Automatically extracted text. OCR transcription may contain errors.
Fr. Francis E. Fenton
o American, unless he be hopelessly naive or
son's character if that person can’t even betrusted
+. “’ completely amoral, can sincerely deny the
in the first place? The virtue of honesty is involved in
fact that this nation of ours is presently in exceed-
both the seventh and eighth Commandments of
ingly bad shape. And its condition is continually
God, and some of the strongest words of Christ re-
worsening, a matter of grave concern to all knowi-
corded in the entire New Testament are those with
edgeable men and women of goodwill. The crisis
which He condemns the vice of hypocrisy, which is
confronting America today and paving the way for
one form of dishonesty.
its impending fall has asits primary and most funda-
mental cause man’s abandonment of God and His
And what can we say about the practice of the virtue
eternal law. While all but a small minority of the
of honesty here and now in America? Can it be truth-
American people likely profess belief in the Al-
fully stated that the vast majority of the American
mighty, multitudes pay Him but lip service at best, in
people are consistently honest in-their varied rela-
practice rejecting Him and flouting His moral law.
tionships with one another? Are truthfulness, honor,
(“This people honors Mewith their lios, but their
integrity, sincerity distinctive qualities of most
heart is far from Me.’’—Matt. 15, 8) And itis this, the
Americans? Assuredly theyare not. There are, tobe
rejestion of God and the wholesale violation of His
sure, men and women, boys and girls in all walks of
Commandments, which is at the root of the present
life who strive to be perfectly truthful and honorable
degenerate state of the USA.
always and.in all ways but, from my observation,
they are very much in the minority. On the other
in America today immorality is rife and sin abounds.
hand, how common, it seems, is the vice of dishon
The inevitable consequence ofthis is the continuing –
esty in one form or another,
gradual disintegration of the moral fiber of America
. and ultimately —if the situation is not reversed—its
Takelying, for one example. How many people there
destruction as a free and sovereign nation. While
are who think nothingat all of lying and who, if the
the vice of impurity is certainly the principal moral
truth hurts or if to do so will further their purposein
evil of our day, there are, of course, many others
some fashion, will lie in an instant jf they can
contributing to America’s current decadent state. get
away with it. That such is an offense against God
Perhaps primary among those othersis the vice of is
likely among the very least of their concerns. While
dishonesty.
the damage resulting from falsehood may or may
not be obvious in a particular case, the Lord alone
The virtue of honesty may be defined as. that virtue
knows the monstrous harm done to the well-being
which inclines us to be fair and straightforward in
and orderly functioning of society as a whole be-
our conduct ‘and in our dealings with others. It
cause of the deplorable lack of respect for truth
means being aboveboard, free from all trace of in
the spoken and written word on the part of people in
fraud and duplicity. It implies such qualities as
general. The merefact that an oath is required in so
honor, integrity, sincerity, veracity. In Catholic doc-
many instances to confirm the truth of one’s state-
trine honesty is one of the so-called moral virtues
ments is in itself asad commentary on man’s trust
which help us to abide bythe will of Godin our deal- in
the word of his fellowmen, is it not? (“Lying lips are
ings with our fellowmen. Were we to enumerate the
an abomination to the Lord.” —Prov. 12, 22)
many moral virtues in the order of their importance,
honesty would surely place high on such list. Can
And then there is hypocrisy, which is a feigning or a
anything really be said in praise or defense of a per-
pretense to be what one is not, especially the pre-
A publication of Traditional Catholics of America t Editor
: Fr. Francis E. Fenton, STL
Volume VI, No. 7 + October 15, 1985
text of being virtuous in some way in order to make ity. Vice, such as that of dishonesty discussed in
a favorable impression for one reason or another. this article, is rampant; corruption abounds; wicked-
‘Tis said that there is abit of the hypocrite in every- ness and depravity are widespread. Almost nothing
body on occasion. Perhaps so, but | have in mind is held sacred by many, and the moral law of God is
the professional hypocrite, the expert phoney. He is ignored or has been abandoned by multitudes. In-
a sort of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde who, for deed, it would be difficult to exaggerate the extent
example, throws verbal bouquets at you in your of the current morally degenerate state of this coun-
presence and rips you to shreds behind your back; try. History tells us that nation after nation through
or the person who is so very devout when the oc- the ages has been destroyed from within through
casion calls for it but who is quite capable of moral decay. One wonders how long more America
executing a complete reversal of character should can escape a similar fate if it continues downward
circumstances require. And could a better case in along its present course of godlessness and deprav-
point be cited of refined hypocrisy than that ity. +
manifested by manypoliticians who have so ‘“‘per-
fected” this vice as to be able to delude multitudes
with their feigned sincerity and bogus image? And,
on the current American political scene, who, pray The article, “Masonry’s War Against the
tell, provides a better specific example of this Roman Catholic Church,” appeared in the
refined hypocrisy than President Ronald Reagan? April 15, 1985 issue of The Athunusian. As of this
His anti-communist rhetoric can hardly be faulted writing (September 12), 1,425 copies of that
but his near-total lack of anti-Communist action article have been purchased.
proves the phoniness of his words.
