Hatred, for the man who is not
engaged in it,
These figures represent a very real "reaction" to Freemasonry whom, some contend, is wrong because (they claim) it is:
Freemasonry accepts men of every race and nationality thereby making it an excellent target for those who wish to hate according to racial and/or religious stereotypes. And finally, Freemasonry has many Jewish members, thus causing conspiracy theorists to speculate that it's all part of some over-arching world-domination organization.
We are reluctant to use the 'Hitler' card since doing so is often seen as an easy 'out': demonization rather than addressing facts. It is clear, however, that Freemasons have for centuries suffered persecution because of their membership in the fraternity. As one example, the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has devoted a section to Nazi persecution of Freemasonry. Those visiting the Museums Permanent Exhibition will find in "Technology and Persecution" how the Nazis compiled and used information on their "enemies." This segments text states:
On the same floor of the Museum, another segment, entitled Enemies of the State, uses text, artifacts, and photographs to discuss the Nazi pre-war persecution of political opponents, Roma and Sinti (Gypsies), homosexuals, and Masons. Here, visitors learn about Nazi views on Freemasonry and about the Nazi belief in a "Jewish-Masonic conspiracy" which planned to take over the world. In order to illustrate these fears, a film monitor shows photographs of an anti-Masonic exhibition that was organized by the Nazis. In a number of popular public exhibitions, the Nazis created mock Lodge rooms complete with skeletons of lodge officers. The Scottish Rite SMJ has recently printed an interesting article about the Museum's display about Freemasonry. It's very enlightening!
You can also read some of Hitler's materials linking the Jews and Freemasonry to his extermination programs. Right here is an example of one such horrid document.
With a background of hate - and the Nazi activities are just one such example - is it any wonder that Freemasons watching the irrational and deadly actions of those who oppose political and social issues, become concerned?
For a further interesting example of government-sponsored anti-Masonic hate, we have some interesting stamps here....
If someone feels persecuted or inferior, they can react to those feelings with exhibits of hate and anger. Freemasonry sometimes becomes an object of their strong feelings.
On the Internet, for example, one can find a U.K. resident who styles himself as VOMIT, an acronym for "Victims of Masonic Ill-Treatment". Interestingly, however, this person's hatred is just as strong for those of the Jewish faith. We must wonder which came first - and why....
Sometimes, those using a religious or conspiratorial argument are - in actuality - individuals or groups with pure and simple hatred.
Sometimes when Freemasons try to explain how anti-Masonry can effect them, their feelings are denigrated. 'My suffering is worse than yours.' seems to be a typical response. 'How can you compare anti-Masonic activity with racism or religious discrimination?' Our answer: we aren't trying to compare or to 'rank' levels of hate or discrimination - and we don't believe any positive purpose is served by those who want us to know that their suffering exceeds that of others.
The plain fact is that whether it's scorn from a misguided church member at a Sunday morning service or the type of hatred institutionalized by Hitler and others - hate of any kind is odious. In an enlightened society, it should not exist and when it is found, it should be rooted out and exposed. On our site, we name MANY of those with passionate and, it seems, obsessive hate. Are these people you would want deciding that YOU were the object of their attention - because of your hair color, your selection of foods, or your membership in a civic/fraternal organization? Think about it....
Just click on "Prince, the Search Dog" to find things on our site. He's on every page and he'll take you directly to our search form where you can see if we've written about whatever it is you're interested in. Prince has a great memory; he always remembers where things are!
This site and its contents are © (copyright) 1998-2014 by Edward L. King (Ed King). All rights reserved. All comments and opinions are mine personally.
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