The Antimasonic Propaganda Machine

[Skip Sampson]

Therefore, Freemasonry is NOT OF GOD, it is of the Devil.

Concur. I do also believe that many Masons think Freemasonry, as an organization, is of God and established by Him on this earth. Henry Pirtle implies that in his Ky Monitor (I'll have to dig up the quote) as does the GL of FL in its EA ritual:

You were first prepared by Almighty God within your heart to be made a Mason;

That a candidate was first prepared in his heart is a common statement in the EA ritual, but Florida states what the others imply. Consider the implications of that ritualistic statement: Why would God prepare someone for membership in an organization He did not endorse? It would be interesting to see what biblical instances there are of men being prepared in their hearts by God; but I digress.
The proof of my contention goes further:

In the Sublime Degree, the Lodge becomes a representation of the Sanctum Sanctorum or Holy of Holies of Solomon's great Temple at Jerusalem. This magnificent structure was a symbol of Heaven to the Hebrew people, for Solomon built it as the dwelling place of Jehovah that he might be in the midst of his, people Israel. Here the Hebraic law of cleanliness was strictly enforced and nothing earthy or unclean was permitted to enter the Temple. The Deity was said to dwell between the Cherubim found in the Holy of Holies. In a part of this Degree we are symbolically brought into the presence of God to learn the lessons which it is intended to teach. (MS GL, Mentor’s Manual, 1986, pgs. 18 – 19)

This statement is also made in FL and Va, and other GL's as well. Were it not seen 'of God', how could any GL make that claim? SC implies my contention as well:

The Lodge is then declared, in the name of God and the Holy Saints John, to be opened in due form, on the first, second, or third degree of Masonry, as the case may be.
A Lodge is said to be opened "in the name of God and the Holy Saints John," as a declaration of the sacred and religious purposes of our meeting, of our profound reverence for that Divine Being whose name and attributes should be the constant themes of our contemplation, and of our respect for those ancient patrons whom the traditions of Masonry have so intimately connected with the history of the Institution. (AR, 2010 edition, pg. 53 -54)

"Sacred and religious purposes of our meeting"? Other GL's make similar statements, and these point to the conclusion I've reached.

Bottom line here: I can make the case that Masons truly believe their Craft was instituted by God. How else could they promise spiritual change as affected by their rituals? We'll need a separate thread on this one, which I'll start once I unpack all my reference material. Cordially, Skip.

 

[Skip Sampson]

I stand corrected.

Of course you do: Wayne disagrees, you cave. Masonic authoritarianism in action. Cordially, Skip.

 

[Skip Sampson]

Childish.

I am reminded that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Cordially, Skip.

 

[O.F.F.]

That a candidate was first prepared in his heart is a common statement in the EA ritual, but Florida states what the others imply.

My question to Masons would be, by what authority can they make such a claim?

...the Sacred and religious purposes of our meeting...

Again, on what grounds or by what authority can they make this claim; especially since they claim not to be a religion?

Bottom line here: I can make the case that Masons truly believe their Craft was instituted by God. How else could they promise spiritual change as affected by their rituals? We'll need a separate thread on this one, which I'll start once I unpack all my reference material. Cordially, Skip.

Skip, you bring up some excellent points in this post. By all means, when you get a chance, please start a new thread on this topic. Otherwise, Wayne will do whatever he can in his satanic driven Masonic power to derail or bury anything that will threaten this precious thread he created to defend his indefensible positions here.

 

[O.F.F.]

Of course you do: Wayne disagrees, you cave. Masonic authoritarianism in action. Cordially, Skip.

In other words, in "street" vernacular, he (Jim) was "punked" by his own frat brother (the infamous Rev. Wayne)!

 

[Rev Wayne]

I am reminded that imitation is the greatest form of flattery.

Flattered by your childishness. If that don't beat all.

 

[Rev Wayne]

Why would God prepare someone for membership in an organization He did not endorse?

Bingo! Right on top of the obvious, and can't even spot it, that the idea that God would NOT lead someone into the lodge, is merely an erroneous presupposition. God's leadings are always God's enablings, is the familiar description of it. He doesn't lead anyone into anything without some preparation.

 

[Rev Wayne]

Skip, you bring up some excellent points in this post. By all means, when you get a chance, please start a new thread on this topic. Otherwise, Wayne will do whatever he can in his satanic driven Masonic power to derail or bury anything that will threaten this precious thread he created to defend his indefensible positions here.

Thank you for the acknowledgment that the attempt to derail this thread is satanic. Now if we can only get you to admit who the derailers are, namely, practically every antimasonic poster who has shown up here. Ironic, isn't it Jim, that until I posted the points that got us back on the topic of Freemasonry, these guys had for three or four pages done everything in their power to talk about anything but Freemasonry, and now think they can get away with such a ridiculous claim?

