The Confusion of Prayer/Bible/ & Religion In The Lodge PART III of Prayer In The Lodge This paper is not for all Masonic Bodies as different jurisdictions may stipulate contrary to the information found in this article. If anyone who is about to read this article and is sensitive to religious correction when dealing with Prayer In The Lodge Room, please stop here immediately and go no further! As this is my third attempt to clear the air concerning Prayer in the Lodge room or in a Lodge setting, I am afraid that although many Brothers in the Craft have seen my valid points, others refuse to understanding the importance of non-sectarian prayers during a Lodge meeting. There is one that uses the name Jesus in their rituals, although in my last article I stated that I did not see the name of any Deity in our rituals. As a Researcher, I must continue to learn and make corrections as I go along. Never to be ashamed of new found information. If our Grand Lodges acknowledge (Charge I of 1723) of the (Anderson s Constitution), which many Grand Lodges have adopted to secure their regularity, they would sincerely examine the usage of Sectarian religious names of GOD in the beginning, middle, and ending of all prayers. If these Grand Lodges understand Charge I of Anderson s Constitution where it states, yet tis now thought more EXPEDIENT to oblige them to that religion which all Men agree, leaving their particular opinions to themselves: That is, to be good Men and true, or Men of Honor and Honesty, by whatever denomination or persuasions they may be distinguished; whereby Masonry becomes the Center of Union the confusion that many are experiencing due to this improper invoking of Deity, would be remedied. Remedied by the educational information given by our leaders if they would educate themselves in this area of concern. We have web sites floating through cyber space belonging to Grand Lodges around the world, advertising religious ideologies to their members. Every Grand Lodge has the right to preach, teach, and/or educate as they see fit, but they must also understand that one reading these ideologies do not have to always agree with their perceptions especially when measured by Masonic Law. Often times when religion is mixed in ways that goes contrary to the Laws of Freemasonry, we lose sight of the mission Freemasonry teaches. Let me give you a good example of division and confusion in Freemasonry. I have read from leaders that 1) Normally, the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge does not accept members that have no church home. 2) The person seeking admission as a member in a Masonic Lodge is a member of some organized church. 3) An astute Mason is an avid church worker, as that lends to his knowledge of Freemasonry 4) The good Mason is a Sunday School Teacher, and Officer, sometimes a minister or preacher as well. 5) And there can not be a good Mason if he does not read and study the Bible. This type of thinking discriminates against Brothers who choose other paths of religious ideology.
All the above was actually said and written by a Grand Master. While the writer has a right to his opinion and one must sincerely respect his opinion, as I would defend his right to express his thoughts, I also have mine and expect the same. The above has excluded all other religions from having the ability to be good members and good Masons. This is one of the biggest confusion in Freemasonry today as many religions have embraced Freemasonry. It mind boggles me to know that these views are still circulating in the 21 st Century. We have made Freemasonry a religious institution when it is not. What would some say of countries that have Grand Lodges who the majority if not all of its members are not Christians? Can they have good Men and Masons? However, those who obstinately deny the existence of a problem, which might be outside their own comprehension, are fully as credulous as those who accept everything without discrimination. Bigotry is a dangerous demon, and possess the thoughts of our many Brethren without them ever noticing they have been possessed with this angel of darkness. We have no idea how easy we discriminate without the intension to. With this type of thinking it s no wonder why many Lodges accept sectarian prayers in their Lodge rooms. We have agreed with antimasons in our acts alone by giving Freemasonry a religious look of church. We have a great need for extensive education within Freemasonry and what it truly is. Some of our leaders have taken this craft and dressed it to their own liking leaving out who ever does not fit their criteria. But if they only knew that there was a time that the very Holy Bible was not even a part of the furniture of the Lodge until 1730, as I explain in my last article Prayer Uttered In The Lodge of Freemasons (Part II) of Prayer In The Lodge, they would understand the evolution of the craft. It wasn t till 1760 that the Holy Bible, Square, & Compasses was referred to as the 3 Great Lights introduced by the Ancient Grand Lodge of England and later practiced by the Moderns in 1762. Also, if we read Coil s Encyclopedia