Freemasonry

(Revised 10-17-2009)

Freemasonry has been the victim of slander and even persecution at times during the last sixteen centuries. Masons were persecuted by the early medieval Roman Catholic Church, and "Christian" slander and persecution of Freemasons has continued even to this day.

That is why Freemasonry has a tradition of secrecy. That originally became necessary after the Roman Emperor Constantine "converted" to Christianity and adopted it as the official religion of his military empire during the fourth century. His original Roman Catholic Church labeled many things as "pagan" or "heretical," or worse, and oppression and persecution of everyone who did not swear obedience to the church's authority began.

Mind you, the Roman Catholic Church back then was not like today’s Roman Catholic Church, which is significantly different. It still needs much more reform, but at least it has initiated interfaith dialogue and peaceful pursuits. Back in the fourth century and in the following "Dark Ages" it was far from peaceful. It even went so far as to forbid Greek art and mythology, and all other religions and spiritual teachings were forbidden and condemned. It was a harsh, tyrannical, patriarchal theocracy, based on a man-made doctrine of preeminence and superiority reflected in the Nicene Creed and established as canon law.

It established the "Divine Right" of Popes, and then of "Christian Kings." It led to a long series of official church actions against "heretics" generally known as the "Inquisition." Furthermore, it did not stop with the Protestant Reformation. Many Christian groups did bring about needed reforms, and most Christians were good then, just as most are now. But some groups were still theocratic, and their controlling efforts continued, sporadically, and that was even blatantly demonstrated in America or "New England" during the notorious "witch-hunts." And it persisted, sometimes openly, and sometimes behind the scenes.

That's why Benjamin Franklin in an essay on "Toleration" stated: "If we look back into history for the character of the present sects in Christianity, we shall find few that have not in their turns been persecutors, and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the Pagans, but practiced it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England blamed persecution in the Roman church, but practiced it upon the Puritans. [The Puritans] found it wrong in the Bishops [of the Church of England], but fell into the same practice themselves in New England [in America]."

You see, misguided, theocratic "Christians" even slandered the founders of the United States of America in the late 1700s, because most of the founding fathers were Deists, and many were Freemasons. They wanted to establish freedom of religion, and freedom from religious bigotry and theocratic imposition. But misguided, right-wing theocratic Christians didn’t like that. In fact, they fought against it.

That is why Thomas Jefferson wrote: "The clergy, by getting themselves established by law and ingrafted into the machine of government, have been a very formidable engine against the civil and religious rights of man."

More to the point, Jefferson also wrote: "The returning good sense of our country threatens the clergy and they believe that any portion of power confided to me will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly; for I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me, and enough too in their opinion, and this is the cause of their printing lying pamphlets against me. . ."

Even more important, Jefferson also said: "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State."

James Madison wrote: "What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the civil authority; on many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wish to subvert the public liberty may have found an established clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate it, needs them not." And Madison also wrote: "Strongly guarded as is the separation between Religion and Government in the Constitution of the United States, the danger of encroachment by [Christian] Bodies, may be illustrated by precedents already furnished in their short history."

Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, John Adams and others, including Abraham Lincoln, felt the same way. (See the article-page on Little Known American History.) But, unfortunately, with respect to the need for religious pluralism and equality, the founding fathers’ influence did not last for long. Aggressive, theocratic Christians gradually negated that pluralistic influence, and there have been times when they have become politically aggressive, as they are now and have been for the last 30 years.

A very notable time was in the mid-1930s. In Germany, Adolf Hitler, who claimed he was a Christian in speeches and in his book Mein Kampf, got his Nazi thugs to persecute and even murder Freemasons (along with Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals and many other groups).

In the 1930s misguided Christians also asserted themselves in America. In reaction to the success of the good liberal progressives, there was a revival of right-wing political activism driven by conservative, dogmatic Christian sects. They sought to establish more firm "Christian" control in the United States, and they founded a so-called "Legion of Decency" designed to do that. It consisted of right-wing conservative Christian evangelicals and fundamentalists, conservative Catholics, and others --- pretty much the same denominations, sects and factions that even today make up the Christian Right and what they call a Moral Majority or Christian Coalition. They think they are the true Christians, but they ironically act in opposition to true Christians, because true Christians actually do not judge their fellow human beings harshly, nor do they cast stones. True Christians care for and/or advocate for the majority, and especially the poor and the least of our brethren, just as Deists and Freemasons do.

The latest rise of slander against Freemasonry began in the 1970s with the rise of the modern "Fundamentalist Evangelical Christian Right," because many of its leaders have made many misleading and even false, slanderous claims about what Freemasonry is, and about what Masons are, and what they do.

In fact, it has become what might be called a New Inquisition, only this time it’s waged on "evangelical" television shows and Internet sites, poisoning the minds of the misguided blind flocks on the "Christian Right" and leading them to think they are superior and "holier than thou." And in some ways they remind me of the misguided, proud, militant Jewish Zionists and Muslim Jihadist extremists who think the same thing!

