Cults Freemasonry Teachings

What Freemasonry Teaches Dr. Stanford E. Murrell For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. ~*~ 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 Entrance into the Masons 1. Freemasonry is entered into by a petitioner who respectfully prays “…that I maybe initiated into the mysteries of Freemasonry…” 2.

But what are these “mysteries” that the Christian petitioner is desiring to be initiated into? According to Masonic teacher and leader Albert Pike in his definitive work Morals and Dogma of Freemasonry Masonry is “…a successor of the Mysteries…and is identical with the ancient Mysteries.”

3. Turning to the Ancient Mysteries explained by Albert Mackey in An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, a thirty-third degree Mason, the Ancient Mysteries were “…the secret worship rites of the Pagan gods. Each of the pagan gods had, besides the public and open, a secret worship paid to him, to which none were admitted but those who had been selected by preparatory ceremonies called Initiation." 4. The Masonic degree, “Chief of the Tabernacle” confirms that the mysteries were secret worship rites. “Among the ancient Nations there was, in addition to the public worship, a private one, styled the Mysteries; to which those only were admitted who had been prepared by certain ceremonies called initiations. The most widely disseminated of the ancient worships were those of Isis, Orpheus, Dionusos, Ceres and Mithras.” Isis Mithras Dionysos Adoni

the pagan god of Egypt the pagan god of Persia the pagan god of Greece the pagan god of Syria celebrated in the Adonisian Mysteries

Note. If Freemasonry is a successor of and identical with the ancient mysteries like it claims to be than the Christian petitioner is asking to be united with pagan. 5. To attract Christians the Masons, like very pagan religion and cult, has a moral code and ethical standard which emphasizes right conduct defined by unselfishness tolerance

brotherly love and kindness No Ultimate Truth 1. Masonry contents that no one has the truth, therefore all creeds are acceptable to Freemasonry. “No man can say that he hath as sure possessions of the truth…When men entertain opinions diametrically opposed to each other, and each is honest, who shall decide whch hath the Truth, and can either say with certainty that he hath it? We know not what is truth. The cherished dogmas of each of us are not, as we fondly suppose, the pure truth of God…Perfect truth is not attainable anywhere. 2. For the Christian this is not correct thinking. Jesus said “ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:31-32) The God of the Mason 1. The “god” of the Mason is not the God of biblical revelation. The teachings of the degree of “Elu of Fifteen” demands that Masons open wide its portals of religious toleration so that all men may live in peace and harmony, “the Protestant, the Catholic, the Jew, the Moslem; every man who will lead a truly virtuous and moral life, love his brether, minister to the sick and distressed and believe in the ONE, All-Powerful, All-Wise, every where Present God, Architect, Creator and Preserver of all things…” 2. From the degree of “Royal Arch of Solomon” this teaching of universal tolerance in religious unity is promoted with the caveat that Jehovah God is reduced in stature. “Among all the ancient nations there was one faith and one idea of Deity for the enlightened, intelligent, and educated and another for the common people. To this rule the Hebrews were no exception. Yehovah, to the mass of the people, was like the gods of the nations around them, except that he was the peculiar God, first of the family of Abraham, of that of Isaac, and of that of Jacob, and afterward the National God; and ad, as they believed, more powerful than the other gods of the same nature worshipped by their neighbors…” 3. To confirm the diminishing of Jehovah God there is the degree of Knight Rose Croix which teaches the following. “The God of nineteen-twentieths of the Christian world is only Bel, Moloch, Zeus, or at best Osiris, Mithras, or Adonai, under another name, worshipped with the old Pagan ceremonies and ritualistic formulas. It is the Statue of Olympian Jove, worshipped as the Father, in the Christian Church that was a Pagan Temple; it is the Statue of Venus, become the Virgin Mary.”