But the prime example of dishonesty in public life
has to be the so-called American press (TV, radio,
newspapers, magazines). Propaganda, the suppres- SUBSCRIPTION RENEWALS
sion of truth, managed news, half-truths—these The date on the envelope address label in-
are the order of the day for the well-named prosti- dicates the month and year in which the re-
tute press in the USA, and scores of illustrations cipient’s subscription is due for renewal. At
could readily be given. Since, regrettably, the vast the proper time, a subscription envelope will
majority of the American people rely upon the mass be enclosed with the newsletter. One may
media of communication for their knowledge of do- enter a new subscription at any time, of
mestic and world events, it is obvious why they re- course, and will then receive the eight fol- .
main in ignorance of the true state of affairs and, lowing newsletter issues. t
hence, complacent and apathetic. The only news
they get from the press is what the powers that be in
control of the press choose to dish out to them, and
the truth, say, about Communism, its ruthlessness GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS TO
and bestiality, its steady advance upon the world THE ATHANASIAN
scene, including this country, etc. —such vital truth
is not considered newsworthy. Indeed, no better ex- As of this writing, Christmas is still some
ample of mass deception can be found than the lie two and a half months away. Since there is,
machine called the American press. If this nation, however, but one more issue of this news-
Ged forbid, ever falls victim to Communist con- letter before Christmas, it is not to0 soon to
quest, the reprehensible press of America will un- suggest to our subscribers that they con-
questionably bear a large share of the blame for sider gift subscriptions ($8.00 for eight is-
that catastrophe. sues) for their relatives and acquaintances
aS an appropriate Christmas gift. A card
(As these lines are being written, anti-Communist would be sent to the recipient from this
South Africa is getting a massive dose of ‘smear office prior to Christmas notifying that indi-
treatment” from the mass media. Can you imagine vidual of the gift and informing him or her
that same media attacking in like manner, say, Red that the subscription will begin with the first
China which has murdered tens of millions of jis issue of 1986. Together with the notification
own people and where infanticide and forced abor- card a recent issue of The Athanasian would
tion and-sterilization are government policy? Com- also be sent. We would appreciate our news-
pared to Communist China, South Africa is a model letter subscribers’ favorable consideration
of civilized government.) of this suggestion.
Tne USA is wallowing in the mire of gross immoral-
THE ATHANASIAN OCTOBER 15, 1985
th
“being bitten by the serpents that throng
there. And the wine permits us tooffer to
God every day the most holy sacrifice of the
Mass—a privilege that had been denied us
ma during a longtime.
‘Though his: congregation had grown to about. 300
–
souls, they were constantly besieged by tempta-
tions, the worst of which was liquor.:Sold to the
iedians by unscrupulous whites, it drove them to a
: a nid he | freazy, in which theyJost all sanity. When drunk,
Pressed: aroundwes ad al fan priest
Shake his: hand—a.-« indians brutally attacked’ and murdered. their
a friends, wives and even their children. Father De
there were 600 indiar
The priest. who: inspired “ages ler strap
admiration in the “horses;by
PonkahSiuwasFather Peter
_ Belgiunvin 1801, Peter De-€ BDe Smet. Born in
‘at. age 20 forthe Jesuit
FatherCharles Nerinckx, S.J Ord ai nin: America by:
ned in'St. Louis,
Missouri, onSeptember 23, 18 ,» Father Pe The holy influence of the teaching and ex mpie of
Smet,. S.J.was: sent to’ Flo
ter De ‘their priest gradually overcame. such: evil influ-
ant, Missouri, to ences, and-the Potawatomi mission thrived as a re-
_ teach at amIndian schoolcalled St. Regis
William.Clark Academy. ~ sult. Other Indian nations began to ask for mission-
hagiexplored, the Louisiana Terri. aries. The Flatheads of the Rocky Mountains,learn-
iwe iS.and serve
wig ol cic Faith fromsome Catholic lroqueis- sent
» empsariesto St. Louis. Though the Jesuit provincial | |
wae-concerned about the lack of funds, Father De
_ After the bishops: . Smet’s-enthusiasm won approval for the project. A
Indian missions series. of missions was planned and, on April 30,
‘ty of Jesus atthe Coun- 18-9, he began his missionary travels, travels which
“cil of Baltimorein 3833, | er De Smet was sentto
_ found amission amexg.t weretc.span a quarter of.atentury and bring the .~
awatom Kansas
is.in . _aith to so many-Souls-that he cametobe «
Becauseofits. locatic ission was entirely:de-. the Great Black-gewn. Father De Smet
oats from’ St. Louis. In jusions:about the Indians. ‘‘Among them
Hes Caused wrote,.‘are metthe same cruelty, the same
itty, the same sloth and supineness, infine,
Ne same degrading andrevolting superstitions, .
boat, bringing -248hed tothe most remotelimits which the human
finall » abandoned to itself'and under the empire of
af
2aSSIONS; can reach.” — –
:
Yef he found that, when: approached by miss
ofS." “whose zeal is prompted only bythe ion:
our Dive Mast
love of
er, and with no object but the happi-
ness of ihe poor souls entrusted to
their care,"’ the
Indians Nave ever listened to the
noly truths…
with extreme pleasure and
lively interest. Among
_the indians of the great
¢ : Americ an desert, | never
‘ound even one who presumed to rail against our
haly religion.”
– enlarge
Jitmy The most pernicious influence on the India
ns
that of the “‘mediciné men or. juggiers.” Fath was
er De
OCTOBER 15, 1985
pa
Smet related the history of one of the most powerful to Father De Smet, begging for a priest. Addressing
of these charlatans, Tchatka, who rose to become him as ‘‘Black-gown, Father, and Friend,” he said
chief of his clan of Assiniboins by accurately pre- he had been informed by Col. Mitchell, superinten-
dicting the deaths of all who opposed him——and dent of Indian Territory, that no priest would be
then secretly poisoning them: “He performed his available to the Assiniboins for four or five years.
diabolical deeds with such skill and secrecy, that Deeply distressed, he declared:
the Indians were firmly persuaded that their chief
had only to will it, and they would die.”’ Black-gown, five years are long to wait! In
this long interval | and many of my children
As the light of Faith spread throughout the Western may have entered the land of spirits. Take
tribes, the Sioux, who had long resisted the words of pity on us! The Black-gowns ought not to de-
the priests, asked Father De Smet to come to them. lay their coming so long. | am growing old:
In the camp of the Oglalas, with the aid of an inter- before | die | should like to begin the work,
preter, he explained the Ten Commandments. There and then | could depart satisfied.
