Chapter 19 - The Freemasons
An article in the November, 1946 issue of The New Age Magazine, published by the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, called attention to the following comment made by Andre Tardieu, a former French Premier: "Freemasonry does not explain everything; yet, if we leave it out of account, the history of our times is unintelligible." 404
Perhaps the reason Mr. Tardieu said that is because of what Manly P. Hall has said about Freemasonry. He called it: "the most powerful organization in the land." 405
Alice Bailey, the New Age leader, has written this about the Masonic Fraternity: "It is a far more occult organization than can be realised, and is intended to be the training school for the coming advanced occultists." 406
The word occult is defined as hidden, concealed, secret, and esoteric. And an occultist is one who believes in concealing secrets from others.
The Masons, it is to be assumed, would rush in to defend themselves against such charges. Any secret, hidden or concealed organization would have to, especially if it was discovered that their purposes were not what the average citizen believed. And that appears to be exactly what this Order has done.
The traditional explanation offered by Freemasonry as to its purpose is this one offered by Henry Clausen, a former Sovereign Grand Commander of the Masonic Order. He said it was: "a particular system of morality, veiled in allegory, and illustrated by symbols." 407
The Masons will only admit certain individuals into their initiation ceremonies. Those qualifications are: "A candidate for initiation must be a man, freeborn, unmutilated and of mature age." 408
There is one more requirement: they must profess a belief in a supreme being.
W.F. Brainard, a Mason in New London, Connecticut, gave a speech in 1825 describing the Order he was a member of He said: "What is Masonry now? It is powerful. It comprises men of rank, wealth, office and talent, in power and out of power; and that, in almost every place where Power is. of any importance; and it comprises among other classes of the community, to the lowest, in large numbers, active men, united together, and capable of being directed by the efforts of others, so as to have the Force of Concert throughout the civilized world.
They are distributed too, with the means of knowing one another, and the means of keeping secret, and the means of cooperating, in the desk -- in the Legislative Hall ~ on the Bench -- in every gathering of business ~ in peace and war - among enemies and friends -- in one place as well as in another!
So powerful indeed, is it at this time that it fears nothing from violence, either public or private, for it has every means to learn it in season, to counteract, defeat and punish it." 409
As has been discussed, members of this powerful organization have access to a secret. Included in that secret are plans for the future of the world. And whatever those plans are, they are kept from the average citizen.
"Very early in our Masonic career, we are taught that Freemasonry is a system of morality, the peculiarities of which are veiled from [the] uninstructed and popular world by allegorical treaching [sic: teaching?]
and symbolic illustration." 410
It appears to be a logical conclusion that if the Masons had another morality, and if that morality was sound and would be of benefit to all the people of the world, you would think that they would make it
public, instead of concealing it inside mysteries and allegories. One can only wonder if the reason their morality is kept secret is because their morality is not sound and of benefit to the general public. That would certainly explain why they want to keep it buried, away from the gaze of the citizens of the world.
Another Mason, George Steinmetz in his book entitled, FREEMASONRY, ITS HIDDEN MEANING, says: "It is in the ancient symbols of Freemasonry that its real secrets lie concealed and these are densely veiled to the Mason as to any other.
The most profound secrets of Masonry are not revealed in the Lodge at all. They belong only to the few." 411
So the secrets of the Masons do not even belong to all of the Masons. Some Masons know and some other Masons do not know the meanings of the secrets. But the interesting thing is that the Masons who do not know are being lied to by those who do. Albert Pike confirmed that this statement was true by writing this in the book that used to be read by all Masons inside the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, Masonic Order, entitled MORALS AND DOGMA: "The Blue degrees [the first three degrees of the 32] are but the outer court or portico [a covered walk] of the Temple.
Part of the symbols are displayed there to the Initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations.
It is not intended that he shall understand them;
but it is intended that he shall imagine that he shall understand them.
Their true explication is reserved for the Adepts, the Princes of Masonry." 412
The initiate is being lied to by his own fellow Masons!
One brother is lying to another! Some of the Masons are concealing the true meaning of the secrets from other Masons.
And this is the way that the powerful Masons operate, the organization that men of rank, wealth, office and talent are joining?
