Are you tired of hearing fundamentalist and evangelical Christians repeatedly making the same dumb accusations against Freemasonry?W. Bro. Joshua M. Armstrong, the current Master of Excelsior Lodge No. 175 F & AM, in Excelsior, Wisconsin, is. He has created an excellent web page for his lodge that refutes five common oppositions to Freemasonry leveled by evangelical groups. Specifically, he is responding to statements made by Missouri and Wisconsin Lutheran Evangelical Synods.
Read W. Bro. Armstrong's responses to these charges:
- Freemasonry is a religion.
- Freemasonry holds the belief that all faiths are equally valid pathways to salvation (or that Freemasonry is "unionistic").
- Freemasonry requires that men of different faiths pray together.
- Masonry promotes good works and personal betterment as a means of salvation.
- Masons swear blood oaths.
- Masons swear to protect other Masons from punishment for their crimes.
Masons | Masonic Attacks | Fundamentalist Christianity | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Evangelical Christianity | Excelsior Lodge | Burning Taper
For what it's worth, here's my two-cent's worth:
ReplyDeleteFreemasonry is a religion.
I don't think it properly qualifies as a religion, although it meets most of the generally accepted criteria for being a "cult."
Freemasonry holds the belief that all faiths are equally valid pathways to salvation (or that Freemasonry is "unionistic").
That's pretty much the way I understand it, but I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong about that.
Freemasonry requires that men of different faiths pray together.
True. Men of different faiths are frequently required to pray together during various elements of ritual work. Is that "wrong" in some way?
Masonry promotes good works and personal betterment as a means of salvation.
It promotes good works, but arguably not as a means of salvation. One does have to admit, however, that during the MM degree, the newly raised MM is admonished: "Therefore, let us emulate the good man ... [so that our spirits] shall never, never, no never die."
Masons swear blood oaths.
True. I don't know what else anyone could say about that, except that it's true.
Masons swear to protect other Masons from punishment for their crimes.
Arguably false, although they do swear to keep the secrets of their brothers, murder and treason only excepted, and those being optional.
By and large, to my way of thinking, most of those "accusations" aren't very far off the mark.
anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"Masons swear blood oaths.
True. I don't know what else anyone could say about that, except that it's true."
Please read the obligations again. I think you will find that the person taking it calls the punishment down upon themselves. But *nowhere* does it ever state that a Mason will *inflict* those punishments.
"Masons swear to protect other Masons from punishment for their crimes.
Arguably false, although they do swear to keep the secrets of their brothers, murder and treason only excepted, and those being optional."
I believe if you read carefully, the "optional" part refers to any other secret told. Not leaving murder and treason to a brothers discretion.
Just my $0.02
Freemasonry and Religion. It is true that freemasonry may meet Websters definition of a cult, HOWEVER, the Baptist church of which I am a member, also meets Websters definition of a cult.
ReplyDeleteNeither meet the generally accepted criteria for a cult. Freemasonry does not solicit members , we do not brainwash members and we do not keep members from their families.
I also notice that there are 2 bloggers with the "traveling man" identity.
ReplyDelete"Masons swear to protect other Masons from punishment for their crimes."
ReplyDeleteArguably false, although they do swear to keep the secrets of their brothers, murder and treason only excepted, and those being optional."
I believe if you read carefully, the "optional" part refers to any other secret told. Not leaving murder and treason to a brothers discretion.
Here in my state, the obligation says: "I furthermore promise and swear that the secrets of a Master Mason, when communicated to, and received by me in charge as such, shall be inviolate, murder and treason only excepted, and they at my election."
If that doesn't leave it to a brother's discretion (as pertains to murder and treason), I don't know what would (all other crimes would be strictly "protected").
"Freemasonry does not solicit members, we do not brainwash members and we do not keep members from their families."
Bumper stickers that say: "2B1-Ask1" don't solicit members? Splashing Masonic signs and symbols on race cars doesn't qualify as "soliciting" members?
