Freemasonry and Catholicism

The Rosicrucian Fellowship aims to educate and construct, to be charitable even to those from whom we differ, and never to vent the venom of vituperation, spite, or malice even upon those who seem deliberately determined to mislead. We revere the Catholic religion; it is as divine in its essence, as both were born to further the aspiration of the striving soul, and both have a message and a mission in the world not apparent upon the surface today, because man-made ceremonial as a scale has hidden the present articles to remove that scale and show the Cosmic purpose of these two Great Organizations, which are so bitterly antagonistic to each other. We do not aim to reconcile them, however, for though they are both designed to further the emancipation of the soul, their methods are different, and the attributes of the soul fostered by one method will indeed be very different from the quality of the soul nurtured in the other School. Therefore, the strife must continue until the battle for the souls of men has been lost and won. The issue is not, however, the persistence of the Masonic or Catholic institutions; but the outcome will determine the nature of the training humanity will receive in the remaining Periods of our evolution. We shall endeavor to show the cosmic root of both of these institutions, the purpose of each and the training which each will inaugurate, if successful; also the nature of the soul quality which may be expected to result from each method.