The Religion of Freemasonry
Arguably, the most controversial issue that Freemasonry has ever
faced is the question of whether or not it is a religion. In the process
of proving that it is, we would like to start by approaching the issue
from a broader context at 30,000 feet. Later, we then want to zoom back
in on this issue more specifically to demonstrate that Freemasonry is,
undeniably a religion.
To illustrate our points from the broader perspective, we will use
excerpts from a dissertation entitled, "The
Church in the Public Square in a Pluralistic Society" by
David L. Adams1 for two
reasons:
- Although the theses we are about to present do not address
Freemasonry specifically, they serve as an excellent means for
establishing a conceptual framework, which will lead to a better
understanding of the religion of Freemasonry.
- They also serve well to demonstrate the striking parallel of the
Masonic worldview when juxtaposed to the prevailing national
religious ideology that has evolved in our country since its
inception.
Before proceeding however, please note that this information is not
intended to put forth any specific Christian denominational view, but
rather to stress some very critical doctrinal implications that apply to
all Christians that adhere to those doctrines that have been derived
from the Bible and confirmed through the ancient ecumenical creeds, as
outlined in the O.F.F. Statement of Faith.
So, from a Christian perspective it is important to view this
information from the context of biblical doctrine.
Additionally, please note that, any parallels and/or implications as
to how Adams' premise relates to the problems with the Masonic worldview
will be noted in red, and are not
part of his dissertation, which will be identified by quotation marks.
For our purposes here, we have taken the liberty to renumber Dr. Adams'
theses since we are only using three, rather than all eight that are
contained in his original paper.
Adams' Thesis 1: American Civil Religion is the state
religion of the United States of America.
"If asked, most Americans would say that we have no state
religion, even that the First Amendment of the Constitution prohibits
it. While this may be technically, legally, and constitutionally
correct, it ignores that fact that here in America we have developed a
national religious ideology that performs every function for our society
that a formally-recognized state religion serves in other nations.2
Specifically, American Civil Religion supplies the "god"
element of the traditional American trinity of "god, mother, and
apple pie." It defines that "god" in whom our money
trusts and to whom we appeal in song and slogan to "bless
America." And as we saw so powerfully demonstrated last September
(9/11/01), American Civil Religion serves the interests of the state by
providing our nation with a socially-unifying rallying point in times of
national crisis and a presumed least common denominator for our national
social discourse.
American Civil Religion differs from other state religions in only
two significant respects: first, that it is not vested in an external
institution and, second, that it lacks a formal clergy, canon, and corpus
doctrinae. Each of these shortcomings
is, in fact, an essential element of our national religious faith. It is
a part of the genius of American Civil Religion that it is not vested in
an institution.
Institutions provide definition and control. American Civil Religion
operates on consensus and social pressure rather than institutional
power, and is all the more forceful because of it. Moreover, one may
oppose institutions on the grounds of conscience. Opposing American
Civil Religion is rather like shadow-boxing: you can take your best
shot, but you can never quite make contact. Similarly, the lack of a
formal clergy, canon, and body of doctrine are essential elements of our
national faith.
The clergy of American Civil Religion are rather like the judges of
the Old Testament; they are charismatic leaders (usually in our case
politicians or entertainers) who arise in time of national crisis and
serve pro tempore before returning to their
"day jobs" when the crisis is past. And just as our
Constitution says whatever the nine justices of the Supreme Court say
that it says in any given moment, so the canons and doctrines of
American Civil Religion are defined afresh moment-by-moment in the
councils of our public consciousness: at one moment Christian, at
another deistic, at yet another new-age personal spirituality, always
becoming whatever it needs to be to maintain its function as our
socially-unifying rallying point in times of national crisis, and a
presumed least-common-denominator for our national social
discourse."
Considering Adams' description, in many respects
the religion of Freemasonry is a micro-cosmism of American Civil
Religion, yet with its own religious dogma notwithstanding.
Just as American Civil Religion is not vested in an
external institution and lacks a formal clergy, canon, and corpus
doctrinae; Freemasonry is not vested in any specific religion or faith.
Freemasonry has no formal clergy, yet "its
ministers are the Masons who comprehend it," and it is not
bonded to any one canon, but will freely accept any "Volume
of Sacred Law" (not necessarily the Holy Bible) as "indispensable
furniture of every lodge." Freemasonry claims it has no
doctrine, yet its religious dogma is an integral part of its very being,
"secured to it by its ancient Landmarks."
Yet, like the genius of American Civil Religion is not being vested in
an institution, it is the genius of Freemasonry that it is not vested in
any particular world religion.