followed an embarrassed whispering at his explana-
tion of several of the Commandments and so, writes But, as more Indians were wonto the Faith, Protes-
Father De Smet: tantism arrived on the scene. Protestant ministers
attempted to lure Catholic Indians away from the
| inquired the reason of this conduct, and ex- fold, and were aided by the medicine men who tried
plained to them that the law | came to an- to convince Indian parents to take their children out
nounce to them was not mine, but God's, of the Catholic schools and put them into Protestant
and that it was obligatory on all the children schools. But these converts to the Faith were not so
of men; that the word of God required all easily led astray. The Potawatomi chief, Joseph
their attention and respect: that those who Mechkomi, was harassed by a Methodist minister
observe his commandments will have eter- who, on one ofhis visits, found the chief reading his
nal life, while the prevaricators of his holy Bible. When asked what he was reading, Mechkomi
law shall receive hell and all its torments as replied, ‘The Word of God.” The minister asked,
their lot. The great chief at once arose and “And what does the Lord say to you?’’ Mechkomi
replied: ‘‘Father, we hear thee; we knew not answered, ‘‘He says, ‘bewareof false prophets, for
the words of the Great Spirit, and we ac- they will come in the form of lambs, but within they
knowledge our ignorance. Weare great liars will be ravening wolves.’’’ Mechkomi added, ‘‘And
and thieves; we havekillec; we have done all do you stop laying snares for us, or go elsewhere,
the evil that the Great Spirit forbids us to do; for here you lose your time and trouble.”
but we did not know these beautiful words; in
future wewill try to live better; if thou wilt but The Catholic priests worked to protect the Indians
stay with us and teach us.”’ from the continual encroachment of land-hungry
settlers and government officials, who made
Among all the Indian converts, Father De Smet treaties and did not honor them, swindling the In-
found ‘‘a universal and very tender devotion to the dians out of their lands. Father De Smet believed
Blessed Virgin, a most evident mark that the Faith that, if educated, the Indians could live successfully
had taken deeprootin their souls.”’ Having learned and at peace with their neighbors. But he received
God's laws, they amended their lives. Victor little encouragement from the government.
Alamiken, chief of the Kalispels, gave his provisions
to the others in his camp during a winter scarcity, Though the U.S. Government’s Indian policy was
denying himself food. The great Flathead chief, not favorable to the Catholic missions, Father De
Michael insula, prayed the entire rosary in his wig- Smet’s aid was often sought in government dealings
wam morning and evening. His example of piety so with the Indians. He was asked to help put an end to
inspired this tribe that U.S. Army Lieutenant Mullan the Sioux uprising and to stop hostilities in the
wrote in astonishment: Yakima war in Oregon. He also served as chaplain
to the U.S. Army in the 1858 expedition against the
All being assembled, at a signal given by the Mormons in Utah, giving him an opportunity to study
chief, they prayed aloud…The whole as- this sect in which, he says, ‘‘The initiated take an
sembly knelt. In the most solemn manner, oath of blind obedience, as understood by the
and with the greatest reverence, they secret societies of Europe.”
adored the Lord. | asked myself: Am | among
Indians? Am | among people whomall the As more Protestant settlers came in contact with
world call savages? the Catholic missionaries, they too were inspired to
learn more about the Catholic religion. Many of
In 1851, ‘the Bear,” chief of the Assiniboins, wrote Father De Smet’s letters described the conversions
THE ATHANASIAN OCTOBER 15, 1985
which resulted. Twenty-two-year-old Randolph
Benton, the son of Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. Sen-
ator from Missouri, sent for Father De Smet from his .
The USA, Past and Present—
deathbed. Randolph told Father De Smet, ‘'! desire
Christian or Masonic?
with all my heart to be baptized. 'It is a great boon
which Heaven vouchsafes to me.” His father in-
Mr. John Weiskittel has written numerous arti-
formed the priest, ‘‘The words of my son fill me with cles for this newsletter over the past several
joy, despite the grief which tears my heart. If he years. In my opinion, the one bearing the above
dies, he will die a Cnristian.”’ title which appears with this issue is the best of
them all. While those who haveread his articles
Soon after the death of his son, Senator Benton on the subject in previous issues must certainly
wrote Father De Smet that Randolph had consid- nave gotten the message that Masonry is in-
ered taking this step for four years and ‘‘that it was deed a work of evil, many of them quite likely
not the near approach of death and the sickbed that still do not realize the extent of the power and
brought him to this act, but his own heart, in the hap- influence that Masonry has had upon the Ameri-
piest state of his health and mind.” can scene. Such people would probably still call
the USA a Christian nation. But is it really? Or. .
As conversions grew, so did opposition to the Cath- was it ever? After reading this latest Weiskittel
olic Church. In spite of attacks, physical as well as article, | readily confess to at least having
verbal, the courageous priests calmly continued second thoughts on the matter.
their work, accepting God’s will. One of those
priests was Father de Theux who, when asked by a lf, then, our newsletter subscribers and others
club-wielding thug what weapon he carried that who may have the opportunity to read this issue
made him so unafraid, exhibited his crucifix, saying, of The Athanasian are as impressed as | am with
“this Is my weapon; | have no need of any other.’’ the Masonryarticle, surely they will want to do
all they can to give it as wide a circulation as
Father Peter De Smet was responsible for bringing possible. And if a sizable number of them will do
the one, true Faith to countless souls in America’s just that, | do believe that the article could make
West, blazing the trail for the missionaries who a significant impact upon many of our fellow
followed. He died quietly on May 23, 1872, in his Americans concerned about our nation’s wel-.
room at Saint Louis University at the age of 72, fare. Here, too, is a project made to order for
havifig spent the greater portion of his Jife traveling traditional Roman Catholics who honestly want
on the missions. Far away from a decaying Europe, to do something concrete and worthwhile in
“shaken to the centre by the incessant efforts of terms of apostolic action. Let them, by way of
learned impiety,’ he found a vigorous new land, their wide distribution of this article, inform as
where hardship and danger were a small inconve- many as they reasonably can of the powerful in-
nience compared with the rewards to be gained. fluence upon our nation of the satanic con-
spiracy of Freemasonry. Multitudes of the
-Father De Smet knew the conversion of America to American people simply do not know the truth
be an all-important task, and he devoted his life to about Freemasonry.
