1993 Original Freemasonry Report
Home: www.preciousheart.net/freemasonry
See
Freemasonry’s Badge of
Honor—Character Counts
With a Vivisection of
SBC Bill Gordon’s Closet Look
a book by M.
G. Maness
The report below
is was the original version of the 1993 SBC Report, with flaws in itself, used
and mutated by
Bill Gordon in
his Closer Look at Freemasonry. One of the chief problems among many is
how it in the negative side
implies that
Freemasonry is a religion, which it is not, never has been, and had it been
would have never thrived.
ANNUAL OF THE SOUTHERN
BAPTIST CONVENTION
Nineteen
Hundred and Ninety-Three
One
Hundred Thirty-Sixth Session, One Hundred Forty-Eighth Year
Houston,
Texas, June 15-17, 1993
Prepared
by David W. Atchison, Recording Secretary of the Convention
Distributed
by
EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE, SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
Morris
H. Chapman, President & Chief Executive Officer
901
Commerce Street, Nashville, Tennessee 37203
Freemasonry Report
Sources: http://www.namb.net/root/evangelism/iev/mason.asp
from Annual of the Southern Baptist
Convention, 1993 (Nashville: Executive Committee, SBC,
1993): 224-227.
Motion Concerning
Freemasonry
In annual session of the Baptist Convention, June 9-11, 1992 the
following motion was approved:
The Southern Baptist Convention in annual session June 9-11, 1992,
at Indianapolis, Indiana, directs the Interfaith Witness Department of the Home
Mission Board to study the compatibility with Christianity and Southern Baptist
doctrine of the organization known variously as the Masonic Lodge, Masonry,
Freemasonry, and or Ancient and Accepted Right [sic] of Freemasonry. The study
is to encompass any and all branches and or lodges thereof. Furthermore, the
convention charges the Home Mission Board with the responsibility of bringing a
report with recommendation to the Convention which is to meet in Houston,
Texas, June 1993.
We report
That the Interfaith Witness Department of the Home Mission Board
(HMB) has completed a study of Freemasonry and its various branches, as
directed by the Convention, with special attention given to the compatibility
of Freemasonry with Christianity and Southern Baptist doctrine. The study has
been reviewed by the HMB Executive Council (president and vice presidents), by
the Board of Directors' Administrative Committee (officers and committee
chairmen), and by the Board of Directors of the HMB. The study has now been
published as a 75-page document and is available for purchase on a
cost-recovery basis from the Home Mission Board.1
We further report
That the Administrative Committee of the Board of Directors has
prepared this printed report to the Convention and that it has been reviewed
and approved by action of the Board of Directors, meeting March 17, 1993, in
Atlanta, Georgia.
We commend
The Masonic Order for its many charitable endeavors such as the
operation of 22 Shriners hospitals, 19 orthopedic hospitals, and 3 burns
institutes with noteworthy success in treatment, research, and education, often
providing free treatment to children under 18 years of age. Also, we commend
support of the Foundation for the Prevention of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Among
Children and the Eastern Star sponsorship of Masonic Homes for the Aged. These,
with many other charitable and benevolent endeavors, are commendable.
We acknowledge
That many outstanding Christians and Southern Baptists now are,
and in the past have been, Masons, including such notable past Southern Baptist
leaders as B.H. Carroll, George W. Truett, L.R. Scarborough, W.T. Connor, Louie
D. Newton, and J.B. Lawrence.
We recognize
That many of the tenets and teachings of some Grand Lodges could
be considered compatible with, and even supportive of, Christian faith and
practice, such as the strong emphasis on honesty, integrity, industry, and
character and the insistence that every member believe in God. Some Grand
Lodges have written into their monitors, guidelines, and rituals explicit
references to Christian faith, including exact quotes from the Bible, such as
in the ritual constituting a new lodge in the Monitor of the Lodge of
the Grand Lodge of Texas:
I now solemnly consecrate this lodge to the honor and glory of
Jehovah, the Grand Architect of the Universe.2
Or the explicit reference to Jesus in the Masonic Code of
the Grand Lodge of Alabama:
It is therefore proper and in accordance with Masonic law and
tenets for a Mason who believes in the Christ Jesus to offer prayers in the
Lodge in His Name.3
Or the ceremony for laying a cornerstone found in The Murrow
Masonic Monitor of the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma:
According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise
masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But
let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no
man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.4
Or the ceremony of the extinguishing of the lights, a Scottish
Rite ceremony held on Maundy Thursday:
My Brethren, this is the anniversary of that Last Supper of which
Jesus of Nazareth partook with His humble disciples, after which He was
betrayed and crucified.
Who, of any creed, can picture to himself, unmoved, that noble and
sweet countenance, which never looked on anything in anger, pale with agony,
and streaming with tears? His back was torn by the lash, His brow pierced by
the thorns. He suffered, willingly, until it seemed, even to Him, that His God
and Father had forsaken Him.
And yet, even then, bruised, hanged upon a cross, betrayed by one
He loved, suffering and, for a moment, questioning, He still calls down not
curses by blessings and a prayer for forgiveness upon those who had so treated
Him.5
Or that found in the Scottish Rite 18th degree:
Wherein they [older forms of religion] were deficient [Masonry] found
in the New Law of Love, preached by Jesus of Nazareth, and which He sealed with
His blood.6
Or the strong affirmation of the Bible found in the North
Carolina Lodge Manual:
The Holy Bible is given us as the rule and guide of faith . . .
the Bible is the light which enlightens the path of our duty to God.7
Or that found in the Louisiana Masonic Monitor:
However they may differ in creed or theology, all good men are
agreed that within the covers of the Holy Bible are found those principles of
morality which lay the foundation upon which to build a righteous life. . . .
