MAIN POINT OF THE BELOW IN ONE SENTENCE:
- The serpent of the garden is consistently portrayed as one day defeating the God of the Bible in Masonic literature.
John Weldon lists five ways in which Freemasonry fosters occultic involvement among its members (via EQUIP.ORG):
- First, Freemasonry supports the now-popular New Age dictum that man houses within himself unlimited power that can be unlocked using specific procedures.
- Second, Freemasonry espouses a philosophy and a system of symbols which bear a striking resemblance to many of the occultic arts — for example kabbalism, Rosicrucianism, and hermetic philosophy.
- Third, Freemasonry encourages its members to discover the deeper significance (or “esoteric truths”) lying beneath its ceremonies and symbols.
- Fourth, Freemasonry promotes the development of altered states of consciousness, an exercise rooted in mysticism.
- Finally, a number of Masons regard their organization as the vehicle that will lead the world into an age of occultic enlightenment.
In that same article linked above, Hank Hanegraaff askes: “Why are so many Masons unaware of this side of Freemasonry?” His answer?
The reason is that a large portion of Masons seldom strive to advance beyond the initial ranks or degrees offered within their organization. But as one progresses to higher degrees, more and more details about the underlying foundations of Masonic ideology are gradually revealed, including its occultic dimensions. It is therefore imperative that we warn others about the dangers brewing beneath the surface of the Masonic Lodge.
In my copy of Morals and Dogma this was in the back of this copy…. upper Masons signing the back of the Morals and Dogma signifying they have read it:
Though Freemasons claim otherwise, Freemasonry and Christianity are incompatible:
By taking the Masonic oaths, the Mason is swearing to uphold Masonry and its teachings. Swearing to uphold Masonic oaths is sinful, unscriptural and should not be part of the Christian’s life for the following reasons
- They make a Christian man swear by God to doctrines which God has pronounced false and sinful. For example, Masonry teaches a universalist doctrine of “the Fatherhood of God” (John 8:42)
- The Christian man is made to swear his acceptance of the lie that salvation, the reward of Heaven, can be gained by main’s good works (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- The Christian man swears to accept and promote the Masonic lie that Jesus is just one of many equally revered prohets in the world. He does this when agreeing that all religions can lead a man to God (Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 1:16-18)
- The Christian man swears he will remain silent in the Lodge and not talk of Christ when God commands every Christian to be a witness (Matthew 28:19)
- The Christian man swears that he is approaching the Lodge while he is in spiritual ignorance and moral darkness, when the Bible says that Christians are children of light and are indwelt by the Light of the world (John 8:12; Ephesians 5:8)
- By taking the Masonic oath, the Christian is guilty of taking the name of the Lord is vain, because he has sworn unlawfully to things God has forbidden him to swear to. God says He will not leave such a person unpunished (Exodus 20:7)
- The Christian falsely swears that the God of the Bible is equally present in all religions (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
- The Christian falsely swears to the teaching that true worship can be offered in to Lodge to God without the mediatorship of Jesus (Hebrews 9:14)
- By swearing the Masonic oath, Christians are perpetuating a false gospel to other Lodge members who look only to the gospel of Masonry to get them to Heaven (Galatians 1:6-8)
- The Christian’s spirit, mind and body are the temple of the Holy Spirit, “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). By taking the Masonic obligations he could be agreeing to allow the pollution of his mind and spirit by pagan religion or even occult practices.
John Ankerberg and John Weldon, Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions (Eugene, Or: Harvest House Publishers, 1999), 255-256. (Via APOLOGETICS INDEX)
See more from John Weldon (PDF).
And, I note the “Masonic” view of Jesus is very Gnostic-like when in a conversation with actor Michael Berryman. I posted the full conversation here. In that long exchange Freemasonry came up. Here is what I noted then:
7. What “is” Freemasonry?
Below/right is a scan from page 567 of my copy of Morals and Dogma. What you have here is an example of Gnostic thinking on spirit-material dualism; Freemasons are merely modern day Gnostics. Roles are reversed in comparison to how historic Christianity has viewed them since its inception. I will explain, but first look at page 567 (click on it to enlarge):
So let’s get into the meat of the matter. Gnostic thinking is a combination of Judaism, Platonism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity. (By-the-by, the below is much to do with a professor’s input I had, Dr. Wayne House.)