Pike repeated that position inside the same book, but on another page: "Masonry conceals its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the elect, and uses false explanations and
misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled; to conceal the Truth, which it calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it." 413
It might be informative at this juncture to identify just what an "adept" believed in. Kenneth Mackenzie, a member of the Masons, wrote this in his book entitled, THE ROYAL MASONIC CYCLOPAEDIA: "Adept - a name given to the Order of Illuminati." 414
Was Mr. Pike admitting that only the Adepts, the "illuminated Masons," or those who belonged to both organizations, knew the secret of the Masonic Lodges: that Lucifer was a god?
It would certainly seem so.
Manly P. Hall also revealed the truth that not all Masons understand the meaning of the secrets inside the Temple. He wrote this in his book entitled, LECTURES ON ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY: "Freemasonry is a fraternity within a fraternity -- an outer organization concealing an inner brotherhood of the elect.
... it is necessary to establish the existence of these two separate yet interdependent orders, the one visible and the other invisible.
The visible society is a splendid camaraderie of 'free and accepted' men enjoined to devote themselves to ethical, educational, fraternal, patriotic, and humanitarian concerns.
The invisible society is a secret and most august fraternity whose members are dedicated to the service of a mysterious arcanum arcandrum [defined as a secret; a mystery.]
Those brethren who have essayed to write the history of their craft have not included in their disquisitions [a formal discourse or treatise] the story of that truly secret inner society which is to the body Freemasonic what the heart is to the body human.
In each generation only a few are accepted into the inner sanctuary of the work...
... the great initiate-philosophers of Freemasonry are... masters of that secret doctrine which forms the invisible foundation of every great theological and rational institution." 415
He further amplified this thought when he wrote these comments in another of his books, this one entitled THE LOST KEYS OF FREEMASONRY: "The initiated brother realizes that his so-called symbols and rituals are merely blinds, fabricated by the wise to perpetuate ideas incomprehensible to the average individual.
He also realizes that few Masons of today know or appreciate the mystic meaning concealed within these rituals." 416
Other Masonic writers have confirmed that there are two classes of Masons. Kenneth Mackenzie added this confirmation: "At the present day there are many secrets not usually given, and indeed the condition of Masonic education, except among a certain class, is very low.
There are many good Masons well acquainted with the ritual, and even the lectures, but they fail from want of taste and opportunity to grasp the subtler philosophy of Freemasonry." 417
The Masons are quick to point out that they do not tell even their more intelligent fellow Masons what the secrets are; they ask them to figure it out for themselves. But, Pike says, they start the process by hinting that the Masons "worship"
something other than the God of the Bible in the first degree.
Apparently, if the Mason can figure it out for himself just who the other Masons worship, he gets to be one of them.
This is what Pike wrote in MORALS AND DOGMA: "It is for each individual Mason to discover the secret of Masonry...
Masonry does not inculcate her truths. She states them, once and briefly; or hints them, perhaps, darkly;
or interposes a cloud between them and eyes that would be dazzled by them.
That rite [the Scottish Rite] raises a corner of the veil, even in the Degree of Apprentice [the first degree of the Blue lodge] for it there declares that Masonry is a worship." 418
Other clues that Masonry is not a fraternity of philbhropic gentlemen who meet on a regular basis for fellowship and works of charity are contained in other parts of Pike's book MORALS AND DOGMA, or in the writings of Manly P. Hall: "Every Lodge is a Temple..." 419
"Masonry is a worship." 420
"... Masonry is a religious and philosophic body."
"Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion; and its teachings are instructions in religion." 422
Since Masonry claims that it is a religion, it would be helpful to the student to define the term and see if Masonry meets the requirements.
A religion is defined as being either of these definitions:
1. A belief in a divine power to be obeyed and worshipped as the creator and ruler of the universe.
2. Any system of beliefs, practices, ethical values resembling, suggestive of or likened to such a system.
By the second definition, the Masons certainly qualify as a religion. But the Masons themselves deny that this is so.
This view was presented in 1986 by Bill Mankin, a 32nd degree member of the Masonic Lodge, on a series of television programs concerning the Masons. The discussions were part of a television program called The John Ankerberg Show. Mr. Mankin said: "We [the Masons] have no creed, no confession of faith in a doctrinal statement. We have no theology;
we have no ritual of worship. We have no symbols that are religious in the sense of symbols found in a church or a synagogue.
