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The Masonic Witch
Hunt of the 1980's
by Thomas
E. Weir, PM
Review of
“THE BROTHERHOOD (The Secret World of
the Freemasons)” by Stephen Knight; Published
by Stein and Day, Briarcliff Manor, NY,
1984 (Previously Published in Great
Britain by Granada)
“Freemasonry, although its leaders
strenuously deny it, is a secret
society.” The members, including judges,
policemen, politicians, and royalty
usually break the Unlawful Societies Act
of 1799 when they meet and are liable
for two years imprisonment.[1] With
this strident note, Stephen Knight
begins what he describes as an impartial
description of British Freemasonry. THE
BROTHERHOOD is, he insists, “neither a
commendation nor a condemnation of
Freemasonry.[2] But the opening
paragraph, cited above, clearly
indicates that this disclaimer, like
most of the author’s reasoning and
conclusions, is rubbish. The book is
not a disinterested examination of
Freemasonry, but a bitter denunciation.
The author
seems to understand the organization and
history of Freemasonry reasonably well,
although he is misinformed on some
points. For example, he is unaware that
the operative lodges that erected the
great buildings of the Middle Ages
closely guarded the secret means of
recognizing an itinerant craftsman for
practical, economic reasons.[3] He also
seems unaware that modern Freemasonry is
descended not from the guilds of masons
in important cities, but from the
operative lodges which functioned at the
sites of major construction.[4]
Although he cites the Old Charges, he
fails to notice that they gave practical
rules for conduct and workmanship for
Master Masons and workmen of their
day.[5] He did not understand that the
third degree was not introduced until
the transition from operative to
speculative masonry. The third degree
did not appear in Scotland until
1726.[6] He is under the impression
that “lodge doings” are secret. They
are not. Comprehensive minutes are
written for each meeting. Anything
Masonic which is proper to be written is
not considered secret. He describes the
Sovereign Grand Commander of the Ancient
and Accepted Scottish Rite as “Britain’s
highest Freemason, whatever might be
said of the Duke of Kent, the current
Grand Master of Craft Masonry.[7]
Masons
recognize this as nonsense. The Grand
Master is supreme in every
jurisdiction. These misapprehensions do
not affect the overall impression of the
text. The book is not an effort to
describe Freemasonry but to denounce it.
There is a
brief appearance of fairness. The
reader is warned not to attribute the
evil deeds to Freemasonry as a body.
Individual Freemasons, he says, were
responsible for the death of the
American William Morgan in 1828, the
poisoning of Mozart for revealing
secrets in THE MAGIC FLUTE, and the 1888
Jack the Ripper murders which he alleges
were committed “according to Masonic
ritual.[8] The result of equating the
acts of individual Freemasons with those
of Freemasonry as a whole is that,
Knight contends, “some people, even
today, look on Freemasonry as an
underground movement devoted to murder,
terrorism and revolution.[9] One might
be led to the same erroneous conclusion
by reading THE BROTHERHOOD. In fact,
the sincerity of the author is called
into question in that “The Morgan
Affair” and Jack the Ripper murders,
although generating much anti-Masonic
hysteria were never solved. The rumor
that Mozart was poisoned by Masons is no
more than a rumor.
Knight
makes a number of specific charges
against Freemasonry:
1. That
Freemasonry has infiltrated the police
and facilitated the promotion of
incompetent officers, protected
dishonest ones, and has made a life of
crime easy for Masonic criminals who
settle their differences with society at
Lodge rather than in court.
2. That
Masons illegally obtain confidential
information about adversaries through
the Masonic network, using Masonic
bankers, postal officials, employers,
doctors, lawyers, and others.
3. That
membership in a lodge makes employment
by Masonic owners and managers a matter
of fraternal favoritism.
4. That
Masonic membership is helpful in gaining
preferment in the judiciary and that
ties linking Masonic judges, lawyers,
and defendants may influence the verdict
or sentence.
5. That
local governments to a large degree and
the national government to a lesser
degree are manipulated by Freemasons for
their own benefit.
6. That
Freemasonry is, for all practical
purposes, a religion with its own
distinct God, the Great Architect of the
Universe. Even worse, Masonry is devil
worship. It is therefore incompatible
with Christianity, Knight contends,
although this last assertion seems to be
gilding the derogatory lily.
7. That
“the Church of England has been a
stronghold of Freemasonry for more than
200 years.[10] Preferment and peaceable
tenure of clerical office may depend on
Masonic membership.
8. That
“ a Masonic conspiracy of gigantic
proportions” was effected through the
Italian Lodge Propaganda Due [Propaganda
Lodge No. 2, in English usage], shaking
the Italian government to its
foundations.[11]
9. That
the Russian secret police (KGB) were not
only behind the Propaganda 2 scandal,
but have infiltrated British
Freemasonry, so that Russian
exploitation of the evils inherent in
Freemasonry pose a major Masonic threat
to the survival of a democratic
government in Great Britain.
10. That
the United Grand Lodge, although it has
the power to revoke the charter of a
subordinate Lodge guilty of corporate
immorality, never takes punitive
action. Masons who exploit the
privileges of membership “are hardly
ever expelled.[12]
The
disparity between Freemasonry as
perceived by Stephen Knight and as
experienced in Scotland, England, Japan,
and a number of American jurisdictions
would be difficult to exaggerate.
