The Masonic Lodge

 

FACTS ABOUT THE MASONIC LODGE

When I became a Christian I decided to find more about the Masonic lodge. I was a member for 18 years and held every position in the lodge including Worshipful Master six times, a 32* member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, and a Shriner. I loved my lodge and had many good friends who were fine upstanding members of the community. Being a Mason I had friends all over the world. If I saw a Masonic ring all I had to do is say the right words and I had an instant friend who would go out of his way to help me. Hey!, My grandfather, father, father-in-law, and brother are all Masons. I remember as a child sitting in those big chairs wishing I could be a Mason and know all of the dark secrets that dad couldn't tell me about. I also had an elderly friend who was about 92 years old when he told me that before he died he wanted to see me become a Mason.

When I first heard that the Masonic Lodge was not consistent with the Christian belief my first reaction was, "I don't believe it!". I've always believed in Jesus Christ and didn't see anything wrong with what we were doing. I knew all of the rituals of the Blue Lodge and everything was just "play-acting" when we did them. So, I decided to look into this and show Christians how good of an organization Masonry is. It took almost a year of studying, researching and prayer to come up with my decision- Deep inside I knew what I had to do for my Heavenly Father and Savior. The decision part was easy but informing my friends and family that I could no longer be part of the Masonic organization was a very difficult task

In the Blue Lodge, which is the foundation and requirement for all divisions pertaining to Masonry, any man, except an Atheist, madman, or a fool, may become a member. The rituals continually refer to the Supreme Architect of the Universe or God. The problem is that this God could be Buddha, Ra, Molech, Baal, or Satan himself. In Exodus 20:3&5 God says: "You shall have no other gods before me." "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God." As the candidate goes through the degrees he is informed that he is not yet in light.

If one reads Ephesians 5:6-12, Paul writes: " Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were formerly in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth) trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them. For it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret."

In each degree the candidate must take an oath swearing that if he, or any other brother, reveals any of the secrets of that or any other degree, they will be executed in a brutal fashion. In Matthew 5: 3437, Jesus says: "But I say unto you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, 'yes, yes' or "no, no"; and anything beyond these is of evil." Also, Paul says in l Corinthians, 3:16-17: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are."

. After receiving the first three degrees of Masonry, the Mason is now eligible to enter into the York Rite and or the Scottish Rite. In the Royal Arch degree of the York Rite, the Companion Captain of the Host is asked if he is a Royal Arch Mason and he replies "I am, that I am.". Moses, in Exodus 3:13, asked God what name he should give to the people of Israel when they asked what the name of this god is that he brings to them. God replied: "I am that I am." Also in the York Rite ritual, in the raising of the Royal Arch three men join hands in such a manner to form a bungle, then the first person says Yah, the second, Bell, and the thud, On- Yah stands for Yahweh which is another of the many names of our God the father of Jesus Christ, Bel, is the name of Baal, a pagan deity. And On or Om, the name of an the Egyptian deity.

Also, In the Scottish Rite, one of the officer's title is Rabboni which is a name given to Jesus by Mary Magdalene found in John 20:16. The using of his name and combining it with other gods or pagan deities would seem to make any Christian understand that this would certainly be blasphemous. Masonry also tells the candidate in the third degree lecture that he will enter into the kingdom of God by his own merits. In Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul says: "For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.".

I once counseled a friend through all three degrees of the Blue Lodge. I was excited when he came up to me and told me that he was no longer a Mason, but was saved. He then went on to tell me when he became a Mason he thought that he was automatically going to heaven because of all the information that was given in the three degrees.

In conclusion, I called the Grand Lodge of Ohio and asked if I could talk about Jesus Christ in lodge and if we could end our prayers in Jesus' name. Their answer was a definite no because not only Christians are Masons, but so are Jews, Moslems, Hindus and etc. I encourage anyone who is a Mason, to look into these facts and compare them with the Word that God gave us. The Masons do a lot of good things for the community and encourage brotherly love just as Christians should share.

Many Masons don't take the oaths seriously and don't even remember the rituals that they went through. But, as a Christian and the facts that have been presented, being a part. of Masonry should be out of the question. I thank you for your time and attention and hope that this has helped you in your understanding of Masonry and its conflict with Christianity. Please feel free to contact me if you would like any further information.

Resource