freemasonry

Russell, I’m so sorry it has taken me this long to reply but I’ve had 3 sick family members to care for.  I found Enkidu’s post well thought out and helpful. I hope this post makes sense as most of it was composed last night while my family was sleeping.

I agree with you: Jesus did not teach intolerance but rather a profound love for God and for others, even one’s enemies. Tolerance plays no, if any, part in the teaching and life of Jesus.

I agree with you that Freemasonry is not a religion. But it does make statements about God & how to live and we need to examine them in the light of God’s revelation about Himself in the bible.

Here are some of the concerns I have with Freemasonry.

1. God is presented as a nebulous, higher power who is impersonal & largely devoid of identity & personality. This what The Grand Logde of Western Australia had this to say on its web-site:

“There is no separate Masonic God; a Freemasons God is the God of the faith he professes and he invokes him by whatever name and in whatever manner his faith dictates.
The several Masonic names for the Supreme Being are consistent with the many acknowledged biblical names for God; all saying something of who He is and what He does, for example:
*The Great Architect of the Universe - acknowledging that He is the designer and planner of the universe.
*The Grand Geometrician of the Universe - implying that, just as the Laws of Geometry govern the erection of buildings, so God’s laws of nature govern the universe.
*The Most High - affirming that He is above all else.
A Freemason is instructed to never mention the name of God but with that awe and reverence which are due from the creature to the Creator.”

Freemasonry believes in a God and requires a statement of belief from masons and interested candidates. A mason cannot be a professing atheist. The fact that a mason can believe in ANY God is incompatible with Christianity.  The bible makes very exclusive claims about who God is and what He is like and that He, and He alone, is to be worshipped.  Freemasonry seems to take out most of the claims God makes for Himself and thereby present a God who bears little semblance to the God of the bible.  The following paragraphs elaborate this further.

2. God’s attributes & emotions. There is no mention of God’s love, of His fierce jealousy for His position as the one true God, of His hatred of sin, of His compassion, of His humanity as shown in the life of Jesus, of His slowness to anger & of His patience in withholding His judgement so all mankind can hear of the salvation bought about by the risen Jesus, etc. The bible provides a vivid description of God who is personal, who feels, who intimately relates to His created order (not even a sparrow falls to the ground without His knowledge & consent!).  If God is not silent about Himself. How can we be (even when Freemasonry instrusts the mason to do so)?

3. There is no mention of our broken relationship with God because of sin. God is greatly concerned with sin and its effects on His creation and His image-bearers (mankind). Freemasonry is silent about mankind’s NEED of salvation and God’s gracious provision for it in Christ. Freemasonry declares that no matter what religion a man belongs to, purity of conduct will be seen as demonstrating its superior excellence. This pure and undefiled conduct is said to ascend to the Throne of Grace. Is this a type of salvation by works? What, then, does this make of the cross of Christ and of God’s grace?

4. The biblical God’s uniqueness. Freemasonry is completely silent on
*God being one yet being 3-personed: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
*that God is love (1 John 4:8),
*that God is spirit ( John 4: 24),
*that God is light (1 John 1: 5).
*and other like statements

Describing God as the Great Architect & the Grand Geometrician (names God does not use of Himself), may tell us something of Him being a God of order and design and beauty, but strips God of His awesomeness, His otherness.  I not stating this very clearly (help!!!!) but I find either through omission or such desriptions as provided by Freemasonry , the mystery & greatness of God is reduced. I know - the uniquenss of the God of the bible is not upheld in Freemasonry, even though mention is made of the bible having a place of honour in its sacred texts. How can this be, when the bible is so clear on this?  Are Christians to turn a blind eye to this, and if so, why?

5. Jesus. God’s supreme revelation of himself is in His son Jesus. Freemasonry says nothing of this. Freemasonry makes no mention of Jesus in any of its statements about God as creator, sustainer, provider, Lord of all whereas the New Testament states that God made the universe through Christ and for Christ.

Col. 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Any description or statements about God that do not mention Christ and Christ’s centrality in God bringing about creation, redemption, salvation, sanctification of His chosen people, judgement of the living and the dead, and the new heaven and new earth as spoken of in Revelation is NOT compatible with Christianity. Are Christians to tolerate the ommision of Jesus from any understanding of God?  In love and faithfulness, we have been told to tell out the great news about who God is, what He is like, what He has done on our behalf in history and how Jesus is the ultimate and supreme manifestation of God, including God’s character, purposes and actions.

5. This deficiency in its understanding of God, seems to me, to present a God, who is not the God of the bible. As I said before, the fact that the description of God is lacking in much biblical content means that a Muslim, a Hindu, etc can become a mason. Exactly who do Freemasons pray to, if it is not God the Father, in the name of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit? Freemasonry provides an umbrella description of God and so accomodates many other religion’s understanding of God. Christians cannot turn a blind eye and say nothing. How can a Christian be in fellowship with someone who professes a belief in a false god, not THE one true living God?

