Effect of a Freemason American govenment?

Don Grey

Banned
My grandfather was a member of the Freemasons, and he was Not secretive nor did he get very high in rank. For him it was definitely more of a gentleman's charitable club. Kinda like the Fraternal Benevolent Order of Elks that exists in my hometown, or the Rotary Club. Not nearly so exciting as the movies like us to believe. Plus, my grandfather was definitely not powerful or influential; he was just a fire station chief.

Like you said not very high in rank. But important figures in history that have been masons generaly if not always have been high ranking ones.I even thought about joining if not for anything else but to satisfy my curiasoty.
 
Um, if you look at what the church position is on this:

"The Church's negative position on Masonic associations therefore remains unaltered, since their principles have always been regarded as irreconcilable with the Church's doctrine. Hence joining them remains prohibited by the Church. Catholics enrolled in Masonic associations are involved in serious sin and may not approach Holy Communion."

This is, if your a Catholic and a Mason, a bit more than strained, although you aren't excommunicated automatically anymore since 1983. The 1917 Code of Canon Law explicitly declared that joining Freemasonry entailed automatic excommunication.

It is important that the Vatican mostly has issues with the GOdF, as several French Masons wear active in the revolution, and the GOdF allows atheist to join.

Well, the Church has less beef with the Anglo-American lodges and their spin-offs. If I recall right, they're the ones usually in formally cordial ties to the Vatican. They're even joked at one point (at least in Britain) as "the Tory Party in aprons."

But yeah, the Continental/French types still tick off the Church. Just not as "I'm gonna shoot you on site" as before, of course.
 

Wolfpaw

Banned
Perhaps if you had another, more severe Morgan affair-like scandal break out around election time, people like Thurlow Weed and Joseph Ritner and Amos Ellmaker may enjoy more successful political careers.

Even though the Anti-Masonic Party is often dismissed as a one-issue party, they did forge close links with John Quincey Adams and his National Republicans and incorporated opposition to Jacksonian Democracy, protective tariffs, emphasis on infrastructure into its platform. They managed to get two of their members into gubernatorial seats in Vermont and Pennsylvania in 1831 and 1835, respectively, and even raked in 100,715 (7.8%) votes and 7 electoral votes in the 1832 elections.

If there's another catalyst (perhaps Andrew Jackson becomes associated with a nasty scandal with Masonic connections), we could see the Anti-Masonic Party begin building up a steady base, perhaps eventually adopting a less one-issue name. Perhaps the American People's Party or something like that.

Anyways, I think there's a chance that, should they ever get in power or influence Congress significantly, we could see Thurlow Weed (a virulent anti-Mason and rather abusive individual) becoming an early 19th Century version of Joe McCarthy.

"Are you now or have you ever been an inducted Free Mason?" ;)

I'd be more than willing to toss in my two cents if anybody would like to write a TL around this.

EDIT: Okay, whoa. I totally forgot that this thread was about a "Freemason-run America" and not an "Anti-Freemason-run America." My bad :eek:

I still think my idea's a neat one, though :p:D
 
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