A Response to Critics of Freemasonry
All over the world, religious extremism is a growing force. The disintegration of moral values, the breakup of the family, and the rapid pace of cultural and social changes have caused some people to seek refuge or protection from the complexities of our life by adopting and embracing as their own some absolute views and to reject tolerance of other beliefs.
Simple, easy, fundamental answers are comforting to us in a fast-paced and rapidly changing world. As a result, some churches have attempted to rally their members by strictly defining theological and spiritual concepts, and demanding 'purification' of their beliefs to the exclusion of all others.
Some of those churches have taken the next step - yielding degrees of control within their membership to extremists who promote their fundamental, exclusionary views. They, in turn, focus the congregations' general frustrations toward specific targets... the destruction of the alleged enemy.
Freemasonry has become one of their targets because it encourages independent opinions on a variety of topics, including religion. Some churches have expressed concerns and even condemnations of Freemasonry. The June 1993 report to the Southern Baptist Convention from its Home Mission Board defined eight alleged conflicts between the tenets of Freemasonry and Southern Baptist theology. While the report also had several positive things to say about Freemasonry, it is representative of well-meaning but misinformed church members, and most of the issues are concerned with language rather than any concept of theology or morality.
Many organizations have special vocabularies of words which are fully understood within the group. It's certainly not appropriate for someone outside that organization to object to terms used by the group, unless he or she understands them and the nature of their use.
Here's a brief discussion of each of the eight points raised by the Home Mission Board:
1. "Offensive Titles"
Many individuals don't understand the historic source or significance of the terms used in Freemasonry. They cite the title of Worshipful Master as an "offensive" title for the leader of a Lodge. This is a simple misunderstanding. The leader of a Lodge is called the Master of the Lodge for the same reason a skilled electrician or plumber is called a Master Electrician or Master Plumber - both of which are titles conferred by state agencies after the successful conclusion of apprenticeship and testing by the appropriate agency. The leader of a Boy Scout troop is called a Scoutmaster.
Masonic use of the term Master originated within the guilds of skilled craftsmen in the Middle Ages when the most skilled person in the group was called the Master. Many of the terms and vocabulary of Masonry date from that period. "Worshipful" is a term still used in England and Canada to refer to mayors of cities. It carries the same meaning as "Honorable," which is a form of address accorded American mayors, judges, and members of Congress. There is nothing irreligious in the title of Worshipful as used in Masonry.
2. "Archaic, Offensive Rituals"
Other individuals object to the use of "archaic, offensive rituals" and what they term "bloody oaths." There is nothing offensive in Masonic rituals to those who understand them. They are ancient, many of them older than recorded history. There are many statements of faith which are far older than Masonic rituals.
The historic penalties associated with the Masonic obligations have their origins in the legal system of medieval Europe and were actual punishments inflicted by the state on persons guilty of fighting for civil liberty and religious freedom, described by the state as "treason," or "heresy" within church-controlled societies.
These penalties are entirely symbolic in Masonry. They are repeated in the same sense as a person might say, "May lightning strike me dead if I break my promise!" They are also meant to remind us of the awful price so many have paid for the liberties and freedoms which Masons are pledged to protect and promote.
3. "Paganism"
Many critics of Freemasonry insist that the readings for some of the degrees of Masonry are "pagan" in nature. Pagan, in their use of the term, simply means pre-Christian. Masonry's major purpose, the enhancement of an individual's moral and intellectual development, is achieved by the study of man's moral and intellectual history. Such a study must begin with the concepts of man and God held by early cultures and evidenced in their mythologies. This does not mean the individual should do or believe what they did or believed. No Mason is ever told what he should believe in matters of faith. That is the duty of his religion, and is appropriately expressed through his church.
The Greeks and Romans, and earlier cultures had a great many things of importance to say on many topics, including religion. The concept that a physician must act in the best interest of his patient came from Hippocrates, a pagan. The idea that a government cannot storm into your home and take what it wants without just cause comes from Aristotle, a pagan.
4. The Bible as "Furniture"
Some people complain about the Bible in the Lodge being referred to in Masonic ritual as the "furniture of the Lodge." Again, this is a matter of not understanding the terminology of Masons. The term "Furniture" is used in its original meaning of "essential equipment." All Lodges must have a Volume of the Sacred Law open during every meeting. In North America, this is almost always the Holy Bible which is an essential part of Freemasonry and its rituals.
5. The Meaning of "Light"
Other critics of the fraternity seem to think that when Masons use the term "light" someone might think the word refers to salvation rather than truth or knowledge. Another misunderstanding. Light was a symbol of knowledge long before it was a symbol of salvation. The 'lamp of learning' appears on most graduation cards and college diplomas. Masonry uses light as a symbol of the search for truth and knowledge.
6. "Salvation by Works"
Many believe Freemasonry teaches salvation may be attained by one's good works. Freemasonry doesn't teach any path to salvation. That is not the task of a fraternity. It's the job of the church, and is strictly a matter between the individual and his church. Masonry only goes so far as to point to the Bible and tell a Mason to search there for the path to eternal life.
Masonry believes in the importance of doing good works, but only as a matter of gratitude to God for His many gifts and as a matter of individual moral and social responsibility.
7. "Universalism"
There are those who claim some Masonic writers teach the "heresy of universalism." Universalism is the doctrine that all men and women are ultimately saved. Masonry does not teach universalism or any other doctrine or dogma of salvation. It is not easy to find those "many Masonic writers" who supposedly teach universalism, but if you could find one, he is writing a statement of personal opinion. It's important to remember that any Masonic author is not writing as an official representative of the Masonic fraternity. Simply put, Freemasonry does not have a position, official or otherwise, on salvation. Since men of all faiths are welcomed into the fraternity, Masons are careful not to offend the faith of any. That may seem to be universalism to some critics. To Masons, it is a common courtesy.
8. "Racial Exclusion"
Some critics are more eager to attack Freemasonry than to put their own houses in order. They allege that "most Lodges refuse to admit African-Americans as members." Masonry is not a whites-only organization. There are hundreds of thousands of Black, Native American, Hispanic and Oriental Masons throughout the world. The petition for Masonic membership does not ask the race of the petitioner. That said, however, Masonry in America, like churches and society in general, has not lived up to its teaching of brotherhood as well as it should. That is changing, however, in Masonry as in our society as a whole.
---Adapted from "A Response to Critics of Freemasonry,"
printed by Masonic Information Center, Silver Spring, Md