Where Does the Masonic Ritual Conflict with the Bible/Part 1
| By: Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon; ©2009 |
| The Masonic Lodge teaches that all men including Christians live in spiritual darkness until they enter and become members of the Lodge. Is this biblical? Masons teach and believe in a universal Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man. Is this biblical? |
Contents
Introduction
In the material that follows we will examine the religious teachings of Masonry and compare them with the teachings of the Bible. Remember that it is the Ritual of Masonry that is the supreme authority.[1] Individual Masons may disagree among themselves on various issues, but they may not disagree with the Ritual. And while there may be minor variations in the Ritual from state to state, these are largely insignificant. All Masonic Lodges accept the same basic interpretation of the Ritual that we will give.
During Masonic ceremonies various symbols are employed. Different symbols are used to identify the same idea or teaching; for example, both the compass and a sprig of acacia can symbolize immortality.[2]
Masonic authorities universally acknowledge the importance of the Masonic symbols. Roberts admits, “Symbolism is the lifeblood of the Craft…. It is the principal vehicle by which the ritual teaches Masonic philosophy and moral lessons.”[3] Mackey confesses, “To study the symbolism of Masonry is the only way to investigate its philosophy.”[4] In the questions below we will show how the symbols and rituals of Masonry teach things that are contrary to Jesus Christ and the Bible.
The Masonic Lodge teaches that all men including Christians live in spiritual darkness until they enter and become members of the Lodge. Is this biblical?
The Masonic Lodge teaches the non-biblical view stated above in the first three degrees of the Blue Lodge, especially in the Entered Apprentice degree where the candidate is told he will now be brought out of darkness and into the light. This teaching can also be seen from the fact that light is the first and most important symbol in Masonry.[5] For the Mason, light symbolizes the seeking of truth. It is the goal of Masonic Ritual to bring the ignorant or unenlightened candidate to “Masonic Light.”[6] Only Masonry brings light to the candidate, therefore only the Mason knows the truth.[7] This means all non-Masons exist in spiritual darkness.
Proof that Masonry teaches this concept can be found by examining the Ritual of the first degree of Masonry. In the first degree, each candidate is instructed, “You have long been in darkness, and now seek to be brought to light.” In the Ritual, when the candidate stands at the anteroom door, he knocks three times. On the other side of the door, the Junior Deacon also knocks three times and opens the door. He then says, “Who goes there?” The answer given by his conductor (the Senior Steward) is given in the Ritual itself:
- Mr. _____, who has long been in darkness, and now seeks to be brought to light, and to receive a part in the rights and benefits of this Worshipful Lodge, erected to God….[8]
During our telecast, former Worshipful Master Jack Harris quoted Albert Mackey, who held the highest positions Masonry has to offer. Mackey was a thirty-third degree Mason and Secretary General of the Supreme Council of the Thirty-Third Degree Scottish Rite, a position he held for a great many years. In his book, The Manual of the Lodge, Mackey describes the candidate who seeks to enter the Masonic Lodge:
- There he stands without [outside] our portals, on the threshold of his new Masonic life, in darkness, helplessness and ignorance. Having been wandering amid the errors and covered over with the pollutions of the outer and profane world, he comes inquiringly to our door, seeking the new birth, and asking a withdrawal of the veil which conceals divine truth from his uninitiated sight.[9]
But how can any Christian take the first degree of Masonry and say that he has “long been in darkness, and now seeks to be brought to light”? Is it really true that Christians are still in darkness and the only way they can enter the light is to join the Masonic Lodge? When you became a Christian, weren’t you rescued out of darkness? Let’s look at what the Bible says.
Jesus said, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness” (John 12:46, emphasis added). He also said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Here Jesus teaches that He is the Light. He teaches that believing in Him removes spiritual darkness; He does not teach that any ritual, Masonic or other, removes darkness.
Colossians 1:12-14 says, “Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (emphasis added).
Another example is Ephesians 5:8, where the apostle Paul writes, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret” (Eph. 5:8-12, emphasis added).
