While I sit here making fun of conspiracy-minded fundamentalist anti-Masons, other people are doing and writing about much grander things, both inside and outside of Freemasonry.I found on California Freemason Online a 2003 article by Bro. Jay Kinney titled "Is Freemasonry Afraid of Its Own Shadow: Masonry's Love/Hate Relationship with Esoteric Traditions," wherein he explores why mainstream Masonry tends to "consign to the lunatic fringe those Masons who have seen or do see connections or parallels between Masonry and the Ancient Mysteries, the great myths, and esoteric traditions." Interesting reading....
Edgewood Lodge No. 82 of Edgewood, New Mexico has republished W. Bro. Phillip Bennison's "History of the Craft." Bro. Bennison examines the different possible histories of Freemasonry, asking whether Freemasonry originated from Megalithic times, King Solomon, Athelstan, the Knights Templars, Medieval Stone Masons, William Schaw and King James I of Scotland, Box charities, the Invisible College or the Rosicrucians.
Pietre-Stone Review of Freemasonry gives us R. W. Bro. Don Falconer's "King Solomon's Temple: Symbol of Freemasonry," a look at the biblical history and Masonic symbolism of Solomon's Temple, the pillars of Boaz and Jachin, and the Ark of the Covenant.
W. Bro. Ronald Paul Ng, of Malaysia, interprets the First and Third Degrees of Freemasonry in light of Prof. Joseph Campbell's basic structure of myth, the Hero's Monomyth, in "The Philosophy of Freemasonry: Its Mythical Structure." The Burning Taper discussed Campbell's The Hero of a Thousand Faces and the monomythic structure in "The Power of Myth: Thou Art That" in February, 2006.
Earlier this week a news story that had nothing to do with Masonry fascinated me. It's about a Jewish man who grew up in a hippie commune in Oregon, who went on to become a radical Muslim, then gave it up to become a Baptist. Along the way, he became an informant for the FBI. CNN called him one of "God's Warriors." I guess some people, anyway, agree that Yahweh, Allah and Gawd are all the same God.
Earlier today, the brother who writes the From Darkness to Light blog let loose on something political he disagreed with that was on a recent X-Oriente Masonic podcast.
Bro. Brian at Grail Seekers posted a couple of interesting links, one to a site showing tattoos of Noon Blue Apples emblazoned with "to the prettiest one" in Greek. In addition to the tattoos, you'll find an interesting discussion of Discordianism and the late Robert Anton Wilson.
Another article Bro. Brian linked to is titled "Astronomy of Astrology", which explores the history of astrology from a scientific viewpoint.
And finally, for no apparent reason, I point you to a story about a cemetery in Meridian, Mississippi, that has gone to weeds since a Masonic lodge that had owned and maintained it since the 1890s sold it a few years ago.
Image: Keira Knightley as Guinevere in 2004's "King Arthur"
Masons | Masonic History | Astrology | Freemasonry | King Solomon's Temple | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com
Great post & even better pic of Keira Knightley! LOL
ReplyDeleteCory
When I first clicked here, for a moment I thought I was looking at John Ratcliff's blog.
ReplyDeleteSorry,WS - I spent too much time looking at the eye candy. Was there a post involved here?
Well Tom and Widows son lets try this again.
ReplyDeletePike also wrote in the same book, page 213: "Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion; and its teachings are instruction in religion."
I guess what we are left with is trying to figure out which time he was lying?
Nice try.
I would additionally like to comment on the quotation from Pike that you presumed would make your point that Masonry is not a religion, based on Pike's premise that a man cannot have two religions. Here is what we find in 'Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia', page 512:
". ; . Pike argued that one could not hold two religions at the same time and hence, a Christian, a Jew, or a Moslem could not also accept Freemasonry as his religion. The logic of Pike's statement is not convincing,for,while one might not hold two inconsistent religions at the same time any more than he could be a monarchist and a republican at the same time, there is nothing to prevent one holding two or three religions, philosophies, or political theories which are not inconsistent."
