The Cloud of Prejudice[: A Study in Anti-masonryFreemasonry has historically suffered from unfounded fanatical religious attacks. Why? Because Freemasonry transcends all religions by being universal in its approach to God. This ignites the pettiness of narrow-minded religious zealots who stoop to making outlandish accusations against Freemasonry based upon their own biased and often deliberate misinterpretations of Masonic rituals and publications. This study focuses on the anti-Masonic message of Pastor Ron Carlson, President of 'Christian Ministries International: (Eden Prairie, Minnesota), who markets his anti-Masonic sermon on an audio cassette entitled 'Freemasonry and the Masonic Lodge." The global distribution of Carlson's message has made him one of the most popular speaking 'authorities" on the alleged dangers of Freemasonry, and his arguments are being accepted and repeated by unwitting ministers world-wide. Carlson boasts that his sermons have led 5,000 Masons out of the Craft. According to Pastor Carlson (who claims to have spent eighteen months engaged in 'full time" investigation) Freemasonry is an amalgam of Luciferianism, Nature Worship, Occultism, Paganism, Pantheism, Phallic Worship, and Universalism. In his sermon Carlson claims to expose the dark secrets of the Fraternity by exclusive reference to the writings of Masonic 'authorities." Relying chiefly on Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma, Carlson repeatedly 'quotes" passages which, in the Pastor's view, prove that Masonry 'is not compatible with Christianity [but] rather, [that] it is anti-Christian...." In this study, Brother deHoyos,320 examines every allegation made in Carlson's sermon and reveals the weaknesses and fallacies of the Pastor's arguments. Carlson'smisrepresentations and misquotations are discovered by verbatim comparisons of the authentic texts which he allegedly employed, while the discovery of his dependence on anti-Masonic literature and even forgeries exposes a prejudice void of intellectual integrity. Carlson's |