Jesus and the Bible plainly teach that any person who believes in Him is no longer in darkness. If you are a Christian, how then could you enter the Masonic Lodge and swear that you are still in darkness and seeking light? In the first degree of Masonry, didn’t you say that which is directly contrary to what your Lord and the Scriptures teach?
In Henry Wilson Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia he writes, “Light is everywhere the symbol of intelligence, information, knowledge, and truth and is opposed to darkness which symbolizes ignorance and evil. So, in the ceremonies, the candidate is said to be brought from darkness to light.”[10]
But if Coil is right, then no Christian should take the vows of the Lodge, confessing that he does not have the truth and is living in spiritual ignorance and evil. The Scriptures clearly state that Christians “are not in darkness” and are “all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness” (1 Thess. 5:4-5, emphasis added).
How can a Christian participate in rituals and promote another religion that denies and opposes the teachings of Christ? Jesus Himself asks, ‘And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).
Masons teach and believe in a universal Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man. Is this biblical?
The Masonic Lodge teaches the non-biblical view stated above in their first, second, and third degrees, but especially in the prayer of the Entered Apprentice and during their ceremony in the third degree concerning the legend of Hiram Abiff.[11] Specifically, the Masonic Lodge teaches its belief in the unity and universality of all men as “one family” accepted by God regardless of race, religion, or creed.[12] This Masonic teaching sounds good to most people. But if we examine it carefully, does the Bible really teach the concept of the universal Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man, so that all men are automatically sons of God? Does the Bible teach that all men are in good standing before God even if they are ignoring God’s Son?
The Bible does not teach any of the above, but Masonry does. During the ritual of the first three degrees, every Mason is introduced to the Masonic teaching concerning the Fatherhood of God. For example, in his discussion of the ritual encompassing the Masonic legend of Hiram Abiff, Allan E. Roberts in his The Craft and Its Symbols: Opening the Door to Masonic Symbolism instructs new candidates that “through these teachings the Mason will put into practice the brotherhood of man under the Fatherhood of God. In doing so, he will develop his character and personality in the image of the Great Architect of the Universe.”[13]
Every man who has gone through the first degree of Freemasonry remembers when he prayed the following prayer. It can be found in the Standard Masonic Ritual and Monitor of every state for the first degree (Entered Apprentice) of the Blue Lodge:
- Vouchsafe Thine aid, Almighty Father of the universe, to this our present convention; and grant that this candidate for Masonry may dedicate and devote his life to thy service, and become a true and faithful brother among us! Endue him with a competency of thy divine wisdom, that, by the secrets of our art, he may be better enabled to display the beauties of brotherly love, relief, and truth, to the honor of thy holy name. Amen.[14]
Masonic authority Carl Claudy admits that this prayer, at the start of the Masonic journey, forms the foundation of the Craft: “Among the most beautiful of Freemasonry’s symbols, these express at the very beginning the fundamental principle of Freemasonry: the Fatherhood of God, and the Brotherhood of man.”[15]
The Masonic temple itself is said to symbolize the idea of the harmony between the Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man. For example, “The temple that the Craft is building is the unification and the harmonizing of the entire human family. This is summed up for us in the well-known lines: ‘God hath made mankind one vast brotherhood, Himself their Master, and the world His Lodge.’”[16] God Himself is said to be the ultimate “W.M. [Worshipful Master] working through His supervising Master Masons.”[17]
But the Bible does not teach the universal Fatherhood of God (that all Masons are in good standing with God and a part of His Lodge) and brotherhood of man (that all men can live in harmony even though they hold different religious beliefs). Scripture clearly teaches that sinful men only become children of God and attain favorable standing before Him when they place their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
The following Scriptures prove that, apart from Christ, men may be the creation of God, but they are not the spiritual “sons” or “children” of God.
- But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name (John 1:12, emphasis added).
- [Jesus said] If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God (John 8:46-47, emphasis added).
The apostle Paul describes the condition of all men before God prior to their faith in Christ:
- And [you] were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest…. Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ… and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Eph. 2:3, 12, emphasis added).
- [Men] being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart (Eph. 4:18, emphasis added).