4. The Royal Arch degree reveals the “lost” name of God to be J = Jehovah B = Baal O = Osiris, Religious “Brethren” 1. The concept of calling those outside the sphere of saving faith in Christ “brethren” has always been a practice not associated with the church. Freemasonry calls all men brethren regardless of their religious beliefs. “Masonry, around whose altars the Christian, the Hebrew, the Moslem, the Brahmin, the followers of Confucius and Zoroaster, can assemble as brethren and unite in prayer to the one God who is above all the Baalim, must needs leave it to its initiates to look for the foundation of his faith and hope to the written scriptures of his own religion.”

2. The practical and theological problem is that the god of the Moslem, the god of the Confucian, the god of the Brahmin is not the God of biblical revelation. Discourages Evangelism 1. While religion is definitely a part of Freemasonry it is a religion of the organizations own dogma part of which is that one “brother” must not try to convert another and for this reason: “No man has a right in any way to interfere with the religious beliefs of another.” 2. If carried to its logical conclusion and practice then many will never hear that Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” –at least not by a member of the Masonic Lodge who practices the “ethical” mandates of the fraternity. 3. Had Peter not seen fit to interfere with the religion of his racial brethren then he would never have declared that “there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). One Consistent Theme: Universalism 1. In a not so subtle way Freemasonry advocates a compromising attitude in the name of tolerance with the end result being the acceptance by the Christian of false gods, false doctrines, and practices that please men while dishonoring God. 2. The one consistent theme of Freemasonry is the fusion and intermingling of all faiths into one. Note. It is possible that secret oats and ridiculous behavior have been abolished. “Suggestions of ridicule or being made to swear blood-curdling oaths are aspects of fantasy and mischief. Almost every Freemason will tell you that the night of his entry into Freemasonry was one of the most enjoyable of his life.”

A Definite Connect with the Occult David L. Gray presents himself as a Masonic historian currently dedicated to the cause of spreading the virtues of Freemasonry. His credentials are impressive.  Past Master of Wilberforce Lodge #21 of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio, Free & Accepted Masons. Raised to this exalted position on April 22, 1994.  After two weeks was made Assistant Secretary by Worshipful Master Eric M. Thomas Sr.  December 1994, elected Secretary of the Lodge and served again in 1996.  Served as Senior Warden in 1998 and Worshipful Master of the Lodge in 1999.  A Corresponding Member of the South Australian Lodge of Research No.216.  A member of Eastern Star since 1995. Currently serving a fifth term as Worthy Patron.  A Royal Arch Mason since 1994. Currently the Excellent King of Solomon Johnson Council since 1995.  A Knight Templar since 1995.  Past Junior Warden of the Commandery.  A Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in 1995.  1st Place Winner of the 1998 Best EA Lecturer Award for the 2nd and 3rd Sections.  Served on the 1998 4th Masonic District Team which took 1st Place for our exemplification of the EA Degree, against the six other PHA Masonic Districts in Ohio.  Currently serving the Grand Lodge in the capacity of Grand Lodge Webmaster and Chairman of the Non-Prince Hall Committee.  The author of "The Unveiling of the Third Preparation" published in 1994. Perhaps Mr. Gray can speak with some authority and confidence about the symbolism of associated with the Masonic rituals. Of one such article I will read the conclusion.

