Mystery Freemasonry

The compass and the square are essential tools of the building profession that consists of the architect who uses them for the design and the mason who uses them for the construction. The letter "G" in the center of the symbol stands for "God" who is the Supreme Master Architect and Builder of the Universe.

"For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God." (Heb. 3:4)

Freemasons further explain the compass (used to form circles) represent the spirit and completeness, and the square represents virtue and striving for accuracy and excellence. The Universal Masonic Symbol indicates the Creator God is the center of man's activity and movement toward perfection and a balance between the spiritual and physical realm in the Universe.

The origin of Freemasonry is obscure and cloaked in mystery, and it is one of the most debatable subjects even amongst the Freemasons themselves. No one really knows who started it, how and when it got started. Freemasonry has been a mystery for ages, it is still a mystery today and will continue to be a mystery in the future.

Some point to Genesis, the first book in the the Holy Bible, to show the connection between Freemasonry and the ancient culture and history of the pagan and ungodly religion of Cain and his descendants. There is a theory that Cain is the first Freemason because "he built a city." (Gen. 4:17). Others think that Tubal-Cain is the first Master Mason because he was "an instructor of every craftsman in the bronze and iron." (Gen. 4:22). Yet another theory is that Nimrod has to be the one who started Freemasonry because "he began to be a mighty one on the earth. . . . And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar." (Gen. 10:8-10)

"Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwell there. Then they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." (Gen. 11:1-4)

Masons consider themselves the oldest fraternity in the world. According to a pamphlet by the Masonic Information Center, it states that most likely Freemasonry arose from the guilds of stonemasons who built the castles and cathedrals of the the Middle Ages.  Possibly, they were influenced by the Knights Templar, a group of Christian Warrior Monks formed in 1118 to protect pilgims making passages to the Holy Land.

Masonry's official beginning is supposed to have been in 1717, when the first Grand Lodge was formed in England.  It spread rapidly through Britain and the Americas, and most of the founding fathers of the United States of America. are alleged to have been Freemasons.

Although the intended purpose of Freemasonry appears to be an idealistic movement for mankind, yet it is incompatible with Christianity. Let us examine the basic differences between them.

Purpose of Freemasonry: The uniting of men in fellowship under the principal themes of the Fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, and the immortality of the soul. For many Masons Masonry is a religious quest for spiritual enlightenment; however, ultimately, in the higher degrees the purpose is to conform the world to Masonic beliefs.

Purpose of Christianity: Salvation of the soul for every person on earth, and to have eternal life in Heaven through the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ Who alone is the only Savior of mankind.

Freemasonry and Christianity are incompatible: By taking the Masonic oaths, the Mason is swearing to uphold Masonry and its teachings. Swearing to uphold Masonic oaths is sinful, unscriptural and should not be part of the Christian's life for the following reasons.

1. They make a Christian man swear by God to doctrines which God has pronounced false and sinful. For example, Masonry teaches a universalist doctrine of "the Fatherhood of God", and Jesus taught only those who receive Him and believe in His name "have the right to become children of God." (John 1:12; 8:42)
2. The Christian man is made to swear his acceptance of the lie that salvation, the reward of Heaven, can be gained by man's good works, whereas the Bible clearly asserts that salvation is given by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).
3. The Christian man swears to accept and promote the Masonic lie that Jesus is just one of many equally revered prophets in the world. Masons do not believe Jesus Christ is God manifested in the flesh.  The Mason does this when agreeing that all religions can lead a man to God (Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 1:16-18)  Masonry teaches that not only Christianity, but Judaism, Islam and Hinduism can also lead a person to Heaven.
4. The Christian man swears he will remain silent in the Lodge and not talk of the Lord Jesus Christ nor pray in His name so as not to offend and have conflicts with his brother Masons of other religions. How can Christians do that when God commands them to be a witnesses and pray in the name of Jesus? (Matthew 28:19; John 14:13-14)
5. The Christian man swears that while he is approaching the Masonic Lodge he considers himself to be in spiritual ignorance and moral darkness.  He cannot do that because the Bible says that Christians are children of the light and are enlightened by the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the Light of the world (John 8:12; Ephesians 5:8)
6. By taking the Masonic oath, the Christian becomes guilty of taking the name of the LORD is vain, because he has sworn unlawfully to things God has forbidden him to swear to. God says He will not leave such a person unpunished (Exodus 20:7)
7. The Christian falsely swears that the God of the Bible is equally present in all religions (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
8. The Christian falsely swears to the teaching that true worship can be offered into Masonic Lodge to God without the mediatorship of Jesus (Hebrews 9:14; John 4:23-24; 14:6).
9. By swearing the Masonic oath, Christians are perpetuating a false gospel to other Lodge members who look only to the gospel of Masonry to get them to Heaven (Galatians 1:6-8)
10. The Christian's spirit, mind and body are the temple of the Holy Spirit, "bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). By taking the Masonic oath he could be agreeing to allow the pollution of his mind and spirit by pagan religion or even occult practices.

