Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Can A Christian Be A Freemason? by Shaun Aisbitt

Freemasonry
Or
The Masonic Lodge

Known in America as:
Shriners
Or
The Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine
And in Northern Ireland as:
The Orange Lodge
Also associated with:
The Society of Oddfellows

The Masonic Lodge worldwide is a highly influential organization claiming some 23 million members. Masonic leaders argue the lodge is not a religion but merely a fraternal body that seeks to better society and also assist the Christian  church. It does this, they claim, by helping Christians become better members of  their own faith. The truth is that Masonry is a distinct religion that promotes  teachings incompatible with Christian faith in the areas of God, salvation, and other important doctrines. It is therefore inconsistent for any Christian to  swear the oaths of Masonry to uphold and support the Lodge when Masonry's own  ritual, doctrines, and impact in history have denied and opposed biblical  teaching.

Millions of men throughout the world, including six million Americans, look to  the Masonic Lodge for brotherhood and fellowship. They are proud to be part of  an organization that engages itself in worthwhile causes, such as children's  hospitals. Many of them feel strongly about the Masonic tenets of the Fatherhood  of God, the brotherhood of man, and the immortality of the soul. Masonry (or Freemasonry) claims to be the friend of Christianity, and yet it  contains doctrines that are contrary to biblical teaching. As unpleasant as it  may be, it is the obligation of the discerning Christian to point this out, both  for the sake of the hundreds of thousands of Christian Masons and for those who  might yet become Masons. The Masonic ritual (i.e., Masonry's ceremonial rites of  initiation that all Masons must pass through) of the First, Second, and Third  Degrees teach all Masons exactly what God condemns as a false gospel, namely  that a person is saved and goes to heaven as a result of his or her personal  character and good works. As all Christians know, the Bible places such a teaching under God's curse. Paul said in Galatians 1:8&9:

But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”

The Bible clearly teaches how a man is saved:


“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9. See also John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; Rom.3:28-29; 4:6; 11:6).


Proof of Masonry's false gospel can be found in standard "Monitors" the official textbooks containing authoritative Masonic ritual which are more or less uniform for each state. In the ritual, the Masonic symbol of the lambskin or white  leather apron is explained, in part, to each candidate as follows:


"The lamb has in all ages been deemed an emblem of innocence; he, therefore, who wears the lambskin as a badge of Masonry, is thereby continually reminded of  that purity of life and conduct, which is essentially necessary to his gaining  admission into the Celestial Lodge Above, where the Supreme Architect of the  Universe [God] presides" {Code Revision Committee, Masonic Manual of the Grand Lodge of Georgia, Free and Accepted Masons, 10th ed. (n.p.: Grand Lodge of the State of Georgia, 1983), pg.17.}

 
In the Second Degree (the Fellow Craft Degree) and elsewhere the candidate is instructed further in the importance of the lambskin as follows: "You are to wear it as an emblem of that purity of heart and conscience that is necessary to obtain for you the approval of the Grand Architect of the Universe”. Moreover, as even some Masonic authorities have admitted, Masonry has, in all, some 40 degrees implying or teaching its candidates salvation by personal merit.

Is Freemasonry a Religion?
Below are some quotes of leading Masons throughout it’s history:
 Albert Mackey: “Religion and Masonry are the purest form of Theism” (Masonic Lexicon)
Albert Pike: “Every Masonic lodge is a temple of religion, and its teachings are instructions in religion” (Morals and Dogma. Pg.213)
J.S.M.Ward: ”I consider Freemasonry is a sufficiently organized school of  mysticism to be entitled to be called a religion” (Freemasonry, Its Aims and Ideals. Pg. 185)
Frank C.Higgins: “It is true that Freemasonry is the parent of all religions” (Ancient Freemasonry. pg. 10)
Norman Vincent Peale: “I consider Masonry to be the purest form of religion on earth” (Masonic Monitor, May 1992 pg.17) {NB: Norman Vincent Peale was a 33rd Degree Freemason and held the title of “Worshipful Master”}
Degrees of Freemasonry
In this diagram are listed all the degrees. Only the Scottish Rite lists it’s degrees by number,  the York Rite designates it’s degrees by name. Only where there are differences in level titles I have included both York and Scottish.

