The Idolatry and False God of the
Masonic Lodge
by Jeff Maples •
Freemasonry is not among the
most well-known cults in the world. This is partly due to their major
emphasis
on secrecy. On the surface, it appears that masons are merely a group
of men
who seek to become better people through charity and civil service.
After all,
they tout their organization as one that “makes good men better.”
Unbeknownst to most,
freemasons fill the pews of a large majority of evangelical churches
around the
world. They serve as pastors, deacons, elders, and laity. I would like
to
examine some of the teachings of the Masonic Lodge and compare them to
Scripture to see if masonry is compatible with true Christianity.
The Lodge System of Masonic
Education, published by the Grand Lodge of North
Freemasonry is neither a
religion, a political organization, nor a
social club. It interferes with none of these. It has for its
foundation the
basic principles of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of
The implication here is that
freemasonry tries to distinguish itself from a religion, yet, it
believes and
operates the way a religion does. By requiring that its members believe
in a
“Supreme Being,” members must implicitly deny the exclusivity of Jesus
Christ.
In other words, this “Supreme Being” can be the Christian God, the
Hindu
god(s), the Jewish God, the Muslim God, Allah, or any number of other
false
gods.
On page 47 of this
publication, it is required that
freemasons hold a belief in God as the “Grand Architect of the
Universe,” a
universal god that freemasons come together in ecumenical unity to
worship.
According to
No one owns God, just as
surely as no one owns “truth.” Not one among
us can be truly certain about the nature of God, so “Great Architect of
the
Universe” is a particularly apt reference to the Deity, as the
reference
acknowledges both the design and the designer without staking a claim
on some
exclusive jurisdiction. Deists, Christians – both Catholic and
Protestant –
Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and men of many other faiths have been
welcomed
into our Fraternity. One point of commonality is their belief in the
one God.
Masons believe there is one God and one God only. Masons also know that
since
time immemorial, people have employed many different ways of seeking
and
expressing what they know of God, of their experiences and relationship
with
that which transcends all knowing…Masonic use of the title “Great
Architect of
the Universe” is our reverential denotation of the Deity, of that
eternal name
which cannot be named.
This is clearly a denial of
the Scriptures as the final authority of the Christian faith, and
clearly a
denial of Jesus Christ, who states, “I am the way, and the truth, and
the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)” The true God
of the
Bible is not a universal god among multiple false religions.
Masons deny the biblical
concept of Heaven, an eternal fellowship with Jesus Christ, and hold a
false
belief of the afterlife in a place called “The Grand Lodge Above.” In
the
Handbook for Masonic Memorial Services, published by the Grand Lodge of
Iowa,
Ed Armstead states as part of the York Rite of Freemasonry for masonic
funeral
services,
In the New Testament Jesus
said, “In my Father’s house are many
mansions – I go to prepare a place for you.” This scripture gives us a
vision.
As we are bidding farewell to a Brother, someone in the Grand Lodge
above is
saying “Welcome my Brother – follow Me and I will seat you with the
Craft.”
This concept of a grand
Masonic lodge in heaven is found nowhere in Scripture and this is a
complete
twisting of John 14:2, where Jesus states, “In my Father’s house are
many
rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a
place
for you,” where the King James Version uses the word “mansions” instead
of
“rooms.”
Freemasonry also denies the
biblical doctrine of man’s fallen state by teaching that man is not
sinful,
only imperfect, and can achieve perfection by good works. The
By the Rough Ashlar we are
reminded of our rude and imperfect state by
nature; by the Perfect Ashlar, of that state of perfection at which we
hope to
arrive by a virtuous education, by our own endeavors, and by the
blessing of
God.
Scripture, of course, teaches
that all men are born into a state of rebellion against God (Romans
And by the Trestle Board we
are reminded that, as the operative workman
erects his temporal building agreeably to the rules and designs laid
down by
the master on his trestle board, so should we, both operative and
speculative,
endeavor to erect our own spiritual building agreeably to the rules and
designs
laid down by the Supreme Architect of the Universe in the Book of Life,
or the
Holy Scriptures, which is our Spiritual Trestle Board.
According to the Candidate
Guide published by the Masons of
A lodge cannot be opened or
closed without prayer, which is offered by
the master or chaplain. The prayer is universal in nature, and not
particular
to any one religion or faith. The act of invoking the blessings of
Deity before
and after our Masonic labors, however, is central to Masonic practice.
At the
end of prayer, each brother responds with the words “So Mote It Be,”
which is
an archaic phrase meaning “So may it ever be.”
The same publication discusses
how, much like the Roman Catholic church, freemasons venerate and
“hail” the
saints, particularly John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, as
“patrons” and
“protectors,” stating,
These two venerable Christian
gentlemen are represented in every lodge
by “a central point (you) within a circle (your world, physically and
spiritually), supported by two parallel lines (the Holy Saints John
acting as
your guardians and guides) surmounted by a Volume of Sacred Law (your
faith).”
Taking the blood oath of the
Masonic craft, as you can see, requires one to either explicitly or
implicitly
deny the doctrines of God and man that are taught in Scripture, and
affirm that
which God deems sinful. The idea that freemasonry holds to some form of
secret
knowledge outside of Scripture that holds the power to make men
“better” is
simply blasphemous. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 explicitly states that Scripture
is
sufficient to make the man of God complete,
All Scripture is breathed out
by God and profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the
man of God
may be complete, equipped for every good work.
The god of Freemasonry is an
idol, a universal god that has no power to save. Prayer to this
universal god
is an act of worship to a being other than the Most High God, who says,
I am the LORD, and there is no
other, besides me there is no God; I
equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the
rising of
the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the
LORD, and there
is no other. –Isaiah
45:5-6
If you or someone you know is
caught up in this idolatry, particularly if you are a professing
Christian, it
is time to repent of this spiritual darkness and foolishness. Repent
and
believe the Gospel, because your craft is blasphemous against the true
God, and
He will not share His glory with your false God.
I am the LORD; that is my
name; my glory I give to no other, nor my
praise to carved idols. –Isaiah 42:8
[Contributed by Jeff Maples] Pulpit and
pen.org/20/05/09/the-idolatry-and-false-god-of-the-masonic-lodge/
Used by permission