Just found out that Norman Vincent Peale the author of the best selling book "The Power of Positive Thinking" was a 33° member of the Midwood Freemason Lodge No. 1062, Brooklyn, New York. He was Grand Chaplain for the Grand Lodge of New York. He received the 33rd in 1959 and the Gourgas Medal in 1973.
http://www.nymasons.org/about-freemasonry/famous-masons-i.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Vincent_Peale#Later_life

This got me thinking because I remember hearing Bishop David Oyedepo once preach that the above book by Norman Vincent Peale made a profound impact on him.

Bishop Oyedepo is quoted as saying that "He came across a book titled, “The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale and that this impacted his spirit towards mental excellence."
http://dc303.4shared.com/doc/qrhtveC-/preview.html

Now this makes me wonder why Freemasonry was demonized in the past as evil and whether the then young Bishop Oyedepo would have read Vincent Peale's book if he knew then that Peale was a Freemason.

Why are you surprised?
Freemasonry molds men out of beasts.

Freemasonry is demonized simply to keep the sheep at bay and in their place.
Everyone cannot be a leader.

The wheat must always be separated from the shaft.

Always knew he was a 'new age practitioner'

I'd never heard he was a member of the Freemasons

The whole prosperity "gospel" thing is New Age stuff clothed in "Christian" garb.

The bible says do what they preach and not what they do.
The devil can inspire you to dogood