Now, since Freemasonry has been maligned by the American Christian Right, and especially since Dan Brown's newest book "The Lost Symbol" and the movie by the same name feature Freemasonry as an important part of the story, and there are many other books and web sites that have concocted, misleading conspiracy theories about Freemasonry in them, it has become even more important that some important facts about Freemasonry be told and the real truth revealed.

Freemasonry is a fraternal society dedicated to universal brotherhood. It is non-sectarian, pluralistic, respectful of all religions, and based on brotherly love, self-examination, good will, charity, and mutual assistance for the common good. It has existed for many centuries.

The roots of Freemasonry are ancient, but Freemasons were among the first significant organizations to foster what are called "esoteric" spiritual teachings in the 1700s in Europe, and then in America. They helped make Deism, Freemasonry and esoteric spiritual teachings accepted and popular. Mainstream Western philosophers of the 1700s followed that trend, and they also became fascinated with Eastern culture, religion, literature and philosophy, and that fascination began to reach its peak toward the end of the 1700s. In fact, it is what impelled the founding fathers to seek freedom from King George and his theocratic Church of England, and it is what caused them to be critical of the theocratic Christians in America.

The name Mason refers to craftsmen, specifically to stonemasons all the way back to those who built the ancient Temple of Solomon. However, since Masons have been slandered and even persecuted throughout their history by certain power-hungry "religious" groups, Freemasonry has a tradition of secrecy.

Even so, the secrecy tradition is not because Freemasonry is anything like a "cult." It is not. In fact, like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, most of the other founding fathers and many U.S. presidents and Supreme Court Justices along the way, Masons believe that one’s spiritual and religious beliefs are a private matter and between each person and God, and are no one else’s business. Moreover, Freemasonry has no single leader. It does not recruit members, nor does it coerce members in any way, and it does not claim to have knowledge of the only truth. Masons are free, and they can participate regularly, or sporadically, or rarely, as they choose. And they can also choose to end their membership if they wish, without any notice or complications.

Freemasonry is not necessarily "religious." While the belief in a God or a Supreme Being is a requirement for Masons, no single religion dominates. In fact, Masonic rules ban even the discussion of religion and politics, because Masons understand that they could very well disagree about such matters, and that would cause disharmony among members. Therefore, Masons can and do belong to any religion or any sect, or no religion. That’s their own business, and no one else’s.

Freemasonry does not have any sort of global network, or even national network. There are many Masonic lodges, and they are not connected. In fact, there are some that are different than others in certain ways. And that’s because Masons are free to follow their own sense of ethics, mutual respect, etc. Each lodge takes on the character of its members as a whole.

Contrary to what some uninformed critics claim, Masons are not members of "The Knights Templar." The Templars were an order of militant, medieval crusaders in the early 1300s, and modern Freemasonry did not become widespread or well known until three or four hundred years later. Furthermore, Masons are not part of a so-called "Illumanati." The Illuminati died out about eight years after the American Revolution of 1776. And even though there have been so-called revivals of so-called "Illuminati" groups, they have been fraudulent organizations led by impersonators and pretenders who were and are not really enlightened but pretend to be.

Now, as to the labeling of Freemasonry as "occultism," that is a complex issue, because the true meaning of the world "occult" means hidden. It is in some ways synonymous with the word "esoteric," which means "known only by a few." Neither term is negative, even though they have been grossly misunderstood and mislabeled by misguided, judgmental people. In fact, over the centuries they have succeeded in creating a pejorative connotation to the term "occult," and they have led people to believe that occult teachings have something to do with "satanism." Of course, that has been partly because there have been and are charlatans and pretenders who misuse the tools used in esoteric teachings to suit their own purposes, just as there are charlatans and pretenders who misuse the words in religious scriptures like the Bible to suit their own purposes. But, what can be bad is not the tools or the words, but those who misuse them in self-serving pursuits out of spiritual ignorance.

Some of the tools used in Freemasonry are the symbols used in the Judaic Kabbalah, also known as the Cabala or Qabalah, and also known as The Secrets of the Torah (Old Testament), and those symbols are also used in spiritual Astrology, Alchemy, and the Major Arcana of the Sacred Tarot. They are the universal symbols used in all Ageless Wisdom teachings. But all those systems of spiritual teaching are for self-examination and self-discovery. They are not religious, as we use the term, but they are actually designed to produce what true religion is supposed to produce, which is self-realization, unity, harmony, peace, freedom, sisterhood, brotherhood, love of God, and love of our fellow human beings.

Regarding the 32 Degrees of Freemasonry, they have to do with the 32 Paths of Wisdom depicted in the Tree of Life diagram used in the Qabalah. The Tree of Life is an ancient symbol, mentioned the books of Moses, David and Solomon. And, in John’s book of Revelation, the Tree of Life is depicted as "baring twelve manner of fruits, and yields her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." (Revelation 22:2) It is not a literal tree but a symbol for Wisdom, and the twelve "fruits" refer to the twelve signs of the Zodiac, and the leaves refer to the 32 healing paths of Wisdom in the diagram.

