THE CHRISTIAN AND FREEMASONRY
By Pastor James Payne.
FREEMASONRY
is dishonouring to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for, in the majority of the lodges, His name must not be breathed in their
prayers nor mentioned except as on the same level as heathen gods like Osiris
and Bacchus, or religious teachers like Buddha, Zoroaster and Mahommet. The masonic literature - never
repudiated by the Grand Lodge - denies
that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only Saviour of the world, spurns His atoning
sacrifice as God’s sole remedy for sin, and makes salvation depend on
works. In keeping with all
this, the sacred books of the East -the Vedas, the Koran etc. - are regarded
equally with the Bible as being a revelation of God. Thus Christianity is relegated to the
level of other religions. Is it not
therefore an extraordinary inconsistency for any sincere Christian man to
identify himself with such a movement or attempt to justify it? It seems to me that it has been rightly
called “the Devil’s imitation of Christian
fellowship,” and Scripture says, “Have
no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Eph.
5: 11).
I
cannot regard freemasonry in Christian circles in any other light than leaven,
working irreparable harm. In my
opinion, it never penetrates a church or denomination without lowering the
spiritual temperature, blunting the edge of the sword of testimony and
preparing the way for other forms of worldliness. When a Christian community is so invaded
it is symptomatic, and the Lord’s
call is to repent, judge and put away the evil thing in the midst.
In
the Bible compromise with other
religions and fraternization with their devotees is regarded as spiritual
adultery (e.g., Jer. 3. and Rev. 17).
Freemasonry has this characteristic and is essentially of the world, and
we should be awed and search our hearts as we read the solemn warning of the
apostle James: “Ye adulterers and adulteresses,
know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of
the world is the enemy of God” (4. 4).
Another
Scripture, 2 Cor. 6: 14 – 7: 1, is
very relevant and gives Christians the instruction and principles which should
dictate their attitude and actions with respect to freemasonry, and anything
else involving fellowship with things not pleasing to the Lord, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what
fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath
light with darkness? And what
concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an
infidel? And what agreement hath
the
I
warmly commend this faithful, lucid message from Pastor James Payne, which shows conclusively why the soul that
loves his Saviour must shun freemasonry even as he would the plague. I hope it will have a very wide
circulation.
- BISHOP D. A.
THOMPSON
-------
INTRODUCTION
In
dealing with this subject of freemasonry, let me say at the outset that our
quarrel is not with masons, but only with masonry as it affects the Christian
community. If a worldly man chooses
to be a mason, that is his business, but when
there is any danger of Christian men being drawn into the vortex of an evil
system, we must necessarily raise our voices against the evil of the system and
utter a warning note. I have
quoted rather extensively in this booklet from the writings of accredited
masons, as I am sure that if Christian people know what freemasonry is they will turn from it.
It
is with the teaching of freemasonry that I am mainly concerned. All the jibberish of the initiation
ceremonies therefore and the childish play-acting of much of its ritual I have
passed over. It is perhaps desirable,
however, to give a brief consideration to its oaths*. The great question is, Are these
blood-curdling oaths to be taken seriously or jocularly?
[* “Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou
shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: but I
[Jesus] say unto you [‘disciples’ (Matt. 5:
1, 2)] Swear not at all…” (verses, 33, 34.)]
The
oaths taken on initiation into the
various degrees require the committal of murder and the shedding of blood in
circumstances in which it is forbidden by the State. In the first degree the initiate
promises to keep the masonic secrets under
the penalty of having his throat cut and his tongue torn out by the roots. The penalty under the second degree is to have the left breast torn open and the
heart plucked out, and in the Master Mason’s degree it is to have the body severed in twain and
the bowels taken from thence and burned to ashes. True masons therefore lay themselves
under an obligation to carry out these penalties upon those who are found
guilty of divulging the secrets of the order. In this country, however (thanks be to
God), the law of the State stands in the way of the execution of such
penalties. That it is not so in
every country is clear from Mr.
Ward’s words in the First
Degree Handbook, where he says
“The more effective punishment is, of course, a later gloss
inserted at a time when, owing to police supervision, it would have been
dangerous to the members of the Order to enforce the ancient penalty ... but in some foreign countries, death is still
enforced under certain circumstances.”
Moreover, it is well known that some hundred years ago William Morgan was actually put to death in
At the time of Morgan’s death, however, many masons were
shocked at what had happened and there followed many resignations from the
Lodges and a marked decline in the support given to the Craft in the
If,
on the other hand, it is argued that these oaths are not to be taken seriously
but as a more or less meaningless formality, then for a Christian man so to swear whilst calling upon God to hear and
witness is little short of blasphemy. Moreover, if a Christian minister can take such a solemn oath in a light-hearted
or even jocular fashion, how am I to know that his preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ does not fall into the same
category? This perhaps goes a
long way to explain how a modernist minister, who denies the Deity of Jesus
Christ, can nevertheless affirm his belief in the Trinity of the Godhead. The conclusion must be that either one
or the other is not taken seriously.
And whichever it is, it must surely discredit him as a man of Truth.
When,
however, a non-mason begins to talk to a mason about masonry he is frequently
told that, as a non-mason, he can know nothing whatever about it. I wish therefore to dispose of this objection
first, before entering upon the main consideration of our subject. There was a book published in 1927
entitled, Free Masonry: its Vision and
Call, by Rev. Joseph Johnson,
Past Asst. Grand Chaplain, with a preface by Sir Alfred Robbins, Past Grand Warden and President of the Board of
General Purposes, which is the executive body of the English Grand Lodge. This book was dedicated by permission to Lord
Ampthill, Pro. Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of
“Masonry is sometimes referred to reproachfully as a secret
society: yet so narrow is the thread of secrecy running through it, and so wide
the margin of its definitely declared and published aims, that it is almost a
misnomer. Whoever turns to its
authoritative literature may gain a fairly correct knowledge of its nature and
design. Its principles are as clear
as the noonday sun.”
The
notion that non-masons cannot know, therefore, is exploded by the leaders of
masonic thought.
There
are plenty of books published by the Masonic Record Office and other similar
publishing houses which give the enquirer all he needs to know of the teaching
of masonry (and also many of its so-called secrets) to enable him to see (if he
is a believer in Jesus) the diabolical nature of the Craft. When, however, quotations from some such
books are made, many masons will disown them and say that the writers are not
authoritative exponents of masonic teaching. While it is true that there is no
exposition of masonic teaching which is accepted as the official standard (and
indeed there is no Lodge ritual so accepted) yet the basic principles of masonry
are the same the world over. As
will be seen later herein, there are many works having the approval of the
Grand Master and other Grand Lodge officers, and issued with the sanction of
the Grand Lodge itself, setting forth masonic thought and teaching.
