Part Two - A new study on Freemasonry - How does Freemasonry act today?
Particular Pictures
Significant Interviews
[ Some concrete witnessed consequences, keeping in mind what Masciullo himself repeatedly stated, “Masonry lodges are no actually more necessary, neither a formal affiliation to it, being liberal societies almost entirely assimilated to his philosophical method and practice, that’s moral absolute relativism.
1) Maurice Caillet was a Freemason (1927-2020; his personal site is still available at: http://www.cailletm.com ). To be precise - the inteerviewer added - he was the Worshipful Master of one of the oldest and most important lodges of the Grand Orient of France. Moreover, he was initiated into Freemasonry in 1970 at the Temple of Rennes. During his fifteen years of faithful membership, Dr. Caillet, a medical specialist in gynecological and urological surgery, an atheistic rationalist almost to the core of his being, became a sort of prodigy of Freemasonry. He earned the privilege of accessing the Higher Degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (many "brothers" are unaware of their existence), eventually reaching the eighteenth degree, that of Knight Rosicrucian.
( A necessary historical insight: “The Templars are involved when the extension of Freemasonry goes from France to Germany (…). The Templars were Catholic monk warriors who played a significant role in the Crusades and built an economic empire that eventually collapsed. In 1312, King Philip IV of France, in need of money, targeted their immense fortune. Finding a weak Pope, he accused them of heresy, threatened them with being burned alive, and seized their wealth for the French crown. It's true that they remained in England and Portugal for several decades, but no academic historian believes in a continuation of the Templars beyond the 1400s.
In Germany, the Templars thus rise to the rank of persecuted knights, and it is believed that they continued hidden in the Freemasonry organization until the present day. This is where a system of various degrees originates, where some degrees narrate the history of the Templars, others tell the story of the Rosicrucians, and a mix of Greco-Roman-Egyptian religion and esoteric Christianity is included, leading to various systems. There are 14-degree systems, 33-degree systems, and even systems with ninety or a hundred degrees. The 33-degree system is just one of the various rites in Freemasonry.
In Freemasonry, there are many different rites. It is important not to confuse “obediences” and rites when talking about the multiple divisions in Masonic history (…). As a side note, when someone refers to a Mason being at the 33rd degree, it only has significance in the Scottish Rite, as in the York Rite, the highest degree is the 14th. In an Egyptian Rite, reaching the 33rd degree means only reaching a third of the initiation journey.”
Massimo Introvigne explains the issue of origins and the origins of the Freemasonry problem ((26:58-28:02)
As a historical member of the Family Planning Organization, he practiced artificial contraception and sterilization even before they were legalized. In 1975, after witnessing the successful implementation of the Masonic plan for the introduction of abortion laws in France, he became the first doctor to perform abortions in Brittany. In the meantime, in 1973, he had also become a local representative of François Mitterrand's Socialist Party. Therefore, when Mitterrand was elected President of the Republic in 1981 and appointed twelve Masonic ministers, Caillet had the opportunity to closely observe the subsequent surge in initiation requests, many of which naturally came from politicians seeking useful connections.
Caillet himself, who initially joined Freemasonry envisioning it as "a place to exchange ideas in the spirit of secularism," eventually did not hesitate to exchange career support and judicial favors with his brethren.
All this, with complete names and surnames, was written by Maurice Caillet in a book titled "I Was a Freemason," Piemme, Milan, 2010;
Interview:
Pietro Piccinini (P.P.).: Dr. Caillet, you requested to join Freemasonry as a convinced atheistic rationalist. And that is how Freemasons are generally perceived. However, what you describe is more like a strange form of ultra-fideistic religious mystery. What logic lies behind this leap from Enlightenment to the occult?
M.C.: There is something incomprehensible even to me in the transition from rationalism and scientism to the acceptance of animistic rituals based on questionable mythology and a complete denial of reason. My own reasoning was clearly clouded by it. Even other people more qualified than me have succumbed to the seduction of Masonic "sirens": curiosity, the search for hidden knowledge unavailable to common mortals, and the ambition to enter the elite. This irrationality does indeed contradict the so-called philosophies of the Enlightenment, which advocated reason often with disdain for faith.
P.P.: Many principles of Freemasonry are nothing more than a kind of Christianity without Christ. Your own conversion began when, during a Mass at Lourdes, you discovered that "ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" was not a Masonic motto but rather the "word of the Lord Jesus."
