스크랩 콜롬부스 기사단의 맹세문

[PraisetheLord]

1. 콜롬부스 기사단의 맹세문

아래는 로마 카톨릭의 하부 조직인 콜롬부스 기사단의 맹세문이다. 의식이 있는 지성인이라면 이 맹세문이 무엇을 뜻하는지 알 것이다. 로마 카톨릭은 기독교가 아니며, 세계 지배를 목표로 활발하게 활동하고 있는 이 지구상에서 가장 교활하고 악랄한 정치 집단이다.

  아래의 맹세문이 그 사실을 잘 반영하고 있다. 종교를 초월하여 인간의 인권과 생명을 경시하는 집단은 이 세상에 존재해서는 안되는 집단이다. 로마 카톨릭(천주교) 신자들은 그 사실을 전혀 알지 못한 채 그들에게 철저하게 이용을 당하고 있다. 뿐만 아니라 살인 집단을 헌금으로 지원하고 있다. 두 눈이 있다면 아래의 맹세문을 똑똑하게 보기 바란다.

  아래의 콤롬부스 기사단의 맹세문은 1913년 2월 15일 토요일에 미국의 의회에서 개최되었던 제 62회 의회의 자료, 3215쪽의 기록 문서에 근거한 것이니 어느 누구도 부인 할 수 없는 정확한 기록이다.

“ 나는 나아가 약속하며 선서하기를 기회가 닿을 때마다 이단자들, 개신교도들, 또 메이슨들 사이에서 명령을 받들어 비밀리에 또는 공개적으로 잔인한 전쟁을 도모하고 그들을 지구상에서 전멸시키도록 한다. 그러기 위해서 나이나, 성별이나 조건을 마다하지 않는다.”

  나는 이들 이단자들을 목을 메우고, 태워죽이며, 사살하고, 끓여죽이며, 가죽을 벗기고, 산채로 땅에 묻고, 창을 끄집어 내며, 여자의 자궁을 드러내고, 그들의 신생아 머리를 벽에 쳐박아 죽이며 있어야하지 말아야할 그 인종들을 섬멸하도록 한다. 동일한 일을 할 수 없는 상황에선 비밀리에 독이든 컵을 쓰고 목졸라 죽이는 끈을 또는 강철 단검으로나 납을 묻힌 총알로 명예, 지위, 위신 또 사람의 권력이 있든지 없던지 간에 생활의 조건이 어떻든 공개적이나 또 비밀적으로 방법을 사용토록 한다.” 고 하였다.

로마 카톨릭의 하부 조직인 콜롬부스 기사단의 맹세문 원문

I do further promise and declare that I will, when opportunity presents, make and wage relentless war, secretly and openly, against all heretics, Protestants and Masons, as I am directed to do, to extirpate them from the face of the whole earth; and that I will spare neither age, sex nor condition,

and that will hang, burn, waste, boil, flay, strangle, and bury alive these infamous heretics; rip up the stomachs and wombs of their women, and crush their infants' heads against the walls in order to annihilate their execrable race. That when the same cannot be done openly I will secretly use the poisonous cup, the strangulation cord, the steel of the poniard, or the leaden bullet, regardless of the honour, rank, dignity or authority of the persons, whatever may be their condition in life, either public or private, as I at any time may be directed so to do by any agents of the Pope or Superior of the Brotherhood of the Holy Father of the Society of Jesus.

In confirm‎!ation of which I hereby dedicate my life, soul, and all corporal powers, and with the dagger which I now receive I will subscribe my name written in my blood in testimony thereof; and should I prove false, or weaken in my determination, may my brethren and fellow soldiers of the militia of the Pope cut off my hands and feet and my throat from ear to ear, my belly be opened and sulphur burned therein with all the punishment that can be inflicted upon me on earth, and my soul shall be tortured by demons in eternal hell forever.

 That I will in voting always vote for a Knight of Columbus in preference to a Protestant, especially a Mason, and that I will leave my party so to do; that if two Catholics are on the ticket I will satisfy myself which is the better supporter of Mother Church and vote accordingly.

 That I will not deal with or employ a Protestant if in my power to deal with or employ a Catholic. That I will place Catholic girls in Protestant families that a weekly report may be made of the inner movements of the heretics. That I will provide myself with arms and ammunition that I may be in readiness when the word is passed, or I am commanded to defend the Church either as an individual or with the militia of the Pope.