There is no personal relationship with God in Freemasonry based on the sacrifice of the risen Christ and the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit. Freemasonry and Christianity are not happy bedfellows when we go beneath the surface (well from my viewpoint, that is!). 

I quote from the Standing Committee’s of the Sydney Diocese’s Report on Freemasonry:

“36. Freemasonry claims not to be a religion but in giving instruction how man may lead a life approved by God without reference to Christ, it is presenting false religious teaching.

37. Masons are urged to trust in God, to pray to him, to give thanks for favours received and to rely on him in all aspects of life. This would be good advice if it was in the context of a saving relationship with God in Christ. But man is not talked about as being in need of a saviour. Neither is prayer allowed to be spoken in Jesus’ name.

38. The Bible shows that man needs spiritual renewal. He needs to be regenerate or “born again”. This is a work of the Holy Spirit and is related to faith in Jesus Christ (John 3)

42. The impression which obtained of Freemasonry was of a society of men with a highly religious and ritualistic structure in which the Mason is made to feel a welcome member of a warm sympathetic group with high moral ideals. He is taught to believe in his own value and dignity and in his ability to improve himself. He undergoes role plays which vividly demonstrate and reinforce Masonic teaching (eg a candidate is stripped of most of his clothes and possessions and in this state of helplessness is reminded of his obligation to be charitable). The gradual unveiling of secrets commits him to the group until he passes through the three Craft Degrees. At all times he is bound by oaths not to reveal the secrets to outsiders.

43. The ritual is expressed in convoluted, archaic language and is full of symbolism. To the outsider the ritual does not appear to have internal consistency or logic, and what is said in one place often appears to be contradicted in another.

44. It is hard to criticise an organisation which requires its members to adopt a moral lifestyle generally consistent with what Christianity teaches and which performs many charitable works. If this was all there was to Freemasonry it would be no different to any other service club. However, Freemasonry purports to provide answers to man’s deepest spiritual needs. It does so in a religious framework which contains Bible stories which are intermingled with fiction and folklore. All references to Christ have been deleted.

45. The majority had difficulty in seeing how a person who loves Jesus Christ as his Lord could take part in a ritual where the secrets of godliness and eternal life are offered without any mention of Jesus’ love and death. They ask Christian Freemasons to reconsider whether their involvement in the Lodge might encourage their Masonic brethren to put their trust in a false hope of salvation without Christ. They are not asking them to abandon long held friendships but to show the greatest friendship of all by telling their friends that the qualities which Freemasons work for are freely offered by Christ apart from the Lodge and that any hope of attaining the Grand Lodge above which ignores Christ is a false hope.”

My ultimate issue with Freemasonry is that it presents a God who is Christless. I find this disturbing and a false presentation of God. And it is something I cannot tolerate thus this post.

My understanding is that it is not out of spite or jealousy (or anything in that vein), that Sydney Anglicans have taken such a stand regarding Freemasonry.  Rather, it is out of a deep love for the truth and power of the gospel of Jesus and for the those still lost in their sins.

Please let me know if I have misrepresented Freemasonry (and Christianity) in any way.  I look forward to anyone’s further comments, especially corrections, on the matter.

In Christ
Angela
_______________________________________________________________________________
Ps. 63:3-7 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

My limited first-hand experience with Freemasons left me with the impression that they are simply a non-religious benevolent society.

Each member of the society is free to worship God in their own way, in their own time. Homage is paid to the Creator as a part of their ritual. Splitting hairs about some of their traditional terminology doesn’t achieve anything constructive in my humble (and, perhaps, soon-to-be-corrected) opinion.

I believe that Christianity and Freemasonry share a very important common belief. THE most important of all. “Love one another”.

I’m new here guys, so if I breach any bbs protocol I’m relying on you to let me know about it.

freemasonry

Hi Ben.

Welcome to posting at AMS. I’ve been doing it for a couple of months myself and IF you have broken any protocols the protocol guru, Luke Stevens will let you know.

Why don’t you introduce yourself on The introduction thread?

Now down to business....When did the truth about God: who He is, what He is like and what He has done and continues to do in history become a matter of “splitting hairs”?  Freemasonry misrepresents God on all counts.  Being a benevolent organisation doesn’t earn it the right to escape critical examination of its teachings & practices in the light of biblical revelation, especially as it calls upon God and the bible in its ceremonies and in the life of the mason.