M.C.: My latest book, "I Was a Freemason," shows well, I hope, that the Masonic principles of "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" are indeed imitations of Jesus' teachings, but they have been distorted or even betrayed in practice. However, during my fifteen years in Freemasonry, I never concerned myself with the origins of these principles, and I did not see their contradictions, especially the absence of equality among initiates and non-initiates, and even among Freemasons themselves, who are divided into 33 distinct degrees.
P.P.: Your conversion story also involves the influence of your spiritual father, Yves Boucher. Is it possible that there is more "humanism" in a monk than in a Freemason?
M.C.: Without a doubt, meeting that Benedictine monk strengthened my conversion. Firstly, intuitively, and then more consciously over the years, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit animating that authentic man detached from worldly possessions. This was a presence I had never perceived among my Masonic "brothers," who were guided by all sorts of desires and sophistry. His common sense convinced me that faith does not exclude reason but elevates it. He also taught me to be transformed by the Grace that brings true joy.
P.P.: After the enlightening experience at Lourdes, you encountered some disturbing events that you attribute to the "action of the Evil One." What does the Devil have to do with Freemasonry?
M.C.: For me, it is evident that the Devil seeks to keep us under his influence through the spread of false philosophies, the allure of supposedly occult knowledge, and the culture of death, to which I contributed with my practice of abortion. These aspects divert us from Jesus, who is the truth and the life.
P.P.: In your book, you mention several Catholic members affiliated with Freemasonry who live this "dual membership" as if there were no problem. In your opinion, is Freemasonry underestimated within the Church?
M.C.: In France, there has always been a tradition of Gallicanism, which means independence from the authority of the Magisterium. That is why the first condemnation of membership in Freemasonry by Clement XII (1738), and subsequent condemnations, was not transcribed or enforced by various French regimes, be it monarchy, empire, or republic. Many Freemasons justify their dual membership by arguing that the new canon law, resulting from Vatican II, does not explicitly condemn membership in Freemasonry. They pretend to ignore the declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on November 26, 1983 (this year it will occur the 40th anniversary of it (Ed.)), signed by Cardinal Ratzinger and approved by Pope John Paul II, which leaves no room for ambiguity. Moreover, some naïve Catholics are seduced by the principles of tolerance and humanism exhibited by Freemasonry, for which anti-dogmatism is actually a dogma.
P.P.: And are others underestimating it? Have there been any dramas within the Italian Democratic Party (the main and large post-communist one, either in Italy or in Europe (Ed.)) when it emerged that some members were Freemasons?
M.C.: I do not know the situation in Italy, but in English-speaking countries, as well as in France, it is normal for a politician to be a Freemason. Some join a lodge "to progress on some initiatory or spiritual path," while others do so "to expand their list of illustrious contacts."
P.P.: Where do these two paths intersect?
M.C.: When I was the Worshipful Master (or president) of the lodge, I divided my "brothers" into three categories: one-third idealists who hope to improve humanity and society (without the help of God, which is called Pelagianism), one-third opportunists who rely on their new relationships to enhance their social status, and one-third recipients who need a family to feel safe, similar to the "clients" of influential families in ancient Roman society. However, there is certainly no hermetic separation between these three categories.
P.P.: Can the desire for power lead a Freemason to support causes contrary to his own beliefs? Have you seen examples of this?
M.C.: Absolutely yes, and the best example I can provide is that of right-wing French parliamentarians who were Freemasons and voted in favor of the Veil Law on the liberalization of abortion in 1974, even though their personal beliefs prompted them not to. However, two Grand Masters had been chosen as government advisers and asked the "brothers" to support that project. Even Madame Veil was surprised to have so few opponents (bold mine, Ed.).
P.P.: You write that the Masonic hedonism "led to the preparation and promotion in France," in addition to abortion, of all laws favoring so-called secularization, from sexual libertinism to embryo manipulation. So, is there really the infamous conspiracy that decides the political and public opinion agenda? And how does it work?
M.C.: First and foremost, Freemasonry recruits from influential circles, especially in politics, journalism, public education, and liberal professions. We cannot really speak of a conspiracy, but during the bi-weekly meetings, a "unification" of ideas occurs, leading the "brothers" to use their influence wherever they find themselves, usually with great discretion.
P.P.: Abortion, drug legalization, euthanasia, divorce... Why does the Masonic cult of nature and humanity always end up turning against man?
M.C.: Indeed, all humanism that excludes God turns against man. That is how communism, whose original intentions were commendable, led to one of the greatest genocides in history.