 

[Rev Wayne]

In the Sublime Degree, the Lodge becomes a representation of the Sanctum Sanctorum or Holy of Holies of Solomon's great Temple at Jerusalem. This magnificent structure was a symbol of Heaven to the Hebrew people, for Solomon built it as the dwelling place of Jehovah that he might be in the midst of his, people Israel. Here the Hebraic law of cleanliness was strictly enforced and nothing earthy or unclean was permitted to enter the Temple. The Deity was said to dwell between the Cherubim found in the Holy of Holies. In a part of this Degree we are symbolically brought into the presence of God to learn the lessons which it is intended to teach. (MS GL, Mentor’s Manual, 1986, pgs. 18 – 19

The Lodge is then declared, in the name of God and the Holy Saints John, to be opened in due form, on the first, second, or third degree of Masonry, as the case may be.
A Lodge is said to be opened "in the name of God and the Holy Saints John," as a declaration of the sacred and religious purposes of our meeting, of our profound reverence for that Divine Being whose name and attributes should be the constant themes of our contemplation, and of our respect for those ancient patrons whom the traditions of Masonry have so intimately connected with the history of the Institution. (AR, 2010 edition, pg. 53 -54)

Bottom line here: I can make the case that Masons truly believe their Craft was instituted by God. How else could they promise spiritual change as affected by their rituals?

Wonderful! And since you so willingly posted the materials you did, I can make the case very easily for it being the God of the Bible: "Holy of Holies of Solomon's great Temple at Jerusalem," " Solomon built it as the dwelling place of Jehovah," " The Deity was said to dwell between the Cherubim found in the Holy of Holies," " the name of God and the Holy Saints John." It's pretty clear to me who that is, why you guys think that would be anyone else but the God of the Bible is the real mystery here.

 

[Rev Wayne]

This has absolutely NOTHING to do with what we are discussing. Talk about being disingenuous; disingenuous,... why you mendacious excuse for existence. I quoted the Apostle Paul from Romans 2:15 and YOU have the audacity to claim that "I" was saying that atheists enjoy the privilege of the New Covenant. UnbelievaBULL! I NEVER made such a proclamation and YOU know it.
You are simply demonstrating your own dishonesty or revealing your stupidity, as one who is supposed to be a seminary-trained pastor, of what Paul was talking about in the first place. He was talking about man's God given "CONSCIENCE" not about anything to do with the New Covenant!!! And that was the only context in which I referred to it at the time.

Then you do not understand Paul, nor do you understand the New Covenant, nor do you understand the context in which that passage in Romans was written. The tendency is for people to try to write this off as "natural revelation," and attribute it to being "made in the image of God." But Paul speaks here of laws being "written on the heart." This can't be a reference to something that anyone already had, because it is spoken of in the first instance of it (Jeremiah 31) as something that had not yet occurred. The "image of God" goes all the way back to Adam. It couldn't be something that would be true of the Gentiles yet not of the Jews. If one had the image, they all did.

Adam Clarke says:

The passage in Romans 2:15, Their thoughts-accusing or excusing one another, certainly does not refer to any expostulations or operations of conscience; for this is referred to in the preceding clause.

As to the phrase written in their hearts, it is here opposed to the Jewish laws, which were written on tables of stone. The Jews drew the maxims by which their conduct was regulated from a Divine revelation: the GENTILES theirs from what God, in the course of his providence and gracious influence, had shown them to be right, useful, and necessary. And with them this law was well known and affectionately regarded; for this is one meaning of the phrase, written in the heart. It was from this true light, enlightening the Gentiles, that they had so many wise and wholesome laws; laws which had been among them from time immemorial, and of which they did not know the origin.

This was not the voice of conscience, this was ongoing revelation from God, being shown to them, as Clarke put it, "in the course of his providence and gracious influence. Plus, Paul has already stated that "not the hearers of the law but the doers of the law shall be justified." And he concludes the argument of chapter 2 with the proclamation:

A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.

The idea of being "written on the heart" goes back to Jeremiah 31, and is explicitly a New Covenant promise. In fact, it is the first and only place in the OT where the term "New Covenant" is used.

But it really matters not whether this is viewed as New Covenant. The popular thing among some people is to refer to this as an indication that God will judge according to the light one has. But they neglect to see that regardless of whether one's light was received inside or outside the law, they are judged according to deeds, for only the "doers of the law are justified."

Freemasonry distorts Scripture in order to deceive it's naïve adherents, who claim to be "Christians," that its rituals are based on the Bible.

You've claimed this in the past over and over, but you have never shown it to be so. Sure, you've tried, but your efforts were shown to be merely your own opinion, and not supportable. And Skip has performed admirably in further illustrating it with the citations he provided.

Notice carefully how the Grand Lodge of PA clearly refutes Wayne's claim that only the Bible can be considered the Great Light in Masonry.

Back up, Mikey. If you are referring to the current conversation, I never stated that once. I DID, however, cite from the GLOI website, and noted in the course of doing so, that THEY made a reference to the Bible as the "Great Light"; but even then, I did not claim that they said "only the Bible can be considered the Great Light in Masonry." I simply pointed out that in the articles on the GL site, when they referred to the Bible, they referred to it as the "Great Light." That statement was to counter your contention that just because they have other VSL's on the altar, they would not consider the Bible the "Great Light of Masonry." The articles gave the surest confirmation of what I stated--remembering, of course, that I did not say what you keep trying to say I did.