- But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him (Rom. 8:9, emphasis added).
- Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him (John 3:36, emphasis added).
In Jesus’ prayer to His Father, He describes the world’s natural condition: “The world has not known Thee” (John 17:25, emphasis added). The Bible also teaches that someday Christ will return, “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God…” (2 Thess. 1:8, emphasis added).
When Masonry teaches that all men are already saved because of the Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man, they are effectively inhibiting and preventing Masons from coming to a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ and having their sins forgiven. In this sense, Masonry is unbiblical (John 3:16).
In the above verses, notice first of all that if Jesus gives to those who believe on Him the right to become children of God, then all men were not children of God before that. This means that men are not born children of God, as Masonry teaches, and that God is not the Father of all men – spiritually or relationally.
Why? It seems Masonry has forgotten or ignores the account of man’s fall in Genesis – of Adam and Eve in the garden. The Bible teaches that man, through disobedience to God, sinned and broke his spiritual relationship with God. All men, although created by God, are not in a right relationship with God. Proof of this can be found in the book of Acts where we read, “The God who made the world and all things in it… is Lord of heaven and earth…. Being then the offspring of God…” (Acts 17:24, 29). Notice that because God is the Creator, all men may be said to be His children, His offspring, in the sense of His creating them. But they are not His children relationally or spiritually. Here is the problem. Look at what God says to His children. God now “commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). Repentance means we must be willing to turn away from our beliefs and reliance on self and turn to and fully rely upon Christ’s salvation provided for us.
How is it possible for a Christian to promote and defend a false teaching which says that all sinful men regardless of their relationship to Christ will go to heaven? The Scripture says a Christian should know better.
The Scriptures instruct Christians to proclaim that only through Christ will men receive forgiveness of their sins and be able to go to heaven. Jesus said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6).
(This information is excerpted from John Ankerberg and John Weldon, The Facts on the Masonic Lodge (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1989). This book, along with other material examining the Masonic Lodge from a Christian perspective, is available at our website: www.johnankerberg.org.)
Notes
- ↑ Transcript, The John Ankerberg Show, “Christianity and the Masonic Lodge: Are They Compatible?” (Guests: William Mankin, Dr. Walter Martin), Chattanooga, TN, The John Ankerberg Evangelistic Association, 1985, p. 5.
- ↑ Allen E. Roberts, The Craft and Its Symbols: Opening the Door to Masonic Symbolism (Richmond, VA, Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply, 1974), pp. 62, 80).
- ↑ Ibid., p. xi, cf. p. 11.
- ↑ Albert G. Mackey, The Symbolism of Freemasonry: Illustrating and Explaining Its Science and Philosophy, Its Legends, Myths, and Symbols (Chicago, IL, Charles T. Powner Co., 1975), p. 5, emphasis added.
- ↑ Ibid., pp. 148, 158.
- ↑ Roberts, Craft, p. 21.
- ↑ Mackey, Symbolism, pp. 148, 158.
- ↑ Malcolm C. Duncan, Masonic Ritual and Monitor (New York, David Mckay Co., nd), p. 29; cf. Transcript, The John Ankerberg show, “The Masonic Lodge: What Goes on Behind Closed Doors?” (Guests: Jack Harris, William Mankin, Dr. Walter Martin, Paul Pantzer), Chattanooga, TN, The John Ankerberg Evangelistic Assoc., 1986, p. 4.
- ↑ Albert Mackey, The Manual of the Lodge (New York, Clark Maynard, 1870), p. 20; cf. Transcript, “What Goes On Behind Closed Doors?”, p. 5.
- ↑ Henry Wilson Coil, Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia (New York, Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply, 1961), p. 375.
- ↑ Roberts, Craft, p. 84.
- ↑ Ibid., p. 21.
- ↑ Ibid., p. 84.
- ↑ Duncan, Masonic Ritual, p. 30, emphasis added; cf. Carl H. Claudy, Foreign Countries: A Gateway to the Interpretation and Development of Certain Symbols of Freemasonry (Richmond, VA, Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply, 1971), p. 23; George Simmons and Robert Macoy, Standard Masonic Monitor of the Degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason (Richmond, VA, Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply, 1984), p. 17.