Masonic
periodicals review, advertise and recommend these expositions and frequently
contain articles along the same lines, but there has never been one word of
warning or disapproval of these publications, issued from Grand Lodge or the
Masonic Press. When masons of high
standing inform outsiders (as I have sometimes been informed) that the works
quoted are not authoritative, this is sheer double talk.
A
book published some … years ago - The
Apocalypse of Masonry - written by a “Christian” Minister who
was a mason, defined the word “conceal” as used in the initiation
ceremony thus,- “Conceal with us is to put off the scent, to mislead with
half-truths”. How
right he was! But how deplorable by
a professed follower of Him who said, “I am the Truth”!
In
the initiation ceremony of the first degree the candidate is assured that there
is nothing in his vows “incompatible with your
moral, civil or religious duties”. In the light of what follows herein,
however, it will be clearly seen that such an assurance when given to a
Christian man is given either in gross ignorance of his religion or in
deliberate deception. And such assurance is given before the
candidate takes his vows, and so he is lured into an institution whose teaching
contradicts the faith which he has already professed.
Most
of the so-called secrets of masonry are not secret at all. Any diligent enquirer prepared to spend
time in extensive research into masonic literature can know most of the things
which the initiate vows under grotesque oaths, jealously to guard from the
outsider.
It
must be conceded, however, that the actual practice in the Masonic Lodge or
If
Masonry possesses secrets which benefit mankind to the extent suggested in the
initiation ceremony, then it is surely wrong not to disclose such secrets. If, however, there are no such secrets,
then it is equally wrong for masonry to lay claim to them.
Every
initiate confesses himself to be a darkened soul coming into the Light. If this is really so, why should any
attempt be made to secure that light from the world. Paul
says, “Whatsoever doth make manifest is light”. Masonry claims to have the Light, but
shrouds it in darkness, so falling under our Saviour’s condemnation,
“If the
light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness”!
But
why should the secrets of masonry be so jealously guarded? Our Lord Jesus Christ said, ‑ “I ever spake openly to the world and in secret I have said
nothing”. He said,
moreover, “Light is come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light
because their deeds were evil. For
every one that doeth evil hateth the light ...
but he that doeth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made
manifest.” Thus masonry stands condemned out of the
mouth of the Christ of God.
The
masonic candidate in every degree is bound by his solemn oath in the name of
God never to reveal the secrets subsequently committed to him.
2. THE GROWTH AND POPULARITY
OF FREEMASONRY
During
the last century this has rendered it incumbent upon every Christian man to
consider and decide what shall be his attitude to the craft. Freemasons are now found in almost every
walk of life. Every religious denomination (except those which have officially
rejected the cult) numbers masons amongst its members. Mr.
W. L. Wilmshurst, Provincial Senior Grand Warden of W. Yorks., in The Masonic Initiation, p. 197, says:
“It is a well-known fact that commercial houses to-day find it is advantageous for business purposes
to insist upon their more important employees being members of the Order.”
This
coercion in business circles is growing rapidly. It
is now almost as difficult to retain employment amongst the higher society
without being a mason as it is to retain employment of lower standing
without being a member of a Trade Union.
Freemasonry
has claimed members from amongst the Royal Households since the days of Charles
I. George IV, William IV and Edward VII, all held the office of Grand Master
before ascending the throne, and continued during their respective reigns their
patronage of the Craft. Edward VIII
and George VI were both Provincial Grand Masters, and on ascending the throne, Edward
VIII became Grand Patron, while George VI took the title of Past Grand Master.
At
the laying of the Stone of Dedication of the Freemasons’ Hospital and
Nursing Home at Ravenscourt Park on the 19th May, 1932, the Grand Master, the
Duke of Connaught, was assisted by four other Princes of the Royal blood - the
Prince of Wales (subsequently King Edward VIII), the Duke of York (subsequently
King George VI), Prince Arthur of Connaught and Prince George (subsequently
Duke of Kent).
All
these five Princes were again present at the dedication of the
In
the Albert Hall in March, 1948, the King, sitting upon the gilt masonic throne
made in 1791 for George IV, appointed the Duke of Devonshire as the new Grand
Master of English Masons. In
November, 1951, the Earl of Scarborough was installed as Grand Master. The Duke
of Edinburgh was initiated into the Navy Lodge of English Freemasons in
The
Encyclopadia Britannica reveals that
during the period from 1737 to 1907, sixteen English Princes of Royal blood
joined the Craft.
These
facts have helped to popularise freemasonry, especially among the nobility, and
press upon every citizen the serious consideration of the subject. One frequently hears argument in support
of Masonry on the ground that so many good men are associated with it. If good men, and even God-fearing men,
can find fellowship in freemasonry, can it be wholly bad?
But
this same argument could be used to support some of the worst evils and vilest
systems the world has ever seen.
There are good and godly men who are professedly Roman Catholics, but
the system with which they are so linked is of
Satan; it is a system “drunken with the blood of
the saints and of the martyrs of Jesus”, and for which sins it has
never expressed the slightest regret.
It is a system which deprives the Lord Jesus Christ of much of the
worship which is His due, and hands it over to His earthly mother and other
sinful men and women.
In
the World Council of Churches there are a number of gracious men, but the
system, as such, is entirely subversive of the Truth of God, and is preparing
the way for Antichrist. Jehoshaphat
was a good man - a preacher of righteousness - yet he joined in affinity with
Ahab, and wrought such evil in his kingdom as was never entirely purged. Solomon was a good man; beloved of God;
yet he made altars to strange gods and worshipped them for the sake of his
wives. Joseph of Arimathea was a
disciple of Christ and “waited for the
For
the sake of my readers who know nothing about freemasonry, let me here say that
in its origin it was merely a fraternity or Trade Union of operative masons or
builders. In the middle ages many
of these masons were required to travel from country to country to erect in
many nations buildings of various kinds, including churches, cathedrals and
temples for all kinds of deities.
They were therefore regarded as “free”, thus to travel from
place to place, and many became known as “Freemasons”. They were thus able to study and, to a
large extent, conserve the religious rites and mysteries of many peoples, and
they seem to have made a particular study of ancient religion and mythology.
When
a company of masons were engaged in erecting a particular edifice, temporary
dwellings were built for the operatives near the site, and usually also a
central hut or “lodge” where they might all congregate during
leisure hours. In process of time
the practice grew up of admitting to these lodges persons who were not
operative masons, and these were designated “accepted” masons.
