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Islam and Freemasonry

Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
All four of the lodges I have been a member of have Muslim Brethren. One will be Master of his lodge in the next year or so, and I'm glad to have witnessed his Degrees.
 

Bro. Landry

Registered User
I have brothers in my lodge, here in Louisiana, who practice the Muslim faith, and consider them friends, Bros, and Masonic mentors. You definitely should have no problems.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
I'm here stationed out of Texas and plan to stay after getting out.

Welcome to what seems to be the most pro-military state in the union.

I see that some lodges they wear crosses, etc.

Please do not confuse the lodge with the members. All of my lodges have members who wear their cross, members who wear other symbols, members who don't. The lodge itself never does. To be adopted into our family you need to be comfortable around good men of any faith, often having no idea what faith a man has decided upon. You'll only know their choice for those among us who decide to wear a symbol openly.

Also please do not confuse optional appendent orders with the lodge. There exist optional orders that use the cross as a part of their symbolism. They aren't our most popular optional orders.

If you encounter a place that calls itself a lodge that uses a cross, as a lodge not as some of the individual members, that group is clandestine. We promise to not have contact with them as a part of the obligations we take going through our degrees.

As a Muslim I respect all faiths and religions now would me becoming a Freemason have me contradict or go against my beliefs in forms of maybe rituals, clothing and or events?

No. I have been to degrees of both Shiite and Zuni candidates. More than one of my lodges have long time active members who are Muslim.

Be informed that our degrees tell a story out of the Old Testament. Our degrees are participatory theater in the round with the candidate playing a part. To participate in our degrees one must reach a comfort level in one's own faith to the point of not objecting to playing a character in an Old Testament story. Usually it takes extra consideration for a member of a non-JCI faith to decide they are willing to participate in such a story. I've read the Koran and no such objection is to be found in it anywhere.

I've seen in the news that some Muslims would not be willing to be a character in such a play, but all of the Muslims I know have been at lodge and at work. None of the Brothers minded and none of my friends at the office have cared about my membership.
 

Jimmy91

Registered User
Thank all you fine gentleman for your words of knowledge and of course I more than appreciate it. I called my local lodge and sounds good hopefully everything works for the best. I wish you all nothing but good. Thank you


Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry Pro
 

coachn

Coach John S. Nagy
Premium Member
Thank all you fine gentleman for your words of knowledge and of course I more than appreciate it. I called my local lodge and sounds good hopefully everything works for the best. I wish you all nothing but good. Thank you


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One thing you might mention to those doing your degree is how your faith treats your holy book. I know that there is one lodge to my knowledge that knows that the Koran is to be kept closed when kissed.
 

Levelhead

Premium Member
Blue lodge and crosses? You wont find that., the KT has crosses but its an appendant body and for Christians of the belief of.


Sent from Mossy Oak Swamp Bottom
 

MRichard

Mark A. Ri'chard
Premium Member
Unfortunately, you will find that many Texas lodges have a heavy Christian influence. But there are diverse lodges here as well. Due some research first, if you are near a large Metropolitan area, it shouldn't be a problem. But some lodges are primarily Christian. So it depends on where you live and which grand lodge you are interested in petitioning.
 

ChristopherNance

Registered User
Blue lodge and crosses? You wont find that., the KT has crosses but its an appendant body and for Christians of the belief of.


Sent from Mossy Oak Swamp Bottom
I know of several blue lodges in my State that have the Christian symbols in the temple. That's not even including the ones that have the antique Lord's prayer posted in lodge. Your statement is not 100% accurate.

Sent from my SM-S975L using My Freemasonry Pro mobile app
 
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mrpierce17

KOP Council director / Lodge instructor
Premium Member
Please ask questions if you have any. We are happy to help. Freemasonry is wonderful in that there is no other place you will find Christians, Muslims, and Jews coming together as brothers with no rancor for how the other worships God. My lodge has members from all three of the major faiths and keeps all three holy books open upon the alter when we meet. We are proof that there can be peace.

Transmitted via my R5 astromech.
Is there a certain chapter/verse the other VSL's are opens on (Holy Koran exc.) in each degree ??? I have tried to get a straight forward answer to this from a few brothers but never could get a answer you can PM me I know this may be sensitive information
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
Is there a certain chapter/verse the other VSL's are opens on (Holy Koran exc.) in each degree ??? I have tried to get a straight forward answer to this from a few brothers but never could get a answer you can PM me I know this may be sensitive information

Not all jurisdictions specify specific verses when using the King James Version. I was quite surprised when I first visited in a jurisdiction that specifies. Now that I'm affiliated in 3 jurisdictions 1 does 2 don't.