its accomplishment. What would he think of our
efforts? + The article discussed hereis being published as
a supplement to this issue of The Athanasian. In
order to do our part to contribute to its wide cir-
culation, the price we are charging for addi-
tional copies is not even sufficient for us to
break even financially. The price scale for quan-
tity orders appears at the conclusion of the
article. +
—Fr. F. Fenton
THE ATHANASIAN OCTOBER 15, 1985
NOW AVAILABLE
| FROM
TRADITIONAL CATHOLICS
OF AMERICA
P.O. Box 38335
Colorado Springs, CO 80937
Phone: 303/636-1575
ROSARIES
AN APPROPRIATE CHRISTMASGIFT TO
A TRADITIONAL ROMAN CATHOLIC
Two types of rosaries are available:
The man’s rosary is made with light brown
wood beads and crucifix to match. The lady's.
rosary is made with moonstone beads which
come in sapphire and white. Both have
‘nun’s loops’? which are used for extra
strength. Please indicate color when ordering
the jady’s rosary.
$15.00 each
Payment must accompany orders.
PLEASE ALLOW 4-6 WEEKS FOR
DELIVERY
THE ATHANASIAN
Published by Traditional Catholics of America
Eight issues a year: Jan. 15, Mar. 1, Apr. 15, June 1, July 15, Sept. 1, Oct. 15, Dec. 1)
$12.00 per
Subscriptions: $ 8.00 per year (via First Class Mail} for the USA, Canada and Mexico;
year (via Air Mail) for all other countries
Additional copies: single copy – $1.00; 10 copies – $8.00; 40 or mote to same address – $.70 each
Mailing address: P.O, Box 38335, Colorado Springs, CO 80937
Telephone: (303) 636-1575
Manuscripts sent to us for possib le publication in The Athanasi
an should be typewritten, double-spaced and no more than
sender.
seven pages in length. If not accepted, they will be returned to the
or in part without the written permission of the TCA.
Noarticles from this newsletter may be reproduce d either in whole
6 OCTOBER 15, 1985
THE ATHANASIAN
THE USA, PAST AND PRESENT—
John Kenneth Weiskittel
THE USA, PAST AND PRESENT—CHRISTIAN OR MASONIC?
John Kenneth Weiskittel
ne of the major contentions of the group of promise that they would leave the harbor without
¥ conservative Christians dubbed the Reli- unloading their tea cargoes.”
gious Right by the mass media is that the United
States was founded as.a Christian nation and that Far from being an isolated incident, the Boston Tea
many ofits present woesare due to the fact thatthis Party's Masonic origin was consistent with the
origin is largely ignored or forgotten by those in tenor of the American Revolution. Freemasons
positions of power and influence. Many, if not most, playing major roles read like a Who's Who of the
Americans would agree with this assessment. But /s Revolution. Besides S. Adams, Hancock and
America a Christian state? Wasit ever? Revere, one can add James Madison, Robert
Morris, Roger Sherman, John Paul Jones, Rufus
“The government of the United States of America is King, John Marshall and Benjamin Franklin, to
not, in any sense, founded upon the Christian reli- “name a few. Foreign Masons also contributed to the
gion.”’ This categorical denial does not come to us effort, such as the Marquis de Lafayette and Baron
from the secular humanists but from the Founding vonSteuben. Scottish Rite Sovereign Grand Com-
Fathers. Itis part of a treaty signed in 1796 between mander Henry Clausen, in his book Messagesfor a
the Revolutionary U.S. government and Tripoli, ap- Mission, indicates even more outside help in this
parently necessitated because Tripoli’s rulers were . description of how British General Cornwallis’ army
Moslems. ste was deprived’ of reinforcements at the Battle of
Yorktown:
What, then, is America’s real identity? Catholic
scholar Solange Hertz has called it ‘‘a wholly artifi- Consequently, all now depended upon
cial nation suddenly put together from scratch by whether a French fleet could stop the British
English Masonry.”’ Let those who doubt such a naval units. The French were enroute from
characterization read the following evidence— the West Indies under Admiral Comte
much of it cited from Masonic sources—and then Francois de Grasse, father of Comte
draw their conciusions. – Auguste de Grasse-Tilly who helped found
our Supreme Council at Charleston in 1801.
Daniel Webster called it the “Headquarters of the « A Venezuelan General, Francisco de
Revolution.”’ He was referring to a Boston tavern Miranda, a Mason of the Rite of Perfection,
where Paul Revere, Samual Adams, John Hancock the precursor of our Scottish Rite, enabled
and other ‘Sons of Liberty’’ met to lay the ground- Admiral de Grasse to bring the French fleet
work of the War of Independence. The same pub _..t0 Yorktown. General de Miranda per-
was also the home of the Massachusetts Provincial suaded his Masonic friends in Venezuela
Grand Lodge known as the Lodge of St,Andrew. and Cuba to advance 135,000 and other re-
This Masonic hotbed was. called…the Green sources to finance and thus assure the
Dragon. “ : French expedition…
On December 16, 1773, a group.of men dressed as Cornwallis would surrender to end the war. Clausen
Mohawk Indians boarded English merchant ships in writes: ‘“‘Masons can be especially proud to com-
Boston Harbor. and destroyed ninety thousand dol- memorate this event as Independence Day and re-
lars worth of tea—the so-called Boston Tea Party. call one more Masonic link in the chain of events
The Masonic Association publication, One if by that led to our independence and freedom.”
