Conscience and the Craft

Question on Religion and Freemasonry

Forward
by
Allan Large
Few things are sadder in human affairs than unnecessary conflict, caused by
misunderstanding or the unwillingness of men and women to discuss, calmly and
factually, the differences they perceive to separate them. In recent years,
Freemasons have felt especially victimied by this problem. !ome people ma"e
themselves adversaries of #asonry without first finding out if a conflict really e$ist.
%ften, rather than as"ing a "nowledgeable #ason for clarification or information,
they simply read boo"s written by other anti&#asons and find their answers there. I
have as"ed 'r. (resner to write this pamphlet because I "now that most conflicts
people see with #asonry)especially in the area of religion)are the result of
misunderstanding rather than actual differences.
*ach man see"s in #asonry for himself, and each man finds for himself. *ach man
has an absolute right to interpret #asonry for himself as he sees fit. +ith our long
tradition of priing intellectual liberty and individual thought, it could not be
otherwise.
,ut if no interpretation of #asonry is officially -right,- there are some which are
clearly wrong. +hen someone ascribes words to a person which that person never
wrote, or when someone insists that #asons believe something which has never been
a part of the lessons of #asonry, it is the duty of every thin"ing #ason to say, -(hat
is not what #asonry teaches.-
It is my prayer that every thoughtful Christian who wants to "now more about
Freemasonry will read this information and review again in his heart the lessons of
/im who taught it is better to love than to hate and fear, and that it is our duty to
cherish all man"ind, to strive to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday, and to
strive to emulate the compassion and caring of the 0ood !hepherd.
Allan '. Large
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1im (resner is the 'irector of the #asonic Leadership Institute. /e holds the 22
rd
degree of the !cottish Rite of Freemasonry, is the 'irector of the 22
rd
degree
Conferral (eam at his (emple, and is 'irector of the +or"s at the 0uthrie !cottish
Rite temple in 0uthrie, %"lahoma. /e holds a ,.A. with ma3ors in
Communications, (heatre, *nglish and 4sychology, an #.A. in Communications
(heory, an #.,.A. and a 4h.'. in ,usiness Communications. /e has served on the
editorial board of -the !cottish Rite 1ournal,- is on the staff of -the %"lahoma
!cottish Rite #ason,- serves as a video script consultant to the 5ational #asonic
Renewal Committee, and is editor of -(he %"lahoma #ason.- /e is considered a
scholar in the interpretation of #asonic !ymbols and ritual and has authored
numerous articles, video scripts and boo"lets on #asonic sub3ects)A.L.
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Conscience and the Craft
Question on Religion and Freemasonry
&*$panded *dition&
by
1im (resner, 4h.'., 22
rd
degree

I underta"e this tas" with considerable diffidence. Indeed, were it not for a belief
that it is sinful to be silent when misunderstandings create pain and confusion, I
would probably decline. (he world of #asonry is vast, comple$ and rich, but it is as
nothing compared to the immense sweep and scope of thought, faith, history and
culture contained in the word Christianity.
As a professed and professing member of the Christian 6'isciples of Christ7 Church,
I have never found any conflict between the lodge room and the sanctuary. And
indeed as the Reverend 'octor 5orman 8incent 4eale, one of the best "nown
Christian and #asonic authors of today has remar"ed, there can never be conflict
between Christianity and any other organiation which constantly urges its
members to live a moral life.
Following are some 9uestions often as"ed by those who are not members of
#asonry. (he responsibility for the answers is my own, although, I have tried to
draw from the best "nown and most respected #asonic writers.
Is #asonry a religion:
5o, not by the definitions most people use. Religion, as the term is commonly used,
implies several things; a plan for salvation or path by which one reaches the after&
life< a theology which attempts to describe the nature of 0od< and the description of
ways or practices by which a man or woman may see" to communicate with 0od.
#asonry does none of those things. +e offer no plan of salvation. +ith the
e$ception of saying that /e is a loving Father who desires only good for /is
children, we ma"e no effort to describe the nature of 0od. And while we open and
close our meetings with prayer, and we teach that no man should ever begin any
important underta"ing without first see"ing the guidance of 0od, we never tell a
man how he should pray or for what he should pray.
Instead, we tell him that he must find the answers to these great 9uestions in his own
faith, in his church or synagogue or other house of worship. +e urge men not to
neglect their spiritual development and to be faithful in the practice of their religion.