All of which I,_______________, do swear by the blessed Trinity and blessed sacrament which I am now to receive to perform and on part to keep this my oath.

In testimony hereof, I take this most holy and blessed sacrament of the Eucharist and witness the same further with my name written with the point of this dagger dipped in my own blood and seal in the face of this holy sacrament.

2. 콜롬부스 기사단과 프리메이슨

The Knights Of Columbus and the FreeMasons
"The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic, Family, Fraternal Service organization."  These words, taken from a Knights Of Columbus recruiting pamphlet, describe a fraternal Order founded in 1882 by Catholic men in New Haven, Connecticut.  The Order answered certain needs within the Catholic lay society of America which had driven some young Catholic men to join "secret societies" proscribed by the Church, such as the Freemasons.  These needs were both tangible and intangible:  tangible in the area of life insurance and mutual aid and assistance in times of need; intangible in answering the need for a "rite of passage" that stressed both patriotism and Catholicism, and linked them through a sense of brotherhood that affirmed their Catholic nature at a time when Catholics were a persecuted, immigrant, minority.  This discussion will give brief overviews on the following subjects relating to the origins and growth of the Order and how the Knights of Columbus may be compared to Freemasonry:  American anti-Catholic attitudes; foundations of the Order stemming from other fraternal organizations; the Order's expansion outside of Connecticut; and a comparison of the ritual structures of Freemasonry and the K of C.

In looking at the origins of the Knights, it is first necessary to understand that the political and cultural climate of mid-nineteenth century America regarding Catholicism was much different than it is now.  In 1790, John Carroll was installed as the sole Bishop in the United States, and had a diocese consisting of approximately 25,000 Catholics (mostly in Maryland and Pennsylvania) and only thirty priests to minister to them.  This meant that Catholics were, in effect, a surrounded minority.  With the Irish Potato Famine   of 1846-1849, hundreds of thousands of Irish Catholics emigrated to America, with large number settling in the New England area.  By the year 1860, the Irish in Connecticut alone outnumbered the total amount of Catholics in America at the time of Bishop Carroll's consecration.  They were drawn by the great amount of industrial jobs in the New England area, as they were not suited to the farming conditions in  the New  World.  The land they had left was one in which they, as Catholics, were alienated by the British government.  With no Catholic politicians of any note to give their allegiance to, they strengthened their links to the Pope in Rome; with their priests unconnected to the elites of British society, they looked to the clergy as their natural leaders.  The clerics functioned in a way similar to the druids of old, acting as village "doctor, lawyer, teacher and economist."  The land they came to, New England, was one with a strong sense of Anglo-Saxon Protestantism with roots in Pilgrim patriotism.  This culture fostered an attitude that was intensely anti-immigration, anti-immigrant, and anti-foreigner.  Part of this Anglo-Saxon pride was evidenced as a racist hatred for those of Celtic descent, who were seen as lazy and indigent.  It was also manifested in anti-Catholic attitudes, which were based on fears that Catholics were slaves to Rome.  These attitudes of racism and religious intolerance resulted in acts of violence and political marginalization against Irish Catholics.  one form of this political opposition was the American Party which was nicknamed the "Know-Nothing" party because they (supposedly) would not openly disclose their objectives.  However, their constitution stated that "its object shall be to resist the insidious policy of the Church of Rome and all other foreign influences against the institutions of our country, by placing people, whether by election or appointment, none but native born Protestant citizens [sic]." The anti-Catholics held that Catholics vote as they are told to by their priest, who is in turn instructed by his prelate in order to "serve the interests of the Pope, the establishment of the Church, and its subsequent complete rule over the country."

During this time period (early to mid 1800s), numerous fraternal organizations sprung up that had mutual assistance and insurance programs.  one group that had already existed in the early eighteenth century and provided mutual fraternal assistance among its members was Freemasonry, which the Catholic Church had denounced.  Freemasonry "represented a response to men's social
need to organize themselves into some kind of brotherhood during a period when the dominant social ethic was becoming individualism." However, Kauffmann notes that some of the reasons behind the proscription of Freemasonry by the Church was that
"individualistic, theistic, and anti-Catholic, the Masons organized a collective force infused with brotherhood based on elaborate ritual."  Other fraternal organizations adopted Freemasonic ideas such as a three degree ritual program, secret modes of recognition, and pledges of mutual assistance in times of need.  These pledges of assistance gave rise to fraternal insurance companies, which offered set amounts of money during a members sickness, and paid benefits to his family upon his death.