P.P.: You explicitly mention the "male chauvinism of Freemasonry." But if Freemasonry is sexist, then laws like abortion should also be sexist. How do we reconcile this with the history of "women's liberation"?
M.C.: There is not as much contradiction as one might believe between the chauvinism of male Masonic obediences and the so-called women's liberation. What unites them is the desire to remove all obstacles to men taking advantage of female favors without any restrictions. Female “obediences,” being in the minority, pursued unrestrained freedom without considering the consequences for their femininity and genuine independence.
P.P.: You mention the "Masonic universalism" in your book, which even "aspires to world government, a project supported in a hidden form by several international organizations run by Freemasons: Trilateral Commission, Bilderberg, B'nai B'rith." What happens in those secret rooms?
M.C.: As a surgeon, my financial means did not allow me to enter the secrets of international political and financial Freemasonry, which is reserved for the great figures of this world (bold mine, Ed.). However, I know what was said within the lodges on this subject. By the way, Mr. Zapatero ( the then prime minister in Spain, Ed.), whom I believe to be a Freemason, recently received his Bilderberg friends near Barcelona.
P.P.: Some see the hands of Freemasonry behind various "campaigns" against the Pope and the Church. Why would Freemasonry hate Benedict XVI?
M.C.: Having participated in Freemasonry for fifteen years, I can testify that for Freemasons, who constantly proclaim their great tolerance, the man to be overthrown is the Pope (bold mine, Ed.), whether it be Pius XII, John Paul II, or Benedict XVI. While famous tolerance is indeed extended to Protestant and Orthodox Churches (divided Churches), as well as to Judaism and Islam, the hostility towards the Catholic Church stems from the fact that it is centralized around the Holy Father, who safeguards sound doctrine and particularly supports the compatibility of faith and reason.
P.P.: In the Catholic magazine "L'homme nouveau," you called for "a law for the separation of the State from Freemasonry." Was that just a joke?
M.C.: Certainly, what I wrote was ironic, suggesting that we should obtain the separation of the French State from Freemasonry, just as Freemasonry had achieved the separation of Church and State at the beginning of the 20th century. However, I sincerely believe in it, even though I do not expect it to happen for several decades. But God's timing is not ours... and I pray for the conversion of Freemasons:
"Infinitely Good Father, you see into the secret of the heart and the lodges. You know that many Freemasons, lost in a deceptive philosophy, seek vain truths. Liberal ones, Lord, free them from spirits that lead them astray. May the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, inspire their intelligence and their hearts and reveal to them the original and filial Truth, the alpha and omega: Your Son, Jesus Christ, His Life, His teaching: The Good News of Your Love."
cf.: Tempi - June 22, 2010
by Pietro Piccinini
https://www.culturacattolica.it/cm-files/2010/07/16/4048.pdf
2) Confessions of a former Freemason Maurice Caillet, "Venerable" of a French lodge, reveals its secrets
Madrid (kath.net/Zenit.org) (this second interview with the same Author is not available in the digital continent after I got it, Ed.)
ZENITH: In his book "I was a Freemason" he explains that Freemasonry was crucial for the introduction of free abortion in France in 1974...
M.C.: The election of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing as President of the French Republic made Jacques Chirac Prime Minister, who in turn hired Jean-Pierre Prouteau as a personal advisor, the Grand Master of the Grand Orient of France, the main line of French Freemasonry, with a secular attitude. Minister of Health was Simone Veil, a lawyer, and former deportee in Auschwitz, whose advisor, in turn, became Dr. Pierre Simon, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of France, with whom I was also in contact. All these politicians were surrounded by those who called us our "brothers..." and the law on abortion was quickly enacted. Only adopted by the Council of Ministers in November, the Veil Law was elected in December. The deputies and senators who were Freemasons, whether right-wing or left-wing, voted with great unanimity.
ZENIT: You explain that there is a duty among Freemasons to help each other. Is that still the case?
M.C.: The "favors" are common in France. Some lodges try to be consistent, but the secrets that prevail in these circles facilitate corruption. In the Brotherhood of High Functionaries, for example, certain contracts are negotiated, and in the case of those for construction and public institutions, the contracts are literally distributed among themselves, with significant financial consequences.
ZENIT: Did you benefit from these favors?
M.C.: Yes. The court, with a "brother" as chairman, decided on shared expenses in my divorce instead of charging them all to me and reduced the cost of contributions for my children. Later, during a conflict with my three partners in the clinic, another "brother", Jean, director of the Social Security Fund, offered me to take over the management post of the Rennes Medical Center.