Blue Lodge
1. Entered Apprentice
2. Fellow Craft
3. Master Mason
York Rite (Chapter Capitular Degrees)
Scottish Rite (Lodge of Perfection)
Mark Master 4. Secret Master
5. Perfect Master
6. Intimate Secretary
Past Master 7. Provost & Judge
8. Intendant of the Building
9. Elu of the Nine
10. Elu of the Fifteen
Most Excellent Master 11. Elu of the Twelve
12. Master Architect
13. Royal Arch of Solomon
Royal Arch Mason 14. Perfect Elu
Chapter Rose Croix
15. Knight of the East (or Sword)
Council (Cryptic degrees) 16. Prince of Jerusalem
Royal Master 17. Knight of the East & West
18. Knight Rose Croix
Council of Kadosh
19. Grand Pontiff
Select Master 20. Master of the Symbolic Lodge
21. Noachite (or Prussian) Knight
22. Knight of the Royal Axe
Super Excellent Master 23. Chief of the Tabernacle
Commandery (Chivalric Degrees) 24. Prince of the Tabernacle
25. Knight of the Brazen Serpent
26. Prince of Mercy
27. Knight Commander of the Temple
28. Knight of the Sun
Order of the Knights of Malta 29. Knight of St.Andrew
30. Knight Kadosh
Consistory
31. Inspector Inquisitor
Order of the Knights Templar 32. Master of the Royal Secret
Commandery 33. Active (or Honorary)
What Do Churches Say?
Interestingly, throughout Bible believing Christian churches, Freemasonry is warned against. Throughout Bible believing churches, Masonic converts are instructed to sever ties with Masonry and repent of worshiping at strange altars. Only ‘nominal’ or liberal churches worldwide don’t appear to care if their members are Masons. The Unitarian and Universalism cults almost encourage members to join. In the late 1990’s the Assemblies of God churches put together a 700 page report outlining their reasons for banning Freemasonry from among Christian Churches and distributed literature throughout churches in America to make people aware of the evils of Masonry. As a result many churches put together  papers stating why their members cannot be Christians as well as Masons. The Board of the Southern Baptists on the other hand have made being a member of Freemasonry a matter of conscience, (about 35% of Southern Baptists are Freemasons). The Roman Catholic church’s ban on Freemasonry was lifted by Papal decree on 25 Jan 1983, allowing members to join if they so wished.
‘First Day of Issue’ cover envelope from Vatican City announcing the ban on Freemasonry lifted by Papal decree
It is also estimated that roughly 30% of the Church of England members and leaders are Masons. The current Archbishop of Canterbury has come out against Freemasons and will not allow Masons to hold any high offices within the church (that is above Bishop!). This same Archbishop was ceremonially ordained and anointed a ‘High Druid’ in Wales on the day before his inaugural ceremony, such confusion!.

What Does Freemasonry Teach?
Masonry teaches that individuals may be saved by being good members of their respective religions, whether Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, or other. For example, Dr. Jim Tresner, director of the Masonic Leadership Institute, affirmed that Masonry ..leaves the member to devote himself to his own religious faith to receive salvation.” {Jim Tresner, Conscience and the Craft, The Scottish Rite Journal, February 1993, pg.23.}

