Is Freemasonry a
Religion?
by Aphonse Cerza
The following
comes from:
Alphonse Cerza, Anti-Masonry:
Light on the Past and Present Opponents of Freemasonry (Fulton,
MO: Ovid Bell Press, 1962; 410p.), chapter 3, 128-142, &
187-192. The page numbers reference the
page above the number. The block quotes
have been placed into darker maroon.
All of the capital and italic emphases are his.
Cerza was a law
teacher and past master of a lodge. The
following is clipped from chapter 3, “Analysis of Points Used Against
Freemasonry”; first on the list is the too-often forced religion status of
Freemasonry, a dire need for the best anti-Masons. This is a classic piece these days, and written by a lawyer with
the usual lineage of facts and precedents needed to make a clear case, and like
so many pieces like, totally ignored by the anti-Masonry literature.
See www.preciousheart.net/freemasonry
for more and the book—
Character Counts: Freemasonry U.S.A.’s National Treasure and
Source of Our
Founding Fathers’ Original Intent
1. Is Freemasonry a Religion?
by Alphonse Cerza
THE OPPONENTS of Freemasonry repeat certain reasons for their
opposition. The accusations used most
frequently are that Freemasonry:
2. Is Freemasonry Opposed to Churches?
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—Between 2 & 17—Here are the other Section Titles of
Chapter 3 |
|
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3. Is Anti-Christian. 4. Is a “Secret Society.” 5. Has an Improper “Oath.” 6. Inflicts Horrible Penalties. 7. Encourages Violations of the Law. 8. Teaches the Separation of Church & State. 9. Is a Political Party. |
10. Believes in Democracy. 11. Believes in the Public School System. 12. Limits its Charity to Masons. 13. Boasts of its Charitable Work. 14. Teaches Naturalism. 15. Has Ceremonies and Titles which Are Childish. 16. Encourages its Members to Prefer Masons in Business
Transactions. |
17. Believes that
Marriage is a Civil Contract.
The purpose of this chapter is
to examine each of these points and give sincere answers to these unjust
accusations.
1. IS
FREEMASONRY A RELIGION? — Top
Many opponents of Freemasonry base their main objection on the ground
that the Craft is a religion. They call
attention to the fact that a Masonic lodge has a ritual,
uses a Holy Book, is opened
^128
and closed with
prayer, has an altar, and certain officers have “religious titles.” They also quote from certain Masonic books
in which enthusiastic members have expressed personal opinions as to the
serious nature of Freemasonry and stressed its religious characteristics. These statements are usually made in
connection with an explanation that Freemasonry is devoted to a love and
respect of the Deity.
This objection can be
answered very briefly by quoting from an article written some years ago by
Brother John A. Mirt, of Chicago, Illinois in which he said:
“Freemasonry is
religious, but it is not a religion, nor is it intended to replace the church
in devotion to Deity. It does not teach
religion, but joins with religion for the moral betterment of mankind.
“Freemasonry possesses
the grand characteristics of tolerance.
It pre-scribes no sectarian views for anyone and dictates to him no
partisan opinions. It requires faith in
God, teaches that the Bible is the guide of faith and practice, demands the
fulfillment of moral and philanthropic obligations and commands loyalty to
government.
“There it stops. No lodge can be used to express an opinion
as to the merits or demerits of a particular faith. The fathers of Freemasonry, when they set up the Old Charges, held
that its devotees must leave ‘their particular opinions to themselves.’”
But we cannot
leave the subject at this point.
What Is a Religion? The
answer to this question depends on one’s definition of the word “religion”
as well as one’s personal point of view on the subject. The word has both a general and a specific
meaning. To some it means any degree of
respect for God, a belief in a Supreme Being, with a minimum of formal
observance. Love in one’s heart with a
good and blameless treatment of all men is considered by some as all that is
needed to be truly “religious” and belonging to a religion. This general definition is supported by the
following language in the Catholic Encyclopedia (Volume
12, page 739):
“Religion, broadly
speaking, means voluntary subjection of oneself to God. .
. . It implies first of all the recognition of a Divine personality
in and behind the forces of nature, the Lord and Ruler of the world, God.”
William Ernest Hocking, in Living
Religions and a World Faith defines the word as follows (page 26):
“… religion is a passion
for righteousness, and for the spread of righteousness, conceived as a cosmic
demand.”
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The word when used in
a narrow sense, however, means a formal adherence to certain dogma, beliefs,
and practices. Too often the two meanings
are confused. In Davis
v. Beason, 133 U. S. 333, the United States Supreme Court said (page
342):
“The term ‘religion’ has
reference to one’s views of his relations to his Creator, and to the
obligations they impose of reverence for his being and character, and of
obedience to his will. It is often
confounded with the cultus or form of worship of a particular sect, but is
distinguishable from the latter.”
In the Encyclopedia
of the Social Sciences, Volume 13, page
228, appears the following:
“Most definitions
of religion are advanced from the point of view of some particular religious
creed.”
The strongest evidence that Freemasonry is
not a religion, as that term is ordinarily used by the average person, is
that clergymen of various denominations have been members of the Craft,
have associated together as Masons, have taken part in Masonic ceremonies, and
have found no conflict in their loyalties.
Furthermore, most Freemasons are members of a church of their own
choice. Surely, one would not be an
adherent of two religions. If Masonry
were a religion these clergymen and these church members would not be
interested in the Craft, and especially not active and devoted members. Some of our most popular and
influential clergymen have been active Masons.
The difficulty in trying to narrow the meaning
of such a word is set forth in James Hastings’ Encyclopedia
of Religion and Ethics, Volume 10, page 662,
as follows:
“The term ‘religion,’
whatever its best definition, clearly refers to certain characteristic types of
data (beliefs, practices, feelings, moods, attitudes,
etc.). Its use presupposes criteria,
and therefore some preliminary conception of what does and what does not come
under the category. But it soon appears
that there is no absolute gulf between religion and what, in some one respect
or other, closely approximates it (e.g., art, morality). Different people draw the line differently.”
