Behind Closed Doors:

The Religion Of The Masonic Lodge

2005 David Padfield All Rights Reserved
www.padfield.com
I contend, without any sort of hesitation, that Masonry is, in every sense of
the word, except one, and that its least philosophical, an eminently religious
institutionthat it is indebted solely to the religious element which it contains
for its origin and for its continued existence, that without this religious
element it would scarcely be worthy of cultivation by the wise and good
(Albert Mackey, Encyclopedia of Freemasonry)

The Religion Of The Masonic Lodge David Padfield 1
Behind Closed Doors:
The Religion Of The Masonic Lodge


Introduction
I. In this lesson we are going to investigate a seldom discussed religion: the
Masonic Lodge and its auxiliary organizations.
A. I have no animosity toward individual Masons; most are good fathers and
honest, law abiding citizens.
B. This body of nearly six million men has done a lot of good, such as the
Shriners Hospitals for burned and crippled children.
C. Many great men in American history have been members of the Lodge:
Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ford, General Douglas MacArthur, George
Washington and 12 other U.S. Presidents.
D. Doctors, lawyers and judges are often members of the Masonic Lodge.
1. Unfortunately, many Christians have joined their number.
2. Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? (Amos 3:3)
3. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with
Me scatters abroad (Matthew 12:30).
II. My respect for friends and relatives who are Masons does not diminish my
abhorrence for their Lodge.
A. It is evil because it duplicates the sin of Absalom when he stole the hearts of
the men of Israel (2 Samuel 15:6).
B. Masonry will turn a Christians heart away from God.
C. The Masonic Temple is the Temple of Baal, and at its altar many
unsuspecting men vow their lives to a pagan god!
III. Have you been told that a non-Mason cannot understand the Lodge?
A. Does a doctor have to have a baby to help a pregnant woman?
B. Some have claimed their secret work has never been written down.
C. Though their books are sometimes hard to find, you can obtain them.
1. I have purchased from Macoy and the Ezra Cook Publishing Company.
2. I have every issue of The Northern Light (for northern Shriners).
3. I have more Masonic books in my library than most Masons.
IV. I am going to be quoting from many books published by Masons.
A. It would be unfair to quote from anti-Masonic sources.
B. I sent letters to the Grand Lodges of several states and asked them to tell me
what books would fairly and accurately represent them.
C. In this lesson, I will only quote from books recommended by Masons.
D. The Grand Lodge of Indiana recommended: Goodly Heritage, Coils
Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, and Freemasonry Through Six Centuries.
E. The Grand Lodge of Ohio recommended seventeen books, including: The
Religion of Masonry, Mackeys Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, The Little
Masonic Library, and The Builders.
F. I will also be quoting from books published by the Grand Lodges of several
states and books produced for the Supreme Council of the Thirty-third
Degree of the Scottish Rite.


The Religion Of The Masonic Lodge David Padfield 2
Discussion
I. What Is The Masonic Lodge?
A. Freemasonry refers to the principles, institutions, and practices of the
fraternal order of Free and Accepted Masons. The largest worldwide society,
Freemasonry is an organization of men based on the Fatherhood of God and
the brotherhood of man, using builders tools as symbols to teach basic moral
truths generally accepted by persons of good will. It is religious in that a
belief in God is the prime requirement for membership, but it is nonsectarian
in that no religious test is used. (American Academic Encyclopedia).
B. You must believe in a god, but you get to choose what it is!
C. There have been many definitions of Freemasonry. Perhaps one of the
simplest and most direct is that employed by our English brethren:
Freemasonry is a system of morality, veiled in allegory, and illustrated by
symbols. (On The Threshold, p. 5, Grand Lodge of Indiana).
D. The Working Tools Of A Master Mason:
1. The 24 Inch Gaugeto divide their day.
2. The Common Gavelto break off the rough corners of life.
3. The Plumbadmonishes us to walk uprightly.
4. The Square to square our actions by virtue.
5. The Levelto travel upon the level of time.
6. The Trowelspreading the cement of brotherly love.
E. The Blue Lodge (the first three degrees) is the foundation for many other
Masonic organizations:
1. The York Rite (12 degrees).
2. The Scottish Rite (30 degrees).
a) You earn the first 32 degrees; the 33 is bestowed upon you.
b) My grandfather was a 32 Mason, and thus wore the title of A
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret.
3. The Shriners (a social and charitable organization for 32 Masons).
4. Order of the Eastern Star (for Master Masons and their wives).
5. Order of DeMolay (for boys).
6. Order of Jobs Daughters (for girls).
F. While it might be interesting to discuss these advanced degrees and auxiliary
organizations, time will not permit.
1. We will look at the foundation of Masonry: the Blue Lodge.
2. Most Masons stop at the Blue Lodge.
3. This is much like studying Roman Catholicism: if you destroy the
foundation of the Papacy, you have destroyed the entire institution.