Dr. Adams' framework of American Civil Religion
makes it synonymous with America's national religious ideology. Since
Freemasonry, by its religious teachings, is a micro-cosmism of this
ideology, it can be argued then, that Masonic Temples serve as the
churches of American Civil Religion and its membership serve as its
congregation.
When the need arises to defend the legitimacy of
the Craft and its unbiblical worldview, Freemasonry leverages the fact
that its philosophy is in line with the ideals of the pluralistic
society in which we live. She (Freemasonry) often leverages her
ministers, many of whom are the clergy Adams describes of American Civil
Religion; they are the charismatic leaders, doctors, lawyers,
politicians, entertainers or other celebrities who have been enticed
and, in their own way, encouraged to take part in the congregation of
American Civil Religion found in the fellowship within its church or
temple called – the Masonic Lodge.
In some cases, these ministers often serve as
silent icons used to tell the world and would be candidates that,
Freemasonry is an all right place to be. In other cases, during her
quest to justify who and what she is, Freemasonry puts forth the opinion
of Masonry from its celebrity members, as long as their opinion puts
Freemasonry in a positive light. If not, whatever is said by a member of
the Craft about Freemasonry and its teachings "is
just their opinion." For example, Freemasonry will be quick
to publish, in its defense, statements made about it by famous Masons,
such as Benjamin Franklin:
"Freemasonry has tenets peculiar to itself.
They serve as testimonials of character and qualifications, which are
only conferred after due course of instruction and examination. These
are of no small value; they speak a universal language, and act as a
passport to the attentions and support of the initiated in all parts
of the world. They cannot be lost as long as memory retains its power.
Let the possessor of them be expatriated, shipwrecked or imprisoned,
let him be stripped of everything he has got in the world, still those
credentials remain, and are available for use as circumstances
require. The good effects they have produced are established by the
most incontestable facts of history. They have stayed the uplifted
hand of the destroyer; they have softened the asperities of the
tyrant; they have mitigated the horrors of captivity; they have
subdued the rancor of malevolence; and broken down the barriers of
political animosity and sectarian alienation. On the field of battle,
in the solitudes of the uncultivated forest, or in the busy haunts of
the crowded city, they have made men of the most hostile feelings, the
most distant regions, and diversified conditions, rush to the aid of
each other, and feel a special joy and satisfaction that they have
been able to afford relief to a Brother Mason."
Positive affirmations and imagery serves as an
ingenuous testimony that, if she (Freemasonry) was good enough for likes
of George Washington, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, W.E.B. DuBois,
Thurgood Marshall, Booker T. Washington, and Bob Dole, just to name a
few, than what could possibly be so wrong with her? Yet, whenever a
Mason makes controversial statements regarding Freemasonry, Masons
dismiss it as being merely the author's personal opinion, as in the
following example:
"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. The reader who
succeeds in getting back to the real teachings of the masters,
including Jesus of Nazareth, will find unanimity of thinking on this
matter."
The Meaning of Masonry,
Lynn Perkins, page 95
Despite such comments, Freemasonry can ease the
conscious of the Christian Mason by summonsing, at a moment's notice, an
example of a prominent Mason that is also a member of, or even a
clergyman within virtually any denomination from which the Christian
Mason may be affiliated. If he's not a Christian, Freemasonry will
always satisfy any other deistic choice, or provide an example of some
new-age personality. Freemasonry is forever ready to become whatever she
needs to be to maintain her function as a socially-unifying model of the
"American Civil Congregation"
within American Civil Religion. So that, once more, the Masonic Temple
can be viewed in this context as, an "American
Civil Church," a presumed least-common-denominator or place
for our national religious discourse.
"Every Mason must believe in God and in the
immortality of the soul. The Volume of Sacred Law must be open on
every Lodge Altar. A candidate takes his Obligations upon his knees.
Before engaging in any important undertaking a Mason seeks aid and
guidance through prayer from the Sovereign Grand Architect of the
Universe. This is religion, but it is not a religion. It is faith, but
it is not a faith confined to any one creed. It is worship, but it is
not a worship chained to any one Altar. In the great words of the
First Book of Constitutions it is the religion in which all good men
agree. It is the ground which underlies all religions, all churches,
all creeds..."
(Lodge System of Masonic Education, Booklet 1,
pg. 11)
Adams' next thesis is an interesting one, because
it plays perfectly into an important Masonic concept of its religion:
the principle of religious inclusion.
Adams' Thesis 2: American Civil Religion is now
irreducibly polytheistic.
