to 1871 and read a letter written to a man in Italy, named Mazzini, from a general in the Confederate Army from Little Rock, Arkansas named, Albert Pike.

Hoax, as explained here, here, and, if you're not going to believe a Masonic site, then maybe believe someone who really doesn't like Masons, Terry Melanson, who has done the most thorough and historically accurate debunking of this myth that I've seen.

Originally posted by Unilluminist
Encyclopedia of Freemasonry page 232 and 249
"The priesthood of egypt constituted a sacred caste. Their doctrines were of two kinds, exoteric or public, which were communicated to the multitude, and esoteric or secret, which were revealed only to a select few. That secret portion of masonry which is known only to the initiates is distinguished from exoteric Masonry. which is accessible to all who choose to read the manuals and published works of the order. Masons are divided into two classes, according to the degree of initiation to which they had attained, as being either fully admitted into the society, and invested with all the knowledge that the Master could communicate, or as merely postulants, enjoying only the public instructions of the school, and awaiting the gradual reception of further knowledge. This double mode of instruction was borrowed from the Egyptian priests, whose theology was of two kinds, the one exoteric, and addressed to the people in general; the other esoteric, and confined to a select number of the priests"

Looks like a 33rd degree mason says it is a religion.

Um, where does he say Masonry is a religion? He says the Masonic mode of instruction was borrowed from Egyptian priests. He doesn't say Masonry is a religion.