Our symbols are related to the development of character of the relationship of man to men. They are working tools to be used in the building of life." 423
The word religion is defined in another dictionary as:
1. A belief in a divine or superhuman power to be obeyed and worshiped as the creator and ruler of the universe.
2. Any specific system of belief in conduct and ritual, often involving a code of ethics and a philosophy.
So, by the definition of a religion contained in either dictionary, the Masons are a religion. That can be determined by a brief review of what the Masons do inside their temple.
1. The Masons worship a god, (they call him the Great Architect of the Universe);
2. They pray to this god inside their temples. For instance, during the Entered Apprentice degree, the first of the three inside the Blue Lodge, the Worshipful Master, the equivalent of the President of the lodge, prays: "Vouchsafe thine aid, Almighty Father of the Universe..." 424
3. They believe that this god in their temples hears prayer. The same prayer in the Entered Apprentice degree continues: "... and grant that this Candidate for Masonry may dedicate his life to thy service." 425
4. They believe that their worship inside the temple will grant them immortal life. In the pamphlet prepared by the John Ankerberg Show, they quoted the Masonic manual which describes what the white apron worn by the Mason stands for: "He who wears the lambskin as a badge of a Mason is thereby continually reminded of purity of life and conduct which is essentially necessary to his gaining admission into the Celestial Lodge Above." 426
5. They believe in the one god who is common to all religions. The same statement of the Grand Lodge of Maryland continues: "Thus, Masonry is a great fellowship of men of all countries and ages who are capable of discovering in the religious teachings of all humanity, some of them crude indeed, the fundamental truth COMMON TO THEM ALL:
that God is the Father of all mankind..." 427
[emphasis by author]
Any student of worldwide religions is inevitably drawn to this conclusion: every religion has a different view of God.
Every religion conceives the duties and functions of their deity to be different; and some religions do not even believe in one God, (some have many gods). But there is one thing that is probably common to all religions: all possess a belief that there is a force of evil in the world.
The Bible calls this force Lucifer, Satan, or the devil.
Henry Clausen, the Past Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite, told his readers in his book entitled, CLAUSEN'S COMMENTARIES ON MORALS AND DOGMA that there was only one god, and that one of the purposes of Masonry is to teach its initiates just who that one god is: "The true knowledge of the One Supreme Deity is given." 428
So the Masons openly state that there is only one god, and that this god is somehow different than the one that is worshipped by the religions of the world.
If the student of Masonry will read the statement of the Grand Lodge of Maryland again, with the thought that the religions of the world do not agree on the definition of their god, but do agree that there is a force of evil, the statement starts to make some sense.
As has already been illustrated in this study, the Masons consider Lucifer to be a god.
6. The Masons believe in a life after death. They believe in a "celestial lodge above."
7. The Masons believe in a place where that life continues after death. During the initiation ceremony into the first degree of the Blue Lodge, the initiate is told: "I'd like to present you, Brother (name), with this lambskin, or white leather apron, which is an emblem of innocence... He therefore who wears a lambskin as a badge of a Mason is continually reminded of that purity of life and conduct which is essentially necessary to his gaining ADMISSION INTO THE CELESTIAL LODGE ABOVE." [emphasis by author.] 429
But, even with all of this contrary evidence, the Masons continue to deny that Masonry is a religion separate from any other.
And, to further compound the problem, the Masons continue to teach that their religion is a continuation of another ancient worship. Albert Pike stated in his book MORALS AND DOGMA: "... the Sun, Moon and Mercury... are still the three Great Lights of a Masonic Lodge."
And then he told the reader just what (or who) these lights represent: "The three lights represent the Sun, the Moon and Mercury; Osiris, Isis, and Horus." 430
So one of the lights inside the Masonic temple represents Osiris, the sun-god. There are other connections inside the Masonic religion back to the god of the Egyptians: "Osiris, Adoni, Adonis, Atys, and the other Sun-Gods - had also a tomb, and a religious initiation; one of the principal ceremonies of which consisted in clothing the Initiate with the skin of a white lamb.
And in this we see the origin of the apron of white sheep-skin used in Masonry." 431
It is to be remembered that the Masons teach "the true knowledge of the One Supreme Deity." Is it possible to infer from their own words that they know just who that "Supreme Deity" is? Pike admitted that his writings concealed a secret mystery. He wrote this about the words in his book entitled, MORALS AND DOGMA: "If you reflect, my Brother,... you will no doubt suspect that some secret meaning was concealed in these words." 432
The evidence that Mr. Pike was concealing the truth about this secret from his fellow Masons has been presented in previous chapters of this study. And the fact that the Masons do not want the general public to know the truth about this hidden god is confirmed by at least two circumstances.