There is confusion about the Masonic degrees, however, because there are really only three degrees of Freemasonry: Initiate-Apprentice, Craftsman, and Master. But Masters can then go on in their studies and service to become Adepts and earn the thirty-third degree. But that is an honorary degree awarded for exceptional service, and in the original and true teaching system of Ageless Wisdom there are 32 paths.

Unfortunately, some people, including some who have been Masons but did not realize true wisdom, think the paths or degrees have to do with personal ranking, and hierarchy, when that is not the case. That is a distortion of the teachings.

You see, as I mentioned, just as the words in the Bible have been misused since the fourth century by greedy, unscrupulous, authoritarian men to justify horrible acts of oppression, persecution and even wars and genocide, the tools of esoteric spiritual teachings have been misused by certain people. There have been people who pretended to be "fortune tellers" who used the Sacred Tarot simply to bilk money from gullible, naive people. Also, as I explained in Chapter 31 in my first book, Real Prophecy Unveiled , and in Chapter 2 of my third book, Getting From Babylon to New Jerusalem, there are some esoteric teaching orders that have become misled and even corrupted by the egocentric idea of hierarchy.

In fact, there have been people who pretended to be enlightened Freemasons, and may have even been what they call "Masters and Adepts," who really didn’t get it. The original and true purpose of Freemasonry is NOT about hierarchy or becoming more important or higher or richer than others. It’s about sharing for the common good, about fostering brotherhood, about self-examination and true Self-Realization, and about realizing that the True Self is the Inner Self of All. After all, Jesus said: "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not and does not know him. But you shall know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you... Yet a little while, and the world sees me no more ... [And one] day you shall know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you." (John 14:17-20) We are One In Spirit. That’s the truth that an enlightened person realizes.

This is an extremely important point, because many people can intellectually learn words and concepts without truly understanding them. For example, there are right-wing partisan preachers who have memorized the Bible and can quote any chapter and verse, and yet they are still spiritually blind and do not understand divine will and intent. Similarly, there are "Master" Freemasons who have intellectually learned the words and concepts of the Qabalah and yet they are still spiritually blind and do not understand divine will and intent. That understanding comes only with Wisdom received through divine revelation, when you least expect it (see the pages on The Book of Wisdom and The Highest State of Consciousness).

Now, as for the patriotism of Masons, you should know that most Masonic meetings in America are preceded by the pledge of allegiance to the flag, and support for the U.S. Constitution is a central component of American Masonic values.

Eight signers of the American Declaration of Independence were Freemasons, including Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, and sixteen following presidents were also Freemasons. However, the only presidents who were Masons in the last 60 years were Gerald Ford and Harry Truman. Most Masons have learned to keep their Masonic membership to themselves.

In alphabetical order by last name, here is a partial list of other famous American Freemasons, which includes:

Irving Berlin, Composer;

Hugo L. Black, US Associate Justice;

John Blair, US Associate Justice;

Ernest Borgnine, Actor;

Omar N. Bradley, US Army General;

Kit Carson, American Adventurer;

Paul Foster Case, Founder of the Builders of the Adytum;

Cecil B. DeMille, Movie Director;

Everett Dirksen, U.S. Congressman and Senator;

Bob Dole, US Senator;

James Doolittle, US General and Shriner;

William O. Douglas, US Associate Justice;

Duke Ellington, Musician;

Sam Ervin, US Senator;

Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company;

Charles Lindbergh, US Aviator;

Thurgood Marshall, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice;

Sam Nunn, US Senator;

Arnold Palmer, Professional Golfer;

Norman Vincent Peale, Inspirational Writer;

Roy Rogers, American actor;

Will Rogers, American political commentator and satirist;

Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. President;

Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. President;

John Philip Sousa, Music Composer;

Mark Twain, American author;

Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the United States

There are many more Americans listed at the Internet source where I got these names, which lists also many famous people from around the world who have also been and are Freemasons, including Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of England during the Second World War.

I list the names above and direct you to the link that lists many others to show you that Freemasons are diverse in their religions, politics, and ideologies. But, those who gain wisdom understand that mutual respect and brotherhood are far more important than religion, politics and ideologies. We can agree to disagree about those things, and we can agree that we are all children of God, the Great Spirit-Parent of us all.

So, do not believe the hateful and divisive nonsense that you may find on Internet sites slandering Freemasonry. They are posted by misguided zealots on the so-called Christian Right who ignore the core, universal teachings of Jesus. Instead, they cling to the erroneous, theocratic doctrine of preeminence and superiority that is loved by hypocritical, egocentric, power-hungry people. They are as the blind led by the blind, and their worst leaders are as wolves in sheep’s clothing.