Can a Christian be a Freemason???
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Well, there are many freemason groups that certain knowledge are only to be taught to their members, certain knowledge that are only to be revealed at certain levels within the temple.
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Jester4kicks
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Umm... you realize the "knowledge" you are referring to is just the collection of things that masons use to identify each other and the stories that go along with each degree... right? Besides, just about all of that information is floating around in books and on the net anyway.
You'll find that very little about Freemasonry is actually "secret". Is there something you wanted to know?
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I highly recommend 2 movies, America's Secret Beginnings vol.1 The New altantis and Riddles in Stone. U can get both at infowars.com. They tell about secret societies and how those that r in the secret societies control not only America but the world. They tell of the beliefs of freemanonary and many of the other secret societies. They worship Lucifer not the God of the bible. Manley P. Hall and Albert Pike, 2 of their greatest philosophizers both said in their books that Lucifer was their true god.
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izarya
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Oh boy, not again. Hey, I'm not gonna write that out again, google "Leo Taxil hoax."
Here's an idea, Try doing some objective research.
This gets old.
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SealedEternal
Regular Member
'The Mysteries Of Magic' by Eliphas Levi
"What is more absurd and more impious than to attribute the name of Lucifer to the devil, that is, to personified evil. The intellectual Lucifer is the spirit of intelligence and love; it is the paraclete, it is the Holy Spirit, while the physical Lucifer is the great agent of universal magnetism." page 428
'The Book Of Black Magic' by Arthur Edward Waite 33°
"First Conjuration Addressed to Emperor Lucifer. Emperor Lucifer, Master and Prince of Rebellious Spirits, I adjure thee to leave thine abode, in what-ever quarter of the world it may be situated and come hither to communicate with me. I command and I conjure thee in the Name of the Mighty Living God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, to appear without noise and without ...." page 244
'The Secret Teaching Of All Ages' by Manly Palmer Hall 33°
"I hereby promise the Great Spirit Lucifuge, Prince of Demons, that each year I will bring unto him a human soul to do with as as it may please him, and in return Lucifuge promises to bestow upon me the treasures of the earth and fulfil my every desire for the length of my natural life. If I fail to bring him each year the offering specified above, then my own soul shall be forfeit to him. Signed.....
{ Invocant signs pact with his own blood } "
'The Lost Keys Of Freemasonry' by Manly Palmer Hall 33°
"When The Mason learns that the Key to the warrior on the block is the proper application of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the Mystery of his Craft. The seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands and before he may step onward and upward, he must prove his ability to properly apply this energy." page 48
'The Secret Doctrine' by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
"Lucifer represents..Life..Thought..Progress..Civilization..Liberty..Independance..Lucifer is the Logos..the Serpent, the Savior." on pages 171, 225, 255 (Volume II)"It is Satan who is the God of our planet and the only God." pages 215, 216, 220, 245, 255, 533, (VI)
"The Celestial Virgin which thus becomes the Mother of Gods and Devils at one and the same time; for she is the ever-loving beneficent Deity...but in antiquity and reality Lucifer or Luciferius is the name. Lucifer is divine and terrestial Light, 'the Holy Ghost' and "Satan' at one and the same time." page 539 (Volume?)
"What is more absurd and more impious than to attribute the name of Lucifer to the devil, that is, to personified evil. The intellectual Lucifer is the spirit of intelligence and love; it is the paraclete, it is the Holy Spirit, while the physical Lucifer is the great agent of universal magnetism." page 428
'The Book Of Black Magic' by Arthur Edward Waite 33°
"First Conjuration Addressed to Emperor Lucifer. Emperor Lucifer, Master and Prince of Rebellious Spirits, I adjure thee to leave thine abode, in what-ever quarter of the world it may be situated and come hither to communicate with me. I command and I conjure thee in the Name of the Mighty Living God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, to appear without noise and without ...." page 244
'The Secret Teaching Of All Ages' by Manly Palmer Hall 33°
"I hereby promise the Great Spirit Lucifuge, Prince of Demons, that each year I will bring unto him a human soul to do with as as it may please him, and in return Lucifuge promises to bestow upon me the treasures of the earth and fulfil my every desire for the length of my natural life. If I fail to bring him each year the offering specified above, then my own soul shall be forfeit to him. Signed.....
