What are some of your views on Free Masonry? We have a couple of active Masons in our congregation (Church of Christ), and it's been suggested to me from others in our community that Masonry is demonic. Seems to me that any society that would claim to act in faith but not through Jesus would at the very least be a dilution of the gospel.

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2001

Answers

Donn,

I would not necessarily call the Masonic Order demonic (at least not in the common use of the term) but I also don't see much in it that is worth upholding.

I'm not really fluent in Masonic doctrine (though others here are - Darrell Combs, for one I believe), but from what I've seen & heard, they basically combine many Denominational type doctrines, wrap them in "mystery", and sware members to silence (unto death) concerning these things.

As an example of their practices, my Father-in-law recently passed away. He was quite advanced in the Lodge (even though I don't think he had been to a meeting in the 25 years I had known him), and several members insisted (demanded) that they be allowed to conduct their "service" at the funeral even though the family didn't want it. Well.....they got their way and IMHO, it ruined the whole atmosphere & purpose of the funeral. They beat us senseless with the finality of death, while providing nothing good to grasp onto (i.e. Christ) When asked later what I thought of their "service", my reply was, "it was about as comforting as a Barium enema"!

To "hardcore" masons, this "substitute" faith becomes their only faith - which IMHO is kin to worshipping a false god (worse than Denominationalism because of the impending death threat of their oaths). Folks like this, I may or may not want to fellowship with (depending on their circumstances & views), but I would have a big problem with their participation in church Leadership. They would have to affirm before the Elders & Congregation their belief in the tenants of the Gospel as understood by that church, before I could give them any consideration at all.

Now there are other folks which join the Order merely as a Social group & place no stock in the doctrines & threats therein - and I really have no problem with them, other than "why bother joining them in the first place if you don't uphold their principles"...........just seems kinda "wishy-washy" to me.

Others may have memberships in the masons from their "pre-Christian" days, but they no longer attend or believe in their ways. That's cool too, since in some families being a Mason (at least in title) is pre-requisite to being in that family (sad but true). I even know a preacher (one who could not be more faithful & conservative to the Gospel if he tried) who is a lifetime Mason due to the family issue, even though he has not attended a meeting in at least 25 years.

So in direct answer, no...I wouldn't automatically discard any Mason. Every man is different, so examine them as individuals.

But concerning any demonic connection, keep this thought in mind, Joseph Smith used & implemented many of the Masonic doctrines & practices when he "instigated" the Mormon Church Cult.

So in logical thinking, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck..............what is it????????????

-- Anonymous, October 08, 2001

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mark. I certainly don't consider myself any sort of expert on the matter, but I have done some studying, mainly because I had an elder in a past congregation who was active in the Masonic Order.

He joined the Masons because he was a 'practicing mason" ... i.e. a bricklayer. When he joined the order many moons ago, the order was their "union" so-to-speak. If you were not a member of the order, you could not get work as a brick-layer. He went to the third (very basic) level, and that was all. He was not involved in all the "hooey" that goes on as you rise to higher levels in the order.

All well and good! I asked him if he had to swear alligence to various gods and beings, which is prescribed in their own books. He shuffled around the question, finally answering that he did, but he didn't really mean it! To be honest, I have some real problems with that answer. It smacks of what the early Christians when through under the reign of Domition, et.al. could they burn the incense to Ceaser in order to save their lives, and yet say, "We didn't really mean it."

Another problem I have seen in that particular congregation, and one in Florida where there were a couple of men (elder and deacons) who were active in masonry is how much time and finances the order took. Many times the men were more involved in masonry than they were in their Christian life, and certainly in their giving. They were both quick to state they gave a tithe to the church, but I know from conversations with them that they gave even more than that to the order.

I agree with Mark ... I would not make membership in masonry a test of fellowship, but after lengthy study of the subject, and from reading many of their own texts (I had a grandfather who was somewhat involved, and his wife gave me his books after he passed away. Non- members aren't supposed to have this material), I would have a problem with a leader in the Church being involved in masonry, eastern star, shriners, etc.

My opinion -- what do the rest of you think? And if we have any readers who are involved in masonry, please share your experiences with us.

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2001

Here is an article I wrote for my web column, "According to John," on the subject:

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Are Christians "Free" to be Masons?

