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Christianity in Freemasonry

Joseph Thornton

Registered User
Not true. Several of the founding fathers didnt identify with any religion. It was almost as if Masonry was their religion(EVEN THOUGH ITS NOT A RELIGION). I say this as BFranklin and one of the Adams(cant remember which one) and others said on more then on occasion that religion was a downfall of society. Obviously thats not a direct quote but u get the idea

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To me, this could very easily indicate organized religious denominations as untrustworthy, and not necessarily a denial of Christ's divinity.

Often a negative experience with the church DOES also bring relation to negative view of the whole religion. But doesnt have to.

Keep in mind, I am no expert on Franklin nor do I try to insinuate any authority on him.
 

Chaz

Registered User
To me, this could very easily indicate organized religious denominations as untrustworthy, and not necessarily a denial of Christ's divinity.

The letter Thomas Jefferson wrote accompanying what's referred to as "The Jefferson Bible" touches upon exactly what you are saying. He basically states that denominations do not represent Christ in the way he understands a christian to be, from reading the New Testament, and as such did not want to be categorized with "Christians".
 

drw72

Premium Member
I just happened to be reading "The Constitutions of the Free-Masons (1734)" and thought of the sidebar in this thread about the Freemasons and American Revolution....

From Charge II: ..."So that if a Brother should be a Rebel against the State, he is not to be countenanc’d in his Rebellion, however he may be pitied as an unhappy Man ; and if convicted of no other Crime, though the loyal Brotherhood must and ought to disown his Rebellion, and give no Umbrage or Ground of political Jealousy to the Government for the time being ; they cannot expel him from the Lodge, and his Relation to it remains indefeasible."

So I get from this that the Brotherhood would condemn the rebellion but still support the Brother. I guess it could be likened to "hate the sin, not the sinner."
 

Bro MBGellner RAM; 32nd

Registered User
It is easy to become obsessed with a billion explanations of our symbols. The craftsman should reflect on his teachings and works. The deeper meanings will occur to you more over time and with practiced reflection.

In the end, we are but a copy made in an image. And our teachings are to practice this image. It is a sacred truth that if you are a copy; then the one true form exists. We are rough longing to be perfect and by the symbolism of the dialogue the allegory teachings are a prophecy to us that the perfect one does exist.

God is at its center
And we are God's followers.
God calls us a priesthood.
We are the priests.
We have chosen a side because we choose light. Light is good. And there is no darkness in God.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
Void and lacking form......

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The Beginning

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1
 

Bloke

Premium Member
Doesn't that truly depend upon how you're defining the word and the metaphoric use of it?
Yep.

It is interesting to note light is often introduced; "Let there be light".... "shine a light on this matter" into a state of darkness, much as we use knowledge being introduced to ignorance. .... not sure what to comment about "sun rises' and "darkness (night) falls" but there might be something subconscious in this around the sun.... but whether light or darkness is symbols for knowledge, truth, goodness, will vary depending on which one your discussing and who's discussing it and in what context and in what paradigm....

Coach, do you think there is any absolute truth in this matter ? (Assuming you believe absolute truth exists ? I waiver, but never fully reject it..)
 

flameburns623

Registered User
Since the overwheling majority of Christian critics of Freemasonry discourage joining the Masons but do NOT often object to the Moose Lodge, the Elks, the Eagles, the Optimists, Amway or other multilevel marketing enterprises, Oddfellows, local parachurch charitable organizations, etcetera--it is disrespectful to assume that most of these churches only discourage Masonic Lodge membership as a means of social control, to husband more of a churchmember's time or money, etcetera.

There are organizations, religious or otherwise, like this: but there are some very very large Christian church bodies which deeply object to only a select number of "ungodly associations", with Freemasonry often topping that list.

Until sometime between the two World Wars, for example, the Quakers (Society of Friends) were noteworthy for several things: "plain dress", (they often actually wore garb, bereft of buttons or bright colors, somewhat resembling what the guy on the Quaker Oatmeal box is wearing, tricorner hat and all); "plain speaking", (they used the first person singular English pronouns 'thee' and 'thou', to avoid exalted or vain affectations such as the use of the first person plural 'you'; they were militant pacifists: AND, Quakers refused, adamantly, to swear any sort of oath.

This latter was so deeply rooted in Quaker history--and yet Quakers had played such an important role in American history--that our system of law has been shaped by the Quakers: there are Constitutional provisions for conscientious objection to war, AND most jurisdictions and states allow people to "affirm" a legal document or statement rather than "swear" to such things.

Quakers have changed a whole lot in the past eighty to a hundred years. They are still a "Peace Church", but you don't see many tricorner hats these days, nor hear of anyone who still uses such expressions as "How art thou?" in everyday parlance. But, their objections to oath-swearing were adopted by other older Evangelical bodies and can be the first objection that some Christians raise to membership in Masonry.

