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As a friend said, "Manifest destiny and the Mexican-American War are a well-mined field!" As I began to read, I realized how true this was! It has been well-discussed, from both sides of the border. Nevertheless, I hope that considering the aspect of Freemasonry will add a new wrinkle to the topic. Many Mexican authors contend that Puritan thought influenced the concept of manifest destiny. As both Anglicans from Virginia and Puritans from New England were somewhat influenced by Freemasonry, I believe the impact of the brotherhood was significant.
Why does it matter? If almost everyone in the United States accepted the concept of manifest destiny, are the origins important? I believe they are, both for the academic and the Christian community. The academic community searches for truth and studies history to learn from the past, to avoid future mistakes. For the Christian community, it is important for both Catholics and Protestants to comprehend the influence of Masonry.
There has been a tendency for Christians to blame each other, in ignorance of the inroads Masonry has made into the Christian faith, Catholics blaming Protestants, Protestants Catholics. Another area of confusion is that a significant number of North American Christians look to the United States as a Christian nation, the founding fathers as exemplary Christians. If this is a misunderstanding, if our foundations are Masonic, or even a mixture of Christian and Masonic, then this faith is misplaced.
At the outset, it is necessary to understand that the religion of the cross, Christianity, and the religion of the compass, Freemasonry, are very different, standing in opposition to each other. Christianity, believing in the sinful nature of man and the holy nature of God, finds the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to be the necessary salvation for sinners. God Himself provided the remedy that man could not find. Freemasonry, however, a product of the enlightenment, does not accept man's sinful nature. Instead, the salvation offered is one of enlightenment and education, progressing through various degrees to enter the grand lodge on high. The cross is superfluous, even though many Masons consider themselves Christians.
Freemasonry is eclectic, taking, as Masons believe, the best from all religions. Christianity may agree that all religions contain some truth but...