Judaism – early Gnostics followed the thinking of Marcian, and Marcian taught that the God of the Old Testament was a demiurge. A demiurge would be what we would typically call the “devil.” Since anything 100% spirit is “good,” anything material is “bad.” So the God of the Old Testament created the world, which is material, and so this God is the Gnostic’s mortal enemy (pun intended). So Judaic thought and Judaism’s God is what Gnostics are “fighting” against. This is Judaism’s contribution.
Platonism – plutonic thought is basically the codifying of Hindu thinking into Grecian thought. He taught that innate ideas (that is: existing in one from birth; inborn; native) were the ideas the mind beheld in the world of pure Forms before birth. This world, then, is but a shadow of reality… pure spirit. This is Platonic contribution to Gnostic thinking.
An aside here for clarity of thought. Platonic thinking shares a point in common with Gnostic thinking, so you could be a Platonist and not a Gnostic. You couldn’t be, however, a Gnostic without being a Platonist. This is important because many “scholars” get this concept mixed up when describing the points of contact between Gnostic thinking and Christianity. Okay, on we go.
Zoroastrianism – Zoroastic thought has contributed what is called ethical dualism. It has said that there is a battle between good and evil, light and dark. Its addition to this is that anything material in nature is evil, and anything spiritual is good.
Christianity – Christian theology provided a “vehicle” in which to express the above. It is then, the “vehicle of expression” for Gnostics. Jesus becomes the way in which they Gnostics explain the working of impersonal deity in human existence and the offering of salvation through secret knowledge, or, Gnosis. Gnosis means knowledge of spiritual matters; mystical knowledge.
Gnostic’s, then, only have a complete “system of thought” when they combine all four of these major aspects into their thinking. If their thinking were to lack any one of these, they would cease to be Gnostic. The combining of the major aspects of these four lines thought, then, make up the Gnostic “worldview.” What do Gnostics believe then? I will explain a bit more in this crude drawing taken during notes from a class at seminary. one should note as well that “Eon” should be spelled “Aeon.”:
Much like Eastern philosophy, there is an impersonal spirit which is 100% spirit. Brahma as it is referred to in Hindu thought. Out of this impersonal force emanated “Eons.” These Eons were 99.9% spirit and .01% material, to put it layman terms. (Also, the percentages are not to explain exactly what Gnostic’s believe, I am just using these numbers as examples to get the analogy across.) These less impersonal, or more corrupted Eons, created other Eons who themselves were more deficient in their spirit/matter balance. Until finally you have very “diluted” beings. One diluted being — referred to as a “Demiurge,” what we would sometimes call the “Devil” — created our world. He also created smaller more diluted beings called “Archons.” These archons would be what we view as demons; Gnostics would say Paul referred to them in Ephesians 6:12 when he said:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Jesus comes into the picture as an Aeon who has a higher percentage of spirit left and sneaks past the demiurge and the archons and enters our world. He is “born,” not physically, but is an ethereal image of mankind (hard to explain) to point the way to a saving knowledge that is secret or hidden.
Freemasons are the most modern day representation of Gnostics; they have symbols that as you climb to higher degrees become clearer in their real meaning and are explained more-so as you climb this “knowledge ladder.” Secret handshakes, elaborate rituals and secrecy until finally at the 33rd-degree you are presented with a true understanding (a Gnostic one) of reality and “God.”
From three separate Mason’s saying each part of the name of God, “Ja-bul-on,” to the meaning of the dot or “G” in the square and compass symbol. All these serve as layers for the initiates to come to realize that this material world is evil.
The Gnostics and hence, Masons, believe that there is a war going on with the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. As this thinking has progressed throughout history it has adopted other philosophies and has become more and more convoluted in its history and thinking. The New Age, much of your occultism, cults, and even Christianity (Trinity Broadcasting Network for instance) has been influenced by this thinking in one way or another. From Madam Blavatsky and her influence on Germany’s occultism that led to the Aryan philosophy of Hitler to Benny Hinn’s healing crusades.
