Well, lets open up a can of it, shall we? The subject of my most recent article, Freemasonry, is a sore spot in a lot of congregations, and I have personally left a couple of congregations that were dominated by Masonic influence. But I have been teaching about Mormons for 25 years, and since Mormonism, at least the temple ceremony, is heavily borrowed from Masonic rites, how can I turn a blind eye? I feel I am in good company, as many influential men of God in the past, including Alexander Campbell himself, have spoken out on this issue.

Are Christians "Free" to be Masons?

A few weeks ago, a glowing "report" appeared in my local newspaper praising the Freemason lodge. 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"?

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 figuratively 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 said, 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?

- According to John

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2000

Answers

See John.....we can agree on something!!!:):)

Really, I appreciate it. I'm gonna print it out and file it away.

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2000

Brother John:

I want to say a hearty AMEN AND AMEN to what you have said in this post. You have surely done an excellent job! May God bountifully bless you for this diligent effort to expose this nonsense of Christians trying to be Masons. They must chose for they most assuredly cannot be both! In fact, the only way some true Christians may be a Mason is because they are ignorant of either Masonry, Christianity, or both! But they cannot remain ignorant and be saved practicing both religions.

If you think about it, Brother John, you could do the same thing that you have done with the Masons with almost any sectarian denomination in the world. Compare the word of God and the doctrines of men and ask the question can a Christian be both! I recommend that you continue and do just that. I am certian that the result would be just as striking with the denominations as it is with the masons. A Christian cannot be both a mason and a Christian and neither can a Christian be both a faithful Christian and a member of any of the sects or denominations claiming to be Christian today and for similar reasons.

Great Job, Brother John!

Your Brother in Christ,

E. Lee Saffold

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2000

are christians free to join-covens --its all the same as masonry!!

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2000

I am niether a christian nor a free mason, but I am a study of both. Since I am not a christian this probably will fall on deaf ears or never be printed or, most likely, both. Regardless, my point is plain and like those who have contributed to this, my opinion is just that: an opinion, which we all have the right to. Words are a tricky thing. It is very easy to speak one thing and mean another, especially in the english language. The bible, for instance, is probably the best example I could ever give... considering the numerous translations, circumstances and events of the past millenia since it's conception it amazes me that anyone can agree on anything, especially the literal context of the scripture itself. Perhaps it is a simple question of believing, of faith, but how seldom have I encountered people who follow just that. We can argue just about anything involving the bible, and who's to say who's right? It always comes down to: "I'm right and you're not!" The only arguments that can be constructively argued are facts. To make a long story short... The teachings of Jesus are wonderful if you really think about it. Even though I do not consider myself christian, I do admire the moralality of his teachings. Although, to hide behind the veil of words is devious. For example: "Far be it from me to stand in judgement," and "there may be enternal destinies at steak!" Please have some courage. Just say that these people are going to hell, simply because it does not fit with your own personal belief. "Can you, dear christian reader, now be able to stand before the judgement seat of christ and point proudly to your involvement with the masons?" Not to defend the masons, but one of their primary doctrines is the freedom to believe in any god. Obviously, that makes no difference to christians. BUT, freedom is the best thing ANYONE can have (just my opinion). I respect ALL religions and points of view, as long as they don't infringe upon me. Thats gathered from personal experience and not from words in a book. Back to my point: To assume that others are going to hell because they don't believe in the christian way is the same as judgement. It's the same as looking down on others, it's the same as belitteling someone. It's the same as saying they are less than you, simply because of the words you read or the feelings you have. My advise to the author, although eloquent in word and cunning in his counter quotes: If you wish to inspire and open eyes... if you want to help others and spread the faith... if you want to make a statement to benifit others... than do so with courage, sir. Do exactly as you say and say exactly as you do. The best way to get your point across is with actions, but if not, then courage with meaning exactly what you say.

-- Anonymous, June 06, 2001

Point blank: Jesus says "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no man can come to the Father except through me." Masonry says the name of Jesus means little. If you hold to the latter and not the former, you are not saved. Pure and simple.

However, I don't think it is as simple as that. A lot of Masons, as a lot of cultists in general, compartmentalize their thinking. In Orwell's book, "1984", this was called "double-think." It means holding two contradictory ideas in your head to both be true, and eschewing the logical thought processes that would bring it to your attention that they were mutually exclusive. Such are many Christians who are also Masons; they just haven't thought it all through; they don't see the obvious incompatibility.

My purpose in the article was not to condemn. Only God consigns people to Hell, and those who reject the gospel and think Christ's name means nothing are self-condemned. But many just don't think things through, it was to those that I was speaking. My purpose was to get those people to think. And often times, honey is easier to digest than vinegar.

-- Anonymous, June 06, 2001