Another brother, the Reverend Joseph Fort
Newton, in The Religion
of Masonry, asks the question (page 11)
“Is Masonry a religion?” and then proceeds to answer as follows:
“The leaders and students
of the Craft, as well as the rank and mass of its members, in English-speaking
lands at least, do not regard Masonry as
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a religion—though, as has been said, it has certain features which, in the strict technical
sense, might lead those to regard it as such who wish, from
whatever motive, so to regard it. As
some of us prefer to put it, Masonry is not a religion but Religion—not a
church but a worship, in which men of all religions may unite, unless they
insist that all who worship with them must think exactly and in detail as they
think about all things in the heaven above and in the earth beneath. It is not the rival of any religion, but
the friend of all, laying emphasis upon those truths which under-lie all
religions and are the basis and consecration of each. Masonry is not a religion, but it is religious.”
And on page 17
of the same book he says:
“Masonry is a system of
moral mysticism, expressing faith in God and the
eternal life in old and simple symbols of the building art, awakening the
better angels in the nature of man and teaching the brotherly life. Its aim is to aid its sons to win a clearer
conception of their duty to God and man, to develop their spiritual faculties,
to refine and exalt their lives in fellowship and service, leaving each one to
add to its profound and simple faith such elaborations and embellishments as
may seem to him to be true and beautiful and good, with due respect for and
appreciation of the thought and faith and dream of his Brothers and Fellows.”
A distinguished Mason, the late Melvin M.
Johnson, in the Fore-word of Gould’s History of Freemasonry Throughout the
World, said:
“Masonry is not a religion; it is the handmaiden of religion.”
* *
*
“The
sole dogma (i.e., arbitrary dictum) of Freemasonry is
the Land-mark of Belief in God. No
neophyte ever has been, or ever will be, permitted participation in the
mysteries of legitimate and recognized Free-masonry until he has asserted his
trust in God. Beyond that, we inquire
and require nothing of sectarianism or religious belief.
“Freemasonry’s idea of
God is universal. Each may interpret
that idea in the terms of his own creed.
The requirement is solely a belief in one Supreme Being whom we call the
Great Architect of the Universe. Upon
this, the enlightened religions of all ages have been able to agree. It is pro-claimed not only in the New Testament
of the Christian, but in the Pentateuch of the Hebrew, in the Koran of
the Islamite, in the Avesta of the Magians of Persia, in the Book of Kings of
the Chinese, in the Sutras of the Buddhist, and even in the Vedas of the Hundu.”
What Is the “Religion of Freemasonry”? Occasionally
enthusiastic Masons talk of the “religion of Freemasonry.” They are so thrilled by the ceremonies and
lessons of the degrees that they receive divine inspiration. These experiences are not restricted to
religious ceremonies. A feeling of awe
and closeness to the infinite power of God
^131
seems to enfold
one who silently contemplates the vastness and beauty of the Grand Canyon. Yet, not even the most ardent anti-Mason
would say that the Grand Canyon is a religion.
That Freemasonry is religious may at times
tend to inspire a nonchurch-affiliated Mason to derive more feeling from the ceremonies of
Freemasonry than is intended. If such is the
case, this is not a fault but should be considered a credit. For here is an association that is doing
something for a man, which he needs and is not receiving from any other group
with which he associates. Very often
such experiences lead one to join a church.
When this happens one becomes a better Mason and a better church
member. The reason for this is that
each organization complements the other.
In the year 1921 the
Supreme Court of Nebraska, in the case of Scottish Rite
Building Co. vs. Lancaster County (106 Neb.
95), had under consideration whether a Scottish Rite building was used for
religious purposes and therefore exempt from taxation. The court held it was not exempt. The following language used by the court is
significant (pages 102-106):
“… There remains to be discussed
that element of the appellant’s theory which depends upon the proposition that
the building should be exempted because it was used for religious
purposes. No judicial precedent is
cited for so holding. The religious
phase of the appellant’s contention is founded upon the fact that the Scottish
Rite degrees are conferred in great solemnity;
that prayers are said and the candidate is taught and required to
believe in God or a Supreme Being, to who he owes reverence, loyalty, service,
and honor; that he is taught that the
soul is immortal and that he is accountable to the Supreme Being after
death; that God is the Father and we are
brethren who owe a mutual duty to each other, and that the purpose of the order
is to make men better.
“The theory that these
facts with regard to the Scottish Rite ritual stamp it as a religious, as
distinguished from a secular, organization indicates a misconception of the
tenets and polity of the order which, with respect to the so-called religious
features mentioned, are shown by the record to be the same as those of Masonry
generally. The evidence shows that
belief in and reverence for a Supreme Being are required of each and every member; that it makes no difference whether that
Supreme Being is ‘God’ or ‘Allah’; that belief in Christianity is not exacted,
and that people may belong who do not believe in the divinity of Christ. The fact that belief in the doctrines or
deity of no particular religion is required, of itself, refutes the theory that
the Masonic ritual embodies a religion, or that its teachings are
religious. Is it conceivable that the
Scottish Rite bodies, or the Masonic order generally, set themselves up as
exponents of a new religion? For if they belong to none of the old established
religions, and yet assume to preach or expound religion, they must be embarking
upon a new theology and setting up a religion of their own.
^132
“The true interpretation of the Masonic attitude in that respect is
that no religious test at all is applied as a condition of membership. The guiding thought is not religion but
religious toleration. The order simply
ex-acts of its members that they shall not be atheists and deny the existence
of any God or Supreme Being. Each
member is encouraged to pay due reverence to his own God, the Deity prescribed
by his own religion, and to obey those precepts of human conduct, which, while
taught by all religions prevalent in civilized society, do not appertain to the
mysteries or doctrines of any religion, as such, but are common to
all. The Masonic fraternity, in other
words, refrains from intruding into the field of religion and confines itself
to the teachings of morality and duty to one’s fellow men, which make better
men and better citizens.
“The distinction is clear between such ethical teachings and the
doctrines of religion. One cannot
espouse a religion without belief and faith in its peculiar doctrines. If a Christian, for instance, one must
believe in the divine mission and revelation of the Saviour, with all that is
implied and included therein; if a Mohammedan,
one must believe in the revelation of the doctrine of that religion through the
Koran, of which Mohammed was the prophet.
A fraternity, however, broad enough to take in and cover with its mantle
Christian, Moslem, and Jew, without requiring either to renounce his religion,
is not a religious organization, although its members may join in prayer which,
in the case of each, is a petition addressed to his own Deity. Neither can belief in the immortality of the
soul be de-nominated religious, in the sense that it is typical of any
religion, of any race, or of any age.
