Ralph Brandt. Common Sense in York, PA - Free Masonry

Ministering to Masons - some suggestions

Christians would be more effective in ministering to Masons if they were to remember the words of the Apostle Paul,

1 Cor 13:1
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. (KJV)

If we have that kind of love, and if freeing the person from Masonry is our goal, then and only then can we be effective. The average Christian frequently overlooks several things when dealing with someone ensnared in a cult like Masonry. Firstly, he or she generally knows less of the Lodge than the person who needs ministry. If you try to be the expert on the lodge, you will loose, or better yet, and get this straight because it is important, the person you are ministering to will reject the message and they will loose. Your ego might cause someone to be lost! Paul said, ".. was of no reputation.." speaking of Christ.

Phil 2:7
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (KJV)

Jesus was willing to cast off everything to see people set free from the devil. We too must be of no reputation to save some.

There are just a very few things you must know to free someone from Masonry, concentrate on them. Concentrate on what the Word of God says, what is right, not what the cult busters say about the Lodge.

Secondly, although the lodge has many false teachings, concentrate on the ones that are universal to Masonry, that every Mason knows, this means things from the Blue Lodge, things every Mason is taught when he becomes a Mason. I avoid the things I know to be from the York or Scottish Rites as these are not universal and vary more from state to state. Also, avoid things that are open to interpretation, use only those that are direct violations of the scripture, not those that are of dispute within the Christian faith. Masonry is not monolithic, practices vary from one area to another. There are two basic branches, EVEN IN THE SAME GEOGRAPHIC AREA, the York Rite and the Scottish Rite. If you go into too much detail you can be right but appear to be wrong. Remember, you are not out to be right, but to win people for Christ. It is important to stick with the basics, the things that are obviously wrong. You do not have to destroy Masonry in total, you simply need to make the person realize that one or two basics of the teachings of the Lodge are really WRONG. If you succeed in doing this, you have succeeded. If you cannot destroy the credibility of the lodge this way you will probably not be able to do it an any other way. If you can destroy the credibility of the lodge you will probably not have the person resign from the lodge NOW, but if you do it right they will begin to see additional cracks themselves and the cracks will widen with time. This is the usual way, one shows the Mason one problem, then he begins to look carefully rather than believing everything he is told. This is not an instant process, it may take months, maybe even years. Like in gardening, you must resist digging up the germinating seed. Give the person space, be a friend, be available, but let them drive the ministry. If you are interested in showing how smart you are and how dumb the person is to be in the lodge, you will fail. Worse, you will reduce the chance that someone else will be successful in the future. If you can look at this and honestly say to the person, "Given the same situation, this is subtle enough that I might have been deceived," you may pry open the door and the mind enough to succeed. Statements like, "Oh, that's a demon organization," "Its a Godless Cult," though catchy and accurate, are counterproductive. They are what those who lack wisdom usually use to try to free a Mason.

I personally concentrate on a couple of issues, I select the one to lead off with based on the leading of the Holy Spirit, if you do not have Him working in your life and you try to do this on your own, you will fail. If the Holy Spirit is not a continual guide to you, I strongly suggest you quit learning about Masonry now and learn about Him. My favorite place to start is generally the universality of the deity - that the lodge recognizes any god as God. Of course your Masonic friend will deny this at first, he will tell you that he is "free to worship God as his conscience dictates." TRUE, absolutely true. Agree with him, he is right. He is free to worship God as he chooses, but so are others in the lodge, and that includes Eastern Religions and some forms of "god, whomever he is" religions. The god of the lodge can be the god of the Christian, the Jew, the Moslem or in fact some gods of the eastern religions. In fact he is all of them. He is in Masonry the Grand Architect of the Universe. He is akin to the "higher power" of AA which can be almost any deity or non-deity. And he may tell you that the book on the altar, the one he took the oath of the first degree with his hands on and under, was the Bible, but it could be the Torah or the Koran, to mention two. And if he were in such a lodge he would be expected to take the oaths with his hand on it. I would ask, "If you were called to a court of law and asked to be sworn to testify on a copy of the Koran, would you do so?"

