www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West What is the view of the Eastern Churches of Freemasonary?

Christ is in our midst!

I have been pondering the subject for some time. What is the Eastern Church's perspective of the Freemasonary movement? Would the consensus of the Eastern Church accept that it is a heretical movement? If so, how from a pastoral postion should Masons who attend Church be dealt with? Should they be allowed to partake of the Eucharist or allowed to teach Sunday School or allowed to hold positions within the Church? What about wearing rings and pins within the Church which symbolize that movement? What are ways to refute it without becoming an offense to one who is and isn't? There are some of the opinion that it's no different than the Boy Scouts of America. Of the Mason persuasion, many say that Feeemasonary is not a religion but an organization that does not oppose Christianity but complements it. One Orthodox woman who I encountered was appalled at me for classifying Freemasonary as a heretical movement because her father and brothers were members. She threw a fit at me via e-mail and told me that I had no right to say what I said because that would imply that her family members were heretics. Lord have mercy! I have heard it said that there are priests as well as bishops that are Masons. I have encountered people that do not like to talk about this heresy in public in fear of retribution. Lord have mercy! Another time, I got into an argument with an Orthodox who was a proud Mason at a mercy meal. We went at it back and forth while the people around us remained quiet and one person left angry at the Mason. Is it life-threatening to discuss such topics in public because we are dealing with a secret society? I look forward to a variety of replys.

A neighbor of mine-from Constantinople-wore his Shriner's "fez" to the Greek festival at my aunt's parish.

One of the lay leaders asked Kyrie (Mr.) X-I shall call him-when he became a "Turk."

I don't believe he ever returned to the parish.

(All Greeks in the audience have my permission to "guffaw" hysterically.)

However, Kyrie X was a good man or, as the Greeks say, a "kalos anthropos." I miss him. May he rest in peace.

Abdur

[ 08-21-2002: Message edited by: traveler ]

Robert,

The problem, I think, is that at the local lodge level the members are there for social/business reasons and aren't aware of the heretical doctrines of the organization that are only progressively revealed as one ascends through the various degrees. So while I do think membership in the organization is wrong, the parishioner who joins the local lodge may not be aware or suscribe to the Freemason doctrine. The pastor should sit down with him show him the beliefs of the Masons from a reliable source and show him why Freemasonry and Christianity are incompatible. I don't think simply claiming the Masons are heretics and blasting a guy is effective or appropriate.

In Christ,
Lance

Hi,

My Orthodox priest friend told me that it's best that the Orthodox Christians NOT to be involved with Freemasonry. But he didn't say what the Orthodox Church's official stand on that.

And of course the Roman Catholic Church condemns Freemasonry and classified it as a cult.

I also have met few men who are former Freemasons, they said that it's up to no good, that the highest degree of Freemasons are commonly worshipping the devil and that the those in the lowest degree don't have a clue to what's the very foundation of Freemasonry.

They actually take "blood" oaths. That those who reveal such secrets would be killed. And it's been proven. I even have been threatened physical harm if I ask any more questions about their secrets!!!

I was told that Freemasonry is all about control and power of money, government, etc. Forming this so-called "One World Order." That those in American government (i.e. Congressmen, judges, Governors, Presidents, etc.) mostly are involved with Freemasonry and were willing to give up the sovereignty of America....which I believe that they should be tried for Treason.

I can go on and on and on about Freemasonry based on literatures, accounts of former Freemasons & the Catholic Church's official condemnations.

So, I would hope that the Orthodox Church would be opposed to it as much as the Catholic.

I would imagine that the Byzantine Catholic Churches and all the other Eastern Catholic Churches would be opposed to it...because we're CATHOLICS.

A significant number of the Western Europeans who strongly supported the Greeks in their war of liberation against the Ottomans were Freemasons.

This fact could very well explai n why significant numbers of very powerful and well connected Greek Orthodox laymen have a strong affinity for the Masons and affiliated organizations.

Many Archons of the EP have been Masons and those of us who have Greek relatives know that many parish leaders have been/are Masons. That is a fact of life.

Abdur

[ 08-21-2002: Message edited by: traveler ]

I would be interested in learning more about this topic. It certainly appears to be complicated. However, I don't care for the OP, which both asks a question and then states a rather strident position.

Axios

And then we have the Orthodox Square Club of northeast New Jersey, a Masonic brotherhood of (primarily Russian) Orthodox men. They even have the 3-bar cross (with the square and compass) as their logo.

Whether this group is still active, I don't know, but their advertisements were quite prominent in 1960s-80s parish anniversary books of OCA & Patriarchal Russian churches in Bayonne, Jersey City, etc.

Oh, wow. I see that this group was much more widespread than New Jersey:

http://osca-int.org/

http://www.patrides.com/OS/Osca.HTM

and it takes in Russian, Serbian, and other Orthodox.

Dear Friends,

And here I thought that "free-masons" are people who will fix your church steps for your parish for free!

Whatever the respective Churches say about this, the fact is that my next door neighbour, an Antiochian Orthodox, is a Mason as are many of his colleagues.

He wanted me to join Masonry, but I told him that I was more interested in carpentry and beekeeping.

And I worked for a Catholic school board where the Chaplain told me there were Catholics who were Masons, whose bishops gave them their blessing to join and who were Catholics in good standing.

I'm just wondering what the score is on all this and whose pulling whose leg?

The Masons are not really a "heresy" but a pagan religion, as one may deduce from their books that are available in the library for all to read.

Their "god" is an amalgam of three in a syncretic mix. This "god" is called "Jabulon."