In an attempt to prevent Catholic men from joining these proscribed groups, Irish Catholic leaders formed their own fraternal insurance organizations, such as the Massachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters (MCOF, founded in 1879) and the Catholic Benevolent League (CBL, founded in Brooklyn in 1881). These were primarily death benefit societies, which had certain
fraternal features such as initiations and legends, usually of "old world" origins.  The Knights of Columbus started as such a group,
but focused on an American Catholic future, not a European past.

The immediate predecessors to the Knights of Columbus were the Red Knights who were founded in 1874.  Most of their membership came from an Irish Catholic Connecticut militia unit, the Sarsfield Guards, commanded by James T. Mullen.  The Red Knights had as their goal "the advancement and mutual improvement of the young men of our race . . . [and] to bring about an acquaintance and maintain a feeling of friendship and brotherly love between young men of our race."  In 1880 the Red Knights disbanded for various reasons. However, many of the first Knights of Columbus were former members of the Red Knights.

Another type of group preval‎ent in Irish-American life of those times was that of the temperance, or total abstinence, society.  1881 found  Father Michael J. McGivney (the curate of St. Mary's Church in New Haven) operating as a chaplain to one of these groups.  In the fall of that year, Fr. McGivney attempted to link this group with the secular Ancient Order of Foresters, who derived their legendry from Robin Hood and his Merry Men.  This was done in an attempt to spark interest in a Catholic Fraternal Insurance group; however, when he requested permission for this incorporation from his superior, Bishop Lawrence S. McMahon, he was denied.  In the same time period, two groups of laymen (including many former Red Knights) began meeting to discuss this idea.  one group met in law offices at 157 Church Street, and the other met in the basement of St. Mary's Church, where Fr. McGivney was assigned.  It is to be noted that Fr. McGivney convened the St. Mary's group meeting himself.  This first meeting took place on the second of October,
1881, and at a later meeting it was decided that Fr. McGivney should enquire as to the feasibility of joining either the Massachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters or the Catholic Benevolent League in Brooklyn.  Both groups turned them away, saying that they did not want to accept them as insurance risks. On the second of February, 1882, they formed the first court of the Connecticut Catholic Order of Foresters; within that same week they decided on a new name, based on an idea that Fr. McGivney had suggested.  He felt their group should reflect Catholic contributions to America, and recommended the use of Columbus in the group's title, which emphasized Columbus as the Catholic first discoverer of the "new world."  Combining that and the fact that many of the members were former Red Knights, the group decided to name themselves the Connecticut Knights of Columbus.

Stemming from these winter meetings, the first governing body of the Order was formed as a state organization, not a local one. This group felt that they did not want to fall under direct Church authority, but remain their own separate legal entity.  Recognizing this, Bishop McMahon told Fr. McGivney that the Order had his permission to form in the diocese.  Permission, it must be noted, not approval, which, to ecclesiastics, connotes the assumption of authority by the Church.  With this permission as backing, Fr. McGivney asked the parish priest of the diocese to support the establishment of local councils.

In order to be able to carry out their business legally, the governing body adapted the charter of the MCOF into their own articles of incorporation, which were approved by the Connecticut State Assembly on March 29, 1882.  The dues for the Order started at $3.25/year at age eighteen, with an increase of $0.25 for every year of age beyond that.  The benefits plan offered five dollars weekly during time of sickness, and (based on the eventuality that the Order would reach one thousand members) a $1000 dollar death
benefit funded by a one dollar per capita assessment.  The first Council, which met at St. Mary's and was formed from the original
governing body, formally began on May 15, 1882, and was named San Salvador Council #1, in honor of Christopher Columbus' naming of the New World.  This name again emphasized the importance of the Santa Maria over the Mayflower.

By the time of the 1890 annual convention, the Order had swelled to fifty-six councils, all of them located in Connecticut. The membership numbers of that time are unavailable, but can be safely estimated at over four thousand.  At that convention, plans
were laid for the future expansion of the Order outside of Connecticut.  This took the form of establishing a groundwork for
State Councils who would send delegates to the Supreme Council; prior to this, the ruling body of the Order was the Board of
Government, composed of Grand Knights and Immediate Past Grand Knights.  This foresight was to prove timely, for in 1891, two
Knights from Silver City Council #2, in Meriden, were transferred to Brooklyn by their company.  There they attracted like minded

men who eventually became the charter members of Brooklyn Council #60. The Order followed that up with the incorporation of

Bunker Hill Council #62, in Boston, in April of 1892.  This set the stage for expansion that has resulted in Councils being established in all fifty states, all U.S. territories, Canada, and the Philippines, with over 1.35 million members as of June 30, 1981.  In 1990,

there were a minimum of 9,146 Councils in existence; that number is an estimated based on the likelihood that some Councils have
disbanded, and that there are Councils which are newer than the one at Norwich University, in Vermont, which is Council #9146.

