GOD
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Freemasonry
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Christianity
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Bible
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Offensive terms such as ‘Jah-Bul-On,’ the so-called
secret name of God, are used. Masonic writer Albert Pike, in his Book of
the Words, explained the first two syllables of the secret name in his
discussion of the old French rituals: “This is probably Jabulum, incorrectly
copied; which, as I have shown, meant ‘the product of, that which proceeded,
issued or emanated from Om.’ If correctly written, it is compounded of . . . Yu
or Yah-u . . . Baal or Bal or Bel, and Om, thus combining the names of the
Hebrew, Phoenician and Hindu Deities, to indicate that they are in reality the
same. In some old rituals it is Jabulum.” 1
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Christianity rejects all pagan deities as false
gods and goddesses. The idea that followers of Om or Baal worshiped the true
God of the Bible but knew Him by a different name is false. No pagan deity is a
representation of the God of the Bible. The differences between the God of the
Bible and the pagan deities are far greater and significant than the name used
to refer to God. No Christian should have any part in a ritual that honors or
glorifies a pagan deity.
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Exodus 20:4: "You shall not make
for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth
beneath or in the waters below."
Deuteronomy 7:25: "The images of their gods you are to burn in
the fire."
Deuteronomy 11:16: "Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn
away and worship other gods and bow down to them."
Psalms 81:9: "You shall have no foreign god among you; you
shall not bow down to an alien god."
Isaiah 42:8: "I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give
my glory to another or my praise to idols."
1 John 5:21: "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols."
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OATHS
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Freemasonry
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Christianity
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Bible
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Rituals that contain excessive oaths are used. The
obligation sworn by the Entered Apprentice: “All this I most solemnly and
sincerely promise and swear, . . . binding myself under no less penalty than
that of having my throat cut from ear to ear, my tongue torn out by its roots,
and buried in the sands of the sea, at low water mark, where the tide ebbs and
flows twice in twenty-five hours, should I, in the least, knowingly or
wittingly violate or transgress this my Entered Apprentice obligation.”
The Fellow Craft degree candidate promises: “All
this I most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, . . . binding myself
under no less penalty than that of having my left breast torn open, my heart
plucked from thence, and given to the beast of the field and the birds of the
air as prey, should I, in the least, knowingly or wittingly, violate or
transgress this my Fellow Craft obligations.”
The Master Mason swears: “All this I most solemnly
and sincerely promise and swear, . . . binding myself under no less penalty
than that of having my body severed in two, my bowels torn from thence and
burned to ashes, and these scattered before the four winds of heaven, that no
more remembrance might be had among men or Masons of so vile a wretch as I
should be, should I, in the least, knowingly or wittingly violate or transgress
this my Master Mason obligation. So help me God and keep me steadfast.”
2
Some Masons claim that these oaths are not taken
seriously by candidates today.
| The Bible warns against making excessive oaths. Therefore, Christians should
avoid the kind of oaths found in Freemasonry, which are far worse than the
oaths warned against in the New Testament. Christians should let their “yes” be
“yes” and their “no” mean “no.”
Christians should take all oaths seriously and not
give any oaths rashly.
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Leviticus 5:4: "Or if a person
thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil—in any matter
one might carelessly swear about—even though he is unaware of it, in any case
when he learns of it he will be guilty."
Matthew 5:34-37: "But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either
by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or
by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your
head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’
be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil
one."
James 5:12: "Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by
heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “no,”
no, or you will be condemned."
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JESUS CHRIST
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Freemasonry
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Christianity
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Bible
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Many of the recommended readings for advanced
degrees contain pagan and occultic teachings. Several of these Masonic writers
deny the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. For example, Rex Hutchens wrote: “The
purpose of teaching the concept of a Messiah in Freemasonry is to point out its
near universality in the well–developed religions of the ancient world. We see
references to Dionysius of the Greeks, Sosiosch of the Persians, Krishna of the
Hindus, Osiris of the Egyptians, Jesus of the Christians. The purpose of these
varying cultures’ messiahs was to find in human form a source of intercession
with Deity; in particular one who, as a human, had been tempted and suffered
the daily pangs of life and so could be expected to possess a particular
sympathy and understanding; in a word, the messiahs expressed hope.”
3
In addition, some of these writers confuse false
pagan beliefs with the teaching of Christianity. For example, Albert Pike
confused the Christian Trinity with the Hindu Universal Soul: “Behold the True
Masonic Trinity; the Universal Soul, the Thought in the Soul, the Word, or
Thought expressed; the Three In One, of a Trinitarian Ecossais.”
4
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The comparison of Jesus to the pagan deities
Dionysius, Sosiosch, and Osiris denigrates the deity of Jesus Christ. The words
of Hebrews 2:18 apply to Jesus and Jesus alone. The Bible teaches that Jesus is
unique. He is not just one messiah among many.
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is the belief
that there is only one God. Yet, the one God is three distinct Persons: God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three have distinct
personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. The
“Masonic Trinity” is a complete misrepresentation of the Christian belief. To
compare the Triune God of Christianity with Hindu deities is blasphemous.
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Hebrews 2:18: "Because he himself
suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being
tempted."
John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life."