Instead of the vile chicanery described
by Mr. Knight, I have consistently seen
open-hearted and open-handed men of
character practicing the friendship,
morality, and brotherly love for which
the Brotherhood exists.
The
religious issue raised by the book
should be of deep concern to Masons as
well as those who look with suspicion at
the Fraternity. The criticism seems to
take three distinct concepts: conflict
with the Roman Catholic Church, worship
of the Great Architect of the Universe,
and incompatibility with Christianity.
For nearly
ten pages, details are given about the
relations between Freemasonry and the
Roman Catholic Church. However, all the
data concerns criticism of Masonry by
the Roman Church. Nothing suggests that
the Masons have ever criticized the
Catholic Church.
The charge
that Freemasonry either is a distinct
religion, or has its own religion, ruled
by the Great Architect of the Universe
is groundless. The Great Architect of
the Universe is a recurring theme in
medieval religious art. God is depicted
in the act of creating the world with a
pair of compasses in his hand, laying
out His designs.
In
response to the charge that Freemasonry
is not compatible with Christianity, it
must be admitted that Freemasonry is not
an expression of Christian theology. If
it were, which Christian theology would
it embrace? With which denomination
would it have to join in partnership?
Would it be expected to engage in the
religious warfare that has plagued
humanity? Masonry does not champion a
single religion or any sect of
Christianity. Masonry advocates no “one
true church,” but feels that the
relationship of each man with God is an
essential but private dimension of
life. Masonic Lodges or other groups of
Masons, such as a Royal Arch Chapter,
may attend worship as a body. Worship
services are commonly held in a church
or synagogue, conducted by the clergy
(whether Masons or not) there. There is
no secret ritual connected with worship.
When I
first became active as Masonic Chaplain,
I assumed that a large proportion of
Masons shifted their religious
allegiance to the Lodge. However,
careful investigation has shown this
assumption to be wrong. Most active
Masons in this jurisdiction are also
active members of their churches and
synagogues. Masonry offers a valuable
adjunct to the religions of the world,
including Christianity, in that it
respects the religion of the individual
and offers a bond of friendship that
transcends the strife so common between
religious partisans.
Mr. Knight
is not suggesting that the Church is a
threat to all that is good and decent in
our world, although the list of abuses
of power and office by functionaries,
clerical and lay, of institutional
Christianity is long indeed. The sins of
the Church include the more dreadful
waging of war in the name of the Prince
of Peace as well as the more subtle sins
of pride and greed, which may be, at the
Day of Judgment, as serious offenses.
There are even those who have said that
the Church is incompatible with
Christianity. Yet, the Church is an
asset to the world because of what it
proclaims and what it does. In a modest
way, much the same can be said about
Masonry.
The
preponderance of evidence cited by the
book supports the thesis that
Freemasonry is a vicious desecration of
the ideals of society for the benefit of
corrupt Masons. One compelling example
is the “Countryman” investigation of the
City of London police a few years ago.
It would seem to the casual reader that
the investigation revealed a great
Masonic conspiracy. However, although
the names and crimes of guilty policemen
who are Masons are given, there is
nothing to indicate that Masonic
membership was anything more than
coincidental. If the investigation
concluded that Freemasonry was a factor
in the crime wave, that fact is not
mentioned. Another example is that of
Propaganda 2, with a detailed account of
the illegal activities of this group,
without mentioning that the charter of
the group had been revoked by the Grand
Lodge of Italy before the scandal. In
fairness, it must be noted that THE
BROTHERHOOD makes occasional mention of
Masonic charity or states that Masonry
was the making of a man, but page after
page is devoted to what must be
described as Masonic depravity. It is
difficult for the uninitiated reader to
come to any conclusion but that Masonry
is a vile and violent threat to every
honest, decent, patriotic, and religious
person. The book begins with the charge
that Masonry is breaking the law and
ends with a hint that Masonry may have
been behind the invasion of the Falkland
Islands.
If we
judge only by the sales of the book in
Great Britain, this work is certainly
successful commercial journalism, but it
is not research. There are too many
un-cited references, too many
unverifiable reports, too much
speculation, too many isolated instances
from which the reader may inaccurately
extrapolate a generally evil illusion of
Masonry.
THE
BROTHERHOOD appeals to the emotions, not
to the mind. It, therefore, makes
fascinating reading for the easily
excitable and the uncritical. Its main
attribute, however, is an aggressive,
unfair sensationalism.
Notes:
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[1]
Knight, op. cit., p. 1.
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[2] Ibid.,
p. 4.
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[3]
Coulton, G. G., MEDIEVAL FAITH AND
SYMBOLISM, Oxford:
-
Blackwell,
1928, Chapters VII-IX.
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[4] Coil,
Henry Wilson, Sr., FREEMASONRY THROUGH
SIX CENTURIES, Richmond, VA: Macoy,
1967, Vol. I, Chapters II - VIII.
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[5] Vide
T. E. Weir, “A Taste of History,” THE
ROYAL ARCH MAGAZINE, Vol. 14, No. 9,
Spring 1984, pp. 268 f.
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[6] GRAND
LODGE OF SCOTLAND YEARBOOK, 1985, p. 51.
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[7]
Knight, op. cit., p. 43.
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[8] Ibid.,
p. 3; p. 49.
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[9] Ibid.,
p. 3.
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[10]
Ibid., p. 240.
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[11]
Ibid., p. 269.
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[12]
Ibid., p. 307.
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