- ↑ Claudy, Foreign Countries, p. 24.
- ↑ Foster Bailey, The Spirit of Masonry (Hampstead, London, Lucius Press, Ltd., 1972), p. 110.
- ↑ Ibid.
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I have a question please if a person is a Freemason and profess to be Christian and you are a Christian should you speak with that person about what he is now doing contrary to the Bible or would that be wrong to confront that person
Yes, we think it is worth addressing a fellow believer about the contradictions between Freemasonry and Christianity. As with all things, this is to be done with prayer, love, humility, and gentleness. Maybe you could mention to him how you recently came across some material on the Masonic Lodge and that you would be interested in discussing it with him. You could direct him to this series of articles or possibly one of our books on the topic, and set up time to talk about it in the near future.
Here is what our series of articles conclude on the matter:
“What of the Christian Mason? The Christian Mason also must decide. In our books The Facts on the Masonic Lodge and The Secret Teachings of the Masonic Lodge we have proven beyond any doubt whatsoever that Masonry is opposed to the one true God, it is opposed to the teachings of the Bible, it is opposed to the person and work of Jesus Christ, it is opposed to salvation by grace, and it is opposed to every major Christian doctrine. . . .
Christian Masons must decide today whether they will remain Masons and deny their Lord, Jesus Christ, or whether they will do the will of their Father in heaven and leave Masonry.”
Read Ephisians 5:11,12
No because that person who wrote this story is wrong, I’m a Freemason and a 32 degree Scottish Rite and a Knights Templar “York Rite” which in York Rite you have to be a Christian to join. The person who wrote this article is wrong about the title of the Brother who answers the door and a nonchalant of other stuff, First and most importantly Freemasonry is NOT a religion……. Secondly when the candidate is brought into light it has nothing to do with the Bible or the Bible’s teachings yet it has to do with bringing a man to light making him a better person by squaring his actions, meeting his brothers on the level. This author hasn’t a clue who we are to be honest, most of what we do is charity work, do you think Shriners hospital is bad? We have Two pastors in our lodge and I’m a minister! Everyone in our lodge further every lodge has taken an oath on the Bible and also every ritual we do is right out of the Bible. Have a wonderful day.
“You cannot serve two masters, for you will love one and dispise the other”
Also….
You mention charity, have you not read the scripture that say’s charity is to be done in private, so that no one can know or see what you have given, yet your fraternity is often seen boasting about specific financial sums given to “charitable organisations”, which means the offering is known by many and goes through many handlers and given during organized events that makes the whole thing a public showing.
I’ve always felt in my heart a mason I’ve discovered much about each religion yet never felt specific to one individually I grew up going to MANY churches n at one point not finding a belief in god since my mind had changed that god exists yet I don’t believe in the many transcripts presented yet those of many belief’s n understanding I feel I am a part of something higher then myself without full belief to whom I qualify it it too I believe we are a part of something higher then ourselves yet fight on words n which we call it. We are all part of god of religion but take things further then what we understand. I consider myself a healer but am open to spiritual aspects n also belief in oneself as part of religion I would like more information on how to become a mason as it’s something I’ve felt through out my life without giving words of understanding we all play a part
I have been a Mason for almost 16 years. I am currently the Worshipful Master of a well-known lodge. I will explain some of what Masonry believes, and does not believe, and explain parts that are confusing.
Let me first address an issue. Many members can likely be considered cultural Christians. Many members are spiritual and not Christian as well. There are 2 things to consider here. First, yes, we must acknowledge as Christians, we are only redeemed by accepting Christ. Knowing this, Masonry is similar to the Boy Scouts, any boy may join, and he does not have to be Christian even though the Boy Scouts is Christian in origin but nonsectarian (And also founded by a Freemason). Second, we cannot expect a cultural or non-Christian to explain to us what Masonry means as far as it goes to be acceptable to a Christian or not. If they don’t know the bible, they will falter here.