Land and Twoif by Sea, states: ‘Freemasons of the
Colony undoubtedly had a large part in the destruc- But for the very embodiment of the Lodge's contri-
tion of the tea cargoes.”’ It goes on to say that on the bution to America’s identity we must turn to the
night of November 30, 1773, only seven members of Father of our Country, George Washington. In 1752,
St. Andrew Lodge (to which Paul Revere belonged) his thirtieth year, Washington was initiated as a
were present for the annual election of officers, the Mason and, from that point, the Lodge played a sig-
rest being busy calling mass meetings and prevent- nificant part in much ofhis life. He presided over the
ing the tea from being unloaded. ‘Another meeting Alexandria, Virginia Lodge, and was thrice pro-
was called on the 30th,” One if by Land…con- posed as General Grand Master of the United
tinued, ‘‘at which officers of two additional ships States. When he wasinaugurated President on April
which had arrived in the meantime were made to 30, 1789, he took the oath of office on a Masonic
SUPPLEMENT ~ OCTOBER15, 1985
Bible and was sworn in by Robert Livingston, Grand Testaments are forgeries.’ This finds expression in
Master of the New York Grand Lodge. And four the Declaration of Independence where we read
years later—clad in the apron of the Craft and as- “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God.” And lest
sisted by the Grand Lodge of Maryland and his own anyone think this refers to the Christian God, let him
Alexandria Lodge—Washington, acting as Grand near what the Declaration’s author, Thomas
Master pro tem, laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Jefferson (another man who, if he wasn’t a Mason,
Capitol—a stone covered with Masonic symbols cheated the Lodges out of membership dues), has
(including Egyptian hieroglyphs). to say of the Blessed Trinity: a “‘hocus-
pocus phantasm of a God…incomprehensible to
Cornerstones of a different sort, the Constitution the human mind.’’ In Masonic terminology, ‘‘Na-
and the Declaration of Independence, also bear the ture’s God” is expressed as the Great Architect of
markings of the Lodge. Twenty-three signers of the the Universe. To be sure, many Christians partici-
Constitution belonged to the Brotherhood, as did pated in the American Revolution, but they did not
nine (possibly more) of the Declaration’s 56 en- direct it.
dorsers. In addition, of the 42 men who opened the
Constitutional Convention and who had the most Masons In The Halls Of Power
input in formulating the document, over half (28) Having established an experimental nation based
were affiliated with the Freemasons. on its principles, Masonry was not about to relin-
quish control. This has been accomplished largely
Small wonder, then, that Clausen’s book includes a by a system of mutual promotion of fellow Masons
chapter entitled ‘‘The Masonic Strength of Our Con- and the inculcation of its ideas to the non-masonic.
stitution.’ He writes: ‘‘We thrill with pride that public via the press and government schools. And
Masons in the main, Masonic minds directing Ma- the resulting representation, or rather over-repre-
sonic hands, wrote the immortal Declaration of In- sentation, of Masons in the halls of power is nothing
dependence, the Constitution and the American Bill short of incredible. Consider Henry Clausen’s
of Rights. They impressed their Masonic conceptof boast:
freedom firmly upon the fabric of our country. They
determined that here in our country there should be Masons number among them today many
‘liberty under law’ rather than rule by men…’’ Many outstanding and famous Brethren in the
Christian Americans find comfort in the idea of fields of business, finance, the arts, the pro-
living in a land governed by law, but it would be a fessions, music and high public and military
good idea to take a deeper look at what kind of law service. They have included 14 Presidents
is being talked about here. and 18 Vice Presidents of the United States;
a majority of the Justices of the United
We already know, based on the Tripoli Treaty States Supreme Court, of the Governors of
(signed, incidentally, by Washington), that this law the States, of the members of the Senate,
was not ‘‘founded on the Christian religion.’ Most of and a large percentage of the Congressmen.
the men who led the fight against King George II Five Chief Justices of the United States
were not Christians, but De/sts. According to the were Masons and two were Grand Masters
Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Free- …(The two Grand Masters were John Mar-
masonry was a ‘‘stronghold of Deism.” The basic shall and Earl Warren, whose Court effec-
canons of Deism are in stark contrast to those of tively ended prayer in the schools.)
Christianity: the existence of a Supreme Being is
known by reason alone; prophecies, revelation and The Mason-Presidents were, according to Joseph
miracles are rejected; a ‘‘natural’’ religion in which Nathan Kane's Facts about the Presidents, Wash-
man could achieve virtuous living without divine aid ington, Monroe, Jackson, Polk, Buchanan, A.
is advocated: God does not intercede in history in Johnson, Garfield, Mckinley, T. Roosevelt, Taft,
the Christian sense and, consequenily, religion has Harding, F. D. Roosevelt, Truman, L. B. Johnson
no place in public affairs. (All of which sounds very and Ford. Other lists have added or omitted names
much like what is being passed off for Christianity in but Kane's seems authentic as he has taken care to
many Churches today.) The “Godfather of list the date on which each one was ‘‘raised”’ (that
America,’’ Thomas Paine, was a Deist and a Free- is, became Master Masons) and into what lodge.
mason in spirit if not in fact. In The Age of Reason (Note that Kane has named 15 Presidents, one more |
(as opposed to Faith), he said Christianity was ‘‘Too than Clausen—perhaps a typographical error in the
absurd for belief, too impossible to convince, and latter’s work. Yet Kane has failed to include Madi-
too inconsistent for practice…so far as respects son, who is identified as a Mason by Clausen as well
the good of man in general, it leads to nothing here as inthe June 1976 issue of Masonic Temple Topics.
