"There are two equal and
opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to
disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive
and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both
errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight."
C. S. Lewis(1898–1963), British author. The Screwtape Letters,
Preface (1942).
When the story of a Kenyan presidential commission being appointed in Africa to investigate "Satanism" first appeared in October, 1996 in the London Independent, few had cause to think that it might somehow involve Freemasonry.
In July, 1999, after sitting on the report for almost three years, 75 year old Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi has issued part of it, along with a statement that "The government...has carefully studied the recommendations of the Commission which have far-reaching implications." Saying, however, that "Owing to the sensitive nature of the information contained in the report and the legal implications of some of the findings, it is not appropriate for the government to make the findings public." But wait: isn't the investigation about Satanism? This isn't a question of national security or protection of nuclear secrets: it's about the supposed existence of Satanic influences in Kenya. This is something which must be kept secret? Hmmmmm....
The report - or at least that portion which has been revealed -
has given some anti-Masons great glee. Masonry appears prominently as one of the
'culprits' of Kenya's problems - just as do all of the other 'usual
suspects' named by other religious intolerants (including Freemasons, Jehovah's
Witnesses, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists, The Rudolph Steiner Waldorf schools,
the Lucifer Golfing Society and others).
Some of the charges in the report were so ludicrous as to be laughable - and, in the final analysis, the anti-Masons on the Commission left their 'calling card' by making reference to Albert Pike as the "Supreme Pontiff of Freemasonry" in citing their objections. (See our page on the Taxil Hoax for a more complete explanation of how this reference is a 'dead give-away'!)
A little background about Kenya as well: this East African country which borders the Indian Ocean is one of the world's most backward (agriculture is the chief source of Kenya's income with the majority of the labor force consisting of farmers and herders at a subsistence level). The country is a hotbed of charges of governmental crime and corruption and, in fact, President Moi was accused of vote-rigging when he was elected to his present office. Mandatory education exists for only 8 years of schooling and as of 1995, there were a mere 18 televisions, 96 radios and 10 passenger vehicles per 1,000 people. Religious differences abound, some with strong ties to the British heritage from which the country came but many related to native tribal customs - with an eclectic mix in between. Easter and the end of Ramadan are national holidays, for example. Their first multi-party election was not held until 1992 and then only after international pressure.
Obviously, the report of a "Presidential Inquiry", regardless of the country from which it originates, bears a certain degree of credibility. Let's look for a moment, though, at the contents of the report.
Using just a couple of examples, it's easy to see how desperate the enemies of Freemasonry can become when they use this as a basis for their objections. You can read more here but a brief clip from the report from that page of the Africa News Online should provide some of the 'flavor' for you:
"Satanists lure unsuspecting people to join their sickening cult by leaving Sh500 notes [Kenya Shilling] in their path. The bank notes are sometimes transformed by Satan's power into frightening creatures such as snakes, the Commission investigating devil worship in Kenya reports."
"People who pick up the notes then fall prey to visits in the night by strangers who demand they should join their cult. If they refuse - and then also refuse to hand back the Sh500, they are threatened with death, the report states."
Another paper (The Nation - Nairobi) reports that the Commission has declared:
"Devil worshippers are usually wealthy and prominent people who drive expensive cars. Some of them are said to own large commercial enterprises. They drive sleek cars and possess large sums of money."
WOW! <We've snipped further commentary here as being just to sarcastic! What kind of car do you drive?>
(Masonicinfo Note: Masons should NOT be eating or drinking when reading the following paragraph. We cannot assume responsibility for damaged monitors or keyboards resulting from your hysterical laughter....)
Freemasons, we are told, pray at night, in the dark and while nude, drink human blood and eat human flesh, and walk backwards when entering their temples and after completing their rituals.
Dave Dughi, writing about this matter for Jehovah's Witnesses on About.com (where you'll find many links to various articles about this matter) suggests that this so-called 'Inquiry' was much like the Salem Witch Hunt of the 17th century. "The Commission was created out of fear and based its conclusions on misunderstandings and misrepresentations." We believe Mr. Dughi is far too generous; this seems to clearly have been an opportunity for religious intolerants to have their voice heard and for a government to hide behind a convenient straw man.
January 2008 - Riots and killings abound
In a horrid situation, riots are now occurring throughout Kenya. Over a quarter of a million people have become refugees and there have been nearly a thousand deaths as of this writing. As we heard the reports on this catastrophe, we could not help but think back to the stupidity discussed above. This was made even more appalling when the BBC's World News program as aired on the US Public Radio for the morning of January 28th spoke of one faction rebelling against political rule by "uncircumcised ones". This is the mentality that produces anti-Masonic rhetoric!
|
Related Topics: |
|
In addition, |
Just
click on "Prince, the Search Dog" to find things on our site. He's on every page
and he'll take you directly to our search form where you can see if we've
written about whatever it is you're interested in. Prince has a great memory; he
always remembers where things are!