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Posted: 12/27/2022 12:23:36 AM EDT
[Last Edit: kered]
I know being in the masonic forum I will get biased answers, but I'm curious about the compatability in Christianity and Freemasons. I have researched and contemplated checking out the local chapter multiple times. My latest round of research has me looking into how Freemasonry and my Christian faith mesh together. Hopefully, you guys can clear up some things for me.
I like the main tenets of being a better man, helping others, and so forth, but in googling Freemasons and Christianity, I see multiple articles saying they aren't compatible. I firmly believe that salvation comes solely through Jesus. I'm finding multiple sites that say and quote masons saying that masonry teaches that you can be saved through works. I realize that Freemasonry is open to all religions and I have no issues with that but the more I read it seems that Freemasons are taught that to enter the Grand Lodge Above you must complete the required steps and rise through the various degrees and that all religions will make it to heaven. To me, that sounds like it's own separate religion and is not biblically based. Most Christian based sites I find denounce Freemasons (admittedly some of their reasons are very weak) but was hoping there were some Christian Masons here that could clear it up for me. |
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Posted: 12/27/2022 12:30:49 AM EDT
[#1]
I would say the vast majority of Masons worldwide are Christian.
Masonry neither teaches nor provides a path to salvation. Members are encouraged to seek that in their own religion. |
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Posted: 12/27/2022 12:58:49 AM EDT
[Last Edit: kered]
[#2]
Most masonic things I've read state just what you said and that religion and your individual beliefs are not brought up,while most Christian websites stated that Freemasons are taught that Jesus was just a man and that all faiths are correct.
I admit faith plays a huge part in wanting to be a better man, husband, and father. I feel it's much harder to have (and to want to enhance and refine) moral standards, integrity, and compassion without faith but I'm more inclined to get my religious specifics from the Bible and church. If Freemasons simply state that to become a better human your faith can help you and leave it at that, I'm ok with that. |
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Posted: 12/27/2022 1:09:02 AM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By kered: Most masonic things I've read state just what you said and that religion and your individual beliefs are not brought up,while most Christian websites stated that Freemasons are taught that Jesus was just a man and that all faiths are correct. I admit faith plays a huge part in wanting to be a better man, husband, and father. I feel it's much harder to have (and to want to enhance and refine) moral standards, integrity, and compassion without faith but I'm more inclined to get my religious specifics from the Bible and church. If Freemasons, simply state that to become a better human your faith can help you and leave it at that, I'm ok with that. In craft Masonry (the Lodge you find in your community) you would find no reference to Jesus in any of the degrees, ritual, or meetings. The degrees are very loosely based on the first building of King Solomon's Temple. We don't weigh in on anyone's faith or religion. From the first degree lecture, "...according to the rules of our order, no atheist can be made a Mason. It was therefore necessary that you declare a belief in God, or no obligation would be considered binding upon you". It is a beautiful system of morals, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. |
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Posted: 12/27/2022 1:12:38 AM EDT
[#4]
Thank you for your responses.
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Posted: 12/27/2022 1:18:44 AM EDT
[#5]
I would say Masonry complements my faith and religion. My belief in God and the atonement of the Savior should encourage me to be a better husband, father, friend, member of my community, to participate in charitable works, etc.
Freemasonry encourages the same things but using symbolism to teach moral lessons. A ruler can remind us that part of our day should be dedicated to the service of God and others. A A big part of it for me is associating with men of similar values. A community of men that encourage me to be better, leading by example. |
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Posted: 12/27/2022 1:51:21 AM EDT
[#6]
Catholics a forbidden from having anything to do with the masons.
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Posted: 12/27/2022 2:00:54 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By BigReb: Catholics a forbidden from having anything to do with the masons. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By BigReb: Catholics a forbidden from having anything to do with the masons. Correct. I believe this is the most current statement. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19831126_declaration-masonic_en.html Therefore the Church's negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enrol in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion. |
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Posted: 12/27/2022 2:01:49 AM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan: I would say the vast majority of Masons worldwide are Christian. Masonry neither teaches nor provides a path to salvation. Members are encouraged to seek that in their own religion. This has been my experience at my Lodge. |
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Posted: 12/27/2022 2:04:09 AM EDT
[Last Edit: QCMGR]
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By BigReb: Catholics a forbidden from having anything to do with the masons. I know a few Catholics that are Masons….and KoC. |
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Posted: 12/27/2022 2:07:31 AM EDT
[Last Edit: medicmandan]
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By QCMGR: I know a few Catholics that are Masons….and KoC. I do as well. I leave that between them, their Church and God. It has no conflict in Masonry. |
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Posted: 12/27/2022 2:10:48 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan: I do as well. I leave that between them, their Church and God. It has no conflict in Masonry. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan: Originally Posted By QCMGR: I know a few Catholics that are Masons….and KoC. I do as well. I leave that between them, their Church and God. It has no conflict in Masonry. Same here! |
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Posted: 12/27/2022 4:36:34 AM EDT
[#12]
It's a no-go with the Eastern Orthodox Church.