{ Invocant signs pact with his own blood } "
'The Lost Keys Of Freemasonry' by Manly Palmer Hall 33°
"When The Mason learns that the Key to the warrior on the block is the proper application of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the Mystery of his Craft. The seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands and before he may step onward and upward, he must prove his ability to properly apply this energy." page 48
'The Secret Doctrine' by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
"Lucifer represents..Life..Thought..Progress..Civilization..Liberty..Independance..Lucifer is the Logos..the Serpent, the Savior." on pages 171, 225, 255 (Volume II)"It is Satan who is the God of our planet and the only God." pages 215, 216, 220, 245, 255, 533, (VI)
"The Celestial Virgin which thus becomes the Mother of Gods and Devils at one and the same time; for she is the ever-loving beneficent Deity...but in antiquity and reality Lucifer or Luciferius is the name. Lucifer is divine and terrestial Light, 'the Holy Ghost' and "Satan' at one and the same time." page 539 (Volume?)
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Jester4kicks
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Sorry to remove your nice formatting... but it's a killer on the eyes.
Anyway, it's a neat post... although you've got a few small problems:
1) Eliphas Levi - Most of his writings came before he was ever a mason... and his association with the masons only lasted 5 months. He actually tried to convince other masons of his beliefs... and they simply didn't buy it.
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/levi_e/levi_e.html
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/levi_e/levi_notes.html
2) Arthur Edward Waite - was an occultist, mystic, and christian long before he was ever a mason. I can't find that specific quote, but the book is partly available on google-books, and I don't see any references to Freemasonry in it.
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/waite_a/waite_a.html
Google books link
3) Manly Palmer Hall - Wrote The Secret Teaching of all Ages in 1926. He wasn't even made a master mason until 1954, and we wasn't honored as a 33* until 1973. He originally published The Lost Keys of Freemasonry in 1923. In later additions, he admitted, "At the time I wrote this slender volume, I had just passed my twenty-first birthday, and my only contact with Freemasonry was through a few books commonly available to the public."
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/hall_m_p/hall_m_p.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manly_Palmer_Hall
4) Helena Petrovna Blavatsky - Was a woman... and was never a mason.
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/blavatsky_hp/blavatsky_hp.html
So... you've managed to quote-mine a couple occultists and mystics who studied those things on their own long before becoming masons, and author who published the two works you cited before becoming a mason (the first before even being initiated and working purely from public-domain literature on the subject)... and a woman who was never a mason.
Well done.
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Rev Wayne
Simplicity + Sincerity = Serenity
I'd like to point out a few pertinent details about the above hokum:
1. This material appears in a section titled, "Modus Operandi for Invocation of Spirits." There is no "invocation of spirits" in Freemasonry, nor any instructions for the practice.
2. The quote is done in a manner which makes it appear as though these are the words of Hall himself, and that Hall (or Freemasonry) is using this as instructive material to teach others in some "how-to" manner; but the book is actually a historical collection of materials written by others, and it is descriptive rather than prescriptive. Viewed in its original setting, with Hall's remarks that accompanied the quoted material, it is more than obvious he is not writing this in any didactic manner at all.
3. In the entirety of the book, which is not a book strictly about Masonry, there is relatively little material dealing with the subject of Freemasonry.
4. The title of the chapter in which this quote appears is "Ceremonial Magic and Sorcery." Masonry is not mentioned once in the entire chapter--small surprise, since it has NOTHING to do with Freemasonry at all. Don't take my word for it, see it for yourself:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/sta24.htm
5. Add to that the notations already made above, about Hall having written this about 25 years before he ever became a Mason, and you have little more than an unrelated quote, thrown into a pile with other quotes of a similar nature, with a misguided accusation tacked onto the whole.
Most of the antimasonic marauders have wised up and recognize that this level of accusation is no longer taken serious by anyone on either side of the issue. But there are still a few hyper-antimasons around who can't let go of it. I entered the Blavatsky quote, in part, in a web browser search, and pulled up only two direct hits. One was Freemasonrywatch, the other was a site which quoted and acknowledged their source as Freemasonrwatch.
Just for the record, they are diehard accusationists, who are less concerned with finding and publishing the truth than they are in latching onto anything and everything they can get their hands on concerning Freemasonry. It serves little purpose to do quote-mining on their website and post it here, where most people who post on this forum already know better.