But if you are referring to any and all conversations we have had all-time, then yes I have stated that before, but only in the historical and traditional sense, with the notation that referral of the term "Great Light" to OTHER VSL's, if it is to be allowable, is of recent usage only and thus is an innovation in Masonry. But clearly, with five VSL's on the altar in India, it's pretty significant that in discussing the Bible, they still call THE BIBLE, and not any of the other four, the "first Great Light in Masonry." I can only assume that they do so on the basis of its being the foundation of Masonic ritual, just as they also stated.

Technically, they are correct, because if the "Great Light" is to be, as it is further described, the light which "illuminates our pathway to God," and if Masonic ritual truly is supposed to do that, there is no other sacred book that could fit the description, for no others are drawn upon in Masonic ritual. You may talk about what is upon the altar till you're blue in the face, you still will not have touched upon what Masonry is by quote-mining to find sources to agree with you on what constitutes the term "Great Light." Different jurisdictions express different opinions on the matter, and none of those opinions will change what is the content and foundation of Masonic ritual--the Holy Bible. You will not find one citation from any other sacred book there. And you will find it saturated throughout with readings, quotations, allusions, and even chapter-and-verse references to the Bible. So if you truly want a Great Light that "illuminates our pathway to God," in actuality rather than mere mention of it sitting on the altar, you can turn to no other but the Bible.

V.S.L.

"Volume of Sacred Law" or "Holy Writ." The "Great Light" of Masonry. A book of Divine Revelation. It is the Book of Faith of the prevailing country or region. The book of that natural religion in which all men agree.

LODGE BHRIGUCHETAN No. 321 Under The Grand Lodge of AF&AM of India

Maybe you just need to be reminded of your own declared standard:

You can quote all the Masonic scholars you wish, but none of them -- by Masonic rule -- speak on behalf of Freemasonry. So you have not refuted the facts I presented.

Masonic ritual issued by Grand Lodge authority is the only official documentation that applies here. Your view, and the opinion of Masonic scholars, is irrelevant if what you, or they say, cannot be substantiated by Masonic ritual. (Your own words, September 2007, this very forum)[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']

[/FONT]
Shall we go into a ritual-citing battle, then? I guarantee you I can find an OVERWHELMING number of ritual versions that all call the Great Light the Bible, than you can find otherwise, if you find anything at all to the contrary. Your standard, after all, is not "Grand Lodge," but "Grand Lodge, as substantiated by Masonic ritual." You didn't even cite a Grand Lodge, but a subordinate one, for one thing; and you totally blew by the fact that the citations I presented were from GRAND LODGE articles, on their website, and further substantiated by discussions of the ritual, in which the Bible as Great Light was affirmed--not just by ANY Masons, but by Grand Lodge and DGL officers. Quoting a subordinate lodge to try to trump that is, for lack of a better word, sophomoric.

I suspect discerning Christian readers get the point.

Oh, I'm sure they do, but I doubt if they necessarily get yours. I mean, since you are citing matters for "proof" which do not even meet your own standard for proof as laid out here before us so many times in the past on this forum. I mean, citing a subordinate lodge speaking about Masonry in general, and trying to use that to disallow comments by Grand Lodge Officers, stated DIRECTLY about the RITUAL as found in the GRAND LODGE OF INDIA? I don't think so, and I don't think the readers will buy it either. And unless the subordinate lodge has indicated the GL as the source of what you quoted, where do you get off declaring that the GL has clearly supplied its subbordinate lodges with the "proper definition of VSL?" But this is disingenuous on your part anyway, since you already know, and it is already a matter of record from my posts, that I was NOT speaking of "the proper definition of VSL," I was citing from GLOI articles showing what THEY were saying about THEIR OWN ideas about what the GREAT LIGHT OF MASONRY is, namely, they referred to it as the Bible, complete with direct citations from it, both OT and NT.

I could go on

Well, you certainly DO go on, but not saying much. You wanna play quote war games, I can do that too. From Mackey, "the eminent Mason from my state of South Carolina," Encyclopedia:

"Law, Sacred. The Sacred Scriptures, the Bible, the Great Light in Masonry."

Seems to me he considered the Great Light to be the Bible. So who are we to believe, Mackey one, or Mackey two? How about Mackey three, under "Greater Lights":

The Bible, and the Square and Compasses, which see.

Looks pretty definitive to me, then. Despite the Landmark discussion (which by the way does NOT mention either "Great Light," "Three Great Lights," or "Greater Lights"), Mackey in two other places defines the Bible as, "The" Great Light in Masonry when taken alone, or one of the "Greater Lights" when taken in tandem with the other two great lights. I'd say his discussion of "Great Light" takes precedence over a discussion of "book of the law" ANY day, because (1) it is a DIRECT discussion of it, and (2) the two citations where he directly references "Great Light(s)," beats your landmark reference by 2 to 1 mention.

