Project Gutenberg 2004-10-15 Public domain in the USA. 93 Macdill, David 1826 1903 Macdill, D. (David) Beecher, Edward 1803 1895 Blanchard, Jonathan 1811 1892 Blanchard, J. (Jonathan) Secret Societies: A Discussion of Their Character and Claims E-text prepared by Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders "Secret Societies: A Discussion of Their Character and Claims" by Rev. David Macdill, Jonathan Blanchard, D.D., and Edward Beecher, D.D. is a critical examination of the nature and implications of secret societies, likely written in the mid-19th century. The text delves into the historical context, religious objections, and moral concerns surrounding these organizations, arguing that their secrecy, oaths, and exclusionary practices are fundamentally at odds with Christian principles. The opening portion of the work discusses the long-standing existence of secret associations, tracing their roots back to various ancient cultures. The authors express skepticism about their claimed benefits while highlighting the moral and ethical implications of such secrecy. They argue that the origins and historical associations of these groups, often linked with pagan practices, are suspicious and potentially harmful. The text sets the stage for further exploration of specific issues, such as the profanation of oaths and the exclusivity of memberships, suggesting that these practices violate the core teachings of Christianity and contribute to societal harm. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 57.1 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Secret societies HS Text Category: History - Other Category: History - Religious Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Religion/Spirituality 149044 2025-07-06T06:53:29.308492 text/html 125257 2024-10-28T20:44:43 text/html 147081 2025-07-06T06:53:35.629493 application/epub+zip 146440 2025-07-06T06:53:32.716519 application/epub+zip 109454 2025-07-06T06:53:31.519521 application/epub+zip 380724 2025-07-06T06:53:37.736470 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 354583 2025-07-06T06:53:34.852476 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 209373 2022-09-07T04:01:52.087594 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 123994 2023-10-06T10:29:08.066206 text/plain 103986 2024-10-28T20:44:43 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17494 2025-07-06T06:53:37.864452 application/rdf+xml 24566 2025-07-06T06:53:32.009502 image/jpeg 4633 2025-07-06T06:53:31.762512 image/jpeg 144221 2025-07-06T06:53:29.319526 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia en.wikipedia