Acts 4:12: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no
other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
1 Timothy 2:5: "For there is one God and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord
is one."
Matthew 28:19: "Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit."
Mark 1:9-11: "At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee
and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the
water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a
dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am
well pleased.”
Acts 1:7-8: "He said to them: “It is not for you to know the
times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.”
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SALVATION BY WORKS
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Freemasonry
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Christianity
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Bible
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Many writings of Freemasonry teach that salvation
is at least partially dependent upon good works. In commenting on the Christian
interpretation of the Blue degrees in Freemasonry, Pike wrote: “Notwithstanding
the death of the Redeemer, man can be saved only by faith, repentance, and
reformation. Having repented and reformed and bound himself to the service of
God by a firm promise and obligation, the light of Christian hope shines down
into the darkness of the heart of the humble penitent, and blazes upon his
pathway to Heaven. And this is symbolized by the candidate’s being brought to
light, after he is obligated, by the Worshipful Master, who in that is a symbol
of the Redeemer, and so brings him the light, with the help of the brethren, as
He taught the Word with the aid of the Apostles.” 5 Likewise, in
concerning the 31st degree, Hutchens stated: “The candidate is brought into the
Court of the Dead to be judged for actions while living and to determine if he
deserves to dwell among the
gods.” 6
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The teaching that meritorious deeds can make one
acceptable to God is false. There is no deed that will make one acceptable to
God. Only the grace of God that
comes through faith in Jesus Christ can save a sinner from the judgment of sin.
This saving grace of God is incompatible with any form of works as a
requirement for salvation.
The teaching that salvation is in some way dependent upon good works gives
people a false hope that they may be found to be acceptable to God apart from
personal faith in Jesus Christ.
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Romans 3:27-28: "Where, then, is
boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No,
but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart
from observing the law."
Romans 4:4-5: "Now when a man works, his wages are not
credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does
not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as
righteousness."
Romans 11:6: "And if by grace, then it is no longer by works;
if it were, grace would no longer be grace."
Ephesians 2:8-9: "For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works,
so that no one can boast."
Titus 3:5: "He saved us, not because of righteous things we
had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth
and renewal by the Holy Spirit."
Galatians 5:4: "You who are trying to be justified by law have
been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace."
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INCLUSIVISM
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Freemasonry
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Christianity
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Bible
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The teaching that followers of non-Christian
religions will also go to heaven is prominent in Freemasonry. This belief is
known as inclusivism. Inclusivism denies that faith in Jesus Christ is the only
way of salvation.
Freemasonry holds out the promise of salvation to
all worthy Masons, regardless of the deity they worship. The Muslim or Hindu
member of the lodge is on the same spiritual level as the believer in Jesus
Christ. According to Hutchens, “Masonry is tolerant, even supportive, of the
most diverse religious beliefs.” 7
Pike likewise argued that no religion can claim to
have exclusivity to the truth, nor can any religion claim to be superior to
another. “Toleration, holding that every other man has the same right to
his opinion and faith that we have to ours; liberality, holding that as no
human being can with certainty say, in the clash and conflict of hostile faiths
and creeds, what is truth, or that he is surely in possession of it, so every
one should feel that it is quite possible that another equally honest and
sincere with himself, and yet holding the contrary opinion, may himself be in
possession of the truth, and that whatever one firmly and conscientiously
believes, is truth, to him.” 8
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Personal faith in Jesus Christ is the only way of
salvation. Jesus claimed to be “the way and the truth and the life” (John
14:6). He warned that no one “comes to the Father” except through Him (John
14:6). Those who through faith have a personal relationship with Jesus, have
eternal life. Those who do not have faith in Jesus do not have eternal
life.
| John 3:36: "Whoever believes in the Son has
eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath
remains on him."
John 14:6: "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Acts 4:12: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no
other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
1 Corinthians 3:11: "For no one can lay any foundation other
than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."
1 John 5:12: "He who has the Son has life; he who does not
have the Son of God does not have life." |
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NOTES
All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International
Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used
by permission.
1Albert Pike, The Book of the Words (Kila, Mont.: Kessinger
Publishing Co., n.d.), p. 151. (While some Masons may disagree with Pike’s
explanation of the secret name for God they cannot
deny the tremendous influence of Pike upon Freemasonry in the United States. A
reading of A Bridge To Light -- an official publication of the
Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction -- reveals
that many modern Masonic leaders also confuse the God of the Bible with pagan
deities. See A Bridge To Light, pp. 31, 120, 139.
2Annual of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1993 (Nashville:
Executive Committee, Southern Baptist Convention, 1993), p. 226. The oaths for
the Entered Apprentice, the Fellow Craft
degree, and the Master Mason are all found in the SBC Annual on page 226.
3Rex R. Hutchens, A Bridge to Light (Washington D.C.: The
Supreme Council, 1988), p. 112-113.
4Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (Richmond, Va.: L.H. Jenkins, Inc., 1942), p.
575.
5Pike, Morals and Dogma, p. 639. Emphasis added.
6Hutchens, A Bridge to Light, p. 300-301.
7Ibid., p. 67.
8Pike, Morals and Dogma, p. 160. |
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