Freemasonry- Can a Christian be a mason?

[Jam]

crosses were first used by the early chruch. not by some recent thing., in pompeii they have found crosses on the walls of homes. pompeii was leveled before the fall of jerusalem and paul may be alive to see it.

How does the recency of symbolism affect whether or not it is sinful?

no the masons did in the past and do pray to the god they call jeshballon( the all seing eye) and on/horus and osirus .

"Non-Masonic authors, especially those with an anti-masonic attitude, have alleged that [Jahbulon] is a Masonic name for God, and even the name of a unique "Masonic God", despite repeated statements by Freemasonry's officials that "There is no separate Masonic God", nor a separate proper name for a deity in any branch of Freemasonry.[1][2] It is this interpretation of a "Masonic God" that has led to debates about and condemnation of Freemasonry by several religious groups. In England, no ritual containing the name has been in official Masonic use since February 1989.[3]"
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahbulon, (--> November 2011)

 

[jasoncran]

read the tos post the link or be given an infraction. non masonic authors? really so the mastermason who verified that and the host of the what is free masonry lied?

each of them had at least 30 yrs in that.

and you do realise that that pic isnt old. i got that a few days ago with the all seing eye.

still made for the aprons and also what not. so who is decieving then if its not since 1989?

 

[jasoncran]

btw the highlighted links are too wikipedia and thus unreliable as that isnt from any masonic sites.

people lie and put whatever they want to on wikipedia. thus why colleges dont let one use them.

 

[Jam]

read the tos post the link or be given an infraction.

My apologies - I assume you were referring to Term 2.7? I've edited my post to provide the link.

non masonic authors? really so the mastermason who verified that and the host of the what is free masonry lied?

each of them had at least 30 yrs in that.

I am not denying that some Freemasons refer to God as Jahbulon; rather, I am arguing that the word does not refer to a "different god" and that its use is not required by Masons.

and you do realise that that pic isnt old. i got that a few days ago with the all seing eye.

still made for the aprons and also what not. so who is decieving then if its not since 1989?

To what picture are you referring..? You did not answer my question about the relationship between the recency of symbolism and its apparent "sinfulness", by the way.

btw the highlighted links are too wikipedia and thus unreliable as that isnt from any masonic sites.

people lie and put whatever they want to on wikipedia. thus why colleges dont let one use them.

A common misunderstanding: it is absurd to conclude that information is unreliable simply because it is from Wikipedia.
Many colleges do allow the referencing of Wikipedia, although it is true that some frown upon it.
It is not easy for people to just "put whatever they want" onto Wikipedia: it is moderated and, more importantly, if you look at the information that I posted, it is also sourced!

If you wish to dismiss the information that I have posted, then might I suggest that you actually evaluate the sources instead of simply saying "Wikipedia therefore false"? A sweeping generalisation is a logical fallacy.

Also, could it not be considered somewhat hypocritical to dismiss adequately sourced information for being unreliable without assessing the sources and then expect others to accept your own (unsourced) "hearsay" as reliable information?

 

[theLords]

Address issues not people.

 

[jesus4life]

Can a duck be a whale?? The question is almost too easy. People will always look further than what they need to.

If someone calls themselves two different things, just wait for when it becomes one thing. People usually have to test things before they make decisions. It's normal. Patience is the best thing.

Definitely it's the time to preach through action. Be the change you want him to see.

jesus4life

 

[Fedusenko]

The easiest reason that a Christian can not be a Mason is because it requires you to protect fellow masons above all else upon pain of death. It allows people of any faith to join, but does not care if the fraternity requires you to break the principles of that faith. Therefore, Masonry becomes a god over YHWH, which is not Christian.

You can find this information in the initiation rituals of the first degree. There is enough literature in both print and on web to confirm this. Be careful, you might lose your bowls and tongue.

 

[Fedusenko]

B-O-A-Z

 

[lw9]

Basically, Freemasonry defines a god [TGAOTU], and it’s this god who they claim sits over and above all religions, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam alike. Masons offer their prayers and worship to this god, and they claim their teachings to be a 'light' and a path of truth. While Freemasons adamantly proclaim their organization is not a religion, they practice a form of religious universalism which states that all gods are one. No matter how anyone views it, though, it cannot be reconciled with God’s word and is completely incompatible with Christianity. By accepting all gods, all paths, all ‘lights’, and all ‘truths’ of all religions, Freemasonry denies Jesus Christ. The links below are pro-Freemason sites, meaning they are written by and for Freemasons and are not anti-Freemason sites.