1. Mr. Pike stated that his book was not "intended for the world at large," 433 and 2. A copy of the book that turned up in a used book store had the following phrase stamped on the inside cover: "esoteric book, for Scottish Rite use only; to be returned upon withdrawal or death of recipient."
So, whatever secret is contained inside his book, Pike does not want it to be known by either the public or by his fellow Masons.
Albert Pike taught his readers a simple, but very profound Masonic truth on the bottom of page 324 in his MORALS AND DOGMA: "What is Superior is as that which is Inferior, and what is Below is as that which is Above, to form the Marvels of Unity." 434
Notice that Pike capitalizes the words "Superior," "Inferior,"
"Above," and "Below," just as one would do when capitalizing the name of a deity. It appears that one of the things that is reversed is the understanding of the nature of the deity.
That teaching was just a few paragraphs after another statement of Pike's: "The conviction of all men that God is good led to a belief in a Devil, the fallen Lucifer or lightbearer..." 435
Applying the principle that was taught in the last paragraph to the sentence contained above it, it is possible to see that Pike considers Lucifer to be the God that is good, and that the God of the Bible is the devil, the god of evil. That is what that statement about "that which is Below is as that which is Above" means. That means that the God in the heavens is the god that is below, and the god who is below is the god in the heavens.
So the Masons do believe in a god: it is in the fallen lightbearer, Lucifer. There can be no other reasonable explanation of what Mr. Pike just wrote.
And that thought will continue to be developed as this study continues.
Even though the Masons continue to publicly deny that their Order is a religion, they say it is in some of their writings.
One example that this is so comes from the pen of Albert Mackey, a Mason, in his ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FREEMASONRY: "Look at its ancient landmarks, its sublime ceremonies, its profound symbols and allegories -- all inculcating religious observance, and who can deny that it is eminently a religious institution; and on this ground mainly, if not alone, should the religious Masons defend it." 436
He repeats that claim in another book he wrote entitled TEXTBOOK OF MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE: "The truth is, that Masonry is undoubtedly a religious institution, its religion being of that universal kind in which all men agree." 437
Another writer, apparently not a Mason, shed a little light on the nature of the worship of the Masons. He wrote that 159
CHAPTER 19 THE FREEMASONS they worshipped the Egyptian trinity of Isis, Horus, and Osiris: "... God has seventy-two known names and one ineffable name, unknown to man...
The supreme isiac initiation... has as its sole purpose the transmission of this name, which constituted the Word.
Freemasonry in its first three degrees is certainly very close to the Isaic rites.
Few Masons are aware that their work within the temple is carried out under the aegis of the Egyptian trinity ." 438
But Albert Pike apparently was one of those Masons who did know. He wrote: "Masonry is:
identical with the Ancient Mysteries." 439 A successor of the Mysteries." 440
Manly P. Hall repeated the claim: "... in Masonry, the ancient religious and philosophic principles still survive." 441
Another writer, but in this case apparently not a member of the Masons, wrote this in his book entitled, SERPENT IN THE SKY: "Now, the wisdom of the Egyptian Temple did not survive Egypt intact, or in its original form, but percolated down to our day through more or less underground groups without any apparent central organization --... Freemasons... and others." 442
And Henry Clausen, the Past Sovereign Grand Commander, also confirmed that Masonry is connected to the ancient mysteries: "We look toward a transformation into a New Age using, however, the insight and wisdom of the ancient mystics." 443
It appears that the evidence presented so far has allowed the student of Masonry to draw the following conclusions:
1. The Ancient Mysteries, carried down to some of the worships of today, worshipped a sun-god, a veiled reference to Lucifer, the fallen angel of the Bible. This worship of the devil was concealed throughout the generations by giving him a different name.
2. There were two worships inside each sun-god temple: one for the average citizen, and another for those who had been initiated into the true meanings of the worship: that their god was in truth Lucifer.
3. By the Masons own admissions, they too worship the god of the ancients: the sun-god, Lucifer, known as the devil of the Bible.
4. The Masons of today conceal the truth of whom they are worshipping from their brothers inside the lodge by intentionally lying to them.
5. And probably the overwhelming majority of Masons today do not know this truth, which can be inferred from the fact that the Adept Masons admit that they conceal this truth from their fellow Masons.
And men of rank, wealth, office and power continue to join.