"Selective quotation" is what I generally call this practice. It's a manner of citing materials which leaves out details found in the original context, details which clearly show the accusation to be totally without foundation--which is usually why they were omitted from the quote in the first place. Let's take a look at a fuller context for this:
1. This material appears in a section titled, "Modus Operandi for Invocation of Spirits." There is no "invocation of spirits" in Freemasonry, nor any instructions for the practice.
2. The quote is done in a manner which makes it appear as though these are the words of Hall himself, and that Hall (or Freemasonry) is using this as instructive material to teach others in some "how-to" manner; but the book is actually a historical collection of materials written by others, and it is descriptive rather than prescriptive. Viewed in its original setting, with Hall's remarks that accompanied the quoted material, it is more than obvious he is not writing this in any didactic manner at all.
3. In the entirety of the book, which is not a book strictly about Masonry, there is relatively little material dealing with the subject of Freemasonry.
4. The title of the chapter in which this quote appears is "Ceremonial Magic and Sorcery." Masonry is not mentioned once in the entire chapter--small surprise, since it has NOTHING to do with Freemasonry at all. Don't take my word for it, see it for yourself:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/sta24.htm
5. Add to that the notations already made above, about Hall having written this about 25 years before he ever became a Mason, and you have little more than an unrelated quote, thrown into a pile with other quotes of a similar nature, with a misguided accusation tacked onto the whole.
Most of the antimasonic marauders have wised up and recognize that this level of accusation is no longer taken serious by anyone on either side of the issue. But there are still a few hyper-antimasons around who can't let go of it. I entered the Blavatsky quote, in part, in a web browser search, and pulled up only two direct hits. One was Freemasonrywatch, the other was a site which quoted and acknowledged their source as Freemasonrwatch.
Just for the record, they are diehard accusationists, who are less concerned with finding and publishing the truth than they are in latching onto anything and everything they can get their hands on concerning Freemasonry. It serves little purpose to do quote-mining on their website and post it here, where most people who post on this forum already know better.
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SealedEternal
Regular Member
[/color]
Sorry to remove your nice formatting... but it's a killer on the eyes.
Anyway, it's a neat post... although you've got a few small problems:
1) Eliphas Levi - Most of his writings came before he was ever a mason... and his association with the masons only lasted 5 months. He actually tried to convince other masons of his beliefs... and they simply didn't buy it.
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/levi_e/levi_e.html
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/levi_e/levi_notes.html
2) Arthur Edward Waite - was an occultist, mystic, and christian long before he was ever a mason. I can't find that specific quote, but the book is partly available on google-books, and I don't see any references to Freemasonry in it.
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/waite_a/waite_a.html
Google books link
3) Manly Palmer Hall - Wrote The Secret Teaching of all Ages in 1926. He wasn't even made a master mason until 1954, and we wasn't honored as a 33* until 1973. He originally published The Lost Keys of Freemasonry in 1923. In later additions, he admitted, "At the time I wrote this slender volume, I had just passed my twenty-first birthday, and my only contact with Freemasonry was through a few books commonly available to the public."
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/hall_m_p/hall_m_p.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manly_Palmer_Hall
4) Helena Petrovna Blavatsky - Was a woman... and was never a mason.
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/blavatsky_hp/blavatsky_hp.html
So... you've managed to quote-mine a couple occultists and mystics who studied those things on their own long before becoming masons, and author who published the two works you cited before becoming a mason (the first before even being initiated and working purely from public-domain literature on the subject)... and a woman who was never a mason.
Well done.
I suppose Albert Pike isn't a real mason either despite being the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite's Southern Jurisdiction for thirty-two years, and devoting a large amount of his time to developing the rituals of the order?
Albert Pike 33°
"Lucifer, the Light-bearer! Strange and mysterious name to give to the Spirit of Darkness! Lucifer, the son of the morning! Is it he who bears the Light, and with it's splendors intolerable blinds feeble, sensual or selfish Souls? Doubt it not! Morals and Dogma page 321
SealedEternal
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Rev Wayne
Simplicity + Sincerity = Serenity
This one has been tried for so long, it's absurd to think anyone still goes there.
(1) Even as it stands, what does it say that is out of order? It says that Lucifer "blinds feeble, sensual, or selfish Souls." Well, doesn't he? Paul wrote, "Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness." (2 Cor. 11:14-15)
It looks to me like, Pike said nothing different than Paul says, that satan uses light to blind souls.
