Origin of Freemasons
Freemasonry traces its origins back to the formation of the first Grand Lodge in London in 1717. However, Freemason societies have existed for much longer. The most popular theory is that Freemasonry emerged out of the stonemasonry guilds of the Middle Ages. These guilds were formed among the skilled craftsmen who built cathedrals, castles, and other stone structures.
A posting asserts: ‘the very first lodge was formed in 965 in York, as the York Rite Masonry. All others lodges grew from that point onward. The first Scottish lodge was established in 1585 under the Shaw Statutes’. Freemasons are also called “The Craft”.
Oaths of Secrecy
Freemasons take a solemn oath that binds them to secrecy and loyalty to their fellow members and to the organization as a whole. The oath is considered the cornerstone of Masonic membership and is taken very seriously. This oath is administered before the secrets are communicated, and additional oath, with penalties for breach and secret passwords, is also sworn before admittance to each higher level. It is accompanied by certain ceremonies and is attended by a penalty. Freemasons consider this oath as paramount to the obligations of the laws of the land. However, the specifics of the oath can vary between different lodges and jurisdictions.
Membership
Freemasonry accepts members from various religious backgrounds, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and many others. The only religious requirement is a belief in a Supreme Being.
Officially, the Freemasons remain a men-only organization. However, there are auxiliary lodges that accept women. They subscribe to the same principles and practices as their male counterparts, even referring to members as “brothers.”
According to the Truman Library, the US presidents who were confirmed to be Masons includes George Washington, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt. William Howard Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Harry S. Truman were also Masons. It’s also generally believed, but not historically confirmed, that Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were also Freemasons. Apart from the many US presidents, there were many other notable figures who were also Freemasons. These include Winston Churchill, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Davy Crockett, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Henry Ford, Paul Robeson, and astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
Degrees in Freemasonry
The standard, widely accepted Masonic rite has three degrees: Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. These degrees represent the steps a Freemason has to take from the lower ranks up to the highest degree of Freemason knowledge. Articles by Freemasons deny that there are any higher degrees, but several articles by ex-Freemasons attest that there at least 33 degrees.
Scandals involving Freemasons
In 1981, Italy had its own Freemasonry scandal. That year, Italian police confiscated the membership roster of a Masonic lodge known as Propaganda Due, or P2. It had nearly 1,000 names, including police officers, government officials, military officers, judges, journalists, and prominent businessmen. The lodge was also implicated in several violent acts, ranging from deadly bombings to the murder of banker Roberto Calvi.
In 1989, British journalist Martin Short caused a stir with his book ‘Inside the Brotherhood,’ revealing links between the Freemasons and the country’s police forces. (Fascinating facts about the secretive Freemasons; Story by Stars Insider).
There have been several books and articles written since then by ex-Freemasons, exposing their secret rituals and practices.
Religious Affiliation
Freemasons claim that they are not a religious society, but a sacred text (a religious book or philosophical text) referred to as a ‘Volume of Sacred Law’ (VSL) (also known as the Book of the Law) is always on display during a lodge meeting. In the ritual of some Grand Lodge jurisdictions, the VSL is described as “our spiritual, moral and Masonic trestleboard” since it will contain instructions and designs for us to implement, so that we may build ourselves spiritually into what we believe that Deity wants us to be. Hence the Bible is only one of seven commonly used volumes of sacred law all of which are deemed equally important. The holy book of any religion may be used as a VSL provided it teaches and it’s adherence believe in a supreme being.
“The Mason is not creed bound he realizes that with the divine illumination of his lodge that as a Mason his religion must be universal. Christians Buddha or Muhammad, the name means little for he recognizes only the light and not the bearer.” (got questions).
“The Volume of Sacred Law, or VSL for short, is what Freemasons call the religious text that is used in their ceremonies and traditionally placed onto their altar while the lodge is in session. In predominantly Christian areas such as the USA, it is most common to display the King James Bible. This is the same sacred text that candidates take their obligations upon.
If a lodge has members of different faiths it is often common to display multiple books upon the altar, to represent each member. The most common books of faiths besides the Christian bible are the Muslim Qur’an, the Hindu Bhagavad Gita, the Buddhist Discourses, the Jewish Tanakh, and the Sikh Granth Sahib. Generally Grand Lodges consider a text as permissible if it represents sacred teachings to the Mason. However, that is entirely jurisdictional.”
(https://masonry101.com/volume-of-sacred-law/)
Freemasonry contradicts the clear teaching of scripture on several issues. When a Christian takes the oath of a Freemason he is swearing an oath to several doctrines which God has declared false.
Is Freemasonry demonic?
“Freemasonry is a secret, demonic society. It’s the oldest and largest security society in the world, with about 3 million around the world and 1 million in the United States.
The late Derek Prince, known around the world, once said this:
In the 1950s a book was published in Britain by an Anglican clergyman named Hannah called ‘Darkness Visible’ which sets out all the main rites and ceremonies of freemasonry, and no mason has ever challenged that book in more than thirty years. Those are self-imposed curses. Freemasonry is an idol religion. It’s clear in the 32nd degree, the royal arch degree, which acknowledged and offers worship to a person called Jabulon. J-A-B-U-L-O-N which is a combination of Jehovah, Baal and Osiris. And so the true God of the Bible is joined together with two idol deities whom God has totally condemned. When you make a covenant with that, you’re making a covenant with those gods. I’m saying this on the basis of much experience. I cannot take time to relate all the experiences but I’ll simply relate one.”