or hereafter.” ‘‘The creation is the Bible of the Another writer for the Craft, Bernard Whitman, has
Deist,’’ he continued, “…all other Bibles and asserted that every President up to, and including,
SUPPLEMENT OCTOBER 15, 1985
Jackson were members. Still others would make word Masonic each time ‘‘American’”’ is used. First,
Elsenhower a Mason because he was sworn in Clausen attacks ‘‘the peculiar nature of parochial
using Washington’s Masonic Bible. Even less credi- schoois, with smail children the possible preyofreli-
bly, some allege that every Commander-in-Chief gious zealots, (which) makes impermissible in our
has been a Lodge member. It can be stated, how- American Constitutional posture the State-subsi-
ever, that none of those without affiliation have dized selection of such schools in any form,” for “‘if
openly gone against the Masonic Establishment.) any or all the 266-plus religious denominations of
this country were to operate their own schools,
Thaddeus Stevens, Pennsylvania's delegate to the each would indoctrinate primarily the dogma ofits
1830 Anti-Masonic Convention, noted of the situa- particular Church,’’ and some of the teachings
tion in his day: ‘‘…though but one hundred thou- would be ‘‘diametrically opposed to American prin-
sand of the people of these United States are free- ciples.’’ (Never mind that public schools inculcate
masons, yet almostall the offices of high profit and Masonic dogmas often diametrically opposed to
high honor are filled with gentlemen of that institu- Christ.) He then ail but admits that tne function of
tion.” The current U.S. Congress has over 10 per- state schools is to expose (usually unsuspecting)
cent of its members openly claiming Masonic mem- children to a Masonic training when he writes thus
bership. This represents a percentage that is twice about the First Amendment: “'…if our primary
as high as that for Masons in the overall adult popu- American principles were to grow and be per-
lation. (There are between five and six million petuated for posterity, if our children’s children
Masons in the USA.) were to have those blessings of liberty, then there
must be public nonsectarian schools to teach those
That Masons have wielded an inordinate degree of principles. Of necessity, these schools must be run
power is incontestable, but it is not surprising when by the State as a place where our children can be
one reflects that this is their country. The much- welded into an enlightened and unified American
heraided freedoms all have a Masonic cutting edge. citizenry. Under the law, no Church can put a hand
Free speech includes the ‘right’ to publish any- upon the child in a public school.” (!) In short, the
thing, even the most depraved pornography, so long amorality taught and observed in government-ma-
as it has ‘redeeming social value.’’ Religious free- sonic schools invites children to have an adversary
dom not only guarantees that Christians may wor- relationship with parents in Christian families. Canit
ship as they please (so long as they don’t attempt to be a coincidence that DeWitt Clinton, an architect
use their teachings to influence governmentpolicy), of the public school system, was a Mason? Or that
but it also gives equal footing to witches, satanists Americans United for Separation of Church & State
ana pagans of every stripe, including the Rajneesh snares an address with the Masonic Services Asso-
sex-violence cult that has taken over an Oregon ciation of the U.S.?
town. (Interestingly, several homegrown American
religions have Masonic tie-ins: Mormonism was The Great Seal of the U.S. And
founded by a Mason and employs Masonic doc- Other Masonic Links
trines and blood oaths; Christian Science denies a One of the clearest evidences of America’s Ma-
personal God and uses the cross-and-crowninsig- sonic identity lies within the grasp of millions of
nia of the Knights Templar; Theosophy seeks an un- Americans, yet few recognize it as such…the one
holy union of paganism and Christianity, etc.) dollar bill. Washington stares out at us on the front,
of course, but the clincher is on the back in the form
Nowhere is the hidden hand of the Lodge more in of the two designs that comprise the Great Seal of
evidence than in the issue of separation of Church the United States: the rampant eagle and the mys-
and State. Particularly shrill are the voices when the terious eye above the pyramid.
topic is the sacred cow of government-masonic
public education. (Over 30 pages in Messagesfor a Both represent the Lodge Triumphant. The eagle is
Mission deal with the Church/State question, and discussed in Manly P. Hall's The Secret Technique
every one of them is devoted to a defense of public of All Ages, a book he dedicated to San Diego’s
schools and an attack on Church schools.) Not con- Scottish Rite Bodies and to Sweden’s Crown Prince
tent with showering fulsome praise on the courts for (by law, all Swedish kings must be Masons): ‘‘Care-
vetoing every effort by Christians to obtain ful analysis of the seal discloses a mass of occult
vouchers or tax credits as a means to offset the and Masonic symbols, chief among them the so-
compulsory nature of public education, Clausen re- called American eagle…’’ He says ‘‘so-called’’ be-
veais a hatred for non-masonic schools and pro- cause the original sketches were of the phoenix, a
vides an insight into why the Masons are at the fore- mythical bird in pagan legend that rose anew from ~
front of the education battle. its own ashes. Albert Pike, Clausen’s predecessor
in the 1800’s, in his Morals and Dogma cails the
In the following quotes it is instructive to read the phoenix a symbol of the Great Work (thatis, the Ma-
SUPPLEMENT OCTOBER 15, 1985
sonic Conspiracy). (Pike also states, ‘‘Lucifer is a trestle-board setting forth symbolically the task to
God."’) The eagle, though, has links with the Lodge the accomplishment of which the United States
as well, for a double-headed version of the eagle Government was dedicated the day of its
signifies Scottish Rite’s 33rd degree. The 13 stars inception.’ (Gerald Ford, Mason, addressing the
above it form a Star of David, and are of themselves Grand Lodge of Michigan, said Masonry must lead
shaped as pentagrams, yet another occult connec- America into the New Age.)
tion. (A pentagram with an inverted point is used by
the Eastern Star and in black magic rituals.) Hall “The Star-Spangied Banner’’ was set by Francis
also says that the number 13 is not merely fo repre- Scott Key to the tune of a Masonic drinking song.