Membership in Freemasonry requires belief in 'a' god - doesn't matter which one:

Source: http://www.stjameslodge47.org/freemasonry.htm
What are the qualifications to become a Mason?
We're proud of our philosophy and practice of "making good men better." Therefore, only men of the age of 21 or older and of high character are considered for membership. Every applicant must state his belief in the existence of a Supreme Being. Atheists are not accepted into our fraternity.

The god of Freemasonry - called 'The Great Architect of the Universe' - is defined as every god, which is why it doesn't matter which god a person believes in. They're all considered one and the same:

Source: http://www.masonicinfo.com/preparation.htm
“He may be to you God or Jehovah or Adonai or Buddha or Allah . . . it makes no difference to Freemasons by what Name you call Him, so there is within you the humble acknowledgement that you are a creature of His, and that He reigns over the heavens and the earth.â€

Source: http://www.masonicinfo.com/quotes.htm
“It teaches that it is important for every man to have a religion of his own choice and to be faithful to it in thought and action. As a result, men of different religions meet in fellowship and brotherhood under the fatherhood of God. “

Source: http://www.jal350.org/about_masons.htm
The Supreme Being. Masons believe that there is one God and that people employ many different ways to seek, and to express what they know of God. Masonry primarily uses the appellation, "Grand Architect of the Universe," and other non-sectarian titles, to address the Deity. In this way, persons of different faiths may join together in prayer, concentrating on God, rather than differences among themselves. Masonry believes in religious freedom and that the relationship between the individual and God is personal, private, and sacred.

Source: http://www.masonicinfo.com/preparation.htm
Preparation for initiation
“So you asked a friend, whom you knew to be a Freemason, how to proceed. He gave you a petition to fill out and sign. You were asked to declare your belief in God, and probably your friend explained to you that "God" here means the Supreme Architect of the Universe, call Him by what name you will.â€

It's this false communal god that Freemasons offer their worship and prayers to:

Source: http://www.jal350.org/about_masons.htm
The Supreme Being. Masons believe that there is one God and that people employ many different ways to seek, and to express what they know of God. Masonry primarily uses the appellation, "Grand Architect of the Universe," and other non-sectarian titles, to address the Deity. In this way, persons of different faiths may join together in prayer, concentrating on God, rather than differences among themselves.

Some people are fooled by the presence of a Bible on the altar. The truth is that ALL 'Holy Books' of all religions are considered to contain revealed truths from the 'one god'. The 'Book' is completely interchangeable depending on the predominant religion of the members.

Source: http://www.mastersjewel.com/masons/ea/EA07.htm
The Holy Writings occupy the central place in our lodges. At installation, the installing Officer admonishes the newly appointed Chaplain as follows: “That Holy Book which adorns our sacred altar is the great light in Masonry and forever sheds its benignant rays upon every lawful assemblage of Free and Accepted Masons"

So you are charged to regard the Volume of the Sacred Law as the great light in your profession, to consider it as the unerring standard of truth and justice; and to regulate your actions by the divine precepts it contains. These virtues point out an ideal, which leads us to welcome as applicants, men of every sect and creed which glorifies the Great Architect of the Universe. Thus, the divisions, which might otherwise separate man from man, are done away with in Masonry. The Word of God may come through the New or Old Testament, the Talmud, the Koran, and each, in particular areas of the world, is used as the Great Light.

Source: http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/mckenna.html
There is room in Masonic law to use different sacred books, eg [if the majority of the brethren are Islamic] if a Brother of the Lodge or a visitor is of the Islamic Faith, the Koran will also be open on the pedestal, and if Jewish then the first part of the Bible or the Old Testament. The rule is simple - the sacred book on which we seal our oaths must be sacred to the particular Brother...

Souce: http://www.jal350.org/about_masons.htm
Volume of the Sacred Law. An open volume of the Sacred Law, "the rule and guide of life," is an essential part of every Masonic meeting. The Volume of the Sacred Law in the Judeo/Christian tradition is the Bible; to Freemasons of other faiths, it is the book held holy by them.

Blessings to you all.

 

[Mike S]

Hi. welcome to CF!