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Posted: 12/27/2022 6:12:44 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan: Correct. I believe this is the most current statement. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19831126_declaration-masonic_en.html But why? I know Catholics are anti secret societies etc but other than that what is the specific prohibition on Masons? |
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Posted: 12/27/2022 11:07:22 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dogsplat: But why? I know Catholics are anti secret societies etc but other than that what is the specific prohibition on Masons? The original prohibition said something about conspiring against church and state. |
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Posted: 12/27/2022 11:35:03 AM EDT
[Last Edit: kered]
[#15]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan: In craft Masonry (the Lodge you find in your community) you would find no reference to Jesus in any of the degrees, ritual, or meetings. The degrees are very loosely based on the first building of King Solomon's Temple. We don't weigh in on anyone's faith or religion. From the first degree lecture, "...according to the rules of our order, no atheist can be made a Mason. It was therefore necessary that you declare a belief in God, or no obligation would be considered binding upon you". It is a beautiful system of morals, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. I really like this description. I'm definitely going to have to check out my local lodge. Edit: Post 1000! |
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Posted: 12/27/2022 4:31:57 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan: The original prohibition said something about conspiring against church and state. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan: Originally Posted By dogsplat: But why? I know Catholics are anti secret societies etc but other than that what is the specific prohibition on Masons? The original prohibition said something about conspiring against church and state. This is the EOC take on the prohibition. I think The RCC is similar |
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Posted: 1/4/2023 6:46:54 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistorySo many flaws. |
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GA, USA
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Posted: 1/10/2023 1:02:11 PM EDT
[#18]
Medicmandan has done an excellent job in explaining Freemasonry’s “views” toward religion, IMHO. As for me personally, I am a believer in Jesus Christ and salvation thru his sacrifice and resurrection. I have found nothing in my Masonic walk that contradicts my beliefs as a Christian. In fact, it has been very complementary to my faith and brought me closer to God.
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Posted: 1/10/2023 1:45:59 PM EDT
[#19]
The Southern Baptists a couple of decades ago commissioned a study of that question, as some members had raised doubts. The commission, after a couple of months of inquiry, found nothing in Masonry incompatible with Christianity.
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Posted: 1/10/2023 9:59:36 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By amannamedjed: The Southern Baptists a couple of decades ago commissioned a study of that question, as some members had raised doubts. The commission, after a couple of months of inquiry, found nothing in Masonry incompatible with Christianity. I'd be interested to read that. Got a link by chance? |
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Posted: 1/10/2023 10:39:17 PM EDT
[#21]
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Posted: 1/10/2023 10:45:25 PM EDT
[#22]
I actually came across that in my search and then a ton of articles from Baptists how it was wrong and gave some outlandish things that "Masons believe " but in other research i couldn't find legit Mason resources to solidify the claims.
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VA, USA
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Posted: 1/10/2023 10:57:48 PM EDT
[#23]
Freemasonry - Old Testament.
Christianity - New Testament. Both can coexist. |
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MS, USA
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Posted: 6/17/2023 5:47:04 PM EDT
[#24]
Been a Methodist my entire life- 75 years. Not a church goer. Been a Mason for 49 years. Masonry does not preach salvation through works. It does encourage being a good man, charity, etc. nothing I have experienced indicate an advancement through the degrees gives one any route to salvation or heaven. I have had a recent issue with my state’s wording on the petition, which among other things, asks the petitioner if he believes in the “resurrection of the body.” I disagree that this should be a criteria for admission to the degrees. It smacks too much of a Christian question. Masonry historically over hundreds of years has required only an affirmation of a belief in a Supreme Being. Most anyone of any faith could answer in the affirmative. Christians, Jews, Muslims, even Buddhists. I was raised in a Japanese lodge and we had many Shintoists. In degrees past the Blue Lodge, many Jewish masons prefer the Scottish Rite. The York Rite is influenced by the Christian faith. Hope this answers your questions.