Masonry has been very successful in its syncretistic blending of religions, so as to be able to point to quite a bit of what it teaches about morality, integrity, faithfulness, etc., and be able to convince Christians, for example, that on the basis of such matters Freemasonry is not incompatible with the Christian faith. This claim of compatibility is, in actuality, false, when realizing the differences in the doctrinal statements of each, pertaining to God and Religion. Of course, the one way they get away with this is, they do not say Freemasonry and Christianity are compatible religions, so it's okay to be both. Nope. Instead they say, "Were only a fraternity, we're not a religion; were only religious, we're not a religion; . .", reminiscent of the Sonny and Cher song, "The beat goes on, the beat goes on. The drum keeps pounding rhythm to the brain.. ." "Tell them enough times that this religion of ours(Masonry's) is only a fraternity, and they will begin to believe it, not because it isn't a religion, but because we have conditioned them to think that it is not a religion."
Freemasonry has managed, by ritual, to gloss over the heresies and concentrate on matters such as Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth, claiming these to be the "principal tenets" of Freemasonry, and emphasizing traits such as these, while inserting, and quickly passing over, seemingly innocous statements such as, "The word Lodge is analogous to that of church, referring not so much to the place of meeting as to the persons assembled."
To begin with, Freemasonry has a system of salvation, based on its own tenets and teachings, and said system of salvation comes to fruition, ala Freemasonry, with the resurrection of the candidate into the religion of Freemasonry, concluding the salvific process ala Freemasonry:
". .the drama of Hiram the Builder is a symbol of redemption - - and redemption is the central theme of this degree. 'Raised from a dead level to a living perpendicular' suggests far more than a physical accomplishment." ('Officers Manual of Lodge Organization and Operation' - Grand Lodge of Nevada)
"The important part of the degree is to symbolize the great doctrines of the resurrection of the body and the immortality of the soul; and hence it has been remarked by a learned writer of our Order that 'the Master Mason represents a man saved from the grave of iniquity, and raised to the faith of salvation.."
('North Carolina Lodge Manual', p. 53)
The Master Mason represents man, when youth, manhood, old age, and life itself have passed away as fleeting shadows, yet raised from the grave of iniquity, and quickened into another and better existence. By its legend and all its ritual, it is implied that we have been redeemed from the death of sin and the sepulchre of pollution."(South Carolina's 'Bood of Constitutions', page 141)
Freemasonry presents a symbol that its members are to pray to, claiming this to be a monotheistic belief: "Great Architect or Grand or Great Artificer of the Universe (G.A.O.T.U.) are titles under which Freemasonry refers to Deity. A fundamental of Freemasonry is its nonsectarian character. Any man of any religion may offer his devotions to the deity he reveres, under the Masonic title, no matter what name he uses in his mind. Great Architect of the Universe (or any of its variations) is a symbol of Deity as named and worshiped in all religions." ('Officers Manual of Lodge Organization and Operation' - Grand Lodge of Nevada)
1) You have falsely determined that Freemasonry is a religion.
Masonry presents a "god"(symbol) for its members to pray to; teaches a way to heaven(slavation); engages in a regeneration ceremony(baptism). Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck.
Which, of course, is very unlike Masonry which states, ". .the drama of Hiram the Builder is a symbol of redemption - - and redemption is the central theme of this degree. 'Raised from a dead level to a living perpendicular' suggests far more than a physical accomplishment." ('Officers Manual of Lodge Organization and Operation' - Grand Lodge of Nevada)
And to eliminate your absurd contention that anything is taken out of context, here is the entire paragraph from the Entered Apprentice lecture, per Nevada Ritual, with the paragraph before and after having nothing whatever to do with this particular doctrinal statement of the Craft: "You were presented with a lambskin or white leather apron, because the lamb, in all ages has been deemed an emblem of innocence. The lambskin is therefore to remind you of that purity of life and rectitude of conduct which is so essentially necessary to your gaining admission to that Celestial Lodge above, where the Supreme Architect of the Universe presides."
Slammed again..masonry is a religion and has a plan of salvation.
Jean
Slammed again..masonry is a religion and has a plan of salvation.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I give up. You're right - Masonry is a religion.
There, I've said it. And as I'm a widely read and well respected Masonic author, it must be true. You now have it on good authority that Freemasonry is a religion.
My question to you, now is this:
So what?
I'm going to admit something else, too:
Freemasons actually do control the anti-gravity technology from the Zeta-Reticulans.