As the 0rand Lodge of *ngland wrote in -Freemasonry and Religion-,
-Freemasonry is far from indifferent to religion. +ithout interfering in religious
practice, it e$pects each member to follow his own faith, and to place above all other
duties his duty to 0od by whatever name /e is "nown.- #asonry itself ma"es only
a simple religious demand on a man)he must believe that he has an immortal soul
and he must believe in 0od. 5o atheist can be a #ason.
+hy are #asonic buildings called -(emples-, doesn=t that suggest a religious
building:
+ebster=s 5ew (wentieth Century 'ictionary provides a definition for the word
-temple- which is as good an e$planation as any; -a building, usually of imposing
sie, serving the public or an organiation in some special way< as, a temple of art, a
#asonic temple-
/ave some #asonic writers said that #asonry is a religion:
>es, and again, it=s a matter of definition. If, as some writers have, you define
religion as -man=s urge to venerate the beautiful, serve the good and see 0od in
everything,- you can say that #asonry subscribes to a religion. ,ut that, surely, is
not in conflict with Christianity or any other faith.
Is Freemasonry a #ystery Religion:
5o. (he relationship 6if any7 between Freemasonry and the ancient #ysteries is a
favorite topic of speculation among #asonic writers. ?nfortunately, 3ust as
#athematicians tend to write for other #athematicians and /istorians then to
write for other /istorians, #asonic writers tend to write for other #asonic writers.
#any things are never e$plained, simply because it is assumed the reader already
"nows them.
#any #asonic writers say that Freemasonry uses the tradition of the #ysteries.
6%thers, meaning the same thing, say that #asonry is the successor to the
#ysteries.7 ,y that, we simply mean that #asonry also see"s to find men and help
them develop in thought and understanding to see" enlightenment. (he principles of
goodness 6not to be confused with the principles of salvation7 compassion, concern,
love, trustworthiness, integrity, a sense or -connectedness- with history)these are
the elements of the #ysteries, along with other schools of thought, preserved by
Freemasonry. And they are not in conflict with any faith.
#asonry has nothing to do with the religion taught in the #ysteries. Rather, we are
concerned with the ethics and morality taught there)ethics and morality which
have been ratified by Christianity and every ma3or religion or man"ind.
Can a man be a Christian and a #ason at the same time:
4erhaps the best answer is that most of us are, at least in the ?nited !tates. (he
ran"s of #asonry have been and are distinguished by many of the outstanding
religious leaders of America. A 9uic" scan through the boo" -@A,AAA Famous
Freemasons-, gives us these names from history, among many others. Rev. Charles
(. Ai"ens, who served as 4resident of the Lutheran !ynod of *astern 4ennsylvania<
,ishop 1ames Freeman, the *piscopal ,ishop of +ashington '.C., who first
conceived and began the construction of the 5ational Cathedral< ,ishop +illiam F.
Anderson, one of the most important leaders of the #ethodist Church< Rev.
Lansing ,urrows, Civil +ar /ero and !ecretary of the !outhern ,aptist
Convention< Rev. 1ames C. ,a"er, who created the +esley Foundation< +illiam R.
+hite, 22
rd
degree, who served as 4resident of ,aylor, and secretary of the !unday
!chool ,oard, !outhern ,aptist Convention< Rev. /ugh I. *vans, who served as
national head of the 4resbyterian Church.
It is useful on this 9uestion, to let some of America=s most honored Clergy spea" for
themselves. Carl 1. !anders, ,ishop of the ?nited #ethodist Church and holder of
the highest honor conferred by the !cottish Rite of Freemasonry, writes; -#y
#asonic activities have never interfered with my loyalty to and my love for my
Church. Quite to the contrary, my loyalty to my Church has been strengthened by
my #asonic ties. 0ood #asons are good Churchmen.- 'r. 1ames 4. +esberry,
*$ecutive 'irector and *ditor of the ,aptist publication -!unday- writes; -It is no
secret that #asons love and revere the ,ible nor is it a secret that #asonry helped
to preserve it in the dar"est age of the Church when infidelity sought to destroy it.
