Are Freemasons Evil?
I can’t find a single credible non-hysterical source that can definitively “prove” that there’s anything remotely “evil” about Freemasonry. And yet, for whatever reason, that image of evil hangs over them rather heavily in popular lore.
There’s a really ridiculous article I came across the other day in The Australian, about some problems they are having with filming the Da Vinci Code movie. According to Catholic nun Sister Mary Michael, Lincoln Cathedral (not even Catholic, but Anglican) is committing simony by leasing the cathedral for the filming of the movie. That doesn’t quite jive with what I know simony as: “the ecclesiastical crime and personal sin of paying for offices or positions in the hierarchy of a church”. (Incidentally, simony is named after Simon Magus) Not only is she totally barking up the wrong tree here, but she claims more broadly that the Cathedral is a great place of evil - which makes you wonder why she would care that they’re making money off it?
The Australian reports:
Why is Sister Mary intervening? Earlier this year an interdenominational group prayed there for 10 weeks. “I felt something very bad, even preternatural,” she said. “Many of us felt nauseous and sick. I think our praying cleansed the cathedral, then this came back.”
What exactly does she think is afoot? “Can I be bold? I think it’s freemasonry. There are aspects of freemasonry connected with the mystery faiths that The Da Vinci Code is delving into.”
Another person in the article is quoted as saying:
“Cathedrals are rather like lightning conductors … they attract all sorts of spiritual forces. They can earth that evil. That has happened throughout the history of this place. But now we’re on a roll.”
Aside from the hysterics of this sister though, there’s kind of a cool underlying premise here. Namely, is it possible that cathedrals and other buildings are conductors, attractors, or transformers of spiritual energy? I know a lot of the cathedrals in Europe are alleged to have built over older sacred sites, and fit into the network of ley lines said to criss-cross the globe. Do cathedrals and other buildings magnify and focus these forces? Could this kind of thinking be applied to secular buildings like the World Trade Center?
That’s a pretty interesting line of speculation. But it of course doesn’t answer our underlying question of: are Masons evil? I can’t find any good reason to conclude that they are, but if anybody wants to give it a shot, I’m all ears. Oh, and before you get started, singling out one particular lodge that historically did something illegal doesn’t count as proof. Masons have no central organizing body, and each lodge has different ideas, policies, practices and membership. And illegal doesn’t always equal evil, does it?
On a related note, Anulios also has some good bones to pick with the Da Vinci Code overwhelming and getting it’s dirty hands on a lot of cultural references related to the Freemasons & Templars. He’s also got some good seeds for further researching the connections between Islam and Freemasonry.
- END -
ASSOCIATED CONTENT @TMBCHR (Auto-Generated)
- Time for Masonry!
- Myths of Masonry, Part 6
- Myths of Masonry, Part 1
- Personal Myths
- Myths of Masonry, Part 3
33 Comments
About architecture you mentioned…
Yes Cathedrals represent female form and Oblisks are phalluses. Usually both are in relation to each other in major cities and are meant to balance your city `karma` and an ode to their respective gods. Subconciously we also are supposed to react to these objects very strongly.
Examples can be found in all major cities, but for example…
Washington DC - Capitol Hill = female / Washington Monument = male.
You can continue with Toronto - Skydome = female / CN Tower = Male
EVERY MAJOR CITY!
regarding what the sister is experiencing in the cathederal. it`s what she`s creating that she`s experiencing. the answers to her internal state are in her commentary. in professional terms she`s a confused chicken.
“I felt something very bad, even preternatural,†she said. “Many of us felt nauseous and sick.” to me, that`s indicative of an internal representational state imprinted onto external reality. she must be a laugh at parties. she`ll be posessed next. i`d be interested in her “personal relationship with christ” schtick too.
Funny you should mention them pesky Masons– U.S. News & World Report, a conservative weekly that I subsrcibe to in order to know more about the enemy (i.e. Republicans) had a COVER STORY on Freemasonry. Why they did it is anyone’s guess- Masons certainly haven’t been in the news lately, have they?
After reading the puff piece (and indeed, Karl Rove himself couldn’t have done a better spin job than USNWR did on Masonry) I came to the conclusion that it was published in anticipation of the sequel to “The Da Vinci Code”. I conclude this because they kept mentioning the book sequel disparagingly, and enough times to make me nauseous.
I have no plans to read “The Da Vinci Code” because it’s a watered-down distillation of all the crazy CTs I’ve been reading up on in the past decade. People embrace a book like “Da Vinci” because it doesn’t purport to be fact. That’s a big mistake that CT enthusiasts make: reporting their theories as fact.
