The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

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Chapter 9 - Masonic and Anti-Masonic Literature
Anti-Masons complain about the ambiguous Masonic language. But what
have they done to it? The following two sections examine two issues, namely (1)
how Masonic symbolism could be filled with antisemitic content, and (2) how a
ban of "Jewish" words and a change of vocabulary should save German lodges -
then called "Christian Orders," - from extinction.
9.2.3.1 The Ludendorffs' Anti-Masonic
Vocabulary: A New Content applied to
Masonic Symbols
This section illustrates how Masonic symbols lose their original definition
and receive a new one of antisemitic content for propagandistic reasons. The
source of this "new" Masonic vocabulary, destined as a malicious campaign
against the Craft in order to find a culprit for the economic situation in Germany
and an accomplice of the Jews, is General Ludendorff together with his wife. In
contrast to Hitler, who had not much to say against Freemasonry, the
Ludendorffs launched a real anti-Masonic campaign, publishing many books on
this topic. It has to be stated that Ludendorff's expositions are so far-fetched that
even his competitive antisemitic propagandist, Alfred Rosenberg, called him a
paranoid. However, they had a strong influence on the German population and
are therefore worth discussing. General Ludendorff and Dr. Mathilde Ludendorff
invented neologisms to describe Freemasons, such as "Mondnaturen im
Aaronsschurz," (which would translate into "moon characters in Aaron's apron,"
or "Verfreimaurerung des Deutschen Volkslebens" 1844 ("Masonification" of the
German people). The Ludendorffs also accepted Taxil's view of sexist Masonic
symbols. Thus, the General was convinced that the Masonic initiation was of a
phallic nature, and he calls it the "artificial branding as Jews," and
"circumcision": "Bemerkenswert ist [...], daß auch Ludendorff in der Einweihung
des Freimaurers an den Phallus denkt. 'Künstliche Abstempelung zum Juden',
'Beschneidung.' " 1845 A contemporary of him, the anti-Mason Herrmann Gruber,
also states: "[D]as letzte positive Geheimnis der Freimaurerei gipfelt im Kulte
des Fleisches" 1846 - at least in the first edition of his book, because in the second
edition he calls Taxil a swindler and himself as his exposer. The conspiracy
theories of the Ludendorffs lumped all imagined adversaries of fascist Germany
together - Masons, Jews, and Communists.
One of the major strategies of General Ludendorff is to attribute to the
Masonic symbols a different meaning that always alludes to Judaism. Let us take
a look at the Masonic symbolism of the four points of the compass, for example.
It has been shown in previous chapters that in Masonry, the light comes from the
1844 Ludendorff, Kriegshetze und Völkermorde, p. 171.
1845 IFL, p. 1455/1456.
1846 Ibid, p. 1456.