ZENITH: Did the withdrawal from the Freemasons ultimately have consequences for your career?
M.C.: Since then, I have not found a job in public or semi-public administration, despite my impeccable CV (curriculum vitae, Ed.).
ZENIT: Have you ever received death threats?
M.C: After my administrative job was terminated and I began to take action against this arbitrary decision, I received a visit from a "brother" of the Grand Lodge of France, the regional secretary of a workers' union. He declared with extreme coldness that I would "put my life in danger" if I went to the labour-court, and that he could not have done anything to protect me. I could never have imagined receiving death threats from well-known and venerable Freemasons of our city.
ZENIT: You were a member of the Socialist Party and got to know many of your "brothers" in politics. Could you tell me how many Freemasons there were in the Mitterrand government?
M.C.: Twelve.
ZENITH: And in Sarkozy's current one?
M.C.: Two.
ZENITH: Could you explain to an ignorant person like me what the principles of Freemasonry are?
M.C.: Freemasonry is above all a humanistic philosophy, mainly concerned with man, and committed to the search for the truth, even if one admits that it is basically inaccessible. It rejects all dogma and advocates relativism, which places all religions on the same level, with Anderson's Constitution taking itself to a higher level since 1723, as the "Centre of the Union". From this, in turn, a moral relativism derives: no moral norm has divine origin and can therefore be defined as inviolable. The morality of the Freemasons finds its function in the approval of society.
ZENITH: What place does God occupy among the Freemasons?
M.C.: For a Freemason, the concept of "God" is a bit strange, similar to spiritualism. At best, he is the great architect of the universe, an abstract god, but only a kind of "watchmaker-creator", as defined by pastor Désaguliers, one of the founders of speculative Freemasonry. This Great Architect is then worshipped, they forgive the expression, so that he may not interfere in the affairs of man, and he is also not mentioned in the Constitution of Anderson.
ZENIT: And the concept of saving man?
M.C: As such, it does not exist in Freemasonry, except on a secular level: it is the elitist of initiations, which can also be regarded as belonging to the level of animism. So, (it’s intended in, Ed.) René Guènon, a great initiate, and Mircea Eliade, an expert on religions. It is also this search for a good that does not materialize in any place... considering that morality arises in sincerity, which, as we all know, is not synonymous with truth.
ZENITH: What is the relationship of Freemasons to religions?
M.C.: A rather ambiguous one. In principle, freemasons insist on the highest tolerance of all faiths and ideologies, with a special preference for syncretism, i.e., a mixture of the individual spiritual doctrines: it is eternal Gnosticism, the transgression of true faith. On the other hand, the life of the lodges, which for 15 years has also been mine, testifies to a particular bias against the authority of the Pope and the dogmas of the Catholic Church.
ZENIT: How did your discovery of Christ begin?
M.C.: I was a rationalist, Freemason, and atheist. I wasn't even baptized, but my wife Claude was sick and we decided to go to Lourdes. While she was in the pool, the cold on site forced me to visit the crypt, where I attended with great interest the first Holy Mass of my life. When the priest read the words of the Gospel, "Ask and you will be given, seek and you will find, knock and be opened", I was terribly frightened, because I had heard these words on the day of my initiation, and I was used to repeating them every time I initiated the new additions as Venerable. In the silence that followed – there was no sermon – I clearly heard a voice saying to me: "Well, you demand Claude's recovery, but what do you offer?". At that moment, convinced that it was God who spoke to me, I remembered that I had only myself to offer. At the end of Mass, I went to the sacristy and asked the priest to baptize me. He was amazed when I told him about my membership in the Freemasons and my occult practices and told me to contact the Archbishop of Rennes. This was the beginning of my spiritual path.
3) Interview with the Spanish expert Guerra Gómez, Author of "The Masonic Plot"
Freemasons strive to spread their ideological principles - relativism, atheism, Gnosticism - everywhere. This is emphasized by Father Manuel Guerra Gómez, an expert in the history of religions and author of 25 books dealing with the phenomenon of sects and related topics.
The world priest from the Spanish diocese of Burgos, Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Theology of Northern Spain located there, published a book entitled "La trama masónica" ("The Free Wall Plot"), which has been published by the Spanish publisher "Styria". In this interview with ZENIT, he discusses this in detail.
ZENITH: Is the infamous conspiracy of Freemasonry a myth?
