Look at this news brief yesterday: "The Rockford Masonic Cathedral–also known as the Metro Christian Center–is reported to be a total loss after a massive fire that took place Wednesday night, according to the Rockford Fire Department.
Officials say they requested a demolition company to help safely demolish the building and extinguish all hot spots throughout the night and early hours of Thursday morning."
Now look at this brief from October, 2019: "AURORA, IL — An Aurora landmark has been destroyed by fire and now the city plans to demolish the remaining parts of the building to keep residents safe. Firefighters have been battling the blaze at the historic Masonic Temple since around 10 p.m. Tuesday, when a bystander called to report the fire. As of 6 p.m., the fire was still smoldering. According to Aurora Fire Department Battalion Chief Jim Rhodes, two exterior walls of the nearly 100-year-old building collapsed during the fire."
Think about the Notre Dame church fire.
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It's been 500 years since Martin Luther's 95 Theses and we're facing the Diet of Worms (which, incidentally, happened in 1521, and now we're on the verge of their "Agenda 21").
From Encyclopedia Brittanica: "The tens of thousands of peasants drawn into the movement, some of them massed in major military actions, were a symptom of the general unrest that had gripped Germany since the middle of the 15th century. Both peasants and city dwellers resented the concentration of land and economic and political power in the hands of the landed nobility and wealthy merchants, as well as the burden of the tributes, taxes, and forced labour that these elites exacted."
A war is being fomented between "Catholics" and Protestants (i.e., those who are Bible-believing, especially fundamentalists). Look at this prayer by an elderly Jesuit-trained (at Trump's alma mater, Jesuit-run Fordham University in New York) white priest in Jesuit-run St. Francis Xavier church in New York City Sunday:
According to the Blaze website, "Kenneth Boller closed Sunday's 11:30 a.m. (editor's note: They love the numbers 11, 3, 113, 311, etc., and the dates 3/11 and 11/3. The presidential election is on November 3. Here's this news brief from April, 2020: "US President Donald Trump has ruled out making any changes in the date of the November 3 presidential election because of the coronavirus pandemic.Now look at this brief from October, 2019: "AURORA, IL — An Aurora landmark has been destroyed by fire and now the city plans to demolish the remaining parts of the building to keep residents safe. Firefighters have been battling the blaze at the historic Masonic Temple since around 10 p.m. Tuesday, when a bystander called to report the fire. As of 6 p.m., the fire was still smoldering. According to Aurora Fire Department Battalion Chief Jim Rhodes, two exterior walls of the nearly 100-year-old building collapsed during the fire."
Think about the Notre Dame church fire.
******
It's been 500 years since Martin Luther's 95 Theses and we're facing the Diet of Worms (which, incidentally, happened in 1521, and now we're on the verge of their "Agenda 21").
From Encyclopedia Brittanica: "The tens of thousands of peasants drawn into the movement, some of them massed in major military actions, were a symptom of the general unrest that had gripped Germany since the middle of the 15th century. Both peasants and city dwellers resented the concentration of land and economic and political power in the hands of the landed nobility and wealthy merchants, as well as the burden of the tributes, taxes, and forced labour that these elites exacted."
A war is being fomented between "Catholics" and Protestants (i.e., those who are Bible-believing, especially fundamentalists). Look at this prayer by an elderly Jesuit-trained (at Trump's alma mater, Jesuit-run Fordham University in New York) white priest in Jesuit-run St. Francis Xavier church in New York City Sunday:
'I never even thought of changing the date of the election. Why would I do that? November 3, it’s a good number,' Trump told reporters at his White House news conference.") mass at the Church of St. Francis Xavier by requesting that congregants bow their heads for a 'racial justice' prayer.
" 'I now invite you to stand, and joining us in the prayer for racial justice, by responding 'yes' to each of the following statements,' Boller began.
