Posted: May 20, 2020 8:59 pm
The hypothesis I present is that the original Freemasons were republican/democrats who desired to reform the society they belonged to along rational lines based upon the principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. However since today most nation states across the globe are now republics and that democracy is now considered the norm, someone else has taken Freemasonry over. Today Freemasonry very much represents the status quo with high ranking aristocrats running things, i.e. the complete opposite of what they used to be and almost a case of The Empire Strikes Back.
The old society they belonged to was very much ruled over by emperors and the church, whereas they themselves desired a secular state where all men were equal. Of course back in the good old days such views were not only frowned upon by the emperor and churchmen alike, but they were often considered very much illegal.
It is accepted that Freemasonry had its origins in the Age of Enlightenment. As Wikipedia says, "Philosophers and scientists of the period widely circulated their ideas through meetings at scientific academies, Masonic lodges, literary salons, coffeehouses and in printed books, journals, and pamphlets. The ideas of the Enlightenment undermined the authority of the monarchy and the Church and paved the way for the political revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries."
Take for example the Bavarian Illuminati founded by Adam Weishaupt. This group of progressive intellectuals and politicians sought to undermine the power of the church until the authorities took action and banned them. As Wikipedia says, "The society's goals were to oppose superstition, obscurantism, religious influence over public life, and abuses of state power."
Freemasonry had apparently played a part in the French Revolution. As Wikipedia says, "After the French Revolution, the Jesuit Augustin Barruel wrote that Freemasons had actively prepared the 1789 revolution, which has been used to back theories of a Masonic plot. This thesis was often reprised later, notably during the French Third Republic, by Catholic authors (using it to oppose both the Republic and Freemasonry) and by Freemasons (so as to reinforce their pro-Republican stance and their positive image with the Republican government)." (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Freemasonry_in_France#First_Empire)
A number of the founding fathers of the United States of America were also Freemasons. As the Encyclopedia Masonic admits, "Many instrumental figures of the American Revolution (1765 - 1783) were Freemasons. Perhaps the most well-known Freemason American Revolutionaries are George Washington, the nation's first President, and Benjamin Franklin." (Source: https://nmasonic.com/wiki/freemasonry/history-of-freemasonry/the-american-revolution-and-freemasonry/)
You can even see Masonic symbolism on coins from revolutionary Mexico. Take this 20 Pesos gold coin from the 1870's. We see a liberty cap surrounded by the rays of the sun, and underneath are the scales and a sword:
However after the changeover when the status quo took over, we see similar Masonic symbolism repeated such as on this UK George VI 1946 Victory postage stamp:
The old society they belonged to was very much ruled over by emperors and the church, whereas they themselves desired a secular state where all men were equal. Of course back in the good old days such views were not only frowned upon by the emperor and churchmen alike, but they were often considered very much illegal.
It is accepted that Freemasonry had its origins in the Age of Enlightenment. As Wikipedia says, "Philosophers and scientists of the period widely circulated their ideas through meetings at scientific academies, Masonic lodges, literary salons, coffeehouses and in printed books, journals, and pamphlets. The ideas of the Enlightenment undermined the authority of the monarchy and the Church and paved the way for the political revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries."
Take for example the Bavarian Illuminati founded by Adam Weishaupt. This group of progressive intellectuals and politicians sought to undermine the power of the church until the authorities took action and banned them. As Wikipedia says, "The society's goals were to oppose superstition, obscurantism, religious influence over public life, and abuses of state power."
Freemasonry had apparently played a part in the French Revolution. As Wikipedia says, "After the French Revolution, the Jesuit Augustin Barruel wrote that Freemasons had actively prepared the 1789 revolution, which has been used to back theories of a Masonic plot. This thesis was often reprised later, notably during the French Third Republic, by Catholic authors (using it to oppose both the Republic and Freemasonry) and by Freemasons (so as to reinforce their pro-Republican stance and their positive image with the Republican government)." (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Freemasonry_in_France#First_Empire)
A number of the founding fathers of the United States of America were also Freemasons. As the Encyclopedia Masonic admits, "Many instrumental figures of the American Revolution (1765 - 1783) were Freemasons. Perhaps the most well-known Freemason American Revolutionaries are George Washington, the nation's first President, and Benjamin Franklin." (Source: https://nmasonic.com/wiki/freemasonry/history-of-freemasonry/the-american-revolution-and-freemasonry/)
You can even see Masonic symbolism on coins from revolutionary Mexico. Take this 20 Pesos gold coin from the 1870's. We see a liberty cap surrounded by the rays of the sun, and underneath are the scales and a sword:
However after the changeover when the status quo took over, we see similar Masonic symbolism repeated such as on this UK George VI 1946 Victory postage stamp:
What are everyone's opinions about this?