The Freemasonry FAQ
Version 1.0 August 2006
This Frequently Asked Question comes from the weekly USENET MASONRY FAQ, posted to alt.freemasonry every Friday at 08:00 Pacific. Please refer to the weekly FAQ for other resource and contact information.
Masons are anti-Catholic, right? Don't Masons hate Catholics?
There is nothing anti-Catholic in Masonry, in its traditions, its rituals, or its beliefs. "Freemasonry today is no more anti-Catholic than it is anti-vegetarian. Freemasonry is composed of men with the same fears, wants, and wishes of the general population and thus individual Masons may exhibit certain characteristics, mirroring that of the general population.
Because of Papal pronouncements against Freemasonry (Masons are decried as being 'Humanist' -- whatever that means), those of the Catholic faith are greatly under-represented compared to the population as a whole - and as a result, views held by individual Masons would have been reflective of that biased selection. As an organization, however, Freemasonry takes no position whatsoever on any religion and in fact encourages toleration in all its members.