 

[Rev Wayne]

Do this: conduct an internet browser search on "Great Light of Masonry," and see what you come up with. I did:

#1: "The Great Light of Masonry," from the Grand Lodge of Texas, an article about the Bible.

#2: "The Great Light of Masonry," by Joseph Fort Newton, a book about the Bible.

#3: "Masonry in the Great Light," Short Talk Bulletin Vol. XII, No. 6, an article about the Bible, detailing some of its content as found in Masonic rituals.

#4: "Holy Bible, the Great Light in Masonry," a bookseller advertising a 1940 Holman Masonic Bible.

#5: "The Holy Bible: The Great Light in Masonry," an amazon.com ad for a 1957 Holman Masonic Bible.

#6: A Freemasonrywatch page on the one-dollar bill, which pulled the hit for this:

The blaze of glory found on either side of the Great Seal cannot fail to remind the Mason of the Great Light in Masonry which is the rule and guide to faith and practice and without which no Masonic lodge can exist.

#7: "The Three Great Lights of Masonry," with this opening line:

The three 'Great Lights of Masonry' are the Holy Bible the Square and Compass. When taken together, they are interpreted to symbolise God's expression through the creation of the universe.

#8: "Free and Accepted Masons: A Primer for the Uninitiated," with this declaration:

The Holy Bible is The Great Light of symbolic Masonry and we are taught never to lose sight of its teachings.

#9: "1957 Great Light in Masonry Masonic Bible," an eBay ad.

#10: A Cuttingedge webpage transcript of their radio program. In it they are examining a Masonic Bible:

The next section of the Introduction is entitled, "The Great Light In Masonry"; it teaches the importance of the Holy Bible to Freemasonry. "Within the covers of the Holy Bible are found those principles of morality which lay the foundation upon which to build a righteous life...that he diligently study therein to learn the way to everlasting life".
While we find nothing here about which to quarrel, we shake our heads at the irreconcilable differences between this statement and the statements in Pike's book, "Morals and Dogma", quoted above.

Wow, talk about an ill-conceived method of determination: examining one's Bible beliefs by filtering it through the light of Pike's Morals and Dogma??? It's understandable they would shake their heads at reading Pike, most Masons do so as well.

#11: A hit on Mackey's Encyclopedia, "Law, Sacred. The Sacred Scriptures, the Bible, the Great Light in Masonry."

#12: A Myspace (pro-Masonic) personal page which pulled the hit solely because Newton's book "Great Light in Masonry" is among several books listed.

#13: An article by Rev. Dan Silver of NC, "The Relation of Masonry to the Bible." He states:

On being introduced to the Grand Order of Masonry, almost 25 years ago, I found that the Masons already knew about this wonderful book called the Bible. In fact, I found out that Masonry would not be Masonry without the Holy Bible. In the center of every lodge, the Holy Bible is displayed and no lodge can carry out its work in Masonry unless the Holy Bible is opened and used.

#14: Antimasonic page, but with this note:

Jim Shaw, a former 33rd degree Mason, says that Masonry is not based on the Bible (referred to as "The Great Light"),

#15: Short Talk Bulletin Vol. II, No. 3, which opens:

Upon the Altar of every Masonic Lodge, supporting the Square and Compasses, lies the Holy Bible. The old, familiar Book, so beloved by so many generations, is our Volume of Sacred Law and the Great Light in Masonry. The Bible opens when the Lodge opens; it closes when the Lodge closes. No Lodge can transact its own business, much less initiate candidates into its mysteries, unless the Book of Holy Law lies open upon its Altar. Thus the Book of the Will of God Rules the Lodge in its labors, as the Sun Rules the Day, making its work a worship.
The history of the Bible in the life and symbolism of Masonry is a story too long to recite here.

#16: "Light on Masonry," David Bernard (antimasonic), which cites:

The three great lights in Masonry are the Holy Bible, Square and Compass.

#17: Harmon R. Taylor, "A Pastor and Freemasonry-What's a Pastor to Do?" He cites:

In any event, remind the Mason that his own writings state that the "Holy Bible is the Great Light in Masonry, and the Rule and Guide for faith and practice." (The Holy Bible is the Great Light in Masonry, AJ Holman & Co., 1968.)

#18: Ray & Renee Grosser, "Freemasonry: Light or Perceived Light?"

The Holy Bible is the Great Light in Masonry, and the Rule and Guide for faith and practice.

#19: THE GREAT LIGHTS

There are three-the Holy Bible, the Square, and the Compasses.

#20: Haywood, "Symbolical Masonry":

Sending their rays into every nook and cranny of the lodge, they are fit representatives of those high realities of the spirit which are indeed the Great Lights, the master lights of all our seeing. In these three symbols, the Holy Bible, the Square, and the Compass, we shall find inspiration, as well as instruction, one as much as the other, and they may be studied in order.

How about that? The first 20 hits on "Great Light of Masonry," with only two of them (#6 & #12) that don't specifically state it to be the Bible. And even those two do not mention "other VSL's" or try to assert any other book, they are simply not specific either way.