A few weeks ago, a glowing "report" appeared in my local newspaper praising the Freemason lodge. (I use "report" in quotations as the article was hardly unbiased, having been written by a Mason.) Most certainly, the subject of the Lodge has been a sore point in the church. The Southern Baptist Convention has publicly wrestled with this issue. It is a difficult subject to discuss, since many Lodge members are so proud of their membership that even the suggestion that it may somehow be unchristian can evoke anger and hostility. But it is nevertheless a subject that needs to be addressed, for eternal destinies may be at stake.

One of my favorite movies is "Fiddler on the Roof." In that movie, the main character, Tevye, is faced with several very emotional decisions that challenge his preconceived notions of how things ought to be, his traditions. Now Tevye has a very volatile temper! But rather than reacting in anger, he recognizes the importance of the moment and instead distances himself from the emotion and weighs the pros and cons of each issue carefully. Since this can be a volatile issue, I have decided to take that approach in this letter. Can a Christian be a Mason? This is a question I am not going to answer. Far be it for me to stand in judgment. No, I have decided in this letter to simply quote from the newspaper's article and Freemasonry's leaders, alongside the Bible, "on the other hand," as Tevye would say, and let the reader form their own opinion.

In the article, it stated that Masons are "Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist." Thirty-third degree (the highest level) Mason Albert Pike wrote, "Masonry, around whose altars the Christian, the Hebrew, the Moslem, the Brahmin, the followers of Confucius and Zoroaster, can assemble as brethren and unite in prayer to the one God who is above ALL the Baalim, must needs leave it to each of its initiates to look for the foundation of his faith and hope to the written scriptures of his own religion." (Morals and Dogma, Albert Pike, 1956, page 226). [The God of Christianity and Judaism is included in the "baalim" (false gods)?!] And 33rd degree Mason Manly P. Hall stated, "The true Mason is not creed-bound. He realizes with the divine illumination of his lodge that as a Mason his religion must be universal: Christ, Buddha, or Mohammed, the name means little, for he recognizes only the light and not the bearer. He worships at every shrine, bows before every altar, whether in temple, mosque or cathedral, realizing with his truer understanding the oneness of all spiritual truth." (The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, Manly P. Hall, 1976, p.65). The name means little? Dear Christian reader, does the name of Jesus mean little to you?

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Paul echoed, "There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). And as far as worshipping at other altars goes, Paul wrote, "What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?" (2 Corinthians 6:15-16). What do the Ten Commandments say? "And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me" (Exodus 20:1-5).

The article claimed that Freemasonry was not a "secret" society, that their associations are not kept secret. While this may be true, it is also true that their meetings, initiation rites, etc. are indeed conducted in secret, behind closed doors. Yet Jesus, our example, said "In secret I have done nothing" (John 18:20). What would Jesus do?

The candidate for even the first degree in Masonry is described in their ritual as being "blind" and "in search of light in Masonry." Yet Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). Can a Christian truly say he is blind and seeking more light?

The oaths in the Lodge are taken before the leader of the local Lodge, the "Worshipful Master," to whom the initiates must kneel. Yet the Bible declares that worship is reserved for God alone, and that Christians "have only one Master" (Matt.23:8).

The candidate takes his oath on the Holy Bible. That sounds very pious, until we remember Jesus' commandments to swear no oaths and that oathtaking comes straight from the evil one (Matthew 5:34-37), and James' ominous warning: "Above all, my brothers, do not swear -- not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your 'Yes' be yes, and your 'No,' no, or you will be condemned" (James 5:12). And what of the oaths? According to Duncan's Ritual of Freemasonry, the very first oath the new Mason initiate swears, calling upon the name of the Lord, is "... binding myself under no less penalty than that of having my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by its roots, and my body buried in the rough sands of the sea, at low water mark." Is this an oath a Christian in good conscience can swear to and even call upon God to bear witness to? Do not the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:7,13) say both, "You shall not kill" and "You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain"?

The article claimed that Freemasonry was not a religion. Yet they offer a plan of salvation. Lynn Perkins writes in "The Meaning of Masonry" (page 95): "Therefore Masonry teaches that redemption and salvation are both the power and the responsibility of the individual Mason. Saviors like Hiram Abiff can and do show the way, but men must always follow and demonstrate, each for himself, his power to save himself, to build his own spiritual fabric in his own time and way. Every man in essence is his own savior and redeemer; for if he does not save himself, he will not be saved." Dear Christian, are you comfortable with those words? The Bible, on the other hand, says "I [Jesus] am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6), and "There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12) Can we save ourselves? Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast."