II. Is Masonry A Religion?
A. Websters Dictionary defines religion as a) belief in a divine or
superhuman power of powers to be obeyed and worshipped as the creator(s)
and ruler(s) of the universe b) expression of such a belief in conduct and
ritual.
B. The answer to our question about Masonry being a religion depends upon
who is asking and who answers.

The Religion Of The Masonic Lodge David Padfield 3
C. To the world, Masonry claims it is not a religion:
1. Though religious in character, Masonry is not a religion, not a substitute
for one. (Freemasonry, A Way Of Life, Grand Lodge of Indiana).
2. Freemasonry is not a religion. It has a philosophy of its own, which is in
harmony with the church, the school, and all other worthy organizations
(On The Threshold, Grand Lodge of Indiana).
D. To the Master Mason, Masonry claims it is a religion:
1. Freemasonry is a charitable, benevolent, educational and religious
society. (Indiana Monitor, p. 35).
2. Masonry, like all the Religions, all the Mysteries, Hereticism 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; to conceal the Truth, which
it calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it So Masonry
jealously conceals its secrets, and intentionally leads conceited
interpreters away. (Morals and Dogma, Albert Pike, p. 105).
a) This book was published under the auspices of the Supreme Council
of the Thirty-third Degree of the Scottish Rite.
3. as Masons we are taught that no man should ever enter upon any
great or important undertaking without first invoking the blessing of
Deity. This is because Masonry is a religious institution (Kentucky
Monitor, p. 28).
4. Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion; and its teachings are
instruction in religion. (Morals and Dogma, pg. 213).
5. Masonry is the universal, eternal, immutable religion, such as God
planted in the heart of universal humanity The ministers of this
religion are all Masons who comprehend. (Morals and Dogma, p. 219).
6. Masonry propagates no creed except its own most simple and Sublime
One; that universal religion, taught by Nature and by Reason. Its Lodges
are neither Jewish, Moslem, nor Christian Temples it extracts the good
and not the evil, the truth and not the error, from all creeds. (Morals and
Dogma, p. 718).
7. I contend, without any sort of hesitation, that Masonry is, in every sense
of the word, except one, and that its least philosophical, an eminently
religious institutionthat it is indebted solely to the religious element
which it contains for its origin and for its continued existence, that
without this religious element it would scarcely be worthy of cultivation
by the wise and good. (Albert Mackey, Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, p.
727).
8. Freemasonry is a charitable, benevolent, educational, and religious
society. (The Master Mason, Grand Lodge of Indiana).

The Religion Of The Masonic Lodge David Padfield 4
E. In 1985 The Faith and Order Committee of the Methodist church issued a
report on the Masonic Lodge.
1. The report urged men not to join the Masonic Lodge since it is a
competitor of Christianity.
2. The report also states, There is a great danger that the Christian who
becomes a Freemason will find himself compromising his Christian
beliefs or his allegiance to Christ, perhaps without realizing what he is
doing. (Evansville Courier, June 13, 1985).
F. In the spirit of ecumenism the Roman Catholic Church rescinded its Papal
ban on Lodge membership in 1983.
G. We must come out from among them (2 Corinthians 6:1418).

III. The Religious Element
A. They have their own SaviorHiram Abiff.
1. Now King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. He was the son
of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a
bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in
working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and
did all his work. (1 Kings 7:1314).
2. All believed in a future life, to be attained by purification and trials; in a
Mediator or Redeemer by whom the Evil Principle was to be overcome
and Supreme Deity reconciled to His creatures. The belief was general
that He was to be born of a virgin and have a painful death. The Hindus
called him Krishna; the Chinese, Kiontse; the Persians, Sosiosch; the
Chaldeans, Dhouvanai; the Egyptians, Horus; Plato, love; the
Scandinavians, Balder; the Christians, Jesus; Masons, Hiram. (Kentucky
Monitor, pp. 14, 15).
B. They have their own Baptism.
1. Qu: What are the symbols of purification necessary to make us perfect
Masons? Ans: Lavation with pure water, or baptism; because to cleanse
the body is emblematical of purifying the soul. (Morals and Dogma, p.
538).
2. The Bible tells us there is one baptism (Ephesians 4:5).
C. They have their own Fraternal Supper.
1. Qu: What is to us the chief symbol of mans ultimate redemption and
regeneration? Ans: The fraternal supper, of bread which nourishes, and
of wine which refreshes and exhilarates, symbolical of the time which is
to come And thus, in the bread we eat, and in the wine we drink
tonight may enter into and form part of us identical particles of matter
that once formed parts of the material bodies called Moses, Confucius,
Plato, Socrates, or Jesus of Nazareth. (Morals and Dogma, p. 539).
D. Prayers in the Lodge.
1. Freemasonry is a religious institution, and hence its regulations
inculcate the use of prayer (Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, pg. 577).
2. Masonry, around whose altars the Christian, the Hebrew, the Moslem,
the Brahmin, the followers of Confucius and Zoroaster, can assemble as
brethren and unite in prayer to one God. (Morals and Dogma, p. 226).
3. In the Blue Lodge, the name of Christ is not used. Their prayers simply
end with Amen. Amen. So mote it be!.

