After much searching, studying, and praying I made my decision to become a Freemason. I found a lot of conflicting and confusing information on the Catholic Church and Freemasonry but here is what I got out of it. I. First the Papal Bulls: “Papal Bull: As for the binding force of these documents it is generally admitted that the mere fact that the pope should have given to any of his utterances the form of an encyclical or bull does not necessarily constitute it an ex-cathedra pronouncement and invest it with infallible authority.” (Bulls and Briefs. In The Catholic Encyclopedia) In 1736, the Inquisition investigated a Masonic Lodge in Florence, Italy, which it condemned in June 1737. This investigation led, in 1738, to Pope Clement XII, himself Florentine, issuing ‘In eminenti apostolatus’, the original papal prohibition on Freemasonry. The reasons for the prohibition were stated as: “ Now it has come to Our ears, and common gossip has made clear , that certai...
I saw a recent article posted on Social Media by a a news aggregation site called "Raw Story". Of course their stories are anything but 'raw'. In fact they aggregate news from AFP and Reuters as well as summarizes news from other sources. Just like most of the mass media these days, they cite another media outlet (Vanity Fair) who cites two more outlets (Bloomberg & Axios) who then consist of statements like "an anonymous source...", "someone close to the White House said...", or my favorite line the Axios article: "One person who spoke with the president interpreted his thinking this way" This from Media Bias/Fact check site: "Overall, we rate Raw Story Left Biased based on story selection that favors the left and Mixed for factual reporting due to half-true, false and unproven claims, as well as promotion of mild pseudoscience misinformation." I see media bias and people's bias going in a ...
On this day of Thanksgiving, we are supposed to make time to be grateful and give thanks. But how is it possible to be grateful for a year that has been as difficult as 2020? A pandemic that is claimed the lives around the world. Not to mention wildfires, hurricanes, contested elections, civil unrest and horrible moments of inhumanity seemingly everywhere you turn. We did not want these problems. But they did happen. And while they are not all our fault, it is up to us what we do with them, what we turn them into, how we manage to become better for them. On the surface, much of what we are upset about or wish had not occurred is so unpleasant that gratitude seems impossible. But if we can zoom out for that more complete view, understanding and appreciation can emerge. First off, you are alive. That is the silver lining of every bad situation and should not be forgotten because our time here could end at any moment. Second, everything that has happened and is happening is ...
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