The Mason will most likely tell you that the degree work centers around the Bible. True. But it is rife with tradition that is not supported in any way by scripture. I use another issue here, in the first degree of Freemasonry a portion of the New Testament is used, even in Jewish and Moslem lodges. Like the Christian, they too must accept the violation of their faith to enter the lodge! The universal religion and god of the Masons also brings universal denial of the basics of one's faith! It is the basics of the subversion of the candidate to masonry, how he is bewitched and turned from the truth to the lies of masonry. If I am working with someone who is a York Rite Mason I bring in that Christ appears in the Commandry degrees but is not a savior and Lord. It is totally inconsistent with the belief in Christ which is necessary for salvation. I do not use this with a Scottish Rite Mason, or if I am not sure of the person's Masonic connections. I use what I can say with authority, not what I must guess. It was said that Jesus spoke with authority, not like the scribes and Pharisees.

Mark 1:22
22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. (KJV)

We are to emulate Him and here is a golden opportunity. Unless the person is York Rite, don't mention it. There is no good way to determine this unless you ask, so don't bother to try unless you are an ex-mason and you really understand the difference. You really don't have to get technical, just tell the person about God.

Don't go into the oaths unless you know about them first hand except to say that God would not be pleased by such oaths. Too many Masons talk of them as symbolic, they don't consider the oaths as serious so attacking this more aggressively is frequently futile and counterproductive. The oaths all have penalties of death, by having the throat cut from ear to ear, the left breast torn open, the body severed in twain. Resist the temptation to talk about dedication of offspring to the devil. First, I can't agree with men like Ankerberg that the assignment exists. I have not found one Mason or ex-Mason that agrees with this, it is based on some real stretch of the rituals. I question that maybe the cult busters needed one more chapter in the book and that looked like a good byline. If I turn out to be wrong, I'll change my mind.

Immediately after taking the oath for the first degree the new Mason is addressed by the Worshipful Master or the person acting as such to confer the degree, usually someone in one of the lower offices who is working his way to become Master. At this point the dialog goes, "My brother, it is now for the first time I am permitted to address you with that endearing appellation." Let us examine that statement. Firstly, if the new Mason is not a Christian and the Master is, the Master is making himself unequally yoked. (see section about unequally yoked) Secondly, if both are Christians, the statement is a lie, the master could have and should have called him that before! Thirdly, if the new Mason is a Christian and the master is not, again the Christian is degraded and unequally yoked. It is not an endearing appellation, it is a lie. This event occurs about one minute after the person has been sworn, that is, has taken the oath, and it is just the first time the person will be unequally yoked and he will be asked frequently to affirm that status. It is a lie and he will be asked to affirm it frequently.

2 Cor 6:14-16
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (KJV)

Now some are going to say, "is that all you use?" Yes. How much must be wrong to make a cult wrong? If they do not confess Jesus as God incarnate, the son of God, and the son of the virgin, do not confess Him as Lord and do not confess Him as the one and only God, then that is enough. Paul said that if anyone comes teaching another Jesus than he preached let him be called accursed. I apply that to Masonry. They teach another Jesus, and I call them accursed.

The Lodge teaches another Jesus, yet claims to have "light", what they call knowledge, that other organizations, including the church, do not possess. The claim to that is that only through the lodge can this truth be known. This violates scripture in several areas. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit, not the lodge, would take what is His and give it to us. He, the Holy Spirit would guide us in all things and show us the deep things of God.

John 16:13-15
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. (KJV)

One final word, when talking to a mason, this is not a debate, it is ministry, keep it simple, stick to basics and let the Holy Spirit Guide you.

What you need to know about Masons - by Ed Decker

This book is a novel, saying that is like a death sentence for a book to most Christians, they want to read something real, not fiction. But this book is unique, in its "concocted story" it contains much of what is wrong with Masonry and tells why a Christian should not take the oaths of the Craft.

The writer sets the scene, a young couple coming into town to pastor a church. The wife is returning home after college, her husband a new pastor. The church is a lucrative post for a young pastor, but they later learn the wife's father has influence in the town. He has pulled strings to have the young man accepted for the post.

As the story goes on we learn that the father is influential in the local Masonic Lodge as are many others on the church board. The lodge really controls the church! The young pastor is expected to join the lodge - and that is as far as I will go. Get the book. It is worth your time.

Ankerberg on Masonry -- a book review

This book could easily be called, "more than you want to know about Masonry," or "Too much about a cult." It stretches the teachings of the lodge to make an "overkill" statement about the error of the lodge. If a Christian tries to use this book as a guide they will fail in the quest to deliver someone from the cult, they will appear to be a false witness.

