Christianity and Freemasonry
Encyclopedia
Christianity and Freemasonry have had a mixed relationship, with various Christian denominations strongly discouraging or even prohibiting members from becoming Freemasons while others are supportive of Freemasonry and have friendly relations with local Masonic lodges.
, the Swedish Rite
, Societas Rosicruciana
, the Royal Order of Scotland
and the Red Cross of Constantine
. Additionally, there are numerous Masonic orders and degrees that while not specifically requiring a profession of faith, require that potential members belong to one or more of the bodies which do and as a result limit their membership to professing Christians (e.g. the Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon
, the Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests, the Knight York Cross of Honor (KYCH), the York Rite College, etc.)
has been the most persistent critic of Freemasonry. The Church has prohibited its members from being Freemasons since In Eminenti Apostolatus in 1738. Since then, the Vatican has issued several papal bull
s banning membership of Catholics from Freemasonry under threat of excommunication
. Currently, as reiterated in 1983, Catholics who become Masons are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion
; the penalty of excommunication is not formally declared in the current code of canon law
, but membership remains forbidden. The prohibition is often flauted by Masons who continue as members of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church argues that the philosophy of French Freemasonry (the Grand Orient, not the dominant variety of Freemasonry or the branch that is active in the English-speaking world) is antithetical to Christian doctrine and that it is at many times and places anti-clerical in intent. The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
argued that some of the ceremonial in the Scottish Rite is anti-Catholic. However this claim does not appear in subsequent editions.
The Masonic use of Biblical imagery was seen in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia as being done in such a way as to deny the revelation of Christianity. However this complaint was not included in subsequent editions.
view of creation. Freemasonry in fact requires of its members no specific view of a supreme being, as Deism would do, but rather a simple belief in a supreme being.
Whilst it is recognized that Masonry is not atheistic (Masons are asked if they believe in God before joining), its use of the expression, "Supreme Architect of the Universe
"--a term attributed to the Protestant theologian John Calvin
--is seen by some Christian critics as indicating Deism, the belief that God created the Universe but did not intervene in the world after this.. This was a common heresy
that arose in the Enlightenment. But in fact, Masonry is emphatic about the pursuit of virtue, the moral standards that God expects men to live up to, and the rewards that await those who behave morally in this life.
A specific charge made in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia against Freemasonry is that the introduction of speculative Masonry in the early eighteenth century specifically aimed at "dechristianising" the old operative masonry lodges. However, this charge was dropped from subsequent editions.
Whereas the constitutions of previous lodges of operative Masonry stated that "The first charge is this that you be true to God and Holy Church and use no error or heresy" in 1723 the constitution of the Grand Lodge of England:
This change is construed by the Catholic Church as moving towards a Deistic view.
. Freemasonic behaviour is seen as a denial of the truth of Christian revelation.
The Masonic author Mackey called Freemasonry "a science which is engaged in the search after the divine truth".
Anderson's Ancient Charges of a Freemason, 1723, says of Freemasons, that it is "expedient only to oblige them to that Religion in which all Men agree, leaving their particular Opinions to themselves". Freemasons reply that not obliging a member to profess a certain religious viewpoint as a condition of membership is not the equivalent of asserting that no religion can be superior to any other. Personal theological beliefs are not to be discussed in the lodge, thus avoiding arguments with those holding different beliefs. It has been suggested that this ban on religious discussion was especially important in Eighteenth Century England where a civil war
, in part caused by religious conflict, had only recently ended.
In most instances, these are relatively small church bodies which broke from the mainline Protestant denominations in recent decades, citing as their reason their opposition to theological liberalism or diversity. The largest by far of the Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist church bodies in the United States have not taken a stand against Freemasonry, and many Masons are active members of them. The largest of the Anglican churches in the United States, The Episcopal Church, has taken no stance against Masonry, nor have the various smaller Continuing Anglican and independent Anglican church bodies. Many Anglican clergymen in the USA are Masons.
There is a range of intensity among those Protestant denominations which discourage their congregants from joining Masonic lodges. Denominations that, in some form or other, discourage membership of Freemasons include the tiny Evangelical Lutheran Synod
, to larger Protestant church bodies. Among Protestants opposed to Freemasonry are the Church of the Nazarene
, Mennonites, The North American Mission Board
of the Southern Baptist Convention
, Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
, Christian Reformed Church in North America
, Church of the Brethren
, Assemblies of God
, Society of Friends (Quakers), United Brethren
, Free Methodist church, Seventh-day Adventist Church
, Orthodox Presbyterian Church
, Free Church of Scotland
, Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland, Presbyterian Church in America
, Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland
. Most of these condemnations resulted from the work of church committees appointed only in recent decades which were composed of church members who, having no personal knowledge of Masonic ritual, relied for their determinations upon their interpretations of brief quotations attributed to Albert Pike or Manly P. Hall. It must be admitted, also, that many of these Protestant condemnations have never been enforced and are dead letters today.
