Freemasonry is a post-collegiate mostly-all male fraternity dedicated to the social development of the member to form a broader sense of the self and their community.
A brother forwarded this to me. What you have below is a teaser video to a longer telecast that is appearing on various broadcasting outlets including Direct TV, where it appeared on the NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) network, channel 378.
The video is by Dr. Ron Carlson, posted in June of 2008; essentially make the argument that a Christian cannot be a Mason using biblical citation for his particular point of view.
This isn’t unique, rather just one of a long list of religious leaders using the pulpit to rail against the lodge as a part of their own personal ministry. Other such luminaries include Jack Chick Ministries, Ephesians 5:11, Order of former Freemasons, and many many more.
In fact, there are so many more, if you know of one, drop their name in the comments below and I’ll add it to the list.
One thing I can say is that Carlson has man of his facts mixed up, but he washes them with his particular logic. Listen for the story about the church he convinced to jack hammer off the corner stone. Its sad, really, like listening to echoes of forgotten history.
Without getting to deep into the philosophical, spiritual maybe, question (we’ve done that before in Can a Christian be a Freemason?) if a man can or cannot not be a Freemason AND a Christian, the better question to answer I’ve been leaning toward is who is it that can cast judgment or others – people or groups to evaluate such things.
The crux of Carlson’s argument is the incompatibility of Christian faith and being a Mason which, essentially, puts the syncretic religious view of masonry over the authority of Jesus. That the teachings of one subvert the teachings of the others?
What do you think? Are the two compatible? Are they compatible when you look at it from Carlson’s, and those like his, point of view?
Brother Harmon Weston recently posted this on the Blue Lite Forum.
In The Farmers Almanac for 1823 published at Andover, Mass., the following was printed under the heading, Definition of a Freemason:
The real Freemason is distinguished from the rest of Mankind by the uniform unrestrained rectitude of his conduct. Other men are honest in fear of punishment which the law might inflect they are religious in expectation of being rewarded, or in dread of the devil, in the next world. A Freemason would be just if there were no laws, human or divine except those written in his heart by the finger of his Creator. In every climate, under every system of religion, he is the same. He kneels before the Universal Throne of God in gratitude for the blessings he has received and humble solicitation for his future protection. He venerates the good men of all religions. He disturbs not the religion of others. He restrains his passions, because they cannot be indulged without injuring his neighbor or himself. He gives no offense, because he does not choose to be offended. He contracts no debts which he is certain he cannot discharge. because he is honest upon principal.
The sentiments expressed go a long way in explaining what makes Masonry so special. Masonry has much to offer, its camaraderie, its helping others in need expecting nothing in return, its pursuit of the truth and knowledge in a moral-ethical setting. But these are only the manifestations of what underscores the entire underpinnings of the Craft. And that is the transformative power of Masonry to influence the heart. Once you pass through that door of your own free will and accord you are born again into a new way of life, a life whereby your thoughts and actions are always on the square. Your mind is no longer in control of you. Your heart, your spirit, your essence is the source from which all instructions will govern the overall systems of your body. Once you give yourself over to the transformative power that Masonry has to offer, you live a life that plays itself out in paths and choices guided by the spirit within you that has been reprogrammed.
No other organization, society or group can offer that if you chose to accept it. That means that you cannot be a superficial Mason but must study and assimilate those teachings that have been passed down from one generation to the next from time immemorial. Once you have allowed Masonry to influence your spirit you will be a new, reborn person. Instead of rules to alter your behavior Masonry offers a state of being whereby rules, codes and creeds are not needed. As a Mason you instinctively know how to govern yourself and you govern yourself accordingly.
The only other transformative group that can match Masonry is your House of Worship. Sometimes, however, the message is so fraught with regulations and so wrought with promises to come that the earthy message gets lost in the shuffle. But not with Masonry. In reality it is the hand of the GAOTU that spreads Light. It is His interpretation not ours which shapes things to come. The GAOTU works through Masonry also which is why a belief in Deity is essential to the practice of the Craft. Furthermore, you don’t change hearts and spiritual essences without a belief in such.