Conclusion: An Occultic Connection Presented before you have been fact after fact after fact. I have attempted to prove, though fact only, the intimate connection that the degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite share with the Zodiac, Qabalah, and Tarot. I have given you a glimpse of the story that the Camp of the 32nd Degree tells us. I can’t tell you the Royal Secret – No one can. That is up to you alone to discover. I stated in my previous book that, "The first preparation takes place in the heart, the second in a room adjacent to the lodge, and the third preparation is in the Mind." Is your mind prepared? Freemasonry Teaches Salvation by Good Works Again we can do no better than to quote Mr. Gray’s understanding of that which he teaches. The Arch and the Accepted Scottish Rite tells a story deeper than words. It tells a story of beginning and ending. A lesson of being prepared for the coming days when we all will be judged. It guides us along the path of discovery to the true Laws of Man – Justice, Equality, Respect, and Love of God and his creations. It is these laws that Man must guard and keep sacred, and by doing so we will surely arrive in the Mansion that our Father hath prepared for us. If keeping these Laws intact means creating an Army of Mason, who are representative of all men, religions sand races, then so mote it be. If the Armies of Evil begin to wear us down and defeat us – Let the winged animals ascend into the Heavens and let the Most High God know we have done our best. Note. The inherent danger of Freemasonry religion is that it reduces salvation to moral living without the emphasis on sin and grace, repentance and forgiveness in Christ. Note. Proof of Masonry's false gospel can be found in standard "Monitors" -- the official textbooks containing authoritative Masonic ritual (see also, The Freemasons' Diary) which are more or less uniform for each state. In the ritual, the Masonic symbol of the lambskin or white leather apron is explained, in part, to each candidate as follows: "The lamb has in all ages been deemed an emblem of innocence; he, therefore, who wears the lambskin as a badge of Masonry, is thereby _continually reminded of that purity of life and conduct, which is essentially necessary to his gaining admission into the Celestial Lodge Above,_ where the Supreme Architect of the Universe [God] presides .” Note. Masonry also teaches that individuals may be saved by being good members of their respective religions -- whether Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, or other. For example, Dr. Jim Tresner, director of the Masonic Leadership Institute, affirmed that Masonry "leaves the member to devote himself to his own religious faith to receive...salvation."

No Clear Statement about Jesus Christ “It is a fact widely ignored, though never with out danger, that error rarely appears for what it really is. It is by mingling with or attaching itself to truth that it gains acceptance.” (Steed) E.M. Storms is right when he says, “Masonry is more than a social club, school of geometry, or an humanitarian fellowship. It is a religious movement whose god is not the God of the Christian. It is a “bloodless religion” attacking the deity of Christ and denying the superiority of the Scriptures.”

Appendices The “God” of the Masons 1. In the "Masonic Bible," published by the A. J. Holman Press, we are told this "Almighty Parent" is the one true God that all men worship. This is so regardless of the name by which He is identified: Jehovah, Krishna, Buddha, Allah, or some other. 2. The Masonic Bible is actually the King James Version bound with a special cover stamped with the Masonic insignia. In the front of this Bible there is a lengthy preface made up of articles concerning Masonry and the Bible. 3. One of these articles is entitled, "The Great Light in Masonry," written by Masonic authority Joseph Fort Newton, who states: "For Masonry knows, what so many forget, that religions are many, but religion is one...therefore, _it [Masonry] invites to its altar men of all faiths, knowing that, if they use different names for 'the nameless one of a hundred names,' they are yet praying to the one God and Father of all"_ (emphasis added). 4. But when a Hindu prays to Vishnu or Shiva, is he really praying to Jesus? When a Muslim prays to Allah, is she really praying to Jehovah? When Buddhists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons pray, are they really praying to the same God the Christian prays to? The answer is _no,_ because all these concepts of God are opposed to the concept of God as revealed in the Bible. 5. Another Masonic authority, Carl H. Claudy, writes: [The Mason] must declare his faith in a Supreme Being before he may be initiated. But note that he is not required to say, then or ever, _what_ God. He may name him as he will, think of him as he pleases; make him impersonal law or personal and anthropomorphic; Freemasonry cares not..._God, Great Architect of the Universe, Grand Artificer, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge Above, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Vishnu, Shiva, or Great Geometer_ (emphases added). 6. And, Masonry does not specify any God of any creed; she requires merely that you believe in some Deity, give him what name you will....A belief in God is essential to a Mason, but..._any God will do,_ so [long as] he is your God (emphasis added). 7.

Masonry thus argues that all people of varying faiths are really praying to the one true God, the universal Father of humankind, regardless of the name they give him.

