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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA 17 THE CHURCH AND MASONRY Note: Below is a portion of an inquiry about Ma sonry that is characteristic. The gentleman making it is one of the more enlightened of our correspond ents. He is fair-minded, has many Catholic friends and can not be called bigoted in any sense. His letter and the reply thereto are given not only because it answers most of the questions asked us upon this topic, but because it calls attention to the fact that all too seldom are Catholics unable to answer similar queries, which are asked every day. The question: “I asked one of your number some years ago why it was that I, as a Freemason, could not belong to your church if such were to be my desire. There was no satisfactory answer, and I am still in the dark. I suppose it is an edict of the Pope, but why? There must be a reason. If there is anything in Masonry that tends towards separation or estrangement from the church, I have not found it. On the other hand, it ought to make more loyal members.” The Answer: Your letter opens a question that is somewhat dif ficult of approach. There is so much in Masonry that is naturally beautiful, so many among its adherents who are naturally good, that it is by no means casually obvious why the Catholic Church, which greatly cherishes both the beautiful and the good, forbids the Masonic Society to her members. Members of this society who have more than a passing or selfish interest in it, who take its cere monial and teaching seriously to heart, who feel a sense of solidarity with their fellow Masons through out the world, must be rather deeply impressed with the idea that next to the Catholic Church it is per haps the oldest and greatest of organizations, and it is not surprising that they suspect the Church is moved by either jealousy or fear or perhaps both, in putting it under the ban. When, moreover, they read the severe strictures that certain Catholics, who are not very considerate in expression, apply to their so ciety, and the various reasons, not always consistent on their face, assigned for the attitude of the Church, they are naturally not very much reassured. You have written me quite frankly and I shall write you very frankly in return, with the view to persuade you, if possible, that the position of the Church is perfectly reasonable. In fact, I have in mind to per suade you, in spite of many qualities that you find in Masonry to admire, that the Church would not be true to herself if she allowed her members to belong to your society. It would be quite as consistent in Her to permit her members to be Baptists, Unitarians, Jews, Mohammedans, or any other religionists, because the essential and insuperable objection to Masonry on the part of Catholics is, that it teaches religion, if, indeed, it is not a religion itself. That the Catholic Church can not admit of her members professing any other religion than that which she teaches, will be clear to you if you will consider the nature, origin, mission and prerogatives that the Church bespeaks for herself, namely: that she is a divine institution founded by Jesus Christ Himself, commissioned to carry on His work on earth, in par ticular “to teach all nations to observe whatsoever I have commended,” and entitled to all the prerogatives necessary successfully to perform this mission, includ ing in particular a divine safeguard against teaching anything but the truth in respect to what He has com manded. You will admit, no doubt, that in this view of the Church, it would be wholly inconsistent in her to ad mit the necessity or the occasion or the helpfulness or the propriety of her children professing any other religion than her own. It is related of Mohammed that when asked what to do with the Alexandrian Library, he answered, ‘‘If the books contain truth, it is in the Koran and they are superfluous. If they do not contain truth, they are worse.” Now, if Moham med had been in truth inspired of Heaven, and God had really revealed to him that the Koran contained all truth, as he claimed, there could be no fault found with his conclusion. Catholics believe that our Lord promised that the Holy Ghost would teach the Church ‘‘all truth,” in respect, of course, to religion. There fore, as long as they believe that Jesus Christ is God, they can not admit the necessity of any other religion than His Church teaches. Now, that Masonry is a religion appears very clear from the books and writings published under the aus pices of the society from which I shall quote a few ex cerpts as follows: ‘‘Although Freemasonry is not a dogmatic the ology, and is tolerant in the admission of men of every religious faith, it would be wrong to suppose that it is without a creed. On the contrary, it has a creed, the assent to which it rigidly enforces, and the denial of which is absolutely incompatible with membership in the order.” Encyclopedia of Free masonry, page 192, by Dr. Albert G. Mackey, who is the author also of ‘‘The Symbolism of Freemasonry,” ‘‘Masonic Ritualist,” ‘‘A Lexicon of Freemasonry,” ‘‘A Test of Masonic Jurisprudence,” all published under Masonic auspices. “There has been a needless expenditure of inge nuity and talent, by a large number of Masonic ora tors and essayists, in the endeavor to prove that Ma sonry is not religion. On the contrary, I contend without any sort of hesitation, that Masonry is, in every sense of the word, except one, and that its least philosophical, an eminently religious institution that it is indebted solely to the religious element which it contains for its origin and for its continued existence, and that without this religious element it would scarcely be worthy of cultivation.”—Encyclo pedia of Freemasonry, page 639. The following hymn is a part of the ritual known as the Mark Master’s Song, which is found on page 166 of Dr. Mackey’s ‘‘Masonic Ritualist,” copyrighted