Masons don't "brainwash" their members? What about the extensive "lectures" Masons are required to learn in order to advance through degrees, as well as all the rest of the "esoteric rituals?" Would it make you feel better to call that "indoctrination?"
Masons don't keep their members from their families? I hope no one from my family ever reads that, or they'll wonder where I spent half my time for a multitude of years!
Just for the sake of curiosity, I kept track of my Masonic activities during one particular December, and I was in lodge on 18 of the 31 days in the month. Two regular Stated Meetings, two St. John's nights, three installations of officers, five practice nights, one Rainbow board meeting, two breakfasts, two Masonic funerals, and one Masonic "Area School of Instruction." Total miles driven: about 250. Total time away from family (in the Christmas season, no less): about 60 hours.
Please note that I do NOT intend in any way to state that these particular churches are not entitled to their opinions. I know a good many men in each church whom I consider friends. Also I know a few men in the LC-MS who are Brother Masons. Please don't judge the churches too harshly on these few misinterpretations. I intended to reiterate the truth about Masonry, not attack the groups holding false opinions.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record, Excelsior Lodge is in Milwaukee, WI (actually our parking lot is in St. Francis, WI :P)
ReplyDeletevoThe travels one makes as a Mason is not forced upon him by the Lodge. Being away from your family 18 out of 31 days was your choice. Do not blame the Lodge for your poor time management skills.
ReplyDeleteThe lectures and catechism I learned while proceeding through the degrees were designed to teach, not brainwash. It is also part of the "initiation" process. Becoming a Mason is not designed to be an easy task.
Memorizing lectures is not brainwashing or indoctrination. When I was in High School I had to memorize various poems and Shakespearean sonnets. Does this mean that the Board of Education was trying to brainwash me?
2b1-ask1 is not necessarily a solicitation, but rather information. If you want to be a Mason, ask one. If you do not want to be one, don't ask. I will agree that this is close to solicitation, but it is not the same methods used by cults and that was the subject in which I was referring.
I just found out that I come from a long line of masons... both sides of my family participated.... I dont really have a clear understanding on what it is all about... but i do have a comment about the protection. As a little girl my father was extremely abusive...in most every aspect... Children Services, the cops, all sorts of people came to my house... no one ever did anything about it... and i always wondered why.... how come I was hurting, they seen and did not stop it. Last november when i went home to vist, my father said to me Do you know why nothing ever happened all those years...no one ever stopped me? I said no... and he said cause im a mason.... and he explained it to me as being like an under ground government...secret hand shake...where does the traveling man go by the way... and whats up with burying a man up to his neck on the high tide mark or something. ... Just wondering...how much protection is too much protection... my father got away with all that cause he was a mason?
ReplyDeleteWas there a "shadow government" of Masons in your hometown? Could be. It could happen.
ReplyDeleteIt sorta did in my own situation (read the Small Town Freemasonry series), but in that case, the shadowy government was, as I'm sure it is in most towns and in most cases, just the good ol' boy network, not primarily the Masonic ties, that controlled the "conspiracy."
I've seen Masons turn on each other like rabid dogs, so don't think that anyone will necessarily hide a Mason's secrets — in your case, your father's abuse — from authorities just because they're all Masons. The networks that hide dark secrets exist whether Masons are involved or not.
Who knows why your father was never stopped? Was it because he was a Mason? I doubt it, but he may believe that was the reason. I certainly doubt anyone could keep a whole town quiet today about abuse just because he was a Mason.
I'm sorry to hear that you suffered abuse from a Mason... from anyone, for that matter.
— W.S.
Im not really sure what a shadow government is. Youre right about the good ole boy society... my family is all in the south. However both of my grandfathers that were also masons were from up north. My great grandfather acutally was a mason in wisconsin years ago.. I loved all of my grandfathers they were all good men... strong values...provided for their families...and wouldnt have given me any bad impressions of masons, infact i didnt know except with one of my grandfathers on his death bed. He always wore the ring, so in coming in before i wasnt trying to say anything bad or offend. Just wondering if it possibly worked that way... and even if it did.. no one would tell me. But nonetheless .... I appreciate the response. God bless.
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