At
the time of the formation of the first Grand Lodge in 1717, some lodges
consisted of operative masons, some of accepted or speculative masons, and some
of both. Operative masons then
gradually dropped the prefix “free” and became known, as they are
still, merely as masons, while the speculative masons adopted the title, which
they still hold, of “free and accepted masons”. These freemasons’ lodges then
became merely fraternals for purpose of social intercourse and mutual
edification (detached altogether from the building trade) where the rites and
ceremonies of freemasonry could be pursued with greater zeal and less
hindrance.
A
number of Grand Lodges, in opposition one to another, grew up, and these were
finally consolidated in the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Freemasons of
England. Freemasonry, therefore, as
we know it to-day, dates, in its organisation, from 1813, when it was
constituted in three principal degrees; those of Entered Apprentice, Fellow
Craft, and Master Mason. Beyond
this there are a number of further degrees recognised by Grand Lodge, including
the sublime degree of the Holy Royal Arch and of the Rose Croix of Heredom.
Freemasonry
is usually described by its votaries as “a
system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symols”. It is further stated to be “founded on the purest principles of piety and virtue”. Those principles are further delineated
as “brotherly love, relief and truth”. It is regarded by many, therefore, as a
friendly society or a fraternity for mutual help and relief in times of
need. This is virtuous; but in the
statement of masonic principles, piety always precedes virtue.
Now piety is described in Annandale’s
Dictionary as reverence for the Supreme Being and love to His character;
godliness, devotion. Hence piety is
religion, and the religion of freemasonry, which is given a place of priority
over its virtue, is the religion of morality, for the whole system is “a system of morality”.
As
regards the virtue of freemasonry (brotherly love and relief), if indeed there
be such, we do not wish to speak.
We can only deal in this booklet with major issues. We desire, therefore, to examine the
foundation principle of freemasonry, viz.: its
piety or religion. If this
foundation stone be faulty, the whole superstructure must be worthless.
3. THE RELIGION
OF FREEMASONRY
That
religion is the major issue in
freemasonry all masons of high standing are agreed. The late Sir Alfred Robbins says, in the preface to Freemasonry: its Vision and Call:
“Those of us who have
been closely associated with masonic endeavour for very many years realise
that, if it were not for the spiritual side of freemasonry, the Craft would
long ago have died.”
Rev. Joseph Johnson, Past Asst.
Grand Chaplain, says: “In its faith and
basic principles, as well as in its spirit and purpose, freemasonry is
definitely religious. ... Freemasonry is
religious in its tendency and aim.
The Lodge meetings, when devoutly and proficiently conducted, are
occasions when true worship is possible.” Again, in the body of the book (page
124): “Religion is the soul of masonry, its
basis and apex, its light and its power.
On faith it rests, in faith it lives and labours. ... It is
because of the religious basis of freemasonry that seriously-minded men in the
Craft emphasise the spiritual aspect of
life.”
It should be noted that the book from which these
quotations are taken is dedicated by permission to Lord Ampthill, the
then Pro Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge.
Sir John
Cockburn (Past Grand
“The subject matter of
masonry is the relationship between
Spirit and Matter, between Heaven and Earth, between God and Man, between the
Soul and the Body.”
(Preface to the Entered
Apprentice's Handbook, by J. S. M.
Ward, B.A., Founder of the Masonic Study Society.) In the body of this book, page 93, the
author states:
“Masonry ... is the
quest of, knowledge of, and union with, God.”
Mr. Ward has issued three Handbooks, one for each of
the three principal degrees.
Sir John
Cockburn, in Freemasonry: What, Whence, Why, Whither, writes:
“The question whether
masonry is a religion has been keenly debated. But the contest appears to be merely a
war of words. Perhaps the best way
of arriving at a conclusion would be first of all to enumerate the points which
are common to most religions, and then to enquire in what respect masonry
differs from them. Religion deals
with the relationship between man and his Maker, and instils a reverence for
the Creator as the First Cause.
Religions abound in observances of worship by prayer and praise. They inculcate rules of conduct by
holding up a god or hero as a pattern for imitation. All true religions denounce selfishness,
extol mutual service and, if necessary, self-sacrifice. It would be difficult to say in which of
these characteristics freemasonry is lacking. Surely it abounds in all. Its ceremonies are elaborate, and are
unsurpassed for beauty and depth of meaning. They are interspersed with prayer and thanksgiving. In no religion is the reverential
attitude of the creature to the Creator more clearly displayed. A bright example of devotion to duty and
of self-sacrifice in the path of fidelity is ever held before the eyes of the
brethren. In what religion are
principles to be found nobler than those on which masonry rests? Love to the brethren, relief to the
distressed, and reverence to the God of Truth. If the title of a religion be denied to
freemasonry, it may well claim the higher ground of being a federation of
religions. It is a form of worship in which all religions
can unite without sacrificing a jot of their respective creeds.”
Rev. Joseph
Johnson, whose writings have been
already referred to, speaking on the 9th February, 1925, before the Sheriton
Lodge, said: “It is not possible to conceive
anything more religious in its ceremonies, its ritual and its atmosphere than
Freemasonry.”
One of the charges in connection with the Royal Arch
Degree, the highest degree of the Order, states that masonry is “every description of genuine religion concentrating into one
body their just tenets unencumbered with the disputable peculiarities of any
sect or persuasion”.
It is clear, therefore, that the leaders of
freemasonry regard its religious principles as the major issue, to which the
virtue is secondary and incidental.
It remains, therefore, to enquire what
are the religious principles upon which freemasonry is built.
In the Entered
Apprentice’s Handbook, therefore, we may expect to find those things
which every man ought to know and study.
Page 1 of this handbook contains some poetry (if poetry it may be
called) as follows:
Bacchus died, and rose again
On the golden Asian plain:
Osiris
rose from out the grave,
And thereby mankind did save:
Adonis likewise shed his blood
By the yellow Syrian flood;
Zoroaster brought to birth
Mithra from his cave of earth,
And
to-day in Christian lands
We
with them can join hands.
This
forms the key to the whole book, and indeed to all the handbooks. It is here
stated that Christians may “join hands” (that is have fellowship) with five
pagan gods, to one of whom the salvation of mankind is definitely accredited.
Jehovah says again and again by His
prophets, “Beside Me there is no Saviour”. The
claim of Osiris makes Jehovah a liar,
while, if Jehovah is true, the claim of Osiris is false; and truth and falsehood cannot “join hands”. “What communion hath light with darkness ...?
