There are a lot of things believed about the Masons. The material is out there online. I have no idea if any of it is true, but you might want to do some digging just in case. As a Christian, a lot of it bothers me, but I have no contacts on the subject. My brother was a Mason, but I have no first hand knowledge, just what I’ve read. The satanic claim is out there a lot.Personally I steer clear of anything that is even suspected to be a tool of satan. He is very busy in the world these days.
I joined as a Christian with the thought that if it violated my religion or conscience then it isn’t for me.
Some lodges are Arabic/Moslem others are Hebrew.
Most are Christian.
We have a couple Jewish members in our lodge.
Most of what is out there about the Masons is nonsense. Including the stuff they say. For example they claim to be preservers of building & esoteric secrets handed down from the builders of King Solomon’s temple - particularly Hiram Abiff the chief architect of King Solomon’s Temple. Highly unlikely to be true! They could be a fraternal society that does owe its origins to the medieval architectural/building societies/guilds. Often guilds would protect their trade secrets & apprenticeships (training!) with ritual. Since they were doing God’s work building the great cathedrals of Europe why not claim to be continuing the traditions of Hiram. In a way they were! Probably the actual techniques before the age of the steam engine weren’t that different. Gravity is gravity same then as now, you can only overcome it in certain ways. Actually none of that is as important as what Masons & their fraternity did to the greater European society. All were equal in the lodge, both Kings and comonomers, Jews & Christians all that was required religion-wise was not to be an atheist. For example Frederick the Great was a Mason as was our George Washington. (also Paul Revere, John Hancock, the Marquis de Lafayette, and the Boston Tea Party saboteurs, were also Freemasons - Good company to be connected with!) If George Washington is of any importance to you a trip to the Washington Masonic Temple is well worth it. They have a remarkable Washington memorabilia collection. He & his mason buddies laid cornerstone of the Capitol in a Masonic ritual and DC is laid out using Masonic symbols. So in short the Masons of the age were key in spreading notions like all men are created equal, and other ideas we are supposed to hold dear.
And no I am not a Mason, my father was and he always tried to get me to join. Today they do a lot of very good charity work raise money for eyesight research, collect money and used glasses for the poor. The Shriners raise massive amounts of money for burn clinics & children’s burn hospitals. Alas I am not a joiner of much of anything, I just don’t have his gregarious and out going personality. I just find the “dress-up” and rituals ridiculous and just can’t make myself do it. I did disappoint my late father on this, because he got a lot out of it. (Yes I am a dour old stick-in-the-mud!).
So in short anyone who claims that the Masons are connected to the devil is simply an ass! Additionally you’d be saying my dear late father is satanic, which means if you met me you wouldn’t keep your teeth! George would agree!
Members must believe in a higher being (GAOTU), but not necessarily Jesus as the way the truth and the life..no one one comes to the Father but through Him. Lodges shall refrain from offending any brother by the use of Jesus’s name.
Even daughters of the Eastern Star symbol...good grief! Upside down five pointed star that looks like the satanic goat? FM is claimed not to be a religion, but they have Temples, there are “worshipful masters”.
Consider the writings of famed Freemason, Albert Pike.
Albert Pike. On page 524 of Morals and Dogma - We do not undervalue the importance of any Truth. We utter no word that can be deemed irreverent by anyone of any faith.
And as little do we tell the sincere Christian that Jesus of Nazareth was but a man like us,...
Then there are masonic writers such as:
Mackey, Ward, Higgins.
Manly P. Hall had some weird observations as well about Freemason occultism and political corruption via NWO studies.
I dunno...not wanting to tear down the good work of those in the brotherhood, but there is just way too much that seems to be contrary to Christian life.