Posts by driftinghawk152

First off, Freemasonry didn't originate in England. Second, the first Grand Lodge wasn't the Grand Lodge of London... Look, these are TWO MASONIC delusions that even Masons themselves believe 99% of the time. The third delusion—which I guess 99% of Masons fall for too—is this whole distinction between Operative and Speculative Masons. That split was basically cooked up by the English just so they could claim everything started on their home turf. In reality, the earliest Grand Lodges were formed in Germany and France. We don't even know the exact years, or if the German Grand Lodge predates the French one. Their constitutions from the 13th and 14th centuries aren't even that different from the Grand Lodge of London’s 18th-century version... But here is the most important difference. One point in those old constitutions explicitly states that every Master is required to go to confession in the Catholic Church at least once a year. Back then, Lodges were under the spiritual guidance of the Catholic clergy, and Freemasonry was essentially under the patronage of the Catholic Church. That was the status quo across continental America through the end of the 15th century. So, with the rise of "Contemporary" "Speculative" Anglo-Saxon Freemasonry, the Catholic Church lost its spiritual grip on the organization (SZ). Why? Because the spiritual duties within the Lodge shifted to a Masonic Chaplain or an officer of that rank, which effectively killed the need for annual confession to a Catholic priest. Then there’s the issue of prayer. A Lodge can't start its work without asking God for a blessing, and it certainly can't wrap things up without giving thanks to God for that blessing and a successful session. Catholics aren't permitted to pray to God in the presence of a Non-Catholic, just as other Christians aren't allowed to pray in the presence of a Non-Christian. Those are, theoretically speaking, the two biggest reasons why the Catholic Church simply cannot allow its members to join Freemasonry...