It constitutes, to be sure, one of the most beautiful and consolatory
features of our own religion, but it is equally to be found in almost every
other. It is so universal and
spontaneous that it is not so much a belief or dogma as it is an instinct of
the human soul. Neither does it imply
or require adherence to any system of religious worship; many pagan and infidel philosophers have
asserted it. It is so generally
subscribed to by everybody that it does not run counter to any one’s religious
belief, and, as in the case of belief in the Supreme Being, the profession of
belief in the immortality of the soul does not create any religious division
among the members of the Masonic order.
“It cannot but occur to the thoughtful mind that in putting forward the
resemblance of its ceremonies to the observances of religious worship, and in
claiming the right to exemption for its property from taxation upon that
ground, counsel have assumed a position which, when carried
to its final analysis, would, if sustained, go farther than the order itself
has clearly contemplated, and would lead to results alike harmful and impracticable. For the Scottish Rite bodies to be
pronounced by law, or court decision, religious organizations would mean that
their meetings must be construed to be the equivalent of divine worship, and
their officiating officers to be clergymen or ministers—of what gospel, it is
impossible to say. Owing to the perfect
liberty of conscience which people of every religious faith enjoy under our
institutions, it has become a marked characteristic of religious worship in
this country that it should be held in public and with open doors. It would be an anomaly, to say the least, if
it should be-come the practice to give religious sanction to the meetings of
secret so-
^133
cieties and to rites
and services carried on in the guise of religious worship to which the public
would be denied admittance.
“The fact that they display in their ceremonies a becoming reverence
for the Deity and strive to inculcate the principles of morality does not
change the essentially temporal or secular character of the Scottish Rite
bodies, or clothe them with the spiritual or sacred attributes of a religious
or ecclesiastical institution, any more than the custom of family prayers,
or of religious or moral instruction in the home, would have that result. St. Louis Lodge, B. P. O. E.
v. Koeln, 262 Mo. 444. The evidence will not bear out the
assumption that the ceremonies in question are religious rites or services….”
A basic law of Freemasonry is
that one must believe in God be-fore he can become a Mason. Anderson, in his famous Constitutions,
states that a Mason is obliged to believe in “that religion in which
all men agree.” This does not mean that
there is a religious test for membership.
This merely recognizes that all religions have certain basic beliefs
upon which there is general agreement.
The troubles that have occurred between various religious groups in the
past have been on matters that go beyond these fundamentals. Generally speaking, it will be noted that
the churches which are totalitarian in organization and those who take a narrow
view of interpreting the Holy Bible are anti-Masonic.
For example in the Catholic
periodical, The Ecclesiastical Review (October,
1943), said:
“The only religion that
has a genuine right to exist is the Catholic religion that God revealed and
made obligatory on all men.”
In a pamphlet entitled Freedom
of Worship; the Catholic Position, by
Rev. Francis J. Connell, he states:
“As far as God’s law is
concerned, no one has a real right to accept any religion save the Catholic
religion, or to be a member of any church save the Catholic Church, or to
practice any form of divine worship save that commanded or sanction by
the Catholic Church. At first sight,
this claim may seem arrogant.
“The Catholic, convinced
as he is that the Catholic religion is the only true religion, is intolerant
toward other creeds.”
The more modern and
liberal-minded churches are not opposed to Freemasonry. That the Fraternity is non-sectarian is not
only disclosed by its laws and its practices, but by the clear expressions
made by many ministers who have been Masons.
The spirit of Freemasonry has within it a
fundamental dream. It
^134
is so well
expressed by Brother Joseph Fort Newton, in The Religion of Freemasonry, on
pages 94-95:
“But whether it be the
Gospel of the Christian, the Book of the Law of the Hebrew, the Koran of the
Mussulman, or the Vedas of the Hindu, it everywhere Masonically symbolizes the
Will of God revealed to man, expressing such faith and vision as he found in
the fellowship of the seekers and the servants of God. Such a fact, such a spirit, helps us see
what the Religion of Masonry really is, prophesying an order of fraternity not
yet attained, a spirit of fellowship not yet realized; a distant but slowly dawning day when man
will discover that humanity is one in nature, in need, in faith and duty and
destiny, and that God is the Father of us all.
Not in our day, not in many days, perhaps, but as surely as suns rise
and set this vision will grow and abide;
and it means that we can see it, however remote it may be. It glows in the Bible, it lives in our
hearts.”
Dr.
William R. White,
president of Baylor University, of Waco, Texas has compared Freemasonry with a
church as follows:
“Masonry is
neither a church nor a substitute for a church. It can be made into a substitute, but this would be a
perversion. It does embrace several
great beliefs, but it is not a dogma.
It in no sense has a system of theology. It is set against bigotry and intolerance.
“It is a fellowship but not an ecclesiastical system. It is a Fraternity with vast ramifications,
but it has no hierarchy. Its
ties of brotherhood are strong. Its obligated devotions are solemn and
severely binding.
“Its symbolism is ritualistic but not sacramental. Some of its ritual is similar but not the
same as practiced by the church. One rite of Masonry is distinctly Christian, but it is not
sectarian. All men who are true Christians
in faith and life can belong.
“The other rite is inclusive of
all monotheists or those believing in one God.
Yes, it includes devout Christians, for they believe in the unity of
Deity. This rite, while reflecting in
its lectures and pageantry the philosophies and insights of all high thinking
people among all religions, does not purpose to be either a synthesis of all
beliefs or a world religion. These
philosophies and insights are presented for our enlightenment and reflection. We are under no pressure to accept
them. Only the obligations are
mandatory. These obligations are in no
sense religious tenets. They are
fraternal commitments to loyalties that do no violation to conscience.
“Masonry, like
church, stands for charity of a broad nature.
However, its motivations and objectives do not stem from the same
sources as it is true of the church.
The Masonic objectives and motivations are wholly humanitarian. In the church they spring from a love shed
abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit, and are both manward and Godward.
“Masonry is a bulwark for
religious liberty. It does not propose
to make bad men good, but to make good men better. It is a friend and supporter of the basic
objectives of religion. The churches
and Masonic bodies
^135
should be cordial
allies. They are not identical, but
have so many interests in common.