Not that these can supplant your own insistence on "Grand Lodge, substantiated by Masonic ritual." I'll be waiting for your Masonic ritual substantiations of your claim.

 

[O.F.F.]

Wayne,

All you did in your google search was capture the use of the Bible as "The Great Light in Masonry" in U.S. lodges. I made that point in my earlier post. But you did NOT and you CANNOT refute the fact that it (the Great Light) can be -- and is -- any other VSL as well. Just in case some readers missed it, here is what I posted as proof:

Here is more Masonic teaching about what constitutes the VSL (Volume of Sacred Law) or the symbol called the Great Light of Masonry. Wayne continues to insist that "The Great Light in Masonry" can only mean the Holy Bible. But as the following quotes have proven, nothing could be further from the truth.

Freemasonry is non-sectarian and non-doctrinal in character. The presence of the VSL, on the altar of a Lodge may, therefore, appear at first glance at odds with this basic concept. But the VSL on our altars in New South Wales is not to be regarded as evidence that the Lodges of this Jurisdiction are Christian in character, although it is, of course, true that the majority of Lodge members are essentially Christian in their affiliations. Its presence is no more than a symbol, a representative of all the great books of the religious teachings, which have particular significance to particular groups of people. In some Jurisdictions other works replace the Bible on the altar. Singapore Lodge, a Lodge working under the English Constitution, uses no fewer than six Vs of SL of different faiths. As one Scottish Grand Lodge authority puts it: "The Volume of the Sacred Law, no matter though it be our Bible or the Sacred Writings of the Hindu, the Zendavesta of the Parsee, or the Koran of the Mohammedan, typifies the Mind or Will of the GAOTU, the Great First Cause - the Creator and Preserver of the Universe - the Great Life-Giver, that Great Unknown and Unknowable which is manifested in His Universe. As the VSL is not read in our Lodges, its teachings per se are of no consequence. It is a symbol and a symbol only, and it is shown as supporting the other two symbols, the Square and Compasses. (emphasis added)

"Volume of Sacred Law" found at The Masonic Trowel

Just as Freemasonry uses the name Great Architect (referring to all gods as one) so as to be inclusive to the faiths of all its members, so to should it use the name Volume of the Sacred Law to be inclusive of all books of faith of its members. (emphasis added)

The Masonic Dictionary

Like most other things in Freemasonry, the Holy Bible is itself a symbol of Divine Truth in every form. When viewed as a symbol, it represents that divine truth or knowledge from whatever source derived. Freemasonry invites men of all faiths to its teachings, requiring only a belief in a Supreme Being, knowing that we all pray to the God and Father of the Universe regardless of the actual name one uses to address Him. Thus, the Bible is often referred to as the Volume of Sacred Law, allowing men of differing faiths to use the Sacred Writings of their faith as the Volume of Sacred Law. (emphasis added)

"The Great Light in Freemasonry" from the Grand Lodge of Texas

On this broad platform, Freemasonry promotes friendships among right-thinking men of every creed, sect and opinion. Each is assured of complete liberty of conscience. All believers in the Ever Living and True God, however various their individual conceptions of Him may be, may join hands around the altar of the Fraternity. Modernist and Fundamentalist, Christian, Jew, and Moslem, meet there upon a common plane as Brothers all. Freemasonry is not concerned with what particular understanding any of them may venerate the Volume of Sacred Law providing it is venerated.

VOLUME OF THE SACRED LAW IN FREEMASONRY at Masonic Travels

What is meant by the Volume of the Sacred Law?

The holy book of one's prevailing faith and the Great Light in Freemasonry. (emphasis added)

Must all Masons be obligated on the Bible?

The primary requirement of a Freemason is a belief in a Supreme Being, whether He be called God or Allah or Jehovah or any of the names by which the Supreme Architect of the Universe may be designated. Hence a candidate for Freemasonry should be obligated on a book he considers to be a Volume of the Sacred Law of his religious faith, (e.g. Holy Bible, Torah, Koran).

Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania

Notice carefully how the Grand Lodge of PA clearly refutes Wayne's claim that only the Bible can be considered the Great Light in Masonry. It not only defines any VSL as the Great Light in Freemasonry, it goes on to say that the VSL is any "sacred" book of any religious faith.

Likewise, notice in the following how prominent Masonic author, Carl Claudy proves Wayne wrong too; by indicating that "The Great Light in Masonry" can be different Volumes of Sacred Law depending on the predominant religion in a given country. And that even in lodges in the United States, the Bible is a symbol of ALL "holy books of all faiths."

The Holy Bible is always referred to as "The Great Light" or "The Great Light in Masonry," in this country which is predominantly Christian. The practice may be and often is different in other lands. What is vital and unchangeable, a Landmark of the Order is that a Volume of the Sacred Law be open upon the Masonic altar whenever the lodge is open. A lodge wholly Jewish may prefer to use only the Old Testament; in Turkey and Persia the Koran would be used as the V.S.L. of the Mohammedan; Brahmins would use the Vedas. In the Far East where Masonic lodges have members of many races and creeds it is customary to have several holy books upon the altar that the initiate may choose that which is to him the most sacred.