"As America has become more culturally diverse, more
pluralistic, American Civil Religion has in turn become increasingly
polytheistic. Today and in the future, barring some tidal shift that
would make America more culturally uniform, American Civil Religion is
and will continue to be increasingly polytheistic to the point that we
must recognize that the "god" in whom our money trusts and to
whom we appeal to "bless America" will be defined by each
speaker and heard by each listener in his own way."
In the same way, Freemasonry will always ask of its
initiates, before the great undertaking of
becoming a Mason and without specificity, "In
whom do you put your trust?" Naturally, being programmed by
the ideology of American Civil Religion, the candidate responds likewise
without being specific, "in god"
to which he is told, "your trust being in god,
your faith is well founded, rise follow your conductor and fear no
danger."
"This stands in stark contrast to the scandal of particularity
that shapes the historic Christian confession. Historic Christianity,
with its insistence that there is but one God and one way, through Jesus
Christ alone, that a fallen humanity may be restored to God, is out of
sync with American Civil Religion, and will be increasingly so. We
ignore this fact at the peril of our witness to the divine truth. Only
the most utterly naive Christian can invoke god in the public square
with the assumption that everyone else means the same thing by that term
that we do.
Indeed, we must go one further step and recognize that in American
Civil Religion today the same is virtually true of the name Jesus also.
At the risk of seeming impious, we must recognize that even the Doobie
Brothers can confess that "Jesus is just alright with me."
When we use the term god and the name Jesus,
we invest those terms with all the proper
historic Biblical content. Those around us in our culture do not. We are
foolish if we believe that we are giving a Christian witness just
because we use the terms god and Jesus
in an orthodox way. When speaking in the public square we must
explicitly express the particularity of the Gospel message in such a way
that it continues to scandalize American Civil Religion."
The founding fathers of these United States of
America, some of whom were Masons, established this country on Christian
principles. By the same token, Freemasonry began in this country with a
rather Christian facade. Yet, as America has become more culturally
diverse, more pluralistic, Freemasonry has too become increasingly
polytheistic.
Indeed, many Masons profess to be Christian,
however they have lost sight of the Jesus of the Bible and who He really
is or, in some cases, have drifted into a false perception about Him. In
other cases, they have an entirely non-biblical worldview of the nature
of God, as depicted by the following example from a statement obtained
from a recent posting on an Internet Masonic discussion board. As a
courtesy, the name of the author, who is a Mason, is not revealed in
order to protect his identity:
"Re: Christos or Jesus
the Christ?"
"I believe in the Trinity in that I believe
that there are three fundamental aspects of the One True God. There is
the aspect of God that is omnipotent, all knowing and omnipresent. To
me, this aspect is what the Gnostics were referring to in the concept
of "Gnosis". To know God, even incompletely and thus
imperfectly, is to have understanding of God's Nature. This is not to
be confused with rational, intellectual pondering and theories based
on human perspectives and projections. I believe that this aspect is
the aspect that is commonly referred to as God, the Father."
"I believe that there is an aspect of God
that is active, creative and responsible for the physical universe. To
me, this is the "Logos". The Logos that was at the beginning
has ever tended to its creation. When there was the need for
"Divine Intervention" it was this aspect of the Deity that
did so. Divine Intervention implies, to my mind, the aspect of the
Christos. Thus, to me, Logos = Christos. I believe that this aspect is
the aspect that is commonly referred to as God, the Son."
"I believe that there is an aspect of God
that is passive, not stagnate but 'fixed.' It is the aspect that binds
together all that exists. It is this, which is the idea or expression
of the 'Law.' It is this that governs 'Karma', or the Idea of 'reaping
that which you have sown.' It is the Love of God (This may seem
contradictory in this age of permissiveness and lack of discipline).
It is what I believe is referred to by the concept of 'Agape.' I
believe that this aspect is the aspect that is commonly referred to as
God, the Holy Spirit."
"I believe that Jesus was the Christos for
our era. I believe that the Christos was there at the beginning as the
Logos. I believe that the Christos was sent to bring understanding,
Love (Agape), Mercy and balance (The Law in balance with Mercy). I
believe that Gnosis brings understanding of the Christos who frees us
from the imbalance of the severity of the Law without Mercy. This is
what was being alluded to in the words "I am the Way and the
Truth and the Life".
"What do you think?"
Adams' Thesis 3: American Civil Religious events bridge
the gap between worship and civic events.