Other groups are militantly against ecumenical cooperation with non-Christians where possible. (Some of these bodies define "Christian" very narrowly, btw--they may not think theirs is the Only True Church, but they deeply question the salvation of anyone not endorsing a pretty narrow spectrum of theological beliefs.

Again, joining any organizations which admit "cultists" or non-Christians would be objectionable to such faithful.

Then there are those groups which, having looked at Masonic ritual pretty closely in the past thirty years--the Lutheran Church/Missouri Synod, the Southern Baptist Convention, and Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI of the RCC are among these--and several such Christian bodies or individuals question deeply whether there are not serious compromises with sound Christian theology within our Ritual.

To name but a few: the graphic nature of the penalties named in our various rituals are seen antithetical to the sort of promises Christians should be uttering.

There is a sense, rightly or wrongly, that Masonic ritual implies a salvation-by-works theology.

That Christians are constrained in Freemasonry from their ordinary duty to share the Gospel at all times.

That Deism and Universalism (meaning, universal salvation for all good hearted people) are readily deduced from the Freemasonic Ritual.

And that Masonry's alleged historic associations with occultism (Mackey and Aleister Crowley, for example), and its secrecy make it a body not of "good report", no matter how honorable its individual members may be.

There are other Christian churches, in fact most of them, which do NOT raise these issues and ehich even see Masonry as complementary to Christian living.

But, these few things I just enumerated are representative of the common objections of some Evangelical groups. AND, btw, of some other faiths, including at least some Orthodox Jews and some Muslims.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
Since the overwheling majority of Christian critics of Freemasonry discourage joining the Masons but do NOT often object to the Moose Lodge, the Elks, the Eagles, the Optimists, Amway or other multilevel marketing enterprises, Oddfellows, local parachurch charitable organizations, etcetera--it is disrespectful to assume that most of these churches only discourage Masonic Lodge membership as a means of social control, to husband more of a churchmember's time or money, etcetera.

There are organizations, religious or otherwise, like this: but there are some very very large Christian church bodies which deeply object to only a select number of "ungodly associations", with Freemasonry often topping that list.

Until sometime between the two World Wars, for example, the Quakers (Society of Friends) were noteworthy for several things: "plain dress", (they often actually wore garb, bereft of buttons or bright colors, somewhat resembling what the guy on the Quaker Oatmeal box is wearing, tricorner hat and all); "plain speaking", (they used the first person singular English pronouns 'thee' and 'thou', to avoid exalted or vain affectations such as the use of the first person plural 'you'; they were militant pacifists: AND, Quakers refused, adamantly, to swear any sort of oath.

This latter was so deeply rooted in Quaker history--and yet Quakers had played such an important role in American history--that our system of law has been shaped by the Quakers: there are Constitutional provisions for conscientious objection to war, AND most jurisdictions and states allow people to "affirm" a legal document or statement rather than "swear" to such things.

Quakers have changed a whole lot in the past eighty to a hundred years. They are still a "Peace Church", but you don't see many tricorner hats these days, nor hear of anyone who still uses such expressions as "How art thou?" in everyday parlance. But, their objections to oath-swearing were adopted by other older Evangelical bodies and can be the first objection that some Christians raise to membership in Masonry.

Other groups are militantly against ecumenical cooperation with non-Christians where possible. (Some of these bodies define "Christian" very narrowly, btw--they may not think theirs is the Only True Church, but they deeply question the salvation of anyone not endorsing a pretty narrow spectrum of theological beliefs.

Again, joining any organizations which admit "cultists" or non-Christians would be objectionable to such faithful.

Then there are those groups which, having looked at Masonic ritual pretty closely in the past thirty years--the Lutheran Church/Missouri Synod, the Southern Baptist Convention, and Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI of the RCC are among these--and several such Christian bodies or individuals question deeply whether there are not serious compromises with sound Christian theology within our Ritual.

To name but a few: the graphic nature of the penalties named in our various rituals are seen antithetical to the sort of promises Christians should be uttering.

There is a sense, rightly or wrongly, that Masonic ritual implies a salvation-by-works theology.

That Christians are constrained in Freemasonry from their ordinary duty to share the Gospel at all times.

That Deism and Universalism (meaning, universal salvation for all good hearted people) are readily deduced from the Freemasonic Ritual.

And that Masonry's alleged historic associations with occultism (Mackey and Aleister Crowley, for example), and its secrecy make it a body not of "good report", no matter how honorable its individual members may be.

There are other Christian churches, in fact most of them, which do NOT raise these issues and ehich even see Masonry as complementary to Christian living.

But, these few things I just enumerated are representative of the common objections of some Evangelical groups. AND, btw, of some other faiths, including at least some Orthodox Jews and some Muslims.
Thanks Flame. Some interesting points, but all saying the same thing, incompadibility with a Church, not the Christian Religion, but a Church's view of that religion.
 

coachn

Coach John S. Nagy
Premium Member
Coach, do you think there is any absolute truth in this matter ? (Assuming you believe absolute truth exists ? I waiver, but never fully reject it..)
Truth to what matter? There are so many to choose from here.
 
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