Fr. Guerra: We have to distinguish between Freemasonry and Freemasons. Freemasonry as such does not seek power. However, Freemasons are actually represented in all international organizations where important decisions are made, and also in all multinational societies that exert influence on economic and political power.
It is therefore correct to conclude that they are trying to pass on their ideological principles – relativism, atheism, Gnosticism – wherever they are. And they strive to spread these principles beyond their sphere of influence.
On the other hand, they do not seek power in the English-speaking nations, in the countries of the North, in Turkey, and elsewhere, because: they are the power (bold mine, Ed). For example, the Head of State of Great Britain is both the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England and the more than 150 Grand Lodges – one per country, and in the USA one per state. In 1995, the United Grand Lodge of England had 750,000 members; they belonged to the 8,000 lodges that exist all over the world.
Due to the duty of secrecy, we cannot know with certainty where they are active and how far their direct influence extends – and even less do we know how far their indirect influence extends.
Tony Blair's government wanted to introduce a reporting requirement for membership in Freemasonry, especially in the case of civil servants and especially when they work in charity or the police. The response of 1,400 English judges who voluntarily declared their membership in Freemasonry is commendable. Obviously, there are many more.
After the scandal of Licio Gelli's secret lodge "Propaganda Due" in Italy, officials in certain areas of public administration have to report that they are Freemasons - even at the risk of losing their position.
ZENIT: Is it true that 60 percent of the members of the European Parliament are Freemasons?
Fr. Guerra: These and similar claims were made by Josep Corominas, who was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Spain until March 2006. On February 9, 2007, he left it but nevertheless asserted that he was still a Freemason and wanted to be considered as such.
ZENIT: In Freemasonry, is a certain method more important than the content?
Fr. Guerra: In addition to his mind, man also uses his feeling and his imagination. The sensations and imagination can affect mental clarity. But nevertheless, it is the ideas and beliefs that give people orientation. Principles create human institutions and give them their goal. In order to achieve this goal, however, the right "method" is required. The Greek word "odos" means "way", and "met" is the "goal" we want to achieve. In Freemasonry, the method strives for the highest categories and the highest effectiveness, since it represents one of the "principles", perhaps even the most essential: the one that underlies all others. It is precisely because of its method that Freemasonry is incompatible with Christian doctrine (bold mine, Ed.). The Masonic method – inherently atheistic – reflects historical relativism and leads to the socio-cultural relativism it promotes.
Alain Gérard, one of the directors of the Great Orient of France, says: "Freemasonry is merely a method." According to him, a Freemason can hold "opinions" or beliefs of a particular religion; the Masonic method, however, obliges him to "question" his opinions and to consider the possibility that they will be declared wrong or overcome by a solid rational system and with the support of the majority.
"You can't have a real discussion if, whatever the outcome of the discussion, there will always be some points that you are convinced are true," says Gérard. Herein comes the Masonic "allergy" to dogmas and dogmatic and revealed religions, especially to Christianity. And this also explains why Freemasons tend to see democracy as a success of Freemasonry (bold mine, Ed.) and the democratic method – the majority decision – as something related to Freemasonry. They apply the "method" of democracy to every reality, even truth, good, etc.
The current Grand Master of the "Great Orient of France" Jean Michel Quilardet stated - in "La Voz de Asturias" on January 29, 2007 – that: "One can believe that there is a non-atheistic democracy, and non-atheistic means non-Masonic. But the way I see things, atheism is an achievement of democracy." Thus, those Democrats who are not atheists or Freemasons are, if at all Democrats, then second-class Democrats. (...)
( https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/masonry-atheism-and-catholicism-2894)
4) Former high-degree Freemason Burkhardt Gorissen explains why he left the lodge and turned back to Christianity.
“Caught in the web of relativism: at the end, there is nothing but emptiness.”
Rome, November 27, 2009
A German Freemason leaves the lodge and writes a book in which he openly confesses his commitment to Christianity. Burkhard Gorissen, the author of radio plays and documentary programs, was a member of various lodges in the vicinity of Cologne for eleven years. He is the first high-degree Freemason in Germany to publicly announce his departure and provide insights into the thinking and rituals of modern Freemasonry through his book "I Was a Freemason" (Sankt Ulrich Verlag, Augsburg 2009). Burkhardt Gorissen resigned from the organization when his appointment to the 33rd degree was under discussion.