“Masonry is not to permit
the Mason to replace church, but to rein-force it. It does not supplant, but supplement. It does not subvert, but support.” (Royal Arch Mason, Fall, 1961.)
Our late brother, Harry L. Haywood, in The
Great Teachings of Masonry, has summarized the matter as
follows (pages 99-100):
“But while it is true
that Freemasonry cannot be claimed by any one religion—no intelligent
Freemason will make such a claim, however devout he may be in his own faith—it
has a religious foundation that is all its own. Believing that there is under all the creeds one universal
religion, which may be described as a belief in one God as the Father of all,
in the immortality of the soul, and in the brotherhood of man, it demands of
all its initiates adhesion to these root truths. What other things they may choose to believe, and how they may
interpret or elaborate these fundamentals, is left wholly to their own private
judgment. It is as if the Fraternity
said to its children, ‘Here is the great substructure, the mother rock under
your feet, on which you must each one build your own house of religion; what manner of temples you build, and in
what style, and where, and how high, that I shall leave to you
individually; but on the substructure
of belief in God, in brotherhood, and in immortality, you must build, else you
do not belong to me.’ “
The Religion in Which All Men Agree. There are certain general and
fundamental principles on which all religions agree. Freemasonry seeks to join all men in a universal Brotherhood of
harmony and understanding. Because of
this aim its sole religious test is that its applicants for membership believe
in God. Such a belief impliedly
carries with it the basic principles of all religions, because only sectarian
religious discussion is forbidden in a lodge.
Alfred W. Martin, in
The World’s Great Religions and the Religion of the Future, on
pages 190-191 said:
“(1) All of the great
religions face toward a particular ideal, a mental picture of what is supremely
desirable that man should be. (2) All
ask the same fundamental vital question, what is the chief end of man?, and the
differing answers express the distinctive note in each religion. (3) All inculcate the same general moral
precepts and religious sentiments. None
has a monopoly on moral or religious truth, rather are they like different
languages in which one spirit of humanity is expressed. (4) All are one because
rooted in universal human nature, i.e., they are expressions of man’s effort to
perfect himself in all his relations and such effort is the essence of
religion. (5) All are different
because of their various local origins and their
special claims made by each but shared by no other. In other words, each of the great religions has a universal
and special element, indicative of
oneness and by difference, respectively.”
^136
Here are some phrases
that show the oneness of all religions.
“Heaven is a palace with
many doors and each may enter in his own way.”
Hindu.
“Whatever road I take
joins the highway that leads to thee.” Zoroastrian.
“He who is beloved of God
honors every form of faith.” Buddhist.
“Are we not all children
of one Father.” Christian.
Each religion preaches the
Golden Rule, though stated in a different way. Here are some illustrations:
“The true rule is to
guard and do by the things of others as you do by your own.” Hindu.
“One should seek for
others the happiness one desires for him-self.” Buddhist.
“Do as you would
be done by.” Zoroastrian.
“What you do not want done
to yourself, do not unto others.” Confucian.
“Let none of you treat
your brother in a way he himself would dislike to be treated.” Mohammedan.
“Whatever you
do not wish your neighbor to do to you, do not unto him.” Jew.
“All things whatsoever ye
would that men do unto you, do ye even so unto them.” Christian.
Robert Ernest Hume, in his
book entitled Treasure House of the Living Religions, published
by Scribner’s in 1932, collected 3,074 passages from various holy writs and
arranged them under subject matter, so they could be compared. It does not take much reading to be
convinced of the similarity in basic beliefs of all religions.
The Religious Elements in Freemasonry. The opponents of Free-masonry have
singled out certain aspects of the Craft and used them as the “evidence” that
Freemasonry is a religion. Let us now
ex-amine these elements.
a. Lodges Meet in Temples. In many
places the buildings where the lodges meet are called Masonic temples. Some bodies whose members are Masons call
the buildings where they meet “cathedrals.” The Shrine calls the buildings where it
holds its meetings mosques.” Because
these words are used, the opponents say, Free-masonry is a religion.
One definition of the word “temple” is “An edifice
dedicated to the worship of God:” But it is not the only definition; Webster’s Dictionary gives also the
additional meaning: “A local lodge of
^137
various
fraternal orders or the building housing it;
a building housing labor organizations; a building devoted to a particular purpose or focusing an
activity of a special kind.”
The word “cathedral” merely
describes a large structure with certain majestic architectural characteristics. There is no connotation that those who meet
there are doing so as a religious group.
The word “mosque” is used by the
Shrine because its ritual, ceremonies, and architectural form is based on the
“Arabian motif.”
Furthermore, there are enough religious
fundamentals connected with the Fraternity, as discussed above, to justify the
use of such terms.
It is to be noted that the churches do not
have a monopoly on the use of words which may describe a serious endeavor which
shows its devotion to God. These words are general, have many shades of meaning, and the
average person does not associate these words exclusively with religion.
b. Use of an Altar. In
every lodge there is a piece of furniture which is called an
“altar.” It is thus called because on
this object is placed the Holy Book of the lodge. What would be a more appropriate name?
But the opponents of Freemasonry reason
from the use of this word that the members come to lodge to worship God and to
seek salvation. While it is true that
the word “altar” carries with it the connotation that the object is used for
worship, it can be stated that the ceremonies of Freemasonry and the prayers
recited show respect for God, seek his Divine Guidance, but are not designed as
an act of worship.
On this subject the Reverend
Joseph Fort Newton, in Short Talks on
Masonry, had
this to say (page 19):
“The Altar of Masonry is
an Altar of Freedom—not freedom from faith, but freedom of
faith. Beyond the fact of
the reality of God it does not go, allowing every man to think of God according
to his experience of life and his vision of truth. It does not define God, much less dogmatically determine how and
what men shall think or believe about God.
There dispute and division begin.”
The same brother, in his The
Religion of Masonry, said on page 92:
“At the Altar of Masonry
they learn not only toleration, but appreciation. In its kindly air of fellowship they discover that the things
they have in common are greater than the things that divide. It is the glory of Masonry that
it teaches Unity in essentials; Liberty
in details, and Charity in all things;
and by this sign its spirit must at last prevail. Its purpose is
^138
to bring men
together, man to man, to remove the hoodwinks of prejudice and intolerance so
that they may know each other and work together in the doing of good.”
c. The Use of Prayer at Meetings. It is a universal custom that
all meetings of Masons be opened and closed with prayer. This practice prevails not
only at formal lodge meetings but also at in-formal gatherings, dinners, and
other affairs. This does not make the
organization a religion. Legislative
bodies are opened with a prayer. Many
families recite prayers at dinner. This
does not make the family a religion.