But back to USNWR and Masonry. To their credit, they included the historical turning point that turned the public against Freemasons: the formation in this country of an Anti-Masonic political party that emerged in the wake of a series of judicial scandals involving Masons who were acquitted of crimes by their Masonic peers. In my opinion, those events were the biggest catalyst for a backlash against Masons, who were praised and revered prior to the scandals.
The whole William Morgan angle was completely distorted by USNWR, however, and while they mention Albert Pike as a founding father, they also ignore exploring the pagan/Gnostic side of the cult.
on a seemingly unrelated note: this link gives me the willies…
http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=101320
the “evil” IMO is the secrecy.
the whole pearls before swine is BS IMO… and i for one know personally that its only been “evil” shit ive kept secret….
I don’t know really. I don’t think secrecy is bad necessarily. I can see a lot of different good reasons for it, none of which are nefarious.
I didn’t answer the question of whether or not Masons are evil. My answer: No, they’re not evil, but then again I feel that no one man is evil. However, men ARE capable of evil things and actions, and in that regard anyone– Masonic or not –is susceptible to that charge.
I DO feel that organizations can carry out evil agendas, and it’s the American Way to be suspicious of people keeping their rites and rituals secret. But what does one stand to gain from being a Mason? Social status? Prestige? A sense of honor and commitment to the community?
No, it’s the air of exclusivity, the same impetus behind MENSA membership or invites to the hottest VIP nightclubs…
I disagree. I think what’s to be gained is a sense of brotherhood, and a more clearly defined role in the community
But what’s so brotherly about a society that was founded by trademans who wanted to guard their secrets from the rest of the world out fo fear they would be usurped and rendered obsolete? And the community the Masons give to is seen with contempt.
I don’t really care if they are evil or not– they ARE elitists, that’s for sure.
the masons, at the initiate level, are a community based association of people who want to do business together. the higher levels seem to be a repository of knowledge of a higher order. gnosis? magick? the transmutation of lead into gold?
th masons i know wear rings and have bumper stickers and i have been invited to join as a tradesman when i was in the general contracting field. i was invited by a croatian electrician who i played soccer with. we lost contact after his marriage failed and so i lost the opportunity to join. frankly, i`m not sure that i would have taken up the offer. thier is something slightly wierd about the whole thing, in my opinion.
What was the weirdness, Alistair? Can you put your finger on it and elaborate a bit?
Well, I always thought it was weird too, but my attitude is changing and I’m not sure why. I think I really am starting to see the value of having networks of people who exist to lend each other a hand outside of normal power structures, outside jobs, outside neighborhoods. Secret men’s societies have been around since men have. It’s no more elitist than any of us and our circle of friends. If anything, it’s less elitist than that, because most lodges will accept anybody who comes to them.
Most lodges will accept the likes of you and me… on initiate levels. But I seriously doubt that I could ever achieve the 33rd Degree. Not that I want to– there’s a Masonic Temple in Van Nuys that I used to drive by every day. I seriously considered walking in and asking questions about membership, but ultimately it would require devotion on my part, and I just don’t care for clubs in general.
I’m watching National Geographic Channel on cable right now. It’s that “Inside 9/11″ series. They’r talking about the Muslim Brotherhood, HAMAS, and al-Qaeda– they’re secret societies too.
All groups, as a rule, have a level of exclusivity. Even here, on this blog, you have regulars and outsiders. My standards for my personal circle of friends, however, are not nearly as rigid as any of these social clubs or groups.
james, firstly, i agree with tim that the association of the masons or oddfellows or lions or shriners are for the common good. these groups are the underpinnings of most literate cultures. a turn to tribalism, if you will. the feelings that i had about the invitation to membership in the masons goes back to my growing up in the church in england and my father`s insistance inmy involvement in the catholic church which i absolutely detested. i guess i jumbled the two types of ritual up and came away with the feelings. having said that there is this concept that at the higher levels of initiation that there is an invitation to higher forms of knowledge. that makes me slightly uneasy, and frankly i`m not sure why. i get similar feelings about the stirring up of things in the consciousness of men when they fail to be caring and compassionate. maybe it`s a trust issue but the feelings persist all the same.
Yeah, me too. I’m starting to unjumble both of them, honestly. I don’t know what form it’s going to take, but I’m becoming a lot more open to all of it.
You’re saying that like it’s a bad thing. From their perspective it gives them great power. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a label or to be part of something.
I can relate to that. My distrust of organizations stems from my early church involvement that I found extremely lacking in regards to the feelings of real people. Whether it is an after-school chess club, a terrorost cel, a cult, a church, or a secret society, the cogs and wheels move forward and leave too many in the dust, wanting to belong.
