Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!sun-barr!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: tom@dvnspc1.Dev.Unisys.COM (Tom Albrecht) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Christianity and Freemasonry Message-ID: Date: 21 Dec 89 04:39:22 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Unisys Corporation, Devon, PA Lines: 58 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Our moderator writes: > > [I am very reluctant to continue a discussion of someone else's > beliefs based on rumors of what they believe. Marge Thompson seems to > be the closest we have to a Mason (Eastern Star), and I guarantee you > that she would not be involved in anything even slightly > anti-Christian. On the other hand, there have certainly been Masonic > groups ranging from free-thinkers to non-Christian. --clh] Our denomination (Presbyterian Church in America) has recently done a study of Freemasonry based on overtures from several presbyteries. Since the old Southern Presbyterian Church from which we sprang had many Freemasons as not only members, but also elders and deacons, we thought it important to investigate. There are many Freemasons in the PCA, especially in the South. Our basic determination was that Freemasonry is not compatible with biblical Christianity and that Freemasons in the PCA should be counseled to reconsider their affiliation. Much of this was based on our definition of "religion" and whether Freemasonry constitutes one. Since Freemasons admit to rituals and rites in which prayer and worship are offered, it appears that it could be considered a religion. The question then becomes is it biblical (i.e. Christian) religion. Part of the problem is that for most folks, Freemasonry is a cultural sort of thing, like being a Rotarian. Somebody belongs because their daddy belonged whose daddy belonged ... . And in many places Freemasonry is like the country club where folks go to "network". I've found in talking to folks who are Freemasons that most don't really understand the history and "theology" of the group. Freemasons are no different than most church members when it comes to understanding their "doctrine". There is the inner circle, maybe 10%, who are the activists, and then there is everyone else. Eastern Star may be another matter. My wife was in Rainbows as a girl, and my mother-in-law is an Eastern Star. My wife thinks that Eastern Star may be more Christian in its orientation than Freemasonry. However, she would counsel against anyone joining any of these secret societies. If anyone is interested in a copy of my denomination's study, I would be happy to mail it to them. -- Tom Albrecht [I'd be interested in your reaction to the official Masonic response, contained in a later posting within this group. (Those considering responding to this message might want to look at it first.) I could imagine any of - that you simply don't believe it - that you believe it is inappropriate for a group to speak on religious issues even as far as requiring belief in a supreme being (which they say they do) without being explicitly Christian - that you find some activity that they think is non-religious which you believe is so close to religion that it should only be done in an explicitly Christian context. Just out of curiosity, what role did your Masonic members play in your study? --clh]