Anti-Masonry (alternatively called anti-Freemasonry) is "avowed opposition to Freemasonry",Oxford English Dictionary (1979 ed.), p. 369. which has led to multiple forms of religious discrimination, violent persecution, and suppression in some countries as well as in various organized religions (primarily Abrahamic religions).
Early anti-Masonic documents The earliest knownMorris, S. Brent; The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry, Alpha books, 2006, p. 203 anti-Masonic document was a leaflet which was printed in 1698 by a Presbyterian minister who was named Winter. It reads:As quoted by Morris, S. Brent; The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry, Alpha Books, 2006, p. 204Additional information on this pamphlet is available in Ars Quatuor Coronatorum 55 (1942)
TO ALL GODLY PEOPLE, In the Citie of London. Having thought it needful to warn you of the Mischiefs and Evils practiced in the Sight of God by those called Freed Masons, I say take Care lest their Ceremonies and secret Swearings take hold of you; and be wary that none cause you to err from Godliness. For this devilish Sect of Men are Meeters in secret which swear against all without ther Following. They are the Anti Christ which was to come leading Men from Fear of God. For how should Men meet in secret Places and with secret Signs taking Care that none observed them to do the Work of GOD; are not these the Ways of Evil-doers?
Knowing how that God observeth privilly them that sit in Darkness they shall be smitten and the Secrets of their Hearts layed bare. Mingle not among this corrupt People lest you be found so at the World's Conflagration.
Political anti-Masonry Freemasonry has been alleged to hold its members back from fully committing themselves to their nation."Another characteristic of Masonic law is that "treason" and "rebellion" against civil authorities are only declared political crimes, which affect the good standing of a Brother no more than heresy, and furnish no ground for a Masonic trial." Masonry (Freemasonry) from the Catholic Encyclopedia, partially quoting Mackey, Jurisprudence, 509. Critics claim that, compared to Operative Masonry's clear denunciations of treachery,"2nd – You shall be true liegemen to the King of England without any treason or falsehood, and if you know of any that you amend it privily, if you may, or else warn the King and his Council of it by declaring it to his officers." Speculative Masonry (Freemasonry after 1723) was far more ambiguous.II. Of the CIVIL MAGISTRATES supreme and subordinate "A Mason is a peaceable Subject to the Civil Powers, wherever he resides or works, and is never to be concern'd in Plots and Conspiracies against the Peace and Welfare of the Nation, nor to behave himself undutifully to inferior Magistrates; for as Masonry hath been always injured by War, Bloodshed, and Confusion, so ancient Kings and Princes have been much dispos'd to encourage the Craftsmen, because of their Peaceableness and Loyalty, whereby they practically answer'd the Cavils of their Adversaries, and promoted the Honour of the Fraternity, who ever flourish'd in Times of Peace. So that if a Brother should be a Rebel against the State he is not to be countenanc'd in his Rebellion, however he may be pitied as an unhappy Man; and, if convicted of no other Crime though the loyal Brotherhood must and ought to disown his Rebellion, and give no Umbrage or Ground of political Jealousy to the Government for the time being; they cannot expel him from the Lodge, and his Relation to it remains indefeasible." The old Catholic Encyclopedia alleges that Masonic disapproval of treachery is not on moral grounds but on the grounds of inconvenience to other Masons.Reváuger, Cécile. Black Freemasonry: from Prince Hall to the Giants of Jazz. 2019, Inner Traditions International, The Limited. It also argues"The brotherhood ought to disown the rebellion, but only in order to preserve the fraternity from annoyance by the civil authorities." from the article Masonry (Freemasonry) in the Catholic Encyclopedia"Such language would equally suit every anarchistic movement." Masonry (Freemasonry) in the Catholic Encyclopedia that the adage "Loyalty to freedom overrides all other considerations""If we were to assert that under no circumstances had a Mason been found willing to take arms against a bad government, we should only be declaring that, in trying moments, when duty, in the masonic sense, to state means antagonism to the Government, they had failed in the highest and most sacred duty of a citizen. Rebellion in some cases is a sacred duty, and none, but a bigot or a fool, will say, that our countrymen were in the wrong, when they took arms against King James II. Loyalty to freedom in a case of this kind overrides all other considerations, and when to rebel means to be free or to perish, it would be idle to urge that a man must remember obligations which were never intended to rob him of his status of a human being and a citizen." "Freemason's Chronicle" 1875, I, 81, quoted as footnote in Masonry (Freemasonry) in the Catholic Encyclopedia justifies treason, and quotes Albert Mackey, who said "... if treason or rebellion were masonic crimes, almost every mason in the United Colonies (America), in 1776, would have been subject to expulsion and every Lodge to a forfeiture of its warrant by the Grand Lodges of England and Scotland, under whose jurisdiction they were at the time".