Several years ago I spent Saturday evenings watching the John Ankerberg television series on Cults. I considered him, at the time, to be somewhat on track, but I missed the programs covering subjects I knew best and thus had no yardstick to measure his teaching.

About three years ago someone in our church asked about the Masonic Lodge and I gave them some information from my experience. They asked about books and I spent about an hour in the Christian Bookstore looking for something appropriate. I have a rule, to recommend a book to someone, I have to read it, at least once. If I don't have expertise in an area, I also want the agreement of someone who does have expertise and has read the whole book. My bookstore browse mode is used to THROW OUT books that aren't good, the ones I'd not even buy. After that, I read them, chew on them for a couple of days and decide if they are any good. Generally I have to go back and read some passages to see what they really said. A lot of books have bit the dust here too.

I left the bookstore frustrated and empty handed after telling the clerk that they should check the accuracy of some books they had on the shelf. She shared with several subsequent customers, including my wife that I was a sorehead. What I browsed out of Ankerberg's book was enough to sink it in less than five minutes. The others were just as bad, some worse. Recently I found a book on Masonry I could recommend, with a couple of footnotes, the author has his act together. (What you need to know about Masons - by Ed Decker) He calls Masonry a Godless cult but he remains accurate throughout.

Ankerberg's book claims to be a work to help people with friends and relatives in the craft bring them to the light of Christ by showing the darkness of the lodge. He fails miserably to show that this will only be done by the love of Christ and allowing Him to work in the life of the one entrapped in the lodge. He opens the book by giving the start date of Masonry as 1717, something that immediately becomes a point of contention with the lodge member. This is CORRECT, but it is a significant stumbling block if it is brought up as an "error of the lodge." "Why?" You may ask. Because the lodge teaches emphatically that it dates back to the building of the temple by King Solomon and this is so ingrained in the ritual that it becomes fact to the membership. To win a member of a cult you not only have to be right, you have to be credible. If you use this first argument, your friend will turn you off because he knows you do not have the "light" he has, so you could not possibly know about the "ancient craft."

One of the things few people outside the craft know is the lodge claims to have "light", knowledge of God and the universe, that those outside the craft cannot possess. If you show this to be true, by saying things about Masonry that are not correct, why should the member of the craft believe you at all? Few of the cult busters mention this in their writings or they so hide it in theology that it is not recognized as a practical ministry consideration. After all, who cares if the lodge says it has light that is not available outside it? I will answer that, God.

2 Pet 1:20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. (NIV)

Jesus said with authority, "It is written." He is quoted as using this at least seven times while here on earth. (Matt 4:4 and others) If it was good enough for Him, it certainly is good enough for me. When confronted with a question, I like to turn people to the word.

Ankerberg takes information from a book by Wilson Coil that is either not a good representative of Masonry or the portions selected have been ones with significant errors. He states that "The Fraternity has no central authority," and "Anyone, either within or without the society, may speak or write about what he wills..." I assure you that if a Mason were to publish a book or article, critical of Masonry he would see that there is a central authority, albeit at geographic levels. And these, although outwardly feuding, would stand shoulder to shoulder to put down the rebellion. Ankerberg later, on Page 16 shows statistics of a poll of the fifty Grand Lodges in the United States and treats them as authorities. They call Coil the least reliable writer of those surveyed, yet Ankerberg buys the error in his writing when it suits his purpose! One of the bodies surveyed is the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania which for years resided at 1 North Broad St. In Philadelphia. You can see the power of the lodge in its address. The address was once designated Filbert and Broad but in the sixties when JFK was the hottest thing, Filbert was renamed to JFK. The lodge had enough pull to have their address made 1 North Broad, not JFK and Broad. Such is the power of the lodge. Such was and still is the intolerance for Catholics that the street name could not carry a catholic name. I doubt that this address change took more than one phone call from the very influential Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. Although the lodge can control only its members directly, there is not doubt in my mind that the control extends outside the craft. It may be subtle, a friend approaching a friend, or some covert pressure, but it is there. For a Mason to be critical of the craft in a public forum is unthinkable because "we support a Fellow Mason's character behind his back as well as to his face." This is laudable if not taken to support his character, even when his actions are reprehensible. The decision in this case is left to the individual member, right and justice can be sacrificed to support a fellow Mason! But it is best to not attack this, Masons view this as something that will never happen, it is a ploy by critics to show the flaws of the craft by saying, "what if this happened." The answer for them is simple, "My bother's character is impeccable, he will never do wrong!" Put more simply, "What my brother does is not wrong, because he does it."

