The Catholic Defender: Freemasons and the Shriners Clash With The Church
Before I begin my article on Free-Masonry, I want to encourage anyone who might be interested in this subject, please get John Salza's book, "Masonry Unmasked". He was a former Mason. On 25 July 2008, John Salza is interviewed on "The Abundant Life", television show. It was aired on EWTN. I recommend this book and the show which is very informative. You can get the DVD from contacting the Show, "The Abundant Life" or you can catch it on YouTube.
More about John Salza from the article "Why Catholics Can't Be Masons" by THE COLORADO CATHOLIC HERALD:
"Catholic attorney John Salza once found himself inside a masonic hall, being asked to take off his wedding ring and crucifix as he swore an oath to be reborn as a Freemason. Although he knew in his heart that something was wrong, he did not leave right away. Over several years, he advanced to the 32nd degree in the Scottish Rite — a level that only a select group of masons are invited to. While he was told that masonry was compatible with Catholicism, he eventually could not reconcile the two and left the masons. In 2008, Salza wrote a basic, short treatise, “Why Catholics Cannot Be Masons,” (TAN Publishing) that addressed the serious conflicts that lay between Catholicism and Freemasonry (including the Shriners)."
The first Masonic Grande Lodge was formed in 1717, London, England. In America, it first appeared in Philadelphia (1730) and Boston (1733). It can be shown that it grew out of medieval guilds of the stonemasons. This explains many of the symbols of Freemasonry such that deal with brick laying. Several American patriots like Ben Franklin, Paul Revere, and George Washington, were Masons. Many of those who framed the Constitution of the United States, such as John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, were Masons. So why does the Catholic Church have serious concerns and forbids her churchmen to join it? What's all the fuss? According to the Seattle Times in a special October edition in 1982, it reported that the average age joining the Masons was 38 years old. The Masons are seen supporting hospitals, children's burn centers, and handicapped children. A Christian is faced with several situations that put them in compromise. How you wonder? When a Christian is faced with holding an authority equal or greater than the Apostolic authority of the Church especially when you have a secret society that traditionally is anti-Catholic, you have real problems. Jesus established the Catholic Church giving it his authority. Canon Law is the authority in matters of faith and morals (Matthew 28:16-20). No Christian should bind themselves to any other spiritual authority other than the Church Christ founded.
In what is called the 'York' rite in the 7th degree, Masons learn the secret name of the Masonic god and takes upon himself the password of the 'Royal Arch Member', "I am that I am". Candidates for that degree are presented in groups of three, and it requires that same number of 'Royal Arch Masons' to pronounce the sacred name. The name "Jaobulon" is taken from the following: Jao is the Greek word for Yahweh or Jehovah, but is a rendering of the name 'Baal' (1 Kings 18:22), and the 'On' is the name used in the Babylonian mysteries to call upon the name of the evil deity, 'Osiris'.
What an unholy alliance! The Trinity is a striking contrast that the Catholic Church teaches, one God in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We have the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sanctifier all in one, who wants to be the center of our life. The Name of Jesus is the name above all names (Philippians 2:9-10), the name according to Ed Becker, once a leading authority on the subject of Masonry, states, "The Lord Jesus Christ, his name cannot be lawfully uttered in testimony or prayer in virtually any Masonic Lodge".
The Masons will equate all the "gods" of men as equal taking what they believe as 'good' from all of them and combine them. One popular question heard a lot even from well meaning Christians is, "Don't you think Jesus and Buddha are the same god"? Don't you think they just represent different cultures and backgrounds"? The answer will always be 'NO'! Jesus states that no man comes to the Father but by Jesus, who is his only begotten Son (Matthew 7:21). Freemasonry declares that its deity, the "Great Architect of the Universe", can be worshiped by all men, whether they be Buddhist, Christians, Muslims, or Hindus, 'without controversy". Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me". The Masons maintain the Bible "no better or no worse than any other holy book". The Masons declare that man can be saved by his own labors without faith in Jesus sacrifice on the cross.
The Masons blaspheme the name of God by associating His name with pagan fertility gods such as Baal, they reject the doctrine of hell. Freemasons require that men swear oaths on a Bible in the name of God including mutilation and murder of human beings (Duncan, Ritual, pp. 35, 65, 96). The Masons demand members to call their leaders titles like "Worshipful Master", and kneel before them. Going back to the founding Fathers of our Country, check the overlay (map) of Washington D.C. It was laid out in the form of central Masonic symbols; the square, the compass, and the rule. Take the map, face the capital building from the mall and using the capital as the head or the top of the compass. The left leg is represented by Pennsylvania Avenue and the right leg by Maryland Avenue.
The square is found in the usual Masonic position with the intersection of Canal Street and Louisiana Avenue. The left leg of the compass stands on the White House and the right leg stands on the Jefferson Memorial. The circle drive and short streets behind the Capital complete the picture to form the head and ears of what Satanists call the "Goat of Mendes" or "Goat's Head". The goat head happens to be the universal symbol of Satanism (Matthew 26:31-35). On top of the White House is an inverted five-pointed star, called a pentagram. This is a high-level symbol of witchcraft and Satanism. The point rests squarely on the White House and is facing south in the true occult fashion. It sits within the intersections of Connecticut and Vermont Avenues north to Dupont and Logan circles with Rhode Island and Massachusetts going to Washington Circle to the west and Mount Vernon Square on the east.
The center of the pentagram is 16th Street where 13 blocks due north of the very center of the White House. The Masonic House of the Temple sits at the top of this occult iceberg. The Washington Monument stands perfect line to the intersecting point to form the Masonic square, stretching from the House of the Temple to the Capital Building. Within the right triangle of the pentagram sits many of the headquarters buildings of our government such as the Justice Department, U.S. Senate, and the I.R.S. Most of the federal building have had a cornerstone laid in a Masonic ritual and specific Masonic paraphernalia placed in each one. These cornerstones contain Masonic documents showing that the building have been dedicated to the god of masonry, "Jao-Bul-On". Nicholas Cage would really love this, but our Country does not. President Franklin D Roosevelt (1933-1945) stacked the Supreme Court which lead to the Church-State decision which allowed Secular Humanism to take root in America. Presidents Truman and Eisenhower also placed Judges on the Court that were Masons. This would lead to taking the bible out of public schools, Roe V Wade and abortion, Gay Marriage, and the attack on Christians from selling fast food Chicken to wedding cakes to Catholic Nuns, to wedding photographers, to war on Christmas.
For the Catholic, I strongly encourage the Knights of Columbus which has the higher call of being known as the "strong right arm of the Church"!
From this article, I am sharing one side of a coin, this is kind of like the dark side. The other side of the coin is how the Bible played an important role developing the Constitution and our Governmental system. Consider our Three Branches of Government? Our Founding Fathers took Isaiah 33:22 as a means to explain our purpose: "For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he it is who will save us."
On that subject check out my article, "The Catholic Defender: Without a Vision the people Perish", "The Catholic Defender: Did President George Washington Die A Catholic?" And "The Catholic Defender: Charles Carroll, Business Man, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Strong Catholic."
