Freemasonry Mankind's Hidden Enemy , livre ebook

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60 pages

English

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Expanded edition! A short, incisive examination of Freemasonry, giving a brief, clear overview of the subject. Quotes Leo XIII's famous encyclical OnFreemasonry (1884) and proves that it is a significant danger to Catholicism today. Gives current official Catholic statements; intended to end confusion about Catholics joining this cult. New material includes "Masons and Mafias," discussing the partnership of these two groups in Europe; and "Kadosh-30th Degree," which describes a Masonic ceremony that involves trampling on the papal tiara.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Christian theology

Catholic Church

Theology

History of religions

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Publié par	TAN Books
Date de parution	01 octobre 2007
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781618903358
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0224€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Copyright © 1995, 2005 by TAN Books and Publishers, Inc.
First published in 1995. Second Edition, with new material added ( Chapter 5: Masons and Mafias , and Appendix F: Kadosh—30th Degree ), published in 2005.
ISBN 978-0-89555-816-9
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
TAN Books Charlotte, North Carolina www.TANBooks.com 2013
“The Freemasons follow this principle above all: ‘Catholicism can be overcome not by logical argument but by corrupted morals.’ And so they overwhelm the souls of men with the kind of literature and arts that will most easily destroy a sense of chaste morals, and they foster sordid lifestyles in all phases of human life. …”
— St. Maximilian Kolbe
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
Mankind’s Hidden Enemy
Chapter 2
Freemasonry’s Religious Lures
Chapter 3
A Religion of Blasphemy
Chapter 4
Partisans of Evil
Chapter 5
Masons and Mafias
Appendix A
Knights of the Immaculata vs. Freemasonry’s Poison By St. Maximilian Kolbe
Appendix B
Declaration on Masonic Associations By the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Appendix C
Masonry and Naturalistic Religion By U.S. Bishops’ Committee
Appendix D
The Pastoral Problem of Masonic Membership By Prof. Whalen, for Bishops’ Committee Report
Appendix E
Questions and Answers By Bro. Charles Madden, O.F.M. Conv
Appendix F
Kadosh—30th Degree
Appendix G
Sources and Recommended Reading
A Collection of Classic Artwork
Introduction
This book is a compilation of several articles which appeared in the Mission of the Immaculata in 1990 and 1991 and is an answer to numerous requests over the years from members of the Knights of the Immaculata for information on Freemasonry. St. Maximilian Kolbe especially singled out the conversion of the Freemasons as one of the main purposes in founding the Knights of the Immaculata in 1917 (See Appendix A ).
This book is not intended to be an exhaustive examination of all facets of Freemasonry, but rather a basic explanation of this non-Christian religion. Due to unfortunate confusion arising in recent years, Catholics have been joining Freemasonry under the mistaken impression that the movement is no longer anti-Christian, is no longer proscribed and is nothing more than a humanitarian association. A reading of this book will show that none of these beliefs is true.
An official Catholic pronouncement from Rome and an in-depth report prepared for the U.S. Bishops are included in the Appendices.
—Bro. Charles Madden, O.F.M. Conv., 1995