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Posted: 7/5/2023 1:46:58 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By ButchA61: Freemasonry - Old Testament. Christianity - New Testament. Both can coexist. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By ButchA61: Freemasonry - Old Testament. Christianity - New Testament. Both can coexist. Freemasonry deals with both Originally Posted By kered: I actually came across that in my search and then a ton of articles from Baptists how it was wrong and gave some outlandish things that "Masons believe " but in other research i couldn't find legit Mason resources to solidify the claims. OP I'm sorry that I missed this thread originally, discussing this kind of thing is my "thing", so if you're still around with questions let me know. I'm a Southern Baptist although i tend toward a more reformed/calvinist understanding of things, yet the SBC retains some things that the latter doesn't offer so I will stay where I'm planted! Originally Posted By medicmandan: Originally Posted By amannamedjed: The Southern Baptists a couple of decades ago commissioned a study of that question, as some members had raised doubts. The commission, after a couple of months of inquiry, found nothing in Masonry incompatible with Christianity. I'd be interested to read that. Got a link by chance? I can't remember if I have read the entire report but the man who wrote the report and was then forced out of the SBC for his trouble wrote this book. "Fundamentalism & Freemasonry: Investigation of the Fraternal Order". I found it a great and revealing read. Two of the men who were opponents of his, one who eventually became president of the SBC, found themselves in recent years in cases of sexual abuse for one of them, and for covering up those things in the case of the other man. Folks will lash out at others to cover up their own mess. |
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Posted: 7/5/2023 1:48:11 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By leemozoid: So many flaws. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By leemozoid: So many flaws. I've yet to read an official church stance against Masonry that isn't full of a litany of errors and issues, most often (but not always) due to a misunderstanding of how Freemasonry "works". |
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Posted: 7/5/2023 1:49:24 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By BigReb: Catholics a forbidden from having anything to do with the masons. True, yet our own chaplain in my Lodge is a Mason (clearly) and also quite the shooter it turns out. I know another man involved in the Scottish Rite who is quite involved in the RCC and masonry. |
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Posted: 7/5/2023 1:55:58 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By kered: Most masonic things I've read state just what you said and that religion and your individual beliefs are not brought up,while most Christian websites stated that Freemasons are taught that Jesus was just a man and that all faiths are correct. We definitely are not taught that. At one point the 18th degree and up in the Northern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite was open only to Christians due to the Christian nature of the degrees. Those elements are still there in the Southern and Northern Jurisdiction today, but nowadays it does stop short of calling Jesus divine (as there are other members who are not Christian) while acknowledging the Christian belief regarding Jesus. To this day the final non-invitational degree of the York Rite requires a man either be a Christian or promise to defend the Christian faith. The Scottish Rite in England is open to Christians only as is the Swedish Rite practiced in Scand. countries and there are other Christian only orders as well. |
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Posted: 7/6/2023 7:00:13 PM EDT
[Last Edit: PSI]
[#29]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JohnT3: The York Rite is influenced by the Christian faith. York Rite is four individual Masonic Bodies: Symbolic Lodges of Master Masons, Chapters of Royal Arch Masons, Councils of Royal and Select Masters (called Cryptic Masons in some jurisdictions) and Commanderies of Knights Templar. Only Commandery is Christian based. Many believe that the York Rite is an all or nothing affair. It’s not. Each body is distinct and a Mason can proceed as far as they want. In fact, since Symbolic Lodge is the first body, every Master Mason is already in the York Rite. Personally, I believe every Mason should be a Royal Arch Mason. Why stay satisfied with a substitute when you can discover the real thing. |
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Posted: 8/3/2023 7:28:52 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By leemozoid: So many flaws. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By leemozoid: So many flaws. Wow, that was some interesting reading. Christianity and Masonry are not opposing faiths. In Masonry, there is never a mention of Jesus, or of a pathway to Heaven within Masonry and outside of Christianity. While many Masons are Christian, some of them more vocal than others, I have not seen them push it in Lodge. Lodge is a place where all faiths (except atheists) can come together to make a difference in their communities. |
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