In 2005 I wrote and delivered a rather lengthy paper titled “World Peace Through Brotherhood.” In it I proposed that if we made a majority of the population Masons, then there would be no more war. Peace and harmony would prevail around the globe. As a student of history I have already read about what Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, to name a few, have done with their chance to insure world peace. But I have not yet seen what Masonry can do. It is my firm belief that if we are truly all one, than if we all really become one that which divides us will have disappeared.
Is that not how our Masonic Lodges operate? All political, religious, cultural, racial and philosophical differences are left outside the door to the Lodge room. Every Masonic Lodge is an oasis of peace. All of us meet on the level and part on the square. So let us entice the rest of mankind to do the same.
Last week, I visited the Washington, D.C. area and had an opportunity to visit the George Washington National Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, VA. I had long wanted to visit the memorial which is a tribute to George Washington as a Freemason and the fraternity as a whole. Since I had to travel through Alexandria in order to get to the nation’s capital, it was a convenient stop during my trip.
The monument’s property is gorgeous. The grounds surrounding the building are well kept and complement the beautiful stone building. When approaching the memorial from the parking lot, its size is awe inspiring. As you get closer and see the quality of the perfect ashlars which compose this edifice its beauty becomes more apparent. It will make any Freemason contemplate the value of the fraternity to our Masonic predecessors. The construction of this building was no small achievement and those Freemasons that assembled to create it must have placed great worth in our noble art.
The interior of the building boasts a number of grand halls, lodge rooms, and Masonic displays. The building is kept in excellent condition and is appealing to the eyes. The main floor features two beautiful lodge rooms each with its own display of various Masonic memorabilia. I would love to be a spectator of degree work in these lodge rooms as they are quite awe inspiring.
A view of the hall as you enter the memorial.
The lower floor features the Grand Masonic Hall as well as museums dedicated to Freemasonry and the Shrine. The Freemason’s museum was one of the more informative, accurate, and tasteful displays of Masonic history that I have ever seen. Some artifacts that caught my attention were Lafayette’s Masonic apron, a copy of Webb’s Freemason’s Monitor, and a copy of the Constitutions of 1723.
The tower of the building features more displays and an observation deck. In order to access the tower, you must take a guided tour which occurs several times throughout the day. The tour guides at the memorial will be more than happy to assist you in taking one of these tours which cost only $5 (access to the main and lower levels is free).
The memorial is conveniently located right across the street from the King Street Metro Station, which makes it an easy commute from anywhere in the D.C. metro area. The memorial is open daily and you can find more information on the George Washington National Masonic Memorial at its website.
Lafayette’s Masonic apron on display at the George Washington Masonic Memorial
A Lodge Room at the George Washington Masonic Memorial
The Constitutions of 1723 on display at the George Washington Masonic Memorial
At least according to the note purported to be written by Paul’s hand, as published on the Ron Paul fan site RonPaul.com.
It’s been variously said that because his father and mother had Masonic ties, that he was by consequence, a fellow traveler. But, take it as you may. According to Paul himself, he’s not a member of the lodge.
In a piece on the blog Aftermath, it cites a much older post in which a former scheduler by the name of Liberty Oak confirms the same saying that Paul’s father was a mason, that his wife is a member of Eastern Star, and his two daughters were both Rainbow Girls. Other than his familial links, there doesn’t seem to be any other connection to the fraternity.
The evolution of Scandinavian Masonry by Dr. Andreas Önnerfors as published on the World Wide Exemplification of Freemasonry, better known as WEoFM.
He is the former director of First Academic center of Freemasonry and Fraternalism at the University of Sheffield.
In this lecture, Dr. Önnerfors explores the history of Scandinavian Freemasonry and the dissemination of Freemasonry in the Danish and Scandinavian world.
Interestingly, he explores this style of Masonry and its strong Christian connections.
– I am appalled by the horrible atrocity that was committed in the government district and at the Utøya island, says the Sovereign Grand Master of the Norwegian Order of Freemasons, Ivar A. Skar.
We are filled with mourning and compassion for those who have been affected and their relatives.
He has now been excluded (expelled) – the exclusion immediately effective.
The exclusion reflects that the acts he is accused of having carried out, and the values that appear to have motivated them, are completely incompatible with what we stand for as an Order.
We build our activity on Christian and humanistic values and want our members to contribute to the promotion of charity, peace and goodness among all people.
The police will of course get all the help and information we can give to contribute to the investigation.