sent the colonies, but that in the Star of David (or The song was originally known in England as ‘‘To
Seal of Solomon) it comprises ‘‘the sacred emblem Anacreon in Heaven’ and, according to Paul Neitl
of the initiates’ and is of mystical import. in National Anthems, this was “‘the official song of
the Anacreonic Society of London, a sort of social-
The “eye in the triangle,’’ however, is the feature musical-masonic club” founded in 1771. Nettl notes
that attracts the most attention. Amoment’s reflec- that Key specified in the anthem’s first printing that
tion illuminates the unintelligible: the pyramid, being it be sung to the tune of this song and today’s ver-
a stone structure and chosen due to the Lodge’s sion is only slightly altered. So change the national
preoccupation with ail things pagan, recalls the anthem, you say? Ah, but with what might it be re-
original meaning of mason—and so depicts the placed? ‘‘America’’ (‘My Country 'Tis of Thee’),
Craft, while the eye is Masonry’s false god, The perhaps? Well, consider that this is to the tune of
Great Architect of the Universe, who (relates the “God Save the King (Queen) which, as Neitl tells
Latin, ‘““Annuit Coeptis,’’) favors their machinations. us, is also popular in Europe with different texts and,
In the Christian Book Club of America’s booklet, The you guessed it, ‘started its career on the continent
Cult of the All-Seeing Eye, author Robert Keith as a masonic song.”’ Alright, you say, then perhaps
Spenser tells us that the eye’s history can be traced a rousing Sousa march such as ‘‘Stars and Stripes
back to ancient Chaldea as the Solar Eye, and that it Forever’? But John Philip Sousa was a Mason and
then went through various cultures as the Eye of Shriner who also wrote a ‘'Nobles of the Mystic
Baal, of Jupiter, of Osiris. This is confirmed by E. R. Shrine March.’’ We might wonder, too, about allu-
Johnston in Masonry Defined: A Liberal Masonic sions to a ‘‘band of Brothers” in ‘‘Hail Columbia’”’
Education, where he writes that it (the eye) is ‘‘an and to “crown thy good with Brotherhood” in
important symbol of the Supreme Being, borrowed “America the Beautiful,’ since Masonry claims to
by the Freemasons from the nations of antiquity,” be a brotherhood.
including ‘‘…the Egyptians (who) represented
Osiris, their chief deity, by the symbol of an open The Statue of Liberty is another part of the national
eye, and (who) placed this hieroglyphic of him in all consciousness that is as ‘“‘American”’ as, weil, the
their temples.”’ (No evidence has ever shown the “Star-Spangled Banner.’’ When the colossal cop-
eye to represent the God of Christians.) per figure was brought to Bedloe’s Island in 1884,
writes Oscar Handlin in The Statue of Liberty, ‘The
As for ‘‘Novus Ordo Seclorum,”’ this New Order of Augusta (Georgia) Chronicle wondered whether a
the Ages is the Masonic drive to supplant the New pagan divinity was really appropriate for a Christian
Testament of Jesus Christ—the only genuine new country.’ (No, it isn’t, but quite proper for a Masonic
order —with its pagan hodgepodge. The All-Seeing one!) The Chronicle’s description is apt, and is in
Eye motif is also found on the Great Seal of Colo- keeping with the perception of the Lodge. In Mystic
rado and on a stained glass window abovethe altar Americanism, Supreme Grand Master R. S. Clymer
in the Congressional prayer room in Washington. notes that ‘‘we have the Goddess of Liberty in New
Some state constitutions also have thinly-disguised York harbor, as a symbol and reminder of our heir-
variations of the Great Architect, such as ‘‘Sover- ship of the ages.”’ Ostensibly a token of France's
eign Ruler of the Universe” or ‘‘great Legislator of friendship with the U.S., ‘‘Miss (or is that Ms.?) Lib-
the Universe.” erty” is in reality a show of solidarity between the
Masonic Lodges in each land. Close examination
Mr. Hall concludes on the subject: ‘‘Not only were showsthat the inspiration for the design came from
many of the founders of the United States Govern- the Goddess of Reason that was blasphemously
ment Masons, but they received aid from a secret paraded around cathedrais during the French Revo-
and august (sic) body existing in Europe, which lution, and from Delacroix’s painting, ‘Liberty lead-
helped them to establish this country for a pecullar ing the People,”’ which celebrated the later revolt in
and particular purpose known only to the initiated 1830. Freemasonry had a hand in each insurrec-
few. The Great Seal is the signature of this exalted tion. Handlin notes that Lodges in France helped
body—unseen and for the most part unknown— raise 200,000 francs for the statue project, butfails
and the unfinished pyramid upon its reverse side is to note what Solange Hertz’ careful research (in her
SUPPLEMENT OCTOBER15, 1985
article, ‘The Strange Spirit of '76’') has uncov- whether he knows it or not. A Christian Mason is a
ered—that the artist, sculptor F. A. Barthodi, was a contradiction in terms.
Mason and the Grand Lodge of New York also
raised funds and laid the cornerstone for the base. lt is our responsibility to pray for America and to ex-
The official title of the work, ‘Liberty Enlightening pose the dark powers that have been soinfluential
the World,”’ is unmistakably Masonic in message. in its founding and history. And we need to educate
(The statue’s inscription was composed bysocialist our fellow Americans to the unpleasant facts con-
Emma Lazarus.) cerning our country—a country far too many
naively identify as Christian—and to impress upon
As for Old Glory, Hall relates that its design came them the stark fact that the anti-Christian environ-
from a man unknownto any of the founding Fathers ment in which we are nowliving has been deliber-
except Washington and Franklin, a ‘‘man of mys- ately brought about by satanic forces for the pur-
tery’ who was only spoken of as ‘‘the Professor.” pose of destroying Christian civilization. The con-
He quotes Robert Allen Campbell’s Our Flag at spiracy of Freemasonry Is every bit as horrendous