All sorts of writers, especially conspiratorial writers, have had a plethora of facts to misuse and misrepresent and to twist to their own agendas. Their agenda have resulted in many people believing that “secret societies” control both parties and were behind the Twin Towers so they could implement a world government. This view that combines, “sun” worship from the ancient Egyptians to the Illuminate, from the Knights Templars and Rosicrucians, to today’s Skull and Bones and Council on Foreign Relations ~ is defunct mainly due to the lack of understanding gnosis and the philosophy that has driven it.
In an article by Dave Hunt preserved over at The John Ankerberg Show, we read a great short expose of the occultic roots of Freemasonry:
The Occult Influence In Freemasonry
Occultism has gained a new respectability both in the world and the church through its acceptance and promotion by numerous business and civic leaders and pastors. Among the latter, none was more influential than Norman Vincent Peale. A prolific and popular “Christian” author, Peale’s writings have introduced millions in the world and church to the occult. There are at least two sources of Peale’s occultism: the writings of occultist Florence Scovel Shinn, and Freemasonry.
A 33rd degree Mason, Peale was pictured on the cover of the Masonic magazine, New Age.[1] He was inducted into the Scottish Rite [Masonic] Hall of Honor on September 30,1991, and his portrait now hangs in the Washington DC Masonic Temple.[2] He was often held up by Masons as an example of Masonic character. Yet instead of honestly acknowledging the truth about Masonry, Peale perpetuated its deceits.
According to its own documents, Masonry involves occultism. Its influence permeates both the world and the church. Although many professing Christians are Masons, Masonry is an anti-Christian religious cult rooted in paganism. Masonry contains much of the mysticism of Hinduism and Buddhism, and is Luciferian. Yet Peale declared, “I have never seen the slightest word or expression [in Masonic rituals] that is anything a Christian could not endorse.”[3]
Such an obviously false statement sheds further light upon Peale’s perversion of Christianity. No one who has reached the 33rd degree could be so ignorant. Declarations by Masonic authorities expose Peale’s dishonesty on that subject. Albert G. Mackey, coauthor of Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, is one of Masonry’s highest authorities. In Manual of the Lodge, Mackey traces Masonic teaching back to “the ancient rites and mysteries practiced in the very bosom of pagan darkness….”[4]
Albert Pike, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Southern Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in the USA, was “an honorary member of almost every Supreme Council in the world.”[5] He authored Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Supreme Council of the Thirty-Third Degree, which was published by its authority. This compendium of official Masonic lore traces Masonry to Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and other Eastern religions. In that volume Pike declared:
Masonry, like… all the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy, conceals its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the Elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled….[6]
Part of the symbols are displayed [in the Blue Degrees] to the Initiate [Mason], but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them, but… that he shall imagine he understands them.[7]
Secrecy and occultism go hand in hand. At the heart of Masonry is a secret Luciferian doctrine which a Mason comes to understand only when he reaches the higher levels. Manly Palmer Hall, another of the greatest authorities on Masonry, writes, “When the Mason… has learned the mystery of his Craft, the seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands….”[8]Nevertheless, Masonry is highly respected in today’s world and Masons constitute a high percentage of those in leadership both in the world and in the church.
Those who deny that Jesus is the only Christ and that He came once-and-for-all in the flesh have embraced the spirit of Antichrist (1 John 4:1-3). Such is the teaching of Eastern mysticism and the mind science cults: that Jesus had attained to the state of “Christ consciousness” available to all mankind. Masonry declares the same:
Jesus of Nazareth had attained a level of consciousness, of perfection, that has been called by various names: cosmic consciousness, soul regeneration, philosophic initiation, spiritual illumination, Brahmic Splendor, Christ-consciousness.[9]
FOOTNOTES
[1] For many years the magazine of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in the United States was called New Age. That title accurately described Masonic beliefs and rites. In order to hide that fact (because the truth about the New Age is becoming known), the name has been changed to Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Southern Jurisdiction USA, or The Scottish Rite Journal.
[2] Scottish Rite Journal, May 1992.