The Masonic God
During the ritual, Masonry has its candidates swear that they believe in God, typically called the "Great Architect of the Universe." or G.A.O.T.U. It also informs them that all Masons are to bow before the sacred name of Deity, and explains that all Masons of every country, religion, and opinion are united in the belief that they have been created by one Almighty Parent. The question is, Is this Almighty Parent or Great Architect the God of the Masonic Lodge also the God of the Bible? The answer is clearly No.
In the "Masonic Bible," (published by the A. J. Holman Press), we are told this "Almighty Parent is the one true God that all men worship. This is so regardless of the name by which He is identified: Jehovah, Krishna, Buddha, Allah, or some other". The Masonic Bible is actually the King James Version bound with a special cover stamped with the Masonic insignia. In the front of this Bible there is a lengthy preface made up of articles concerning Masonry and the Bible. One of these articles is entitled, "The Great Light in Masonry," written by Masonic authority Joseph Fort Newton, who states:
"For Masonry knows, what so many forget, that religions are many, but religion is one, therefore, it [Masonry] invites to its altar men of all faiths, knowing that, if they use different names for 'the nameless one of a hundred names,' they are yet praying to the one God and Father of all" {Joseph Fort Newton, "The Great Light in Masonry" "The Words of a Great Masonic Divine: The Bible and Freemasonry, "The Holy Bible: The Great Light in Masonry (Nashville: A.J.Holman, 1940), pg.3&4.}

But when a Hindu prays to Vishnu or Shiva, is he really praying to Jesus? When a Muslim prays to Allah, is he really praying to Yahweh? When Buddhists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons pray, are they really praying to the same God the Christian prays to? The answer is no, because all their doctrines, beliefs and 'revelations' of their god or gods are diametrically opposed to the concept of God as revealed in the Bible.
Another Masonic authority, Carl H. Claudy, writes:
"The Mason must declare his faith in a Supreme Being before he may be initiated. But note that he is not required to say, then or ever, what God. He may name him as he will, think of him as he pleases; make him impersonal law or personal and anthropomorphic; Freemasonry cares not, God, Great Architect of the Universe, Grand Artificer, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge Above, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Vishnu, Shiva, or Great Geometer." {Carl H. Claudy, Introduction to Freemasonry, vol. 2 .Washington: The Temple, 1984, pg.110.}

And Carl H. Claudy also says elsewhere:
"Masonry does not specify any God of any creed; she requires merely that you believe in some Deity, give him what name you will. A belief in God is essential to a Mason, but any God will do, so long as he is your God." {Carl H. Claudy, "Belief in God" in "A Master's Wages," Little Masonic Library, vol.4 Richmond: Macoy Publishing, 1977, pg.32.}

Masonry therefore claims all people of varying faiths are really praying to the one true God, the universal Father of humankind, regardless of the name they give him. Nevertheless, this "Almighty Parent" of Masonry is a different God than Christianity teaches, a fact conceded by both Masonic sympathizers as well as Masons themselves. This is the ‘public face’ that Masonry gives of the god it worships. In his encyclopaedia on Masonry, Masonic authority  Henry Wilson Coil refers to the Christian's Biblical God as "a partisan, tribal God" and implies that such a God concept is far inferior to the God of Masonry, which is: "A boundless, eternal, universal, undenominational, and international, Divine Spirit, so vastly removed from the speck called man, that He cannot be known,  named, or approached. So soon as man begins to laud his God and endow him with the most perfect human attributes, such as justice, mercy, beneficence, etc., the Divine essence is depreciated and despoiled. The Masonic test  [for membership] is a Supreme Being, and any qualification added is an innovation and distortion." {Henry Wilson Coil, Coil's Masonic Encyclopaedia. New York:Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply, 1961,pg. 516 & 517).

Coil even admits that "monotheism violates Masonic principles, for it requires belief in a specific kind of Supreme Deity" {Ibid. pg. 517}. Of course, at this point Coil has just excluded the God of biblical teaching and Christian faith for being too specific despite the fact that he has ascribed a specific doctrine of God (eternal, unknowable, etc.) to Masonry.
Albert Pike, Masonry’s ‘Theologian’ and writer of the standard work of Freemasonry ‘Morals & Dogma’ held simultaneously the offices of Grandmaster of  the Central Directory of Washington, Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of  Charleston and Sovereign Pontiff of Universal Freemasonry. As a Masonic authority he also denies the Christian's Biblical view of God. He argues that:
"If our conceptions of God are those of the ignorant, narrow minded, and vindictive Israelite, we feel that it is an affront and an indignity to God." {Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Charleston, SC: Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1927, pg.223}