(2) "Lucifer" is and always has been a misnomer for satan. It came into the English via the Vulgate Bible, and KJV translators lifted it directly from the Vulgate, with no footnote or other indication to note its origin. It came to be associated with Satan when John Milton incorrectly took an OT reference in Isaiah to lucifer to be an OT type of Satan, and included that misinterpretation in his epic "Paradise Lost." There are various reasons why interpretation of "lucifer" in scripture as satan is improper, chief of which is, the only other place it appears in the Vulgate is in Peter's writing, where the KJV interpreters rendered it "Daystar," a reference to Jesus Christ. Two references in Scripture, one of them symbolic of Satan, the other symbolic of Christ? It's easy to see that the whole scenario is problematic.
(3) The quote is taken completely out of context. The full paragraph in which it appears makes the reference much clearer than the trimmed-down version the accusers toss around:
Pike was writing of those who "aspires to God alone, and despises all the pomps and works of Lucifer." Again, how is that worthy of accusation, and exactly what is he being accused of saying that is wrong?
(4) Pike also mentions that these words are to those who receive the 19th degree. For the great majority of Masons, then, it does not even apply. The Scottish Rite is primarily an American Masonic body, as I understand it. Also, Scottish Rite is entirely an elective body, no one is requred to take it at all. Some do, but most don't. It seems entirely out of order, then, to take that in Masonry which is optional, primarily regional, and attended by significantly less than a majority of Masons, and try to make accusations against all the Masons who belong to lodges in other regions, or who never opt to enter that Masonic body, don't you think?
(5) Pike clearly states in his preface to the book, that half or more of the material in the book is not his own, and that the reader is perfectly free to accept or reject any or all of it. Since he himself, then, clearly did not consider it to be required instruction, or any other such similar notion which the accusers of Masonry all seem to try to portray it to be, it hardly merits the attention it is given--which, by the way, all seems to be on the part of antimasons, I know no Mason who gives it very much attention at all, other than the few who are involved in defending against the many unmerited attacks against Freemasonry.
"The order," of course, is the operative phrase in your comment. "The order" in this case is Scottish Rite, in which I and many other Masons have never participated for even one degree.
So perhaps your accusation needs to be amended, it has more holes than a sieve.
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Jester4kicks
Warning - The following may cause you to think
I think Wayne covered it well... but bottom line, you've fallen back on the most mis-represented quote ever related to Freemasonry. Check your sources before you try to quote something.
http://www.masonicinfo.com/pike.htm
http://www.masonicinfo.com/lucifer.htm
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SealedEternal
Regular Member
My accusation has always been that only those at the highest degrees of Masonry know the true meaning of it, which is the entire point of the degree structure. It is admitted by the leaders of the craft that the lower level adepts are intentionally lied to, and kept from the enlightenment or illumination of the light bringer who is Lucifer. So yes the low level dupes have no idea they are involved in a satanic occult organization because nobody ever shares with them the real purpose of the organization, and will tell them anything but the truth to keep them blinded and seeking the greater enlightenment. The whole extent and origin of the plan is known only to the Initiate few, while members of the outer order are subjected to a selective system by which they strive to attain to higher degrees and proportionately receive deeper insight into the work. This then encourages them to strive more intensely to climb the ladder, and makes them useful instruments to the high level adepts. Those who prove themselves to be good luciferian material rise up the ladder quickly, while the rest are kept as useful idiots to protect the illuminated few, which was stated by Albert Pike:
The Blue Degrees are but the outer court or portico of the Temple. Part of the symbols are displayed there to the Initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them; but it is intended that he shall imagine he understands them. Their true explanation is reserved for the Adepts, the Princes of Masonry.
You guys would have us believe that it is a mere coincidence that virtually all of the most revered occultists of all time happen to also be Freemasons, and just happen to have reached the highest pinnacles of the craft. The fact that their occult books explaining that Lucifer, the serpent of the garden, is the enlightener of mankind for encouraging mankind to rebel against the God of the Bible, are all highly regarded in Masonic Libraries, and read by the high lever adepts is also a mere coincidence as well. Anyone with common sense can see what is really going on here.