The Church of Scotland
does not ban congregants from becoming Freemasons, but in 1989 the general assembly said there were "very real theological difficulties" with Church of Scotland members being Freemasons.
The 1985 Methodist Conference in England said that Freemasonry competed with Christian beliefs, asking that Methodist Freemasons reconsider their membership and that Masonic meetings be banned from Methodist premises. It did not, however, call for a ban on membership, and some Masonic meetings have continued to take place on Methodist premises.
It can be said the early Latter Day Saint movement
and Freemasonry had an amicable relationship. While the impact of Freemasonry in church doctrine is the subject of intense debate, it is known that the family of the church's founder and first president, Joseph Smith, Jr., was active in Freemasonry as early as 1816. When the church was headquartered in Nauvoo
, Illinois
, Smith and several of his followers – including his first four successors as church president – became Freemasons. Many features of the church's temple endowment ceremony as established by Smith in Nauvoo parallel rituals and ceremonies practiced in Freemasonry. When the church relocated to Utah
in the 1840s after Smith's death, there was even talk of forming a "Mormon Grand Lodge." However, this notion was ultimately rejected by church President Brigham Young
.
However, many non-Mormon Freemasons harbored strong anti-Mormon
sentiments. Soon after Smith and his followers were initiated, the Grand Lodge of Illinois was compelled to revoke the charters of several predominantly Mormon Lodges. In 1872 the Grand Lodge of Utah was formed as an openly anti-Mormon organization. Over time the hostility increased, ultimately leading to the Grand Lodge of Utah banning Mormons from joining its constituent Lodges altogether. While the church never banned Freemasons from its ranks, it did at one time prohibit Freemasons from holding leadership positions in the church priesthood.
In 1984 the Grand Lodge of Utah and church leadership under President Spencer W. Kimball
mutually agreed to drop their antagonistic positions against each another. While some suspicion remains on both sides, today there is no formal barrier preventing a male Mormon from becoming a Freemason or vice versa.
(sometimes abbreviated as G.A.O.T.U.), Grand Geometer or something similar. Freemasons use these varied forms of address to make clear that the reference is generic, not about any one religion's particular identification of God.
Nevertheless, the same Freemasonry that is criticised as Deistic is also criticised for allegedly being a substitute for Christian belief. For example, the New Catholic Encyclopedia states the opinion that "Freemasonry displays all the elements of religion, and as such it becomes a rival to the religion of the Gospel. It includes temples and altars, prayers, a moral code, worship, vestments, feast days, the promise of reward or punishment in the afterlife, a hierarchy, and initiation and burial rites."None of those features of historic Christianity is also characteristic of Deism.
are said to be connected to Esoteric Christianity
, which holds that orthodox Christian doctrine is for the duller masses and that "real" Christianity holds the secret knowledge concerning the sacrifice of Christ on Golgotha
.
and phallic
worship of pre-Christian mystery religion, particularly Egyptian religion.
movement. The Rosicrucian symbol of the Rose Cross is also found in certain rituals of appendant bodies to Freemasonry which require candidates to be Master Masons.
Many Anti-Masonic Christian authors have stated that Rosicrucian Robert Fludd
(1574–1637) was a Mason. However there is no evidence supporting this contention. Nor is there any documented evidence to support Arthur Edward Waite
's (1857–1942) speculation that Fludd may have introduced a Rosicrucian influence into Freemasonry. Robert Vanloo states that earlier 17th century Rosicrucianism had a considerable influence on "Anglo-Saxon" Masonry.
A list of groups linked to both Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism, which requires for membership admission to be Christian
and Master Mason (see websites), includes:
Manly Palmer Hall
, a noted occultist and author on Masonic topics, wrote a book called Rosicrucian and Masonic Origins in 1929 (long before he ever became a Mason) and the Rosicrucian author Max Heindel
wrote a book in the 1910s, both of which portray Catholicism and Freemasonry as being two distinct streams in the development of Christianity.
