Do you think it is strange that free masonry is banned by the Catholic Church?

Question

The church has no problem evolving to include people such as lgbt, however they say being a free mason is a grave sin. They don’t say that about other religions. Free masons donate lots of charity and do not believe in violence. Masons believe in a grand architect in the universe and human reasoning.

BCRanger10 · Accepted Answer

No, I don't think it's strange at all.

For one thing, no, the Catholic Church has not "evolved" to be more inclusive of LGBT folks. There has always been a place for them in the Church. Look no further than then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's (later Pope Benedict XVI) 1986 Letter on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons. Read this letter and then tell me one single part of it that is lacking in compassion, love, and understanding.

If it's same-sex marriage and relationships you're talking about, the Church does not have the authority to bless them. Pope Francis was wrong and was horrifically imprudent and irresponsible in regards to the document that came out in December (if that's what you're referring to; is it?). We can argue all day about what the Church can do to better reach out to LGBT people, but there are concessions that CANNOT be made. For more on this, see this MyTake I wrote on this matter.

Now back to the question at hand. Again, no. First of all, the Catholic Church has never taught that other religions can save. We can have discussions about baptism of desire, invincible ignorance, "lesser lights", and all sorts of other factors, and yes, the Church may have become more soft and ambiguous, but that doesn't mean she approves of other religions. She does not.

Regarding the Freemasons specifically? I'll have to ask what you believe and understand the mission of the Catholic Church to be. Sure, the Freemasons believe in a "grand architect", but that's it. They don't care what you call God or how you practice your belief, if you even do. Up front, that might not seem all that bad, but that is what is called the error of indifferentism. What that basically means is that God revealed Himself in specific ways and made specific commands. If I call God "God", but the man next to me calls Him something different, and the next man something different and so forth, you end up having false and contradictory understandings of God.

Another key error of Freemasonry is that of deism, or the belief that God created but is not involved in the universe. The Catholic Church teaches that man is made in the image and likeness of God, so if that's the case, then God being Himself indifferent to human affairs and behavior, especially after having specifically and rightly commanded certain ways of thinking and acting, is absurd.

Now to close, giving money to charity and stuff like that is good. The Church does not look down on that from anyone. Just know though that whatever natural and material good the Freemasons do, whatever charitable donations they make or hospitals they build or whatever, it's nothing that the Catholic Church hasn't already done for centuries. Plus, these things are by themselves not what is required to be saved.

So again, no. I don't find it strange, wrong, or anything else like that for the Catholic Church to oppose Freemasonry.

DrPepper12 · Accepted Answer

Masons cannot be tolerated in the church because it's an alternate source of power. It's just that simple. So the church does what it always does, brands them as heretics and moves on to the next apostate.

Tamera952 · Accepted Answer

Of course it’s strange. Everything the Catholic Church does is strange. They’re always behind the curve, especially about social things, …so apparently back in the day they had it out for Freemasons (probably for a stupid reason) who knows why? Who cares? …it’s probably not relevant anymore, and the dumbasses in Rome haven’t gotten the memo to update shit.
That, or they’re too busy dealing with the fact that their priests and representatives molested half the world, for the past half century, so there’s that.

jshm2 · Answer

No. You're confusing "masonry" with "freemasonry". The church relied on masons to build a lot of the architecture you see in the world today. But freemasonry is nothing to do with that.

AngryCarl · Answer

I didn't know they were but I don't find it particularly strange. The Roman Catholic Church has always opposed any organisation that could challenge their power. No doubt the Freemasons were aligned with the Illuminati, if not actually the same people.

Anonymous · Answer

I am not a Mason but I am a DeMolay. And knowing what I know of the catholic church it doesn't surprise me. My brother-in-law took issue with me being a DeMolay. Because we say a prayer in our ritual. But it's deliberately a non specific prayer. Because DeMolay and Freemasonry accept brothers of all faiths. We're all praying separately at the same time to our own specific Gods. But he took it as we were praying to something non specific, ergo evil.

NamerOfStars · Answer

Very. It's about the secrecy the Masons keep, but it's hardly the only organization to keep such close secrets. The Church doesn't have much to say on them.

genericname85 · Answer

well in the current pop cultural climate, the church can not affort the backlash of banning lgbtq people. if the church wasn't depending on people handing them money, they would most definitely not accept lgbtq people.

Tomisworthless · Answer

Freemasonry puts all gods on the equal standing as Jesus and Holy Father God. They believe in Solomons teachings more than that of Christ Jesus

AviatorTom · Answer

The Catholic Church bans all secret societies... except the ones that the Church started.

andreasderjuengere · Answer

The Catholic Church -by tradition- does not like competition :)

zagor · Answer

So they're required to pay for bricks?

strateguy632 · Answer

it matches

In_Trance · Answer

No i don't

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