Freemasonry is a unique institution, generating a deep loyalty among its members because all Masons hold their God in the highest reverence and trust Him above all else. It profits us little to exchange views of individual religions that support our closely held beliefs is like lawyers who disagree and will use legal case references in arguments in court. What goes on in Masonic lodge rooms are only labors designed to improve the moral character and lives of our members nothing else. Within our fraternity, no one person can speak for Freemasonry. Within our fraternity, no Mason can speak for another Mason, or Masonry as a whole when it comes to the meaning of our religious teachings. This is because Freemasonry leads each man as an individual to the Holy Scriptures, whatever his beliefs may be in a Supreme Being, and ask that he lead his life by the teachings he finds in those pages as he finds them there. It is in that trust that he WILL find them and employ them through diligent prayer and application in his daily life. This is because of Masonry’s pluralistic nature, believing that man will chose to serve God in his own way as he understands God’s holy teachings, rather than adhere to a strict dogma promulgated by a single belief. This is because Freemasonry does not allow prostylization in our lodge rooms, preferring instead to let each brother cleave to the faith of his choice and practice it to the best of his ability. Masonry does not teach Salvation by works. Rather, it teaches that it is important for each man to do good in the world because we have a duty to make the lives of others better. By so doing, we each ratify God’s choice to give us free will as free men by making right choices. If salvation comes along with the good works, that is fine, but even if it didn’t, these are the kinds of things we would be doing anyway because we love God unconditionally. Our critics say that Masonic teaching is incompatible with biblical teaching, but they confuse religious teaching with teaching about religions. Masonry does not offer information about the various different religions, but it does offer religious teachings of the highest moral caliber based on chapters found in the Old Testament. If a brother wishes to pursue the teachings of Christianity found in the New Testament, that is his choice to make unencumbered by the fraternity and we encourage his every effort at religious enlightenment according to the scriptures he embraces. Someday when we will all come to the end of life's toilsome journey and drop our working tools of life, we will all stand before that great white throne before the ultimate judge supreme, the Grand Architect Of The Universe (GAOTU), who will judge our thoughts and actions that hopefully should be as pure and spotless as our Masonic lamb skin, or white leather apron. So Mote It Be.
Fraternally, /s/ Terry, PM Freemason Hot Topics Moderator