(he ,ible meets #asons with its sacred message at every step of progress in its
various degrees.- (he Reverend Louis 0ant, 22
rd
degree, #ason and 'istrict
!uperintendent of the #ethodist Church writes; -Let no one say you cannot be a
Christian and a #ason at the same time. I "now too many who are both and proud
to be both.-
,ut we are proud, as #asons, that members of all faiths have found value in the
fraternity. Rabbi !eymour Atlas, 2B
nd
degree, and holder of some of the highest
#asonic honors, writes of what he finds in #asonry; -I was brought up in a
religious home, a son of a Rabbi with seven generations of Rabbis preceding me... I
am proud to be a #ason who believes in the dignity of 0od=s children and opposes
hatred and bigotry, and stands for truth, 3ustice, "indness, integrity and
righteousness for all.-
Is #asonry Anti&Christian:
5o, #asonry is not anti A5> religion. (his charge is raised by some anti&#asonic
writers. Quoting #atthew @B;2A 6-/e that is not with me, is against me< and he that
gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad.-7, they claim that, since #asonry does not
re9uire its members to be Christian, we are actively anti&Christian.
First of all, of course, a reading of the entire passage ma"es it 9uite clear that 1esus
was answering the 4harisees who were criticiing /im< it is not a passage which
relates to the present discussion at all. #ost people wouldn=t agree that there are
only two positions in the world)Christian and anti&Christian. (he government of
the ?nited !tates, the city library, even the natural gas company, all serve and
employee Christians and non&Christians ali"e)but no reasonable person would say
they were, therefore -anti&Christian.- #asons encourage their members in their
individual faiths, we do not oppose any faith.
'oes #asonry have a hidden religious agenda or practice, "nown only to -higher-
#asons:
5o, (he religious position of Freemasonry is stated often and openly, and we=ve
already mentioned it above. A #ason must believe in 0od, and he is actively
encouraged to practice his individual faith. #asonry has no -god- of its own. !ome
anti&#asons have said that we are not allowed to mention the name of 0od in
Lodge. (hat isn=t true)in fact that is one of the two meanings of the -0- in the
s9uare and compasses logo 6the other meaning is -geometry-7. It is true that we
generally use some other term, -0rand Architect of the ?niverse- is most common,
to refer to 0od. (hat is done only to avoid giving religious offense to anyone whose
faith refers to 0od by another name. ,ut the 0od to whom #asons pray is the 0od
to whom all Christians pray.
,ut haven=t some #asonic writers said that the information given in the early
#asonic degrees is incomplete or even misleading:
Again, it=s a matter of #asonic writers writing for those they assume have a
bac"ground "nowledge. Another way we say the same thing is -#asonry is a
progressive science, revealed by degrees.- (here=s nothing astonishing, and
certainly nothing sinister in that. ALL "nowledge is gained bit by bit, and this is
especially true in ethics and morality. A minister, who gave a new member of the
church a copy of the wor"s of, for e$ample, Cyprian, Clement of Ale$andria, and
%rigen, and said -+hen you=ve mastered those, let me "now,- would do very little
good. Instead, #asonry introduces the idea of ethics and morality, and gives some
practical instruction in each. ,ut then it says to the #ason, -+e teach by symbols
because symbols can be constantly e$plored. (hin" about these things, read what
others have written. %nly in that way can you ma"e the "nowledge and insight
really your own.- #asonry tries very hard to raise 9uestions, and to help its
members ac9uire the tools for thought)but we do not try to give answers.
+hy is it so hard to find an official statement of #asonic dogma:
,ecause there isn=t such a thing. +e=ve already mentioned everything #asonry has
to say officially on the topic. to go further, as an official position would deny a man
his right to thin" for himself and his right to follow the dictates of his own faith.
*ach #ason has a right to see" #asonry for what he wants to find. It is his right to
believe as he wishes< ,?( is not his right to force that belief on others.
,ut isn=t the #asonic scholar Albert 4i"e=s ma3or boo" entitled -#orals and
'ogma-:
>es. As is clear from his writings, however, 4i"e using the word in its original 0ree"
sense of -that which I thin" is true.- or -that which has been thought to be true,-
not in the modern sense of -this is what you are re9uired to believe.- And the
9uestion of -#orals and 'ogma- brings up an important point. Anti&#asonic
writers are forever -discovering- something they find shoc"ing in the boo", largely
because they don=t understand what "ind of boo" it is. 4i"e was attempting the
almost impossible tas" of surveying and condensing the whole history of human
thought in philosophy into one volume. /e writes about things which were believed
in ancient *gypt, China, 4ersia)all over the world. It=s easy to ta"e a paragraph
out of conte$t)as one writer does with 4i"e=s comment about the ancient *gyptian
belief in %siris)and then insist that #asons teach and believe that all good comes
from %siris. ,ut a history lesson is not a statement of theology. !ome of the anti&
#asonic writers seem almost to deliberately twist things to ma"e them say what
they want. As an e$ample, the same writer, ta"es a passage in which 4i"e in
contrasting the immortality of the soul with the temporary nature of earthly things.