In looking at the relationship between the Knights of Columbus and Freemasonry, it is first necessary to state some of the common
perceptions (and misconceptions) held by the Church in regards to Freemasonry, and by Freemasons surrounding the Knights of Columbus. The Church has taught, in order to justify the ban on Freemasonry, that it is a form of Deist universal religion.  It (the Church) has said that references to God in Masonic Ritual are so open and accomodationist that it is both syncretist and anti-religion, in that it teaches that there is no one right way to God.  The Church also holds that Freemasonry is a secret society and withholds the secrets of its rituals from priests in the confessional, and is anti-clerical.  Finally, the Church feels that the esoteric nature of Initiation, Passing and Raising is a religious ritual evocative of the Resurrection.  on the other side, some Freemasons feel that the K of C is hypocritical, that it is merely Catholic Masonry. They also question the secret nature of the degrees in regards to the confessional.  Another perception is that the Knights are an official tool of the Church.  one of the more common misunderstandings is that there may be an esoteric side to the Knights rituals.

The Roman Catholic Church has always disapproved of any esoteric experience, or the search for the same, that occurs without the oversight of persons who may be held directly accountable to Canon Law.  This includes, but is not limited to: direct gnosis of the Godhead or its intercessors, such as Mary, angels or saints; mysticism; and rites of passage that result in (possible) expanded awareness of Deity.  The only esoteric experience the Church approves of may be found in the Holy Sacraments.

In light of this it is easy to understand why the K of C degrees are less initiatic that educational.  Like the first two degrees in American Freemasonry, the first and second degrees of the Knights are based education lectures.  The first degree teaches the main lesson of Charity, and also emphasizes the mortality of the body as a opposed to the immortality of the soul.  Here the candidate is first introduced to the concept of secrecy, and promises not to reveal the ceremonials, except to a priest when necessary.  The secrecy is intended to prevent an impostor from gaining aid from the Order, the candidate is taught.  In the second degree, the candidates are lectured on the importance of Unity to Catholics in general and Knights in particular.  The third degree begins by testing the candidates on their knowledge of the tenets of Catholicism; it is not unlike a sunday-school catechism quiz. Their knightly virtues (Charity, Unity and Fraternity) are then put to a practical test that teaches them that it is the Catholic nature of a man that matters, not the outward trappings of his career, special needs, or ethnic background.  The degree also teaches profound respect for priests and American principles of democracy, trough dramatic use of role playing.  the third, or Fraternal, degree can be so engrossing and dramatic as to (occasionally) result in near-brawls as the candidates defend the Knightly honor of themselves and their Brethren.  The Fourth, or patriotic, degree, is divided into Assemblies and serves as the uniformed body of the Knights that is usually seen in parades.

 
Requirements for taking the fourth degree are that a man has been a third degree member for at least one year, is in good standing,
and shows a high willingness to proclaim his patriotism.  The fourth degree consists primarily of lectures designed to impart an
appreciation for the contribution of Catholics to American history, and to express the importance of American liberty to Catholics.
This is usually followed by celebration of the Mass, and a banquet held in honor of the new Worthy Sir Knights, who wear tuxedos

and a red, white and blue baldric (or sword belt) draped from right shoulder to left hip.  This is the distinctive uniform of the Assembly.

 As a conclusion, it is important to know that on February 22, 1967, the anniversary of George Washington's birth, a meeting took place between Supreme Knight John McDevitt, Supreme Advocate Harold Lamboley, and Deputy Supreme Knight Charles Ducey, representing the Knights of Columbus, and Ill. George Newbury, 33rd (SGC NJ A&ASR), MW Frank Staples (GM NY) and Irving Partridge, (Dep. for CT) for the Freemasons.  This meeting was intended to foster fraternal accord between the two Orders, and to discuss ways that they both might promote programs that did the following things:  promote patriotism, teach respect for constitutional authority, and encourage youth citizenship awareness programs.

발췌 : http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/2666/KOCandMasons.html