INFO
AT A GLANCE
Name:
The Masonic
Lodge (Masonry, Freemasonry, or sometimes "Speculative"
or "Symbolic" Masonry)
Purpose: The uniting of
men in fellowship under the principal themes of the Fatherhood of
God, the brotherhood of man, and the immortality of the soul. For
many Masons Masonry is a religious quest for spiritual
enlightenment; however, ultimately, in the higher degrees the
purpose is to conform the world to Masonic beliefs.
Founder: No single
individual. Masonry gradually evolved into its present form, known
as "speculative" Masonry. This distinguishes it from the
"operative" or "working" Masonry of the medieval
stone masons. Operative Masonry slowly assimilated the mysticism and
occultism of numerous religions and philosophies of the Middle Ages
to become what is known as modern speculative Masonry. Most scholars
trace modern Masonry to the time when four lodges merged in London
in 1717 to form the first Grand Lodge.
Theology: Polytheistic,
syncretistic.
Practice: Secret ritual,
individual spiritual quest.
Historic antecedents:
Ancient pagan mystery religion, medieval trade unions and occult
practices.
Spheres of influence:
Church, education, business, politics, charitable agency.
Ethics: Subjective,
relative, amoral.
Levels of initiation:
Social, religious, mystical.
Worldview: Humanistic,
eclectic, mystical.
Source of authority:
Masonic ritual, "landmarks" (principles or doctrines),
Grand Lodges and prominent Masonic authorities and writers.
Revealed teachings:
Technically, yes, even though Masonry has deistic tendencies. The
ritual of the Scottish Rite teaches, "Masonry is of divine
origin."1 The Iowa Quarterly Bulletin teaches, "Masonry is
a divinely appointed institution...."2 The charge to the
candidate for the second degree (Fellowcraft) tells him,
"Masonry [is] of a divine and moral nature.
"3
Attitude to other religions:
Condescending.
Key literature: Masonic
Monitors (texts of ritual) and writings of prominent Masons such as
Mackey, Coil and Pike.
Occult dynamics: Masonry
has a number of similarities to ancient pagan mystery religion. In
addition, for many, Masonry provides an introduction to mysticism,
paganism and the occult, which may culminate with involvement in
occult philosophy and practices.
False claims: Masonry is
not a religion or a substitute for religion. The following is either
implied or stated in Masonic literature:
Masonry is not occultic.
Masonry does not offer a system
of salvation.
To be merely a fraternal
brotherhood.
To constitute the one true
religion.
To support the church.
To be tolerant of all religions;
further, to unite all religions.
To honor the Bible and all
Scriptures.
To not interfere with ones
religion or politics.
Quote:
"Hear us with indulgence, O infinite
Deity.... Help us to perform all our Masonic duties, to ourselves,
to other men, and to Thee. Let the great flood of Masonic light flow
in a perpetual current over the whole world and make Masonry the
creed of all mankind."4 -J. Blanchard, Scottish
Rite Masonry illustrated
DOCTRINAL SUMMARY
God: Unitarian,
deistic, pantheistic; The Grand Architect of the Universe (GAOTU);
variously defined and incorporated with pagan elements.
Jesus Christ: A
supremely good man who understood divine [Masonic] truth.
Salvation: By personal
character: good works and individual merit.
Sin: Character flaws,
ignorance of spiritual [Masonic] reality, i.e., a flaw in human
nature which men are able to correct through Masonic enlightenment.
Man: Flawed but not
sinful in a biblical sense; potentially divine, however all
non-Masons exist in spiritual darkness.
The Bible: A symbol of
the divine will, not to be taken literally.
Afterlife:
Universalistic.
Notes:
1. J. Blanchard, Scottish Rite
Masonry Illustrated: The Complete Ritual of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite, Vol. I (Chicago, IL: Charles T. Powner, Co.,
1979), p. 455.
2. Iowa Quarterly Bulletin,
April 1917, p. 54.
3. Grand Lodge of Texas, A .F. and A.
M., Monitor of the Lodge: Monitorial Instructions in the Three
Degrees of Symbolic Masonry (Grand Lodge of Texas, 1982), p. 63.
4. Blanchard, Scottish Rite
Masonry Illustrated, Vol. II, p. 320.