The Holy Bible, our (in the U.S.) Great Light in Masonry, is opened upon our (U.S. lodges) altars. Upon it lie the other Great Lights - the Square and the Compasses. Without all three no Masonic lodge can exist, much less open or work. Together with the warrant from the Grand Lodge they are indispensable.

The Bible on the altar is more than the rule and guide of our faith. It is one of the greatest of Freemasonry's symbols. For the Bible is here (in the U.S.) a symbol of all holy books of all faiths. (emphasis added)

INTRODUCTION TO FREEMASONRY by CARL H. CLAUDY

Finally, despite what Wayne quotes from the Grand Lodge of India, it has clearly supplied its subbordinate lodges with the proper definition of VSL.

V.S.L.

"Volume of Sacred Law" or "Holy Writ." The "Great Light" of Masonry. A book of Divine Revelation. It is the Book of Faith of the prevailing country or region. The book of that natural religion in which all men agree.

LODGE BHRIGUCHETAN No. 321 Under The Grand Lodge of AF&AM of India

Again, all of this is consistent with the 21st Landmark I quoted earlier from the eminent Mason from Wayne's state of South Carolina, Albert G. Mackey:

It is a Landmark, that a "Book of the Law" (or VSL = Volume of Scared Law) shall constitute an indispensable part of the furniture of every Lodge. I say advisedly, a Book of the Law, because it is not absolutely required that the Bible be used. The "Book of the Law" is that volume which, by the religion of the country, is believed to contain the revealed will of the Grand Architect of the universe.

Hence, in all Lodges in Christian countries, the Book of the Law is composed of the Old and New Testaments; in a country where Judaism was the prevailing faith, the Old Testament alone would be sufficient; and in Mohammedan countries, and among Mohammedan Masons the Koran might be substituted.

Masonry does not attempt to interfere with the peculiar religious faith of its disciples, except so far as relates to the belief in the existence of God, and what necessarily results from that belief. (emphasis added)

Jurisprudence of Freemasonry (21st Landmark) by Albert G. Mackey

I could go on, but I suspect discerning Christian readers get the point. Any true Christian, in her or his right mind, will read these quotes and conclude that Freemasonry is as far from God as Satan himself. For anyone to disagree with this fact is to say they really don't know Jesus Christ.

 

[Skip Sampson]

Do this: conduct an internet browser search on "Great Light of Masonry," and see what you come up with.

Why be so exclusive? Here are a few quotes for you:

(VSL) The proper Masonic name for the book on the altar even if it is the King James Version of the Bible. Just as Freemasonry uses the name Great Architect so as to be inclusive to the faiths of all its members, so to should it use the name Volume of the Sacred Law to be inclusive of all books of faith of its members. The candidate is obligated on the book of HIS faith. - Source: MasonicDictionary.com

A. G. Henderson, Chairman,
Committee on Foreign Correspondence
Grand Lodge of Arkansas.

Many of our American Masons do not understand that in Continental lodges the Bible is not upon the altar, but that it is lying on the Master's pedestal, as is also the case in some of the English-speaking lodges. It has been decided in Massachusetts, after an exhaustive examination of the law and precedent, that according to the ancient regulations, it is the Sacred Book of the Law which is placed upon the altar. It will be readily understood that the Sacred Book of the Law includes the Koran, the Veda, the Scruti, the Pentateuch, as well as the Bible.

Referring to the question of the use of the Holy Bible on the altar in English and American lodges, we note in a recent Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of England that it was decided that the Provincial Grand Lodge of India could initiate candidates without interference with religion, and laid down the rule, "He need not cease to be a Mohammedan, Buddhist, Hindu, Jew, Christian, or any other denomination."

The Grand Registrar of the Grand Lodge of England stated "It is not a question of the Bible being on the altar, it is 'The Volume of the Sacred Law.' Among the Christians it is the Old and New Testament combined. Among the Jews it is the Old Testament alone. Among the Mohammedans it is the Koran.

"During the latter part of 1875, there was considerable stir among the Craft lodges in India, as to the propriety of the use of the Koran in Masonic lodges under English Constitutions. Considerable correspondence was had with the Grand Lodge of England, in London, which brought out the fact of the initiation of the King of Oudh, a Mohammedan, in Friendship Lodge No. 6, in London, on April 14, 1836. At the initiatory ceremonies a volume of the Koran was used. The book had been furnished by the Grand Master, and the candidate was obligated upon it by the Master of the lodge, who was an English clergyman. This stopped further discussion, and it was settled in the Grand Lodge of England and her colonies, that it was proper to obligate all candidates upon that particular book which they held to be most sacred, and contains the work of Deity. All of this has been accepted and acknowledged as correct by the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and the annual appointment of Grand Shastii bearer, Grand Veda Bearer, Grand Koran Bearer, Grand Bible Bearer, etc., has been regularly made." (Source: The Builder - March 1921; cited from Masonic Dictionary website)

Volume of the Sacred Law. An open volume of the Sacred Law, "the rule and guide of life," is an essential part of every Masonic meeting. The Volume of the Sacred Law in the Judeo/Christian tradition is the Bible; to Freemasons of other faiths, it is the book held holy by them. (MSA Website)

It's well understood by now that it's the VSL that counts in Masonry, not the Bible. Lodges certainly can use the Bible on their altar, but they can also choose to add 'another' VSL at their leisure. In the future, they could change GL policy and let any VSL be used, or all of them as Mike's picture showed. Personally, I think having them all there would be the honest way for Masonic Lodges to handle the issue, but there's too much hypocrisy in the Lodge for such honesty to be manifest.

