Continuation:
EDUCATION IS THE KEY:
An editorial entitled "Freemasonry and Religion Often Misunderstood by Masons and non-Masons" in the November-December 1992 issue of the Washington Masonic Tribune stated that Masons must "be better informed about ways in which we can answer the questions and comments made to us by uninformed citizens. You can no longer afford to be passive and not respond to accusations that are false. Masonic membership is a true privilege and there are so many positive elements of Freemasonry to be proud of that we must be willing to speak out and inform our friends and neighbors." I would recommend that each issue of your grand lodge periodicals include an article discussing a specific Masonic teaching. Anti-Masons have raised a number of questions about Freemasonry. Whether these anti-Masons are correct or not - and my research suggests they are not - Masons must respond.
Edmund Burke said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." As abhorrent as it may sound, it is my opinion that if Masons don't take advantage of this opportunity, Freemasonry will be a subject your great-grandchildren will only read about in obscure history books. I am not exaggerating when I say you have a herculean task ahead of you. Booklets explaining Freemasonry, such as the excellent "Conscience and the Craft" by Jim Tresner, would be helpful to give pastors and other church leaders. In my opinion, Jim Tresner, is the most knowledgeable and articulate Masonic writer today. Education is one of the keys in responding to charges leveled by the anti-Masons. This education can never end. It is the life blood of Freemasonry.
I would caution you about accepting invitations to debate anti-Masons. If they video-tape the debate, they can edit it. Years ago, the founder of the Jehovah Witnesses, Charles Taze Russell, called for debates with the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and many Protestant church leaders. When they didn't or wouldn't, he said they were afraid. In one sense, it may seem like a defeat in itself, but little or no good can come of debating these individuals and much negative can. Small insignificant individuals and groups will boast of debating the whole fraternity rather than just individual Masons. Video clips can change what the speaker said. I found myself asking, "Did I really say that?" during my research when Holly and others twisted my words to suit their desire.
THE ANTI-MASONIC MINDSET:
You must attempt to understand the mindset of the anti-Mason. They tend to see everything as black and white, or us and them. For example, I saw this with anti-Mason's insistence that the opinion of one Mason had to be the opinion of all Masons. This argument was directed at a number of books by Masons. I understand the Masonic position that each writer speaks only for himself, but I think you are sometimes your own worst enemy when you recommend certain books to your readers. I support the right of every Mason to write any book he wishes, but I question the wisdom of these books being recommended to fellow Masons. Every Mason has a right to write books, but not all books are profitable to read. I saw it in the charge that Masonic "light" refers to salvation since Jesus Christ is spoken of as "the Light" in the New Testament. One anti-Mason express surprise when I told him the word refers to understanding or knowledge rather than salvation. Toleration of diverse beliefs, a Masonic virtue, is rejected by anti-Masons and fundamentalist Christians as simple and unacceptable compromise with false or pagan beliefs.
Masons will never be able to satisfy every anti-Mason. Some depend on the sale of their books, videos and speaking invitations for their livelihood. Others strongly disagree with the Masonic mission which "transcends all religious , ethnic, cultural, social and educational differences." Many anti-Masons, who are usually fundamentalists, define "being right" very narrowly and find it impossible to accept even persons within their own denominations who don't measure up to their narrow definitions. Some are unacceptable simply because they don't vote for the right candidate or issue, whether secular or religious. In my study, I referred to the 1921 decision by the Supreme Court of Nebraska that Freemasonry was not a religion. Ankerberg responded by arguing that courts are often wrong. The thought that he might be wrong probably never crossed Ankerberg's mind. That is the mindset common to anti-Masons. I want to add here that not all fundamentalists are anti-Masonic. A number of Masons and your supporters would hold that religious persuasion. Perhaps, it would be more appropriate to speak of an aberrant form of fundamentalist, what psychologists call "toxic faith." PREMILLENIALIST CONSPIRACISTS:
There is another issue rapidly approaching which will most likely adversely affect Freemasonry. That issue is the conspiracy theories revolving around the new millennium. One of the most popular conspiracists today is Texe Marrs. He is the author of over 25 books, including Dark Majesty: The Secret Brotherhood and the Magic of A Thousand Point of Light. Marrs claims there is a worldwide conspiracy of well-known men whose goal "is to accumulate most all of this planet's wealth and power under their wings. They intend to become our masters, our benefactors, and our gods." With the Illuminati in this alleged conspiracy are Freemasonry, the United Nations, CIA, FBI, KGB, the World Council of Churches, the Vatican, the World Bank, multinational corporations, and "some TV evangelists." Among the politicians involved in this conspiracy are Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Dan Quayle, Henry Kissinger, General Colin Powell, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, "and just about every other major political figure and social leader in America." In spite of the absurdity of Marrs' theory, his books are sold in reputable Christian book stores and purchased by thousands of naive readers.
