Are the Freemasons Good people?

Question

I was doing research on priest and found out that a bunch of Priest and Cardinals as some Popes are Freemasons.... I don't understand I thought Freemasons where the illuminati.... And if they are the good guys.... Can they help me?

Answer 1

It would be inaccurate to label Freemasons "good" or "evil" because every institution including this secret society has philanthropists and corrupt individuals. The fact of the matter is that most Freemasons are well-rounded good people. Being a Freemason does not make one a part of the Illuminati. The Illuminati does exist, but it's not the same thing as Freemasonry; however, the two are connected. Allow me to explain:



Freemasonry's origins go as far back as the 1300's, originating off of the suppressed order of the Knights Templar, but they were not known as Freemasons at the time. Freemasonry had only become "officially" recognized in the year 1717. The Illuminati, on the other hand, started off as a completely separate secret society on May 1, 1776 in Bavaria (Modern day Germany). May 1 is actually an occult holiday known as Beltane (Look it up if you don't believe me). The Illuminati did not start off as evil, but there certainly was a conspiracy in the midst to overthrow the church and monarchy. An alliance was formed between the two secret societies in 1782 known as the Congress of Wilhelmsbad. The Illuminati had already established lodges outside of Bavaria at the time of their suppression by the Bavarian government in 1785. Up until 1786, Freemasonry only had 25 Rites of initiation; at Freemasonry's Grand Constitutions of 1786 they upped those degrees to 33, adopting at least 4 rites from the Illuminati secret society, among others. All Illuminati lodges were converted into Freemason lodges. The Illuminati did not simply cease to exist, they became a secret faction within Freemasonry. So not all Freemasons are Illuminati; only those selected within this secret society become privy to the secret rites that most Freemason's don't know exist.



Over the years the Illuminati survived within the guise of Freemasonry, establishing it's initiates into positions of power. Meyer Amschel Rothschild, a member of the original Illuminati, was a financier whose most notable quote was "Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes the laws." Rothschild had 5 sons, each of which he brought up teaching everything there is to know about banking. His son, Nathan Rothschild, capitalized on Napleon's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, spread a rumor that Napoleon had won the war; when the stocks had dropped, Rothschild bought controlling interests of the Bank of England. When controlling the Central Bank of a country, the bankers have a degree of control over inflation and interest rates. By manipulating the monetary system the Illuminati has moved out of it's positions in secret societies and have established power within certain wealthy families. Have you ever heard of the 13 Families? By keeping business ownerships in the family bloodline they collect so much wealth. Using their wealth and influence and being the richest people on earth gives them a great deal of power over politicians, by funding their campaigns. Political powers are irrelevant, money is the true power. In the United States they took control through the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. The Federal Reserve Bank is not owned by the government but by private shareholders (Illuminati) through the stock market.



The Catholic Church is susceptible to corruption as well. If you haven't heard of so many priests being indicted for pedophilia. The church was once an authority figure that ruled over the Roman Empire and are responsible for the suppression of the Knights Templar, which gave rise to Freemasonry. The church is the reason Freemasonry had been a hidden secret society for hundreds of years; because in the dark ages it wasn't uncommon for them to torture and burn people at the stake for the simple crime of heresy. When Freemasonry became "officially" recognized the Dark Ages were over and they had no reason to fear the church anymore. Positions of power were placed onto the monarchy. The Church had been against Freemasonry since it was first recognized and had established edicts to excommunicate people from the church for being a Freemason. However after 300 years, this Papal edict was widely ignored and Freemasons managed to usurp power in the church. It wasn't until Pope John Paul II took the Papal throne (1978) that he welcomed Freemasons into the Church, despite the fact that Church Freemasons played a vital role in the murder of his predecessor, Pope John Paul I. There are many corrupt Priests and Cardinals, many of which may even be part of the Illuminati.

Answer 2

To explore the organization that some (very few, actually) so vehemently protest, we must first explain what Masonry IS! Here are some key points:



Freemasonry is the world's oldest and largest Fraternity. While its traditions look back to earliest history, Masonry in its current form appeared when its public events were noticed by the residents of London, England in 1717. Although Masonry - particularly in its earliest days - had some elements of secrecy, the first 'exposure' of the supposedly highly-secret Masonic ritual actually appeared in 1696! Since that time, there have been tens of thousands of books published about this 'secret organization'. And for over three hundred years, despite the good works done by its members, Freemasonry has continually suffered the slings and arrows of those who seek to use it's quiet nature against it.



Freemasonry's singular purpose is to make good men better and its bonds of friendship, compassion and brotherly love have survived even the most divisive political, military and religious conflicts through the centuries. Freemasonry is neither a forum nor a place of worship. It is not a religion nor does it teach a religious philosophy. For nearly three hundred years it has attracted men of high moral character who support the tenets of temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice.



We're often asked, "What do Freemasons believe?" The answer is quite simple: essentially the same things that teachers, bus drivers, Rotarians, or anyone else believes. There is no 'requirement' that all Masons believe certain things except insofar as good behavior dictates.