8. Nevertheless, this "Almighty Parent" of Masonry is a different God than Christianity teaches -- a fact conceded by both Masonic sympathizers as well as Masons themselves. The Baptist _Study_ agreed that the Great Architect of Masonry is not the Jehovah of the Bible: "The Masonic Great Architect of the Universe appears more like the Aristotelian 'First Cause' than the personal God who has revealed Himself in the Bible."

9. In his encyclopedia on Masonry, Masonic authority Henry Wilson Coil refers to the biblical God as "a partisan, tribal God" and implies that such a God-concept is far inferior to the God of Masonry, which is a boundless, eternal, universal, undenominational, and international, Divine Spirit, so vastly removed from the speck called man, that He cannot be known, named, or approached. So soon as man begins to laud his God and endow him with the most perfect human attributes, such as justice, mercy, beneficence, etc., the Divine essence is depreciated and despoiled.... The Masonic test [for membership] is a Supreme Being, and _any qualification added_ is an innovation and distortion (emphasis added). 10. Coil even admits that "monotheism... _violates_ Masonic principles, for it requires belief in a specific kind of Supreme Deity" (emphasis added). 11. Of course, at this point Coil has just excluded the God of biblical teaching and Christian faith for being too specific _despite_ the fact that he has ascribed a _specific_ doctrine of God (eternal, unknowable, etc.) to Masonry. Masonic authority 12. Albert Pike also denies the biblical God. He argues that "if our conceptions of God are those of the ignorant, narrow-minded, and vindictive Israelite...we feel that it is an affront and an indignity to [God]...." 13. Anyone who has ever read what Albert Pike and other Masons have taught about God in the higher degrees of Masonry knows that the God of Masonry has nothing whatever to do with the God of the Bible. 14. For example, Pike categorized the God of Scripture as a false god and an idol when he wrote that "_every religion and every conception of God is idolatrous,_ insofar as it is imperfect, and as it substitutes a feeble and temporary idea in the shrine of that Undiscoverable Being [of Masonry]..." (emphasis added). 15. If Masonry rejects the God of Christianity, however, how can it logically claim to be the true friend of Christian faith? 16. Further, if it offers an unknowable, unapproachable, and undiscoverable God beyond the different concepts of God found in other religions, how can it appropriately or logically ask the men of those religions to join its local lodges? 17. Masonry does this because it seeks to develop a worldwide religious brotherhood _beyond_ the sectarian religious beliefs of humankind. 18. To further this goal it must, at one level, accept all religions, while simultaneously pointing and leading to a "higher" truth beyond separatist religion -- a truth that is capable of uniting all men in a common universal brotherhood, that is, the fraternity of Masonry. 19. Masonry therefore encourages all members of different religions to pray to and worship their own respective gods: Brahma, Krishna, Allah, Buddha, Jehovah, Vishnu, Jesus, and so forth.

20. This is the means by which Masonry can appeal to the members of all the different religions in the world and attempt to unite them in a universal "common brotherhood." 21. But then Masons cannot possibly all be praying to the _same_ God because all these gods are different in nature and in what they expect of humans (if they expect anything). In other words, the Masonic doctrine of the spiritual "Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of man" is only valid if there is some _larger_ God beyond the contradictory lesser gods that people worship. 22. On the one hand Masonry claims it is an organization of tolerance that accepts the different religions of all people; on the other hand, it offers a supreme God that is supposedly the one true God that all people are really praying to, who is beyond the inferior, primitive concepts of individual religion -- whether Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist, or any other. 23. At whatever level Masonry approaches God, however, its theology presents irresolvable conflicts for the Christian. If the Christian God is merely an inferior and false concept, then Masonry denies that the God of the Bible is the one true God. 24. Further, if Masonry points Christians to an unknowable "Almighty Parent" beyond all religion, then it encourages Masons to worship a _false_ god, and this is idolatry. This violates the first commandment in which God warned His people, "You shall have no other gods before Me" (_see_ Exod. 20:4-6; Deut. 13:1-5).