Dan Brown, Masonry and the Catholic Church

Photo: AFP

See other +Ponderings+ on Freemasonry, including a book review HERE.

From Rome Reports:

Dan Brown gained unprecedented worldwide fame by mixing together elements like the Holy Grail, Leonardo da Vinci, and Opus Dei, or the Conclave, antimatter and the city of Rome. Now hes trying his luck with Washington, D.C., masonry and a third secret element.

No one knows if this third element has anything to do with the Catholic Church.

Dan Brown probably knows that the Catholic Church does not allow its members to be part of masonry, and if someone does they could be excommunicated.

The first papal document to prohibit membership in masonry was drafted in 1738, just 21 years after masonry was born. The Church has confirmed this position in 12 other official documents. The last one was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1983.

The documents state that masonry and Catholicism are not compatible. Apart from the anti-clericalism that has characterized the masons, masonry considers absolute truths to be non-existent, and it puts all religions on the same level. To them, Jesus was a great teacher like Buddha or Zoroaster.
JMB/RS

No surprise, Dan Brown is quite sympathetic toward Freemasonry. In an interview for CBC in Canada, Mr. Brown had this to say about the Masons:

"I have enormous respect for the Masons," Brown said. "In the most fundamental terms, with different cultures killing each other over whose version of God is correct, here is a worldwide organization that essentially says, 'We don't care what you call God, or what you think about God, only that you believe in a god and let's all stand together as brothers and look in the same direction."'

As the 'Church Lady' from Saturday Night Live used to say, "Well, isn't that special."

Book Review: Masonry Unmasked

A few years ago, I was on an internet forum discussing my Catholic faith with others and the topic of Freemasonry came up. I knew that Catholics were forbidden to be involved in Freemasonry but I was not sure exactly why. I understood that we were not to take secret oaths, yet beyond that I knew nothing about Freemasonry. As always when engaging in apologetics, I was drawn to look more deeply into the matter. Read what our Pope Benedict XVI stated in the following declaration, as Cardinal Ratzinger, on behalf of Pope John Paul II in 1983:

It has been asked whether there has been any change in the Church's decision in regard to Masonic associations since the new Code of Canon Law does not mention them expressly, unlike the previous Code.

This Sacred Congregation is in a position to reply that this circumstance is due to an editorial criterion which was followed also in the case of other associations likewise unmentioned inasmuch as they are contained in wider categories.

Therefore the Church's negative judgment in regard to Masonic associations remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.

It is not within the competence of local ecclesiastical authorities to give a judgment on the nature of Masonic associations which would imply a derogation from what has been decided above, and this in line with the Declaration of this Sacred Congregation issued on 17 February 1981 (cf. AAS 73 [1981] pp. 240-241).

In an audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect, the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II approved and ordered the publication of this Declaration which had been decided in an ordinary meeting of this Sacred Congregation.

Rome, from the Office of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 26 November 1983.

JOSEPH Card. RATZINGER
Prefect

+ Fr. JEROME HAMER, O.P.
Titular Archbishop of Lorium
Secretary

It is clear even to the bleary-eyed that you cannot be a Catholic in a state of grace and a Mason.

The book Masonry Unmasked: An Insider Reveals the Secrets of the Lodge by John Salza helps one to more clearly understand Freemasonry, and the related 'brotherhood' of the 'Shriners'. The book is at times very disjointed and I found myself wishing the author had simply used bullet points to dispense much of the information. However, the method of compilation does not take away from the importance of the vast amount of information about the Masons and Shriners shared. Mr. Salza draws from Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church and proves beyond any question that Freemasonry is totally contrary to the beliefs of Christianity.

In the book, the author (Catholic and former Mason himself) shares the rituals involved in Freemasonry. It becomes clear how alluring it may be to men who do not understand fully the gravity of Freemasonry when contrasted with Christianity. Full of symbols, unfamiliar words and names, brotherhood, secretive rituals and oaths - Freemasonry is certainly has been a tempting lure for millions of men for hundreds of years.

Some highlights of the book include:

Did you know???