And what agreement bath the
This principle of according worship to
heathen deities runs throughout the entire book. The gods referred to are Osiris and Horus
(Egyptian gods); Brahma, Vishnu, Vishna Shiva and
Two
or three examples must suffice. Page 10:
“The Senior Warden ... represents the Sun in its setting, and so
the destructive side of the Deity, or
Shiva ... Shiva shall close not
only our mortal life, but Time itself ... It should be noted, however, that the Senior Warden is
associated with level and horizontal lines, and not with perpendiculars, and
here again he follows the Hindu system, for Shiva’s caste mark is two or more parallel lines.”
A
cable tow or rope is placed around the neck of every candidate for the purpose
of initiation into the masonic fraternity.
Of this, Mr. Ward says:
“A cable tow is placed about his neck. This piece of symbolism is old and
world-wide. On a vase found at
Chama, in
Page
65:
“The Worshipful Master represents God the Creator, He who
calls the Lodge into being, He who created the world out of chaos. In
India, this aspect of God, the Incomprehensible, has been individualised as
Brahma, so that the devotee may be able to comprehend Him.”
“Freemasonry is
simply Theosophy. It is the
perpetuation of the worship of the old pagan gods of ancient
The Treasury of Masonic Thought, published by David Winter & Son,
“The Sacred Cobra is well known to every student of Hindu
religions and is essentially good. Actual worship is paid to the Serpent throughout
the whole of India, and in many other parts of the world, and in the Kabala we
get clear traces of the fact that under certain circumstances the serpent is
regarded as ‘The Shining One’ - the Holy Wisdom itself. Thus we see that the serpent on our
apron denotes that we are encircled by the Holy Wisdom itself. ... Nor must
we forget that the snake is peculiarly
associated with Shiva, the Destroyer, whose close symbolic association with the
third degree is obvious for many reasons, and in numerous statues He is
depicted making the p.s. (? penal sign) of a Master Mason.”
(Note
the capital H in He, referring to Shiva.)
In
the same book is an article on “Freemasonry Vindicated”, by F. W. Bull, author of History of Freemasonry (1923), in which
he says (pp. 130 and 13 1):
“The chief god of
the ancient Egyptians was Osiris, husband of Isis, who is recorded ‘to
have gone through sufferings, to have died, to have risen again, and finally to
have become judge of the dead.’ ... His
worship spread to
There
is a further article entitled, ‑ “Sidelights upon a few of the
Symbolic Questions and Answers in Freemasonry,” by Fred R. Foster, Past Asst. Grand Director of Ceremonies,
“Myth and legend had its influence on the lives of men and
developed into something like a code of moral law, and which has more or less
inspired all peoples of every age and tongue. It
is to this mythological teaching that we must turn for an appreciative
understanding of the Masonic Symbols ... But some may ask, why is so much of
this system veiled in myth and symbol?
Probably as a rebuke to indifference, as much as to shield it from the unworthy, for the gods grant no good or desirable
thing that is not earned by labour; so shall he who thus attains unto a
knowledge of the truth, win peace and satisfaction on the earth, and at last,
his birthright among the gods:
What
is this but pure polytheism? Again,
page 246:
“Mythology is undoubtedly the key to the symbols contained in
masonic ceremonies, and as it will be necessary to refer in brief outline to
the myth of Apollo to fully understand the meaning of the questions and answers
in opening the Lodge in the third Degree, we must define very briefly the ancient conception of their
mythological Deities.”
Then
follows a description of the myth of Apollo and the establishment of the
Delphic Oracle, and the application of these things to Masonry is explained.
In
the Entered Apprentice's Handbook (p. 34)
Mr. Ward says:
“We come into masonry seeking the light of God’s Word; to try and comprehend through the use of
symbols what God really is.”
Again,
on page 72:
“Unless we bring our passions into complete subjection we
cannot hope to advance towards a true knowledge of God. For that, I consider, is the real
search, or quest, in freemasonry.”
In
the Preface to the Fellow Craft’s
Handbook, Mr. Ward says:
“The great lesson of our system is the mystic quest after
God, and the journey of the soul towards union with its Creator.”
Again,
on pages 9 and 10:
“The Entered Apprentice has hardly any indication that
masonry is anything else than a system of morality. This explanation by itself is only true when
restricted to the first degree; for freemasonry is much more than a mere system
of morality; whilst even in the first degree the veil is very thin.”
This
amounts to an admission that the moral
and ethical teachings of masonry are only a veil to cover its spiritual
wickedness from the uninitiated.
It
is interesting to note, as pointed out by Walton
Hannah in Darkness Visible, “that no Church that has seriously investigated the religious
teachings" and implications of Freemasonry, has ever failed to condemn it.
Yet in May, 1951, the Lower House of the Convocation of Canterbury,
decided by a large majority not to discuss a motion asking for the appointment
of a Committee to consider freemasonry in relation to the Church. The
Church of England evidently prefers, ostrich like, to put its head in
the sand and refuse to see the obvious conflict between the teachings of
Masonry and its own Creed.
In
a book published in 1924 by W. L.
Wilmshurst, Past Provincial Grand Registrar, West Yorks, entitled Masonic Initiation (pp. 104 and 105) the author says:
“Life in the realm of Spirit is a unity, and for Masonic
seekers the whole world over, there is but one Grand Master, but he can
manifest and deputise through many channels. ... To the Jewish brother our science
says, Take the Father of the faithful. To the
Christian brother it points to Him upon
whose breast lay the beloved disciple. To the Hindu brother it points to
But
Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.”
In another book entitled The Meaning of Masonry, the same author says:
“To hearten them to the
task (of mystical death) the Initiatory
Colleges have held up a prototype in the person of some great soul who has
already trodden the same path and emerged triumphant therefrom. It matters nothing whether the prototype
be one whose historic actuality and identity can be demonstrated, or whether he
can be regarded only as legendary or mythical; the point being not to teach a
merely historical fact, but to enforce a spiritual principle. In
It will be seen that the religion of Masonry is
essentially syncretistic. In the Fellow Craft's Handbook (pp. 65‑67),
Mr. Ward says:
“This staircase
spiralled round a central column so that when the brethren reached the top they
had advanced neither to the East nor to the West, but were still revolving
around the centre. To an eastern
brother, this staircase will certainly recall the ladder of re-incarnation, by
the gradual ascent of which the soul in time returns to God, from whom it came,
travelling upwards in a spiral. But
to the western mind, this staircase is our own body, subdued, brought under
control, and dedicated to the glory of God. ... Mysticism is not an organised
religion, in rivalry with any of the established faiths, but is the real truth enshrined in every
religion, and the force which gives that religion vitality. Therefore
it is that we find among Mohammedans, Buddhists, Jews, Hindus and Christians,
men who, while they often employ different symbols, use them to describe
precisely the same spiritual experiences.”
