Leo Taxil- A hoax from yesterday that lives on today

Gabriel Jogand-Pagès, the man better known as Leo Taxil, was an ex freemason who came up with an... well, interesting story. 

In what has become a long quoted work of fiction, Leo Taxil was expelled from the order of Freemasonry and decided to get some revenge.  He came up with this hoax:

"That which we must say to a crowd is - We worship a God, but it is the God that one adores without superstition. To you, Sovereign Grand Inspectors General, we stay this, that you may repeat it to the Brethren of the 32nd, 31st, and 30th degrees - The Masonic Religion should be by all of us initiates of the high degrees, maintained in the purity of the Luciferian Doctrine.

If Lucifer were not God, would Adonay whose deeds prove his cruelty, perdify and hatred of man, barbarism and repulsion for science, would Adonay and his priests, calumniate him? Yes, Lucifer is God, and unfortunately Adonay is also god. for the eternal law is that there is no light without shade, no beauty without ugliness, no white without black, for the absolute can only exist as two gods; darkness being necessary to the statue, and the brake to the locomotive.

Thus, the doctrine of Satanism is a heresy; and the true and pure philosophical religion is the belief in Lucifer, the equal of Adonay; but Lucifer, God of Light and God of Good, is struggling for humanity against Adonay, the God of Darkness and Evil."

Needless to say, he got plenty of recognition.

It is important to note before we go any further that prior to this hoax, Taxil was known for publishing anti-Catholic books, where he pointed out the fallacies he saw in the religion.  La Bible amusante is one such publication.  Eventually, he renounced these works and sought conversion to the Catholic faith.

It was then that the anti-masonic fever took off.  Having the full support of the Catholic church, Leo Taxil published pamphlets bashing Freemasonry, where he stated they worshipped the devil (as stated in the long quote above by) as quoted by Albert Pike (again, made up).  He also said that he was getting information from Diana Vaughan, who told him more about these things.  The word Palladist was trending at the time, due to Taxil's statements linking Freemasonry to this alleged Satanic society.

He did such a good job at convincing the public, he even got Pope Leo XIII on board.  The Pope gave his blessing on an anti-masonic council in Trent and reproached a bishop who stated all of these "confessions" were false.

Eventually, people wanted to meet Diana Vaughan, doubting that she existed.  Leo Taxil then said he would make a public announcement.  The audience was shocked to find that the entire thing had been a hoax.  Taxil thanked the clergy (some of whom were in attendance) for helping him carry out his hoax.

Now, was Taxil trying to redeem himself by pulling one over on the Catholic church?  Or was he simply taking what he had learned and weaving it into a believable, albeit completely untrue, story? 

My personal belief is that Taxil had strong feelings when it came to religion.  Whether it was the institution, the beliefs, the stories... I haven't a clue.  But I think that he was trying to show the animosity the church had for Freemasonry by taking advantage of it.  He definitely made a profit from his endeavors and in the end, made a fool of a lot of people.

Today, people still believe in the hoax... as it is often cited as truth, retold in modern books, and devil worship brought up by those who may still believe it.  However, let me put this rumor to rest.  Devil worshipping has no place in a Masonic lodge.

There are two things I will say to prove this statement.  First, do you really think our grandfathers, our fathers, our brothers, our founding fathers, and more great men would willingly participate in devil worship?  These are all men with different, but often strong, religious beliefs... men who would not take such worship in stride.  Freemasonry is the largest fraternity in the world... and if this was really something that occurred, do you think people would still join, take part, and proudly show their affiliation with it?  I don't.  Secondly, the countless values Freemasonry embodies... they don't really seem Satanic to me. 

I'm sure talk of the "secret rituals" hasn't helped things in debunking this rumor once and for all, and I can understand this to a point.  When something is a secret, and it can't be told, it gives way to wild fantasies, rumors, and speculations.  Anything can be said and believed without even a modicum of proof if it sounds interesting enough.  This has been true about all things... be it religion, celebrities, governments, and fraternities.

For example:

Did you hear about Alpha Kappa Omega?  They force pledges to watch episodes of Jersey Shore while members burn them with curling irons!

I just made that up... but if I was in college and I said this to a student next to me (and if there was such a thing as an Alpha Kappa Omega fraternity) it is very plausible that the rumor could take off and spread.

Rumors and speculation will always surround Freemasonry.  But I implore anyone who wants to know the truth to do some research, read both sides of the argument even, before taking away an impression.  It truly is an amazing fraternity, with some of the most honorable men I have ever met. 

None of which have little horns or pitchforks.