(Breaking Freemasonry Curses in the Bloodline, Jennifer LeClaire).
Various ex-freemasons have claimed that above the 30th degree it is acknowledged that Satan is the god of Freemasonry.
Freemasons and the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, since at least 1738, explicitly forbid its members from becoming Freemasons, and considered doing so a mortal sin. Catholics who became Freemasons were automatically defrocked (excommunicated). However on 27 November 1983 Pope John Paul 1 issued a bull (decree) legalized secret society membership for Roman Catholics, thus reversing the 1738 papal bull that effectively outlawed Freemasonry. The allegation has been made that most of the high level people in the Vatican are Freemasons, and that the current Pope is a Freemason, and so were the last three Popes.
Can a Christian be a Freemason?
There are several compelling reason why a Christin should not be a Freemason, and in fact should have nothing to do with Freemasonry, several of which are explained below.
Swearing an Oath
Jesus instructs us in Matthew 5:33-37 not to swear an oath at all, which James repeats in James 5:12, and tell us, All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
Before entering the lodge as an Entered Apprentice (First degree) and before advancing to each of the following degrees, the Freemason candidate must agree to take certain oaths binding him to secrecy and loyalty.
After repeating a lengthy oath which includes the words that he will, ‘never reveal any of the secret arts, parts or points of the hidden mysteries of Masonry…’ the new person, ‘Entered Apprentice’ then continues; ‘All this I most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, with a firm and steadfast resolution to keep and perform the same, without the least equivocation, mental reservation or secret evasion whatsoever; binding myself under no less penalty than that of having my throat cut from ear to ear, my tongue torn out by its roots, and buried in the sands of the sea, at low-water mark, where the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours, should I, in the least, knowingly or wittingly violate or transgress this my Entered Apprentice obligation. So help me God, and keep me steadfast (Look To The East, pp. 30, 31 quoted by Truthmagazine).
Use of Titles
See Matthew 23:8-10 where Jesus specifically prohibits His followers form using titles such as Rabbi, Father or Teacher.
Jesus is our one and only Master, yet Masons call the ruler or head of each lodge “The Worshipful Master.” In addition to calling the ruler of the lodge “The Worshipful Master,” we find these other titles worn by Masons: “Perfect Master” (5th degree), “Prince of Jerusalem” (16th degree), “Grand Pontiff” (19th degree), “Prince of Mercy” (26th degree), and “Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret” (32nd degree). No one can be a believer and follower of Jesus and be called by such titles nor can he call any man by such titles. (Truthmagazine).
Salvation
The Bible says Jesus became the sacrifice for sin when he died for all believers, and that there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12).
Freemasons welcomes people from all religions, only requiring that one must believe in a supreme being no matter from which religion. According to Freemasons a person will be saved and go to heaven as a result of his good works and personal self-improvement.
The Bible
The Bible is the final word of God and it is to be held as the highest authority when it comes to doctrine. Freemasons say the Bible is only one of several volumes of sacred law all of which are deemed to be equally important to Freemasons.
God
Christins believe that there is only one God, and to worship any other is deemed idolatry, which is strictly forbidden by the Bible.
Freemasonry requires that all members must believe in a deity such as the Christian God, Islam, Judaism etc. They acknowledge him and as the same God with only different names. Freemasonry invites people of all faiths even if they use different names – ‘the one of 100 names as they call it’. They still believe they are praying to the one God and Father of all.
Deliverance from Curses
“If you are sensitive to the spirit world, you can sense the witchcraft around Masonic lodges and even Masonic hospitals, like The Shriner’s. As a deliverance minister, you need to understand Freemasonry as it allows a slew of demons to keep people captive for generations. While Scripture doesn’t specifically mention Freemasons, Paul made it clear in Colossians 2:8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
Breaking Freemasonry Curses in the Bloodline, Jennifer LeClaire
A Prayer to Break Freemasonry Curses
Father, in the name of Jesus, I repent of my involvement in Freemasonry, and (or) for any in involvement in Freemasonry of any ancestor of mine in my bloodline, whether I know of any such involvement or not, who have at any time in their lives, and in any way joined, taken any oath or oaths, supported or had anything to do with Freemasonry at any time in their lives.
I renounce all the oaths taken and the rituals of every degree and the curses flowing from them.
I renounce the spiritual umbilical cord of freemasonry, and I sever it by the blood of Jesus. I renounce and cancel every ungodly soul-tie I or my ancestors may have created with other lodge members or participants in occultic groups or practices. I remove every Masonic spiritual grip on my life and break every bloodline curse associated with Freemasonry. I break every curse of spiritual blindness and or deafness, and every other self-imposed curse over every part of my body.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I now take the delegated authority given to me and bind every spirit of sickness, infirmity, poverty, affliction, addiction, disease or allergy associated with these sins I have confessed and renounced, including every spirit stronghold inherited through my bloodline.
In the name of Jesus I command every wicked spirit associated and affiliated and aligned with Freemasonry that came in through my own practice of Freemasonry or through my bloodline and I command you to loose me and my family, and I command you to come out in the name of Jesus.
Lord Jesus, because you want me to be totally free from all occult bondages, I will burn and destroy all objects in my possession which connect me with all lodges and occultic organisations, including Freemasonry, Witchcraft, the Occult and Mormonism, and all regalia, aprons, books of rituals, rings and other jewellery, or anything else. I renounce the effects these or other objects of Freemasonry have had on me or my family, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Dr Brian Drury