Below are some of the more common quotations used on the internet in the attempt to establish the claim that Masons worship Satan, with some notes about them:
This quote is often attributed to "Arthur Edward Waite, 33°" on Christian Anti-Masonic websites, as if it were an authoritative statement from a "high level" Mason, but Waite
is not identified as a 33rd degree Mason anywhere in the book the quote is taken from. He is described simply as an individual with an interest in the occult. Waite was not a Mason when he wrote this book (the book was written and published in 1898; Waite became a Mason in 1902). Additionally, according to the Masonic research document "The Lie of Luciferianism" Waite was never a 33rd degree Mason; he never joined the Scottish Rite. He was, however, a "high level" member of the Order of the Golden Dawn, a pseudo-Masonic organization that used Freemasonry as a model. Further, the book is discussing Black Magic, not Freemasonry. There is no link whatsoever between this material and Freemasonry, other than that a future Mason wrote it.
This passage is from Manly Palmer Hall
's The Secret Teachings of All Ages (specifically, the chapter "Ceremonial Magic and Sorcery."). As with Waite, Christian Anti-masons use this quotation as if it were an "authoritive" statement from a "high level" Mason. However, as with Waite, Hall is not identified as a 33° Mason anywhere in the book, nor is there a record of his reception of the 33° cited in any readily available source that does not include the above quotation. According to the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, Hall was initiated into Freemasonry, but not until 1954, when he was 53 years old. The secret Teachings of All Ages was published in 1928, when he was only 27. More importantly, the quotation is taken out of context. Hall is not discussing Freemasonry at all, but rather summarizing how a magician would invoke a spirit and giving an example of how a demonic pact might read. Hall was an occultist, and according to one source, was a well-established lecturer on the occult and other esoterica by the age of 20, before he was even eligible to become a Mason.
This quotation appears in Hall's The Lost Keys Of Freemasonry. It appears in Chapter 4 (titled "The Fellowcraft") which has nothing to do with the actual Fellowcraft degree. The passage is again taken out of context, and its meaning changes when it is put back into the context of the chapter it comes from: it is part of a larger philosophical discussion which can also be read to imply that the improper use of "energies" can make the Mason a tool of Satan. Furthermore, even taken out of context, this passage does not refer to worshipping Satan per se. As with the previous quotation from Secret Teachings of All Ages, the book was written well before Hall became a Mason. In his Introduction to the book Hall clearly states: "At the time I wrote this slender volume, I had just passed my twenty-first birthday, and my only contact with Freemasonry was through a few books commonly available to the public".
This quotation is taken from Helena Petrovna Blavatsky's pseudo-masonic Ancient and Accepted Primitive Rite. Her Rite is not considered a legitimate part of Freemasonry by any Masonic Jurisdiction. Those who cite this quotation are conflating things Masonic and things that simply claim to be Masonic, or that used Freemasonry as a model.
Albert Pike
is frequently quoted by Christian Anti-Masons, often with the quotation taken out of context. However, in this case the statement was not even written by Pike. It was included in a letter which con artist Leo Taxil claimed was from Pike, and was later demonstrated to be a forgery. See: Taxil hoax
.
Ties to Christianity
While Freemasonry is non-sectarian, some Masonic bodies and rites require a statement of Christian faith to join. These include (but are not limited to) the Knights Templar, the Rectified Scottish RiteRectified Scottish Rite
The Rectified Scottish Rite is a Christian Masonic rite founded in Lyon in 1778.- Origins of this Rite :The Rite was mainly elaborated by Jean-Baptiste Willermoz. This famous Mason reformed the French branch of the Templar Strict Observance at the Congress of Gauls in 1778, including some items...
, the Swedish Rite
Swedish Rite
The Swedish Rite is a variation of Freemasonry that is worked in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. A slight variation is common in parts of Germany under the Große Landesloge der Freimaurer von Deutschland. Also other craft masonic bodies are working in the nordic countries...
, Societas Rosicruciana
Societas Rosicruciana
The Societas Rosicruciana is a Rosicrucian order which limits its membership to Christian Master Masons. The order was founded in Scotland, but now exists in England, Scotland, Canada, France, Portugal, Romania, Ireland and the United States...
, the Royal Order of Scotland
Royal Order of Scotland
The Royal Order of Scotland is an honor society linked to Freemasonry. Membership is an honour extended to Freemasons by invitation.-Organization:...
and the Red Cross of Constantine
Red Cross of Constantine
The Red Cross of Constantine, or more formally the Masonic and Military Order of the Red Cross of Constantine and the Appendant Orders of the Holy Sepulchre and of St John the Evangelist is a Christian Order of Freemasonry...