Anyone who has ever read what Albert Pike and other Masons have taught about God in the higher degrees of Masonry knows that the God of Masonry has nothing whatever to do with the God of the Bible. For example, Pike categorized the Biblical Christian view of God as "a false god and an idol" when he wrote that:
"Every religion and every conception of God is idolatrous, insofar as it is imperfect, and as it substitutes a feeble and temporary idea in the shrine of that Undiscoverable Being of Masonry." {Ibid.516}

One of the disturbing ceremonies of the entrance to the ‘Royal Arch Degree’ is when the candidate is asked “Brother Inspector, what are you?”. To which the candidate must reply “I Am that I Am”. Why is this disturbing? Read the reply God gives to Moses in Exodus 3:14:- “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” When the Israelites heard the Divine Name they knew Moses was sent from God. When Jesus said He was the I AM in John 8:58 the Pharasees picked up stones to kill Him. Why? because He was claiming to be God, “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.”. Jesus claim to Deity wasn’t a lie, He was, is, and always will be God, and there is no other who can say they are the “I AM” except God. So Masonry makes a candidate to the Royal Arch Degree claim he is God? Very disturbing and not a title any real Christian or Jew could ever claim.
{As a side note, some false religious teachers like Shirley McClaine and ‘pseudo christians’ like Robert Schuller (who incidently is a 33rd degree freemason),  Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn all encourage the chanting of a mantra saying “I AM” and believing we are a God, equal in all ways to Jesus. This is a serious matter and I wouldn’t include it unless I could back it up so here’s the evidence:
Kenneth Copeland says: When I read in the Bible where He says, "I AM I just smile and say, Yes, I AM, too." Believers Voice of Victory broadcast July 9 1987
Benny Hinn says: Don't tell me you have Jesus. You are everything He was and everything He is and ever shall be..... Don't say, 'I have.' Say "I AM, I AM, I AM, I AM, I AM". (Our Position in Christ #2-The Word Made Flesh audiotape Side 2 1991)}
If Masonry rejects the God of Christianity, how can it logically claim to be the true friend of Christian faith? to say that it is a friend of the Christian faith is a bare faced lie. Further, if it offers an unknowable, unapproachable, and undiscoverable God beyond the different concepts of God found in other religions, how can it appropriately or logically ask the men of those religions to join its local lodges? Masonry does this because it seeks to develop a worldwide religious brotherhood beyond the sectarian religious beliefs of humankind. To further this goal it must, at one level, accept all religions, while simultaneously pointing and leading to a "higher" truth beyond separatist religion, a truth that is capable of uniting all men in a common universal brotherhood, that is, the fraternity of Masonry. Masonry therefore encourages all members of different religions to pray to and worship their own respective gods: Brahma, Krishna, Allah, Buddha, Jehovah, Vishnu, Jesus, and so forth. This is the means by which Masonry can appeal to the members of all the different religions in the world and attempt to unite them in a universal "common brotherhood."

But then Masons cannot possibly all be praying to the same God because all these gods are different in nature and in what they expect of humans (if they expect anything). In other words, the Masonic doctrine of the spiritual "Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of man" is only valid if there is some larger God beyond the contradictory lesser gods that people worship. On the one hand Masonry claims it is an organization of tolerance that accepts the different religions of all people; on the other hand, it offers a supreme God that is supposedly the one true God that all people are really praying to, who is beyond the inferior, primitive concepts of individual religion whether Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist, or any other.

