Christianity and American Freemasonry

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Summary: Why freemasonry is in direct opposition to Christianity
Review: William Whalen gives an excellent description and history of freemasonry. Today when some might question what all the fuss is between Christianity and freemasonry, this book explains in extremely understanding detail. William Whalen tells everything from the secret "blood oaths" freemasons take to why freemasons vowed not to let the "enemy," the Catholic Church, continue succeeding in providing health care through Catholic Hospitals. A great book for understanding how egregiously mislead people are into believing freemasonry is just another fraternal organization. Exposes the evil of freemasonry at its most basic, as well as advanced levels.

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Summary: No Hysteria or Conspiracies
Review: William Whalen provides a very straightforward and easy to read explanation of Freemasonry and its relation to Christianity without the alarmist hype so often found in books of this genre.

The book focusses on the Craft as practiced in America, but also touches upon the English and Grand Orient Lodges. He reviews the Blue Lodge Degrees (Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason)with just the right amount of detail -- neither glossing over, nor bogging down with the needless repetition often found in "exposes." (The full rituals are readily available from Masonic sources.)

He explains the history of the Blue Lodge, the Scottish and York Rites, the Shrine, Prince Hall Lodges, and other Allied Masonic Organizations. For the most part, he lets Masonry speak for itself; not only does he cite Masonic sources that claim Masonry as a religion of itself, but includes Masonic defenses of its compatibility with Christianity (and other religions).

In his chapter "Catholic Attitudes toward the Lodge," Mr. Whalen presents the objections of the Catholic Church to Freemasonry as consistently taught for nearly three hundred years. Freemasonry represents a belief system that is at best indifferent toward Christianity, and the unique plan of salvation revealed by Jesus Christ.

He also explains the confusion that resulted in the 1970s, after a Cannon Law revision removed the explicit reference to Freemasonry and its penalty of excommunication for Catholics who joined the Lodge. Many Catholics apparently became Masons during this time under the mistaken impression that Church Teaching had changed. (Rome has since clarified this misunderstanding.)

Whalen devotes a chapter to the Protestant and Eastern Orthodox criticisms of Freemasonry, which are virtually identical to the Catholic position.

In his closing chapter "The Christian and the Lodge," the author explores reasons for the decline of Freemasonry in our society, and insists that while "Christians must respect the decision of others to affiliate with the lodge,...[many] have come to realize that the Great Architect of the Universe is not the God Jesus taught them to call Our Father."