Is Masonry a Religion
This is one of the greatest criticisms of Masonry. Freemasonry is not a
religion. It is often accused of being a religion because there is an altar in
the lodge with a Bible on it. Prayers are said in the meetings. Masons are taught that they must believe in Deity, a resurrection,
and a life hereafter. On top of all that many of the lodges are called
"Temples." Unless you understand the reason for all these
"religious" things, it would seem reasonable to an outsider that
Masons are practicing religion.
In order for an organization to be considered a religion it must meet
certain standards. It first of all must provide sacraments of some sort –
Masonry does not. It would need to ordain clergymen – Masonry does not. It
would need to define sin and have a plan of salvation – Masonry does not. There
would be a teaching of theology – Masonry does not. It would publish or
recommend a Holy Book – Masonry does not. It would have a definition of the
characteristics or attributes of deity – Masonry does not. No, not by the
definitions most people use.
Religion, as the term is commonly used, implies
several things: a plan of salvation or a path by which one reaches the
after-life; a theology which attempts to describe the nature of God; and the
description of ways and practices by which a man or woman may seek to
communicate with God.
Masonry does none of those things. We offer no
plan of salvation.
With the exception of saying that He is a loving Father whom desires only
good for His children, we make no effort to describe the nature of God. And
while we open and close our meetings with prayer, and we teach that no man
should ever begin any important undertaking without seeking the guidance of
God, we never tell a man how he should pray or for what he should pray. Instead,
we tell him that he must find the answers to these great questions in his own
faith, his church or synagogue or other house of worship. We urge men not to
neglect their spiritual development and to be faithful in the practice of their
religion.
As the Grand Lodge of England wrote in "Freemasonry and
Religion", "Freemasonry is far from indifferent to religion. Without
interfering in religious practice, it expects each member to follow his own
faith, and to place above all other duties his duties to God by whatever name
He is know." Masonry itself makes only a simple religious demand on a
man--he must believe that he has an immortal soul and he must believe in God.
No atheist can be a Mason.
One of the most frequent accusations in regard to Freemasonry being a
religion comes from "Morals and Dogma" by Albert Pike. Let me remind
you that Albert Pike did not speak for Freemasonry as a whole. His book was
written over 100 years ago and is so eloquent that most readers have a
difficult time reading it from cover to cover. Here is what Pike said about
religion:
Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion and
its teachings areinstructions in religion. For here
are inculcated disinterestedness, affection, toleration, devotedness,
patriotism, truth, a generous sympathywith those who
suffer and mourn, pity for the fallen, mercy for the erring, relief for those
in want, Faith, Hope, and Charity.
If you were looking for ammunition against the Masons this seems to be a
good choice. Before we go too far, let’s look at another statement in Moral
and Dogma made by Pike:
Masonry is not a religion. He who makes of it a
religious belief, falsifies and denaturalizes it. (3)
O.K., which way is it? First he says that it is a religion and then he
says it’s not. Is Pike contradicting himself, or is he right on both counts?
Actually, I believe that he is right on both counts. Pike mentioned
"inculcated disinterestedness, affection, toleration, devotedness,
patriotism, truth, a generous sympathy with those who suffer and mourn, pity for the fallen, mercy for the erring, relief for
those in want, Faith, Hope, and Charity."
These are things that a religion ought to be doing. Could we define the
moral undergirding of a religion as such? Would you like a definition of
religion from The Holy Bible? It is found in James 1:27 "Pure religion and
undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit
the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted
from the world." This is not a definition used by most Christians; however,
it is how the Bible defines it.
The term "Temple of Religion" was most likely meant to mean a
place where religious principles (such as those above) could be demonstrated.
If Pike really meant that Freemasonry was a "religious temple" in the
sense of being a religion, then he certainly contradiced
his statement on P.161:
We do in fact,
recreate the Temple every time we open the lodge. We do instruct in religion
every time we recite a lecture in the lodge. Yet, Masonry is no more a religion
than a theology class at a college is a religion. Giving instruction in
religion does not make the instructor a priest or a minister. Teaching the
principles of "affection, toleration, devotedness, patriotism, truth, a
generous sympathy with those who suffer and mourn, pity for the fallen, mercy
for the erring, relief for those in want, Faith, Hope, and Charity" is a
high calling and they are lessons that all should learn, not just the overtly
and devotedly religious among us. Having said that, it is my
contention that without a belief in a Supreme Being, one probably could not or
would not desire to learn these lessons. Yet teaching them does not make
the lodge a religion. Rather it makes it a place for the instruction of values
that are based and depend upon a belief and adherence to moral code found only
in those who hold to a belief in the highest power in creation.
While the purpose of Freemasonry was never to establish a religion, there
have been religious trappings to it from its known inception. Operative Masons
(stone cutting Masons of the Middle Ages) needed the blessing of the church in
order to ply their trade around Europe. They were very involved in the church,
and to show their faithfulness adopted a couple of saints for their trade. Both
of them are called St. John. One is St. John the Evangelist and the other is
St. John the Beloved. Neither one of these "saints" are worshipped in
any way.
Is Freemasonry a religion? The answer is absolutely NOT. In a 1921
decision, the Supreme Court of Nebraska, in the case of the Scottish Rite
Building Company vs. Lancaste County, ruled that
Freemasonry was not a religion. William Schnoebelen,
who is an admitted ex-Mormon, ex-witch, and ex-Mason
wrote in his book "Masonry Beyond the Light" that Freemasonry is a
religion because it requires a belief in God, is highly ritualized, and has a
code of ethics. Why is it that other organizations who
have the same requirements are not also considered a religion? In 1986 the Home
Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Church reported to the Southern Baptist
Convention that they did not recognize Freemasonry as a religion. Southern
Baptist Mason James P. Wesberry wrote, "Masonry
is not a religion, nor a church. A good Mason keeps his priorities in order…For
any person to allow Masonry to become his religion or to take the place of his
church is a mistake and not due to Masonic teaching, but to someone’s
misinterpretation or misunderstanding." It seems that Freemasonry is
taking the rap for something it has never been.