In the past, the Catholic faith had not provided him with answers to pressing questions of life. For him, Catholicism had remained stuck in the Middle Ages. He sought a deeper spiritual home where the human ideals of freedom, equality, and fraternity could be realized. Freemasons have always denied that they are a religious group. "We have nothing to do with the backwardness of religions," the Master of the Chair told him even before he joined. However, Father Alois Kehl, a Steyler missionary close to Freemasonry, refers to the lodges as a "community of believers." However, the author corrects this notion. He meticulously describes the Masonic rituals that accompany initiates from the first to the highest degree.
Yet, in his book, Gorissen warns against theologians who downplay the ideology of Freemasonry. He emphasizes that Freemasonry is interested in a "progressive" Christianity that primarily sees Jesus Christ as a revolutionary human, free from His divine Person. Among the Catholic circles, he mentions besides Alois Kehl, professors Hans Küng (bold mine, Ed.) and Herbert Vorgrimmler. The author accuses them of deliberately downplaying the differences between Catholic doctrine and the ideology of Freemasonry. The author devotes more than ten pages to a lecture by Herbert Vorgrimmler. He attributes the misunderstanding to a misinterpretation of Church law, in which the excommunication of Freemasons is no longer explicitly mentioned since 1983, and the attempt at an ignorant dialogue that overlooks the spiritual background. From the author's perspective, the hidden God of the Freemasons is a disinterested ruler of darkness and nothingness, a profoundly non-Christian manifestation.
In an interview with VATICAN magazine, he explains the reasons for his departure from the lodge and warns against the "web of lies of relativism" in which many sincere idealists within the lodges get trapped.
Within Freemasonry, you have had a successful career. What led you to join a lodge?
Gorissen: The first impulse was curiosity. Of course, I wanted to learn the secrets of Freemasonry. I was also interested in finding a place of good conversation where there is an intellectual exchange. The Freemasons' advertising as a humanistic fraternity impressed me greatly. I believe this is true for most outsiders. Internally, I felt the desire to fill my spiritual void. However, I was not interested in spiritualism or shallow New Age esotericism. After all, the Freemasons explicitly claim that through ritual work, one can grasp the essence of humanity.
In essence, we encounter the old saying of Protagoras that "man is the measure of all things," which materialists revived at the beginning of the modern era. At the time of joining, I did not consider the fact that this crude approach to thinking could lead to inner devastation. On the contrary, I felt at home in the realm of Goethe and Voltaire (who indeed entered into a lodge only at the end of his earthly life, Ed.) Only after delving into the hollow phraseology of relativism in its depths, did I recognize my mistake. However, in conversations, I continually relativized my inner insight. In a way, I allowed Freemasonry to be presented in a positive light, or I convinced myself of it.
It took a while until I finally broke free. Furthermore, I clung to the ideals of freedom, equality, and fraternity. Although I knew that freedom and equality are opposing pairs, I believed back then that I could connect them through the mitigating element of fraternity. What I simply ignored at the time was the truth that freedom is a gift from God and that we, as equals, are placed in this freedom to prove ourselves in the fraternity, that is, love for one another, just as in faith. I forgot – like many other Freemasons – to ask: freedom from what and for what?
There is much speculation about the nature of Freemasonry. What is really secret about this secret society?
Gorissen: Even the Masonic brothers themselves do not know that. And they are even proud that each one gives a different answer to this question. This ambiguity syndrome is constantly encountered in Freemasonry. The Grand Lodge of "Alte Freie und Angenommene Maurer von Deutschland" (Old Free and Accepted Masons of Germany), for example, places great importance on the fact that Freemasonry is not a secret society, but a society with a secret.
However, the answer to the question of what the secret is is always the same: each one can only experience it for themselves during initiation into this society. This is followed by various explanations by different individuals. However, what they all claim to have experienced during their initiation mostly serves to satisfy their personal vanities. Vanity, in general, is a major theme in Freemasonry.
Moreover, you can find all the rituals, signs, passwords, and grips on the Internet. If one wishes, one can purchase Masonic accessories such as jewels or aprons from Internet providers or flea markets. Freemasons even flirt with the notion that they no longer possess any secrets. This may have been different in earlier years, although there was already a Masonic writing in the 19th century stating that all secrets had long been known to the public. Therefore, I put forward the thesis that the once-powerful spirit of Freemasonry has departed, leaving behind an empty shell.
You have met many lodge brothers and sisters during your eleven years of membership. What kind of people frequents the lodges?