In the Master
Mason's Book he says (pp. 24 and 25):
“This procedure
suggests that the lost Word is the Logos or Christ, and remembering what we
have previously pointed out in the earlier books, i.e., that there is a
perfectly logical Christian interpretation of the whole of the Craft
ceremonies, this fact becomes of increasing significance. ... In view of
the fact that, in the Middle Ages, freemasonry was undoubtedly Christian, we
cannot lightly reject this view of the inner meaning of the ceremonies, but as the framework of our ceremonies
apparently goes back before Christian times, a non-Christian interpretation is
equally permissible.”
Again (p. 54):
“Moreover, this
complete realisation of the nature of God, and the union of the divine spark within us with the Source of All, can never
be achieved during mortal life.
Even after death we shall need to leave the world long behind and travel
far before we can hope to attain that state of spiritual evolution which will
enable us to approach the Holy of Holies, and gaze with unveiled eyes upon Him,
Who is the beginning and the end of all.”
This, of course, is
closely akin to the Romish dogma of Purgatory.
In the Entered
Apprentice's Handbook, speaking of a certain part of the ritual of the
candidate’s initiation, he says:
“Moreover, one cannot
ignore the fact that there is a hint of the necessity of the purging fire of
remorse to cleanse away our sins.”
And again (p. 68):
“In this life we cannot
hope to see God face to face, nor, being finite, can we truly comprehend the
Infinite, but we can hope to make such progress that, when called hence, we shall be able to continue and complete
the work of our own salvation on the foundations of a good and spiritual
earthly life.”
He further states in the Master Mason's Book (pp. 20 and 2l):
“To the average man,
however, the first real step towards the realisation of what constitutes God is
through the portal of physical death - but even then the end is still far off. ... To that
exalted position we can only attain after long journeys through the planes of
existence beyond the grave. In our
symbolism there is nothing which indicates that immediately after death, man is
fit to pass into the presence of the King of Kings.”
Masonry is
therefore, quite clearly, a religion based on man's works and not upon
God’s grace. In the Master Mason's Book we find this (pp. 3 and 4):
“God could not be
unjust and remain God. This
conception is almost a platitude, but the average man, while realising that God
will not withhold any reward earned, is at times apt to assume that, because
God is love, He will reward us more than we deserve. This is clearly a mistake, for God could
not be partial without ceasing to be God; therefore the Fellow Craft receives
exactly the spiritual wages he has earned, and neither more nor less, but some
Fellow Crafts will nevertheless obtain a greater reward than others, because
spiritually they have earned it.”
Masonry can
also join hands with the Spiritists in
its imagined development of occult science. In the Entered Apprentice's Handbook (pp. 37 and 38), Mr. Ward, speaking of
the passwords says:
“Here we wander into a
strange field, no less than that of old world magic, I think. The candidate enters an Entered
Apprentice Lodge from the outside world.
Prior to his entry, this Lodge has been opened by a peculiar ceremony -
a ceremony which, in the technical
language of magic and the occult, raises the vibrations of those present: thus
they are, as it were, raised to a higher key, and force is generated. Now those who have studied such matters
know that a body of men who are all concentrating on a particular subject do
generate a peculiar, subtle, but powerful force, which has not been accurately
defined by science, but is loosely called magnetic. In the old days of phenomenal magic,
certain words, when uttered in the correct tone, were believed to be in
consonance with this ‘power’, like a tuning fork is to a
violin. Therefore, we give this
password to the candidate to raise him quickly to the same ‘power’
as the Lodge.”
Again, in the Fellow Craft’s Handbook (p. 43):
“In the Ancient
Mysteries it was believed that the masters of the higher grades held certain
important secrets of nature or, in plain English, had certain occult powers,
such as second sight, hypnotism, and power to heal, and therefore, naturally,
its reverse, the power to make men ill.
To this day in
This is still pursued in the Master Mason's Book, where
we read (pp. 5 and 6):
“We have in the
previous book explained that the raising of a Lodge should alter the vibrations
of those present by a process well recognised in the ceremonies of Magic and,
to enable the Candidate quickly to become in tune with these higher spiritual
vibrations, a word of ‘power’ is given him which in a moment places
him on the same plane as the other members of the Lodge. This word he has to give, not only
outside the door of the Lodge, but also immediately before his presentation by
the Senior Warden as ‘properly prepared to be raised to the Third
Degree’. It is only after
this has been done that the real ceremony of the Third Degree, so far as the
Candidate is concerned, begins and, therefore, that the full force of the
vibrations of the Master Masons come into play.”
The author
of these works confesses that many of the mystic ceremonies of masonry have
their origin in the ancient Solar and Stellar cults in which the Sun was a
symbol of God, and heavenly bodies were revered and worshipped. This is, of course, the very thing which
Jehovah has again and again forbidden in His Holy Word. Manasseh,
and many others, “worshipped all the host of
heaven and served them”, and brought God’s sore judgments
upon themselves and their land.
King Josiah, of whom the Lord said that “like
unto him was there no king before him that turned to the Lord with all his
heart and with all his soul and with all his might”, put down
“them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the
sun and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven”
(2 Kings 23: 5).
In speaking of the various “gods of the underworld”, freemasonry would seem to equate Satan
with Shiva, the god worshipped by the Hindus as the Destroyer. Indeed, the whole Hindu pantheon, as
well as other polytheistic systems, seem to have a place in the religion of the
freemason.
In the Entered
Apprentice's Handbook (pp. 42‑44),
Mr. Ward says:
“The Swastika, which
may be regarded as the ‘lost sign’ in freemasonry, indicates the
path of the Sun, and is the emblem of life. ...
In Freemasonry and the Ancient Gods,
“I have discussed the probability of the theory that the Swastika was
once used in our Lodges to represent God. ...
Thus, even to-day, in the manner of our progress round the Lodge, we are
reminded of the age-old symbol . ... representing Life and the Sun, the latter
being itself an emblem for God.”
4. FREEMASONRY AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
In The Treasury
of Masonic Thought already referred to is an article by Albert Churchward, M,D., M.R.C.P., a Royal Arch Mason,
on “The Great Pyramid of Ghizeh and other
“Thus, as the Egyptian ritual shows, ‘the Lord's
Table’ was an institution in the Stellar Cult mysteries before the Solar
and Christian cults ... Thus we see the old Stellar cult priests were the first to
symbolise ... the Paradise of Peace and Plenty which was afterwards ... perverted
by the Christians who had lost the
gnosis (knowledge) and symbolism, but
which still remains extant upon the summit of the mount of the greatest temple
that has ever been built (the Great Pyramid). ... Part of
these mysteries have been carried down through the ages of time by those who
have survived, by the fraternity now known, by the name of freemasons, in a
purer form than any other religious cult, although innovations have crept in
and much of the gnosis has been lost - a false Hebrew rendering or explanation
being substituted for the original.
