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Freethought
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===Religious tolerance=== [[File:Bronze statue of Giordano Bruno by Ettore Ferrari , Campo de' Fiori, Roma.jpg|thumb|upright|In 1889, a statue of [[Giordano Bruno]] was erected at the site of his execution, by freethinkers from several countries.]] Unlike most contemporary fraternal orders, Freemasonry did not require its members to follow a specific religious creed.<ref name="jacob"/> This openness allowed men of diverse faiths, including freethinkers and deists, to join local lodges throughout [[Europe]] and [[United States|America]] in the Enlightenment era. While utilizing religious imagery and themes, Freemasonry intentionally avoided dogmatic disputes and focused its moral lessons on shared values of virtue, charity, and righteousness.<ref name="jacob"/> This religious tolerance attracted Enlightenment thinkers, like [[Voltaire]], who viewed organized religion as upholding oppressive traditional monarchs and hindering free thought.<ref name="israel">{{cite book |last=Israel |first=Jonathan |title=Enlightenment Contested |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=3β28}}</ref> Benjamin Franklin praised Masonic principles of "liberality, tolerance and unity in essentials, leaving each Brother to his own opinions on non-essentials" in his writings.<ref name="franklin">{{cite book |last=Franklin |first=Benjamin |authorlink=Benjamin Franklin |title=The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin |date=2004 |publisher=Dover Publications |page=106}}</ref>
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