“Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world…and in secret have I said nothing”(John 18:20).
Should a Christian join the Lodge?
First of all, let me state that the following statements are in no way, shape or form the ravings of a conspiracy theorist. My grandfather was very well known and well respected in every kind of Tennessee Masonry there is. He was in line to be Grand Master of the State of Tennessee and (I believe) was in the Eastern position before he had his stroke. In addition, his grandfather played a key role in the founding of every Masonic Lodge currently extant in one particular county here in East Tennessee. My grandmother was also heavily involved in the Amaranth and Order of the Eastern Star. I have been in most of the Lodges in East TN, and all I would have to do to get in whichever one I wanted to is show up.
As a part of the First Degree initiation, you were required to state that you were “… in darkness, seeking light.” Friend, your Bible says that Jesus Christ is the light of the world (Jn. 8:12, 9:5). Further, the Bible states that the Christian, at the New Birth, was translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son ( Col. 1:13) You might say that the “darkness” is an allegory, and that you were merely stating that you are seeking wisdom. Friend your Bible has something to say about this, too. James 1:5 says we are to ask of God for wisdom, not a man made institution such as the Lodge. Further, at the New Birth, you obtained God’s wisdom according to Ephesians 1:8.
You might also say that the Lodge does worthy charitable work, and that you have good fellowship with your “brothers” in the Lodge. Regarding charitable work, there are plenty of Christian based charitable organizations that share the Good News of the Gospel while visiting the fatherless, sick, and poor of the world. As Christians we are commanded to take the Gospel to the world (Matt. 28:19), and religious discussion is specifically prohibited in most branches of Freemasonry. Your Bible also says that evil associations corrupt good manners (I Cor 15:33), and that if you bid Godspeed to those that are outside the doctrine of Christ, then you are a partaker of that sin (II John 10-11). The only spiritual requirement for Lodge membership is a belief in God. Friend, every devil in Hell believes in God (James 2:19) but that doesn’t mean that the Christian should fellowship with demons.
You say that the Lodge is a “society with secrets” rather than a secret society. I suggest that this is a distinction without a difference. The Bible says that we are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11). Verse 12 says that it is shameful to speak of things done in secret. I have been close to one particular ritual of the Lodge known as a “Cave Degree”. Interestingly, the noted Bible scholar Dr. Finis Dake says in his commentary that these verses refer to “The mysteries of the heathen which the initiated went through in caves and dark secret places; the initiated being obliged on pain of death, to keep secret what they had heard, seen, and done.” (1) Does this sound familiar?
The writings of Albert Pike state directly that Masonry is the altar at which the adherents of various religions can rise above the “baalim” and worship the one ‘true god’, the Grand Architect of the Universe. No organization of the Lodge has ever disavowed the writings and/or teachings of Albert Pike. If nobody in the Lodge subscribes to the teachings of Mr. Pike, why not publically disown them? Jesus Christ, whom you profess to serve, stated categorically that he is THE Way to the Father, not just A way (John 14:6). Question: Have you EVER heard, either in the work or in an open meeting, ANYONE ever pray in Jesus’ Name? In roughly 30 years of being around Masonic functions, I never have. Let me state once again: if you bid Godspeed to those that are outside the doctrine of Christ, then you are a partaker of that sin (II John 10-11).
The Bible also says that wisdom is justified of her children (Matt. 11:19). It bears mentioning in closing that numerous branches of the Christian faith either teach against secret organizations in general or specifically do not allow Masons to join their churches. In particular, the Pentecostal Church of God of Cleveland, TN discourages members from joining secret institutions, the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church specifically will not allow Masons to join Lutheran churches affiliated with them, and in general the Mennonite Church does not allow Masons to participate in Communion services. The rhetorical question that must be asked of the Christian member of the Lodge is, “Why do you participate in an organization that many experienced men of God, after prayer and study of the Scriptures, have concluded that Christians should not be involved in?”
As a result of my family’s Masonic heritage, I have spent a fairly extensive amount of time around the York Rite, Scottish Rite, Blue Lodge, Amaranth, Order of the Eastern Star, as well as other branches of Masonry. After accepting Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, I began noticing aspects of the Lodge’s teachings and practices that do not line up with how the Bible teaches that Christians should live their lives. This teaching is not intended as ‘hate speech’, it is designed to share the truth of the Gospel as it aligns with the teachings of Masonry. In the stirring words of the great Apostle Paul:
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial [the devil]? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What agreement [can there be between] a temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (2 Corinthians 6:14-16, Amplified Bible).
1-Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, notes on Ephesians 5:11.
© 2006 DIP