The nature of the prayers are of more significance in this regard. What are their purpose, is the question?
Prayers at Masonic meetings ask for Divine Guidance and thanksgiving to God for
his manifold blessings. They
are not in the nature of prayers of worship.
At the opening of a lodge meeting
this is a type of prayer in use:
“Supreme Ruler of the
Universe, we would most reverently invoke Thy blessing at this time. Wilt Thou be pleased to grant that this
meeting thus begun in order may be conducted in peace and closed in harmony.”
At the closing of a lodge meeting this
is the type of prayer in use:
“And now may the blessing
of God rest upon us and all regular Masons, may brotherly love prevail, and
every moral and social virtue cement us.”
A Masonic journal in recent years has placed
this prayer over its obituary column.
The prayer was written by our brother, the Reverend Stanley B.
Crosland, minister of the First Congregational Church of Beloit, Wisconsin:
“To you, who mourn
the loss of loved ones, let there come the comfort of
the hope that, though the dust returns to the earth as it was, the spirit
returns to God who gave it. Death is
not the end.
“Our dear ones, whom we
now remember, have entered into the peace of life eternal. They still live on earth in the acts of
goodness they per-formed and in the hearts of those who cherish their
memory. May the beauty of their lives
abide among us as a loving benediction.
“May the Father of
peace send peace to all who mourn, and comfort all the bereaved among us.”
In The Philalethes Magazine, December,
1951 issue, there was published the following prayer which the author wrote
under the title “A Masonic Prayer for Peace”:
“Supreme Ruler of the
Universe, we most reverently invoke Thy blessing in these troubled times. All about us we see evidences of men abandon‑
^139
ing the basic faith
of fathers; we see new gods placed in
the temples of everyday life; we see a
discarding of the moral principles that have proven their worth throughout the
ages. About us everywhere we see people
living in fear, shackled with tension and cringing from frayed nerves. Thy children are searching for peace of mind
and serenity of soul, but find neither in the market place, the palaces of
pleasure, or the ways of godlessness.
“Grant that
all men may again plant in their hearts the cardinal virtues of Brotherly Love,
Relief and Truth. May men everywhere
follow the precepts of Freemasonry and have the strength, the courage, and the wisdom
to do Thy Divine Will; to meet upon the
level of equality; to live by the
plumb-line of virtue, and act always on the square. Grant, Oh Lord, that liberty and equal opportunity may exist in
all lands and that the dignity of the individual be recognized everywhere. May the temples of Freemasonry throughout
the world ever be open to give unto all men the spiritual strength to meet the
vital problems of the hour, to the betterment of all men and the
glory of Thy Holy Name.
“Almighty Father, Thou
who understandest our thoughts afar off, knowest that individual Masons belong
to various creeds, yet each and every-one believes in Thee; that all believe in the Fatherhood of God
and the Brotherhood of Man; that Holy Script
is the rule and guide of their con-duct;
that though Masons hold various political beliefs, yet they believe in
equal treatment for all before the law, and Thou knowest that these fundamental
beliefs make for complete harmony.
“Inspire us, therefore,
Gracious Father, to instill these gentle precepts of Freemasonry in the hearts
of all men, so that Brotherly Love may prevail throughout
the world. Cast Thou the Light of Thy
Wisdom on our labors in the quarries of the Craft, that we may the better shape
the stones of Faith, Hope, and Charity for the erection of that house not made
with hands, eternal in the Heavens.
“So mote it be.”
These are good illustrations of Masonic
prayers. They show respect for God,
and ask for help and guidance, but are not prayers of worship or the type of prayers
used at church services.
d. Belief in Immortality. One of the comments made most
frequently to prove that Freemasonry is a religion, is that its members are
taught that by living good lives they are assured of immortality. Because this happens to be one of the basic
concepts of every religion, Masonry’s detractors maintain
that the part it plays in the ritual places the organization in the category of
a religion.
While this concept
does have a place in the ritual, it is used chiefly to emphasize the importance
of everyday living, that a Ma-son’s life must be exemplary at all times, in
public as well as in private, in the market place as in the home. Not the goal but the ideal is stressed, in
its bearing upon the lives of the members.
Even though there can be no more worthy aim, the advocation of this
moral concept does not make the lodge a church.
^140
e. The Worship of God. Some
opponents state that Masons go to lodge to worship God. They argue, if not so, why have a Holy
Book, an altar, and a promise of immortality? The answer is that the Masonic
ceremony has no creed, no dogma, no religious precepts which are deigned to be
what is commonly understood as a religious service or act of worship.
In 1952, Thomas S. Roy, D.D., then grand
master of Massachusetts, in addressing his grand lodge, said:
“We have no creed, and no
confession of faith in doctrinal statement.
We have no theology. We have no
ritual of worship. We have no symbols
that are religious in the sense of the symbols found in church or synagogue.
“Our symbols are related
to the development of the character of the relationship of man to man. They are working tools to be used in the
building of a life.
“Our purpose is not
that of a religion. We are not primarily
interested in the redemption of man. We
seek no converts. We solicit no
members. We raise no money for
religious purposes. By any definition
of religion accepted by our critics, we cannot qualify as a religion.
. . . And there is nothing in Freemasonry that is opposed to the
religion he brings with him into the lodge.”
f. Some Religious Titles Are Given the Officers. The opponents sometimes find
fault with the titles of some of the officers of Masonic organizations. They say that the lodge has an officer who
is called the “chaplain.” He is the one
who recites the prayers. What more
appropriate title could you give the officer? Another example is that the
presiding officer is called the “worshipful master,” thus indicating that he
presides over an act of worship, which is usually done at a church. The word “worshipful” is an old English word
meaning “worthy of respect”; it is
remotely related to the word “worship,” and only to the extent that it describes
something distinguished or of the best quality.