. Additionally, there are numerous Masonic orders and degrees that while not specifically requiring a profession of faith, require that potential members belong to one or more of the bodies which do and as a result limit their membership to professing Christians (e.g. the Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon
Order of St. Thomas of Acon
The Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon is an independent British Christian masonic organisation. Membership is restricted to those who are subscribing members of a Preceptory in amity with the Great Priory of the United Religious, Military and Masonic Order of the Temple of England and...
, the Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests, the Knight York Cross of Honor (KYCH), the York Rite College, etc.)
Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
has been the most persistent critic of Freemasonry. The Church has prohibited its members from being Freemasons since In Eminenti Apostolatus in 1738. Since then, the Vatican has issued several papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
s banning membership of Catholics from Freemasonry under threat of excommunication
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
. Currently, as reiterated in 1983, Catholics who become Masons are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
; the penalty of excommunication is not formally declared in the current code of canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
, but membership remains forbidden. The prohibition is often flauted by Masons who continue as members of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church argues that the philosophy of French Freemasonry (the Grand Orient, not the dominant variety of Freemasonry or the branch that is active in the English-speaking world) is antithetical to Christian doctrine and that it is at many times and places anti-clerical in intent. The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
Catholic Encyclopedia
The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
argued that some of the ceremonial in the Scottish Rite is anti-Catholic. However this claim does not appear in subsequent editions.
The Masonic use of Biblical imagery was seen in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia as being done in such a way as to deny the revelation of Christianity. However this complaint was not included in subsequent editions.
Allegations of Deism
One of the persistent Catholic criticisms of Freemasonry is that it advocates a deist or naturalistNaturalism (philosophy)
Naturalism commonly refers to the philosophical viewpoint that the natural universe and its natural laws and forces operate in the universe, and that nothing exists beyond the natural universe or, if it does, it does not affect the natural universe that we know...
view of creation. Freemasonry in fact requires of its members no specific view of a supreme being, as Deism would do, but rather a simple belief in a supreme being.
Whilst it is recognized that Masonry is not atheistic (Masons are asked if they believe in God before joining), its use of the expression, "Supreme Architect of the Universe
Great Architect of the Universe
The Great Architect of the Universe is a conception of God discussed by many Christian theologians and apologists. As a designation it is used within Freemasonry to neutrally represent whatever Supreme Being to which each member individually holds in adherence...
"--a term attributed to the Protestant theologian John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
--is seen by some Christian critics as indicating Deism, the belief that God created the Universe but did not intervene in the world after this.. This was a common heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
that arose in the Enlightenment. But in fact, Masonry is emphatic about the pursuit of virtue, the moral standards that God expects men to live up to, and the rewards that await those who behave morally in this life.
A specific charge made in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia against Freemasonry is that the introduction of speculative Masonry in the early eighteenth century specifically aimed at "dechristianising" the old operative masonry lodges. However, this charge was dropped from subsequent editions.
Whereas the constitutions of previous lodges of operative Masonry stated that "The first charge is this that you be true to God and Holy Church and use no error or heresy" in 1723 the constitution of the Grand Lodge of England:
A Mason is obliged by his Tenure, to obey the moral law; and if he rightly understands the Art, he will never be a stupid Atheist nor an irreligious Libertine. But although in ancient Times Masons were charged in every Country to be of the Religion of that Country or Nation, whatever it was, yet 'tis now thought more expedient only to oblige them to that Religion in which all Men agree, leaving their particular Opinions to themselves; that is, to be good Men and true, or Men of Honour and Honesty, by whatever Denominations or Persuasions they may be distinguished; whereby Masonry becomes the Centre of Union, and the Means of conciliating true Friendship among Persons that must have remained at a perpetual Distance.
This change is construed by the Catholic Church as moving towards a Deistic view.
Separation of church and state
American Freemasons are consistent advocates of the Freedom of Religion, as found in the First Amendment of the US Constitution. The idea that the establishment clause means a strict separation of church and state is interpreted by the Catholic Church as a veiled attack on its place in public life. Well into the Nineteenth Century, the Papacy continued to assert a divinely-ordained right to appoint civil rulers and depose them. It called opposition to this principle "Religious Indifferentism" by which no religion was acknowledged as true or revealed. And it rightly saw Freemasonry as a leader in the cause of popular sovereignty. This reference is not present, however, in later versions of the encyclopedia. Some specific areas which Freemasons were accused of aiming for an improper separation of church and state were:- Compulsory state supported secular education in Italy in 1882 which entailed a prohibition on religious education and also the fact that "religious houses [were] suppressed, the goods of the Church confiscated, marriages contracted in despite of the laws and without the rites of the Church"
- The introduction of civil marriageCivil marriageCivil marriage is marriage performed by a government official and not a religious organization.-History:Every country maintaining a population registry of its residents keeps track of marital status, and most countries believe that it is their responsibility to register married couples. Most...
in Mexico in 1857
Religious indifference
Catholic critics of Freemasonry correctly observe that it refuses to promote one faith as being superior to any others, while at the same time it also uses religious-type rituals. That combination is seen as inculcating an indifference to religionIndifferentism
Indifferentism, in Roman Catholic theology, describes the belief that there is no evidence that one religion or philosophy is superior to another. The Catholic Church ascribes indifferentism to all atheistic, materialistic, pantheistic, and agnostic philosophies...
