Greetings All,
I know it has been some time since I posted on this platform. That lack of activity has been for personal and legal reasons.
What compelled me to write today was reading a post on the Facebook social media platform.
The question posed is here:
{Why is Masonry so popular, prosperous and prevalent in the UK, and yet in the US we are floundering and have difficulties keeping members engaged enough to stay in the craft?}
As many of you would expect, there are a number of comments on this question, a question primarily posed about and toward American Freemasonry initially, but may or may not be relevant across the board.
I apologize for the digression, and will now get back to what caused me to back off from American Freemasonry, and ultimately caused me to withdraw any previous support I once had for this fraternal group.
{Mr. Gabe, before you can be permitted to advance any farther in Masonry, it becomes my duty to inform you, that you must take upon yourself a solemn oath or obligation, appertaining to this degree, which I, as Master of this Lodge, assure you will not materially interfere with the duty that you owe to your God, yourself, family, country, or neighbor. Are you willing to take such an oath?}
see page 33 of Duncan’s Ritual (a Masonic ritual no longer used by many American Grand Lodge jurisdictions because of its public exposure so many years ago. A link has been provided to that ritual
http://www.sacred-texts.com/mas/dun/dun02.htm
The candidate is assured that this obligation “will NOT materially interfere with the duty you owe to your God, yourself, family, country, or neighbor”
Now, for me, some Masonic members exhibited conduct that openly violated Freemasonry’s regulations regarding who was deemed worthy of membership. Some of those views I witnessed or negatively experienced firsthand blatantly violated the teachings of my faith tradition, which made Freemasonry as a whole “suspect” in my personal opinion.
For the above reason, I now viewed this statement about taking an obligation as null and void, holding no merit, and hypocritical.
“will NOT materially interfere with the duty you owe to your God, yourself, family, country, or neighbor”
What are the Catholic Church’s teachings on Racism?
https://catholicismandracism.weebly.com/catholic-teaching.html
Consideration of racism is grounded in fundamental scriptural beliefs: equal dignity of all people, created in God’s image; and Christ’s redemption of all.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church spells this out:
The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it: “Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God’s design.”
Moral judgments on racism, based on equality, are consistent: “any theory or form whatsoever of racism and racial discrimination is morally unacceptable” (Compendium); and “racism is not merely one sin among many, it is a radical evil dividing the human family…” (Brothers and Sisters to Us).
Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and Racism
I do hope that this short writing helped explain MY personal views, not the views of any other person or group I have previously held membership in or hold membership in currently, as I must think critically and make decisions for myself that are in line with my moral obligations, moral values, and the teachings of my faith tradition.
SK Raymond Sean Walters, 3°
St. John Nuemann Council No. 11828
Knights of Columbus
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© 2018 Raymond Sean Walters™ © 2018 The Sophia Trust™
A Masonic Memoir 