In later quotes Coil talks of "more than 1100 degrees..." I have never previously set down to count them but the number is near to forty seven, thirty in the Scottish Rite, thirteen in the York Rite (including past High Priest, Commander and Council), and four in the Blue Lodge (including the Past Master degree). This is a long way from 1100. Even if the degrees in the Social orders like the Tall Cedars, the Eastern Star (women's affiliate), the DeMoley (young men), Job's Daughters and Rainbow (young women) were added it would not approach 1100. Ironically on page 153 Ankerberg states, "Hell is not mentioned in the rituals and ceremonies of the three degrees of the Blue Lodge, the ten degrees of the York Rite, or the thirty degrees of the Scottish Rite." That adds up to forty three, not 1100. He misses the four Master's degrees in the Blue Lodge and the York Rite making the total of forty seven even more credible.

Another "Masonic source" cited is H. L. Haywood. A "Masonic oath" is quoted from his writing. Let me assure you, this is not anything like the oaths I took and in fact does not sound at all "Masonic". If you want to read something that sounds "Masonic", try the Book of Mormon. This might explain some of the Mormon faith origins. "I hereby solemnly and sincerely promise and swear..." is the beginning of Haywood's oath. Compare this with, "I, (your name), of my own will and accord, and in the presence of Almighty God and these worshipful brethern, do hereby solemnly declare and swear that I... Binding myself under no less a penalty of having my throat cut across from ear to ear,..." I will deal with the oaths later.

Ankerberg puts much faith in things written about Masonry, yet during the nearly five years I was a Mason I never saw our rituals for the Blue Lodge in print in any form. In fact the oath for the first degree says, "I will not write it or print it, cut or carve it, grave or engrave it, lay or inlay it, upon anything moveable or immovable, so that the secrets of Freemasonry might be unlawfully obtained. To all of which I swear without any equivocation, or self evasion of mind in me whatever, but with a firm and steadfast resolution to keep and perform the same." I tend to believe the writings of many of the authors are what the craft wants to portray, not what is.

Ankerberg for some reason is hung up on Pike, the writer that had the least support of the Grand Lodges as an authoritative Masonic writer and even then only in the Scottish Rite, not the Blue Lodge or York Rite. Pike is used as a Blue Lodge authority as at length discusses the role of the Blue Lodge, the first three degrees in Masonry. To have received the third degree is to be as much a Mason as you will ever be. All subsequent degrees are symbolic. In the third degree, the Master tells the new mason after being raised, ".. no one can ever make you more a Mason than you are now..." Any Mason who stated otherwise in public would be risking his Masonic status. Yet Pike says it loud and clear that the Blue Lodge degrees are nothing. This is heresy in Masonry and anyone who meets a Mason on the level Pike suggests will certainly fail to be credible.

Some of the conclusions drawn are ludicrous. The conclusion that Masonic dominance of the Supreme Court is a reason for the moving toward liberalism and away from Judeo-Christian values is unthinkable. The book that is on the alter in nearly all American Lodges is the Bible or the Torah. Although a few Masons on the court have been liberals I personally see no connection, in fact the lodge tends to be conservative. This isn't important to seeing Masonry as a cult and is just plain wrong and destroys your credibility if you use it.

On page 47 a special oath is mentioned for Christian Ministers. I cannot say if this is used in other jurisdictions but in Pennsylvania it is not, in fact I never was aware of such till I read the book. I would further question it because oaths sound Masonic, this does not. A Masonic oath would not say, "You my brother are a preacher of Christian religion.." It would start like the other oaths, "I (name), of my own free will and accord, and in the presence of Almighty God and these worshipful brethern, do hereby solemnly declare and swear..." I consider this to be a false report. I would change that stand if someone who has actually took or conferred that oath were to let me know of its existence and content.

There are attempts to stretch the meanings to discredit Masonry, this is a ploy used when your argument isn't good enough. When I deal with Masons I have no problem finding things OBVIOUSLY wrong with the lodge, I don't have to grasp for straws. I have never heard the word "gnosticism" used in the lodge, and never related to the letter "G". I don't have to look at every leaf of a plant to tell if it is a Maple tree or Poison Ivy. One leaf is enough. With cults it is the same, once a leaf is identified as false doctrine, the other leaves are not important.

