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F R E E M A S O N RY
AND THE
C H R I S T I A N FA I T H
will find this examination at least a balanced look at the evidence. Many Christian attacks on Freemasonry are irrational, unbalanced and superstitious; sometimes it is easier to attack some aspects of Freemasonry rather than others. Moreover we need to be aware that at times attacks on Freemasonry by Catholics, and others, have been linked to anti-Semitism. Many Catholics, including the present writer, have good friends and family members who are Masons and it is not the purpose of this booklet to impugn the individual moral character of the majority of Masons. Rather, it is an examination of the system of Freemasonry: what it claims to believe, and how it operates. This booklet has been written partly because about thirty years ago there was a brief period when Catholics in this country and the United States were told that they could be Masons, although this directive was then reversed; and since then it has not been easy to get hold of the authoritative teaching. Moreover the reasons behind the Church’s teaching are not only important in themselves - they help us understand our faith more deeply. Although I will refer a little to Freemasonry in the rest of the world, my main focus will be on how it operates in Britain.