An article in the November, 1946 issue of The New Age Magazine, published by the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, called attention to the following comment made by Andre Tardieu, a former French Premier: "Freemasonry does not explain everything; yet, if we leave it out of account, the history of our times is unintelligible." 404
Perhaps the reason Mr. Tardieu said that is because of what Manly P. Hall has said about Freemasonry. He called it: "the most powerful organization in the land." 405
Alice Bailey, the New Age leader, has written this about the Masonic Fraternity: "It is a far more occult organization than can be realised, and is intended to be the training school for the coming advanced occultists." 406
The word occult is defined as hidden, concealed, secret, and esoteric. And an occultist is one who believes in concealing secrets from others.
The Masons, it is to be assumed, would rush in to defend themselves against such charges. Any secret, hidden or concealed organization would have to, especially if it was discovered that their purposes were not what the average citizen believed. And that appears to be exactly what this Order has done.
The traditional explanation offered by Freemasonry as to its purpose is this one offered by Henry Clausen, a former Sovereign Grand Commander of the Masonic Order. He said it was: "a particular system of morality, veiled in allegory, and illustrated by symbols." 407
The Masons will only admit certain individuals into their initiation ceremonies. Those qualifications are: "A candidate for initiation must be a man, freeborn, unmutilated and of mature age." 408
There is one more requirement: they must profess a belief in a supreme being.
W.F. Brainard, a Mason in New London, Connecticut, gave a speech in 1825 describing the Order he was a member of He said: "What is Masonry now? It is powerful. It comprises men of rank, wealth, office and talent, in power and out of power; and that, in almost every place where Power is. of any importance; and it comprises among other classes of the community, to the lowest, in large numbers, active men, united together, and capable of being directed by the efforts of others, so as to have the Force of Concert throughout the civilized world.
They are distributed too, with the means of knowing one another, and the means of keeping secret, and the means of cooperating, in the desk -- in the Legislative Hall ~ on the Bench -- in every gathering of business ~ in peace and war - among enemies and friends -- in one place as well as in another!
So powerful indeed, is it at this time that it fears nothing from violence, either public or private, for it has every means to learn it in season, to counteract, defeat and punish it." 409
As has been discussed, members of this powerful organization have access to a secret. Included in that secret are plans for the future of the world. And whatever those plans are, they are kept from the average citizen.
"Very early in our Masonic career, we are taught that Freemasonry is a system of morality, the peculiarities of which are veiled from [the] uninstructed and popular world by allegorical treaching [sic: teaching?]
and symbolic illustration." 410
It appears to be a logical conclusion that if the Masons had another morality, and if that morality was sound and would be of benefit to all the people of the world, you would think that they would make it
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public, instead of concealing it inside mysteries and allegories. One can only wonder if the reason their morality is kept secret is because their morality is not sound and of benefit to the general public. That would certainly explain why they want to keep it buried, away from the gaze of the citizens of the world.
Another Mason, George Steinmetz in his book entitled, FREEMASONRY, ITS HIDDEN MEANING, says: "It is in the ancient symbols of Freemasonry that its real secrets lie concealed and these are densely veiled to the Mason as to any other.
The most profound secrets of Masonry are not revealed in the Lodge at all. They belong only to the few." 411
So the secrets of the Masons do not even belong to all of the Masons. Some Masons know and some other Masons do not know the meanings of the secrets. But the interesting thing is that the Masons who do not know are being lied to by those who do. Albert Pike confirmed that this statement was true by writing this in the book that used to be read by all Masons inside the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, Masonic Order, entitled MORALS AND DOGMA: "The Blue degrees [the first three degrees of the 32] are but the outer court or portico [a covered walk] of the Temple.
Part of the symbols are displayed there to the Initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations.
It is not intended that he shall understand them;
but it is intended that he shall imagine that he shall understand them.
Their true explication is reserved for the Adepts, the Princes of Masonry." 412
The initiate is being lied to by his own fellow Masons!
One brother is lying to another! Some of the Masons are concealing the true meaning of the secrets from other Masons.
And this is the way that the powerful Masons operate, the organization that men of rank, wealth, office and talent are joining?
