Your views on Masons

Heavens no! Their activities are cultish.

 

Barnabus, what makes you say cultish? As opposed to the Lions, the Kiwanis, any group. Sure they have their funny little rituals, but it is a not a cult. It seems the only thing Baptists and Catholics agree on is their hatred for Masons.

 

Anyone who teaches any other way to salvation other then Jesus is a cult.

 

The Masons don't teach salvation by any means.

 

< What are your views on Masons? Does your church allow active Masons to be members or leaders? >

My church does not turn away construction workers.

As for that particular lodge, why don't the same rules apply as to everyone else? As the Ethipian made the statement to Philip, "I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (Act 8:37), and then he was baptized, if a Mason makes that same statement are we going to say, "No you don't-- you're a Mason!"?

From what I know, the Mason do have some questionable practices, but this whole thing about them is largely based on image and hearsay. College fraternities, service clubs, labor unions (consider Luke 3:14), or any group that meets and there is gossip or hypocrisy going on... all have some 'quetionable practices,' but use the word 'Mason' and anyone associated is automatically an anti-Christ or a spy or something.

 

[Johnv, please refrain from posting in the Baptist Only sections of the Baptist Board. Your profile indicates you are not a Baptist. If you profile is incorrect please update it giving the name of the Baptist church you are a member of. Thomas Cassidy, Baptist Board Administrator.]

[ May 30, 2002, 05:43 PM: Message edited by: DocCas ]

 

Rather than worrying about what kind of secret society they might be, my objections would be a little closer to home. Why would I want to enter into such a group to seek brotherhood or fellowship? What reasons would compel me to want to join? As for their good works in the community, who should get the glory for a Christian's good works? God or the Masons? Or the more practical question: when a Christian does good works in conjunction with the Masons, who does get the glory?

Whether they are a Satanic cult or a secular club centered around good works in the community, shouldn't the questions for a Christian be 'Is this for His glory' or 'will this make me a stronger Christian'?

There may be good, biblical reasons for joining secular good works organizations but I am not aware of them.

 

I had a book written by an ex-mason. I wish I still had it to quote from. But I do remember that they do some very wierd stuff and it is not biblical. Just a bunch of men meeting and doing things in secret is questionable. And the oaths they take............

Susan

 

Plus, look at some of the titles they give themselves.....................

 

I just read on another site the testimony of an ex-mason. He said they were not allowed to pray in Jesus' name because it may offend the Jewish members. There are many men from different religions and they pray to a Supreme power that they all can identify with. They use the title Most Worshipful Master for their leader.

 

For anyone who does not believe masonary is a religion, or that ther is nothing wromng with it, I did some research. Please go to the sites, and read for yourself exactly what their beliefs are. I have included some quotes and their sources.

Freemasonry requires its members to believe in the existence of a Supreme Being and also to believe that there is only One God. Freemasonry refers to its god as the Great Architect of the Universe. It teaches that all men, of all the various religions, worship the one God, simply using a variety of different names. It is on that basis that Masons may be Hindus, Moslems, Buddhists, or men who profess to follow Jesus. Freemasonry requires a belief in the existence of A Supreme Being, but does not define that being.

The Holy Bible however, reveals that the truth is somewhat different. The Bible does state that there is only one God:

I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. (Isaiah 45:5)
If a man has bought into the Masonic lie that all men worship the same god, simply using a variety of different names, then he cannot be worshiping in truth. Therefore, he cannot be worshiping God when he goes into the lodge.
http://www.ephesians5-11.org/ex_masons_for_jesus/quickly.htm

1. Source of Authority. Masons refer to the Bible as the "Volume of the Sacred Law" (V.S.L.), and it is considered an indispensable part of what is called "the furniture" in a Masonic Lodge. But the Bible is used only in a so-called "Christian" lodge -- the Hebrew Pentateuch is used in a Hebrew lodge, the Koran in a Mohammedan lodge, the Vedas in a Brahmin lodge, etc. Jim Shaw, a former 33rd degree Mason, says that Masonry is not based on the Bible (referred to as "The Great Light"), but on the Kabala (Cabala), a medieval book of mysticism and magic. Masonic authority Henry Wilson Coil also admits that the Kabala's teachings can be seen in some of the mystical and philosophical degrees of Masonry. Albert Pike (see next), the man responsible for virtually rewriting the Scottish Rite degrees into their present form, said that the Masonic "search after light" leads directly back to the Kabala, the ultimate source of Masonic beliefs (Morals and Dogma). [HJB]

In the final analysis, Masons do not adjust their beliefs to fit the Bible, the Bible is adjusted to fit their beliefs. A Mason's loyalty is never to God but to the Lodge. Coil has concluded that: "The prevailing Masonic opinion is that the Bible is only a symbol of Divine Will, Law, or Revelation, and not that its contents are Divine Law, inspired, or revealed. So far, no responsible authority has held that a Freemason must believe the Bible or any part of it." Masonry's only concern is that each person must swear by the most holy book he knows, so that he will then keep the oaths of Freemasonry. (See Endnote #2 again.)