"Between the worship service (which we recognize by the elements
of invocation, confession and absolution, proclamation, celebration,
intercession, and benediction) and the civic event (the inauguration of
a president, the meeting of a school board, and so forth) there stands
another kind of event, a civil
religious event. The civil religious event is neither fish
nor fowl. It has some aspects of a worship service and other aspects of
a civic event. Perhaps it will be useful to compare these types of
events on the basis of the following criteria: the community that
participates in the event, the substance of the event (i.e. what
actually takes place there), the goal of the event (i.e. what is the
intention or expectation of either the organizers or the majority of the
participants of the event) and realm into which this belongs."
|
Worship Services
|
Civil Religious Event
|
Civic Event
|
Community
|
Confessing Body |
The Public |
The Public |
Substance
|
Prayer, Praise,
Adoration, etc. |
Discourse from, to, or
about God |
Community Business |
Goal
|
Receive Divine Gifts,
Proclaim the Gospel, etc. |
Advancing the
Community Good |
Advancing the
Community Good |
Realm
|
The Church |
Civil Religion |
The State |
"The civil religious event is, like the civic event, aimed at
the entire community. In some communities, this entire community may be
predominantly Christian, even predominantly members of a single
denomination or church, but the event itself is consciously defined as
an event for the whole community rather than for any particular
religious community that is a part of the whole."
Although there are certain restrictions,
Freemasonry opens its doors of membership to the
entire community. There are certain denominations that have
traditionally become more prone over time to be more
"sympathetic" to the Masonic Order, and as a result are
flooded with Masons. Masons will contend, however, that irregardless of
ones religious persuasion, a man is welcome to petition to a lodge
provided he meets the "necessary qualifications." Therefore,
while there are lodges where Masons may be of one religious affiliation
more than others, there is really no such thing, for example, as a
Christian, Jewish, or Muslim lodge.
Furthermore, Masons will argue that what takes
place behind the closed doors of Masonic Temples is not a worship
service at all, yet while they meet in secret, they are more similar to
a civic event where business is conducted to
advance the community good while sharing in "the
perpetuation of each others friendship and each others love."
This may be true to the extent to which lodge business is directed
toward its philanthropy. However, to the extent that the business of the
lodge is directed toward its ritual, the discourse
that takes place is much more inclined to that of a worship service at
worse, and a civil religious event at best.
And, for that matter, prominent Mason J. R. Martin 32° would argue that
the ritual is
the primary business of the lodge.3
"The substance of the civil religious event is any form of
discourse from, to, or about the gods. Such events are commonly promoted
as memorial services, prayer services, and thanksgiving services. They
lack the more formal structure associated with traditional worship
services and may blend elements from a variety of religious traditions.
American Civil Religious events are not, strictly speaking worship
services. Nor are they, strictly speaking, civic events. They are
clearly religious
events, for they deal with the divine realm, even if from a civil
perspective. Whenever people gather in the public square for the purpose
of discourse with or about God, there is a civil religious event, and
not simply a civic event."
For example, in the context of Freemasonry, the
substance of its Masonic Memorial Services would indicate that, by
virtue of his practicing Masonic principles during his lifetime, the dearly
departed brother has the assurance of a
glorious immortality:
"So, in the bright morning of the world's
resurrection, your mortal frame, now laid in the dust, shall again
spring into newness of life, and expand in immortal beauty in realms
beyond the skies."
Kentucky
Masonic Monitor, page 180
"He [deceased] has passed out of the love of
human hearts to a higher, better love; out of the dim lights of the
lodge on earth to the brighter, glorious Lodge above."
Louisiana
Masonic Monitor, pages 177 -178
"As we mourn the departure of our Brother
from the circle of our Fraternity, we believe that he has entered into
a higher Brotherhood, to find rest from earthly labors and refreshment
from earthly cares."
Texas
Monitor of the Lodge, page 217
"...we have the assurance that Thou hast
taken to Thyself his soul...Masons believe sincerely that when life on
earth comes to a close, the soul is transplanted from the
imperfections of this mortal sphere to that all-perfect glorious and
Celestial Lodge above."
Maine
Masonic Text-Book, 1992, pages 104-105
"We firmly believe our Brother has but heard
the invitation - 'Come thou blessed, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you."
Official
Monitor and Ceremonies of New Mexico, page 212 (Also
found in the monitor for the state of Oregon)
"Our brother _____ became a Free and
Accepted Mason on _____ in _____ Lodge No ____.
(Here insert his Masonic
record if desired.)
He left our earthly family to unite with the
Heavenly familv on _____. While we mourn his loss, we rejoice that we
are citizens of two worlds.
He has preceded us and has joined our host of
brethren in that other world where God who is the Father and Master of
us all awaits his coming."