[3] The Miami Herald, July 28, 1995, p. 1F.
[4] Albert G. Mackey, Manual of the Lodge (Macoy and Sickles, 1802), p. 96.
[5] Albert G. Mackey, 33rd degree, and Charles T. McClenachan, 33rd degree, Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (The Masonic History Company, 1921), revised ed., vol. II, p. 564.
[6] Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (Supreme Council of the Thirty-Third Degree, 1964), pp. 104-05.
[7] Ibid., p. 819.
[8] Manly Palmer Hall, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry (Macoy Publishing, 1976), p. 48.
[9] Lynn F. Perkins, The Meaning of Masonry (CSA Press, 1971), p. 32.
The Evils of Freemasonry – A Christian Perspective
Masonry… Occultic? / Albert Pike, The Root!
In any religious – philosophical – political system of belief, or trust, one must always go to the root (source) of the particular structured belief. Almost always a person[s]. Whether it be the political wrangling behind Russia (Marx), or, Jehovah Witnesses (Charles Russel), Christianity (Jesus). We must always get to the bottom of the basic philosophical construct, always. In the case of modern Masonry, we find a man by the name of Albert Pike. Although many Masons deny knowing him, upper Masons highly revere him. I will give a few modern examples of this reverence before we get into what he believed.
In the Short Talk Bulletin, which was reprinted in 1988 by the Masonic Service Association of the United States, this was said about Albert Pike:
“He was the Master genius of Masonry in America, both as scholar and artist. No other mind of equal power ever toiled so long in the service of the Craft in the New World. No other has left a nobler fame in our annals.” Speaking of Pike’s book, Morals and Dogma, this booklet maintains that it is: “… a huge manual for the instruction of the [Scottish] Rite… It ought to be revised… since it is too valuable to be left in so cumbersome o form, containing as it does much of the best Masonic thinking and writing in our literature.” The booklet continues: “No purer, nobler man has stood at the alter of Freemasonry or left his story in our traditions. He was the most eminent mason in the world…. Nor will our craft ever permit to grow dim the memory of that stately, wise, and gracious teacher….”
The following praise is even more recent – this time coming from the head of the Southern Jurisdiction of Masonry, C. Fred Kleinknecht, who is the Sovereign Grand Commander. In the January 1989 issue of The New Age magazine (an official publication of the Supreme Council of the Thirty-Third and Last Degree, Southern Jurisdiction), Kleinknecht mentioned that the “apex of our teachings has been the rituals of our degrees and Morals and Dogma….”
By the way, Pike wrote some and rewrote others of all the rituals from the 4th through the 33rd degrees. In the November 1992 issue of The Scottish Rite Journal (known as The New Age from 1903 until 1990), Kleinknecht again heaps praise on Pike and his book. He brags:
“Correctly understood, Albert Pike’s Morals and Dogma provides our Brethren a stimulus to thought, a source of inspiration, and even an aid to Scottish Rite growth. Pike’s great work is not the book of an hour, a decade, or a century. It is a book for all time…. Abandon Morals and Dogma? Never!”
Who Is The Light
Let’s switch gears and talk about what the end of the Masons journey entails for him and his understanding. Albert Pike in Morals and Dogma had this to say – (paying attention to the original capitalization’s from hear-on out):
“And the Mason is familiar with these doctrines…that the Supreme Being is a centre [center] of Light whose rays or emanations pervade the Universe; for that is the Light for which all Masonic journeys are a search, and of which the sun and moon in our Lodges are only emblems.”
Notice that Mr. Pike says that this light-bringer is a god; in fact, he capitalizes the “s” and the “b” in “Supreme Being.” He further deifies “Light” by capitalizing the letter “l”. And then he added these thoughts about the nature of this “Light:” “Behold, it said, the light, which emanates from an immense centre [center] of Light, that spreads everywhere its benevolent rays; so do the spirits of Light emanate from the Divine Light.”
The Royal Masonic Cyclopedia, written in 1877, said this after the entry: Sons of Light: “Masons by their tenure are necessarily Sons of Light, and are so accepted even by their opponents, who are Sons of Darkness.”
