Posted on 04/03/2008 8:28:09 PM PDT by Alex Murphy
It's been nearly a quarter of a century since Freemasons in Utah rescinded a 60-year ban that prohibited Latter-day Saints from joining their fraternity. And while many remember the religious division that had characterized Freemasonry in the Beehive State from pioneer times, Glen Cook believes he is evidence that things are changing among his Masonic brethren. Cook, a Salt Lake criminal defense attorney and Brigham Young University law school graduate, is believed to be the first member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be elected grand master in Utah in nearly a century, overseeing the activities of several lodges around the state and looking to make the group more open to public understanding.
During a recent tour of the Masonic Temple in downtown Salt Lake City following his installation in February, Cook said there are definite misconceptions about Freemasonry in Utah, particularly among Latter-day Saints, "but there's also some reality there as well."
Church founder Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were members of the Masonic lodge in Nauvoo, Ill., in the early 1840s, and historians have written in detail about the role of fellow Masons in the murder of the two men in June 1844. Smith's successor, President Brigham Young, and the three succeeding presidents of the church all were made Masons in the Nauvoo Lodge, as were many who presided in church hierarchy during and following Joseph Smith's death.
After leaving the Midwest for what was then the Utah Territory, most Latter-day Saints eventually ceased active involvement with Freemasonry, despite the fact that lodges were chartered here beginning in 1859. Cook said he thinks pioneer Latter-day Saints simply were too busy trying to build a city in the desert and serving their church to participate. Some historians have speculated about whether Freemasonry was discouraged by LDS leaders.
Whether or not that was the case, religious tension within the organization escalated to the point that, in 1925, "the Utah Grand Lodge Code precluded any Mormon ... totally from any relationship whatsoever" with Masonry in Utah, according to author Mervin Hogan's 1978 book, "The Origin and Growth of Utah Masonry and Its Conflict With Mormonism."
That provision of the code remained in force until 1984, when it was rescinded.
Freemasonry is not a religious practice, but confusion about what it is stems in part from the fact that the fraternity is believed by many historians to have originated in the ancient world because its symbols and rituals bear some similarity to sacred ceremonies that existed among the Egyptians, Coptic Christians, Israelites and even the Catholic and Protestant liturgies — all thought to have some common biblical source.
Many believe it originated with the stone masons who worked on Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, though no definitive evidence of that legend is known to exist. Others speculate that its tenets were had by Enoch, and possibly by Adam. Scholars have documented evidence that institutional Masonry dates back only to the Middle Ages, when great European cathedrals were being built by guilds of stone masons who practiced "the craft."
Cook said the fact that membership requires belief in a supreme being and a willingness to make obligations to fellow Masons through Masonic rituals and symbols that bear some limited similarity to LDS temple ceremonies also foster a misunderstanding of what the fraternity is, and is not.
"There is no question that elements of the (LDS temple) endowment and Masonic ritual are similar," Cook said. "The question for faithful Latter-day Saints is whether that makes a difference. I tend to be a rather concrete thinker."
For those who accept Joseph Smith as a prophet and believe he actually saw God and Jesus Christ in vision as a precursor to restoration of Christ's ancient church, "then the rest, I would suggest, should be a corollary" of that belief.
"I think sometimes we spend too much time worrying about issues that don't really matter to our salvation."
Nothing in LDS faith or practice precludes Latter-day Saints from becoming Masons, he said, though family and church obligations may limit the amount of time Mormon men can spend in other pursuits like Masonry.
"Freemasonry should be an adjunct to your faith and not a barrier to its exercise," Cook said. "I tell people that the only secrets we have are modes of recognition and the passwords. For those, you have to look on the Internet."
The "Encyclopedia of Mormonism" addresses questions about the faith's view of the fraternity, noting "the philosophy and major tenets of Freemasonry are not fundamentally incompatible with the teaching, theology and doctrines of the Latter-day Saints. Both emphasize morality, sacrifice, consecration and service, and both condemn selfishness, sin and greed. Furthermore, the aim of Masonic ritual is to instruct — to make truth available so that man can follow it."
The ritual resemblances between the two "are limited to a small proportion of actions and words," according to the encyclopedia, and "where the two rituals share symbolism, the fabric of meanings is different."
Cook said he sees signs within the Utah fraternity that a new openness is developing toward the community at large, and toward Latter-day Saints in particular, evidenced not only by his recent installation in ceremonies that were open to the public, but also in a willingness to acknowledge the faith in ways it hasn't previously been recognized.
On Feb. 2, during meetings before his formal installation took place, Cook said "a seasoned brother came to me and said, 'We should have a moment of silence for (deceased LDS Church) President (Gordon B.) Hinckley,"' as his funeral was taking place. "At 11 a.m., the grand master called the Grand Lodge of Utah to silence for that."