For that matter, modern Freemasonry has become non-sectarian. There are many things Christians take part in that are non-sectarian. But, you do not see Christian denominations telling Christians not to take part in those nonsectarian activities or groups. But, Freemasonry is rooted in the bible.
Let’s go back to the dark ages in Europe. At the time the only Christian you could be is Catholic. If you were not Catholic, you were a heretic. If you were a Christian but did not agree with the Catholic church, you kept this secret and private to yourself.
We know the Templar Knights were owed a great deal of money by the Catholic Church. The pope colluded with France and the Templar were disbarred. They had lost their connection to God through the Catholic church and went into hiding. The King of France had the Templar rounded up, drawn and quartered, burned at the stake, etc. If they spoke against the Catholic church, the French authorities would cut off their lips or remove their tongue. The Catholic church was behind the scenes of this, washing their hands of any blame.
So you now have Christian’s who are considered heretics, they are being tortured and murdered. Would you tell anybody you were a Christian? And if you were going to tell anybody, wouldn’t you want to be sure you could trust that other person not to turn you in?
Advance 500 years to roughly 1500-1700 and most Catholic priests did not even have a copy of the bible. Then the Guttenberg press was invented and only the nobles and most wealthy could afford knowledge and information in a book. If you were a common man, a worker, a serf, a peasant, etc, you had no access to anything.
If we look to Martin Luther, one of the reasons he wrote the Catechisms was because he found that priests didn’t even know the bible, so he decided to put together a sort of cliff notes of what everybody should know if nothing else. Remember, unless you were an aristocrat, you did not have access to much, including education!
Let’s be clear there. Jesus is light. When you have government closely being advised by the Catholic church, and your life is at risk, you can use certain words, symbols, etc., to show who you are to other people who also know what those things mean. This was one way for Christians to remain safe while not openly in public showing they do not agree with the Catholic church. Why else does the Catholic church have such a beef with Freemasonry and is the origin or most original anti-masonic information?
Let’s continue on with your transcript above, that the candidate is blind folded and in darkness. Well, is he? He does not own a bible. The only way he can get the word of God and learn about Christ is by listening to it in a Catholic church being recited in Latin, and only the priest can tell him what any of that means, yet most priest don’t have a copy of the bible. If they do have a copy, it’s not written in English so they need to knew Hebrew and Koine Greek. Are you telling me this man knows Jesus (Light)?
When that candidate comes into a lodge and is at the alter, do you know what else is at the alter? His hands are touching it. When he is brought to light and can see with his own eyes, what does he find? He finds a copy of the Holy Bible in his hands. He now has light! He can read it for himself in his native language!
Grand Architect of the Universe? Was Jesus not the Chief Cornerstone? If we want to use allusion and allegory to avoid being called heretics and lose our lives, would we not hide ourselves among the stone masons? An authority may enter the guild (lodge) and ask what the symbol G is for. Well, it is for God, but it would be easy to tell them it is for Geometry, we are stone masons!
Byblos is a port city still in use today. It exported a lot of papyrus used for writing. The Greeks would get this papyrus and would refer to it as Byblos. So much “paper” was created that it was simply called Byblos. Eventually a collection of writings on all this paper morphed into the word we know today as Bible. But you should also know that Byblos was the city full of stone masons. As you read in 1 Kings and Chronicles, Hirum was sent by the King of Tyre to assist with the building of King Solomon’s Temple. The stone masons were all from Byblos.
If we go back just a few hundred years, most people were illiterate. People were educated by acting out of dramas and what we see now as rituals.
Most things I encounter that are against Freemasonry are because we look at what we see today and not by the history of it and the times. Something ancient has been kept alive and many no longer understand it or it’s origin.
As a Christian, would you walk the streets of Iran, Afghanistan, Syria or Somalia letting people know you are a Christian? I think not, not unless you had protection or knew you could be beheaded for such things. You would keep this a secret.