length to show that this man was an agent of“the an evil as is the conspiracy of Communism. God
secret societies of Europe (which) conspired to es- wills that we oppose and expose both in every
tablish upon the American continent a new nation, morally lawful way at our disposal.(]
‘conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposi-
tion that all men are created equai.’’’ The Washing- TEE EEETP EET ELE TTTTE TTTTT PTET PETIT ETAT
ton Monument is in the shape of an obelisk, still
MASONSIN THE
another edifice favored by Masons and knownto be
used by them as grave markers, but one that hasits
roots in obscene pagan worship condemned by God
(see Lev. 26:1). Obelisks were used in ancient
Egypt. 9 9 T H C O N G R E S
Of the 535 members in the current United States
How Did It Happen? What Can Be Done? Congress, 58 have Masonic affiliations according
The preceeding is but a fraction of the evidence that to biographical skeches that appear in the 7985-86
can be marshaled to show that the United States of Congressional Directory. This amounts to 10.8 per-
America is a Masonically-contrived nation as well cent representation, with 13 senators (13 percent)
as being by far the Lodge’s strongest bastion in the and 45 representatives (10.3 percent). By compari-
world. How did the colonial Christians allow them- son, only about 4 percent of the nation’s overall
selves to be used in such a way? To begin with, adult population belong to the Lodge and. its
there were enough legitimate grievances against women’s auxiliary, Eastern Star. There is reason,
the way the Colonies were being treated to render however, for believing the number of Freemasons
the task easier. Furthermore, the strategically- on Capitol Hill may be larger because some legisia-
placed Masons were content to mask their lan- tors listed membership only in ‘‘fraternal bodies”’
guage so that Christians would not be alarmed— for their Directory entries. Care has been taken to
“God,” for example, would be substituted for the include every individual who identified himself as
Great Architect of the Universe. And, too, the con- belonging to the ‘‘Masons,” ‘‘Scottish Rite’’ or
cept of ‘‘religious liberty” was appealing to many “Eastern Star’ but it is possible that, in reading
who never suspected whatit really meant. through thousands of lines of biographical data,
one or more entries have been overlooked. In the
Today, many of the rank-and-file Masons are following lists each lawmaker is identified by his
hoodwinked (no pun intended) into thinking that they political party and State and, in a few cases,
can maintain a dual Church/Lodge membership significant comments found in the entries are also
without doing harm to their profession of Christ. included.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In his for-
ward to E.M. Storm’s Should a Christian be a SENATE
Mason?, Protestant minister James D.’Shaw, him- (10 REPUBLICANS, 3 DEMOCRATS):
self a former Craft member, dispels this myth while JAMES ABDNOR, Rep., South Dakota; MARK
providing sound advice as well: ‘‘Having left Free- ANDREWS, Rep., North Dakota; ROBERT BYRD,
masonry after 19 years and attaining the 33rd de- Dem., West Virginia—‘'33rd Degree’; awarded
gree, | feel that a Blood-washed Christian has a duty “Grand Cross of the Court of Honor (highestindivi-
to warn others to avoid the satanic trap of Free- dual distinction bestowed by the Supreme Council;
masonry. Also the Mason who professes to be a as of 1978, there were only 18 living members who
Christian should leave this heresy.’’ For the Chris- had received this honor)’; ROBERT DOLE, Rep.,
tian in Masonry, he is truly Christian in inverse pro- Kansas; JAMES EXON, Dem., Nebraska; CHARLES
portion to the amount of Masonry he has absorbed, GRASSLEY, Rep., lowa; JESSE HELMS, Rep., North
SUPPLEMENT OCTOBER 15, 1985
Carolina—‘‘32nd Degree’’; ‘‘Grand Orator, Grand
Lodge of North Carolina’; ERNEST HOLLINGS,
Dem., South Carolina; MACK MATTINGLY, Rep.,
Georgia; JAMES MCCLURE, Rep., idaho; ROBERT
STAFFORD, Rep., Vermont; ALAN SIMPSON, Rep.,
Wyoming-—‘‘various Masonic bodies and the
Shrine’; STROM THURMOND,. Rep., South Caro-
lina.
HOUSE
(24 REPUBLICANS, 21 DEMOCRATS):
BERKLEY BEDELL, Dem., lowa; CHARLES
BENNETT, Dem., Florida; THOMAS BEVEL, Dem.,
Alabama; MICHAEL BILIRAKIS, Rep., Florida:
WILLIAM BROOMFIELD, Rep., Michigan; CARROLL
CAMPBELL, Rep., South Carolina; WILLIAM
CHAPPELL, Dem., Florida; HAL DAUB, Rep.,
Nebraska; WILLIAM DICKINSON, Rep., Alabama;
MICKEY EDWARDS, Rep., Oklahoma; DONALD
FUQUA, Dem., Florida; BENJAMIN GILMAN, Rep.,
New York; JOHN PAUL HAMERSCHMIDT, Rep.,
Arkansas; AUGUSTUS HAWKINS, Dem., California:
CECIL HEFTEL, Dem., Hawaii; ELWOOD HILLIS,
Rep., Indiana; LARRY HOPKINS, Rep., Kentucky;
FRANK HORTON, Rep., New. York; WILLIAM
HUGHES, Dem., New Jersey—'‘past master’:
ANDREW IRELAND, Rep., Florida; WALTER JONES,
Dem., North Carolina) THOMAS LEWIS, Rep.,
Florida; TRENT LOTT, Rep., Mississippi; RONALD
MARLENEE, Rep., Montana; CARLOS MOORHEAD,
Rep., California; JOHN MYERS, Rep., Indiana:
WILEIAM NICHOLS, Dem., Alabama; CARL PER-
KINS, Dem., Kentucky; CLAUDE PEPPER, Dem.,
Florida; NICK RAHALL, Dem., West Virginia; BUDDY
ROEMER, Dem., Louisiana; MARTY RUSSO, Dem.,
llinois; RICHARD SCHULZE, Rep., Pennsylvania:
IKE SKELTON, Dem., Missouri; ROBERT SMITH,
Rep., Oregon; VIRGINIA SMITH, Rep.,
-Nebraska—“'Eastern Star’; GENE SNYDER, Rep.,
Kentucky; GERALD SOLOMON, Rep., New York:
SAMUEL STRATTON, Dem., New York; GENE
TAYLOR, Rep., Missouri; TIMOTHY VALENTINE,
Dem., North Carolina; WESLEY WATKINS, Dem.,
Oklahoma; CHARLES WHITELY, Dem., Mississippi;
CHALMERS WYLIE, Rep., Ohio.
The above article appeared as a supplement to the
October 15, 1985 issue of The Athanasian, a
publication of Traditional Catholics of America.
Additional copies of the supplement are available at
the following prices:
3 copies for $ 2.00 (minimum order)
25 copies for $15.00
50 copies for $25.00
(Payment must accompany order)
Please order from:
Traditional Catholics ofAmerica
P.O. Box 38335, Colorado Springs, CO 80937
SUPPLEMENT OCTOBER 15, 1985
SUPPLEMENT OCTOBER 15, [985
~J