Here, then, we find the first ‘Lord's Table’, which has been
brought on and is the original of the Christian doctrines. ... It is a Christian belief that life and immortality were brought
to light, and death, the last enemy, was destroyed by a personal Jesus only 1,
923 years ago, whereas the same
revelation had been accredited to Horus, the anointed, at least 300,000 years
before (! !)
...
The Egyptian Horus, as revealer of immortality, was
the ideal figure of a fact known to the ancient spiritualists that the soul of
man, or the imanes, persisted beyond death and the dissolution of the present
body. … The Egyptians, who were the authors of the mysteries and
mythical representations, did not pervert the meaning by an ignorant
literalisation of mythical matters, and had no fall of man to encounter in the
Christian sense. Consequently, they
had no need of a Redeemer from the effects of that which had never
occurred. They did not rejoice over
the death of their suffering Saviour, because his agony and shame and bloody
sweat were falsely supposed to rescue them from the consequence of broken laws.
... Horus
did such or such things for the glory of his father, but not to save the souls
of men from having to do them. There was no vicarious salvation or imputed
righteousness. Horus was the
justifier of the righteous, not of the wicked. He did not come to save sinners from
taking the trouble to save themselves.
He was an exemplar, a model of
the divine worship, but his followers must conform to his example and do in
life as he had done, before they could claim any fellowship with him in death.”
I have quoted this passage extensively, in order that
its true teaching may be clearly seen.
In a note to his article, Mr.
Churchward says: “I have given ... in my other books, part of the working of the Rituals used
by the old (Egyptian) Priests which correspond
critically with ours” (i.e., the Masonic).
The above quotations clearly show that the religion of
Freemasonry, which is its chief foundation stone, is diametrically opposed to the religion of Christianity. Freemasonry has a multiplicity of gods,
and the use of one name (the Grand Architect of the Universe) which is applied
to them all, does not alter the fact.
Freemasonry is polytheistic, while its votaries must necessarily be
Deists. God’s message to
Freemasonry
scorns the name of Jesus, denies vicarious Atonement, and attributes salvation
to the individual by his own merit in following an exemplar of his own
choice. But the
Scripture says of Jesus, “This is the stone
which was set at nought of you Masons (builders),
which is become the head of the corner. Neither
is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4. 11 and 12). And again, “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree”
(1 Peter 2: 24).
While acknowledging a multiplicity of gods and
claiming for the faithful followers of the cult ultimate deification among the
gods, Masonry admittedly has its foundation in myth and legend. While ostensibly admitting the Bible,
among other sacred writings, as one of the “Lights” of Freemasonry,
it must needs go to the dark superstitions of paganism for the proper
explanation of its own signs and ceremonies. Mr. Churchward admits that much of the
Masonic ritual emanates from the rites and practices of Egyptian priests prior
to the days of Moses, while Mr. Ward blandly acknowledges his indebtedness to
educated Hindus, as the interpretation placed by them on their symbols has
often supplied him with the key to the true interpretation of masonic symbols. He further appears to reconcile his own
statement with that of Mr. Churchward in the following manner:
“It may also be well to
point out that our ceremonies have come in contact, at various periods, with
many different religious beliefs, and this fact explains why there are often
several meanings attached to certain points in the ritual, all of which may be
correct.”
(Entered
Apprentice's Handbook, pages 45 and
46)
Freemasonry, then, is a mixture of pagan beliefs which its most competent leaders
vainly endeavour to sort out and harmonise with the worship of “the Great
Architect of the Universe”. It lifts up the idols of all nations and
gives them equal standing with Jehovah. It
regards Jesus Christ as a mere exemplar, and of much inferior standing to those
of ancient mythology. One
writer glories in the worship of Baal, against which, he says, “the Hebrew
prophets thundered”.
But it was Jehovah who thundered
against the worship of Baal, and for which He again and again delivered His
people into the hands of their enemies in punishment for their idolatry. Yet the
secret name for God in the Royal Arch Chapter actually joins Baal with Jehovah.
Yet our Lord Himself said, “He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which
hath sent Him”.
Jesus says again, “I am the Light
of the world. He that followeth Me
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life.” Yet a Christian man, even a Christian
minister, who has for years preached Christ and Him crucified, and who has
confessed that “God, who commanded the Light to
shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the Light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”, if he
becomes a mason, is introduced into the Lodge as “a poor candidate in a state of darkness”, coming .to find
the light in the mysteries of masonry.
Surely the words of the Prophet are significant here, “Woe unto them that put darkness for light, and light for
darkness” (Isaiah 5: 20).
Jesus again testified, concerning the Old Testament
Scriptures, that “they are they which testify of
Me”. And after His
resurrection, in conversation with His disciples, “Beginning at Moses and all the prophets He expounded unto
them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself”. Thus Christ is the subject of the Scriptures. But masonic writers, in dealing with the
Scriptures, sedulously avoid any
reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.
For example, in Freemasonry, its
Vision and Call, already referred to, the
author says:
“This great book speaks
to the members of the Craft through the thunders of Sinai, through the poetry
and rhythm of the Psalms, through proverb and parable, through the vision of
the prophet and the dream of the seer.
It articulates the love of God, and declares that He requires that men
should love one another, do justly, practise mercy, keep themselves unspotted
from evil, and walk humbly before Him.
It further shows that men were conceived in love, and therefore are
akin, being one with respect to their origin, their duty, and their destiny.”
How different this from the words of Paul, “God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers
by the prophets, hath, in these last days, spoken
unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things; by whom also He
made the worlds: Who, being the brightness of the Father’s glory and the
express image of His person; when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down
at the right hand of the Throne of God” (Heb. 1).
But masonry, which is built up upon the universal fatherhood of God and
the universal brotherhood of men, teaches that all men are “conceived in love” and are one in their origin
and destiny. It has therefore no place for the Fall by which all men are estranged
from God or for God’s salvation through Jesus Christ and His atoning
blood.
W. L.
Wilmhurst, in The Meaning of Masonry, says:
“ ... in regard to whom
(Christ) we adopt the excellent principle of silence, lest at any time there
should be among us those trained in other than the Christian faith, and to whom,
on that account, the mention of the
Christian Master’s name might be an offence.”
So the “Name which is above every name”,
and the only Name “given among men whereby we
must be saved”, can be an offence in the Lodge.