One of the appendant bodies of Freemasonry has
a presiding officer who is called the “high priest.” The title is used in a symbolical sense because the
ceremonial vehicle used in the ceremonies of that body is based on the building
of King Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem and the part played in that project by
the clergymen. Is it not appropriate
that the presiding officer be called, symbolically, the high priest? The title
is not used in the sense that the officer is functioning as a minister or religious
leader.
g. Use of a Holy Book. In the churches the
Holy Book of the group is used to teach religious lessons, answer questions
concerning religious beliefs, and to be the guide of one’s faith. In the lodge
^141
the Holy Book is
used as a symbol of sincerity and to show the serious purpose of the
organization. It is not an instrument
of worship.
h. Ritualistic Ceremony. Some opponents
state their objection in this manner.
Churches have a ritual;
Freemasonry has a ritual;
therefore, Freemasonry is a religion.
The complete answer to this point is that the ritualistic work of
Freemasonry is solely for the purpose of impressing on the mind of the members
certain basic moral truths.
None of these elements that are pointed out by
the opponents of Freemasonry as evidence that the Craft is a religion support
the charge, either taken alone or as a unit.
It has been shown that Freemasonry is not a
“religion” or church. The question then
arises whether the Craft from its nature is op-posed to any church or religion.
Freemasonry is non-sectarian, but bases its membership on
a belief in God. Thus it seeks to join
men of all creeds in one great bond of brotherhood so that they can live in
harmony and under-standing. Sectarian
disputes have no place in a lodge;
tolerance of the beliefs of another is a cardinal virtue of Freemasonry.
When Freemasonry is attacked on the ground
that its mere existence must by necessity make it an opponent of the churches,
one can smile. These churches assume
that they are the sole repositories of morality, that they represent the
one true God, and that all others are heretics. In this enlightened age we must recognize that there are many
roads that lead to God. We must also
recognize that the churches do not have a monopoly on moral teaching. No harm can be done by the numerous
non-ecclesiastical agencies which constantly and repeatedly urge men by
precept and example to obey the moral law.
The churches, the fraternal orders, the schools, families, books, and
friends all play an important part in the morality of a community. None have a monopoly in making men
good; all are helping and doing their
part.
Brother Leon V. Stone, staff writer of the Christian Science Monitor, has
eloquently said:
“Masonry stands for the
values that are supreme in the life of the church and we are sure that he who
is true to the principles he learns in Freemasonry will be a better church
member because of it.”
Or to state it a bit differently: A church member is a better Ma-
^142
son than one who
is not; and a Mason is a better Mason
if he be-longs to a church. One is the
handmaiden of the other.
The Rev. Joseph Fort Newton, famous Protestant
minister, in The Religion of Masonry, said (page vii):
“To me Masonry is one of
the great poetries of the world, if indeed we may say that it is the
keeper of holy faith, a high tradition, as simple as it is profound,
upon which the highest life of our race rests;
and he is unwise who leaves it out of account in reckoning the
spiritual possessions of humanity.”
Could he have said this if Freemasonry were
against any church?
The landmarks of Freemasonry
prevent the discussion of religion in the lodge or any Masonic meeting. This is to maintain the non-sectarian
characteristic of the Craft. The New
York Times, of September 22, 1960, reported that Judge George E. Bushnell, head of the Scottish Rite,
Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, had stated emphatically
that politics and religion cannot be discussed at meetings of Scottish Rite
Masons. If this is so,
how can the Craft be against any church?
On June 27, 1915, the Reverend Elijah
Alfred Coil, at Marietta, Ohio delivered a talk entitled “The Church and the
Lodge.” He demonstrated how they can
help each other in their work.
In the year 1952, Thomas S. Roy, a Baptist
minister, and at that time grand master, addressed the Grand Lodge of
Massachusetts saying, in part:
“We are not a religion,
and we are not anti-religious. We are a
completely tolerant organization. We stand for the values that are supreme in the life of the
church, and we are sure that he who is true to the principles he learns in
Freemasonry will be a better church member because of it. Indeed, just the other day I heard the
rector of the largest Episcopal Church in another city say that he was a better
Christian and a better rector because of his Freemasonry. Freemasonry rightfully conceived and
practiced will enhance every worthy loyalty in a man’s life. It will not weaken a man’s loyalty to his
church, but will strengthen it by the in-creased sense of responsibility to God
and dependence on God taught in our ritual.
“It will not drain his
strength from the service of the church, but in-crease his strength for
the service of the church. It will not
draw him away from the doctrines of his church, but stimulate his interest in
the values of religion that enrich and ennoble the life of man.”
In the year 1901, the Rt. Rev. Henry C.
Potter, bishop of New York in the Episcopal Church, and an active Freemason,
said:
^143
be self
sufficient. This was done by the
Mormons to avoid further persecution;
it was done in a limited way by the Reverend Alexander Dowie with his
industries in Zion, Illinois.
In the business world there are other
factors that control where one shall do business: location, convenience, availability, quality, price, and personal
friendship. There is also the element
of dealing with someone with whom you might expect reciprocal
business. Masonry may offer an
opportunity for making friendships that will fulfill some of these requirements
but certainly not all of them. And if
it should appear that in a certain community there are two businessmen of
equal standing who sell their wares at the same price, would it not be natural
for one to patronize a fellow-member, be he Mason or an Elk or a Moose or a Knight of
Columbus?
It is apparent that there can be no serious
weight given to this criticism of Masons.
|
Between 2
& 17—Here are the other Section Titles |
|
|
3. Is
Anti-Christian. 4. Is a “Secret
Society.” 5. Has an
Improper “Oath.” 6. Inflicts
Horrible Penalties. 7. Encourages
Violations of the Law. 8. Teaches the
Separation of Church and State. 9. Is a Political Party. |
10. Believes in
Democracy. 11. Believes in
the Public School System. 12. Limits its
Charity to Masons. 13. Boasts of
its Charitable Work. 14. Teaches
Naturalism. 15. Has
Ceremonies and Titles which Are Childish. 16. Encourages its Members to Prefer Masons in Business
Transactions. |
This objection was made by Pope Leo
XIII, in his encyclical Humanum Genus, in
which he says:
“For domestic society the
doctrine of almost all naturalists is that marriage is only a civil contract,
and may be lawfully broken by the will of the contracting parties; the State has power over the matrimonial
bond....
.. In many countries which are
professedly Catholic, marriages not celebrated in the civil form are considered
null; elsewhere laws allow
divorce. In other places everything is
done in order to have it permitted. So
the nature of marriage will be soon changed and reduced to a temporary union,
which can be done and undone at pleasure.”