"Jah" is the God of Israel. "Bul" or "Baal" is the pagan deity mentioned in the bible i.e. "they ate the sacrifices of Baal-peor" as it states in the Psalms. "On" or "Om" is, according to them, the Hindu name for God, as the Buddhists pronounce it as well.

The Masons were originally a Catholic Guild to which even Popes belonged, founded, it is said, by the Knights Templar (there is a Templar Masonic Order).

The Masonic Temple is named for the rotunda-shaped Temples built by the Catholic Templars before that spot of difficulty they ran into in France.

"Friday the Thirteenth" comes from the bad luck the Templars had when their Order in France was put down by King Philip on Friday, October 13th.

Catholic Masons (from which the Knights of Columbus are actually descended) swore allegiance to Christ the King, Our Lady of Light (the Black Madonna) and the Four Holy Crowned Ones, Christian martyrs who were masons.

The Masons were excommunicated from the Catholic Church in 1707 for a number of reasons . . .

Alex

[ 08-21-2002: Message edited by: Orthodox Catholic ]

Freemassonry originated in France before the Revolution, the original intentions of the movement were not evil, the workers had to gather secretly in order to study and to find a new philosophy. Unfortunately the movement was soon infiltrated by heretical ideas borrowed from the catars, the jews and the pagan teachings.

The French element was soon replaced by the predominant angle-saxon supremacy based on an ideology known as "british israelism" whose origin can be found in radical protestantism:

"The angle-saxon race was chosen by God to dominate the World and to inhabit the promised land, America". The final step would be a One World Government and a One World Religion.

Thomas Jefferson and Adam Smith (the father of the anti-human capitalism) and othet Patriotic Fathers of the USA were the most important leaders of this ideology.

Anti-christian liberalalism dominated all the XIX century and when that form of capitalism collapsed, the freemassonry created another ideology to replace the old one. The prominent figures were now Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles (both of them judeo-protestants).

Now when this ideology collapsed, the field is ready for the installation of a One World Government whose intruments are: the World Bank, the I M F, and the international enterprises.

The results are there:

- the destruction of the environment, the nature, the creation of God.
- abortion, torture, slavery, and all kinds of anti-human practices.
- the supremacy of the economy and the money over the spiritual values

Unfortunately, freemassonry has infiltrated everything including our Churches. The influence of protestantism is predominant among many catholic priests and Bishops and the degradation of the most sacred things is common and accepted (Vatican II). The Orthodox Churches have also been infiltrated by a secular humanism, as a result of communism.

I believe that freemassonry is intrinsecaly evil and anti-christian.

As chrsitians we cannot accept it.

[ 08-21-2002: Message edited by: Remie ]

This thread is interesting because it highlights the fact that there are subtle issues--beyond the obvious major issues--that are important to specific communities and are considered to be matters of individual conscience and freedom of thought and association.

The Greeks are certainly not passive or docile people and will tenaciously cling to their freedoms, as they always have.

That tenacity would drive a Vatican official insane.

Abdur

Thank you all for your reply. I have made blanket statements about Freemasonary being heretical. An elderly woman toke offense to me and told me that I have implicated & judged her Masonic family members of being heretics. This did not directly come out of my mouth but her mouth. Is my judgment & being outspoken of Freemasonary inappropriate? Should we remain silent when heresies lurk around our shadows and in our Churches? I am not advocating McCarthyism, I leave that up to our bishops.

Lance,
You hit the nail on the head!

Hi spdundas,
Tell me more about why you would be threatened for questioning it? I'd call the authorites and expose them for who they are.

Lemko,
Thank you for those unfortunate & disparaging links.

Alex & Remie,
Thanks for the history lesson guys. I thought the Freemasonary began in England then it traveled to France. I know it was condemned by the Catholic Church in recent writing by Cardinal Ratzinger. I did not know that it was originally a Catholic "club" at first! The Knights of Columbus evolved from the Freemasons?!
Are there good links that touch upon our discussions? May the god of Jabulon be demolished. As we say in Arabic,
"Allah hiddo rubbo.

>>>The Knights of Columbus evolved from the Freemasons?!<<<

Certainly not! As a 3rd degree member of that fraternity(albeit not much longer), they are completely devoted to the Church and the Pope. The KofC was set up as an alternative to Masonry to keep Catholics from joining them. They also played a crucial role at a time when Catholics were very discriminated against and had trouble getting insurance.

My opinion of Masonry is that it is an incarnation of ancient pagan religions. No Christian can be a Mason. We cannot serve two masters. I have done alot of reading and research on the topic, from both sides of the argument I might add.

Columcille

Just some corrections...

While they claim they go back to the Templars, Medieval Masonry Guilds, and basically the advent of architecture, Freemasonry as we know it began in 18th century England. It was heavily influenced by the Enlightenment philosophers of France and deism.

The Knights of Columbus, rather than descended from the Masonic Lodge, were founded in 1882 by Fr. Michael McGivney to provide insurance which Catholics could not get easily at the time and to provide an alternative for Catholic men tempted to join Masonic Lodges. The degree system and 4th degree color guard were conscious imitations of externals of the Masonic system that attracted men to membership.

Masonic claims of descent from the Templars or anybody else is spurious and any resemblance between them or any other ritual system is becasue the Masons copied it.

In Christ,
Lance

Can someone clarify these so-called degrees like 3 or 33? What ironic numbers to use! Is this like getting your black belt? That's why I better be careful of these 33rd Degree Masons! I don't want my throat chopped. lol

Freemasons and Greece: Esteemed Patriots.

http://web.mit.edu/dryfoo/Masonry/Altf/gl-greece.html

Abdur