Today, the more than four million Freemasons around the world come from virtually every occupation and profession. Within the Fraternity, however, all meet as equals. In fact, one of the most fascinating aspects of Freemasonry (and an obvious source of irritation for those who thrive on the seeds of discontent) has always been: how can so many men, from so many different walks of life, meet together in peace, ignoring political or religious debates, to conduct their affairs in harmony and friendship and to call each other "Brother!" It's truly a conundrum which perplexes those outside the fraternity. Laying aside petty jealousies and agreeing that issues of politics and religion are not proper for discussion within a lodge, the 'bones of contention' that so often divide are removed thereby making it possible for men of varying religious and political interests to meet on common ground.



Freemasons are taught to conform to the moral laws of society and to abide by the laws of the government under which they live. They are men of charity and good works and they engage in charitable works which have made them "the World's greatest philanthropy!" Their services to mankind represent an unparalleled example of the humanitarian commitment and concern of this unique and honorable Fraternity.



NOTES:



The Catholic Church forbade Catholics from joining Freemasonry starting back in about 1738. So the research you are doing is faulty. In recent decades the vatican has relaxed this slightly and changed the wording of the Canon Law that it is no longer fobidden. However stateing that a bunch of preists, Cardinals and Popes are or were Freemason is a falacy.



Now clergy of other denominations see nothing wrong with Freemasony. See here for some examples for religious leaders that are Freemasons: http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/why_a_freemason.html



Just like anyone else, Freemasons or even peists, Cardinals and the Pope are just men (some may disagree on the last one).



There is good and bad in every man, we try to bring out the good.

Answer 3

The Freemasons is basically the oldest and largest fraternity ever created. Many of the Illuminati members derived from freemasonry. The Freemasons are the goo guys, the Illuminati the bad. The question is whether or not the Illuminati still exists or if the Bavarian authorities shut them down sometime in 1780-85

Answer 4

The Freemasons are not the Illuminati-- the Illuminati is a silly conspiracy theory.



The world is not made up of "good guys" vs "bad guys"-- the world is made up of people, most of whom have the capacity for good and bad, and most of whom will do both good and bad things over the course of a lifetime. So I am not going to even use that elementary, overly-simplistic dichotomy.



The Mason's are just people in a club. It's a mens group- a fraternity.



They are regular human beings who have a very old established club. They believe in being an upstanding citizen, being a good father & husband, being helpful to your community, etc. They offer each other support, friendship, they do a lot of charity work.



Catholics are forbidden to be Freemasons because they are not allowed to join secret societies.

Answer 5

The Illuminati haven't existed since the early 19th century. Some Freemasons are good people and some aren't. They're people. some nuns are good people and some aren't. They're people. People get out of things what they bring to it. With luck, the values and teachings of an institution will bring people to the good side.

Answer 6

I am a Freemason.

I consider myself a "good guy"



The only place you will find the illuminati,is in the history books.

Answer 7

Kumquat is correct. The freemasons are no big deal, and they have no power or magical influence. They are just a fraternal organization like the Elks club, Kiwanis club, Loyal order of Moose, and the Rotary club (for Fred Flintstone it was the Water Buffaloes, and he always wanted to be "grand Poobah"). Mostly elderly men get together once a week for "lodge night" and sit around in decorative hats and discuss charities and such. They are not a religious group, but belief in some higher power is required to join. They study about living honestly, helping your fellow man, and a lot of historical stuff.

They are very good people. My grandfather, father and Husband are all freemasons. If you want to join them they may help your social life, but that's about it.

Answer 8

There are no Illuminati. That Bavarian group was wiped out over 250 years ago.

The Freemasons are the best and most honorable group of gentlemen on the planet, and I am proud to be one of them for over 33 years.



You ask for our help but you do not say what you need. The answer to your final question is 'yes', but you gave us no clue as to why.



Yes, vast numbers of us are Clergymen from all denominations without exception. Most of us serve, as I do, as Chaplains of Lodges.

Answer 9

most people are MORE Good than not, most people will not commit murder or consent to it.

what jesus said, is our hearts are full of evils, but our daily lives and morality choose to good most of the time, so the scriptures speak against the common sins, to perfect our lives. like lying and stealing and fornication(s)



as for free mason in all religions, yes, all religions have aspects of the Masons.

allegations are that free masons and mason alike find out that there is luciferian worship at the top or in the inner circles.

thats the one reason why i dont involve myself with them.

there are alos people that believe jesus and lucifer are the same being, which is totally false. because Jesus is called the great and morning star while lucifer is called only the morning star and if one thinks about it, there were two trees in the garden of eden, one was the tree of life, which jesus is called.



historically the illuminati died out in the 18 century. but theoretically they didnt leave the masons, they have been infiltrating the organization ever since.

Answer 10

It's basically a club where boring middle-aged guys can go to get away from their wives for the evening and play dress-up