Insofar as the institution of marriage is
concerned, Freemasonry has never had any occasion to express itself officially
on this subject. There is nothing in
the laws or ceremonies of the Craft that would cast any light on the subject. However, under the general rule which
enjoins each member to be faithful to his country and to obey its laws, he
would be required as regards marriage to conform to the laws of the place where
he resides.
In English speaking countries this subject
presents no problem, because both civil and religious ceremonies are
permitted. But the Roman Catholic
Church, in accordance with its pronouncement that it is the sole true religion,
and its ruling that marriage is a sacrament, takes the position that marriages
performed by this church are the only legal and binding ones. Considerable difficulty
^186
has been
encountered in Spain, where the Roman Catholic Church is the official religion
of the country and the laws are such that non-Roman Catholics, or former Roman
Catholics, find difficulty becoming legally married. This matter is discussed in detail by Paul Blanshard in his Freedom
and Catholic Power in Spain and Portugal (1962), pages 95-98.
MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS
— Top
The opponents
of Freemasonry have raised a number of minor
objections that will be discussed briefly.
It is sometimes stated that Freemasonry places
women in an inferior position because they are excluded from membership. The Craft was formed hundreds of years
ago when it was firmly believed that the “woman’s place is in the home.” The immediate ancestors of the modern Craft
are the building guilds of the middle ages;
the work done by the guild was hard physical labor for which women were
not suited. Today with the existence of
organizations such as the Eastern Star, the Amaranthe and White Shrine which
have women members, this complaint is seldom heard. This criticism of Freemasonry seems first to have been
encountered in a play called The Free-Masons Accusation and Defence, and
a number of other early skits; but the
charge has never been a serious one.
Some years ago the Craft was
charged with being an international conspiracy to overthrow legally established
government. The sensational nature of
the attack and its clear fabrication caused the accusation to be
abandoned. One seldom sees mention of
it in recently published literature.
Occasionally one encounters the indictment
that Freemasonry is a form of devil worship.
The source of this cavil are the works of Leo Taxil, and the charge
cannot be taken seriously. Some years
ago the author came across an anti-Masonic tract with the picture of a devil on
the front cover, thereby graphically making the accusation; however, this was not the subject discussed
in the booklet.
An old trick of the anti-Masons is
to pick up an unpopular group and to associate it with the Craft. Hitler and his cohorts always made
accusations against the “Jews and the Masons.”
In recent years in Spain and Portugal the accusation has been against
the “Jews, the Communists and the Freemasons.” Thus by association the current “goat” is
added to the list.
In recent years much has been
made of the charge that Freemasonry is prejudiced against the Negro. This unfounded charge ig-
^187
nores the fact
that lodges with charters from England, Ireland, and Scotland throughout the
world have Negroes as members. For
example, Rudyard Kipling joined a lodge in India whose members were of various
nationalities with a variety of religions.
In the United States we have an unusual situation because of the
historical development of the doctrine of “exclusive jurisdiction.” Under this doctrine (which exists only under
the American system) only one grand lodge issues charters to lodges within the
boundary of a state; consequently, only
one grand lodge exists there, and other lodges formed within the borders cannot
be recognized. Furthermore, the Prince
Hall fraternity, which functions on the same high standards as the white
organization, having developed side by side with it, has only negro members and
would not want to be amalgamated and lose its identity. It would have too much to lose. Alpha Lodge, of
New Jersey, is a lodge consisting of negro members working under the Grand
Lodge of New Jersey and is recognized throughout the world as a regular lodge.
Some of the fundamentalist Christian churches
have made the charge that belonging to Freemasonry is a waste of time. They cite the amount of effort devoted to
learning the ceremonies, attending lodge meetings, etc. They fail to recognize that while this is
going on the member is engaging in social intercourse with good men having
things in common; that the memory work
required is a mental discipline; that
serving on committees teaches one to be an organizer, and that being an officer
is one of the best ways of becoming a public speaker. These accomplishments give one a feeling of belonging and of
being important and needed, as well as a glow of satisfaction as the task is
perfected. All these gratifications
modern psychologists deem necessary to the well-rounded personality. The accusation of wasted time is basically
founded on the fear of competition; the
churches would prefer that the time be spared for their organization rather
than spent on Freemasonry.
One minor objection is that the Craft
makes deceptive claims to antiquity.
The rituals of the various Masonic organizations are symbolical only and
are not intended to be historical in nature.
Unfortunately, some members in their enthusiasm are carried away with
the ceremonies and claim them to be historical; they are so enthralled by the moral beliefs and lessons taught
that they become over-enthusiastic and imaginative. We also have Masonic authors who have advanced some fantastic
theories, specifically, for instance, that Shakespeare or even Sir Francis
Bacon originated the Craft!
^188
This would seem to be the price we
must pay for having no censor-ship and being free to express original ideas.
One minor inconsequential point sometimes
made is that historians, biographers, and autobiographers think so little of
Masonry that they say nothing about it in connection with their subject. As proof, the Autobiography
of Benjamin Franklin is usually cited as an example; and also some biographies of George
Washington. Histories are notoriously
silent on the subject of fraternal bodies, their activities, and membership
therein by famous men. Whether this is
from custom or because it is believed that the average reader is not interested
or that other matters are of greater importance is not apparent. As to George Washington, the recent
definitive biography by Freeman tells of Washington’s membership. In this connection it is interesting to note
that the Christian Cynosure of
May 25, 1876, had an editorial on page 8 reviewing the autobiography of Finney
(a staunch anti-Mason, whose book is still being sold by the National Christian
Association). The writer bemoans the
fact that Finney did not say one word about Masonry or secret societies in his
book, “though Mr. Finney abjured and
abhorred the lodge.” This is a matter
that would ordinarily require no comment;
after all, one cannot put everything in one’s autobiography. But this is particularly worthy of note
because Finney was an ardent anti-Mason and spent much time
writing and speaking on the subject.
For many years he was considered a leading advocate of anti-Masonry.