Gorissen: First and foremost, they are seekers who hope to find answers to life's ultimate questions in Freemasonry. Now, this search can have various motives. Some hope for social advancement or business connections. Others want to engage in magical hocus-pocus (a formula - it has been said - derived from the misspelling of the original consecration words in the Latin Mass: Hoc est corpus meum, Ed.) For some, it's a social club, or they take pride in being associated with illustrious names like Mozart, Lessing
[ Here a scholar's insight helps us to get the stuff ( I synthesize it): To understand the genesis of Hegel's thought, there is also Lessing's ideal, the most well-known philosopher of the Enlightenment. The most renowned and widely read alongside Kant, a true reference author. When Hegel publishes the "Phenomenology of Spirit," a friend writes him a letter saying, "With this work, you have delivered to us the new gospel that Lessing had hoped for." Lessing had a significant impact on the theological-philosophical landscape, particularly in the problems between reason and faith, German philosophy, and Christianity, for two essential reasons.
The first reason is that between 1774 and 1778, Lessing published the "Fragments of an Anonymous" (Reimarus). No one in Germany, from Luther onwards, had ever dared to discuss the veracity of the sacred text, thus dissociating the historical Christ from the Christ of faith, as the Enlightenment critical theologian Reimarus did. (Even in the early centuries of Christianity, Jewish and pagan authors such as Porphyry and Celsus had indeed sought to destroy the historicity of the gospel narrative.) David Friedrich Strauss, who published his "Life of Jesus" in 1835, continues and radicalizes Reimarus's work, and it had dozens of reprints, becoming the foundation of Hegelian left-wing atheism. Even the young Nietzsche reads Strauss's "Life of Jesus" and loses his faith.
The second reason is that in 1780, Lessing published a work called "The Education of the Human Race," his final operetta. By that time, Lessing had converted from an Enlightenment thinker to a Spinozist. Spinoza's religion now enters Germany. Previously, it had been expelled by Leibniz with the concept of the monad, that is, the individual, specifically against Spinoza's substance. Lessing is the first German thinker after Luther, in fact, to take up Aristotle to defend the plurality of substances. In his work, Lessing aims to approach Christian revelation not in a destructive-oppositional, Manichaean, or Enlightenment manner but in an assimilative, reformative, pedagogical, ancillary, hereditary, dialectical way (an education of reason, of gnosis, through the overcoming of religion and reality, in short). Finally, Lessing states: "The New Testament must become as antiquated as the Old has become." He speaks of a new eternal gospel, a new eon, Joachimism. German idealism is fulfilled. Its protagonists conceive themselves as the apostles of the age of the spirit: with them begins the third age of the world, the eschatological, messianic age.
The spirit they speak of, obviously, is no longer the Holy Spirit. It follows the prerogatives and operations of the Holy Spirit, the one who creates unity—the unity of the Church, the unity among men, the Spirit of love that unites, the Spirit of truth. The spirit becomes universal reason, unfolded reason, concrete reason, and reason incarnate in people. The paradigm of modern secularization, an age of reason completely secularized. In the 19th century, this paradigm of the three ages has an enormous influence, but it is Lessing who launches it. For Lessing, who openly declared his membership in Freemasonry - he also published dialogues, Ernst and Falk, dedicated to Freemasonry - the third age of the world signifies fraternity, as Freemasonry imagines it. Therefore, the third age of the world means the new church, the invisible Church that Kant spoke of in "Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone." The age of the spirit, of secular reason. (synthesized and adapted from an Italian scholar’s lecture: http://www.diesse.org/cm-files/2015/09/30/borghesi-fede-e-sapere-in-hegel.pdf ],
and others. From this hodgepodge of different characters, an esoteric amateur acting troupe is formed, performing an absurd ritual theater. Some fall into the delusion that they have joined a high-magical order where they can obtain secret wisdom. Yet, if they are honest with themselves, the supposed apprentices of magic will realize that they have been led into an empty space with a door open to the next room. Thus, the Mason passes through the system of degrees, always hoping to gain knowledge, and yet only moving from one empty room to another – in the end, there is nothing but emptiness. Spiritual and metaphysical emptiness.
Since Pope Clement XII's ban in 1738, it has been forbidden for Catholics to be active members of a lodge. What led the Church to impose this ban?