(o illustrate the impermanence of the body as opposed to the soul, 4i"e notes that,
when we die, our bodies resolve again into the earth. (he minerals of which it was
composed may scatter far. (hose minerals may be pic"ed up again by the roots of
plants, grow into food, and be eaten by other men. (his, the anti&#asonic writer
suggests, is pagan #asonic communion)eating the dead. A simple illustration is
distorted into a cannibal feast.
+hich #asonic writer does #asonry consider authoritative:
5one, if you mean -authoritative- in the sense that they spea" for the fraternity or
that what they say is -binding- upon #asons. *ach #ason must thin" for himself,
and each is entitled to write whatever he wishes. It=s li"e the situation is studying
government. If a person really wants to understand American 0overnment, he or
she almost has to read #adison=s and /amilton=s -Federalist 4apers- as well as de
(o9ueville and the /istory of the Constitutional Convention. ,ut none of those
things are the law)they are 3ust commentaries on the way the law was made, and
the thin"ing of the people who wrote the Constitution. It=s li"e that with #asonic
writers. !ome have a lot of value to say)some are useless 6each man can write
whatever he wants, after all7&& but none of them -spea"s- for #asonry. /e can only
spea" for himself.
Is there such a thing as a #asonic ,ible:
5o. (he ,ibles sometimes called -#asonic ,ibles- are 3ust ,ibles 6usually the Cing
1ames 8ersion7 to which a concordance, giving the ,iblical citations on which the
#asonic Ritual is based, has been added. !ometimes reference material on #asonic
history is included. Anyone is welcome to read one.
Is Freemasonry a secret society:
5o. A secret society tries to hide the fact that it e$ists. #asonic Lodges are mar"ed
with signs, listed in the phone boo" and their meeting places and times are usually
listed in the newspaper. #embers identify themselves with pins and rings. (he only
secret in #asonry relate to the ways we can recognie each other. (he ritual of
#asonry, the #onitor, is in print and anyone can read it. Interestingly, the anti&
#asonic writers who condemn us for being a secret society are always 9uoting from
the #onitor. If is=s a secret, it isn=s a very well&"ept one.
!o what do #asons mean by -!ecrecy:- +hat "ind of secrecy do we teach:
(he first and most important "ind is the ability to "eep confidences. All of us value
those friends whom we can tal", -blow off steam,- really open ourselves to, and still
"now without any 9uestion that the friend will never tell anyone else or use those
moments of sometimes painful honesty against us in any way. As it says in 4roverbs
@@, @2 -a talebearer revealeth secrets, but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the
matter.- #asons are taught it=s important to be such a friend.
(he second "ind of secrecy we teach is the idea of -doing good in silence.- %ne of
the degrees says it this way; -,e careful that you do not contribute to showy
charities in order to have the reputation of being a charitable man, while sending
away from your door the 4oor whom 0od has sent to test you.- !ecrecy, in those
senses, is a virtue, and it is in those senses it is taught in #asonry.
Can a Christian ta"e the vows or obligations of a #ason:
>es, with the e$ception of a very few denominations. If a Christian belongs to a
denomination which forbids all vows, such as the %ath of %ffice of the 4resident of
the ?nited !tates or the common oath of the law courts, -I solemnly swear to tell the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me 0od,- then he
probably could not ta"e the obligation. Any Christian, whose denomination does not
forbid the 4residential or the court oath, or the oath ta"en when entering the
Armed !ervices could ta"e the #asonic obligation. !ome anti&#asonic writers have
complained about the so&called -penalties- in the #asonic obligations. (hose
penalties are purely symbolic and refer to the pain, despair and horror which which
any honest man should feel at the thought that he had violated his sworn word.
'oes #asonry use symbols which are diabolical in nature:
5o. #asonry uses many symbols)it=s our primary way of teaching, as it has been
the primary way of teaching from ancient times 63ust try teaching arithmetic
without number symbols7&& but there is nothing satanic about them. !ymbols mean
what the person uses them to mean. D may be a st. Andrew=s Cross, ancient symbol
of !cotland, or it may mean -multiply two numbers together- 6or -@A- in Roman
5umerals, or -un"nown- in algebra, or -don=t do this,- or -truce,- or -Denon- in
chemistry, or -by- as in B $ E board, or -this is the spot,- or even -railroad
crossing-7. It depends on the meaning in the mind of the person using it. It=s the
same for #asonic symbols. +e sometimes use the five&pointed star, for e$ample.