Sometimes Masonic Lodges arrange for a special masonic
service to be held in some Church or Cathedral, and it is often argued on this
ground that masonry and Christianity cannot be incompatible. But
such services are not Christian services.
No reference to the Lord Jesus Christ is permitted except by a special
dispensation from the Grand Secretary or Provincial Grand Secretary, and this
is given only very exceptionally.
In every case the preacher must be a mason.
In his book, Darkness
Visible, Walton Hannah gives a
specimen service held in Canterbury Cathedral. There was no mention anywhere in the
Order of Service of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, that precious Name “the Name above every Name” is deliberately excluded from some well-known prayers, and in the
reading of James 1 the first three verses
are omitted so that the name of Jesus Christ does not appear in the Lesson.
Such services are not permitted to be advertised in
any way, so that the great bulk of Churchmen who are not masons seldom know of
their being held.
5. FREEMASONRY AND THE BIBLE
From the quotations we have made from masonic works it
will be apparent that men of all religions are welcomed into the Lodge, the
only condition being a belief in a Supreme Being. Indeed, in the Digest of Masonic Law, by G.
Wingate Chase, we read:
“The Jews, the Chinese,
the Turks, each reject, either the New Testament or the Old, or both, and yet
we see no good reason why they should not be masons. In fact, Blue Lodge (that is,
American) masonry, has nothing whatever to do with the Bible; it is not founded upon the
Bible. If it was, it would not be
masonry.”
While the Bible is in the lodge as a piece of lodge
furniture, the Mohammedan Koran could, and in other countries often does, serve
precisely the same purpose.
Moreover, in the masonic ritual, whenever quotations are made from the
Bible, the text is always distorted so
as to omit any reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. To
introduce the name of Jesus would be, in the estimate of the lodge, to
introduce sectarianism. Therefore
it is banned. Yet this is the
Name which is above every Name, and the Name to which every knee must bow. “Neither
is there salvation in any other, for
there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.”
The Oxford University Press issued a special edition
of the Bible for presentation to masonic candidates on the occasion of their
initiation. It contained an article
on the use of the Bible by Dr. Fort
Newton which states that the Bible “is
itself a symbol - that is, a part taken for the whole”. This expression is explained by the same
writer in Brothers and Builders (p.
25):
“Like everything else
in masonry, the Bible, so rich in symbolism, is itself a symbol … of the perpetual revelation of Himself which God has made
… through ... Old
Testament ... Koran ... Vedas, etc.”
In an article by John
H. Cowles, 330, Sovereign Grand Commander, published in The New Age, for March, 1951, and
reprinted in The Christian Cynosure, we
read the following:
“Every religion in
every country has its own sacred writings upon which the people rely and under
which they worship. ... Some wonder how the Hebrews can make their pledges on
the Holy Bible. That is easily explained
by the fact that the first five books of the Old Testament, called the
Pentateuch, are the law of Moses and the Great Light that points the way. Consequently the Jews can very
conscientiously make their pledges on the Holy Bible because they accept the
Old Testament in their sacred writings.
The other races and peoples have different
names for their Great Light; therefore they can very readily make their pledges
on their Volumes of the Sacred Law.
The Mohammedan has the Koran; the Hindu, the Shastras; the Parsee, the
Zoroastrian Code. In all these the
teaching is that faith is a triumph over reason.
“Hence masonry is a
universal institution. The
requirement, outside of the general character of the petitioner, is a belief in
the Great Architect of the Universe, by whatever He may be called in the Great
Light of his religion
On one occasion I had the opportunity of
being a visitor and. guest of the Grand Lodge of Egypt at one of its regular
assemblies. On the altar there were
the sacred writings of five different religions, and there were communicants of
these five different religions present on that occasion. When they accept a
member into the freemasonry of these countries, he takes the obligation upon
the sacred writings of his particular religion.”
In the Masonic
Record for June, 1926, as quoted by
Hubert S. Box in The Nature of
Freemasonry, we read that:
“the Bible is not in
masonry more than one of the ‘Great Lights’, and has never been,
for the reason that Masons are not required to believe in its teachings.
... It can, therefore, have no other places in our
Lodges than that of a symbol.”
In The Master
Mason's Book (pp. 107 and 108) Mr.
Ward says:
“Again and again we
find that incidents and phrases which appear to have come from the Bible, on
closer investigation are found not to correspond exactly with the Biblical
narrative. At one time there was a tendency to say that in these
cases it was our duty to substitute
the Biblical version for the ‘inaccurate’ traditional form. With all due respect, I venture to say
that such action is totally unjustifiable.
Masonry is not the Bible. It
is a traditional ritual into which 18th century revisers inserted fragments
from the Bible because that was the only book dealing with the period of the
masonic incidents which was then available to them. To-day we know a great deal more about
this period than did our 18th century predecessors.”
6. MENACE TO CHRISTIANITY
Freemasonry is not merely a religious cult which
differs from Christianity, and those who have hitherto taken but little or no
interest in it would do well to consider that Evangelical Christianity has in Freemasonry as subtle an enemy as it
has in
Freemasonry is worldwide and, alas!
In The Three
Constitutions (England, Scotland and Ireland), by A. Holmes-Dallimore, a
Royal Arch Mason and member of Grand Lodge, published by the Masonic Record
Office, in 1927, the author states
on page 12:
“As the Grand Lodges of
the Three Constitutions are all working in harmonious agreement with each
other, it may fairly be accepted that they all recognise the same other Grand
Lodges and Grand Orients, and more particularly the following:
12. Foreign Grand Lodges and Grand Orients
in the
These are, of course, additional to the Lodges,
scattered all over the world, which are under the direct jurisdiction of the
English Grand Lodge. It will be
seen, therefore, that freemasonry has
spread its organisation over the entire universe and, save for minor details,
is the same in principle, wherever found.
Like a loathsome octopus, it has forced its tentacles into every
country, into every society, into every religion, and into every profession. Such an institution, in the very nature of
things, can wield a tremendous force for weal or woe. Founded,
however, as we have seen, on anti-Christian and idolatrous principles, it must
of necessity promote the cause of evil and develop the mystery of iniquity
wherever it comes; for “men do not gather
figs of thistles; neither of a bramble bush gather they grapes”.
7. THE CROWNING BLASPHEMY
The underlying object in all Masonic Ritual is the
quest for the lost name of God.