But the book goes to new heights (or more accurately lows) on page 50 when it equates Masonry to New Age mysticism and talks of "cultivating altered states of consciousness and developing occultic powers." Ankerberg cites no authority here for his conclusion, no source for his information, he just states it and we are to believe it because he said it. This is false! It is arrogance.

Page 54 states, "Masonry rejects the God of Christian faith...." Not so. It does not reject it, to tell a Mason that is to have him declare you a false teacher. Masonry does put the God of the Christian faith and Jesus on the same level with the God of the Moslem, Hindu or whatever other faith may have members. This is reprehensible to God, it is wrong, but if portrayed as in the book, it will not be effective in turning one from the error of the lodge.

Page 57 enters the mystic religion issue again, talking of those who seek occult enlightenment. Although I do not know one, I would guess that such exist, HOWEVER, it is on their own and not with the blessing of the lodge, just as the Church has those who dabble in the occult in spite of teachings to the contrary. To take what is a personal aberration and make it an approved and official part of the whole organization is not valid.

Page 63 shows the power of Masonic ties. It talks of them being higher than any other ties. An example of this happened about fifty miles from where I sit in July of 1863. The Confederate Army under Robert E. Lee had invaded the North and units were sent to York, Carlisle, Chambersburg and other towns to secure provisions for Lee's Army, it's called living off the land and few armies have not done it. The Officer leading them men at Chambersburg was given an order, as were the other officers, to burn the towns if the demands for provisions were not made. Chambersburg either would or could not meet the demands, the torches were lit and the town set ablaze, all of the town except the lodge hall was burned. We are told that the lodge Tyler (the door keeper) stood in the doorway and made a sign to the Confederate Commander who told his men to spare the lodge.

It is a touching scene, the Tyler in the doorway, the man on the horse ordering the building spared, but think about the cost. Consider the injustice. Consider the compromise of legitimate authority. The commander was guilty of disobeying orders to uphold a higher commitment. This is Treason! If this Masonic commitment is higher than that of a soldier to his nation, is it also higher than the commitment of a soldier of the cross to his commander in chief? Is the scene of people's homes being burned while a lodge hall is spared so noble? Wouldn't it have been better to have asked to spare the town? Would that not have more accurately portrayed the image Masons want? If a soldier will disobey orders for another Mason, what is the limit of the Masonic tie? I will examine that later.

I read Page 69 at least twice. Ankerberg quotes a Catholic source that is being inconsistent and makes no mention of it. He, an expert of the Catholic Cult accepts a falsehood from that cult! He quotes some unnamed Catholic document that forbids membership in secret organizations that benefit its members to the detriment of the legitimate interests of non-members. This is not only a working definition of the Masonic Lodge, but also of the Knights of Columbus. This secret organization is only valid for Catholics because they are free to discuss what happens in the lodge with the priest.

Page 118 states that masons in the Royal Arch Degree are taught that the name of God is Jabulon. First, this is interesting to mention as if it were universally Masonic teaching because much less than half of the Blue Lodge Masons ever pursue the York Rite bodies. The Royal Arch degree is a part of the Chapter, the first body in the York Rite. This an error. The name is not one name for God, but "the three names", Jah, Bul, and On. Not far off, but not there. In addition, the name, Jah-Bul-On would never be engraved on the alter as this is used by the Blue Lodges that inhabit the same halls. This word of the Royal Arch could not be exposed to the uninitiated of the Blue Lodge till they have been brought to the light of the Royal Arch. And so goes Masonry, one must progress to know, to receive light.

On page 126 the statement is made that Masonry prohibits all discussions of Christ in Lodge activities. WRONG. Christ can be discussed, any Mason will tell you, you are wrong. But what is missed here is the actual ruling and more important, its essence which is more important. The lecture to the new Mason holds the key, "Religious disputes are never suffered within the lodge because as Freemasons we each worship God as our consciences dictate." If there is no dispute or contention, fine, Jesus is welcome! If there is contention, unity is god, unity sits on the throne, Jesus does not. But to those who study the scripture, the statement from the degree is simply the sin of the Old Testament, "everyone did what was right in his own eyes." And Unity in the lodge is an idol, one of the many in Masonry.