At whatever level Masonry approaches God, however, its theology presents irresolvable conflicts for the Christian. If the Christian God is merely an
inferior and false concept, then Masonry denies that the God of the Bible is the one true God. Further, if Masonry points Christians to an unknowable "Almighty Parent beyond all religion", then it encourages Masons to worship a false god, and this is idolatry. This violates the first commandment in which God warned His people, "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus. 20:4 & Deut.13:1&5). Another interesting point Christians have noted is how the name of Jesus is not allowed to be mentioned in prayers, and His Deity is denied.
At the 28th Masonic degree the Mason cannot advance further unless he swears an oath to turn his back on any of his previous religious beliefs and call them pagan superstitions. Again one must ask "Is Freemasonry the friend of Christianity it claims to be?" The answer is a definite and resounding "NO".

A Small Sampling of Masonic Secret Oaths:
As Freemasonry is a secret society with its secret rituals and symbols, many of their doctrines and beliefs are hidden and revealed only to those who are worthy enough and have reached the higher degrees of 30+. Many of the teachings are not recorded, but passed on from mouth to mouth and are memorized. The long held secret of the god whom the Masons worship, began to surface only within the last decade. The reason for this is that Masons swear they will have their tongue ripped out and their entrails spilled if they reveal any of the secrets of the craft. Here is an example of an Entered Apprentice’s Oath:
"I [NAME] of my own free will and accord. in the presence of Almighty God and this Worshipful Lodge, erected to Him and dedicated to the Holy Saint John. Do hereby and hereon most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear that I will always hail, ever conceal, and never reveal any of the secret arts, parts, or points of the hidden mysteries of Ancient Freemasonry. which have been heretofore, may at this time, or shall at any future period be communicated to me as such, to any person or persons whomsoever, except it be a true and lawful brother Mason, or within a regularly constituted Lodge of Masons. and neither unto him or them, until by strict trial, due examination, or legal information I shall have found him or them lawfully entitled to the same as I am myself. I furthermore promise and swear that I will not. write, print, paint, stamp, stain, cut, carve, make, nor engrave them, nor cause the same to be done upon anything movable or immovable, capable of receiving the least impression of a word, syllable, letter or character, whereby the same may become legible or intelligible to any person under the canopy of heaven, and the secrets of  Freemasonry be thereby unlawfully obtained through my unworthiness. To all of  this I most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, with a firm and steadfast resolution to keep and perform the same without any equivocation, mental  reservation, or secret evasion of mind whatever, binding myself under no less a penalty than that of having my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by its roots and buried in rough sands of the sea at low water mark where tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours, should I ever knowingly or willingly violate this my solemn oath or obligation as an Entered Apprentice Mason. So help me God, and keep me stead­fast in the due performance of the same.”
(Duncan, Masonic Ritual and Monitor pg 35-36).