SealedEternal
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Rev Wayne
Simplicity + Sincerity = Serenity
“Intentionally lied to?” And you presume to show this how—with the “portico of the Temple” quote? Take a look at the quote in its context, and it all becomes clear. The next line that follows the piece you quoted, reads:
“Centuries since?” Pike was operating under the false assumption that Masonry’s origins went back at least as far as King Solomon’s Temple. Such assumptions have been shown to be historically untrue. One of the most thorough works showing that to be the case is Robert Freke Gould’s History of Freemasonry. Historical records show that there were probably only two degrees of Masonry even at the 1717 date of Freemasonry’s modern founding, even though it appears clear that there were three by about 1725, or 1730 at the very latest.
“Scottish Rite” Masonry with its 33 degrees simply was not in place until later. That presents a huge anachronism for Pike’s claim, one which cannot be surmounted. If there were only 3 degrees of Masonry and none of the “higher” degrees, at the formation of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717, then a claim of “centuries” of existence for Scottish Rite is pure imagination.
But be sure you don’t tell those Scottish Rite dudes, they still think they got the goods on us, when actually it’s us who are concealing the truth from them that all those “secrets” they think they know are merely later inventions.
My, what an elaborately concocted “explanation” of all this, you sure are creative. It goes against the reality, that’s for sure. I mean, there’s not a whole lot of “striving intensely to climb the ladder” or “proportionately receiving greater insight” when you can take all the Scottish degrees in a one-day class.
And “you guys” would have US believe that it’s mere coincidence that virtually all of the claims by “the most revered occultists of all time” to have “reached the highest pinnacles of the craft,” are completely bogus? Actually, a more accurate statement would be, that these "revered occultists" were attracted by the notion that Masonry held secrets that they might discover.
The British Columbia/Yukon Grand Lodge website has quickly become known as one of the best informational sources about Freemasonry. Under the topic of “Fringe Masonry,” they say:
Among the many listed on that site that would be considered “Fringe” Masons, are the names of the ones included in your recent citation: Manly P. Hall, Arthur Waite, Eliphas Levi.
Really? Where did you get this information? Have you visited Masonic libraries? Have you asked any Masons what their opinion is of Albert Pike’s writings? Can you provide us a list of which libraries have expressed any “high regard” for them? You make claims with no support, which means, basically, they are no claims.
I belong to the Masonic Research arm of our Grand Lodge, and at one of the meetings, someone tried to bring up a discussion of “estoteric Masonry,” and was roundly criticized for doing so. The “discussion” came to a VERY abrupt end when the president, who was presiding at the meeting, summarily dismissed the idea that Pike ought to be discussed at all, and declared that we as a group had no interest in entertaining any discussion on the topic at all. From what I hear from Masons when Pike comes up, I get the impression that this is generally the feeling about Pike for the huge majority of Masons practically everywhere.
You’re right, we do, which is why we’re telling everyone else about the absurdity of these allegations.
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Jester4kicks
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Wayne, you should really check out this thread: http://christianforums.com/showthread.php?t=7234378&page=14
You seem to have greater patience than I do when facing this level of ignorance.
You seem to have greater patience than I do when facing this level of ignorance.
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HisdaughterJen
Well-Known Member
NO, a born again believer in Christ cannot be a Freemason. The rituals, legends and symbolism REQUIRE understanding of astrology, the occult, ancient Egyptian religions, the Kabala, and Hinduism. Those things are not of God.
Prime example:
http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/entered_apprentice_apron.html
The last few paragraphs are particularly enlightening especially when it starts talking about "serpent power", Mars, Scorpio, and seeking Divine truth.
Prime example:
http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/entered_apprentice_apron.html
The last few paragraphs are particularly enlightening especially when it starts talking about "serpent power", Mars, Scorpio, and seeking Divine truth.
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SealedEternal
Regular Member
Well, HisDaughterJen is correct that you guys just obfuscate and deny your own leaders and everything they write or say as not being authentic masonry, so how can anyone possibly convince you of the truth of anything when you so easily just handwave it all away?
So you admit then that all roads to the occult reach their pinnacle with high level Freemasonry. That is very telling in itself. The most revered occultists of all time apparently have all discovered that the highest illumination is only attained through joining the lodge, and the other high level adepts seem to quickly move the revered occultists into the highest degrees of masonry. Yet you would have us believe that the occult isn't an integral part of high level masonry? It appears to be one of the most important factors in drawing people into the high degrees as well as determining who gets promoted to those high degrees. Whether Masonry creates occultists or occultists are drawn to Masonry is irrelevant. What's important is that there is an indisputable link there.