Later in the day, as members were having lunch together in the Masonic Temple downtown, someone mentioned that President Hinckley's funeral cortege would be passing their building shortly. "A group of Masons gathered on the front steps for that, not limited by religion, and stood with their hands over their hearts as the cortege passed," Cook said.
"I think those three things really signaled to me the change that has come about. ... I think LDS culture has changed, and that today, civic activities are not inappropriate."
As for what he plans to emphasize during his term as the 137th grand master of Utah, Cook said he will focus on the fraternal tenets of brotherly love, belief and truth.
"I find Freemasonry to be something at which to marvel, to be something which I view in awe," Cook wrote in a recent message published in a fraternal newsletter. "In a world in which men war and shed the blood of the innocent based on race, ethnicity and tribe, we have united ... without regard to the color of a man's skin, caring only about the tenor of his heart."
In short, Masons "are men who try to lead moral and upright lives. They contribute significantly not only on a private basis, but in a public way" as well, he said, noting they fund Shriner's Hospital for Children, help with arthritis research and other community causes.
"It's the place where I've found friends, men who have cared for me and my family and hold the moral values that I hold."
It's always made me wonder how someone who can be in an organization for years is never 'high enough' to know the real agenda, yet someone who has never been a part of it seems to know all the details.
Just how high, pray tell, does one have to be to know all the juicy bits?
From chapter 4 of Harold Berry’s “Truth Twisters” (see post #57):
A quote from Albert Pike, who virtually rewrote the Scottish Rite degrees into the present form used by the Masonic Lodge and Scottish Rite: “The Bible is an indispensable part of the furniture of a Christian Lodge, only because it is the sacred book of the Christian religion. The Hebrew Pentateuch in a Hebrew Lodge, and the Koran in the a Mohammedan one, being on the Altar; and one of these, and the Square and Compass, properly understood, are the Great Lights by which a Mason must walk and work.”
Joseph Ford Newton, an Episcopal minister and authority in the Masonic world, said, “Masonry is not a religion but Religion – not a church but a worship, in which men of all religions may unite.” He also wrote: “Religion, then, is the bond that binds us, first, to God, Whose [sic] is ‘the something universal’ which unites all things into one whole, and gives to the universe meaning and beauty. Second, it is the tie by which we are united to our fellow men in the service of duty, the sanctity of love, and the spirit of fraternal righteousness.”
Newton’s universalist views relate more to Hinduism than Biblical Christianity.
Henry Wilson Coil, author of authoritarian “Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia”, rejected any argument that says Masonry is not a religion – only religious: “It would be as sensible to say that man had no intellect but was an intellectual or that he had no honor but was honorable.” He further comments: “If Freemasonry were not a religion, what would have to be done to make it such? Nothing would be necessary or at least nothing but to add more of the same. That brings us to the real crux of the matter; the difference between a lodge and a church is one of degree and no of kind.”
Barry reports, The Entered Apprentice is told: “In his private devotions a man may petition God or Jehovah, Allah or Buddha, Mohammed or Jesus; he may call upon the God of Israel or the Great First Cause. In the Masonic Lodge he hears humble petition to the Great Architect of the Universe, finding his own deity under that name. A hundred paths may wind upward around a mountain; at the top they meet.” (from “The Lost Word: Its Hidden Meaning”, George H. Steinmetz, Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company, 1953, page 156.)
There’s a lot more in that book - on many religions, comparing each to Biblical Christianity. I recommend it as a basic part of every Christian’s library.
Masonry requires you believe in a god. They don’t even ask which one.
It is not religious.
I recommend it as a basic part of every Christian’s library.
So Mason’s stand on character , integrity , values & morals and are allowed to call the God they worship by the name they choose .
If I understood your post and I processed it correctly , why the uproar over the Masons ? This is the reason why I keep my beliefs and my God simple .
It just strikes me as to much going on for something so simple but I love knowledge and thank you for giving me some . Perhaps someday I can return the favour .
Isn’t there some oath to protect a fellow mason even if he has broken the law?
Your addiction to being right and looking good are hilarious!
Speak about something that you have a clue about, like your obsession with Rick Warren. >:-}
Discuss the issues all you want, but do not make it personal.
Maybe with the Christian Cult you belong to.
There are 9998 other Christian denominations that welcome Masons as members.
Nope.
Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of interest.
> A quote from Albert Pike, who virtually rewrote the Scottish Rite degrees into the present form used by the Masonic Lodge and Scottish Rite:
There is a common misconception amongst the profane that Albert Pike speaks on behalf of all Freemasonry. He doesn’t. Indeed, nobody does, anymore than Jimmy Swaggart speaks on behalf of all Christians, or John McCain speaks on behalf of all Americans, or Ian Paisley speaks on behalf of all Irishmen, or Manfred the Wonder Dawg speaks on behalf of all FReepers.
