Introduction to The Craft and the Church

Max L. Carpenter, PGM, Grand Secretary,
Grand Lodge F.& A.M. of Indiana, 1992-93

    Depending on your point of view, these times are trying ones for Freemasonry.
    The Craft has come under attack by a few radical factions of religious denominations who are woefully ignorant or have willfully distorted the fundamentals of the fraternity. They are capitalizing on the overall unfamiliarity with Freemasonry and people's inherent suspicion about anything with which they are not familiar. Couple that with their misuse of political power, ability to use propaganda techniques, and the pervasiveness of the mass media, and these enemies of Freemasonry have created quite a tempest about the oldest -- and finest -- fraternity in the world.
    I do not see a great difference in what the Craft is going through now and what happened in Germany and Europe during the times leading up to World War II. The Nazis saw Freemasonry as a threat to their political dominance and set out to eradicate the fraternity. They didn't succeed, and Freemasonry survived to become even stronger.
    Likewise the enemies of the fraternity must see us as a threat to their religious domination and are trying to eliminate us from the American scene.
    I am a firm believer in the democratic way. People have the inherent intelligence to choose between good and bad and to discern falsehoods and propaganda -- if they are given the unvarnished facts. The opponents of Freemasonry base their arguments on erroneous information and lies. Surely any thinking persons must be able to see through that to the reality of the situation.
    These attacks have focused a lot of attention on the fraternity, and that is not all that bad. They have forced the fraternity to come out of its collective shell and make a greater effort to be more understandable and les mysterious to everyone. I urge you to read this article and the accompanying statement on Freemasonry and Religion by the United Grand Lodge of England and use them to advance your knowledge about Freemasonry.