He asked, 'Do you support racial justice, equity, and compassion in human relations? Do you affirm that white privilege is unfair and harmful to those who have it and to those who do not? Do you affirm that white privilege and the culture of white supremacy must be dismantled where it is present? Do you support racial equity justice and liberation for every person? Do you affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person?' "
*****
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"People don't seem to think that that kind of bad thing can happen in America because we've been so blessed with religious liberty and prosperity,” says commentator Eric Metaxas. “It’s important to understand that religious liberty is not a small thing; when the government gets involved and starts telling us what we can and cannot do, that's no different than the Nazi Party infiltrating churches and saying, ‘We're not going to allow you to preach the Gospel anymore. You have to Nazi-fy your doctrine; we don’t want you talking about the Jewishness of Jesus.'
"When Americans begin kowtowing to the government on big issues like sexuality and marriage, they’re no longer free. If Biden is elected, he will immediately put in place those kinds of things. It’s going to harm churches in a way that we've never imagined in America. If the church is harmed, the whole country suffers because the church is supposed to be God's hands in the world. I really believe that that is so crucial.”
******
Look at this letter published in a Masonic journal last month from the new Masonic leader, an elder white man, in Wisconsin:
"I am extremely grateful to you, my Brothers, for giving me the opportunity to lead our great Wisconsin Masonic jurisdiction. When I
knocked on the door of McKinley Lodge many
years ago and it was opened to me, I would have
never dreamed that those three knocks would
have unsealed a whole new world filled with
friendships, loyalty, and a mysterious way of educating though emblems and allegory . . .
"Electrical energy generated from the power plant is not in a form
that can be used in our homes. The transformer changes it from good
product to a better and very useful product that can heat our homes,
run our appliances, give us illumination in the dark, etc. 'Illumination
in the dark'. You might say it takes something good that we need and
turns it into a better version of itself. That sounds very familiar when
we talk about Masonry.
"Freemasonry is much about transforming. At the power substation we see the transformer case/box, we see the power lines going in and coming out. We know that something is happening inside and after being transformed, the energy that comes out is something that we can welcome into our homes and community. I can tell you, when that transformer was built, more time and effort was spent on what was inside versus producing the box on the outside. Voila! That sums up what Masonry is about and why it is important.
"Masonry is concerned with the internal workings of a man and not the external. The job of Masonry is to transform an already good man into, as the Scottish Rite so nicely states, a better version of himself. A useful version of himself that respects and honors God, is an improved asset to society, takes care of his family, is a good neighbor, and governs his own temperament and behavior.
"He was an asset to his community before becoming a Mason, but this new version is a man who takes ownership for his actions and strives to avoid anger, cynicism, envy, and frustration. He strives to center his thoughts on the optimistic facets of life.
"A man cannot be transformed by the promises of Masonry without knowing about the lessons taught in the degrees. Each degree brings a new course of study and shares a basic knowledge about the way to live your life. It is a course in self-improvement. It transforms a man to be a better version of himself, and it happens by hard work. There is no claim to Masonry being easy."
(new article tomorrow)
"Freemasonry is much about transforming. At the power substation we see the transformer case/box, we see the power lines going in and coming out. We know that something is happening inside and after being transformed, the energy that comes out is something that we can welcome into our homes and community. I can tell you, when that transformer was built, more time and effort was spent on what was inside versus producing the box on the outside. Voila! That sums up what Masonry is about and why it is important.
"Masonry is concerned with the internal workings of a man and not the external. The job of Masonry is to transform an already good man into, as the Scottish Rite so nicely states, a better version of himself. A useful version of himself that respects and honors God, is an improved asset to society, takes care of his family, is a good neighbor, and governs his own temperament and behavior.
"He was an asset to his community before becoming a Mason, but this new version is a man who takes ownership for his actions and strives to avoid anger, cynicism, envy, and frustration. He strives to center his thoughts on the optimistic facets of life.
"A man cannot be transformed by the promises of Masonry without knowing about the lessons taught in the degrees. Each degree brings a new course of study and shares a basic knowledge about the way to live your life. It is a course in self-improvement. It transforms a man to be a better version of himself, and it happens by hard work. There is no claim to Masonry being easy."
(new article tomorrow)
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