Hope to hear from you soon Ben.  If I am splitting hairs then, I stand corrected. But I NEED more info to show me otherwise.

cheers
Angela

As I (clumsily, and far too briefly) tried to insinuate earlier, Freemasonry is not terribly concerned with Christian dogma. As craftsmen (traditionally, anyway), they have a deep respect for The Creator, and pay homage to God out of respect for His Great Work. I mean, hey, Pentecostalists love talking about the Holy Spirit. Catholics are into paraphernalia and a pantheon of Saints. We Anglicans are pretty obsessed with the Bible, and could even be seen as idolators (Biblio-idolators?) from the point-of-view of others…

I’m not going to engage in a debate about Freemasonry’s articles of religion or anything right now. Freemasonry as a “religion”, is always going to end up looking pretty barren and dubious. Why? Because it ain’t a religion. Yeah, they present an incomplete picture of God. By evangelical christian standards, so does my local supermarket. So does our federal government. So did all of my schoolteachers.

After some quiet reflection, I totally understand why the Anglican high-ups would have wanted to publicly distance themselves from a “closed” society like the Freemasons.

I guess I’m a little defensive of their Order because:

1. ...of some of the research I’ve done into the systemic demonisation of Freemasonry by the mainstream churches over the centuries. Really horrible stuff, wherein both Catholic and Protestant authorities demonstrate their incredible capacity for fearmongering, political chicanery and all that other stuff that the atheists love using in arguments against the church.

2. ...of our common goals. “Love one another”. Their tenets are clear. They give, and they do it quietly. I can dig that. I guess I’m going through a phase in which I’d rather celebrate the commonalities I have with people than whip out the fine-toothed comb and count the ticks. I suspect it’s because I’m embarrassed about my own ticks, and those of my church.

Anyway, it’s really nice to meet you, Angela.

Cheers, Ben.

PS:  Not To Be Taken .... too seriously.

With absolutely all due respect to the Standing Committee, I found this paragraph to be both enlightening and hilarious. Replace the word “ritual” with “Word of God”, and consider (for a moment) that it refers to Christianity instead of Freemasonry.

The ritual is expressed in convoluted, archaic language and is full of symbolism. To the outsider the ritual does not appear to have internal consistency or logic, and what is said in one place often appears to be contradicted in another.

This is the exact same complaint/criticism I get from my non-Christian friends… What’s that killer verse again? The one which talks about the Wisdom of God verses the wisdom of man…

PPS: As a natural paranoiac, I have to remind you that anything I’ve written here that seems inflammatory or harsh is merely a combination of poor writing and youthful exuberance.

freemasonry

Thanks Ben,

A clear post. 

What’s this about exuberance and youth? You suffer from both? How blessed can you be! By the way, you don’t have is poor writing skills.

Now here’s a weird combination: born in Oz, baptised Greek Orthodox by Greek migrant parents, life was a wee bit schizoid dealing with 2 cultures, converted by Anglicans, now middle-aged (43: when did that happen. I was 27 yesterday) & attend a Presbyterian church. No wonder I get out of bed some mornings confused!

Do get around to posting about yourself on The Introduction Thread or the Conversion stories.

In Christ
Angela

the old freemasonry bit

hi russell
russell you should have realised by now this subject is of
the dead horse variety.
you are only wasting your writing on the subject.

[Edit: Take it up with the relevant people Colin, this isn’t the appropriate place. -Luke]

colin sutherland

re dead horse

hi
whatsthe matter luke stuck a nerve ,or maybe we will not
print the truth .
it appears that our propoganda machine in our supposed anglican church
diocese of sydney only allows the print that they like or dislike.
sorry if the truth hurts luke but not all of us in the church, as it stands
at the moment believe that we are heading in the correct way .
not forgetting that this old man came to Christ in all saints nowra many
long happy years ago & has witnessed ( in his opinion) the total moving
away from the church (anglican)by the clique now in power.
when i visit churches that have taken out the altar,pulpits & hear from
synod that some of these moore college fellows are to busy to celebrate
the holy communion each week.
i could not believe my ears & eyes when this little bit came out from these
chaps to busy once a week to celebrate the most important part of our
faith To Do This In rememberance Of Me.
i stand by my comments & nothing will convince me that they have not
taken my money under false pretences & should return same to the
missions .
then again i suppose that it would be unchristian of me to say that
possibly the church could be guilty of nepotism in some areas.
what a terrible thought & i profess the faith of the crucified Christ.
well luke i await your reply with bated breath & may God forgive me
for my unkind thoughts ,but i am afraid that is my opinion.
colin sutherland

Luke, I’m sure your response will be appropriate ;)

dead horse

luke
thank you for your print & i
apolgise to you on my comment on not allowing the free speech.

to rowen atkinson
what type of monkey are you requiring we seem to have plenty
of those in this diocese at present and past ,but i am afraid the
better ones appear to be extinct .
extinct like in good priests & true anglican worship etc.
colin sutherland

Colin, vague and unsubstantiated allegations regarding people who aren’t present to defend themself will not be tolerated. If you are serious about them then I suspect you either would have or should have taken it up with the relevant people, and while I doubt very much that is the case, it would be a far more appropriate thing to do than continuing to air your grievances here.

Thread closed.