Gorissen: We must differentiate between the former Freemasonry and the current one. I attempted to make this clear earlier with my "larva theory." Does anyone seriously believe that a Pope would have imposed a ban on Freemasons if they had presented themselves merely as a humanistic fraternity? We must not forget the Masonic concept of God. Freemasons say that they can imagine the "Great Architect of All Worlds" as they wish. Yet, upon closer examination, this "Great Architect" turns out to be the Demiurge of the Gnostics. This can be easily derived from the fact that Freemasons see God as a creator who turned away from creation after its completion and, so to speak, fell back into the darkness of his own history. Thus, a Freemason will always seek scientific explanations. These explanations are again reduced to the formula of arbitrariness, wherein everyone can believe what they want, ultimately leaving the question of what might have happened in the nanosecond before the Big Bang. In any case, it must be emphasized that Freemasonry sees Christianity as an expression of a historical epoch. Thus, any idea of salvation is denied. No true Christian can agree with that – especially not the supreme shepherd.
There have been contacts between lodges and high-ranking representatives of the Catholic Church, such as those between Cardinal König and the Austrian Grand Master Baresch. Is a dialogue between Freemasons and the Catholic Church meaningful or perhaps even necessary?
Gorissen: When you, as a Freemason, enter a temple, you must deny Jesus (bold mine, Ed.). There is no direct command to do so, and most lodge brothers do not even realize that they do it silently. Here, we must bear in mind that Freemasons place Jesus Christ on the same level as Buddha, Plato, Confucius, or Zarathustra. This is made quite evident in the ritual of the 32nd degree. However, in all other degrees as well, they deny the divine sonship of Jesus Christ, propagating a relativistic concept of God through a completely misunderstood tolerance. Therefore, the question arises, what result could such a dialogue possibly lead to? What Freemasons want is a kind of "light" version of Christianity, a sort of world religion in which Jesus is dethroned.
In the 19th century, Freemasonic lodges were considered particularly hostile to the Church. This was especially evident in Italy and France. What is their attitude towards the Church today? Is Freemasonry seeking contact with the Catholic Church?
Gorissen: In any case, Freemasonry is interested in anything that it can use for its purposes. The end justifies the means. Currently, Freemasonry acts like a wolf in sheep's clothing. In light of the anti-Catholic excesses in earlier times, one could provocatively claim that back then, it appeared as a sheep in wolf's clothing. Therefore, I would like to point out once again that some Freemasons see themselves as heirs to the Osiris cult, the Mithras cult, or other archaic cults. However, the Masonic concept of God remains Gnostic. Let us consider a statement by the French criminologist Alain Bauer. The former Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of "Grand Orient," now an internal advisor to President Sarkozy, refers to Maçonnerie as a "kind of Church of the Republic." No German Freemason would make such a statement. Nevertheless, it is an honest statement upon closer examination. Freemasons want a kind of world religion, as evidenced by a writing by Freemason author Rolf Appell.
In your book, you differentiate between Freemasons who are relatively harmless members of the first three blue degrees, and high-degree Freemasons. Where do you see the difference in their influence on society?
Gorissen: The high-degree Masons proclaim the motto "From symbolism to activism," (bold mine, Ed.) which clearly implies an influence on society. It is repeatedly emphasized that only the individual can do this, not the Grand Lodge as a whole. We must also note that in the 30th degree, the Templar degree, the initiate is praised for seeking revenge for Jacques de Molay and his fellow knights. It states, "We want to avenge them against secular and spiritual dictatorship." So far, so commendable. But then it goes on to say, "And it should be indifferent whether they wear the papal tiara or the monk's robe or whether a demagogue tramples the law underfoot...". The incredible thing that happens here is that the Pope is equated with dictators. It further states, "A day of our revenge was when human rights were proclaimed against all rulers' defiance." This sentence must be carefully considered, and it leaves a bitter aftertaste, as the all-important human rights are defined as an act of revenge (bold mine, Ed.).
In Freemasonic circles, your book has been fiercely attacked in the comments. What was your motivation for writing this "confession book"? Do you hope that other Freemasons will follow your example?
Gorissen: I pray for it every day. Among Freemasons, there are many well-meaning people who are simply trapped in this machinery. We must not forget that Freemasonry is a trap for idealists. Unfortunately, I receive some indignant letters. These Masonic brothers are so entangled in the web of relativism that they lack the realization of how deeply a person can be moved by faith. But that doesn't have to mean anything; five years ago, I wouldn't have believed in such an inner transformation, as I have experienced. My own experience shows me how important prayer is for seemingly lost souls. When I once told one of my former brothers that I would also pray for him, he retorted that he did not value that at all. This shows how important prayer is (bold mine, Ed.). I wish every seeker the blissful knowledge of being embraced in God's hand.
Source: https://www.kathpedia.com/index.php?title=Burkhardt_Gorissen