Not that these can supplant your own insistence on "Grand Lodge, substantiated by Masonic ritual." I'll be waiting for your Masonic ritual substantiations of your claim.

You don't have to wait for my input. Just go to the initiation of the next Muslim or Mormon who wants to use the Koran or Book of Mormon, respectively, as his 'Great Light' and watch how the ritual itself is changed to accommodate it. Cordially, Skip.

 

[Rev Wayne]

Why be so exclusive?

Mainly because this started with an objection by dear ole Mike, concerning a mention cited in the GLOI articles about the "first Great Light of Masonry." I think his intent was, to try to spin this as if it was talking about more than one book traditionally and historically being referred to as "Great Light." Clarification was needed, and so I responded by pointing out that there are three "Great Lights," and the "first," as it was referenced there, is always the Holy Bible. That was what resulted in him launching this whole spiel.

Personally, I find no mention before Claudy even remotely suggesting that any other "VSL" could be so designated, since "VSL" and the "Three Great Lights" are technically two different discussions. And even Claudy is all over the map. Check out this piece on "Great Lights" from Carl Claudy, Introduction to Freemasonry, EA degree. It provides a wonderful bookend to offset the earlier-cited piece from Mike. I've taken the liberty to highlight, of course, where he refers to the Bible as the Great Light, rather than the wide-open stance Mike cited:

THE GREAT LIGHTS

There are three - the Holy Bible, the Square, and the Compasses. (1)

The Holy Bible is always referred to as "The Great Light" or "The Great Light in Masonry," in this country which is predominantly Christian. The practice may be and often is different in other lands. What is vital and unchangeable, a Landmark of the Order (a further discussion of Landmarks is given later, see pages 159-163) is that a Volume of the Sacred Law be open upon the Masonic altar whenever the lodge is open. A lodge wholly Jewish may prefer to use only the Old Testament; in Turkey and Persia the Koran would be used as the V.S.L. of the Mohammedan; Brahmins would use the Vedas. In the Far East where Masonic lodges have members of many races and creeds it is customary to have several holy books upon the altar that the initiate may choose that which is to him the most sacred.

The Holy Bible, our Great Light in Masonry, is opened upon our altars. Upon it lie the other Great Lights - the Square and the Compasses. Without all three no Masonic lodge can exist, much less open or work. Together with the warrant from the Grand Lodge they are indispensable.

The Bible on the altar is more than the rule and guide of our faith. It is one of the greatest of Freemasonry's symbols. For the Bible is here a symbol of all holy books of all faiths. It is the Masonic way of setting forth that simplest and most profound of truths which Masonry has made so peculiarly her

(1) "Compass" in six jurisdictions.


own: that there is a way, there does run a road on which men "of all creeds and of every race" may travel happily together, be their differences of religious faith what they may. In his private devotions a man may petition God or Jehovah, Allah or Buddha, Mohammed or Jesus; he may call upon the God of Israel or the Great First Cause. In the Masonic Lodge he hears humble petition to the Great Architect of the Universe, finding his own deity under that name.

A hundred paths may wind upward around a mountain; at the top they meet. Freemasonry opens the Great Light upon her altar not as one book of one faith, but as all books of all faiths, the book of the Will of the Great Architect, read in what language, what form, what shape we will. It is as all-inclusive as the symbols which lie upon it. The Square is not for any one lodge, any one nation, any one religion - it is for all Masons, everywhere, to all of whom it speaks the same tongue. The Compasses circumscribe the desires of Masons wheresoever dispersed; the secret of the Square, held between the points of the Compasses (see page 58) is universal.

Countless references in our ritual are taken from the Old Testament. Almost every name in a Masonic lodge is from the Scriptures. In the Great Light are found those simple teachings of the universality of brotherhood, the love of God for his children, the hope of immortality, which are the very warp and woof of Freemasonry. Let it be emphasized; these are the teachings of Freemasonry in every tongue, in every land, for those of every faith. Our Great Light is but a symbol of the Volume of the Sacred Law. Freemasonry is no more a Christian organization than it is Jewish or Mohammedan or Brahmin. Its use of the collection of sacred writings of the Jews (Old Testament) and the Gospels of the New Testament as the Great Light must not confuse the initiate so that he reads into Freemasonry a sectarian character which is not there.