!ome people chose to see that as a symbol of witchcraft. It=s their right to use it that
way in their own thin"ing if they wish. ,ut we use it as a symbol of man, because
that is its oldest meaning 6the five points refer to the head, the hands and the feet7.
(he five&pointed star, with one point downward, is used by the %rder of the *astern
!tar. !ome anti&#asons li"e to see it as a symbol of the devil. ,ut it=s also "nown as
the -!tar of the Incarceration,- with the downward&pointing ray representing that
moment when 0od came down from /eaven and was Incarnate by the /oly 0host.
And it is in that meaning it is used by the *astern !tar 6-+e have seen /is star in
the *ast, and are coming to worship him-7.
,ut don=t some writers say that in the 2A
th
degree of the !cottish Rite the room is
filled with diabolical symbols and the candidate comes face to face with Lucifer:
!ome anti&#asonic writers have said that, but it isn=t true. first of all, the mista"e a
stage&set for a sanctuary. (he 'egrees of #asonry are plays, some set in the Lodge
room and some using full stage settings. (he message of the 2A
th
degree is that man
should thin" about death, 6not avoid the thought fearfully7, and realie that death is
not frightening but a natural process. !o the setting contains traditional symbols of
death, li"e blac" curtains and the drawing of a mausoleum. ,ut the material which
these writers 9uote as coming from the 2A
th
degree doesn=t. they generally 9uote
from the anti&#asonic boo" -!cottish Rite #asonry Illuminated-. (he anonymous
author of the boo" wildly changed materials wherever he wished)even some of the
names of the degrees are wrong. Although the boo" is presented as a ritual of the
fraternity, you need only read through his introductory notes or end notes to realie
that he intends it as an attac" of Freemasonry, which he calls -a tissue of fearful
falsehood.- (he boo" is generally 9uoted by writers who insist that, instead of
9uoting anti&#asonic materials, they are using only material, written by andFor
published by #asons for #asons.- 4erhaps they have not read the notes.
Is #asonry -guilty- of teaching toleration:
And proud of it. It seems a strange accusation, but anti&#asonic writers often
charge that we accept people with many different religious viewpoints as ,rothers.
(hey are correct. 1esus did not say to us, -A new commandment I give unto you,
that you love one another)as long as he goes to the same church you do, or belongs
to the same political party.- >et one anti&#asonic writer claims that this toleration
is the blac"est sin of #asonry. (oleration, he says, -springs from pits of hell and
from the father of lies, Lucifer.- +hen you consider what intolerance has produced
in the world)the In9uisition, the burning or 4rotestants at the sta"e, the horrors of
/itler, the mass murders of !talin, the -"illing fields- of Cambodia, the massacre of
the inhabitants of 1erusalem by the Crusaders)it is hard to believe that toleration
springs from the devil.
'oes freemasonry teach that man can be saved by good wor"s:
(hat charge is sometimes leveled against us by anti&#asons who mista"e both the
nature of #asonry and the meanings of its ritual. !alvation is not a grace which
#asonry can or does offer. As the Reverend Christopher /affner points out in his
boo", -wor"man ?nashamed; (he (estimony of a Christian Freemason-,
-+ithing their Lodges, Freemasons are not concerned with salvation and
conversion, but with ta"ing men as they are and pointing them in the direction of
brotherhood and moral improvement. Insofar as the %rder is successful in this aim,
it is content, and leaves the member to devote himself to his own religious faith to
receive the grace of salvation.- In most #asonic rituals, the candidate is reminded
of that even before he steps into the Lodge room for the first time. A typical e$ample
reads; ->ou are aware that whatever a man may have gained here on earth,
whether of titles, wealth, honors, or even his own merit, can never serve him as
passport to heaven< but previous to his gaining admission there he must become
poor and destitute, blind and na"ed, dependent upon the sovereign +ill of 0od< he
must be divested of the rags of his own righteousness, and be clothed in a garment
furnished him from on high.