Keep in mind it is Freemasony that created the United States. It is Freemasonry that protected Christian’s during the dark ages and in times when you could only be a Catholic. It was not until it was safe to be a protestant Christian that Freemasonry was publicly acknowledged in 1717. And as it’s original purpose was less needed, it began to open up to anybody who believes in a supreme being, as a place that can be protected from government. This does not mean I agree with a member who is of another belief when it comes to religion. But what I do know is that he is my neighbor and that I must share living under our government with him.
The US government has deep roots in Masonry and one of the things here is that we know Christianity can be under threat again in the future. It would be unwise to wish a fraternal organization into nonexistence especially if one day it comes to pass that there is nobody left to protect an individuals right to hold religious beliefs.
I like your answer WM Bob. I am currently SW for the 4th time and will be installed WM 2023-24. The only thing I am going differ with you is in Texas no atheist can be made a Mason.
WOW! Could not get past the first three paragraphs of complete and utter false accusations. It obvious the writer has no earthly idea what he/she is talking about and a complete contempt of God by claiming Masonry is a religion. Nice try on the concept of darkness.
So I have a question for bob. First off I really enjoyed the origin of the craft That was good information. So my question is, if your a believer in christ and part of the lodge, but you know that He (Jesus) is the only way to the Father, and you also know that the craft teaches something contrary to that by teaching universalism. How then can your conscious be alright with that? Because if you are not combatting that false doctrine and you are turning a blind eye and just saying well I don’t agree with it but yet you are yoked to a fraternity or brotherhood that does teach that. What about the gospel mission of go ye therefore into all the world and preach the gospel(of Jesus). Can you do this in the lodge or is it permitted to mention the name of Jesus? And please I beg you don’t take this the wrong way, this is a genuine question and I’m just trying to square it from a biblical stand point as far as the teaching of universalism goes when the Christian belief is there is only ONE way to the Father. Thanks man
Just wanted to comment. In the Masonic ritual there is no claim to bring one into light in a general sense. It’s specific to free masonry. The candidate wishes “light in masonry” “further light in masonry” there is no claim to receive light in the world as a replacement for Jesus.
“.. I, of my own free will and accord, in the presence of Almighty God, and this worshipful Lodge, erected to him and dedicated to the holy Sts. John, do hereby and hereon most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear that I will always hail, ever conceal, and never reveal any of the secrets, arts, parts, point or points, of the Master Mason’s Degree, to any person or persons whomsoever, except it be to a true and lawful brother of this Degree, or in a regularly constituted Lodge of Master Masons..”
“.. All this I most solemnly, sincerely promise and swear, with a firm and steady resolution to perform the same, without any hesitation, mental reservation, or secret evasion of mind what-ever, binding myself, under no less penalty than that of having my body severed in two, my bowels taken from thence and burned to ashes, the ashes scattered before the four winds of heaven that no more remembrance might be had of so vile and wicked a wretch as I would be, should I ever, knowingly, violate this my Master Mason’s obligation.”
“.. To the penalty of my obligation, that I would sooner have my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, than divulge any of the secrets belonging to the chair unlawfully.”
– Duncan’s Ritual of Freemasonry
Of course, in their attempt to mislead they will claim above mentioned quotes to be outdated, over-exaggerated or merely symbolic and allegorical when the fact is that, since the middle-ages to the present day they are performing these (blood) oaths through each and every degree of which a Mason takes these oaths with great and utmost reverence.
See the historically documented murder of William Morgan, initiated Freemason who later got murdered by his brethren for publishing a book wherein he exposed their secrets and revealed many of it’s contradictions with Christian values.
The fact remain that it is regarded a Masons duty to “protect” their secrets from the “profane” i.e. the vulgar, unenlightened masses by any means possible, including by commenting misleading half-truths and disinformation on this article.
Be aware that every subject being questioned risking to expose their secrets into the Light they have a pre-planned, exoteric and misleading explanation meant to disarm you with further questioning.
Occasionally when they fail to debate with reason, they turn to the pitchforks and slander as you clearly can see in the comments above.
Remember, never trust an Freemason since they already have sworn an oath to distrust you.
Stay vigilant and keep digging, folks.