. Freemasonic behaviour is seen as a denial of the truth of Christian revelation.
The Masonic author Mackey called Freemasonry "a science which is engaged in the search after the divine truth".
Anderson's Ancient Charges of a Freemason, 1723, says of Freemasons, that it is "expedient only to oblige them to that Religion in which all Men agree, leaving their particular Opinions to themselves". Freemasons reply that not obliging a member to profess a certain religious viewpoint as a condition of membership is not the equivalent of asserting that no religion can be superior to any other. Personal theological beliefs are not to be discussed in the lodge, thus avoiding arguments with those holding different beliefs. It has been suggested that this ban on religious discussion was especially important in Eighteenth Century England where a civil war
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, in part caused by religious conflict, had only recently ended.
Protestant churches
The great majority of Protestant denominations do not prohibit or discourage their members from joining Masonic lodges and have not issued any position papers condemning Freemasonry. Some churches have, however, formally opposed Masonry and spoken of the problems they see with Christians belonging to Masonic lodges.In most instances, these are relatively small church bodies which broke from the mainline Protestant denominations in recent decades, citing as their reason their opposition to theological liberalism or diversity. The largest by far of the Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist church bodies in the United States have not taken a stand against Freemasonry, and many Masons are active members of them. The largest of the Anglican churches in the United States, The Episcopal Church, has taken no stance against Masonry, nor have the various smaller Continuing Anglican and independent Anglican church bodies. Many Anglican clergymen in the USA are Masons.
There is a range of intensity among those Protestant denominations which discourage their congregants from joining Masonic lodges. Denominations that, in some form or other, discourage membership of Freemasons include the tiny Evangelical Lutheran Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Synod
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod or ELS is a US-based Protestant Christian denomination based in Mankato, Minnesota, USA. It describes itself as a conservative, Confessional Lutheran body.-Membership:...
, to larger Protestant church bodies. Among Protestants opposed to Freemasonry are the Church of the Nazarene
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
, Mennonites, The North American Mission Board
North American Mission Board
The North American Mission Board is the domestic missions agency of the Southern Baptist Convention. It exists to assist Southern Baptists in their task of fulfilling the Great Commission in the United States, Canada, and their territories through a national strategy for sharing Christ, starting...
of the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
, Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 2.3 million members, it is both the eighth largest Protestant denomination and the second-largest Lutheran body in the U.S. after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Synod...
, Christian Reformed Church in North America
Christian Reformed Church in North America
The Christian Reformed Church in North America is a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. Having roots in the Dutch Reformed churches of the Netherlands, the Christian Reformed Church was founded by Gijsbert Haan and Dutch immigrants who left the Reformed Church in...
, Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination originating from the Schwarzenau Brethren organized in 1708 by eight persons led by Alexander Mack, in Schwarzenau, Bad Berleburg, Germany. The Brethren movement began as a melding of Radical Pietist and Anabaptist ideas during the...
, Assemblies of God
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
, Society of Friends (Quakers), United Brethren
United Brethren
United Brethren may refer to:*Apostolic United Brethren, a Mormon fundamentalist group headquartered in Bluffdale, Utah*Church of the United Brethren in Christ, an evangelical Christian denomination based in Huntington, Indiana...
, Free Methodist church, Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
, Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Orthodox Presbyterian Church
The Orthodox Presbyterian Church is a conservative Presbyterian denomination located primarily in the United States. It was founded by conservative members of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America who strongly objected to the pervasive Modernist theology during the 1930s . Led...
, Free Church of Scotland
Free Church of Scotland (post 1900)
Free Church of Scotland is that part of the original Free Church of Scotland that remained outside of the union with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1900...
, Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland, Presbyterian Church in America
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination, the second largest Presbyterian church body in the United States after the Presbyterian Church . The PCA professes a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work, and Christian education...
, Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland
Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland
The Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland is a Presbyterian denomination in Ireland.-History:The denomination's roots date back to the 17th-century Plantation of Ulster by Scots Presbyterian settlers...
