I can’t imagine what the Southern Baptist church, which I was rasied in, would have against an organization that promotes religious beliefs.
It is in their view of what religious beliefs are promoted. Most Christian doctrines are pretty jealous, Christ only, ‘no man comes to the Father, except..’ and so on. If it is promoted that *all* faiths are equal or one is as good as another, that’s a problem. Catholics call it indifferentism; others call it universalism. There are other concerns.
I think most Baptist’s would agree that the SB is one of the least restrictive organizations, doctrinally. So I see your point in this regard.
I’ll paste something from an article titled: New publication on Freemasonry available from SBC’s North American Mission Board” below. I think the objections there are fairly common across denominations, similar to what I see in the objections elsewhere, FWIW.
The “Closer Look” provides documentation and explanation for the eight concerns of the original 1993 report on Freemasonry, which it summarized with the following statements:
1) “Freemasonry uses offensive, non-biblical, and blasphemous terms relating to God.”
2) “Freemasonry insists on the use of ‘bloody oaths’ or obligation, which are strictly forbidden by the Bible (cf. Matt 5:34-37).”
3) “Freemasonry urges that occultic and/or pagan readings be used, and that their teachings be appropriated in interpreting such concepts as the Trinity.”
4) “Freemasonry includes the Bible as part of the ‘furniture of the lodge,’ but only as an equal with non-Christian symbols and writings.”
5) “Freemasonry misuses the term ‘light’ to refer to moral “reformation” as a means to salvation.”
6) “Freemasonry teaches that salvation may be attained by ‘good works’ and not through faith in Christ alone.”
7) “Freemasonry advocates in many of its writings the non-biblical teachings of universalism.”
8) “In some of its lodges, Freemasonry discriminates against non-whites.”
Source:
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=5959
Thanks for your reply.