Table of Contents & Preface to Anti-Masonry
by Aphonse Cerza
The following
comes from:
Alphonse Cerza, Anti-Masonry: Light on
the Past and Present Opponents of Freemasonry (Fulton, MO: Ovid Bell Press,
1962; 410p.), Contents & Preface.
Cerza was a law teacher
and past master of a lodge. This indicates the scope and organization of the
book.
See
www.preciousheart.net/freemasonry
for more and the book—
Character Counts: Freemasonry U.S.A.’s National
Treasure and
Source of Our Founding Fathers’
Original Intent
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHAPTER ONE—THE HISTORY OF ANTI-MASONRY
1. Early Traditions and Legends
2. Some Early Modern Opponents
3. The Early Exposes of the Ritual
4. Anti-Masonry Begins in Modern Times
5. The Professor and the Abbe Join Hands
6. Anti-Masonry Spans the Atlantic
7. The Morgan Incident
8. The Anti-Masonic Political Party
9. Other Anti-Masonic Items
10. The National Christian Association
11. Pope Leo XIII, Arch-Enemy of Freemasonry
12. Activity in the Chicago Area
13. The Gathering Storm
14. Recent Anti-Masonic Events
CHAPTER TWO—OPPONENTS OF FREEMASONRY
1. The Roman Catholic Church
2. The Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod
3. Other Lutheran Churches
4. The National Christian Association
5. The Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)
6. The Society of Friends
(Quakers)
7. Miscellaneous Churches Opposed to
Freemasonry
8. Ezra A. Cook and Charles T. Powner Co.
CHAPTER THREE—ANALYSIS OF POINTS USED AGAINST FREEMASONRY
Which link includes sections 1,2, 17, Misc.,
and Postscript.
|
a. Lodges Meet in Temples b. Use of an Altar c. The Use of Prayer at Meetings d. Belief in Immortality |
e. The Worship of God f. Some Religious Titles Are Given the Officers g. Use of a Holy Book h. Ritualistic Ceremony |
2. Is Freemasonry Opposed to Churches?
|
—Between 2 & 17—Here are the other Section Titles of
Chapter 3 |
|
|
3. Is Anti-Christian. 4. Is a “Secret Society.” 5. Has an Improper “Oath.” 6. Inflicts Horrible Penalties. 7. Encourages Violations of the Law. 8. Teaches the Separation of Church & State. 9. Is a Political Party. |
10. Believes in Democracy. 11. Believes in the Public School System. 12. Limits its Charity to Masons. 13. Boasts of its Charitable Work. 14. Teaches Naturalism. 15. Has Ceremonies and Titles which Are Childish. 16. Encourages its Members to Prefer Masons in Business
Transactions. |
17. Believes that Marriage is a Civil
Contract.
Miscellaneous Matters
Postscript
APPENDIX
A.
Anti-Mason Historical Chronology — The Best in Print
C. Earliest
Known Expose
D. The
Encyclical Humanum Genus
E. Praelocution
by Albert Pike on Humanum Genus
F. A Reply of
Freemasonry to Pope Leo XIII by Albert Pike
G. Christianity and
Freemasonry by J. L. C. Dart
I. Catholics
and Freemasonry
J. Does God
Want You to Be a Lodge Member?
K. Mrs. M. E.
DeGeer, The Defence of Freemasonry
L.
Cerza’s Address on Christianity and Freemasonry
WHEN THE average
Freemason hears for the first time that WHEN is such a thing as anti-Masonry, he
is horrified. Having gone through the ceremonies of the three degrees and being
exposed to the lessons taught, hearing repeatedly about the Father-hood of God
and the Brotherhood of Man, and that the organization’s very foundation is
based on Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, it is difficult for him to realize
that such a thing is possible.
The reason why
Freemasons seldom hear about this subject is that it has been the policy of the
Craft to ignore it. There seem to be two general attitudes prevailing as to
what should be done about it. One is that Freemasonry should face up to the
opposition and do battle; this view has been discouraged as being undignified
and un-Masonic. The other view is that the subject be completely ignored; this
has been adopted because it is the easiest course and has proved the best over
the years. The publication of this study is designed to suggest a third course:
Let us inform our members on the subject so that they may draw their own
conclusions. An en-lightened membership has always been the aim of the Craft.
The spreading of light on this subject has been delayed too long.
The opponents of
Freemasonry fall into two general classifications: (1) Religious objectors and
(2) Political objectors. Or to state it in another way, the objections are
usually on religious or political grounds. The attacks take various forms; the
most common are: (1) official pronouncements, such as papal encyclicals, bulls
and resolutions of church bodies. (2) Edicts or laws enacted by totalitarian governments,
such as during the regimes of Hitler and Mussolini. (3) The publication of
books and pamphlets. (4) The publication of articles in magazines. (5)
Newspaper articles re-porting speeches or resolutions adopted by various
groups. (6) The printing of books purporting to be exposures of the Masonic
ritual. (7) The establishment of church groups to oppose “secret societies,”
such as the creation of the National Christian Association. (8) The
Organization of a political party, such as the Anti-Masonic Political
^vi
Party. (9) The
establishment of anti-Masonic museums, as was done by Hitler. (10) Police
action by dictators. (11) Sermons by ministers. Manifestly, it would be
impossible to report each and every anti-Masonic utterance or event in history.
In this study a representative area will be covered.