. Most of these condemnations resulted from the work of church committees appointed only in recent decades which were composed of church members who, having no personal knowledge of Masonic ritual, relied for their determinations upon their interpretations of brief quotations attributed to Albert Pike or Manly P. Hall. It must be admitted, also, that many of these Protestant condemnations have never been enforced and are dead letters today.
The Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
does not ban congregants from becoming Freemasons, but in 1989 the general assembly said there were "very real theological difficulties" with Church of Scotland members being Freemasons.
The 1985 Methodist Conference in England said that Freemasonry competed with Christian beliefs, asking that Methodist Freemasons reconsider their membership and that Masonic meetings be banned from Methodist premises. It did not, however, call for a ban on membership, and some Masonic meetings have continued to take place on Methodist premises.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church) has a longstanding policy of maintaining no official position on Freemasonry. However, some people see links between the two movements in practice, structure, and symbolism, which go back to the church's origins.It can be said the early Latter Day Saint movement
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
and Freemasonry had an amicable relationship. While the impact of Freemasonry in church doctrine is the subject of intense debate, it is known that the family of the church's founder and first president, Joseph Smith, Jr., was active in Freemasonry as early as 1816. When the church was headquartered in Nauvoo
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Smith and several of his followers – including his first four successors as church president – became Freemasons. Many features of the church's temple endowment ceremony as established by Smith in Nauvoo parallel rituals and ceremonies practiced in Freemasonry. When the church relocated to Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
in the 1840s after Smith's death, there was even talk of forming a "Mormon Grand Lodge." However, this notion was ultimately rejected by church President Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
.
However, many non-Mormon Freemasons harbored strong anti-Mormon
Anti-Mormon
Anti-Mormonism is discrimination, persecution, hostility or prejudice directed at members of the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
sentiments. Soon after Smith and his followers were initiated, the Grand Lodge of Illinois was compelled to revoke the charters of several predominantly Mormon Lodges. In 1872 the Grand Lodge of Utah was formed as an openly anti-Mormon organization. Over time the hostility increased, ultimately leading to the Grand Lodge of Utah banning Mormons from joining its constituent Lodges altogether. While the church never banned Freemasons from its ranks, it did at one time prohibit Freemasons from holding leadership positions in the church priesthood.
In 1984 the Grand Lodge of Utah and church leadership under President Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer Woolley Kimball was the twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1973 until his death in 1985.-Ancestry:...
mutually agreed to drop their antagonistic positions against each another. While some suspicion remains on both sides, today there is no formal barrier preventing a male Mormon from becoming a Freemason or vice versa.
New religion
Freemasonry unambiguously states that it is not a religion, nor a substitute for religion. There is no separate "Masonic" God. Nor is there a separate proper name for a deity in any branch of Freemasonry. There is no general interpretation for any of the symbols. In keeping with the geometrical and architectural theme of Freemasonry, the Supreme Being is referred to in Masonic ritual by the attributes of Great Architect of the UniverseGreat Architect of the Universe
The Great Architect of the Universe is a conception of God discussed by many Christian theologians and apologists. As a designation it is used within Freemasonry to neutrally represent whatever Supreme Being to which each member individually holds in adherence...
(sometimes abbreviated as G.A.O.T.U.), Grand Geometer or something similar. Freemasons use these varied forms of address to make clear that the reference is generic, not about any one religion's particular identification of God.
Nevertheless, the same Freemasonry that is criticised as Deistic is also criticised for allegedly being a substitute for Christian belief. For example, the New Catholic Encyclopedia states the opinion that "Freemasonry displays all the elements of religion, and as such it becomes a rival to the religion of the Gospel. It includes temples and altars, prayers, a moral code, worship, vestments, feast days, the promise of reward or punishment in the afterlife, a hierarchy, and initiation and burial rites."None of those features of historic Christianity is also characteristic of Deism.
Links to Esotericism
Certain types of Freemasonry, most notably the Swedish RiteSwedish Rite
The Swedish Rite is a variation of Freemasonry that is worked in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. A slight variation is common in parts of Germany under the Große Landesloge der Freimaurer von Deutschland. Also other craft masonic bodies are working in the nordic countries...
are said to be connected to Esoteric Christianity
Esoteric Christianity
Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of spiritual currents which regard Christianity as a mystery religion, and profess the existence and possession of certain esoteric doctrines or practices, hidden from the public but accessible only to a narrow circle of "enlightened",...
