Organized opposition to Freemasonry
In response to several requests (including taunts from anti-Masons) to identify those groups which object to Freemasonry, we'd originally planned to provide a listing along with the objections used by each. As time has passed, however, this has more and more seemed to be a fool's errand. In fact, those groups who've opposed Freemasonry have done so from a couple of basic perspectives: the first is that it's not THEIR way of doing things. Well, ok. We guess that everyone is entitled to claim that those who don't agree with them are wrong. As myopic as that is, they're certainly entitled to their beliefs.
The second most common situation is that they rely on the works of anti-Masonic authors on which to base their judgment. It seems totally bizarre to us that a religious group would rely on bigoted and prejudiced sources to create a position but more often than not, this is exactly the case. Sometimes they'll buttress their arguments with the 'usual suspects' that their chosen author has cited, making specific reference to the specific statements of those authors (normally Pike and sometimes Mackey) but their sourcing reveals that they've not done a full study of ANY other Masonic author save that of the references from their chosen text.
We've further concluded that a listing of a 'group' on this page would be a disservice to the many members of that group who do not follow their hard-cast philosophy. It is argued by some Southern Baptists, for example, that the Southern Baptists are against Freemasonry yet the actual facts belie that claim.
Rather than devote time and energy to arguing with self-appointed spokespersons ostensibly from various groups (many of which have a membership less than that of a single Masonic lodge), we have finally concluded that our time would be best spent addressing specific objections that are raised rather than trying to match them to bigoted and inward-looking groups that seem desperately afraid of losing membership if their followers were to embrace the virtues of temperance and toleration. SO many of those who oppose Freemasonry seem to feel that their adherents are incapable of making decisions without their direction. As a result, they obsessively try to direct their lives perhaps knowing that without the 'mind-control' methodology, their bigotry and derisiveness would be seen as completely contradictory to the life of the religious leader they claim to follow!
We have no issue whatever with ANY type of group - religious, political, or social - taking a position on whatever matter they wish but when they do so based on lies, obfuscation, and false assumptions, it's simply a farce. Look around this site and you'll see what a foundation of sand some of these groups have used on which to build their objections.
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