The Master Mason’s Oaths include these vows: I furthermore promise and swear, that I will stand to and abide by all laws, rules and regulations of the Master Mason’s Degree, and of the lodge of which I may hereafter become a member as far as the same shall come to my knowledge; and that I will ever maintain and support the constitution, laws, and edicts under which the same shall be holden. Further, that I will acknowledge and obey all the signs and summonses sent to me from a Master Masons’ Lodge, or given me by a brother of that degree. Further, that I will keep a worthy brother master mason’s secrets inviolable, when communicated to and received by me as such, murder and treason excepted. Binding myself, under no less penalty than that of having my body severed in two, my bowels taken from thence and burned to ashes, the ashes scattered before the four winds of heaven, that no more remembrance might be had of so vile and wicked a wretch as I would be, should I ever, knowingly violate this my Master Mason’s obligation. So help me God. (Duncan, Masonic Ritual and Monitor pg.95-95)
An Excerpt taken from the Initiation of the 10th  Degree of the Scottish Rite: I do promise and swear on the Holy Bible to keep exactly in my heart all the secrets that shall be revealed to me. And in failure of this my obligation , I consent to having my body opened perpendicularly, and to be exposed for eight hours in the open air, that the venomous flies may eat of my entrails, my head be cut off and put on the highest pinnacle of the world, and I will always be ready to inflict the same punishment on those who shall disclose this degree and break this obligation. So may God help and maintain me. Amen. (Blanchard. Scottish Rite Masonry Illustrated, Vol .1. Pg 196)
NB: During the above initiation ceremony, a dagger (or poniard) is pointed at the chin and drawn down the chest to the waist as if the abdomen was being ripped open to symbolise the seriousness of the oath.
From the 17th Degree initiation of the Scottish Rite: I ____________ do promise and solemnly swear and declare in the awful presence of the Only One Most Holy Puissant Almighty and Most Merciful Grand Architect of Heaven and Earth that I will never reveal to any person whomsoever below me  the secrets of this degree which is now to be communicated to me, under the penalty of not only being dishonoured, but to consider my life as immediate forfeiture, and that to be taken from me with all the torture and pains to be inflicted in manner as I have consented to in the preceding degrees. (Blanchard. Scottish Rite Masonry Illustrated, Vol .1. Pg 448)
NB: During this ritual a skull is placed on a blood stained cloth and the Initiate is told this: “The skull is the image of a brother who is excluded from a Lodge or Council. The cloth stained with blood, that we should not hesitate to spill ours for the good of Masonry”.
From the 18th Degree of the Scottish initiation Rite: I ___________ do solemnly and sincerely promise and swear under the penalty of all my former obligations which I have taken in the preceding degrees, never to reveal directly or indirectly, the secrets or mysteries of  this degree under the penalty of being forever deprived of the true word, to be perpetually in darkness, my blood continually from my body, to suffer without intermission the cruel remorse of soul; that the bitterest gall, mixed with vinegar, be my constant drink; the sharpest thorns for my pillow and that the death of the cross may complete my punishment should I ever infringe or violate in any manner or form the laws and rules which have been, are now, or may be hereafter made known or prescribed to me. And I do furthermore swear, promise and engage on my sacred word of honour, to observe and obey all the decrees which may be transmitted to me by the Grand Inspectors General in Supreme Council of the thirty third degree. So help me God and keep me steadfast in this my solemn obligation, Amen. (Blanchard. Scottish Rite Masonry Illustrated, Vol .1. Pg 473)
NB: For this oath the candidate kneels on the step to the altar with his right hand on a Bible or whatever holy book he chooses (Koran, Vedas, Teachings of Buddha etc.)
Excerpt from the 30th Degree initiation rite of the Scottish Rite: I ____________ of my own free will and accord, do solemnly and sincerely promise and swear to keep faithful the secrets of the sublime degree of Knights Kadosh and strictly to obey the statutes of the order. All of which I promise to do, under the penalty of death. So help me God. (Blanchard. Scottish Rite Masonry Illustrated, Vol .2. Pg 269-270)
NB: During this initiation the Grand Provost of Justice holds the point of his sword to the heart of the candidate who is taking the oath. He then says:
When your rashness prompted you to enter this awful sanctuary, you were no doubt informed of the danger which threatened you, and of the trials which still await you. Swear therefore, upon your word of honour, never to reveal what you have seen or heard hitherto. Forget not that the slightest indiscretion will cost your life. Are you still willing to proceed?” (Blanchard. Scottish Rite Masonry Illustrated, Vol .2. Pg 275)