On page 280 Ankerberg talks of weekly lodge meetings taking up the time of the members, taking time from God. I know of no lodge that has meetings on a weekly basis. A few officers may have as many as four meetings in one month but the general membership has one meeting a month. Once again, the only thing this misinformation hurts is the Christian's credibility.

In some areas Amkerberg misses items from the lodge that are as damaging as anything he mentions.

In partiality toward fellow Masons, he fails to mention the most damaging Masonic oath on the subject. "I will keep a Brother Master Mason's secrets inviolate, murder and treason only excepted, and those left to my own conscience of whether to divulge or not." Let's translate this, a Mason who is an auditor for a firm learns that two people are separately engaging in theft. If one is a Mason the auditor's oath protects the guilty party. Of course he is free to divulge the transgression of the other. Or worse, a Masonic army officer learns of a fellow Mason's treasonous activity. He is free to decide whether to divulge or not, based on his own conscience! These men of "good report", an accolade that is mentioned over every candidate for Masonry, are free by Masonic Law to ignore murder or treason if committed by the one of the brethern and are required to ignore lesser crimes. Imagine the impact this has if the Mason is a criminal defendant and either a judge or prosecutor is also a mason!

In abominations he fails to mention the reenactment of Solomon's temple dedication ceremony from the Royal Arch Chapter. At the end of Solomon's prayer the scripture says, "Fire came down from heaven and burned the sacrifice." At this point someone either throws a match into the bowl that has something flammable in it or some electrical device is used to create the fire! This use of "strange fire" was considered an abomination to God in the Old Testament.

I have other concerns about this work. Most deal with the fact that it is so tainted with error and lack of understanding that it is ineffective in the role it is claimed to fill, to help release men from the bonds of Masonry. This is my goal, to see men free for Christ. If you currently have a copy of the book, tear out pages 58-59 and 188-191, "Escape from Masonic Oaths." These very accurate and biblical portions of the book contains much of the information that is most helpful in freeing someone from the clutches of Masonry. The rest ranges from ineffective to counterproductive.

Free(?)Masonry or Free of Masonry

"I'm a Mason." I responded to a member of our church asking for information about the cult. My wife corrected me, "You were." This article was born. Some things I say may sound like doubletalk to those who haven't traveled, but I speak to Masons in the language of the craft so they will understand.

I was raised in a Pentecostal home. My parents helped build two churches, spiritually and physically by the time I was fourteen. Then came some hurts, we left, and my parents never found a permanent place to worship. Two years later my dad joined St. John's Lodge No. 260 in Carlisle PA. He soon joined St. John's Chapter No. 171, St. John's Council No. 6 and St. John's Commandry No. 8 and became a thirty second degree York Rite Mason. Within two years he also became a Scottish Rite Thirty Second Degree Mason. The zeal for the church was now transferred to Masonry. My mom joined the Eastern Star and my younger sister the Rainbow Girls.

At the age of twenty one, I followed my dad to the Thirty Second Degree in the York Rite. By age twenty four there were only four additional degrees a York Rite Mason could attain, the degrees conferred as Master of the Blue Lodge, and the equivalents in the Chapter, Council and Commandry. I began learning to confer the degrees. I mastered the First Degree in the Blue Lodge, the Entered Apprentice Degree, and began conferring it. I soon learned the Second or Fellowcraft Degree. Within a year I was teaching the first degree, conferring the second degree and learning the third or Master Mason Degree. Thirty years later I can recite much of the nearly four hours of dialog.

Progress in Masonry is simple. One begins by appointment to Tyler, promotion to Junior and Senior Master of Ceremonies, to Junior and Senior Deacon, election to Junior and Senior Warden, and then Master of the Lodge. I could easily be Past Master at thirty. Meanwhile, I was progressing in other bodies, the track there was even faster. Even with a later start, I could possibly have four "Past's" by the age of thirty one.

In 1967 I married, my wife and I renewed our commitments to God and the church. Masonry soon became a problem. Although the time required was the thing that first got my attention, I had been pushing other things out of my mind since the night I received the first degree. Even that night there were a lot of WHY's for which I had no answers. But that night I pushed the questions out of my mind and continued to do so for nearly three years.

I have no desire to be a "cult buster". I want to show those who have traveled to the East the way to freedom. To do this they must believe me and it helps to know I have been entered, passed, and raised as a Master Mason. I have been blindfolded, heard three knocks, traveled to the east, and felt the pressure of a mallet on my forehead. If a Mason were here, I could give the three syllable word to him, mouth to ear, but he is not, so I must convince him, I know the builder, Hiram, the widow's son.