Chapter 1
Mankind’s Hidden Enemy
From time to time the National Center of the Militia Immaculata receives letters from members and others asking various questions about Freemasonry. People especially want to know why St. Maximilian Kolbe singled out for opposition this ostensibly fraternal organization above other anti-Christian movements such as Socialism and its various branches: Fascism, Nazism and Communism.
We intend to answer many of these questions in this book, using the sources listed in the footnotes.
A. Why Freemasonry is the “Hidden Enemy”
In the U.S.A., Freemasonry has a benign reputation among most people, including many Catholics. Hence we refer to it as the “Hidden Enemy”— hidden because Freemasonry is a secret society; enemy because both by word and deed it has proved itself again and again implacably hostile to all Christianity, and in particular to the Catholic Church. It has shown itself a corrupting influence on all mankind.
1. Freemasonry’s secret, unceasing struggle against religion
In his encyclical letter on Freemasonry, Humanum Genus (1884), Pope Leo XIII equated it with the kingdom of Satan, using St. Augustine’s image of the two cities, the City of man and the City of God, and the everlasting struggle between the two.
At every period of time each has been in conflict with the other, with a variety and multiplicity of weapons and of warfare, although not always with equal ardor and assault. At this period, however, the partisans of evil seem to be combining together and to be struggling with united vehemence, led on or assisted by that strongly organized and widespread association called the Freemasons. No longer making any secret of their purposes, they are now boldly rising up against God Himself. They are planning the destruction of holy Church publicly and openly, and this with the set purpose of utterly despoiling the nations of Christendom, if it were possible, of the blessings obtained for us through Jesus Christ our Saviour. 1
2. Freemasonry’s teachings, aims and actions
After reviewing what he and his predecessors had done over the previous 150 years to combat this evil, Pope Leo XIII explored the teachings, aims and actions of this movement, pointing out that even if the several bodies which make up Freemasonry no longer remain completely concealed,
they are still found to retain the nature and the habits of secret societies. There are many things like mysteries which it is the fixed rule to hide with extreme care, not only from strangers, but from very many members also; such as their secret and final designs… 2
Candidates are generally commanded to promise—nay, with a special oath, to swear—that they will never, to any person, at any time or in any way, make known the members, the passes or the subjects discussed. Thus, with a fraudulent external appearance and with a style of simulation which is always the same, the Freemasons, like the Manichees of old, strive, as far as possible, to conceal themselves and to admit no witnesses but their own members. 3
They also promise total obedience to their leaders and a willingness to undergo severe penalties, including death, should they disobey. 4 Despite concerted efforts to lie and con ceal their aims,
… that which is their ultimate purpose forces itself into view—namely, the utter overthrow of that whole religious and political order of the world which the Christian teaching has produced, and the substitution of a new state of things in accordance with their ideas, of which the foundations and laws shall be drawn from mere “Naturalism.” 5
3. How Naturalism molds all Masonic beliefs and endeavors
Naturalism makes human nature and human reason supreme in all things and denies that anything has been revealed by God or that there is any teaching authority established by God. The Freemasons’ constant endeavor is
that the office and authority of the Church may become of no account in the civil State; and for this same reason they declare to the people and contend that Church and State ought to be altogether disunited. By this means they reject from the laws and from the commonwealth the wholesome influence of the Catholic religion; and they consequently imagine that States ought to be constituted without any regard for the laws and precepts of the Church. 6
They also seek to hinder the work of the Church in every way possible and to destroy the papacy itself. Freemasonry not only attacks the Catholic religion but undermines all religion:
… Again, as all who offer themselves are received, whatever may be their form of religion, they thereby teach the great error of this age—that a regard for religion should be held as an indifferent matter, and that all religions are alike. This manner of reasoning is calculated to bring about the ruin of all forms of religion. 7
This is aimed especially at Catholicism, the only true reli gion. It leads to a weakening in the belief in the very existence of God. Consequently, one after another, other truths fall, so that the teaching of morality to youth, which Freemasons say they favor, is devoid of all religious foundation and belief. Even the consequences of Original Sin are denied, thus placing an exaggerated confidence in natural virtue.
4. How Freemasonry corrupts all human society
This in turn leads to a general decline in the moral standards of society that some Freemasons seek to exploit:
For since generally no one is accustomed to obey crafty and clever men so submissively as those whose soul is weakened and broken down by the domination of the passions, there have been in the sect of the Freemasons some who have plainly determined and proposed that, artfully and of set purpose, the multitude should be satiated with a boundless license of vice, as, when this has been done, it would easily come under their power and authority for any acts of daring. 8
Laws are favored concerning marriage and education which would secularize these two aspects of life entirely and put them completely into the hands of the State. Political doctrines are advocated which hold
that no one has the right to command another; that it is an act of violence to require men to obey any authority other than that which is obtained from themselves. 9
5 . The links between Freemasonry, ancient pagan religions, Socialism and Communism
Pope Leo XIII goes on to say that the Freemasons desire to reinstate the manners and customs of ancient pagan religions. Furthermore, he states that Freemasons favor the designs of Socialists and Communists to overthrow established governments everywhere. Moreover, they seek to deceive both rulers and their peoples by pretending friendship on the one hand, and by flattery on the other, all the while urging the people to assail both the Church and the civil power. 10
B. The Church’s basic, unchanging response to Freemasonry
1. Exposure
Pointing out that there can be no compromise with Freemasonry, Pope Leo XIII told the world’s Bishops:
We pray and beseech you, Venerable Brethren, to join your efforts with Ours, and earnestly to strive for the extirpation of this foul plague … We wish it to be your rule first of all to tear away the mask from Freemasonry, and to let it be seen as it really is. 11
Let no man think that he may for any reason whatsoever join the Masonic sect, if he values his Catholic name and his eternal salvation as