Christianity And American Freemasonry

What is it about Freemasonry that would cause Churches to forbid or openly discourage seventy million Americans from membership? Why have eight popes condemned the Lodge? This book, which was first published in 1958 and the first full-length treatment of this subject by an American Catholic in 50 years, was written by William J. Whelan to explain why the Church has warned her sons against affiliating with the Masonic lodge since 1738.

An analysis of how Freemasonry has shaped American religious history.

This powerful study weaves the story of Freemasonry into the narrative of American religious history. Freighted with the mythical legacies of stonemasonsÕ guilds and the Newtonian revolution, English Freemasonry arrived in colonial America with a vast array of cultural baggage, which was drawn on, added to, and transformed during its sojourn through American culture. David G. Hackett argues that from the 1730s through the early twentieth century the religious worlds of an evolving American social order broadly appropriated the beliefs and initiatory practices of this all-male society. For much of American history, Freemasonry was both counter and complement to Protestant churches, as well as a forum for collective action among racial and ethnic groups outside the European American Protestant mainstream. Moreover, the cultural template of Freemasonry gave shape and content to the American Òpublic sphere.Ó By including a group not usually seen as a carrier of religious beliefs and rituals, Hackett expands and complicates the terrain of American religious history by showing how Freemasonry has contributed to a broader understanding of the multiple influences that have shaped religion in American culture.

In his examination of the founding fathers' views on Christianity, Democracy, and Freemasonry, R.L. Worthy presents a provocative picture of America's foundations. "He who thus considers things in their first growth and origin, whether a state or anything else, will obtain the clearest view of them . . . "

"Mustafa El-Amin was born in Newark, N.J. in 1957. He was introduced to, and accepted the teachings of the Nation of Islam, under the leadership of the Hon. Elijahh Muhammad, in 1972. Upon the death of Hon. Elijah Muhammad in 1975, Mustafa made a smooth transition of accepting the leadership of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, and the pure teachings of Al-Islam based upon the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah."--Back cover.

As the United States moved from Victorian values to those of modern consumerism, the religious component of Freemasonry was increasingly displaced by a secular ideology of service (like that of business and professional clubs), and the Freemasons' psychology of asylum from the competitive world gave way to the aim of good fellowship" within it. This study not only illuminates this process but clarifies the neglected topic of fraternal orders and enriches our understanding of key facets of American cultural change. Originally published in 1984. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

A probing analysis of Freemasonry in the U.S. in general, but especially relative to religious education, opposition to the Catholic Church, directing national social policy and how Masons attract members. Thoroughly documented. Immensely revealing. Covers the birth and rise of Freemasonry, the Catholic Church's early condemnation of it, etc. Essential to understanding the forces behind the scenes.