Each successive degree professes to bring the initiate a little nearer to
success in this quest. His labours
are supposed to be fully rewarded in the revelation of the Order of the
‘Holy’ Royal Arch. In Royal Arch Masonry, by Excellent
Companion John Stokes, M.D., Past
Assistant Grand Sojourner (R.A. Eng.), the writer of the Introduction (Walter
Hobbs) says:
“A perfect knowledge of
pure and ancient masonry ... is clearly not to be otherwise obtained than by being a
member of the Royal Arch Degree,” which is “a component part of that masonry. ... It should be the bounden duty of
every qualified member of the Craft to become a Royal Arch Mason in order to
appreciate and comprehend the whole system so defined. Indeed, it is the only means by which
any mason can understand the true import of masonry.”
And again:
“The system of the Craft Degrees leaves certain
matters wanting which the Royal Arch Degree provides.”
In The Master
Mason's Book, Mr. Ward says:
“The two degrees which
have gone before, great and beautiful though they be, are but the training and
preparation for the message which the third degree holds in almost every line
of the ritual. Here at length we
learn the true purpose of freemasonry.
It is not merely a system of
morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols, but a great adventure,
a search after that which was lost; in other words, the Mystic Quest, the
craving of the soul to comprehend the nature of God and to achieve union with
Him.”
This craving, then, is said to be satisfied in the
Royal Arch Degree
In Royal Arch
Masonry, already referred to, the Craft degrees are spoken of as the
Foundation and the Structure, while the R.A. degree is the Copestone. The mason who stops short of it “has failed to reach the Spring and Fount of the Virtues he
desires. The Light he has thus far
obtained is but Darkness visible.
He remains an unprofitable servant groping for the Summum Bonurn.” The author of this book states that
“the object of the whole (R.A.) degree is the
Glory of the Most High and the Power of the Holy Name”.
On becoming a
mason the initiate is introduced to God as the Grand Architect of the
Universe. On becoming a Fellow
Craft member he is instructed in the meaning of a further name for God -
J.H.V.H.- short for Jehovah. On
becoming a Master Mason, however, he discovers that there is something far
deeper to learn about the mystic Name, of which he at present knows so
little. In the Royal Arch Degree,
this is revealed.
The mystic Name is then discovered to be a combination
of three words –Jah-Bul-On - which is never pronounced except by three
Royal Arch masons, each articulating one syllable. The R.A. mason vows never to pronounce
it otherwise. So the utmost brilliance of masonic
‘light’ is the union of the names of Jehovah, Baal and On.
Various explanations have been given, even by masons
themselves, as to the origin of the last syllable. Most probably, however, it refers to the
Egyption god, On (the sun). There
is no doubt, however, or difference of opinion regarding the middle
syllable. All agree that this is of Babylonian origin and refers to the sun-god,
variously known as Bel, Bul, or Baal, and was connected with the deification of
Nimrod.
The very
thing which the prophets of God in the Scriptures have denounced as spiritual
adultery, an abomination to Jehovah, meriting His just anger, is said by
masonry to be “for the glory of the Most High”. The
‘light’ of masonry, therefore, is gross darkness illuminated only
by flames from the pit. This is the
end of the great mystic quest of masonry.
In his quest for the Light, the masonic initiate finds that he has
followed a “will of the wisp” which leads him only into the
blackness of darkness for ever.
J. S. M.
Ward, in his An Explanation of the R.A. Degree, says:
“The Hebrew prophets never
tired of denouncing vigorously any among their flock who dared to worship Him
(God) under the Babylonian name. The joining of this word to the Hebrew
word would have aroused the furious indignation of any of the three characters
who are represented by the Principals in our Royal Arch Chapter (Zerubbabel,
Haggai, and Joshua), for they would have considered it idolatrous and almost
blasphemous.”
This is, of course, an acknowledgment that what
God’s prophets would have considered idolatrous and blasphemous is
nevertheless not only tolerated, but actually performed in the ritual of
masonry.
This makes clear what has already been said concerning
masonry’s attitude to the Scriptures. It obviously considers them, not as a
revelation from God, but an incomplete record of man’s efforts to find
God, which are now brought to completion in this highest Masonic Order.
CONCLUSION
From the foregoing it will be seen that masonry and
modernism go hand in hand.
Modernism denies the infallibility of the Word of God. Masonry
scorns and blasphemes it.
Modernism denies the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Masonry
repudiates His name as being sectarian. Thus what was taught secretly in the Lodge 150 years ago is now taught
openly in the Churches. Higher Criticism, the New Theology,
Modernism, Barthianism, etc., are but products of masonry. So, also, is the syncretism now
sponsored by the World Council of Churches, and taught so clearly in its
Handbooks on other religions. Masonry claims to have fellowship with Buddhists,
Mohammedans, Hindus, Judaists and Parsees in the worship of the Grand Architect
of the Universe, joining Jehovah’s Holy Name with those of ancient
heathen gods to suit the purpose. This syncretism is now practised in the
Fellowship of Faiths meetings all over the world, sponsored by the World Council of Churches.
In an address given at the World Congress of Faiths at
“I sometimes imagine
I’d like to see a Church of Humanity in the modern community - say, as a
circular temple, having a few separate and suitable rooms in which Hindus,
Buddhists, Shintoists, Confucions, Jews, Christians, Muslims, atheists and
agnostics, secularists and humanists (all who are truly religious in the sense
that they are dedicated to the promotion of the good in all its variety and
fullness) could meet their fellows of the same faith, and could have their own
services and ceremonies and social occasions; but with one central and suitable meeting
place, artistic to the highest
degree, where all who acknowledge the religious impulse as ‘the creative
drive for the values of a satisfying life’, would meet in one common and
co-operative act of orientation and celebration and dedication, as fellow
citizens of one world.”
This is the kind of religion that was born in the
Masonic Lodge some century-and-a-half ago, and is now bearing its fruit openly
for all to see. The Woman (wickedness) previously hidden in the Ephah (Zechariah 5) is now being prepared for her
exaltation on the back of the Beast in due course (see Rev.
17).
The teaching of masonry is subversive of all that
Jehovah taught by His prophets in the Old Testament, that “I am God and there is none beside Me”, and it likewise contradicts the teaching of
Jesus Christ and His Apostles that He is the only Saviour, and that without
Him we can do nothing.
What, then, is the position of the Christian minister
who joins the Lodge and finds himself bound with an oath to obey implicitly the
commands of the Master of the Lodge, who may, perchance, be a Jew, or a
Mohammedan, or a Buddhist, or a Parsee?
Surely he is denying that worthy Name by which he is called.
If the Man of Sin should become the Grand Master of
the Masons (as indeed he may), there would be nothing incompatible in his
holding such a position. The
“Christian” mason will then find himself under the domination of
Anti-christ, and bound to obedience by his own foolish oath. Wherefore to all masons who have named
the name of Christ, we say, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, but come
out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not
the unclean thing, and I will receive you and will be a Father unto you.”