SealedEternal
So you admit then that all roads to the occult reach their pinnacle with high level Freemasonry. That is very telling in itself. The most revered occultists of all time apparently have all discovered that the highest illumination is only attained through joining the lodge, and the other high level adepts seem to quickly move the revered occultists into the highest degrees of masonry. Yet you would have us believe that the occult isn't an integral part of high level masonry? It appears to be one of the most important factors in drawing people into the high degrees as well as determining who gets promoted to those high degrees. Whether Masonry creates occultists or occultists are drawn to Masonry is irrelevant. What's important is that there is an indisputable link there.
SealedEternal
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Rev Wayne
Simplicity + Sincerity = Serenity
Maybe you can help this ignorant, low-level type, and explain exactly how what you just quoted from my post admitted anything of the sort? I mean, I never acknowledged any such notion as "high level" Freemasonry, I never said anything at all about "roads to the occult," and I never said anything about any "pinnacles," so how could you have reached any such conclusion other than by creating it yourself??
If THAT is what you concluded from what I posted, your thinking is even more convoluted than I imagined. "Occultists" are drawn to Freemasonry only because they hear stories about "secrets." There are no secrets in Freemasonry.
I clearly pointed out that the claims of esotericists like Levi are bogus, and I clearly pointed out that they belonged to pseudo-Masonic and quasi-Masonic organizations, and not to lodges derived from and/or affiliated with the United Grand Lodge of England, which is the body of Masonry we are speaking of. Those who make asinine accusations based on anything to do with such Masons as these, have simply never done their homework enough to know the difference. They are a huge part of the problem when it comes to false and uninformed accusations like those being espoused by accusers here.
No, I would have you BELIEVE anything at all; I would have you KNOW that there is no such thing as high-level Masonry. Any move beyond the Blue Degrees in Masonry is lateral, not vertical. The whole concept of a hierarchical structure is in itself skewed. The opinions of those like Levi certainly are not a part of York Rite bodies, which require a profession of Christian faith before entry upon the degrees.
But you are on the wrong track anyway, since Masonry is not about any particular system at all. Its about morality, not about esotericism or religion, and the moral principles it teaches are equally applicable in many systems. The root foundation of it, though, is in the Bible.
Maybe you werent listening, or maybe you are just plain ignoring it, but I already pointed out, there is no factor that determines who gets promoted. For one thing, the main determining factor is, does a person WANT to, which pretty much ensures he will, as long as he is in good standing in his lodge. And before you read too much into good standing, that simply means he is not under any Masonic infraction, does not have any charges pending, and has not defaulted on his dues.
And as I already pointed out also in this post, the so-called higher degrees are not a promotion in any sense. And as I pointed out in the previous post, entering the appendant degrees these days is not a process in any sense at all, not when you can attend a one-day class in most of the Grand Lodge jurisdictions in the U.S. and get ALL the degrees at once.
The only indisputable link here is the one that's missing in your logic chainwhich actually looks more like several links missing.
By way of comparison, thats like saying that because people like William Miller, Ellen G. White, John Darby, and Charles Taze Russell showed an interest in Christianity and devised their own versions of it, the rest of Christianity has to be defined by THEIR opinions and not by orthodox or evangelical views, simply because someone is of the opinion that there is a definite link there. It doesnt work that way. Christianity is not defined by its imitators, nor is Masonry defined by its imitatorsor for that matter, by its detractors.
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Rev Wayne
Simplicity + Sincerity = Serenity
Show me a few in these direct quotes, then:
OPENING PRAYER
Most holy and glorious Lord God, the great Architect of the Universe, the Giver of all good gifts and graces! (James 1:17) Thou hast promised that "where two or three are gathered together in Thy name Thou wilt be in the midst of them and bless them." (Matthew 18:20)
CLOSING PRAYER
Supreme Architect of the Universe! Accept our humble thanks for the many mercies and blessings which Thy bounty has conferred on us, (2 Corinthians 9:5) and especially for this friendly and social intercourse. Pardon, we beseech Thee, whatever Thou hast seen amiss in us since we have been together, (2 Chr. 6:37, James 4:3) and continue to us Thy presence, (Psalm 51:11) protection, and blessing. (Deu. 28:8, Psa. 24:5)
BENEDICTION AT CLOSING
May the blessing of Heaven (Gen. 49:25, Malachi 3:10) rest upon us and all regular Masons! May brotherly love prevail, (Hebrews 13:1) and every moral and social virtue cement us!