We've been working on Mind Control for decades, which is part of all that HAARP stuff you've read about.
Oh, and the banking, money, and political stuff? All true.
The streets of Washington DC laid out in a S&C? Yup, that was us. The All-Seeing Eye on the back of the dollar bill? That's us, too.
Back in the 80s, that guy Steve Gutenberg was in all those movies? Well, that was us, too, but we admit it was a mistake.
We didn't have anything to do with the Metric system, but we're okay with it anyhow.
And as I'm a widely read and well respected Masonic author, it must be true, too. Right?
Tom said it.
ReplyDeleteI believe it.
That settles it.
— W.S.
It's about time you admit. You lie to new members of the lodge about it not being a religion. And you two also tell us not take what Manly P. Hall and Pike wrote as not true.
ReplyDeleteAnd as I'm a widely read and well respected Masonic author, it must be true, too. Right
Now you are not a widely respected author. These two gentlemen are. You don't like it then get rid of the books. Make sure that every lodge across the world gets rid of them as well as stop recommending them. Until then people will take these books for what they are, Facts period.
Pike also wrote in the same book, page 213: "Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion; and its teachings are instruction in religion."
I guess what we are left with is trying to figure out which time he was lying?
And it's you two who are lying.
As to the statement,” So What?" You lied to new members, you lied to others outside the lodge, and you are lying right on this blog. So what? Do you enjoy lying? You are supposed to believe in brotherly love. What brother lies to another about the real workings of masonry?
Now you are not a widely respected author. These two gentlemen are.
ReplyDelete*raises eyebrow*
But I am a widely respected Masonic author. I've written many articles for our state magazine. I've published many posts on Usenet that have been read by hundreds, perhaps thousands of people.
And of course, there's my blog, which is surprisingly popular in four countries, plus thirteen US states (except from Connecticut, but then, no man is a prophet in his own land), and a number of spammers from around the globe. Tellin' me that's not respected? Ha!
You don't like it then get rid of the books. Make sure that every lodge across the world gets rid of them as well as stop recommending them. Until then people will take these books for what they are, Facts period.
Hey, WS - do you get the impression that more anti-Masons read ol' Al Pike than actual Masons?
Jean, I dont' get you. You claim that you dont' care if someone is Christian or not, so why the vitriol over whether Masonry is a religion (which is isn't)? What possible difference would it make to your life if it were?
Some people are funny; Masonry, as a fraternity, has been known to inspire some of its members to study and write with great passion. Some men write about the Craft with a fervor that certainly approaches that which some of the early Christian theologists wrote about religion.
Why isn't that a good thing?
Masonry inspires some men to lead better lives, to help their fellow man, and to think before they act.
Why isn't that a good thing?
At some point, I'll need to remind you that no man speaks for the fraternity, but if you don't understand the part about allegory and metaphor, then you're gonna have a hard time with this concept, too.
I find that way too many people consider Pike the "Bible' of Freemasonry. I only crack Morals and Dogma when I'm suffering from intractable insomnia. It works like a charm.
ReplyDelete(Actually, more seriously, that title bothers me because I have been taught in my lodge to fight dogma, not spout it.)
Anyway, as Bro. Tom said, no man speaks for all of Freemasonry. It is foolish to try to make generalizations about what we do from these books. Pike, the dictionaries, all of it -- interpretation.
Tom said it.
ReplyDeleteI believe it.
That settles it.
I'm so blogging that.
jean, you just don't know when to stop.
ReplyDeleteplease, for the love of (your) god, read something else besides "MORALS AND DOGMA". anything at all.
if you're so convinced we're part of a religion, and that we're so heinous and powerful, diabolical in intentions - don't you think annoying us is a really bad idea?
i think you're just here to amuse yourself by stirring things up a bit.
sort of like a troll.
real mature.
peace and blessed be,
c.z
Jean,
ReplyDeleteIt seem you are as sucessful in convincing us that Masonry IS a religion as we are convinving YOU that Christianity ISN'T.
Now stop and think about that for a moment.... relate... tie in.... and viola! comprende?
~Ephraim
(And please, if you are going to post a valid argument, please use more than one quote from a 2 volume book by one author.)
jean, is it that time of the month?
