Two Cities
It starts by using the Augustinian concept of the two cities, the City of Man and the City of God. So the human race was "separated into two diverse and opposite parts, of which the one steadfastly contends for truth and virtue, the other of those things which are contrary to virtue and to truth. The one is the kingdom of God on earth, namely, the true Church of Jesus Christ ... The other is the kingdom of Satan," which were "led on or assisted" by Freemasonry.
The fundamental doctrine of Masonry was portrayed as naturalism, which leads to Deism and gnosticism. This was seen to lead them to a fundamental clash with (Roman Catholic) Christianity as, due to their supposed beliefs, Freemasons were accused of support of a radical separation of church and state, with an attempt to impose legal obstacles to the church.
Read more about this topic: Humanum Genus
Famous quotes containing the word cities:
“Whilst we want cities as the centres where the best things are found, cities degrade us by magnifying trifles.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“The only phenomenon with which writing has always been concomitant is the creation of cities and empires, that is the integration of large numbers of individuals into a political system, and their grading into castes or classes.... It seems to have favored the exploitation of human beings rather than their enlightenment.”
—Claude Lévi-Strauss (b. 1908)