Michaelstedman81
Premium Member
I think that I have read a thing or two on here or on another forum lately about this, but haven't ever experienced this firsthand until today and I am curious how to handle it when it comes up in the near future which I know that it will. Here is the story:
I have been going through a really rough time lately and made the decision to get back into the path of walking closer with God as I have started to feel a real seperation from Him during all of this. Being in a new area, I figured that it was the perfect time for me to find a new Church and begin that journey.
The Church is non denominational and I met with the Men's group this past Monday night. I informed one of the men that seemed very spiritually smart about my situation. He was more than glad to talk to me and look forward to lending me a hand and get me started again with my walk with God. Yesterday, he had given me a book to read and wanted me to meet with him to "confess and repent" to start my internal healing from Iraq and all this I was going through.
Today, he called to check up on me and see how I was doing. He asked what my son's name was and I told him. He asked me if there was someone with that name in my family and I told him no and that I had chosen that name cause I liked the name and I was a Freemason and it was symbolic to me. He seemed very interested in my Masonic activity and asked me how long I had been involved in Masonry.
The conversation started going a different way and I told him that one of my plans for moving here was to get more involved with the Masonic lodges here in the area, but have had a hard time with motiviation due to the hardship I am going through. He then asked me to hold off on getting back involved with the Masonic lodge until I could get through the book and have our "personal discussion". He said a couple of other things asking me to "not get involved with the Masons" at least till after he gets a chance to sit down and talk with me.
Granted, I don't know the future but from the tone in his voice and the things that he was saying and how hard he was pushing me to avoid the Masonic stuff till he can talk to me in person, I really got the feeling that he is going to try to convince me to leave the organization or that it is un Godly to be part of it. What am I supposed to do here?
I really highly doubt that I am going to be able to change his mind or views on Masonry, but I also don't really want to be shunned from the Church. Should I just try to find another Church and hide the fact that I am a Mason from them? It is kind of sad to me that a man that wants to worship with a group feels like he might be turned away just because he is part of an organization that that group does not know about or understand. Should I head this off and just tell the guy that I feel like he is going to come at me with something anti-Masonic and that I would rather not talk about it as I am there to be closer to God?
Any ideas or suggestions?
I have been going through a really rough time lately and made the decision to get back into the path of walking closer with God as I have started to feel a real seperation from Him during all of this. Being in a new area, I figured that it was the perfect time for me to find a new Church and begin that journey.
The Church is non denominational and I met with the Men's group this past Monday night. I informed one of the men that seemed very spiritually smart about my situation. He was more than glad to talk to me and look forward to lending me a hand and get me started again with my walk with God. Yesterday, he had given me a book to read and wanted me to meet with him to "confess and repent" to start my internal healing from Iraq and all this I was going through.
Today, he called to check up on me and see how I was doing. He asked what my son's name was and I told him. He asked me if there was someone with that name in my family and I told him no and that I had chosen that name cause I liked the name and I was a Freemason and it was symbolic to me. He seemed very interested in my Masonic activity and asked me how long I had been involved in Masonry.
The conversation started going a different way and I told him that one of my plans for moving here was to get more involved with the Masonic lodges here in the area, but have had a hard time with motiviation due to the hardship I am going through. He then asked me to hold off on getting back involved with the Masonic lodge until I could get through the book and have our "personal discussion". He said a couple of other things asking me to "not get involved with the Masons" at least till after he gets a chance to sit down and talk with me.
Granted, I don't know the future but from the tone in his voice and the things that he was saying and how hard he was pushing me to avoid the Masonic stuff till he can talk to me in person, I really got the feeling that he is going to try to convince me to leave the organization or that it is un Godly to be part of it. What am I supposed to do here?
I really highly doubt that I am going to be able to change his mind or views on Masonry, but I also don't really want to be shunned from the Church. Should I just try to find another Church and hide the fact that I am a Mason from them? It is kind of sad to me that a man that wants to worship with a group feels like he might be turned away just because he is part of an organization that that group does not know about or understand. Should I head this off and just tell the guy that I feel like he is going to come at me with something anti-Masonic and that I would rather not talk about it as I am there to be closer to God?
Any ideas or suggestions?