, which holds that orthodox Christian doctrine is for the duller masses and that "real" Christianity holds the secret knowledge concerning the sacrifice of Christ on Golgotha
Calvary
Calvary or Golgotha was the site, outside of ancient Jerusalem’s early first century walls, at which the crucifixion of Jesus is said to have occurred. Calvary and Golgotha are the English names for the site used in Western Christianity...
.
Pre-Christian pagan influences
The Catholic Encyclopedia says that the Masonic authors Clavel, Ragnon, Pike and Mackey claim Masonic symbolism is rooted in the solarSolar deity
A solar deity is a sky deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it, usually by its perceived power and strength. Solar deities and sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms...
and phallic
Phallus
A phallus is an erect penis, a penis-shaped object such as a dildo, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. Any object that symbolically resembles a penis may also be referred to as a phallus; however, such objects are more often referred to as being phallic...
worship of pre-Christian mystery religion, particularly Egyptian religion.
Rosicrucian influences
Some scholars believe that Freemasonry has links to the RosicrucianRosicrucian
Rosicrucianism is a philosophical secret society, said to have been founded in late medieval Germany by Christian Rosenkreuz. It holds a doctrine or theology "built on esoteric truths of the ancient past", which, "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe...
movement. The Rosicrucian symbol of the Rose Cross is also found in certain rituals of appendant bodies to Freemasonry which require candidates to be Master Masons.
Many Anti-Masonic Christian authors have stated that Rosicrucian Robert Fludd
Robert Fludd
Robert Fludd, also known as Robertus de Fluctibus was a prominent English Paracelsian physician, astrologer, mathematician, cosmologist, Qabalist, Rosicrucian apologist...
(1574–1637) was a Mason. However there is no evidence supporting this contention. Nor is there any documented evidence to support Arthur Edward Waite
Arthur Edward Waite
Arthur Edward Waite was a scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters, and was the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. As his biographer, R.A...
's (1857–1942) speculation that Fludd may have introduced a Rosicrucian influence into Freemasonry. Robert Vanloo states that earlier 17th century Rosicrucianism had a considerable influence on "Anglo-Saxon" Masonry.
A list of groups linked to both Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism, which requires for membership admission to be Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and Master Mason (see websites), includes:
- Societas Rosicruciana in AngliaSocietas Rosicruciana in AngliaSocietas Rosicruciana in Anglia is a Masonic esoteric Christian order formed by Robert Wentworth Little in 1865, although some sources acknowledge the date to be 1866-67. Members are confirmed from the ranks of subscribing Master Masons of a Grand Lodge in amity with United Grand Lodge of...
, 1866 - Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus FoederatisSocietas RosicrucianaThe Societas Rosicruciana is a Rosicrucian order which limits its membership to Christian Master Masons. The order was founded in Scotland, but now exists in England, Scotland, Canada, France, Portugal, Romania, Ireland and the United States...
, 1880
Manly Palmer Hall
Manly Palmer Hall
Manly Palmer Hall was a Canadian-born author and mystic. He is perhaps most famous for his 1928 work The Secret Teachings of All Ages.-Early years:...
, a noted occultist and author on Masonic topics, wrote a book called Rosicrucian and Masonic Origins in 1929 (long before he ever became a Mason) and the Rosicrucian author Max Heindel
Max Heindel
Max Heindel - born Carl Louis von Grasshoff in Aarhus, Denmark on July 23, 1865 - was a Christian occultist, astrologer, and mystic. He died on January 6, 1919 at Oceanside, California, United States.- Early infancy :...
wrote a book in the 1910s, both of which portray Catholicism and Freemasonry as being two distinct streams in the development of Christianity.
Claims of Satan worship
Some Christian critics of Freemasonry, often evangelical Christians, claim that Freemasonry involves the worship of Satan. Such claims are often supported by quoting, misquoting, or quoting out of context various individuals, both Masonic and non-Masonic, but not Masonic ritual itself.Below are some of the more common quotations used on the internet in the attempt to establish the claim that Masons worship Satan, with some notes about them:
Waite
First Conjuration Addressed to Emperor Lucifer. Emperor Lucifer, Master and Prince of Rebellious Spirits, I adjure thee to leave thine abode, in what-ever quarter of the world it may be situated and come hither to communicate with me. I command and I conjure thee in the Name of the Mighty Living God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, to appear without noise and without ....