I've never heard of specifying verses in other sacred writings. Should there be specifications in lands where a specific faith is the local majority I'd ask them and go with their recommendations. At some point someone has to make up such a specification so it may as well be someone who is deeply familiar with that VSL.
 

mrpierce17

KOP Council director / Lodge instructor
Premium Member
Not all jurisdictions specify specific verses when using the King James Version. I was quite surprised when I first visited in a jurisdiction that specifies. Now that I'm affiliated in 3 jurisdictions 1 does 2 don't.
.

Wow that's interesting
 

Bloke

Premium Member
Not all jurisdictions specify specific verses when using the King James Version. I was quite surprised when I first visited in a jurisdiction that specifies. Now that I'm affiliated in 3 jurisdictions 1 does 2 don't.

Things differ. We just open the VSL to any page without reference to the content on that page. There would be nothing stopping a lodge here opening a lodge using a VSL which is not a Bible, here there are a couple of lodges which use a Torah. What is interesting is how grumpy some of our (Christian) PMs get when every VSL of members is not present when lodge is open, they see the plurality of our membership as a point of pride and every craft lodge I am in has at least one Muslim (my mother lodge), in my other lodge, I do not even know how many we have, maybe 5-6 but as you know, we really do not keep track.... but our pedestal is very crowded with VSLs !

While the membership of TX lodges might comprise Christians, that in no way makes Freemasonry Christian. I would hope and expect those Lodges would be happy and proud to accept a man of good character who has a belief in a Supreme Being as a member
 

Jimmy91

Registered User
While the membership of TX lodges might comprise Christians, that in no way makes Freemasonry Christian. I would hope and expect those Lodges would be happy and proud to accept a man of good character who has a belief in a Supreme Being as a member


I hope so too
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
While the membership of TX lodges might comprise Christians, that in no way makes Freemasonry Christian. I would hope and expect those Lodges would be happy and proud to accept a man of good character who has a belief in a Supreme Being as a member

So far I have been to degrees in Texas on the Koran and Bagavat Gita. That only counts candidates who decided to ask to use a specific book.

It does not include candidates who decided to go into their first degree cold. When I petitioned I decided to put myself into the hands of the members and I went in having no idea what would happen. I didn't even know there was a Bible in the room before I first entered. My degrees were in another jurisdiction but the principle applies everywhere.

I think in a lot of cases the Brothers have no idea whatsoever how religiously diverse the membership is. Plenty of Brothers never discuss religion in lodge so some incorrectly figure the membership is more uniform than it actually is.

Demographics of the local population might supply a good guess as to the lodge membership for religion, but think about that for a moment. We exclude atheists. We are openly proud of our religious diversity so that will cause some to exclude themselves. We have spent centuries building a reputation for religious diversity so that can draw a higher percentage from minority religions than would be suggested by local demographics.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
So far I have been to degrees in Texas on the Koran and Bagavat Gita. That only counts candidates who decided to ask to use a specific book.

It does not include candidates who decided to go into their first degree cold. When I petitioned I decided to put myself into the hands of the members and I went in having no idea what would happen. I didn't even know there was a Bible in the room before I first entered. My degrees were in another jurisdiction but the principle applies everywhere.

I think in a lot of cases the Brothers have no idea whatsoever how religiously diverse the membership is. Plenty of Brothers never discuss religion in lodge so some incorrectly figure the membership is more uniform than it actually is.

Demographics of the local population might supply a good guess as to the lodge membership for religion, but think about that for a moment. We exclude atheists. We are openly proud of our religious diversity so that will cause some to exclude themselves. We have spent centuries building a reputation for religious diversity so that can draw a higher percentage from minority religions than would be suggested by local demographics.

We actually ask at the Committee of Inquiry.

Do you believe in a supreme being ? (tick)
Now, every freemason makes a promise using his volume of the sacred law when making that promise, we have members who Christian who use the Bible when making that promise, Muslims who use the Koran, Jews who use the Torah, are you comfortable with the Bible (or we use the their VSL if we know they are not Christian) or would you prefer to use another VSL?

It is a standard question in our Committee of Inquiries because increasingly our candidates do use other books other than the Bible as their VSL.
 

MRichard

Mark A. Ri'chard
Premium Member
While the membership of TX lodges might comprise Christians, that in no way makes Freemasonry Christian. I would hope and expect those Lodges would be happy and proud to accept a man of good character who has a belief in a Supreme Being as a member

Of course it doesn't. There is diversity in the state but there are many smaller lodges that are not.
 
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