Darkness Visible (Hannah)
Encyclopedia
Darkness Visible: A Christian Appraisal of Freemasonry is a 1952 book on Freemasonry
written by Anglican clergyman Walton Hannah
. Darkness Visible has been influential among Christians, cited by both the General Synod of the Church of England
and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
as a reason for their concern about the compatibility of Freemasonry and Christianity.
Addressing the book primarily to Anglicans, Hannah attempted to demonstrate that Freemasonry was incompatible with Christianity in general and avoided discussion of Masonic conspiracies. He did praise Freemasonry, saying that many Masons were of the "highest distinction and repute" and commending Freemasonry's charitable works. Hannah's criticisms were focused upon the texts of Masonic rituals.
Darkness Visible is in two sections. In the first section, various elements of Freemasonry are argued to be incompatible with Christianity. These include the harsh nature of Masonic obligations (oaths) and the religious aspects of Freemasonry. He also lists the condemnations of Freemasonry by various Christian denominations. The second section discusses Masonic rituals, particularly the first degree initiation ceremony, the second degree passing ceremony and the third degree raising ceremony, and a reprint of Darkness Visible claimed that the book was used by new initiates for learning their initiation rituals, as it was easier to use than official Masonic copies.
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
written by Anglican clergyman Walton Hannah
Walton Hannah
Walton Thompson Hannah was an Anglican clergyman who converted to Roman Catholicism and who wrote the book Darkness Visible....
. Darkness Visible has been influential among Christians, cited by both the General Synod of the Church of England
General Synod of the Church of England
The General Synod is the deliberative and legislative body of the Church of England. The synod was instituted in 1970, replacing the Church Assembly, and is the culmination of a process of rediscovering self-government for the Church of England that had started in the 1850s.- Church Assembly: 1919...
and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
as a reason for their concern about the compatibility of Freemasonry and Christianity.
Addressing the book primarily to Anglicans, Hannah attempted to demonstrate that Freemasonry was incompatible with Christianity in general and avoided discussion of Masonic conspiracies. He did praise Freemasonry, saying that many Masons were of the "highest distinction and repute" and commending Freemasonry's charitable works. Hannah's criticisms were focused upon the texts of Masonic rituals.
Darkness Visible is in two sections. In the first section, various elements of Freemasonry are argued to be incompatible with Christianity. These include the harsh nature of Masonic obligations (oaths) and the religious aspects of Freemasonry. He also lists the condemnations of Freemasonry by various Christian denominations. The second section discusses Masonic rituals, particularly the first degree initiation ceremony, the second degree passing ceremony and the third degree raising ceremony, and a reprint of Darkness Visible claimed that the book was used by new initiates for learning their initiation rituals, as it was easier to use than official Masonic copies.