Is a #asonic service a worship service:
5o. *$cept, perhaps, in the sense that, for a Christian, *8*R> act is an act of
worship. %ur meetings open and close with prayer, #asons are encouraged to
remember that 0od sees and "nows everything that we do, and the ,ible is always
open during a #asonic meeting. ,ut it is a meeting of a fraternity, not a worship
service. And that brings up one of the most ridiculous charges sometimes made
against us)that our members are -really- worshiping a demon or some pagan god
such as the ,aalim, ,el, %siris, #endes, 4an, etc..)only they don=t "now it. ,ut you
cannot worship something with out "nowing it. (he act of worship is an act of full
concentration, "nowledge, and devotion)-with all thy heart and with all thy soul
and with all thy mind.- +e honor and venerate 0%', not the Adversary. %ne
e$ample will serve to show the complete lac" of foundation of these "inds of charges.
(he charge of worshiping a demon usually involves one named -,aphomet.-
/istorians "now the origin of the story. In brief, during the middle ages, a military
monastic order "nown as the Cnights (emplar, grew very wealthy. Cin" 4hilip the
Fair of France and the 4ope, wanting to confiscate their treasure, had them thrown
into prison and accused of heresy 6the only charge that would allow for the
confiscation of the property7 in @2AG. 4hilip, fearing that the In9uisition would be
too gentle, had his own commissioners involved. After years or horrible torture,
some of the "nights signed confessions)of anything their torturers wanted. (hey
were burned at the sta"e. A standard part of the pre&written confessions was
worshiping an idol named ,aphomet 6language scholars tell us that -,aphoment-
was a term for -#ohammed- in the #iddle Ages7. >ou can read the full story in
any good historical account of the period. !o, ,aphomet- wasn=t the name of a
demon, the Cnights (emplar did not worship himFit, their -confessions- were
obtained under torture and, at any rate, a false charge used to steal from and
murder military mon"s in A.'. @2AG has nothing to do with Freemasonry.
'id Albert 4i"e really say that all #asons were secret followers of Lucifer:
5o. In many anti&#asonic boo"s you=ll see what is supposed to be a 9uotation from
4i"e, saying that all #asons of the -/igher 'egrees- are secret worshipers of
Lucifer or that we regard Lucifer as 0od. the historical fact is that those words were
written in @HIE, three years after 4i"e=s death. (hey were written by a notorious
atheist and pornographer named 0abriel 1ogand&4ages, but better "nown by his
pen name, Leo (a$il. (a$il was engaged in an elaborate hoa$ to discredit both
Freemasonry and the Church of Rome, and made up the 4i"e 9uotation out of thin
air. /e then -discovered- the letters, and revealed them to the world. /e was highly
praised by the religious authorities)showered with honors and listed as a defender
of the faith for having revealed the -true evil purposes of #asonry.- (hen, 3ust as
he was being acclaimed all over *urope for his -religious eal,- he publicly
announced the hoa$, ma"ing everyone loo" li"e fools. (he scandal bro"e in @HIG,
but the supposed -4i"e letter- had already been published by a man named Abel
Clarin de la Rive, who too" (a$il=s hoa$ at face value. Rive=s boo", -La Femme et
l=*fant dans la Franc&#aconnerie ?niverselle-, 6+oman and Child in ?niversal
Freemasonry7 was 9uoted by *dith !tarr #iller in @I22, in her boo", %ccult
(heocracy. !he translated the -9uotation- into *nglish.
!ince that time, several writers of anti&#asonic boo"s have simply repeated the
-9uotation- without chec"ing on its source or authenticity. (a$il=s pubic confession
and Rive=s subse9uent retraction of his boo" notwithstanding, it continues to
shadow the name of 4i"e, who was, to his death, a sincere and devoted (rinitarian
Christian.
Can one learn more about Freemasonry without 3oining the Fraternity:
>es. (he 0rand Lodge of almost any state can provide information and lists of
boo"s which e$plain Freemasonry in detail. (hey are the same boo"s that
Freemasons read and study to learn more about the fraternity. And I hope that this
short discussion may help resolve some doubts. +e have neither horns and tails nor
halos. #asons are simply your neighbors, 3oined together in a fraternity which tries
to help men become better people as it tries to help the world become a better place
through its charities. It is, so to spea", a -support group- for men who are trying to
practice ethics and morality in a world which does not always encourage those
ideals.
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Freemasonry=s teachings are acceptable to all religions)upholding the values of
faith in the secular world)an organiation for thoughtful Christians)and all men
of good will.