This is so well understood that it needs emphasis only for the novice. To give him specific facts as well as assertion: the Bible is first mentioned as a Great Light in Masonry about 1760, whereas the first of the Old Charges (one of the foundation stones on which rest the laws of Freemasonry, first published in 1723, but presumably adopted by the Mother Grand Lodge at its formation in 1717) reads in part as follows (spelling modernized):

A Mason is obliged by his tenure to obey the moral law; and if he rightly understands the art, he will never be a stupid atheist, nor an irreligious libertine. But though in ancient times Masons were charged in every country to be of the religion of that country or nation, whatever it was, yet 'tis now thought more expedient only to oblige them to that religion in which all men agree, leaving their particular opinions to themselves; that is, to be good men and true, or men of honour and honesty, by whatever denominations or persuasions they may be distinguished; whereby Masonry becomes the center of union and the means of conciliating true friendship among persons that must have remained at a perpetual distance.

Perhaps never before has so short a paragraph had so profound an effect, setting forth the non-sectarian, non-doctrinal character of Freemasonry, making religion, not a religion, the important matter in the Ancient Craft.

 

[Rev Wayne]

Wanna know what's really hilarious in all this, Michael C.? Watching you go into conniptions posting your edited version of Claudy like this. . .

The Holy Bible, our (in the U.S.) Great Light in Masonry, is opened upon our (U.S. lodges) altars. Upon it lie the other Great Lights - the Square and the Compasses. Without all three no Masonic lodge can exist, much less open or work. Together with the warrant from the Grand Lodge they are indispensable.

The Bible on the altar is more than the rule and guide of our faith. It is one of the greatest of Freemasonry's symbols. For the Bible is here (in the U.S.) a symbol of all holy books of all faiths. (emphasis added)

INTRODUCTION TO FREEMASONRY by CARL H. CLAUDY

. . .when not that long ago you were doing the exact OPPOSITE when it came to Claudy. Notice what happens when we revisit what you were posting at THAT time from Claudy's Foreign Countries:

This United States of ours has its ritual: its Declaration of Independence, its Constitution, its Bill of Rights. Doubtless the reader has read all of these; perhaps, in school, he memorized them, as the initiate must memorize Masonic ritual. [FONT='Times New Roman','serif']

Upon our Altar lies a Book of the Law. In this country (the U.S.) it is the Holy Bible; in other countries the Book of Faith of the religion there followed. The altar is thus mute testimony to all men that Freemasonry is founded and rests upon a Fatherhood of God.

[/FONT]
Yet you were, with great vehemence and multiple highlighting, proclaiming a very different thing than you are here:

He (Claudy) addresses ALL Masons, U.S. and otherwise.

Now, with that in mind, looking at that context again, we find:

"Nor can he find humor in a reverent approach to the Altar on which lies the Holy Bible."

Hmmmm.....I don't seem to see any "our" in that line. Not that it matters, since in "Foreign Countries," you were insisting on it being inclusive of ALL of Masonry anyway. Which makes it interesting, because if you were correct THEN, then that would mean this statement applied to ALL of Masonry. But since it's the Bible being spoken of, that seems inconsistent with your claims.

But in actuality, with no "our" on here, you couldn't have highlighted that one to make the point you're now making, even if you HAD been making the same claim back then, instead of the OPPOSITE.

You really seem confused, when one looks at what you have claimed in other times and places, and finds so many inconsistencies. But like I said, you guys are our best illustration for this thread, hands down.

 

[Rev Wayne]

Just go to the initiation of the next Muslim or Mormon who wants to use the Koran or Book of Mormon, respectively, as his 'Great Light' and watch how the ritual itself is changed to accommodate it

That's the same thing I keep hearing, but never with any substance behind it. Care to document your hearsay?

 

[ChristianMasonJim]

Just go to the initiation of the next Muslim or Mormon who wants to use the Koran or Book of Mormon, respectively, as his 'Great Light' and watch how the ritual itself is changed to accommodate it.

Skip, can you document this? In South Carolina, the only part any other VSL ever plays in the degrees is during the obligation. The degree work is completely unchanged.

 

[ChristianMasonJim]

In other words, in "street" vernacular, he (Jim) was "punked" by his own frat brother (the infamous Rev. Wayne)!

Nope, not punked at all. I'm simply man enough to recognize when I am in error and I admit it. It's something I would expect others here to do as well, particularly from so many who claim to be Christian, but it never happens. Masonic Attackers simply dodge their errors by diverting the topics.

And by the way, nice originality in using the same graphic as I used. The originality here seems to be boundless.

 

[Rev Wayne]

Masonic Attackers simply dodge their errors by diverting the topics.

Not to mention, spinning the pages like a top. You can probably find the errors by going back to each point where the pages start flipping like fall leaves.

 

[ChristianMasonJim]

For any readers out there who are paying attention to the flow of this discussion, note that anti-Masonic attacks continue to gloss over the fact that the only VSL referenced in the three degrees of the Blue Lodge in teaching morality is the Holy Bible. Candidates can be obligated on their VSL of choice, (the reason has already been explained) but the fact remains that the teaching is drawn from the Old and New Testaments.