• Freemasonry views all gods as equal to Christ and the Lodge views all religious writings as equal to the Bible.
• It doesn't matter to the Mason that the Bible affirms the divinity of Christ while the Koran denies His divinity. Both books are said to express the 'will of God'.
• Christian Masons are asked to place Christ alongside -- not above -- other gods. (Mt 6:24; 1st Commandment)
• Freemasons refer to God as GAOTU, or Great Architect of the Universe among other titles. In group prayer, Christ is omitted yet the Church teaches that "there is no other way of Christian prayer than Christ. Whether our prayer is communal or personal, vocal or interior, it has access to the Father only if we pray 'in the name' of Jesus" (CCC 2664)
• Masons are required to make secret signs of self-mutilation with their arms and hands. These signs evoke the penalties for breaking the Masonic oaths. If a man is physically or psychologically unable to make such signs, he is not allowed to be a Freemason.
• Most of the leaders of the Ku Klux Klan were Freemasons.
• Catholic candidates to Freemasonry are told that they are no longer forbidden to become a Freemason. They are also told that many Cardinals and even the Swiss Guard are Masons.
• The new Mason is told that he must die to his former life and be reborn into the new life of the Lodge. He is told this while blindfolded, wearing only his underwear and with a sharp implement being pressed into his bare chest.
  
• The apprentice Mason takes grisly oaths, promising that he will have his throat cut and tongue torn out should he share any secrets. Read Matthew 5:34 and following verses about taking oaths.
  
• 'Shriners', is a separate order where 32nd degree Masons who wish to join take their oaths with their hand placed upon a Koran. The real name of 'Shriners' is AAONMS or the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. (NOT IN THE BOOK: The money from the circus doesn't all make it to the Shriner hospital, by the way. In "2006, the organization's total unrestricted net assets (minus the portion that consists of land, building and equipment) were $7,504,675,000, or 11 times the charity's total 2007 budgeted expenses of $655,000,000." Source - Better Business Bureau)
  

I suggest that any Christian, and most especially all Catholic Christians, read the book. You will be arming yourself with great apologetic material should someone ever tell you that you can be Catholic -- a Christian -- AND a Freemason. I say, "Sure, just like you can be Catholic and Pro-Choice - NOT!"

Consider the following: in John:6, Christ tells us "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you." A Catholic who is unable to receive communion has no life in him or her.

___________________

More sources of information on Freemasonry:

Scripture Catholic
New Advent
Catholic Answers/EWTN

Knownothingism and other Anti-Catholic Gems in U.S. History

Perhaps the 'Native Americans' may have been better served by a warning against turning the letter 'N' backwards, but it was the motto which served the 'American Party' or 'Know Nothing Party' in mid-19th America. Oddly enough, they did not see the oxymoron they were attempting to jam down the throats of a 'Puritan' nation - one that referred to the real Native Americans as savages and nearly wiped them out. In their paranoia, they seemed to forget that they were a foreign influence and not native to America themselves.

From Wide-awake! Romanism: its aims and tendencies. The sentiments of a "Know-nothing." by L.W. Granger:

Fellow citizens of America! What a field for contemplation! Are you not competent to manage the affairs of a government of which you are the main pillars and embodiment? We are not willing yet to believe that you have fallen so low, or degenerated so fast, as yet to give up to the demands made upon you by Romanism. Before your very eyes in the light of day, is this spirit of insubordination and anarchy ripening into maturity. The storm cloud is brooding; your enemies are marshalled on every hand. Let every American be on his guard against the restless foe, by securing well of his country's honor and integrity.

This book, like many others of the day, goes on spreading lies which took on a life of their own and caused the burning of many Catholic Churches -- and plenty of deaths as a result. Tall tales included that Bishops asked that the Protestant Bible be replaced with the Douay-Rheims in public schools (Fact: it was requested that Catholic children be allowed to use their own Bibles if they wished); Catholic churches were fortifying themselves with canons and muskets (there were indeed weapons at the church - after they were notified that mobs of 'nativists' were planning to riot including the the burning of churches and any occupants. 'Nativists' were warned that they must arm themselves and "shoot down the first Irish rebel, that dare insult your person as an American citizen!"

When asked about being a 'Nativist', they were expected to reply with a resounding, "I know nothing." I tend to agree with the statement but not within the context they intended. It is quite obvious that they were mired in paranoia so vast that it would rival any diagnoses in the most recent DSM.

