Continental Freemasonry

Continental Freemasonry (alternative terms include: Liberal Freemasonry,Latin Freemasonry and Adogmatic Freemasonry) refers to those Masonic lodges, mainly (but not exclusively) on the continent of Europe, that recognise the Grand Orient de France (GOdF) or belong to CLIPSAS or SIMPA. The majority of Freemasons belong to lodges that recognise the United Grand Lodge of England and do not recognise Continental Freemasons, regarding them as "irregular".

Today, Freemasonry is often said to consist of two branches "not in mutual regular amity";

In most Latin countries, the GODF-style or European Continental Freemasonry predominates, although in most of these Latin countries there are also Grand Lodges and Grand Orients that are in "regular amity" with the UGLE and the worldwide community of Grand Lodges that share "regular" fraternal relations with the UGLE. The rest of the world, accounting for the bulk of Freemasonry, tends to follow more closely to the UGLE style, although minor variations exist.

There are many reasons why the schism in Freemasonry occurred, and why it still persists. The first instance of derecognition occurred in the United States shortly after the American Civil War. In 1869, the Grand Orient de France (GODF) recognized a Masonic group in Louisiana which was not recognized by the Grand Lodge of Louisiana (GLL). This was seen by GLL as an invasion of its jurisdiction, and it withdrew its recognition of GODF. At the request of GLL, several other American Grand Lodges also withdrew recognition. There is some evidence that racial motivations may also have played a part in this derecognition. The GODF had recently passed a resolution stating that "neither color, race, nor religion should disqualify a man for initiation" and the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, at that time, strictly excluded blacks and those of mixed race. However, this initial split was not unanimous in the US. Many American Grand Lodges continued to recognize the GODF well into the 20th century.

The schism widened in 1877 when the GODF changed its constitutions to allow for complete religious "Laïcité". While the Anglo-American tradition had long required (and still does require) candidates to overtly express a belief in deity, the GODF removed that requirement, stating that Laïcité "imposes that all men are given, without distinction of class, origin or denomination, the means to be themselves, to have the freedom of choice, to be responsible for their own maturity and masters of their destiny." In other words, the GODF would admit atheists, while those lodges in the Anglo-American tradition would not. The United Grand Lodge of England thus withdrew its recognition, and declared the GODF to be "irregular." As other jurisdictions tended to follow the lead of either GODF or UGLE, the schism grew.

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