FREEMASONRY
Freemasonry consists of the largest and most powerful and influent secret society which we know of, with millions of members throughout the world. Years ago few people knew much about it, although they weren't unaware of its existence. In general, it was considered as a philanthropic society, in which all social classes participated, some important people being among their members.
Its secrets, however, including its structure and organisation, its secret vows and activities, are now being bravely revealed through the publication of books and publicity in the Internet by people who left it, in order to warn the incautious about its true nature.
The consequences have been, on one side, the discouragement of possible candidates, but, on the other, an intensification of recruitment of new members by freemasonry, through propaganda aiming at restoring its image. In order to give a view of its true nature, in the light of the Word of God, we shall look at a quick outline of its origin and of its current practices.
Its name comes from "mason", a person who builds or works with stone. We are informed that until the year 1600 AD Masonic lodges were the equivalent of trade unions today, and members were professionals in that trade. During the 17th century the lodges opened up to persons not involved in that trade, who they called "freemason" (non-professionals), and began to take on a religious sense.
Also in the 17th century a religious mystical sect called Rosicrucianism grew, which denies the divinity and the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and considers the Bible a set of allegories and hidden mysteries. This sect began to influence the Masonic lodges, the first connection being found in the town of Perth, in Scotland, in 1630. In 1646 one of the best known Rosicrucians of all times, Elias Ashmole, joined the Masonic lodge of Warrington, in England.
A Gospel leaflet was distributed in London in 1698 warning against the evils of freemasonry, declaring that it was "a satanic sect of men", "anti Christ", "practising evil" and "corrupt". Its authors considered themselves duty bound to warn "all good men of the city of London" against the "evils and perversities practised in the sight of God by these who call themselves 'freemasons'. The leaflet also exhorted: "Take care lest their ceremonies and secret oaths take hold of you, and watch so they do not cause you to stray from godliness".
On 24 June 1717 two men - James Anderson and John Desaguliers - formed in England the Masonic Institution we know today, which is the speculative, or esoteric, religious masonry, made up of all "freemasons".
Freemasonry is an organisation made up of people in various stages of different degrees, because its teaching and philosophy are revealed through a process of gradual "enlightenment". The first three degrees belong to the "Blue Lodges" and, after that, the candidate may follow the Scotch rite (up to 33rd degree) or the York rite (with a variable number of degrees). Collectively, they are known as the "higher degrees".
I will now insert some quotes from the testimony of William Schnoebelen. He was a Mason for nine years and a Witch for sixteen years. In the Lodge, he held offices of Junior Warden in the Blue Lodge, Prelate in the Commandery of the York Rite, Master of the Veil in the Royal Arch degree, and Associate Patron in the Order of the Eastern Star. Additionally, he was a 32° Mason and a Shriner. He is now a Born Again Christian and the author of 5 books, including Masonry: Beyond the Light:
"In understanding the spiritual difficulties of a Born Again Christian being a Mason, it is necessary to realise that there are highly occult elements woven into the very warp and woof of Freemasonry. Thus, the Lodge is not just 'another religion' like the Muslims or the Buddhists - although that alone should be enough to keep Christians from involving themselves in it. The nature and character of the Lodge's deepest theological underpinnings are rooted in Witchcraft and Paganism."
"Few people, within the Craft of Masonry or otherwise, perceive that just because a Bible lies open on the altar and Bible verses and characters play an important part in the ritual of the Lodge, that this does not prevent the Lodge from being of the nature of the occult or Witchcraft. This can be illustrated by a very simple illustration. Back in the 1970's, when I first became a Witch, a very popular how-to book on magic was Raymond Buckland's Popular Candle-Burning.1 In this book were "recipes" for spells for everything from healing, to love spells, to protection spells. On one set of pages of the book would be a spell for healing, complete with instructions on the burning and movement of certain coloured candles. The spell would be a full-blown Witchcraft ritual, Pagan to the core! On the following pages would be the same ritual, with the same candles, the same instructions. However, the text of the "spell" would be drawn from the Psalms or other Bible verses. These were provided for readers who were a little too squeamish to actually do a Witchcraft incantation, but still wanted results."
"Now the question becomes: Even though those rituals were full of Psalms, were they still Witchcraft? Of course, the answer would have to be yes. In like manner, even though Bible phrases and characters abound in the Masonic ritual work, the presence of those elements cannot somehow "sanctify" what is essentially a Pagan ritual full of Witchcraft overtones… Even most polytheistic witches today acknowledge that ultimately there is one supreme deity somewhere. The popular saying by 20th century master occultist Dion Fortune (Violet Firth) speaks to this: 'All Gods are one God, all Goddesses are one Goddess, and there is but one Initiator.' Pressed, you will find that most knowledgeable Witches will reveal that the "one Initiator" is Lucifer, who is the Light-Bringer, the Illuminator, and the sun-deity."
The rituals of modern Wiccan witchcraft religion are practically identical with those of freemasonry, in all senses, and there are remarkable philosophic similarities. Albert Pike and Manly P. Hall (both 33° Masons), well-known occultists, wrote that the bases of Masonic philosophy are the Kabbalah and Gnosticism. Kabbalah is a system of Judaic origin, whose mysticism and magic are fundamental elements of modern witchcraft. Gnosticism is an ancient anti-Christian heresy, based on the theory that salvation is acquired by a secret knowledge they have. Witches and freemasons search for salvation through an "enlightenment", and through works, not by grace. Re-encarnation, taught in witchcraft, is implicit in freemasonry.
As in witchcraft, freemasonry denies the character and the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ. Both deny His resurrection.
To be a freemason, of any degree, is to carry throughout life a burden full of spiritual garbage, it is to be under an unequal yoke with all these unbelievers and witches (2 Corinthians 6:14-18), and this is already sufficient to silence the Holy Spirit in any Christian, no matter how strong he may be in the faith.
It is also a sort of "financial pyramid" where those in the higher ranks exploit those below. A lot of money comes in, part pays for the necessities, some to charity, but a lot is left over and disappears without the members of the lodge knowing where to. Some members further up are benefiting.
It is also a kind of "spiritual sponge" - absorbs millions of hours in learning by heart graduation material, and in attendance to meetings and extracurricular activities (meals, banquets, funerals, picnics). They are hours spent in useless and even pernicious activities.
This is only a small sample of the satanic influence over this secret society, for there is a lot more which cannot be narrated here because of lack of space. I think it is more than sufficient to show that a true Christian cannot, in any circumstances, take part in it, and I repeat here the wise words of the pamphlet of 1696: "Take care lest their ceremonies and secret oaths take hold of you, and watch so they do not cause you to stray from godliness".
R David Jones
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