The True god or gods of Freemasonry
The secret name for the god of the Freemasons is “Jahbulon” or “Yahbulon”. This is a compound name taken from “Jehovah or Yahweh” the Christian God, “Bul” from the ancient pagan fertility god “Baal” and “On” from the ancient Egyptian god "Osiris". Albert Pike let ‘the cat out of the bag in his secret instructions for 30th 31st and 32nd degree Freemasons:
That which we must say to the crowd is - We worship a God, but it is the God one adores without superstition. To you, Sovereign Grand Inspectors General, we say  this, that you may repeat it to the Brethren of the 32nd, 31st, and 30th degrees - the Masonic religion should be, by all us initiates of the high degrees, maintained in the purity of the Lucifererian doctrine. If Lucifer were not God, would Adonay (The God of the Christians) whose deeds prove his cruelty, perfidy, and hatred of man, barbarism and repulsion for science, would Adonay and his priests calumniate him? Yes, Lucifer is God and unfortunately Adonay is also God. For the eternal law is that there is no light without shade, no beauty without ugliness, no white without black, for the absolute can only exist as two Gods: darkness being necessary to light to serve as its foil as the pedestal is necessary to the statue, and the brake to the locomotive. In analogical and universal dynamics one can only lean on that which will resist. Thus the universe is balanced by two forces which maintain its equilibrium: the force of attraction and that of repulsion. These two forces exist in physics, philosophy and religion. And the scientific reality of the divine dualism is demonstrated by the phenomena of polarity and by the universal law of sympathies and antipathies. That is why intelligent disciples of Zoroaster, as well as, after them, the Gnostics, the Manicheans and the Templars have admitted, as the only logical metaphysical conception, the system of two divine principals fighting eternally, and one cannot believe the one inferior in power to the other. Thus, the doctrine of Satanism is a heresy; and the true and philosophic religion is the belief in Lucifer, the equal Adonay; but Lucifer, God of Light and God of Good, is struggling for humanity against Adonay, the God of Darkness and Evil.
This pretty much shows that the Freemasonry doesn’t hold to the doctrine of the Trinity, and believe in a dualistic god / devil balance of power in the
universe, like the pagan Gnosticism. Also since Lucifer or Satan is nothing more than a created and fallen angel according to the Bible, it appears freemasonry elevates him to godhood, worshipping and calling the Devil 'God'. Again remember this isn't an opinion, it comes from the Masonic Authority Albert Pike himself.

Sample ‘PublicOaths
This is the first degree charge, an oath that the public are allowed to see and believe the Masons to be a normal fraternal organization. Masons don’t mind this oath being seen by the public, but compare it to the blood curdling secret oaths listed above. This clearly shows the deception that Freemasonry is willing to foist on the unsuspecting public in order to make themselves appear to be nothing but a fraternal and
beneficial men’s organisation.

Brother __________, as you are now introduced into the first principals of Masonry, we congratulate you on being accepted into the ancient and honourable fraternity; ancient as having existed from time immemorial; and honouring as tending in every particular so to render all men who will be conformable to its precepts. No institution was ever raised on a better principal or more solid foundation, nor were ever more excellent rules and useful maxims laid down, than are inculcated in several Masonic lectures. The greatest and best of men in all ages, have been promoters and encouragers of the art, and they have never deemed it derogatory to their dignity to level themselves with the fraternity, extend their privileges and patronise their assemblies. There are three great duties, which as a Mason, you are charged to inculcate; to God, to your neighbour and to yourself. To God in never mentioning His name, but that reverential awe which is due from a creature to his creator, to implore his aid in all your laudable undertakings, and to esteem him as the chief good; to your neighbour in acting upon the square, and doing unto him as you wish he would do unto you; and to yourself, in avoiding all irregularity and intemperance which may impair your faculties or debase the dignity of your profession. A zealous attachment to these duties will insure public and private esteem. In the state you are to be a quiet and peaceful subject, true to your government and just to your country. You are not to countenance disloyalty or rebellion, but patiently submit to legal authority and conform with cheerfulness to the government of the country in which you live. In your outward demeanour, be particularly careful to avoid censure and reproach. Although your frequent appearance at our regular meetings is earnestly solicited, yet it is not meant that Masonry should interfere with your necessary vocation, for these are on no account to be neglected, neither are you to suffer your zeal for the institution to lead you into argument with those who through ignorance may ridicule it. At your leisure hours, that you may improve in Masonic knowledge, you are to converse with well-informed brethren, who will always be as ready to give as you will be to receive instruction. Finally, keep sacred and inviolable the mysteries of the fraternity, as these are to distinguish you from the rest of the community and mark your consequences among Masons. If, in the circle of your acquaintances you find a person desirous of being initiated into Masonry, be particularly attentive not to recommend him unless you are convinced he will conform to our rules, that the honour, glory and reputation of the institution may be firmly established and the world at large convinced of its good effects.”

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