Pike repeated that position inside the same book, but on another page: "Masonry conceals its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the elect, and uses false explanations and
misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled; to conceal the Truth, which it calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it." 413
It might be informative at this juncture to identify just what an "adept" believed in. Kenneth Mackenzie, a member of the Masons, wrote this in his book entitled, THE ROYAL MASONIC CYCLOPAEDIA: "Adept - a name given to the Order of Illuminati." 414
Was Mr. Pike admitting that only the Adepts, the "illuminated Masons," or those who belonged to both organizations, knew the secret of the Masonic Lodges: that Lucifer was a god?
It would certainly seem so.
Manly P. Hall also revealed the truth that not all Masons understand the meaning of the secrets inside the Temple. He wrote this in his book entitled, LECTURES ON ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY: "Freemasonry is a fraternity within a fraternity -- an outer organization concealing an inner brotherhood of the elect.
... it is necessary to establish the existence of these two separate yet interdependent orders, the one visible and the other invisible.
The visible society is a splendid camaraderie of 'free and accepted' men enjoined to devote themselves to ethical, educational, fraternal, patriotic, and humanitarian concerns.
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The invisible society is a secret and most august fraternity whose members are dedicated to the service of a mysterious arcanum arcandrum [defined as a secret; a mystery.]
Those brethren who have essayed to write the history of their craft have not included in their disquisitions [a formal discourse or treatise] the story of that truly secret inner society which is to the body Freemasonic what the heart is to the body human.
In each generation only a few are accepted into the inner sanctuary of the work...
... the great initiate-philosophers of Freemasonry are... masters of that secret doctrine which forms the invisible foundation of every great theological and rational institution." 415
He further amplified this thought when he wrote these comments in another of his books, this one entitled THE LOST KEYS OF FREEMASONRY: "The initiated brother realizes that his so-called symbols and rituals are merely blinds, fabricated by the wise to perpetuate ideas incomprehensible to the average individual.
He also realizes that few Masons of today know or appreciate the mystic meaning concealed within these rituals." 416
Other Masonic writers have confirmed that there are two classes of Masons. Kenneth Mackenzie added this confirmation: "At the present day there are many secrets not usually given, and indeed the condition of Masonic education, except among a certain class, is very low.
There are many good Masons well acquainted with the ritual, and even the lectures, but they fail from want of taste and opportunity to grasp the subtler philosophy of Freemasonry." 417
The Masons are quick to point out that they do not tell even their more intelligent fellow Masons what the secrets are; they ask them to figure it out for themselves. But, Pike says, they start the process by hinting that the Masons "worship"
something other than the God of the Bible in the first degree.
Apparently, if the Mason can figure it out for himself just who the other Masons worship, he gets to be one of them.
This is what Pike wrote in MORALS AND DOGMA: "It is for each individual Mason to discover the secret of Masonry...
Masonry does not inculcate her truths. She states them, once and briefly; or hints them, perhaps, darkly;
or interposes a cloud between them and eyes that would be dazzled by them.
That rite [the Scottish Rite] raises a corner of the veil, even in the Degree of Apprentice [the first degree of the Blue lodge] for it there declares that Masonry is a worship." 418
Other clues that Masonry is not a fraternity of philbhropic gentlemen who meet on a regular basis for fellowship and works of charity are contained in other parts of Pike's book MORALS AND DOGMA, or in the writings of Manly P. Hall: "Every Lodge is a Temple..." 419
"Masonry is a worship." 420
"... Masonry is a religious and philosophic body."
"Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion; and its teachings are instructions in religion." 422
Since Masonry claims that it is a religion, it would be helpful to the student to define the term and see if Masonry meets the requirements.
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A religion is defined as being either of these definitions:
1. A belief in a divine power to be obeyed and worshipped as the creator and ruler of the universe.
2. Any system of beliefs, practices, ethical values resembling, suggestive of or likened to such a system.
By the second definition, the Masons certainly qualify as a religion. But the Masons themselves deny that this is so.
This view was presented in 1986 by Bill Mankin, a 32nd degree member of the Masonic Lodge, on a series of television programs concerning the Masons. The discussions were part of a television program called The John Ankerberg Show. Mr. Mankin said: "We [the Masons] have no creed, no confession of faith in a doctrinal statement. We have no theology;
we have no ritual of worship. We have no symbols that are religious in the sense of symbols found in a church or a synagogue.
Our symbols are related to the development of character of the relationship of man to men. They are working tools to be used in the building of life." 423
The word religion is defined in another dictionary as:
1. A belief in a divine or superhuman power to be obeyed and worshiped as the creator and ruler of the universe.
2. Any specific system of belief in conduct and ritual, often involving a code of ethics and a philosophy.
So, by the definition of a religion contained in either dictionary, the Masons are a religion. That can be determined by a brief review of what the Masons do inside their temple.