Albert Pike had an opinion, and he published it and is quoted widely. Some masons may agree with his viewpoints: I certainly don’t. In fact, I find Albert Pike’s writings to be turgid and a thorough bore, just barely bordering on the ravings of a lunatick. Others find him interesting.
One thing is certain: his works are not definitive, and they do not form the masonic equivalent of Holy Writ. He does not officially represent masonry, and he does not represent me.
Agree. Also, 3d and York Rite, Shriner, Honorable Order of the Hillbilly Degree.
Pursuant to #71 it goes without saying that none of the other “authoritative sources” in Harold Berry’s “expose” on Freemasonry (eg Newton, Coil, &tc) speak with any official authority on behalf of the Craft, either.
If they be Masons they speak for themselves. If they be disaffected Masons they do their own credibility no good by speaking ill of their brethren. And if they be non-Masons, chances are good that they could never find two Masons willing to propose them into the Lodge, and thus speak in the context of sour grapes.
My grandfather was a Scottish rite Mason. My grandmother, Eastern Star. My great uncle is a Shriner. His nephew was the master of his lodge. We can trace Masonry in our family back to the mid-1800s. All of that said, if you want to be a Mason, be a Mason - but from what I have seen from it, no Christian should ever be a Mason. They are contradictory belief systems.
I believe the vast majority of Masons are wholly ignorant of where it leads. The vast majority are just well-meaning men wanting to belong to a group, wanting to help the community, wanting to network with others. They are merely deceived. Others are willfully misleading others, and theirs is the greater sin and the greater accountability.
Terriergal is trying to sound a warning call to those who are in Freemasonry and don’t realize its ultimate import. You main disdain her for speaking boldly; but, I hope others pursue what she is pointing out and get out of the lodge.
Terriergal,
Some interesting thoughts on this bb: http://www.rr-bb.com/showthread.php?t=8308&page=3
There is no doubt that Freemasonry is a religion (cult), even if some of the members don't realize it. Sort of like Mormonism.
SeaHawkFan, you clearly have a little bit of ignorance to correct. One facet of the "cult" of the Masons, the Shriners, operate charity hospitals across the country that have benefitted hundreds of thousands - including my wife.
If the Masons and Mormons are "cults", we could use a lot more of them, and a lot less spewing from ignorant loudmouths.
Liberals do a lot of good deeds in the world. Many of them are sincere in their delusions. Doesn’t mean you should encourage their growth or existence.
My dad was a 32nd degree Mason. I did not say Masons don’t do some wonderful things. I simply pointed out that some of their practices are cult-like and not reconcilable with some basis Christian doctrines.
> My grandfather was a Scottish rite Mason. My grandmother, Eastern Star. My great uncle is a Shriner. His nephew was the master of his lodge. We can trace Masonry in our family back to the mid-1800s.
Yet, interestingly you do not claim to have been a Mason, nor any of your direct relatives. At best then, your viewpoint is one of a casual, distanced observer.
> All of that said, if you want to be a Mason, be a Mason - but from what I have seen from it,
...which is to say, from the outside looking in.
> no Christian should ever be a Mason. They are contradictory belief systems.
I have not found it to be so, and I have looked specifically for any indication that it is. My viewpoint comes from the inside looking in — that is to say, from an informed viewpoint.
> I believe the vast majority of Masons are wholly ignorant of where it leads.
I believe you are wholly ignorant of where it leads.
> The vast majority are just well-meaning men wanting to belong to a group, wanting to help the community, wanting to network with others. They are merely deceived.
That’s a patronizing viewpoint. All Masons are mature adults who are free to leave the Craft anytime they like. Many are highly intelligent and highly successful high achievers in their communities. If there were any deception or “hoodwinking” going on, few would stay.
> Others are willfully misleading others, and theirs is the greater sin and the greater accountability.
Name a few. Here’s your chance!
> Terriergal is trying to sound a warning call to those who are in Freemasonry and don’t realize its ultimate import.
Terriergal (who could never be a Mason) is speaking about something she could never experience and is, at best, ill-informed. Rather like you.
> You main disdain her for speaking boldly;
Disdain isn’t the right word: whatever the right word is, it isn’t for speaking boldly. She speaks out of ignorance, so what she has to say on the subject of Freemasonry is little more than the hysterical flapping of gums and waving of hands from someone who does not have a clue.
> but, I hope others pursue what she is pointing out and get out of the lodge.
I hope that any Mason silly enough to heed to such claptrap gets out of the Lodge, too. Nobody is holding a gun to their heads to make them stay.
> My dad was a 32nd degree Mason.
...but you weren’t and aren’t, I take it.
I did not say Masons don’t do some wonderful things. I simply pointed out that some of their practices are cult-like and not reconcilable with some basis Christian doctrines.
Which practises specifically cause you to make this assertion? As you have probably never been in the Lodge, how would you know?
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