ReplyDeleteyou know, it is the masons who are responsable for you bleeding for 3 days straight and not dying.
is that why you are mad?
or did you lose your virginity to a DeMoley boy and then he dumped you?
Lucky your a female, or a catholic priest may have come unto you.......
Your mom didn't seem to mind the blood.
ReplyDeletePike also wrote in the same book, page 213: "Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion; and its teachings are instruction in religion."
I guess what we are left with is trying to figure out which time he was lying?
Nice try.
I would additionally like to comment on the quotation from Pike that you presumed would make your point that Masonry is not a religion, based on Pike's premise that a man cannot have two religions. Here is what we find in 'Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia', page 512:
". ; . Pike argued that one could not hold two religions at the same time and hence, a Christian, a Jew, or a Moslem could not also accept Freemasonry as his religion. The logic of Pike's statement is not convincing,for,while one might not hold two inconsistent religions at the same time any more than he could be a monarchist and a republican at the same time, there is nothing to prevent one holding two or three religions, philosophies, or political theories which are not inconsistent."
Masonry has been very successful in its syncretistic blending of religions, so as to be able to point to quite a bit of what it teaches about morality, integrity, faithfulness, etc., and be able to convince Christians, for example, that on the basis of such matters Freemasonry is not incompatible with the Christian faith. This claim of compatibility is, in actuality, false, when realizing the differences in the doctrinal statements of each, pertaining to God and Religion. Of course, the one way they get away with this is, they do not say Freemasonry and Christianity are compatible religions, so it's okay to be both. Nope. Instead they say, "Were only a fraternity, we're not a religion; were only religious, we're not a religion; . .", reminiscent of the Sonny and Cher song, "The beat goes on, the beat goes on. The drum keeps pounding rhythm to the brain.. ." "Tell them enough times that this religion of ours(Masonry's) is only a fraternity, and they will begin to believe it, not because it isn't a religion, but because we have conditioned them to think that it is not a religion."
Freemasonry has managed, by ritual, to gloss over the heresies and concentrate on matters such as Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth, claiming these to be the "principal tenets" of Freemasonry, and emphasizing traits such as these, while inserting, and quickly passing over, seemingly innocous statements such as, "The word Lodge is analogous to that of church, referring not so much to the place of meeting as to the persons assembled."
To begin with, Freemasonry has a system of salvation, based on its own tenets and teachings, and said system of salvation comes to fruition, ala Freemasonry, with the resurrection of the candidate into the religion of Freemasonry, concluding the salvific process ala Freemasonry:
". .the drama of Hiram the Builder is a symbol of redemption - - and redemption is the central theme of this degree. 'Raised from a dead level to a living perpendicular' suggests far more than a physical accomplishment." ('Officers Manual of Lodge Organization and Operation' - Grand Lodge of Nevada)
"The important part of the degree is to symbolize the great doctrines of the resurrection of the body and the immortality of the soul; and hence it has been remarked by a learned writer of our Order that 'the Master Mason represents a man saved from the grave of iniquity, and raised to the faith of salvation.."
('North Carolina Lodge Manual', p. 53)
The Master Mason represents man, when youth, manhood, old age, and life itself have passed away as fleeting shadows, yet raised from the grave of iniquity, and quickened into another and better existence. By its legend and all its ritual, it is implied that we have been redeemed from the death of sin and the sepulchre of pollution."(South Carolina's 'Bood of Constitutions', page 141)
Freemasonry presents a symbol that its members are to pray to, claiming this to be a monotheistic belief: "Great Architect or Grand or Great Artificer of the Universe (G.A.O.T.U.) are titles under which Freemasonry refers to Deity. A fundamental of Freemasonry is its nonsectarian character. Any man of any religion may offer his devotions to the deity he reveres, under the Masonic title, no matter what name he uses in his mind. Great Architect of the Universe (or any of its variations) is a symbol of Deity as named and worshiped in all religions." ('Officers Manual of Lodge Organization and Operation' - Grand Lodge of Nevada)
1) You have falsely determined that Freemasonry is a religion.
Masonry presents a "god"(symbol) for its members to pray to; teaches a way to heaven(slavation); engages in a regeneration ceremony(baptism). Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck.