4. Sin. Sin is seldom referred to in Masonic literature. The reality of sin in the Biblical sense is denied (much like the Christian Scientists); Masons think that any "shortcomings" can be overcome by greater enlightenment. Yet in attaining the degree of Master Mason, the symbolism implies that a person is redeemed from the death of sin and sin's pollution. [HJB]

5. Salvation and Future Life. Masons think that salvation refers to being brought from the material to the spiritual; i.e., when man returns to "his forgotten inherent spirituality." Masons believe that the degree of Master Mason is symbolical of old age, which allows a person to happily reflect on a well-spent life and to "die in the hope of a glorious immortality." Because they deny the reality of sin, Masons see no need of salvation in the Biblical sense. They see salvation as a step-by-step enlightenment, which comes through initiation into the Masonic degrees and their mysteries. [HJB]
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Cults/masons.htm

Most people, even many Masons, incorrectly believe that Masonry is merely a fraternal order, like the Lions Club, Elks Club, etc. Masonry expressly denies it is a religion. Nothing could be further from the truth. Freemasonry is a non-Christian occult religion that teaches a different way to salvation and considers Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, and all spiritual leaders to be only messengers of "The Grand Architect of the Universe". The Grand Architect is not just another term for Jehovah. Freemasonry teaches that there are two basic Gods: Adonay, the god of the Christians, a god of evil and Lucifer, a separate god of good. Freemasonry considers the religious scriptures of all religions to be equally valid.

. The higher levels expressly teach that candidates at the lower levels should not be taught the truth but should be given the impression that they are being taught the truth. For instance, the "Lucifer is good and Adonay is evil" is taught at the 30th through 32nd level.
http://www.godonthe.net/cme/links/masons.htm

The Question of Freemasonry, details of their beliefs.
http://www.godonthe.net/cme/links/masons.htm

 

Do you really want to know the truth?

This site has enough to keep you busy for days (after you scroll down thru all the masonic symbols and signs):

http://www.freemasonwatch.freepress-freespeech.com/

Research it & you'll find it's all connected....some research indicates all the way back to Nimrod...

Freemasonry, the Occult, Knights Templar, The Holy Grail, Merovingians, Illuminati, New World Order...it's all out there if you really want the truth!

BTW, my Grandmother belonged to the Eastern Star, so I don't have an axe to grind. Just passing on the info, in case someone really wants to seek the truth.

Why does the back of our dollar bill have a pyramid and all seeing eye above it?

Why is the Washington monument an Egyptian obelisk?

Most people really don't want to know the truth, though, chalk it all up to "conspiracy nuts."

 

Any secret religious organization is not allowed in the Primitive Baptist Church... Masons fit the bill to a tee. Freemasonry goes deeper than any of you could possibly imagine. Their religious beliefs go back to the Pharoahs...btw this is something you all might be interested in Joseph Smith founded the Mormon Church on freemasonry!... Its interesting what you learn on the Baptist Board and I can prove what I say and Freemasonry is Universal... Brother Glen

 

Eaglelives911 thanks for the site! There is none so blind as he who cannot see!... Brother Glen

 

http://www.baptistboard.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=24;t=000457;p=

 

Most of your Masons are just Blue Lodge Masons which is just 3 degrees. Most of these people do not know what they are in. The next steps is to become a 32nd degree, this is where it gets wild. Also you can tie the masons and the mormons together. By God's grace He showed me and brought me out this cult. If you are a child of God this is no place for you.

by His Grace
mike

 

I have a close family member that is a Mason. We often have talks about this "cult" and why he would continue to partake in it. In some of their "vows" there are parts in it that refer to "cutting out my tongue" if the person reveals a particular secret. When questioned about this, he just replied "well,...we don't REALLY mean it!"

May God bless you,
--Vicki