Most Christian denominational churches forbid their members to become Freemasons. Even the Catholic Church excommunicates any member who joins Freemasonry.

There are only fourteen U.S. presidents who have officially been confirmed as Freemasons.  http://mastermason.com/wilmettepark/pres.html

Here is the list:

George Washington 

James Monroe 

Andrew Jackson 

James Polk 

James Buchanan 

Andrew Johnson 

James Garfield 

William McKinley 

Theodore Roosevelt 

Howard Taft 

Warren Harding 

Franklin Roosevelt 

Harry Truman 

Gerald Ford 

Abraham Lincoln was not a Freemason. He did apply for membership in Tyrian Lodge, Springfield, Ill., shortly after his nomination for the presidency in 1860 but withdrew the application because he felt that his applying for membership at that time might be construed as a political ruse to obtain votes. He advised the lodge that he would resubmit his application again when he returned from the presidency.

Lincoln never returned. On the death of the president, Tyrian Lodge adopted, on April 17, 1865, a resolution to say "that the decision of President Lincoln to postpone his application for the honours of Freemasonry, lest his motives be misconstrued, is the highest degree honorable to his memory."

Lyndon Johnson received his first degree on October 30, 1937. After receiving the degree he found that his congressional duties (elected in 1937) took so much time he was unable to pursue the masonic degrees.

Ronald Reagan has often been referred to as a Freemason. President Reagan is not a Freemason although he is an honorary member of the Imperial Council of the Shrine. President Reagan has on numerous occasions been involved in Shrine and masonic functions throughout his career.

The confusion as to his membership arises from a ceremony held in the Oval Office of the White House on February 11th, 1988, when a group of Freemasons presented President Reagan with a certificate of honor from the Grand Lodge of Washington, D.C., then he was made an Honourary Scottish Rite mason. The title of Freemason can only be conferred by a Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In Reagan's case this was not done, probably because the ceremonies would have taken a full day to confer and the president's time was limited; therefore,President Reagan should only be referred to as a Shriner or Scottish Rite mason. The Shrine and Scottish Rite are concordant bodies and cannot confer the title Freemason on any person.

George Bush has also on numerous occasions been referred to as a Freemason.The confusion as to President Bush being a member arises from the swearing in ceremonies at his inauguration. President Bush took his oath of office on the George Washington Bible which belongs to St. Johns Lodge in New York City. Because the Bible belonged to a Masonic Lodge many writers assumed he was a Freemason. The Bible was used at the request of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies

This Bible was first used on April 30, 1789, by the Grand Master of the Masons in New York, to administer the oath of office to George Washington, the first president. Other presidents who took their oath of office with this Bible are Warren G. Harding, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Jimmy Carter.

The number of U.S. presidents who have officially been confirmed as Freemasons stands at fourteen to this date. Barack Hussein Obama has only been installed as the 44th president of the United States of America on January 20, 2009. Whether or not Barack Obama is the fifteenth U.S. president to become a Freemason has been left to much speculation and debate. Anyway, Barack Obama has fully subscribed to the basic Freemasonry beliefs and dogmas which are as follows:

1. There are many paths that lead to salvation, eternal life and heaven. Christianity is only one of the ways. The others are Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc.

2. Salvation is not gained by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone through grace, but also through the good works of a person.

3. The Holy Bible is not the only book that is the Word of God. There are other books of other religions that are also equally important.

There have been several claims that Barack Obama is a 32nd degree Freemason.

"One of their most famous members, and also a 32nd degree Prince Hall Mason has become the US president in 2009. His name is Barack Hussein Obama."

Go to: http://www.cephas-library.com/masonry_obama_32nd_degree_prince_hall_mason.html