Does Freemasonry accept Catholics?

You obviously really did your homework on this brother. Glad to have you with us.

 

Monotheism.

Belief in a supreme deity.

That you have a relationship with that deity.

Recognition that you must have a relationship with your neighbor, also made by that deity.

Thus, the triangular relationship, which takes many forms.

Yes, freemasonry accepts our Brothers of all faiths adhering to imperatives above.

Be they religious faiths or sects within a particular religious faith.

Pretty clear and simple. Of course, one has to forgo the tribal urge to judge ones' own neighbor. Something masonry also cherishes but that is often lost in the material world in which we all must live.

 

Are you indicating these are requisites for membership?

 

Are you saying your jurisdiction has not these requisites? If so, you please explain what your jurisdiction goes by.

 

I'm aware of no jurisdiction which has all these.

 

My Brother. You are either being argumentative or refusing to understand the spirit of freemasonry in MANY jurisdictions. For one, Texas.

I do not wish to swap similar emails with you in this manner.

It may be better to let each post his feelings without such close criticism. Remember, you or / and I may be absolutely wrong.

 

I apologize. I'm not trying to be argumentative, but to clarify your statement. I specifically asked if you were indicating your list were requisites. You declined to answer my question, posing your own, asking what "requisites" my jurisdiction uses. You now indicate that you refer to the "spirit" of Freemasonry. I'm good with that.

However, I'm aware of no jurisdiction that requires a "relationship" with deity or one's neighbor, including Texas. Certainly, knowledgeable Masons can correct me.

Certainly, there are jurisdictions which require monotheism, but not all. As you indicate there are monotheistic requirements, clearly we do not accept brothers of all faiths in all jurisdictions. Indeed, there are jurisdictions which are Christian only.

 

No need Brother. Texas does require a belief in deity. Christianity is not required, only desired as a requirement by some.

 

Not a requirement in any of my jurisdictions, though I have met brothers who incorrectly think so. Thinking so does not make it so. Search all you like for monotheism as a requirement but you will not find it in almost any jurisdiction. We explicitly do not exclude men of faiths that don't teach monotheism. Consider what happened a couple of years ago in Florida when an errant GM issued an edict on the topic. His edict was voted down in a collective act of Masonic values.

The requirement is "Do you believe in the existence of a supreme being". The question of the word "supreme" can be easy or difficult depending on the individual polytheistic faith in question and the individual's view of the matter.

More accurately than that the requirement is a "yes" answer to the question, which leaves all of that up to the candidate.

 

Agreed.