Freemasonry charges its members that: "In the state you are to be a quiet and peaceful subject, true to your government and just to your country; You are not to countenence disloyalty or rebellion, but patiently submit to legal authority and conform with cheerfulness to the government of the country in which you live."Webb, Thomas Smith; Freemason's Monitor Or Illustrations of Freemasonry – Charge at initiation into the first degree, p. 43 (originally published 1818... republished by Kessinger Publishing, 1995 )
Freemasonry was persecuted in all the communist countries.Whalen, W.J., "Freemasonry" The New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967) article hosted at trosch.org. Retrieved 2011-10-19. Freemasonry in Cuba continued to exist following the Cuban Revolution, and according to Cuban folklore, Fidel Castro is said to have "developed a soft spot for the Masons when they gave him refuge in a Masonic Lodge" in the 1950s. When in power, Castro was also said to have "kept them on a tight leash" as they were considered a subversive element in Cuban society and allegedly providing safe haven for dissidents.Cuba's muzzled mavericks find haven among Masons , by Gary Marx, published April 14, 2005
Fascists treated Freemasonry as a potential source of opposition. Masonic writers state that the language used by the totalitarian regimes is similar to that used by other modern critics of Freemasonry.
United States
In 1826, William Morgan disappeared from the small town of Batavia, New York. He was alleged to be kidnapped by FreemasonsRidley, Jasper;The Freemasons: A History of the World's Most Powerful Secret Society, pp. 180–181 (Arcade Publishing 1999). and murdered after threatening to expose Freemasonry's secrets by publishing its rituals.Finney, Charles Grandison; The Character, Claims, and Practical Workings of Freemasonry. Morgan's disappearance sparked a series of protests and suspicion against Freemasonry, which eventually spread to the political realm. Under the leadership of anti-Masonic Thurlow Weed, an Anti-Jacksonist movement became (since Jackson was a Mason) the Anti-Masonic Party. This political party ran presidential candidates in the elections of 1828 and 1832, but by 1835 the party had disbanded everywhere except Pennsylvania. William A. Palmer of Vermont and Joseph Ritner of Pennsylvania were both elected governor of their respective states on anti-Masonic platforms.William Preston Vaughn, The Anti-Masonic Party in the United States, 1826–1843 (University Press of Kentucky. 1983).
John Quincy Adams, President of the United States during the Morgan Affair, objected to the oath of secrecy, particularly with regard to the keeping of undefined secrets and to the penalties for breaking the oath. He declared, "Masonry ought forever to be abolished. It is wrong – essentially wrong – a seed of evil which can never produce any good,"Adams, John Quincy Letters on the Masonic Institution, pp. 68–71, 1847 Press of T.R. Marvin although he extended "the most liberal of tolerance" to Masons who joined the fraternity before the murder of William Morgan, saying that they were taken by surprise and that they took the Oaths "without reflecting upon what they imported, or sheltering their consciences under the great names which had gone before them."
Though few states passed laws directed at Freemasonry by name, laws regulating and restricting it were passed and many cases dealing with Freemasonry were seen in the courts. Antimasonic legislation was passed in Vermont in 1833, including a provision by which the giving and willing taking of an unnecessary oath was made a crime. (Pub. Stat., sec. 5917),Vermont Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911, Accessed June 26, 2008 and the state of New York enacted a Benevolent Orders Law to regulate such organizations.
Asia In 1938, a Japanese representative to the Welt-Dienst / World-Service congress hosted by Ulrich Fleischhauer stated, on behalf of Japan, that "Judeo-Masonry is forcing the Chinese to turn China into a spearhead for an attack on Japan, and thereby forcing Japan to defend itself against this threat. Japan is at war not with China but with Freemasonry (Tiandihui), represented by General Chiang Kai-shek, the successor of his master, the Freemason Sun Yat-sen."
Europe According to Simon Sarlin, and Dan Rouyer, intense denunciation of Freemasonry because of its supposed grip on society and government, became standard doctrine within counter-revolutionary thought and action in the 19th century. A major event was The International Anti-Masonic Congress that took place in Trento, Italy in 1896. It was sponsored by Pope Leo XIII and the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Francis-Joseph, a Catholic. The Congress assembled 1,500 delegates and 300 journalists, as well as prominent Catholic bishops. Thousands of telegrams testified to support from the right worldwide. It created a permanent body, the "Universal Anti-Masonic Union." The goal was to create a powerful centre for all anti-Masonic groups, strengthening their resolve and capabilities to battle the Freemasons nation by nation. In practice the Union was too conspicuously Papal, and poorly organized. It proved ineffective in its grandiose expectations but its creation was a measure of bitter anger and frustration among the Catholic enemies of Freemasonry.Simon Sarlin and Dan Rouyer, "The Anti-Masonic Congress of Trento (1896): International Mobilization and the Circulation of Practices against Freemasonry." Contemporanea: Rivista di Storia dell'800 e del '900 (July-Sep 2021, 24#3, pp. 517-536.
Finland The far-right groups exercised considerable political power in Finland in the 1930s and 40s, pressuring the government to expel Freemasons from the armed forces.Iltalehti Teema Historia: Lapuan liike, Alma Media, 2015, p. 34-35.L. J. Niinistö; "Paavo Susitaival 1896–1993. Aktivismi elämänasenteena", 1998. Patriotic Citizens of Viitasaari wanted to purge Jews and Freemasons from the country and spread anti-Masonic booklets in the prints of tens of thousands.Anttikoski, Riitta: Kun talonpojat marssivat. Helsingin Sanomat, 6.7.1980, s. 17. HS Aikakone (vain tilaajille) Patriotic People's Movement MP Paavo Susitaival was a prominent opponent of freemasonry and claimed freemasons were responsible for ritual murders.Kirja-arvosteluja. L. J. Niinistö: Paavo Susitaival 1896–1993. Aktivismi elämänasenteena Genos
Soviet Union