The church has given little help. I once heard a TV preacher talk about Masonry. I could hardly believe my ears. This "expert" on cults was way off base. Many books on the subject are not much better. Masonry has ungodly teachings, but we need to be honest in challenging a cult, "Study to show yourself approved." I set this aside as an anomaly, then one evening after church I walked up on one of our members and a visitor I knew from the business world. The visitor had just said he was a Mason and the explanation of what was wrong with being a Mason coming out of the mouth of my fellow church member was way off base. He was seen by both the visitor and I as a false witness! The ego of the person took over and I was shut out. The visitor left and didn't return. The church has been ineffective in helping free a person from Masonry. The way is simple, show the word.

Masonry violates the teachings of Christ in many ways, I'll address just a few. Let's face it, how many things must be wrong for an organization to be avoided? A half truth is still a lie. Paul admonishes us against being unequally yoked. But Masons are yoked to other Masons because they call each other Brother. And those "brothers" would not stand any valid Biblical test.

Religious conflicts are never permitted in the lodge because each one worships our God as our consciences dictate. This simply means we recognize any god as God. The Lodge calls him the Grand Architect of the Universe. He can be the God of any religion, Christian, Moslem or Jewish or even of an eastern religion. The lodge claims to have "light", i.e. knowledge of God available in no other manner, a violation of scripture. In fact the first degree plays on that light by beginning with the candidate being blindfolded. It is just one of the times the Mason is deprived of light.

Jesus said that if we deny Him before men, He would deny us before the Father in Heaven. Yet Masons are routinely asked to deny the Deity of Jesus Christ in the name of unity in the lodge, in fact unity in the lodge is an idol, it is to be preserved at all costs. Unity comes ahead of God. It is not true that the lodge prevents Catholics from joining, in fact they could were it not for the restrictions of the church. But alas, the Knights of Columbus fill the void left here.

The teaching of the Blue Lodge centers around the building of the temple by King Solomon, the Chapter around the dedication of that temple and the Council the rebuilding of the temple in the time of Neimiah. I will admit that there are things I know because of that teaching, but Masonic Tradition comes in at times and one must be careful where the Biblical basis ends and tradition begins. The temple becomes so important in many of the rituals one begins to see that the temple is worshipped, not God. But then this is not new, because the Jews to some degree revere the temple far beyond its rightful place.

The York Rite talks of the three deities, JAH, BUL and ON and their names are on a triangle used in the conferring the degrees. It does not take a serious bible study to show the error here. ON was a deity worshipped by Pharaoh. (Gen 41:44) JAH is referred to in Psalms 68:4. To revere a pagan god and place him as an equal to God is heresy.

The lodge presents itself as a Godly organization, but the scripture warns us against a form of Godliness that denies His power. This is a practical definition of Masonry. Christ and His blood are absent from all but the Commandry, because his presence would exclude the Jew and his incarnation would offend the Moslem. Although he is there, he is much less than Savior and Son of God. What can we say when someone hangs out a "Jesus is not welcome sign?"

But the most damning are the oaths with penalties of mutilation. Every degree I received in Masonry has such an oath. They are oaths no Christian should make and if one has been made it is to be renounced. These oaths include, having the throat cut from ear to ear, having the chest torn open, having the body cut in half, to mention three. These penalties aren't for some serious crime, but for revealing things so the secrets of Freemasonry might be "unlawfully" obtained, meaning outside the lodge. And the penalties become legalistic in prohibiting cutting, carving, inlaying, engraving or writing the things we have learned.

I had concerns about revealing anything, not because of the penalty but because I gave my word. But I examined the line, "so the secrets of Freemasonry might be unlawfully obtained," with the same level of legalism. I'm free to tell, because I'm not revealing so that the secrets are unlawfully obtained but so men may be free from bondage and know the freedom that life with Christ brings. It cannot happen as the result of having the "light" of Masonry. Fellowship with the brethren in Christ is far greater than with those bound in tradition and ritual. And the peace brought by fellowship with Jesus Christ is far beyond what can be achieved by any ritual man can devise.