Albert Mackey wrote these comments in his Encyclopedia of Masonry (which was published by The Masonic History Company, an official Masonic Co.):
“Freemasons are emphatically called the ‘sons of light,’ because they are, or at least are entitled to be, in possession of the true meaning of the symbol. Light is an important word in the Masonic system. It conveys a far more recondite [defined as being beyond the grasp of the ordinary mind] meaning that it is believed to possess by the generality of readers…. It contains within itself a far more abstruse allusion to the very essence of Speculative Masonry.”
Perhaps the very reason that the Masons conceal a great truth in the word “light,” or “Light,” can be best summarized in this single statement of Albert Pike in his book Morals and Dogma: “… Light will finally overcome Darkness.”
Lucifer is the Light
So if the student of esoteric knowledge wishes to understand the language, it becomes important to determine, if possible who the “light-bearer” is. And the student can know for certain who that is, because one of the greatest seekers of light has told the world. That writer is Albert Pike, a Mason, and he has described whom this individual is in his book entitled Morals and Dogma. Mr. Pike identified the “Light-bearer” on page 321 of that book. “Lucifer, the Light-bearer! Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light…? Doubt it not!”
Albert Pike has admitted that the Masons seek Light! He has now admitted that the “Light-bearer” is Lucifer! The Masons ask for “Light” from the “Light-bearer,” Lucifer.
However, Mr. Pike is not the only Mason who has admitted that in easily understandable language. Another Masonic writer is Manly P. Hall who has said the same in his book The Lost Keys of Freemasonry. This book has been included in a “list of the best Masonic books available” in a Masonic magazine called The Royal Arch Mason, an official Masonic publication. The list says that “it [the list] is the finest basic library available to Freemasons.” The Masonic Lodge for reading and understanding its philosophy has approved this book. Page 48 of the book says this:
“When the Mason learns 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 [the Master Mason’s hands] and before he may step upward he must prove his ability to properly apply energy.”
How does Scottish Rite Masonry feel about Manly Hall? You can judge for yourself from the following obituary notice that appeared in the November 1990 issue of The Scottish Rite Journal:
“Illustrious Manly Palmer Hall, often called ‘Masonry’s greatest philosopher,’ departed his earthly labors peacefully in his sleep on August 7, 1990, in Los Angeles, California…. Brother Hall… devoted his life to lecturing, teaching, editing, and writing on all aspects of Freemasonry…. He is best known for writing The Lost Keys of Freemasonry (1923), The Dionysian Artificers (1926), Masonic Orders of Fraternity (1950), and of course, his monumental Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic history, philosophy and related subjects…. Brother Hall… received the Scottish Rite’s highest honor, the Grand Cross in 1985 because of his exceptional contributions to Freemasonry, the Scottish Rite, and the public good. Like Grand Commander Albert Pike before him, Hall did not teach a new doctrine but was an ambassador of an ageless tradition of wisdom that entrenches us to this day…. The world is a far better place because of Manly Palmer Hall, and we are better persons for having known him and his work.”
Page 287 of Morals and Dogma Pike states:
“You see, my brother, what is the meaning of Masonic ‘Light.’ You see why the East of the Lodge, where the initial letter of the name of the Deity overhangs the Master, is the place of Light… it is that light, the true knowledge of Deity [in-other-words, the truth that Lucifer is god!] the eternal Good,…”
How can Lucifer be good? I do not want to go in depth about the switched roles of the God of the Bible and Lucifer, the Masonic god. Nevertheless, I will let Mr. Pike explain it a bit before we move on. Page 567 of Morals and Dogma says this:
“To prevent the light from escaping at once, the Demons forbade Adam to eat the fruit of ‘knowledge of good and evil,’ by which he would have known the Empire of Light and that of Darkness. He obeyed; an Angel of Light induced him to transgress, and gave him the means of victory; but the Demons created Eve…”
Everyone knows that the God of the Judeo-Christian faith is the one who created Eve and forbade Adam to eat. In Pike’s dictates though, Lucifer is the hero of the plot. The serpent of the garden is consistently portrayed as one day defeating the God of the Bible in Masonic literature.