Freemasonry has always been religious in character, though it subscribes to no particular orthodoxy. To become a Freemason, the applicant has to be an adult male and must believe in the existence of a supreme being and in the immortality of the soul. The teachings of Freemasonry enjoin morality, charity, and obedience to the law of the land. It is not, however, a Christian institution, though it is often taken to be such. In fact, Freemasonry has received considerable opposition from organized religion, the Roman Catholic Church in particular. In practice, some lodges have been accused of religious prejudices, specifically against Jews and Catholics. They have also been accused of anticlericalism in Latin American countries. In Anglo-American countries the membership consists of mostly white Protestants; some lodges have been accused of prejudice against nonwhites.
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