For those who are my brothers in the Lord, be free from this cult, come out and separate yourself, let the light of God shine in your heart, and let Him, not one called a guide, lead you. And for those of you who have relatives and friends, men in the Masons, Shriners, Tall Cedars, women in the Eastern Star, teenage boys in Demolay, teenage girls in Job's Daughters or Rainbow Girls, let them judge for themselves and then pray for their eyes to be opened. The Bible says truth sets people free. Give them the truth, let God do the work, let them be free.

Questions I have been asked about Masonry and the answers ...

On Wed, 9 Oct 1996, Mike Cantrell wrote:

You have a page that says that you used to be a mason. You stated that you can feel free to reveal things about them now. Do you know of the "modes of recognition" that masons do that are secret signs that they recognize each other by? I would be interested in knowing about them. Mike Cantrell

[email protected]

Date: Sat, 12 Oct 1996 18:19:12 -0400 (EDT)

From: brandtre

To: Mike Cantrell

Subject: Re: your mail

Mike...

I know the "secret words and signs of the master mason" and of the other York Rite bodies. I have sworn to not make them public, From the Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason Degrees, "I will not write it, print it, grave or engrave it, lay or inlay it upon anything moveable or unmoveable such that the secret word and sign of a master mason might be unlawfully be obtained."

Read the above carefully. I am a man of my word, when I give it, so be it. This I did in 1965. Now what I say may be inconsistent. I will not reveal, "that the secret be unlawfully obtained." However, if it is necessary to reveal to allow someone to be free from the bondage of Free Masonry, then I am not bound because my motive is not to reveal to allow this kind of knowledge but to follow the commitment I made to Jesus Christ, the scripture he read from Isaiah, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, ... And set at liberty them that are bruised."

Please understand the above before you read the following... If you wish to know so that you can determine who is a Mason, or some other such motive, I will not reveal anything. If you have some reason to know that is aimed at releasing people from bondage I will work with you.

Get back to me. Your motivation is important to me...

A discusion of "being unequally yoked"

My comments to this entry in my Guest Book are in italics.

I read your page on Masonry with much interest being one myself. However, there were some things in it that I wondered about brother. I call you that not from a masonic reference, but a biblical one since we are taught in the bible and by Jesus that we are ALL brothers each to the other. You mention that if the Master of the lodge and the canditate are unequally yoked if one is a Christian and the other is not.

You address several significant points. First you say that Jesus said we all are brothers. This is not the words of Jesus, it is Masonic lore. In fact Jesus said:

Matt 12:49-50
49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (KJV)

I can find no place (using an exaustive concordance) that Jesus said anything to refute this.

The second thing is the statement about being unequally yoked. Here the Apostle Paul is clear. We are to not be UNEQUALLY YOKED, that is put ourselves in a position of equality with one who does not believe in God.

2 Cor 6:14-16
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (KJV)

But you will say, "The lodge is of God." So is Rev. Moon of god, however the question is, "What god"? Is it the god of the Moslem, or the god of some pagan Eastern Religion? We cannot tell, because "As Free Masons we worship God as our conscience dictates", probably one of the most damning statement in the whole of Masonic Ritual. And in the lodge we see a brass triangle that has on it JAH (Jehovah), Bul (Baal or Belial), and On (The god of the Chaldies.) Two of these are pagan gods, the odds against being the true god is two to one.

And what is the meaning of the temple of God and the temple of idols? We each are the temple of the Lord. What equality are we to have with the temple of idols?

And that God handed down on tablets of stone ten commandments, the first of which is:

Exod 20:1-3
1 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (KJV)

It seems to me as I read that, God does not have any patience with compromise.

To me this implies that unless a person's religion is Christian that they are not equal to Christians. This goes against the teachings of Jesus that all are equal. Masonry follows Jesus's teaching in this and all ways. It teaches that a person's value is not in how a person worships, but how he/she lives. We do not push one religion because we respect the rights of all men to worship God by whatever name they might use, and in whatever manner their spritual feelings dictate.

Jesus gets blamed for saying a lot of things he didn't. He did ask who is our neighbor, who should be treated alike, and is everyone, but to bring ourselves into union with one who is not committed to Christ is wrong. The idea of not pushing religion, sounds real noble, but allows people to go to hell without our trying to help them. It is a lie invented by the devil because it helps keep people in bondage.

I don't know if you will leave this in your guestbook or not that is your choice, but I felt that I needed to say it.

It will stay, but I have taken this opportunity to say, it contains the lies the lodge teaches its members.

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