Much of the material
used by opponents of Freemasonry is secured from over-enthusiastic
Masons who write books expressing views and theories not generally accepted by
Masons. Freemasonry has no “official” voice as that term is used by some
churches; it is therefore difficult for these groups to understand
that the word “free” in “Freemasonry” means exactly what it says and
that each member is free to speak his mind. If a Mason has an active imagination
and wants to interpret the symbols and lessons for himself, that is
his privilege. These statements, however, are frequently taken by anti-Masons
and woven into long explanations with resultant strange conclusions.
In this connection the words of the grand
master of Massachusetts in the year 1960 are significant:
“There is the overzealous
or impulsive Mason who feels the urge to announce to the world, or declare to
his Brethren that Freemasonry ‘stands for’ or ‘is opposed to’ another organization
or to any religious, political or social program. Let him pause and ask himself
first, by what authority he speaks for the Masonic Fraternity as a whole.”
As previously stated, Freemasonry has no
official voice. The grand master within his state is the chief executive
officer within the area. He makes all decisions during the interim between
grand lodge sessions. Freemasonry being non-sectarian in religious
matters and non-political, no officer nor group of Masons has authority to
speak for the Craft; when they speak of such matters they are expressing their
individual opinions only.
The question is sometimes asked: Why does
Freemasonry have enemies? The best answer to this question appears in the Short
Talk Bulletin of the Masonic Service Association of the
United States, issued in May, 1949, entitled “Why Freemasonry Has Enemies,” as
follows:
“These persecutions have had
a hundred underlying unbelief, avarice, jealousy, desire for notoriety,
disappointment, envy, climbs high who climbs ruthlessly, the need for
a scapegoat—the list is endless.
“There is always a
conflict between any two opposing beliefs, doctrines, dogmas, religions,
philosophies, political systems.
“Freemasonry is a
philosophy which cannot exist side by side with certain other philosophies.
Either the latter must go or Freemasonry must be banished. Wherever men have
believed that one man or some men are above the law which applies to the many;
wherever a government is by men and not by law, Freemasonry is anathema, must
be persecuted, thrown out, dispersed, done away.
“Freemasonry stands and
has always stood for freedom of political thought; for freedom of religious
thought; for personal freedom within the law; for the dignity, importance and
worth of the individual. In Free-masonry there is neither high nor
low—‘we meet upon the level.’”
Freemasonry is not asleep to the danger that
lurks in the old practice of saying nothing. In recent years a recognition of
the need to advise our members has appeared. In addressing the Grand Secretaries’
Meeting in Washington, in February, 1953, Brother
Earl B. Delzell, then grand secretary of the Grand Lodge of Iowa, said:
“We have our foes. They
are persistent. They attempt to tell us what’s wrong with Masonry. They speak
from ignorance. We Masons must be informed.”
On September 10, 1952, Thomas S.
Roy, D.D., then grand master of Massachusetts, delivered an
address to his grand lodge in which he said:
“We have none of the
marks of a religion. We have no creed, and no confession of faith in a
doctrinal statement. We have no theology. We have no ritual
of worship. We have no symbols that are religious in a sense of the symbols
found in church and synagogue. Our symbols are related to the development of
character and of the relationship of man to man. They are working tools to be
used in the building of a life.
“Our purpose is not that
of religion. We are not primarily interested in the redemption of man. We seek
no converts. We solicit no new members. We raise no money for religious
purposes. By any definition of religion accepted by our critics, we cannot
qualify as a religion. All of which means that a man has not subscribed to a
new religion, much less an anti-Christian religion, when he becomes a Mason,
any more than when he joins the Democratic Party, or the Y.M.C.A. And there is
nothing in Freemasonry that is opposed to the religion he brings with him into
the Lodge.”
One of the earliest
literary antagonists of the Craft was Dr. Robert Plot, whose book The
Natural History of Staffordshire, published in 1686, contained a
number of detailed references to Freeonry. The author had been appointed the
keeper of the Ashlean Museum and wrote a number of books. We are
indebted to for telling us some of the
details of the Craft of his day, alough some of the items mentioned were
taken from old manu‑
^vii
scripts which
were probably based on legend. In his recitation he says a number of
uncomplimentary things about Freemasonry.
Since that day there has been a continual
procession of persons and organizations opposing Freemasonry. This volume will
cover the more important events on the subject.
To read half a dozen
anti-Masonic pamphlets or booklets, or to read one book on the subject, is equivalent
to reading them all. They tell the same old story with slight variations. In
recent years their tone has become less violent and more subtle and discreet.
The same thing has been said so many times that the invective is wearing thin.
Interest in fraternal organizations is
constant. Articles about them appear from time to time in magazines of national
circulation. For example, in the July, 1962 issue of Holiday magazine
there appeared a full-scale article entitled “The Tribal American,”
by William Manchester. The author in a breezy and informal manner pokes fun at
many characteristics of various fraternal organizations. He attributes the
growth of so many of the groups in America to the desire to be a “joiner.”
Freemasonry receives its share of comment in this article.
The subject of this volume will be presented
in the following order: (1) The past history of anti-Masonic events.
(2) A discussion of the various organizations and groups that have been opposed
to the Craft. (3) A consideration of the various allegations against
Freemasonry by its opponents.
The appendix will contain a chronology of the
subject for quick reference, a list of the more important exposes, a
reproduction of the first expose, a reproduction of several items issued by
opponents of the Craft, and several items of Masonic interest.
An ample and detailed
bibliography is presented so that the student who wishes to pursue the subject
further may do so.
^ix
See
www.preciousheart.net/freemasonry
for more and the book—
Character Counts: Freemasonry U.S.A.’s National
Treasure and
Source of Our Founding Fathers’
Original Intent