From page 296 of The American Pageant textbook:

Older-stock Americans were alarmed by these mounting figures. They professed to believe that in due time the "alien riffraff" would "establish" the Catholic church at the expense of Protestantism and would introduce "popish idols." The noisier American "nativists" rallied for political action. In 1849 they formed the Order of the Star-Spangled Banner, which soon developed into the formidable American, or "Know-Nothing," party - a name derived from its secretiveness. "Nativists" agitated for rigid restrictions on immigration and naturalization and for laws authorizing the deportation of alien paupers. They also promoted a lurid literature of exposure, much of it pure fiction. The authors, sometimes posing as escaped nuns, described the shocking sins they imagined the cloisters concealed, including the secret burial of babies. One of these sensational books — Maria Monk's Awful Disclosures(1836) — sold over 300,000 copies.

'Maria Monk' is still quoted today by virulent anti-Catholic individuals - and I have witnessed this first-hand while engaging in online conversations with self-professed evangelical Christians.

The city of Philadelphia witnessed much death and destruction at the hands of 'nativists' against Catholics and their churches. In 1844, the 'City of Brotherly Love' failed miserably to live up to the nickname. On May 7th of that year, a mob marched into the Irish section of the city and set some 30 homes ablaze. Included in the destruction were St. Michael's and St. Augustine's churches as well as a monastery and library. Firemen were not allowed to go to the scene and when the Mayor called for calm, he was struck and knocked unconscious. At least 14 souls were lost on that one day.

The Bishop, Most Rev. Kenrick, ordered all churches closed the following Sunday in order to calm the riots. He let it be known that it was better for all of the churches to be burned to the ground than to have one more drop of blood spilled. Urging Catholics to let the courts deal with those who perpetrated the violence and to not seek vengeance, it appeared at first that justice would be handed out. When the jury delivered its verdict, it found in favor of the 'Nativists' and pointed the finger at the Irish Catholics instead. That verdict only served to embolden the 'Nativists' who planned an even bigger display of hatred at an Independence Day parade. The Southwark Riots ensued and the eventual result was the laying of the foundation for a Catholic school system by Bishop Kenrick.

(Cartoon: Pope's Dream - Catholic America)

A bit of trivia on the Know Nothing Party: Our 13th President was a member of the Know Nothing Party - Millard Fillmore and Ulysses S. Grant was also a member of the party for a time prior to the Civil War. In 1875 President Grant called for a Constitutional amendment that would mandate free public schools and prohibit the use of public funds for "sectarian" schools. We have heard of the so-called 'Blaine Amendments' recently when school vouchers were a hot topic. Just a last note to anyone who has read this far: The Puritans who fled Europe and came to America seeking religious freedom brought their Geneva Bibles (NOT the King James Version) and were fleeing the Church of England - not the Popish Roman Church. Gosh, you'd think only a couple hundred years after the Puritans landed, the 'Nativists' would have known their history.

When slavery became a dividing issue among the 'United States', anti-Catholicism was alive but slid to the back burner for a time. In the beginning of the 20th century, enter the Ku Klux Klan and other 'gems'. Most people know that the KKK targeted African Americans, but many do not realize that Catholics were equally despised. In Oregon, the Klan had few minorities to deal with and seized the opportunity to target Catholics almost exclusively. The Masonic Grand Lodge of Oregon, with the full support of the KKK, sponsored a bill with the sole intent to wipe out parochial schools. The Compulsory Education Law was passed in 1922 and thankfully was found to be unconstitutional in 1925 by the United States Supreme Court case of Pierce v. Society of Sisters.

Anti-Catholic bigotry is, in my opinion, just as Philip Jenkins suggests: The Last Acceptable Prejudice. Having experienced it myself in a most shocking way in online forums and discussion rooms. The luxury of anonymity seems to allow for a 'no holds barred' mentality for many people. I have been called a pagan, pew mushroom, cultist, droid, robot, Mary worshiper, popish, a wafer idolater and told that the Church to which I cleave is the Whore of Babylon. One 'Christian' told me that he hoped 'Mother Teresa was rotting in hell' because of the way she cared for pagans in her ministry (she did not force them to accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior in order to receive treatment). Folks like Jack Chick abound and derive plenty of income from attacking Catholicism, fueling the ever-present fire in America. I have found that most of the people who are extremely anti-Catholic were Catholic themselves in the past. Much can be said about the lousy catechesis of the past 40 years and that many of us have been made to suffer because of it. Maybe another entry - another day.

If you are interested in learning more about Anti-Catholicism or apologetics, consult the following links:

Catholic Answers Anti-Catholic Library
Bible Christian Society
Anti-Catholicism on the Internet - Catholic League
Dave Armstrong's Blog
Catholic Answers Practical Apologetics