Jesus tells us to be physically baptized (immersed), and Paul tells us that this baptism is symbolic of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:3-4). Masons, on the other hand, during the ritual to become a Master Mason (the third degree), symbolically re-inact (are immersed into) the death, burial and resurrection of Hiram Abiff, the mythic Grand Architect of Solomon's temple. The Bible plainly states that it is the death, burial and resurrection of Christ that is the core of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and that any other "gospel" carries with it a dreadful curse (Galatians 1:8-9) ... a curse far worse than any Masonic oath.

I could say much more, and indeed a great many books have been written on the subject, but the preceding should be sufficient. Many important questions need to be asked, that many are afraid to ask. Are there true Christians who are Masons? Most assuredly! In "Return of the Jedi", Luke Skywalker proudly proclaimed, "I am a Jedi, like my father before me." The same is often true of Christians who are Masons: they are proudly carrying on a tradition, as the article says, without really examining the belief system underlying the Lodge. But can a true Christian, once examining this belief system, remain in the Lodge? This is a question I will leave up to the reader to answer, according to his own conscience. Can you, dear Christian reader, now be able to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and point proudly to your involvement with the Masons?

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2001

I greww up in a church where the minister and several elders and deacons were masons. Eventually my father became an elder, and he began to study the question. I guess I inherited that from him.

I have found a few books that are helpful in sorting through the question in thoughtful way.

1. "Masonic Rites and Wrongs" by Steven Tsoukalas (R&R Publishing ISBN 0-87552-457-5) He does a good job of separating the Blue Lodge (1st-3rd degree) from the Scottish Rite (to 33rd degree). 236 pages

2. "The Truth About Masons" by Robert Morey (Harvest House 1-56507- 077-1) He does a good job of showing why there is confusion between the critics of mosanry and the members of masonry with regards to whether the lodge is pro- or anti-Christian. 139 pages

3. "The Secret Teachings of the Masonic Lodge" John Ankerberg and John Weldon (Moody Press ISBN 0-8024-7695-3) More in depth (small print and 330 pages) and more consistently critical.

It is important when speaking to someone in the Maasonic Lodge to understand that the difference between the experience in the Blue Lodge and in the Scottish Rite Masonry are quite different. Someone in the Blue Lodge is unlikely to run into something blatently anti- christian. As this is where most masons stop, they understandably think the critics of masonry are misguided or crazy when they bring up all the stuff in Albert Pike's book. Most have never seen it.

I picked up copy of Pike's book, "Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry" a few years ago at a used book store. My copy is from 1951. There is no question that what is described in this book is consciously anti-Christian. Just one example:

(Describing the "fall" in Genesis)

"To retain the rays of Light still remaining among his Eons, and ever tending to escape and return, by concentrating them, the Prince of Darkness, with their consent, made Adam, whose soul was of the Divine Light, contributed by the Eons, and his body of matter, so that he belonged to both Empires, that of Light and Darkness. To prevent the light from escaping at once, the Demons forbade Adam to eat the fruit of "knowledge of good and evil," by which he would have known the Empire of Light and that of Darkness. He obeyed; an Angel of Light induced him to transgress, and gave him the means of victory; but the Demons created Eve; who seduced him into an act of Sensualism, that enfeebled him, and bound him anew to the bonds of matter." page 567, Degree 26.

I cannot see any way to reconcile the higher levels of masonry with allegience to Jesus.

my $.02

Richard

-- Anonymous, November 05, 2001

I'm really disappointed not only as a muslim but also as a human being how people can actually prefer free masonry over Christianity,Islam or Judaism.It's incomprehensible.Don'r people know what the masons are all about? Haven't they read their history?Their basic theology is totally demonic and inhumane to begin with, remenber the templer knights! the most barbaric and evil of their kind ravaged everything that came under their sway.Thanks to the free mason support of the American revolution they exerted alot of influence in America infact George Washington was a free mason and so is Bush.America needs to wake up before all is lost.In the end our saviour would be Jesus and not the devil!!!

-- Anonymous, December 23, 2001