1. The Masons worship a god, (they call him the Great Architect of the Universe);
2. They pray to this god inside their temples. For instance, during the Entered Apprentice degree, the first of the three inside the Blue Lodge, the Worshipful Master, the equivalent of the President of the lodge, prays: "Vouchsafe thine aid, Almighty Father of the Universe..." 424
3. They believe that this god in their temples hears prayer. The same prayer in the Entered Apprentice degree continues: "... and grant that this Candidate for Masonry may dedicate his life to thy service." 425
4. They believe that their worship inside the temple will grant them immortal life. In the pamphlet prepared by the John Ankerberg Show, they quoted the Masonic manual which describes what the white apron worn by the Mason stands for: "He who wears the lambskin as a badge of a Mason is thereby continually reminded of purity of life and conduct which is essentially necessary to his gaining admission into the Celestial Lodge Above." 426
5. They believe in the one god who is common to all religions. The same statement of the Grand Lodge of Maryland continues: "Thus, Masonry is a great fellowship of men of all countries and ages who are capable of discovering in the religious teachings of all humanity, some of them crude indeed, the fundamental truth COMMON TO THEM ALL:
that God is the Father of all mankind..." 427
[emphasis by author]
Any student of worldwide religions is inevitably drawn to this conclusion: every religion has a different view of God.
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Every religion conceives the duties and functions of their deity to be different; and some religions do not even believe in one God, (some have many gods). But there is one thing that is probably common to all religions: all possess a belief that there is a force of evil in the world.
The Bible calls this force Lucifer, Satan, or the devil.
Henry Clausen, the Past Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite, told his readers in his book entitled, CLAUSEN'S COMMENTARIES ON MORALS AND DOGMA that there was only one god, and that one of the purposes of Masonry is to teach its initiates just who that one god is: "The true knowledge of the One Supreme Deity is given." 428
So the Masons openly state that there is only one god, and that this god is somehow different than the one that is worshipped by the religions of the world.
If the student of Masonry will read the statement of the Grand Lodge of Maryland again, with the thought that the religions of the world do not agree on the definition of their god, but do agree that there is a force of evil, the statement starts to make some sense.
As has already been illustrated in this study, the Masons consider Lucifer to be a god.
6. The Masons believe in a life after death. They believe in a "celestial lodge above."
7. The Masons believe in a place where that life continues after death. During the initiation ceremony into the first degree of the Blue Lodge, the initiate is told: "I'd like to present you, Brother (name), with this lambskin, or white leather apron, which is an emblem of innocence... He therefore who wears a lambskin as a badge of a Mason is continually reminded of that purity of life and conduct which is essentially necessary to his gaining ADMISSION INTO THE CELESTIAL LODGE ABOVE." [emphasis by author.] 429
But, even with all of this contrary evidence, the Masons continue to deny that Masonry is a religion separate from any other.
And, to further compound the problem, the Masons continue to teach that their religion is a continuation of another ancient worship. Albert Pike stated in his book MORALS AND DOGMA: "... the Sun, Moon and Mercury... are still the three Great Lights of a Masonic Lodge."
And then he told the reader just what (or who) these lights represent: "The three lights represent the Sun, the Moon and Mercury; Osiris, Isis, and Horus." 430
So one of the lights inside the Masonic temple represents Osiris, the sun-god. There are other connections inside the Masonic religion back to the god of the Egyptians: "Osiris, Adoni, Adonis, Atys, and the other Sun-Gods - had also a tomb, and a religious initiation; one of the principal ceremonies of which consisted in clothing the Initiate with the skin of a white lamb.
And in this we see the origin of the apron of white sheep-skin used in Masonry." 431
It is to be remembered that the Masons teach "the true knowledge of the One Supreme Deity." Is it possible to infer from their own words that they know just who that "Supreme Deity" is? Pike admitted that his writings concealed a secret mystery. He wrote this about the words in his book entitled, MORALS AND DOGMA: "If you reflect, my Brother,... you will no doubt suspect that some secret meaning was concealed in these words." 432
The evidence that Mr. Pike was concealing the truth about this secret from his fellow Masons has been presented in previous chapters of this study. And the fact that the Masons do not want the general public to know the truth about this hidden god is confirmed by at least two circumstances.