New
York, Masonic Monitor of Work, pages 105 & 106
"The Master Mason learns
that true Freemasonry gives to a man a well-spent life and assurance
of a glorious immortality"
Carl Claudy (Masonic Author) Foreign
Countries, page 11
"The goal of a civil religious event is to advance the community
good, however the community good is defined by the community. Most often
this takes the form of promoting corporate unity... The question of the
realm of the civil religious event is particularly problematic."
So, if the goal of civil
religious activity is to advance the community
good, and such good is defined by the community, in the case of
Masonic philanthropy it can be argued that the community of Masons have
defined such good as "looking out for each other" (Masons),
rather than the general public, as Freemasonry would have you believe.
This pledge is demonstrated in the obligation (or oath) of Master Mason
(third degree), as well as what is evident from their financial reports 4:
"...Furthermore: I do promise and swear that
I will help, aid, and assist all poor and distressed Master Masons,
their widows and orphans..."
Master Mason Degree Ritual
as practiced in Nevada, circa 1986
Now, let's take a moment to examine the striking comparison,
stimulated by the following quote from Albert Pike, as we juxtapose
just a few elements of Freemasonry with that of a typical Christian
church:
"Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion; and its
teachings are instructions in religion...This is the true religion
revealed to the ancient patriarchs; which Masonry has taught for
many centuries, and which it will continue to teach as long as time
endures...It is the universal, eternal, immutable religion, such as
God planted in the heart of universal humanity." ... "The
ministers of this religion are all Masons who comprehend it;"
Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma, pages
213-219
Freemasonry
|
 |
A typical Christian church
|
» Members meet in
Temples
» Provides religious
instruction
» Has an altar
» Contains essential
Masonic doctrine
» Has a Volume of
Sacred Law on its altar, not necessarily a Bible
» Conducts Prayer in
the lodge
» Worships a God (G.A.O.T.U.)
» Has ministers of the
lodge
» "Worshipful"
Master (not clergy)
» Wardens & Deacons
» Performs a Masonic
baptism
» Believes in the
immortality of the soul
» Has a plan of
salvation by works
|
» Members meet in
Churches
» Provides religious
instruction
» Has an altar
» Contains essential
Christian doctrine
» Has the Holy Bible on
its
altar
» Conducts Prayer in
the church
» Worships the God of
the Bible
» Has ministers of the
church
» "Reverend"
or Pastor (clergy)
» Elders & Deacons
» Performs a Christian
baptism
» Believes in the
immortality of the soul
» Has the biblical plan
of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone
|
1Copyright David L. Adams, 2002. All
rights reserved. This document may be reproduced and distributed free of
charge for all educational and/or religious non-commercial purposes
provided that the text is not altered and that this copyright notice is
included. Other permissions may be secured from the author by contacting
him by e-mail or
by post at Concordia
Seminary, 801 DeMun Ave. St. Louis, Mo. 63105. This paper was
originally prepared for presentation at a meeting of the Council of
Presidents and the faculties of the two seminaries of The Lutheran
Church – Missouri Synod on 1 March 2002. (back to article)
2Historically, these functions are
four-fold:
- to secure the blessings of god for the state and/or society;
- to contribute to the coherence of the society by establishing a
fundamental aspect of the identity that connects the individual to
the community;
- to provide the society with a unifying rallying point in times of
national crisis; and
- to provide a least-common denominator for the national ideological
and moral discourse.
Of these four, American Civil Religion performs the first two only to
a limited degree and the second two rather more fully. The
frequent quotation of II
Chronicles 7:14 by evangelical Christians is a clear reflection of
the first of these goals in the minds of that group, but probably does
not reflect the common expectation within American Civil Religion
generally. A rather clearer example of the first function is
reflected by the impulse to sing of "God Bless America" in
response to civil crises. (back to article)
3Knowing Our
True Purpose Can Save Us, by J. R. Martin 32° Published in The
Scottish Rite Journal, August 2000, pages 30-32. (back
to article)
4Most of the Grand Lodge tax reports
show very little philanthropy that is not directed to other Masons. When
Masons discuss charity, they are quick to point out the 'millions per
day' quote, not really knowing that most of that is the Shrine hospitals
as well as Shrine hospital funding which comes from investments, not
from Masons. Except for the Shrine and Scottish Rite charities, it seems
that the Grand Lodges (Blue Lodge Masonry) are missing in action in
charitable efforts beyond helping other Masons (e.g. Masonic homes). Masonry
By The Numbers, T.N. Sampson, Cornerstone Ministries, P.O. Box
2413, Valrico, FL 33595-2413. (back to article)