The modern opponents of Freemasonry have learned
a lesson from their predecessors. The
older verbiage was blunt, outspoken, and abusive, but the printed
material that has been circulated in recent years has a clever and subtle
approach. Most of it is presented in
sugar-coated form and in a most disarming manner. The presentation usually is as follows: the average Mason is a fine person, like-able, charitable, and a
leader in his community, but he usually knows nothing about Freemasonry’s
secret aims, secret activities, and secret motives; the member likes the sociable aspects of the lodge and the
friendly attitude of his brother members, but it must be kept in mind that the
organization is to be distinguished from its members. Or the writer may state that he is against the organization and
not the individual members, following which he may give partial quotations from
Albert Pike, Mackey, Ward, Wilmshurst,
^189
Waite or one Le
Plongeon. From these quotations a
subtle argument is developed on the assumption that these quoted
words are from the “voice of authority.”
In rebuttal, we state first that Freemasonry
has no official voice. Each member is
free to speak and think for himself.
Secondly, it is members that make an organization; and while it is true that the members and
the organization are separate, an organization can be judged by a majority of
its members.
The subject cannot be concluded without a
positive statement as to what Freemasonry is.
This book has been devoted primarily to a study of its
opponents. The reader is entitled to
know something about the nature of Freemasonry in order to understand fully
what has preceded.
The non-Mason may ask: What is Freemasonry? There is no short
complete definition of the word because there are so many facets of the
organization that each definition, when attempted, lacks something
essential. A classical definition
is: “A beautiful system of morality,
veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.” But these words tell only a part of the picture. At best any simple definition can be merely
a guide to the subject. A complete
understanding of Freemasonry can be had only from a study of its philosophy,
its aims, its organization, and its accomplishments. A fairly adequate definition for our present purpose is: “An organization of men based on the
Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man, using builders’ tools as symbols
to teach basic moral truths, thereby impressing upon the minds of the members
the cardinal virtues of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth which they should
apply to everyday activities.”
The Reverend Joseph Fort Newton
concludes his book The Builders with the following paragraph:
“When is a
man a Mason? When he can look out over the rivers, the hills, and the far
horizon with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of
things, and yet have faith, hope, and courage—which is the root of every
virtue. When he knows that down in his
heart every man is as noble, as vile, as divine, as diabolic, and as lonely as
himself, and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love his fellow-man. When he knows how to sympathize with men in
their sorrows, yea, even in their sins—knowing that each man fights a hard
fight against many odds. When he has
learned how to make friends and to keep them, and above all how to keep friends
with himself. When he loves flowers,
can hunt the birds without a gun, and feels the thrill of an old forgotten joy
when he hears the laugh of a little child.
When he can be happy and high-minded amid the meaner
^190
drudgeries of
life. When star-crowned
trees, and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters, subdue him like the thought
of one much loved and long dead. When
no voice of distress reaches his ears in vain, and no hand seeks his aid
without response. When he finds good in
every faith that helps any man to lay hold of divine things and sees majestic
meanings in life, whatever the name of the faith may be. When he can look into a wayside puddle and
see something beyond mud, and into the face of the most forlorn fellow-mortal
and see something beyond sin. When he
knows how to pray, how to love, how to hope.
When he has kept faith with him-self, with his fellow-man, with his
God; in his hand a sword for evil, in
his heart a bit of a song—glad to live, but not afraid to die! Such a man has
found the only real secret of Masonry, and the one which he is trying to give
to the world.”
Freemasonry
has certain essential characteristics.
It is a voluntary association in that there is never any solicitation of
member-ship. One who desires to join
must voluntarily seek information on how to become a member. This method prevents the Fraternity from
becoming an exclusive society, or one having a selected group of members. In this respect it is unlike many
fraternities. Freemasonry is open to
all good men who are desirous of becoming better men and of being of service to
their fellows. Because men must seek
membership they, by necessity, must have formed a good opinion of the
organization. This tends to upgrade the
membership placing Freemasonry on a higher plane than many other associations.
The basic qualification for membership is
a belief in God. But there is no
religious test of any kind.
Freemasonry is a fraternity in every
sense of the word, except that it does not invite persons to join and it does
not have the horse-play that is the characteristic of many fraternities.
Freemasonry is like a school in that the
members are taught to cultivate the liberal arts and sciences and to improve
themselves. The public school
system has been encouraged by the Craft;
in many places the Masons were the ones to start and support the first
public schools; Texas is a good example
of this.
Joining Freemasonry means that the member will
learn many new things. If he becomes
active and learns the ritual he develops his memory. In taking part in the ceremonies of the lodge he improves his
speaking abilities. By becoming an
officer of the lodge he develops qualities of leadership that are valuable in
his everyday activities.
There are many things in Freemasonry
that escape definition and
^191
analysis for
they are the things of the spirit. How
can one explain the racing of one’s pulse, the emotional ecstasy which comes
from watching a familiar drama, the mental and spiritual uplifting as one
realizes self-identification with a great ideal, which, working through the
consciousness of the group, teaches each member to do his part in making this a
better world in which to live?
The philosophy of Freemasonry can
be stated briefly as follows: “God is
our Father; we are all Brothers; the Golden Rule shall be the rule and guide
of all our dealings with our fellow man.”
Above all else Freemasonry glorifies the worth of the individual and
seeks to promote freedom of thought, of conscience and of expression. That there is need of an organization such
as Freemasonry in this faltering world must be apparent to all fair-minded
men. The fact that Freemasonry has
existed these hundreds of years and has attracted to its fold many famous men,
attests to its worth and basic necessity.
In the year 1939, Rev. Joseph Fort Newton, in writing the fore-word
to What Masonry Means, by William E. Hammond, stated well the need for
Masonry in this changing world with the following stirring paragraph:
“In a day when the
brotherhood of the world is broken, and ruthless ideologies shatter so much
that is true and lovely, making our gentle Craft a target of attack, it behoves
us to conserve and strengthen what has cost so much and means so much. In days to come, as in days agone, Masonry
will be needed if we are to rebuild the temple of liberty, culture, beauty and
kindness which evil hands seek to tear down and leave a broken, smoking ruin.”
These words must speak an
eternal truth, for they are as applicable today as when they were first
written.
May God in His
infinite wisdom preserve throughout the ages this instrument dedicated to His
glory and to the service of all men.
^192
See www.preciousheart.net/freemasonry
for more and the book—
Character Counts: Freemasonry U.S.A.’s National Treasure and
Source of Our Founding Fathers’
Original Intent