The Religion Of The Masonic Lodge David Padfield 5
E. Eternal Life is in the Lodge.
1. The Entered Apprentice is told that the common gavel has the purpose of
divesting our minds and consciences of all the vices and superfluities of
life, thereby fitting our bodies, as living stones, for that spiritual building,
that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (King Solomons
Temple, Indiana Edition).
a) Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but
chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being
built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:45).
b) For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we
have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in
the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1).
2. Let him who toils complain not, nor feel humiliated. Let him look up,
and see his fellow-workman there, in Gods Eternity; they alone
surviving there. (Morals and Dogma, p. 343).
F. Masonrys view of the Bible.
1. There is a sacred volume on every altar in every Lodge.
2. The Volume of the Sacred Law is an indispensable part of the furniture
of a Lodge. In our jurisdiction it is usually the Bible, but any candidate
not a Christian may have substituted for it any other volume which he
considers sacred: e.g., the Old Testament, Koran, Vedas, or Laws of
Confucius. In one lodge in China, there are three Sacred Books open on
the altar at the same time, and the candidate elects one of the three on
which he is obligated. (Indiana Monitor).
3. The explanation of the presence of the Holy Bible on the altar could not
tell the whole story, although true in itself. It represents the Sacred Book
of the Law, but has not exclusive rights as such on the altar of
Freemasonry, for the supremely sane reason that no one religion has
exclusive rights within the Fraternity. The Vedas of the Brahman, the
Zend-Avesta of the Parsee, the Koran of the Mohammedan, have, among
Masons of these faiths, as rightful a place upon our altar as the Holy
Bible. In any faith, however, its Sacred Book of Law is the symbol of
mans acknowledgment of and his relation to Deity. And in this
universality of Masonry we find one of our greatest lessons: Toleration.
(The Entered Apprentice, Grand Lodge of Indiana, p. 14).
4. Proselytizing is not allowed in the Lodgethis explains why Christians
who are Masons cannot convert their Lodge brothers.

IV. The Masonic Ritual
A. The Entered Apprentice (The First Degree).
1. In the ante-room, the candidate is divested of all metal, hoodwinked, his
left shoe removed, his clothing is arranged so that his left knee and left
breast are exposed, and a cabletow is placed around his neck.
a) He is now duly and truly prepared.
b) He must knock three times at the door of the Lodge with his own
hand.
2. After entering the Lodge, the Senior Deacon pierces his left breast with
the point of a compass.
3. He kneels before an altar to take his first oath.

The Religion Of The Masonic Lodge David Padfield 6
4. I furthermore promise and swear that I will not write, print, stamp,
stain, cut, carve, hew, mark or engrave them on anything moveable or
immovable, capable of receiving the least impression of a sign, word,
syllable, letter or character, whereby they may become legible or
intelligible to any person under the canopy of heaven, and the secrets of
Masonry be thereby unlawfully obtained by my unworthiness. All this I
most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, with a firm and
steadfast resolution to keep 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.
(King Solomons Temple, pp. 2425).
a) Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not
swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord. But I say to
you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is Gods throne; nor
by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city
of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you
cannot make one hair white or black. But let your Yes be Yes, and
your No, No. For whatever is more than these is from the evil
one. (Matthew 5:3337).
b) But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by
earth or with any other oath. But let your Yes, be Yes, and your
No, No, lest you fall into judgment. (James 5:12).
B. The Fellow Craft Degree (The Second Degree).
1. His body is prepared in similar fashion to the first degree, but the right
side of his body is exposed.
2. The Senior Deacon presses the angle of the Square against his breast.
3. The candidate is here to receive more light.
4. Part of his obligation reads: I furthermore promise and swear that I will
not cheat, wrong or defraud a Lodge of Fellow Crafts, of a brother of this
degree, knowingly or wittingly binding myself under no less penalty
than that of having my left breast town open, my heart plucked from
thence and given to the beasts of the field and the birds of the air as a
prey, should I, in the least, knowingly or wittingly, violate or transgress
this my Fellow Craft obligation. So help me God and keep me steadfast.
(King Solomons Temple, Ind. edition).
5. In the third degree he promises not to commit adultery with another
Masons wife, daughter, mother or sister.
6. He also swears he will always defend another Mason in all cases except
murder and treason, these being left to his own conscience.
7. Would you trust a judge or police officer who took this oath?
C. The Raising of a Master Mason (The Third Degree).
1. He is prepared by having his pants leg rolled up above the knees, his
arms taken out of his shirt and his breast left bare.
2. He is hoodwinked and a cabletow is wrapped around his neck.
3. He is now ready to ride the goat (dont take this literally).
4. He is going to relive the legend of the Grand Master Hiram Abiff.