1. Mr. Pike stated that his book was not "intended for the world at large," 433 and 2. A copy of the book that turned up in a used book store had the following phrase stamped on the inside cover: "esoteric book, for Scottish Rite use only; to be returned upon withdrawal or death of recipient."
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So, whatever secret is contained inside his book, Pike does not want it to be known by either the public or by his fellow Masons.
Albert Pike taught his readers a simple, but very profound Masonic truth on the bottom of page 324 in his MORALS AND DOGMA: "What is Superior is as that which is Inferior, and what is Below is as that which is Above, to form the Marvels of Unity." 434
Notice that Pike capitalizes the words "Superior," "Inferior,"
"Above," and "Below," just as one would do when capitalizing the name of a deity. It appears that one of the things that is reversed is the understanding of the nature of the deity.
That teaching was just a few paragraphs after another statement of Pike's: "The conviction of all men that God is good led to a belief in a Devil, the fallen Lucifer or lightbearer..." 435
Applying the principle that was taught in the last paragraph to the sentence contained above it, it is possible to see that Pike considers Lucifer to be the God that is good, and that the God of the Bible is the devil, the god of evil. That is what that statement about "that which is Below is as that which is Above" means. That means that the God in the heavens is the god that is below, and the god who is below is the god in the heavens.
So the Masons do believe in a god: it is in the fallen lightbearer, Lucifer. There can be no other reasonable explanation of what Mr. Pike just wrote.
And that thought will continue to be developed as this study continues.
Even though the Masons continue to publicly deny that their Order is a religion, they say it is in some of their writings.
One example that this is so comes from the pen of Albert Mackey, a Mason, in his ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FREEMASONRY: "Look at its ancient landmarks, its sublime ceremonies, its profound symbols and allegories -- all inculcating religious observance, and who can deny that it is eminently a religious institution; and on this ground mainly, if not alone, should the religious Masons defend it." 436
He repeats that claim in another book he wrote entitled TEXTBOOK OF MASONIC JURISPRUDENCE: "The truth is, that Masonry is undoubtedly a religious institution, its religion being of that universal kind in which all men agree." 437
Another writer, apparently not a Mason, shed a little light on the nature of the worship of the Masons. He wrote that 159
CHAPTER 19 THE FREEMASONS they worshipped the Egyptian trinity of Isis, Horus, and Osiris: "... God has seventy-two known names and one ineffable name, unknown to man...
The supreme isiac initiation... has as its sole purpose the transmission of this name, which constituted the Word.
Freemasonry in its first three degrees is certainly very close to the Isaic rites.
Few Masons are aware that their work within the temple is carried out under the aegis of the Egyptian trinity ." 438
But Albert Pike apparently was one of those Masons who did know. He wrote: "Masonry is:
identical with the Ancient Mysteries." 439 A successor of the Mysteries." 440
Manly P. Hall repeated the claim: "... in Masonry, the ancient religious and philosophic principles still survive." 441
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Another writer, but in this case apparently not a member of the Masons, wrote this in his book entitled, SERPENT IN THE SKY: "Now, the wisdom of the Egyptian Temple did not survive Egypt intact, or in its original form, but percolated down to our day through more or less underground groups without any apparent central organization --... Freemasons... and others." 442
And Henry Clausen, the Past Sovereign Grand Commander, also confirmed that Masonry is connected to the ancient mysteries: "We look toward a transformation into a New Age using, however, the insight and wisdom of the ancient mystics." 443
It appears that the evidence presented so far has allowed the student of Masonry to draw the following conclusions:
1. The Ancient Mysteries, carried down to some of the worships of today, worshipped a sun-god, a veiled reference to Lucifer, the fallen angel of the Bible. This worship of the devil was concealed throughout the generations by giving him a different name.
2. There were two worships inside each sun-god temple: one for the average citizen, and another for those who had been initiated into the true meanings of the worship: that their god was in truth Lucifer.
3. By the Masons own admissions, they too worship the god of the ancients: the sun-god, Lucifer, known as the devil of the Bible.
4. The Masons of today conceal the truth of whom they are worshipping from their brothers inside the lodge by intentionally lying to them.
5. And probably the overwhelming majority of Masons today do not know this truth, which can be inferred from the fact that the Adept Masons admit that they conceal this truth from their fellow Masons.
And men of rank, wealth, office and power continue to join.
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