I myself have never wanted to belong to anything. This is not a “sour grapes” statement: I have an inborn tendency to go against any grain. This makes it hard for me to relate to large groups of people… but then again, what one person can relate to a collective mob rule?
I think a better idea of fraternity and brotherhood comes from actually treating every man as a brother, as Christ was alleged to have proposed. I feel like these large “philanthropic” groups are paying lip service to charity. How many Masons are down in New orleans right now, helping out? If there are Masons down there making a difference, then more power to them. It would be more than what I am doing to help.
My first conception of the Masons is based upon a classic Monty Python sketch I saw as a child: “How to Spot A Mason”. They were depicted as engaging in ridiculously contorted handshakes and wearing bowlers and derbies. I don’t think I’ve ever taken them seriously, thanks to that lasting image of a Mason, clad in his boxers, wearing a sign saying “I am a Mason”.
there is great power in like-mindedness. go to a soccer game or rock concert and the atmosphere is intense. the ritual of being with raving lunatics in a safe, focused manner is transcendental. i would say that burning man is that way too. especially the fire and dancing etc. very um… religious. we need the contact. it is part of the dna. the need to be in the crowd in a stimulated and charged fashion. something bigger then emerges.
Norman O. Brown covers this ground a lot in his psychohistories of the world. The collective identity of a mob is scary and intoxicating. But I can only belong to the crowd for so long before I feel the need to transcend it. As a musician, I think it’s fitting that I am more comfortable on a stage, playing TO the crowd, rather than being IN the crowd.
Me too, but I’m seeing the limits of it in some places of my life. It’s kept me out of all kinds of things that could have been really good for me.
Also: I mentioned HAMAS and other groups as a way to tie in with the question of Masons being evil. I say that groups in general have the capacity for both good and evil. I agree that it’s not necessarily a bad thing to belong to something, but what’s intriguing about the terrorist question is how the mainstream media portrays these terrorists as “alienated”. If they were alienated, they would be carrying out their missions solo, not as part of a collective. It seems to me that these people enjoy the company of other like-minded people– only difference is, their hobbies include bomb-making, kidnapping, and suicide missions!
Vonnegut once summed up the Manson family thing as a longing for family and community– and he added, “Theirs just happened to be centered around murder.”
i find myself more comfortable as the speaker in a seminar or as a guitarist on stage than in the crowd. maybe comfort isn`t the correct term. i get amped talking to groups about the metaphyical and entertaining in general. the crowd is a pleasant place to be too, but passive. a different headspace. i thrive on the adrenalin. the high of seeing the reactions of others.
I understand the tendency to wonder if my inflexible individualism has cost me some perks here and there. I think about college, and how being an alumnus helps people later on in life in terms of jobs and whatnot. But what reassures me about those types of tendencies is the fact that, during the years when I should’ve been in college, I was still making contacts with people and unconsciously creating a “network” whose only connection to each other is me. So even if I didn’t do the college thing, I was still undergoing the same kind of experiences. Instead of a classroom, a campus and an instructor, I learned from the nightclubs and the rehearsal spaces and studio engineers.
Belonging to groups can be just as limiting as not allowing yourself to belong to anything. A balance must be struck. Groups of people have a hard time balancing that because each individual steers the collective group in so many different directions at once.
I always hated being a student, but when I became a teacher, that was gold. My problem in groups is that when people are addressing the group, I always assume that I’m an exception.
im just wondering if you could share some of those reasons, i really cant think of any…
Man, this is a good topic. I keep wanting to add more posts!
I find it ironic that I am such an individualist… and yet I belong to at least three different music groups right now! But the demands of these groups aren’t life-and-death matters for me. Yes, I put as much into each one as I can, but I always remember that I am merely “the bass player”– I don’t write any of the songs, I don’t recommend anything other than what I can, and I generally am looking only to play gigs and record music. I could give a fuck about money or fame. So even as I allow myself to “belong” I am still defining myself on my own terms.
Last night we played a show, and the crowd loved it– but as a group we knew we made mistakes and that we were extremely sloppy. It took me a while to convince myself that it wasn’t a fiasco. Everyone in the band was feeling discouraged until we received feedback from fans and the club owner.
If it had been a solo thing, with only myself playing and singing, I think my opinion of the evening would’ve been more stable. I can forgive myself far easier than I can forgive the drummer for missing a cue.
and to expand on my point a bit… the pyramid structure of degrees of initiation where new things are revealed (and sometimes old revelations are shown to be false) creates a situation where when you initially join the organization, to which you must swear a blood oath, you actually have no idea what the principles & purpose of the higher ranked initiates are…..
personally, i just think swearing allegience to a group of people that you dont even know why they are a group, is just IMO foolish…..
having said that, i know plenty of Masons, i dont think they are “evil”…… fools? yes…
one
human?
