Posted: 9/28/2014 3:15:26 AM EDT
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If Masonic Lodges are considered religious temples, what are they searching for since they do not worship Jesus Christ? I ask because according to some reading i did in The Digest of Masonic Law, Masonry is not founded on the bible.
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This is a hard thing to explain. Lodges are not religious in purpose -- they are not dedicated to the worship of any god. The purpose of the lodge is, however, moral and the morals are based on Volumes of Sacred Law -- which can be the Christian Bible, the Jewish Torah, Islamic Koran, etc.
My take on it (which others may very well disagree with) is that the lodge is a moral institution and the morals are based on the commonly held beliefs of all the worlds monotheistic religions as expressed in the Volumes of Sacred Law. We don't talk about religion in the lodge, so I can't be sure, but I am pretty sure my own lodge has Christians, Jews, Muslims and Hindus. We all share the same basic morals, but we each have our own bible that we base them off of. |
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Freemasonry is not a religion. Freemasons do not worship at our meetings. Freemasonry only requires a man believe in a Supreme Being. What he calls Him is of no concern to the fraternity. Religion and politics can be very contentious topics. Therefore, they are not discussed in lodge. Yes, some places call their buildings temples. But it's pretty much an antiquated term that most jurisdictions have gotten away from.
I'll write more later, when I'm not typing with my thumb. |
| My lodge is not a religious temple. It's a building were men if a like mind meet. The like mind part is believers in a supreme being, a desire to help each other and our community and to grow in your specific religion. One of the purposes of the lodge is to encourage you to read the volume of sacred law that is part of your religious belief and there search for the truth in it. To grow in the beliefs of your faith. We are religious men, but freemasonry is not a religion. Your beliefs are yours and yours alone. We strive to take a good man and make him better. |
We refer to them as temples because each is a representation of King Solomon's temple. We use symbolism from the building of the temple to teach moral lessons. The religious aspects of the temple do not factor in to any of our ritual or teachings. In a nutshell, we use symbolism to teach good men to be better men.
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Masons are made up of many religious creeds. The only requirements in most jurisdictions are a belief in deity and, in most, a belief in the immortality of the soul. Atheist are specifically prohibited from membership. The majority of Freemasons are Christians and most of the symbolism is Christian or Jewish in nature. The moral teachings and philosophy of Masonry are 100% in agreement with Christianity. A lodge (ie., temple) is meant to be a place where men that share these teachings and philosophies can meet and share ideas, goals, etc. Freemasonry is meant to be complimentary to a good man's religious beliefs and an aid for his education and improvement in various areas of his life, family, and vocation. It doesn't teach theology, salvation, etc. That is the job of the individual church that a Mason is a member of.
Freemasonry has always been a strong supporter of freedom of religion. It has always fought tyranny in its various forms. Therefore, Freemasonry has always been opposed by groups and governments that seek to oppress freedom. This is why in modern times Freemasonry was banned in almost all communist and Islamic countries. The Nazi party killed Freemasons as part of the holocaust. (Masons were required to wear inverted red triangles.) In previous times the Catholic church sought to suppress Freemasonry because Masonry sought to give men the right to choice their own church membership and beliefs instead of having it forced on them by a state religion. |