This quote is often attributed to "Arthur Edward Waite, 33°" on Christian Anti-Masonic websites, as if it were an authoritative statement from a "high level" Mason, but Waite
Arthur Edward Waite
Arthur Edward Waite was a scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters, and was the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. As his biographer, R.A...
is not identified as a 33rd degree Mason anywhere in the book the quote is taken from. He is described simply as an individual with an interest in the occult. Waite was not a Mason when he wrote this book (the book was written and published in 1898; Waite became a Mason in 1902). Additionally, according to the Masonic research document "The Lie of Luciferianism" Waite was never a 33rd degree Mason; he never joined the Scottish Rite. He was, however, a "high level" member of the Order of the Golden Dawn, a pseudo-Masonic organization that used Freemasonry as a model. Further, the book is discussing Black Magic, not Freemasonry. There is no link whatsoever between this material and Freemasonry, other than that a future Mason wrote it.
Hall
I hereby promise the Great Spirit Lucifer, Prince of Demons, that each year I will bring unto him a human soul to do with as it may please him, and in return Lucifer promises to bestow upon me the treasures of the earth and fulfil my every desire for the length of my natural life. If I fail to bring him each year the offering specified above, then my own soul shall be forfeit to him. Signed..... {Invocant signs pact with his own blood}
This passage is from Manly Palmer Hall
Manly Palmer Hall
Manly Palmer Hall was a Canadian-born author and mystic. He is perhaps most famous for his 1928 work The Secret Teachings of All Ages.-Early years:...
's The Secret Teachings of All Ages (specifically, the chapter "Ceremonial Magic and Sorcery."). As with Waite, Christian Anti-masons use this quotation as if it were an "authoritive" statement from a "high level" Mason. However, as with Waite, Hall is not identified as a 33° Mason anywhere in the book, nor is there a record of his reception of the 33° cited in any readily available source that does not include the above quotation. According to the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, Hall was initiated into Freemasonry, but not until 1954, when he was 53 years old. The secret Teachings of All Ages was published in 1928, when he was only 27. More importantly, the quotation is taken out of context. Hall is not discussing Freemasonry at all, but rather summarizing how a magician would invoke a spirit and giving an example of how a demonic pact might read. Hall was an occultist, and according to one source, was a well-established lecturer on the occult and other esoterica by the age of 20, before he was even eligible to become a Mason.
When The Mason learns that the Key to the warrior on the block is the proper application of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the Mystery of his Craft. The seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands and before he may step onward and upward, he must prove his ability to properly apply this energy.
This quotation appears in Hall's The Lost Keys Of Freemasonry. It appears in Chapter 4 (titled "The Fellowcraft") which has nothing to do with the actual Fellowcraft degree. The passage is again taken out of context, and its meaning changes when it is put back into the context of the chapter it comes from: it is part of a larger philosophical discussion which can also be read to imply that the improper use of "energies" can make the Mason a tool of Satan. Furthermore, even taken out of context, this passage does not refer to worshipping Satan per se. As with the previous quotation from Secret Teachings of All Ages, the book was written well before Hall became a Mason. In his Introduction to the book Hall clearly states: "At the time I wrote this slender volume, I had just passed my twenty-first birthday, and my only contact with Freemasonry was through a few books commonly available to the public".
Blavatsky
Lucifer represents..Life..Thought..Progress..Civilization.. Liberty..Independence..Lucifer is the Logos..the Serpent, the Savior.
This quotation is taken from Helena Petrovna Blavatsky's pseudo-masonic Ancient and Accepted Primitive Rite. Her Rite is not considered a legitimate part of Freemasonry by any Masonic Jurisdiction. Those who cite this quotation are conflating things Masonic and things that simply claim to be Masonic, or that used Freemasonry as a model.
Pike and Taxil
Yes, Lucifer is God, and unfortunately Adonay is also God. For the eternal law is that there is no light without shade, no beauty without ugliness, no white without black, for the absolute can only exist as two Gods: darkness being necessary to light to serve as its foil as the pedestal is necessary to the statue, and the brake to the locomotive.
Albert Pike
Albert Pike
Albert Pike was an attorney, Confederate officer, writer, and Freemason. Pike is the only Confederate military officer or figure to be honored with an outdoor statue in Washington, D.C...
is frequently quoted by Christian Anti-Masons, often with the quotation taken out of context. However, in this case the statement was not even written by Pike. It was included in a letter which con artist Leo Taxil claimed was from Pike, and was later demonstrated to be a forgery. See: Taxil hoax
Taxil hoax
The Taxil hoax was an 1890s hoax of exposure by Léo Taxil intended to mock not only Freemasonry, but also the Roman Catholic Church's opposition to it.-Taxil and Freemasonry:...
.
External links
- Freemasonry: Midwife to an Occult Empire Anti-Masonic study detailing the supposed occult nature of Freemasonry
- Freemasonry & Christianity
- Was Freemasonry Dechristianised?