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Freemasonry has attracted criticism from theocratic states and organised religions that believe it is in competition with religion or perceive the fraternity's views or practices as heterodox; it has also long been the target of conspiracy theories that assert Freemasonry to be an occult and evil power. [174]
Freemasons reply that not obliging a member to profess a certain religious viewpoint as a condition of membership is not the equivalent of asserting that no religion can be superior to any other. Personal theological beliefs are not to be discussed in the lodge, thus avoiding arguments with those holding different beliefs. [33]
They also alleged that religious indifference is fundamental to Freemasonry, [67] and that Freemasonry is Deist, [68] and that it denies the possibility of divine revelation, [69] so threatening the respect due to the Church's teaching office. [70]
Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society.Founded in 1872 in New York City, it is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and has over 200 chapters across nine countries, with a global membership of nearly 1.7 million "Shriners". [1]
In "Regular" Freemasonry, which follows the Anglo-American style, a candidate for initiation must generally meet the following criteria: Be a man [5] Come of his own free will, either by his own initiative or by invitation in some jurisdictions [6] Believe in a Supreme Being, although any specific religion is not specified and not required [6]
The letter on Freemasons cited a 1983 declaration, signed by the late Pope Benedict XVI, at the time the Vatican's doctrine chief, stating that Catholics "in Masonic associations are in a state of ...
The whole system is transmitted to initiates through the medium of Masonic ritual, which consists of lectures and allegorical plays. [2] Common to all of Freemasonry is the three grade system of Craft or Blue Lodge freemasonry, whose allegory is centred on the building of the Temple of Solomon, and the story of the chief architect, Hiram Abiff. [3]
That Religion in Which All Men Agree: Freemasonry in American Culture (U of California Press, 2015) excerpt; Halleran, Michael A. The Better Angels of our Nature: Freemasonry in the American Civil War (U of Alabama Press, 2010) excerpt; Hernández, Miguel. The Ku Klux Klan and Freemasonry in 1920s America: Fighting Fraternities (Taylor Francis ...