As to your post, if you don't like freemasonry, don't join. I'm a mason, have been for many years, and it involves nothing that conflicts with my strong, traditional Christian faith.

 

[lw9]

mark -

The OP is asking a valid question, and I'm just posting the facts as Freemasons themselves have presented them. I have yet to run across any Masonic literature or websites that contradict or reject the main points I presented. Facts are facts, and everyone should compare to scripture and decide for themselves.

 

[Fedusenko]

Mark, can you explain Tubal-Cain?

 

[Mike S]

mark -

The OP is asking a valid question, and I'm just posting the facts as Freemasons themselves have presented them. I have yet to run across any Masonic literature or websites that contradict or reject the main points I presented. Facts are facts, and everyone should compare to scripture and decide for themselves.

Every one of the links in your post contradicts the points you've made, yet you choose to interpret them otherwise.

God is referred to as the grand architect of the universe because "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Describing God that way is not a rejection of Christian theology.

You may feel that Christianity doesn't permit you to associate yourself with men of other faiths for the purposes of fraternity or charity or the promotion of brotherly love, but, I can assure you that I, and millions of Christian freemasons around the world, disagree.

So, can a Christian be a mason? Yes.

 

[Mike S]

Mark, can you explain Tubal-Cain?

In my experience in masonry, Tubal Cain is just another in a cast of characters used in our degrees, which are similar to acted out parables for the purpose of teaching lessons of morality. He's referred to as the first known artificer, or worker of metals.

 

[Fedusenko]

Thank you, Mark. Can you supply more information regarding Tubal-Cain? How is he regarded? Why is he regarded in this way? "No," is an acceptable answer.

 

[Mike S]

Thank you, Mark. Can you supply more information regarding Tubal-Cain? How is he regarded? Why is he regarded in this way? "No," is an acceptable answer.

Tubal Cain is just a worker on Solomon's Temple, in our degrees. He isn't regarded in any other way than as an honorable and skilled builder.

Our degree work is loosely based on the building of Solomon's Temple, and isn't necessarily historically accurate in the characters involved, or the timing of things. The purpose of the degrees is to teach lessons of moratily and integrity, and we reference building Soloman's Temple as well as a "house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" as things built with precision to detail and holy in their purpose. We work on building our own lives with the same attention to precision and holiness. It's why we use the actual builder's tools of square, plumb and compasses as metaphorical building tools for development of our character.

This is all metaphorical, including the oaths and penalties.

 

[Mike]

Numerous posts were deleted that had very little to do with the topic.

Soooo...

totopic

 

[abide]

I have a neighbor (we will call him Al) and good friend that has become a mason, and now his 18 year old son wants to join as well. Al says that he is a Christian, and his children attended Christian schools. I have talked to Al about his decision to become involved with Freemasonry, and that it is not good. He says that they teach that you must believe in God, and that the things they do are all about God. I find that hard to believe. What does everyone else think?

The devil believe there is a God...so what The masonic lodge is an evil institution and it cannot be compatible with Christianity. It has a religious front and that is all.

http://www.ephesians5-11.org/gllink.htm

http://saintsalive.com/resourcelibrary/freemasonry/facts-about-the-masonic-lodge

My father-in-law was a mason..

 

[Carys]

From experience. My Grandfather is a mason. He is a 'good man' that is seeking after God. He enjoys going to Church. But he is almost INCAPABLE of accepting Christ as God. Everything that freemasonry has taught him denies that Christ is the only way to salvation - it promotes a mixture of salvation through works and 'magic' stuff.

We cannot judge the heart of the freemason. I think to say whether they are 'Christian or not' is a bit of a useless question. Only God knows that. But can we tell our confessing brothers and sisters to reject it? Of course. It in no way builds up a believers faith, and directly removes Christ from the centre.

If the aim of this post is to ask: 'Can I tell him not to be a freemason?'. Then yes you can, as much as you can tell him not to become a Mormon

 

[progman]

I have been a Freemason for 21 years or so and belong to the Swedish Rite which only accepts Christians as members. I can only speak for myself when I say that if anything, freemasonry have brought me closer to Christ. Of course you find good Christians among other rites as well. Masonry is in essence a question of showing respect and brotherly love towards fellow man...not passing judgement on others (John 8:7 anyone?). I leave judgement to God as I'm not one myself...

Masonry in itself doesn't guarantee salvation. It all boils down to your own personal relationship with Christ.