Why should Freemasonry take all the hits? Let’s demean someone else, what say you? Time the Knights Templar got besmirched
Would you believe that a Mexican Drug cartel is the new champion of truth, justice and the Mexican way? That’s right! They are the new Knights Templars dedicated to enforcing a new ethical code. Wonders never cease.
In a story tearing up the Internet and originally reported by the Associated Press are the details here.
MORELIA, Mexico – Patterned after the most famous of the medieval Western Christian military orders, a drug cartel in Mexico, calling itself the Knights Templar, is publicly appealing to Mexicans living in Michoacán.
Claiming to be fighting a war against poverty, tyranny and injustice, the crime gang is distributing books outlining its “mission” and “code of conduct.”
Federal police said they seized copies of the cartel’s “code of conduct” booklet during an arrest of cartel members in the western state of Michoacán last week, but refused to release its contents Tuesday, saying they didn’t want fan the flames of the quasi-religious movement.
But a copy of the 22-page “The Code of the Knights Templar of Michoacán,” illustrated with knights on horseback bearing lances and crosses, was obtained by The Associated Press this week. It says the group “will begin a challenging ideological battle to defend the values of a society based on ethics.”
There is no indication that Freemasons are involved or are being used or hijacked in this situation. But one might conjecture how soon it will be before someone makes the connection. And might we ask where is the church – the Catholic Church in all this? Has it taken one too many KT hits to open its mouth?
Norwegian Anders Bering Breivik has been arrested for the mass murder of 92 people in two separate incidents.
The first incident was a bomb that exploded in Oslo’s central government district. Reportedly aimed at Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoitenberg, the blast killed seven people. It is alleged that hours after the first attack Breivik, dressed as a police officer, entered a youth camp on Utoya Island firing an automatic weapon. When the smoke cleared 85 more were dead.
Breivik was not only a Freemason but also a Nazi and a very Conservative Christian. He posted this John Stuart Mill quote on his Twitter account.
“One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests.”
Breivik was said to be a member of “The Seedish Nazi Forum” and “Nordisk” a political terrorist group.
His Christianity that moved far to the right led him to say this:
“Today’s Protestant Church is a joke. Priests in jeans who march for Palestine and churches that look like minimalist shopping centers. I am a supporter of an indirect collective conversion of he Protestant Church back to the Catholic.”
Obviously a brain washed, ideological zealot who is sick. This terrible tragedy comes on the heals of the UK Masonic scandal of Jonathan Rees, an informant for Murdoch’s “News of the World.” It looks as if Freemasonry is in for a hard time in the UK.
All of us who are part of Freemason Information ~ Masonic Traveler are shocked that anyone would so distort Freemasonry’s message for such nefarious purposes and our hearts and prayers go out to all the families who have lost loved ones. This is not Freemasonry and we will not condone the hijacking of our Fraternity for evil.
It’s been reported that Norwegian gunman and bomber Anders Behring Breivik was, amongst several affiliations, a freemason, this according to the British Mail-online.
In addition to the claim, it is also said he was a nazi, and right-wing anti muslim.
The link comes from Breivik’s Facebook profile, in which it is reported that his interests included body-building and freemasonry.
Perhaps unnecessary to say, his actions in no way reflect the teachings of Masonry, and to the contrary contradicts its teachings and even its very essence. The taking of human life is one of the most heinous of acts humanly possible making Breivik’s actions those of a monster.
Our hearts go out to those affected by this tragedy.
The first ever joint session of the Phylaxis and Philalethes Societies will be held in San Francisco at the Scottish Rite Center on August 27 next month. This brings together Mainstream and Prince Hall Masonic Research Bodies together for a historic confeence.
Among the speakers will be noted authors Alton Roundtree and Tom Worrel. For a complete run down on this momentus occasion see:
The Beehive can’t help but wonder what will be going through the minds of Mainstream jurisdictions who have not recognized Prince Hall, especially West Virginia and Arkansas. Will these jurisdictions boycott the conference and are we going to see some more pulling of recognition?
A brother forwarded this to me. What you have below is a teaser video to a longer telecast that is appearing on various broadcasting outlets including Direct TV, where it appeared on the NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) network, channel 378.
Why should Freemasonry take all the hits? Let’s demean someone else, what say you? Time the Knights Templar got besmirched