It is the one volume which has lived in the hearts of the people, molding and
shaping their destinies; and it leads the way to Him who is the Light of the
world.8
Or the words of the chaplain in the funeral service found in the
Masonic Manual of the Grand Lodge of Georgia:
I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord. He that
believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth
and believeth in me shall never die.9
To be sure, not all Grand Lodges affirm Christian doctrine, and
many do not declare Jesus as the unique Son of God; but many do, and for this
we commend them. There is not complete uniformity in tenets or practice among
lodges.
We conclude
That many tenets and teachings of Freemasonry are not compatible
with Christianity or Southern Baptist doctrine, including:
1. The prevalent use of offensive concepts, titles, and terms such
as Worshipful Master for the leader of a lodge; references to their buildings
as mosques, shrines, or temples; and the use of words such as Abaddon and
Jah-Bul-On, the so-called secret name of God. To many, these terms are not only
offensive but sacrilegious.
2. The use of archaic, offensive rituals and so-called bloody
oaths or obligations, among these being that promised by the Entered
Apprentice:
[section not copied out of respect for the fraternal
obligation—without acknowledgement as to accuracy or inaccuracy].10
Or that of the Fellow Craft degree:
[section not copied out respect for the fraternal
obligation—without acknowledgement as to accuracy or inaccuracy].11
Or that of the Master Mason:
[section not copied out for the fraternal obligation—without
acknowledgement as to accuracy or inaccuracy].12
Or that of other advanced degrees with required rituals considered
by many to be pagan and incompatible with Christian faith and practice.
Even though these oaths, obligations, and rituals may or may not
be taken seriously by the initiate, it is inappropriate for a Christian to sincerely
promise and swear, with a hand on the Holy Bible, any such promises or oaths,
or to participate in any such pagan rituals.
3. The recommended readings, in pursuance of advanced degrees, of
religions and philosophies, which are undeniably pagan and/or occultic, such as
much of the writings of Albert Pike, Albert Mackey, Manly Hall, Rex Hutchins,
W.L. Wilmshurst, and other such authors; along with their works, such as Morals
and Dogma, A Bridge to Light, An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry,
and The Meaning of Masonry.
4. The reference to the Bible placed on the altar of the lodge as
the furniture of the lodge, comparing it to the square and compass rather than
giving it the supreme place in the lodge.13
5. The prevalent use of the term Alight, which some may understand
as a reference to salvation rather than knowledge or truth.
6. The implication that salvation may be attained by one's good
works, implicit in the statement found in some Masonic writings that Masonry is
continually reminded of that purity of life and conduct which is necessary to
obtain admittance into the Celestial Lodge above where the Supreme Architect of
the Universe presides.14 Even though many Masons understand
that the purity of life and conduct can only be achieved through faith in Jesus
Christ, others may be led to believe they can earn salvation by living a pure
life with good conduct.
7. The heresy of universalism (the belief all people will
eventually be saved), which permeates the writings of many Masonic authors,
which is a doctrine inconsistent with New Testament teaching.15
8. The refusal of most lodges (although not all) to admit for
membership African-Americans.
IN SUMMARY
In light of the fact that
many tenets and teachings of Freemasonry are not compatible with Christianity
and Southern Baptist doctrine, while others are compatible with Christianity
and Southern Baptist doctrine, we therefore recommend that consistent with our
denomination's deep convictions regarding the priesthood of the believer and
the autonomy of the local church, membership in a Masonic Order be a matter of
personal conscience. Therefore, we exhort Southern Baptists to prayerfully and
carefully evaluate Freemasonry in light of the Lordship of Christ, the
teachings of the Scripture, and the findings of this report, as led by the Holy
Spirit of God.
Endnotes
1.
Proceedings, Annual of the Southern Baptist Contention 1992, (Nashville:
Executive Committee, 1992), p. 86.
2. Monitor
of the Lodge (Waco: Grand Lodge of Texas, 1982), p. 148.
3. Masonic
Code (Grand Lodge of Alabama, 1963), p. 141.
4. The
Murrow Masonic Monitor (Guthrie: Grand Lodge of Oklahoma, revised 1988), p.
190.
5. Ritual
of the 15E to the 18E of the Scottish Rite (no publisher information,
1957), p. 251.
6. Ibid., p.
145.
7. Charles
F. Bahnson, North Carolina Lodge Manual (Raleigh: Edwards & Boughton
Co., 1929), p. 14.
8. Louisiana
Masonic Monitor (Walker, La.: Lavergne's River Parish Press, 1988), pp.
24-26.
9. Masonic
Manual of the Grand Lodge of Georgia (Macon: Most Worshipful Grand Lodge
of Georgia, 1973), pp. 145-146. (Macon: Most
Worshipful Grand Lodge of Georgia, 1973), pp. 145-146.
10. Ralph P.
Lester, ed. Look to the East: A Ritual of the First Three Degrees of Masonry
(Chicago: Ezra A. Cook Publishing, Inc., 1975), p. 96.
11. Ibid.,
p. 31.
12. Ibid.,
pp. 154-155.
13. Monitor
of the Lodge (Waco: Grand Lodge of Texas, 1982), pp. 30-31.
Also see Louisiana Masonic Monitor, pp. 24-26.
14. Louisiana
Masonic Monitor, p. 79.
15. Morals
and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (Washington,
D.C.: Prepared for the Supreme Council of the Thirty-third Degree for the
Southern Jurisdiction, A.A.S.R., U.S.A., 1964), p. 847.
See
book M. G. Maness
With a Vivisection of
SBC Bill Gordon’s Closet Look
Home: www.preciousheart.net/freemasonry
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