The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Masonry

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]Awhile ago we had the discussion about lodges. Mohler also spoke out the other day on his call in show against Christian involvement in masonry. So not all Southern Baptists are fooled by the Masons.</font><hr></blockquote><p><br><br>Since Marie just posted this in another thread, and I've not been able to find anything on the highway about Masonry, I thought I'd bring it up. What are everyones thoughts on this issue? I had never really thought about it until recently when I found out that one of my co-workers, who is a new Christian, is a member of a lodge.<br><br>I had heard bad things about masonry before, but having no concrete evidence on the subject yet, I asked him what they were all about. I think he could sense the angle I was coming from, for he immediately went on the defensive. He said that they are just a social group that participates in good works to benefit the community, but that they tried to keep quiet about what they did so as to not try to take credit for it. I asked what the requirements were to get in. Among a few, one he mentioned was that you had to believe in "a god" and "some form of afterlife", but that pretty much most everyone there was a "christian." <br><br>I went home and thought about it for a while. The next day I asked him, "Who gets the credit for what you do?" He said that they didn't take the credit for it. I asked him, "well somebody has to get the credit or glory for it." He said, "well, I guess God does." "Whose god?", I asked him. This is where my line of thought had taken me:<br><br>1. If you just had to believe in "a god" to be accepted, and the members of the lodge didn't get the credit for their good works, then the aforementioned "gods" would have to be the ones getting the credit since all members are commonly tied by that thing, "belief in a god".<br>2. Our God does not share glory with any other gods.<br>3. Membership in a group like this really seems to infringe the roles of the Church.<br><br>Is this a good line of thinking? Are their other things I don't know about the masons? I'm new to all of this.<br><br>Thanks,<br>Chris

Okay Chris here is a few things for you to read:<br><br>About Fremasonry This is from an official Freemasonry site.<br><br>Freemasonry vs Christianity This is a website with a lot of different links.<br><br>And putting my two cents in here. Mormonism basis all of its secret temple rites upon the rites of Freemasonry. Joesph Smith was a master mason and used the rites of masonry to make up his secret temple rituals. I know this personally for a fact as I had an ex-Mormon friend who became a Christian ans we would talk about the inner secrets of Mormonism. One day he said to me go do this to the chief (We had a retired naval chief where we worked) and he showed me a secret hand shake. I went up to the chief and did the handshake. The look of shock on his face was comical. He knew I wasn't a Mason yet I had given him one of the first signs that masons give each other when they meet for the first time. When he asked me to explain it I told him I had learned if from my friend the ex-Mormon. He became very defensive and said that masonry was more than just handshakes. <br><br>Needless to say this convinced me that Freemasonry and Christianity don't mix.

Thank for the links Prestor.<br><br>I guess there was a lot about it I did not know. It seems to employ the central belief of Hinduism; that there is one god, but that in his infinite wisdom, he created all religions so that every person could get to him. "The Great Architect of the Universe" (GAOTU)<br><br>One page says that it isn't a religion while Albert Pike on the other says that it is. Sneaky. I looked up Albert Pike on Google to see what credibility he had. It seems he was a 33rd degree Mason. He was one of the founding fathers, and head of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, being the Grand Commander of North American Freemasonry from 1859-1891. Get this, in 1869, he was a top leader in the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.<br><br>I guess I'll go read some more.<br><br><br>Chris

The Orangemen of Northern Ireland were formed as a secret society of Freemasons in 1795.<br><br>Some years ago I wrote to Ian Paisley about it but was palmed of with a denial from one of his minions .<br><br>Chris , you are in for some major reading on this topic - its as vast as you want it to be .

Chris,<br><br>When I was being considered for the office of deacon in my church, the elders who interviewed me asked if I was or ever had been a mason. Since I'm a 3rd generation plasterer I told them yeah, sure, I can handle a trowel pretty good. Turns out they were talking about a different kind of masonry [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/wink.gif" alt="wink" title="wink[/img]<br><br>I guess you can be a mason and be a member at my church but not be an officer. Wonder if that is something which the elders at my church decided or if it is the rule throughout the denomination (PCA)??<br><br>Anyway, they seem like a pretty sneaky bunch to me. I'm going to have to read up on them some more.[img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/read.gif" alt="read" title="read[/img]<br><br>Stucco

<br><br>That is too funny!<br><br>I dunno if that is a PCA rule...seems a bit shady if it is. I'll ask my elders Sunday.<br><br>Chris

Chris, <br><br>Here is a 1987 position paper adopted by the PCA. Not sure if there is something later, but the site has some pretty neat stuff.

Looks like this sparked a good conversation. <br><br><br>I am on several different discussion lists, so I was thinking it was here we had the discussion. It was about how Southern Baptists have yet to take a clear stand against masonry.

Great paper! I'm only a quarter of the way through it so far, but it's a good read.<br><br>Thanks John,<br>Chris