“My problem in groups is that when people are addressing the group, I always assume that I’m an exception.”
If you ask me, Tim, that’s not a problem– that’s you having a healthy sense of your own self.
Granted, most people fall prey to narcissistic delusions when they consider themselves exceptional. But if you ARE exceptional, and you know it, and can PROVE it… then there’s nothing wrong with that.
I apply your statement to how I enjoy movies. I place myself in the role of the main protagonist, no matter who or what they are. I relate the movie to my own life. For example: When I first saw Coppolla’s “Dracula” I hated it. Then I watched it again, and I imagined I was Gary Oldman, and that my girlfriend-at-the-time was Winona Ryder, and so on. I enjoyed it much more than the first time, because the second time I projected myself into the role of an exceptional character– Oldman’s Dracula, Mysterious Vampire Stud. I’ve talked to people who deny that they do this when watching movies, but I suspect more people do it than they let on.
It may seem egotistical to think about things this way, but I don’t think it’s a “problem”. I still manage to make friends and have girlfriends and have fun… I just have to keep in mind that I always feel like I am the exception to the rule.
Yeah, but that’s not Masonry - that’s life. You never know where it’s going. You do things for reasons that get changed all around by the time you get where you’re going.
I think that if some people become aware of something that is ’secret’ or hidden and they consequently cannot label it and put it into a box, they become fearful. That is one step away from labelling something ‘evil’ - although it is doubtful whether anything ever existed that was ever ‘evil’ imo.
It is merely a fear of the ‘other’ writ large.
Other people, such as those of us with interests such as we discuss here, are not so constrained by notions of the ‘other’ (although we may just project them onto our leaders hehe!) and are freer to explore things so we don’t need the concept so much.
Re secrecy, if the Masons have an Islamic core (to whatever degree) it would pretty much have to be secret and only known to people who could assimilate that - had come to terms with this view of the ‘other’ that western (and eastern) culture inculcates into it’s subjects.
The architecture thing is interesting. Gurdjieff talks a lot about how the dimensions of buildings cause specific effects and how many are specifically designed this way - especially ancient cathedrals and mosques (I suppose the pyramids might also be an example) - and the Masons were the people who originally worked on these buildings and possessed this knowledge. The great religious buildings which evoked ‘experiences of God’ were purely scientific in this reading - God as a process.Perhaps that is the secret.
This knowledge is forgotten now but it can still happen by default - I often suspect that hauntings are a result of the dimensions/structure of a place and also ’sick building syndrome’ would be an example of the negative aspect.
interesting ideas for sure. the places & geometry, the science of the architecture, the builders… they definitly still have certain knowledge but IMO the power side of the Societies here in America definitly feel corrupted although there is definitly a certain amount of good light… but darkness has been here since the get go, Masons Rosicrucians Templars whatever all go through getting overwhelmed by darkness and new lamps are lit. part of the problem has been the secrecy IMO, its definitly time for light warriors to shine…. so thats really why im not feeling the Masons, i mean, i see their Architecture…. its pretty cheap IMO. the vibrations are all off etc etc, their not so older stuff even shit, the last hundred years got kinda dark…. but then again i really think the light now just shines naturally because weve evolved and can now just initiate ourselves instead of having to do their silly rituals and alleigence…. we have our own rituals.. and it would be a great time for them to just share, so i guess im just being a player hater lol but then again ima find out eventually anyways, they might as well just share….
honestly, i think the human race WANTS to give away secrecy… thats why we are thinking together right now and then im gonna go check my MySpace.
fuck that secret shit, come on Masons, lets really get with the light and shine together…
one
human?
Try these websites: Masonicinfo
Which can answer a lot of your questions
and also: Masonic Dictionary
With a lot of articles about almost every aspect of freemasonry.
The real secrets of Freemasonry are not in the rituals, handshakes, signs ect. You are on your way but not getting it yet.
um, care to share?
lol, see thats my beef… not getting what?
i get that im a ancient long haired dragon king and that the “secrets” of freemasonry are mine simply by birthright.. perhaps i havent figured it out quite yet, but best believe when i do, and i will, im telling….
one
human?
Yes, plus it’s rather retarded this person linked to anti-masonic sites, as if by simply reading through them, i’d find the truth on my own. guess what! these are pretty much all hysterical bullshit! hence the title of this five-part series: Myths of Masonry!
i’m just posting this so the thread doesn’t end with 33 reader responses. wouldn’t want the wowsers to think we’re part of some evil masonic conspiracy!
One Trackback
[...]
Secrecy in the Occult
In the comments to my latest post on Freemasonry, “human?” suggested that secrecy is [...]