Gary H. Kah, A. Ralph Epperson, William T. Still and Pat Robertson are other well-known conspiracists who see Freemasonry as part of a world-wide conspiracy. A section on these conspiracy theories was removed from my study after it was submitted to the Home Mission Board president.
These conspiracy theories, which are rooted in premillennialism, which holds that the Anti-Christ will arise to rule the entire world before Jesus Christ returns to usher in the millennium. According to conservative biblical theology, human history will end after 6,000 years. Those 6,000 years are believed to conclude at the end of this decade. I see the Church as an ally in helping people understand the biblical teaching about eschatalogy. Herschel H. Hobbs, one of the few statesmen in the Southern Baptist Convention, summarized this issue by saying, "Amazingly, many otherwise sensible people are led astray, or else disturbed, in their faith by such (false teachers). By the time they get through, people who listen to them are so mixed up they do not know who to believe." A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY:
During my research I received over 2,000 letters, over ninety-five percent of them were from Masons or Eastern Star ladies. Almost without exception the writers of those letters as well as individual Masons I talked with were the finest men and women anyone could want to know. I wish I could say the same thing about the other four or five percent of the letters which were from anti-Masons. I wrote it out of no malice toward Freemasonry, but with a genuine desire that the controversy surrounding your fraternity can be stopped once and for all. I sincerely believe that it is possible if you take advantage of this window of opportunity. If you do, the future will indeed be bright for Freemasonry.
(Condensed from the Keynote Address to the Southeast Masonic Conference, 6 August 1993, Atlanta, Georgia.)
Gary Leazer Center for Interfaith Studies P.O Box 870523 Stone Mountain, GA 30087-0014 Post Script. Dr Gary Leazer, author of the original eighty-page "Study of Freemasonry," as ordered by the Southern Baptist Convention's Home Mission Board, submitted a forced resignation on October 22, 1993, following the publication of an address he made on August 6 to the Southeast Masonic Conference meeting in Atlanta.
Dr. Larry Lewis, President of the HMB, told the Baptist Press he requested Leazer's resignation for what he called "gross insubordination" stemming from the August address. A transcript of the address, which was published in the October Georgia Masonic Messenger, appears as the cover article in this issue of American Masonic Review.
In his speech, Leazer was critical of the six-page report as it was presented to the SBC in June. "My study does not agree with the conclusions in the HMB report," he said. Leazer revealed that his original study was drastically altered by administrators of the HMB in order to make it more negative toward the fraternity than his research had warranted.
In the summer of 1992, when the Southern Baptist Convention approved a resolution directing the Home Mission Board to conduct a study of Freemasonry, Dr. Leazer, as director of the Interfaith Witness Department, was given the task of conducting that study. However, when the eighty-page study was finished, it re-affirmed the HMB's 1986 position that Freemasonry is not a religion and recommended that the SBC take no stand for or against the fraternity. Furthermore, Leazer's study was critical of the writing of leading anti-Masons such as Dr. James L. Holly, and televangelist John Ankerberg. In the Fall of 1992, Holly withdrew his support for the study.
Following the completion of the study, Dr. Larry Lewis, head of the H.M.B., sent two staff members to Leazer's home to remove and examine all of Leazer's correspondence. Among this correspondence, the staff members found several letters from Baptist Masons. Lewis subsequently removed Leazer as director of the Interfaith Witness Department and assigned him to a field position. According to Leazer, "their concern was that I had encouraged several Masons to go to the Southern Baptist Convention andvote their conscience."
The Home Mission Board then began editing Leazer's study, removing critical references to the work of Holly and Ankerberg. Leazer felt that the study and its findings had been so fundamentally altered that he asked that his name "not be attached to the study."
Leazer is planning to write a book about his experiences while conducting the study over the past two years.