ENTRY UPON THE 1ST DEGREE
(Psalm 133) (Read in its entirety, direct KJV quote)
Our Institution is said to be supported, by WISDOM, (Proverbs 4:7) STRENGTH (Deu. 33:25) and BEAUTY; (Psalm 29:2) because it is necessary there should be wisdom to contrive, strength to support and beauty to adorn, all great and important undertakings. Its dimensions are unlimited, and its covering no less than the canopy of heaven. (Isaiah 40:22) To this object the Mason's mind is continually directed, and thither he hopes at last to arrive by the aid of the theological ladder, which Jacob, in his vision, saw ascending from earth to heaven; (Gen. 28:10-22) the three principal rounds of which are denominated FAITH, HOPE and CHARITY, (1 Cor. 13:13) and which admonish us to have faith in God, (Mark 11:22, 1 Pet. 1:21) hope in immortality, (1 Cor. 15:54) and charity to all mankind. (Gal. 6:10)
ENTRY UPON THE SECOND DEGREE
(Amos 7:7-8) (Word for word, KJV quote again)
CHARGE AT CLOSING
Let the world observe how Masons love one another. (1 John 4:7)
These generous principles are to extend further. Every human being has a claim upon your kind offices. Do good unto all. Recommend it more especially "to the household of the faithful." (Galatians 6:10)
By diligence in the duties of your respective callings; by liberal benevolence and diffusive charity; by constancy and fidelity in your friendships, discover the beneficial and happy effects of this ancient and honorable Institution. Let it not be supposed that you have here labored in vain (1 Cor. 15:54) and spent your strength for naught; for your work is with the Lord and your recompense with God. (Ruth 2:12)
Finally, brethren, be ye all of one mind; live in peace, and may the God of love and peace delight to dwell with and bless you! (2 Cor. 13:11)
ENTRY UPON THIRD DEGREE
(Ecc. 12:1-7) (Read in its entirety, KJV)
PRAYER AT RAISING
Thou, O God, knowest our downsitting and uprising, and understandest our thoughts afar off; shield and defend us from the evil intention of our enemies, and support us under the trials and afflictions we are destined to endure, while travelling through this vale of tears. (Psalm 139:2)
BENEDICTION AT THE LAYING OF A CORNER STONE
Glory be to God on High, and on earth peace, good will toward men! (Luke 2:14)
O Lord, we most heartily beseech Thee with Thy favor to behold and bless this assemblage. Pour down Thy mercies, like the dew that falls upon the mountains, (Psa. 133:3) upon Thy servants engaged in the solemn ceremonies of this day. Bless, we pray Thee, all the workmen who shall be engaged in the erection of this edifice; keep them from all forms of accident and harm, and grant them health and prosperity while they live. And finally, we pray that when our earthly toils and labors are ended we may all, through Thy mercy, wisdom and forgiveness, attain everlasting joy (Isa. 35:10) and felicity in the mansions prepared for us (John 14:2-3) in that temple not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Amen. (2 Cor. 5:1)
AT THE DEDICATION OF A MASONIC HALL
In the name of the Great Jehovah, to whom be all honor and glory, I do solemnly dedicate this Hall to Freemasonry.
INVOCATION AT DEDICATION OF A MASONIC HALL
And may the Lord, the giver of every good and perfect gift, (James 1:17) bless the brethren here assembled, in all their lawful undertakings, and grant to each one of them in needful supply, the Corn of nourishment, the Wine of refreshment, and the Oil of joy. Amen. (CORN, WINE, AND OIL: Deu. 7:13, 11:14, 14:23, 18:4, 28:51, 2 Chr. 31:5, 32:28, Neh. 5:11, 13:5, 13:12, Hosea 2:8, 2:22, Joel 1:10, Haggai 1:11; OIL OF JOY: Isaiah 61:3)
BENEDICTION AT FUNERAL
Now may the presence, (Matt. 28:20) comfort (2 Cor. 1:3-4), and strength (Isa. 40:31) of our Heavenly Father and the peace that passeth all understanding (Philippians 4:7) abide with us all, now and always. AMEN.
INVOCATION AT LODGE OF SORROW
"Almighty and Eternal God, (Deu. 33:27) in Whom we live, and move, and have our being, (Acts 17:28) we pray that Thou will grant each of us health, happiness, and well being in the coming year.
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