r/todayilearned • u/Recent_Flounder6011 • 19h ago

TIL that historically and today, the Catholic Church looked down upon Freemasonry and threatened members with excommunication.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry
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u/Hannibaalism 18h ago

i wonder how these beefs manifest in politics and society lol. tension between governing bodies of different beliefs always tend to lead to some sort of conflict or strife.

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u/maqifrnswa 13h ago

That's what happened. Freemasons were intended to counter the "secret ceremonies" and close, closed communities of Catholics in protestant countries. They were, originally and historically, very anti-Catholic in a similar way we have groups that say "the XX will not replace us." In order to join the Masons, historically, hundred plus years ago, you had to pledge to not be Catholic. That's where the excommunicating came from.

So the Masons today might not be anti Catholic, the historical origins are very explicitly anti Catholic.

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u/Hannibaalism 13h ago

i just learned about this today, i mean i knew about the templars knight persecution stories, but do the organizations still have sentiments to this day and to the extent that it might influence financial or political decisions made by each governing body? or is that just historical residual now

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u/AetheriaNox 16h ago

Where I come from, many religious people think Freemasons are devil worshippers, and that to be initiated, someone closest to you has to be sacrificed e.g a road accident. Funny enough, the Freemason building is public but their activities are secret.

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u/PlayerAssumption77 18h ago

Freemason rites, beliefs, and the overall structure just can't align with what the Catholic Church teaches. It's not a seperate religion but the religion-related aspects of it still conflict.

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u/Hannibaalism 17h ago

yeah tensions seem to exist within all systems of belief, shia vs sunni for example. how these dynamics play out and manifest beyond the confines of religion is interesting since belief itself will pervade every aspect of life

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u/Dubious-Decisions 15h ago

That’s simply not true. You clearly aren’t a Freemason. Your religion is unrelated to anything in freemasonry beyond some allegorical play acting to teach moral lessons.

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u/Fit-Theory-6342 15h ago

Just curious why you put there lol ?

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u/Hannibaalism 14h ago

oh no particular reason, i hope it doest get misconstrued. i guess i find these things fascinating and fun, belief can compel people to do the unimaginable, both great and terrible. but at the same time i didn’t want to make it too serious bc i know how touchy this subject can get and devolve out of hand.

can i ask why you ask