The Religion Of The Masonic Lodge David Padfield 7
5. According the their story, fifteen Fellow Craft Masons desired the
secrets of a Master Mason that Hiram held.
a) Twelve later changed their minds. Three ruffians (Jubela, Jubelo and
Jubelum) try to gain the secrets by force.
b) Hiram is finally hit by a setting maul and dies.
c) They bury him and plant an acacia at the head to conceal the burial.
d) King Solomon orders a search.
e) After 15 days, the body is found.
f) The Fellow Crafts were ordered to exhume the body.
g) When the smell arose from the body, they placed their hands over the
nostrils in the form of the dueguard of a Master Mason.
h) They try to raise the body with the grip of an Entered Apprentice, but
the flesh leaves the bone.
i) They tried to raise Hiram with the grip of a Fellow Craft, it failed
also.
j) After prayer, King Solomon took the body by the strong grip of a
Master Mason (the lions paw) and brings Hiram back to life.
6. The idea that lies behind the Hiramic Legend is as old as religious
thinking among men. The same elements existed in the story of Osiris,
which was celebrated by the Egyptians in their ancient temples; the
Persians told it concerning Mithras, their hero God. In Syria, the
Dionysian Mysteries had the very same elements in the story of Dionsius;
the Romans, Bacchus was the god who died and lived again. There is also
the story of Tammaz, older than any of these. These are collectively
referred to as the Ancient Mysteries. (The Master Mason, Grand Lodge
of Indiana, p. 9).
7. As the candidate is raised from the dead by the strong grip of the lions
paw, he is brought into the five points of fellowship (foot to foot, knee
to knee, breast to breast, hand to back and mouth to ear) and given the
grand omnific word: MAH-HAH-BONE!
a) MAH from a Hebrew word meaning What
b) HAH a Hebrew word meaning the
c) BONE another Hebrew word meaning builder.
8. All of this is similar to the secret rituals in the Mormon Church.

V. Captain William Morgan
A. In 1826, William Morgan of Batavia, New York, wrote and printed a book
titled: Illustrations of Freemasonry, by one of the fraternity who has devoted thirty
years to the subject.
1. Morgan, it appears, was a Royal Arch Mason; and when the fact became
known that he was preparing a work to reveal the secrets of Masonry,
many of the Masonic fraternity became much excited, and appeared
determined to put an end to his disclosures a Royal Arch Chapter was
installed at Lewiston 20 or 30 persons came to the fort from Lewiston.
About midnight, 7 persons, stated to be Royal Arch Masons, held a
consultation on the plain near the graveyard, as to the manner in which
Morgan should be disposed of. The prevailing opinion among them
appeared to be, that Morgan had forfeited his life for a breach of his
Masonic obligations, and that they ought to see the penalty executed by
drowning him in the river. (Historical Collections of the State of New York,
John W. Baker, 1842).

The Religion Of The Masonic Lodge David Padfield 8
2. On October 7, 1827, a body was found on the beach of Lake Ontario.
a) A coroners inquest was held on October 17, 1827.
b) The report states that beyond any shadow of a doubt the body was
that of Capt. William Morgan.
c) It further states that he came to his death by suffocation by
drowning.
B. In 1882 a large monument to Morgan was placed in the Batavia City
Cemetery. It reads: Sacred to the memory of Wm. Morgan, a native of
Virginia, a Capt. in the war of 1812, a respectable citizen of Batavia, and a
martyr to the freedom of writing, printing and speaking the truth. He was
abducted from near this spot in the year 1826, by Freemasons and murdered
for revealing the secrets of their order. The court records of Genesee County,
and the files of the Batavia Advocate, kept in the Recorders office contain the
history of the events that caused the erection of this monument.

Conclusion
I. What can a Christian learn from a study of the Lodge?
A. We are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10).
B. We have no need of Hiram Abiff as our Savior.
II. God has revealed Himself through the Scriptures, and has given us all things
that pertain the life and godliness (2 Peter 1:34).
III. When one becomes a Mason, he is given a lambskin apron, and told that no
greater honor can ever be given to him.
A. I submit that being a Christian is the greatest honor.
B. Yet is anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him
glorify God in this matter (1 Peter 4:16).



2005 David Padfield
All Rights Reserved
www.padeld.com
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