Which, of course, is very unlike Masonry which states, ". .the drama of Hiram the Builder is a symbol of redemption - - and redemption is the central theme of this degree. 'Raised from a dead level to a living perpendicular' suggests far more than a physical accomplishment." ('Officers Manual of Lodge Organization and Operation' - Grand Lodge of Nevada)
And to eliminate your absurd contention that anything is taken out of context, here is the entire paragraph from the Entered Apprentice lecture, per Nevada Ritual, with the paragraph before and after having nothing whatever to do with this particular doctrinal statement of the Craft: "You were presented with a lambskin or white leather apron, because the lamb, in all ages has been deemed an emblem of innocence. The lambskin is therefore to remind you of that purity of life and rectitude of conduct which is so essentially necessary to your gaining admission to that Celestial Lodge above, where the Supreme Architect of the Universe presides."
Slammed again..masonry is a religion and has a plan of salvation.
Jean
My goodness! Jean! I think I finally see your point! You've convinced one! Give yourself a pat on the back. God will exalt you on high for your great deeds of persecuting his children.
ReplyDeleteI think I need to have a talk with my secretary about renouncing my membership... and force them to all quit too. Let me memorize that one quote by Pike so I can shove it down their throats repeativly.
Jean, Jean, sister Jean,
ReplyDeleteBro. Tom and others have already admitted Freemasonry is a religion. Even I, famous literary spokesman for the Abiffian Religion, have concurred, chanting the now famous mantra, "Tom said it, I believe it, that settles it."
Yet you go on, endlessly, like Orobouros swallowing its tail.
Join us. Join our religion. Then you, too, can sing the holy song of Hiram, sung to the tune of "Do You Know the Muffin Man?" You can participate in our new moon services, where we march in a solemn procession to the nearest watery pool for our baptismal service of worms, hooked on strange rods, which we sacrifice to the Great Pisces, god of fishes, with the water illuminated by lanterns dedicated to the Light Bringer. (Now you know why we wear aprons. Fishing is messy.) You can ponder the mysteries of barbecue sauce and divine the depths of decaf vs. regular coffee with us. You can contribute to the Magical Pennybox, and meditate with us on the deeper meanings of paying utility bills.
Yes, Jean. Accept the One True Religion. I implore you. Turn from your sinful, unmasonic ways, and follow us.
— W.S.
I would additionally like to comment on the quotation from Pike that you presumed would make your point that Masonry is not a religion,
ReplyDelete*sighs*
Jean, one of us is delusional. I don't remember presuming any quote from Pike would do anything. In fact, I don't remember quoting anything from Pike at all in our discussions.
I used to hate the Bible flame wars, in which I'd have to dig out the Scriptures and find passages which seem to contradict the passages that someone else had posted. While it's an interesting exercise, nobody really wins because you're merely arguing interpretations, which are totally subjective.
Arguing Pike is not only futile, it's also boring. But if it will make you happy...
M&D, p. 241:
"We no longer expect to rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem. To us it has become but a symbol. To us the whole world is God's Temple, as is every upright heart."
Italics mine
This passage clearly indicates that the Grand Sovereign Pontiff of Universal Freemasonry is referring to the symbolism of Freemasonry when he discusses the religious aspects.
Symbolism. There's that word again, Jean. Kind of like the allegory and metaphor that I keep trying to get you to understand. I'm not going to give a long explanation, since you seem to reject out of hand any of my points and skip right to the quotes that you seem to have gotten out of books.
You can't fool me, Jean. Using words like "syncretistic" is a dead giveaway - you're reading the websites like Jack Chick and Ephesians and Freemasonry Watch and regurgitating the tripe that they've written about the fraternity.
In short, I do not believe that you are discussing anything on your own. It's typical of the literal-minded thinking of many anti-Masons; you can't come up with your own creative and original arguments, so you read books and paste the same tired (and disproven!) screeds.
And again, you disprove your own assertion that you don't care who is a Christian or not, when you insist that Masonry is a religion and has a plan of salvation and all that. If you didn't care who was a Christian, then what would be the point?
Jean, listen to Widow's Son. Come. Join us.
Walk into the light, child.