of Masonry, you will find that there is no indication that prayer was any part of the opening or of the work of the premier Grand Lodge or Lodges of the early 18 th century. Neither the minutes of any early Lodge nor the exposed rituals of the years immediately following the formation of the premier Grand Lodge contain any invocation or prayer. This gradually came in with the Bible and the Altar toward the middle of the 18 th century. (Read Coils Masonic Encyclopedia Page 483) We also learn in Masonic History that in 1772 Preston, in Illustration of Masonry, did not refer to the Bible, Square, and Compasses as the Great Lights or to call the Bible a part of the furniture of the Lodge though his lectures intimated that the Bible was part of the furniture. But interesting enough 157 years later in 1929 Representatives of the Grand Lodge of England, Ireland, and Scotland agreed officially that the Volume of Sacred Law, Square & Compasses were the Great Lights. Meaning that any Volume of Sacred Law that represented divine inspiration written by Man, inspired by the GAOTU, was proper to be placed on its altar; according to the words used. The same representatives in 1938 decided that the Bible and Volume of the Sacred Law is the same thing. We as human beings are truly forgetful of our duties when relying on our selfish nature that clouds the thoughts of our higher learning. God never brought us into being to live in the narrow groove of a selfish individualism, but as brethren one to another in mutual dependence and support. We have no idea of the higher aspects of Freemasonry, and learning process one must undergo to realize the truth in all we do as Masons. We are told in the first degree of subduing our passions, but cannot control the fact that inside a Lodge room is different then a Church or Synagogue or Masjid, or other houses of worship. The true Secret within Freemasonry is the secret of the Self. And that is something we are in constant conflict with to practice and control. In the book Masonry and Its Symbols, Harold W.
Percival states on page 6, Only a few subjects are presented in the many Masonic forms. These subjects reappear and force themselves upon the attention of a Mason. The form after a while becomes suggestive of the subject for which they stand and so engage mental activity. The discipline results from the regular exercise of the mental activity along the aspects of an inner life, which the forms are designed to symbolize. The forms preserve the secrets teachings and in that respect are the inestimable value. The forms are the ancient landmarks of the order, entrusted to the care of Masons which they are to preserve carefully and are never to suffer to be infringed. How do we protect these natural landmarks if we continue to violate them openly in Lodge rooms? How can we become better men inwardly and cannot speak correctly outwardly in a Lodge room when concerning the beginning, middle, or ending of a prayer, excluding all others that do not follow your religious teachings? In my article Views & Concepts of Freemasonry as a Religion I explained that in the study of the Science of Freemasonry, And I use the word SCIENCE as one concept; we find that many have adopted it as a Religion. In other words view it as a form or system in which one can see the divine powers of oneness and direction to confirm what God has desired of us. Many have placed Freemasonry in a broader sense of the definition of the word Religion. The basic definition used for the word religion is: 1. The service and worship of God or Supernatural. 2. Devotion to a religious faith. 3. A personal set or institutionalized system of religious beliefs, attitudes, and practices. A cause, principle, or belief held to with faith and ardor. Freemasonry does not take the place of any known religion of which has been established in the common practices of the world religions as we know it. It does not give a system of faith or salvation, but does require in the belief in a Supreme Deity. Freemasonry does not allow religious intercourse or talk of religious view/s within its wall. So why are we giving sectarian prayers in the Lodge? Well, many who are truly ignorant of the facts of Craft Masonry will see no problem in praying sectarian. But remember that we are not praying for ourselves alone. There is only one time in Freemasonry that we pray for ourselves and that should be the only time you pray the way you wish. And that is in the third degree when at one time you had a faithful friend to pray for you, but in this particular part in the third degree you were told that you now must pray for yourself, orally or mentally. If this part of the ceremony makes this distinction, why have we forgotten that besides being Brothers, we should also be friends praying for one another without prejudice, and separatism; meaning NON-SECTARIAN. No matter how one looks at this, the truth is evidence that we are doing something wrong. Many of our rituals in different parts of the world, say the same thing in the first degree. We have forgotten what it means by saying, Adopting no particular creed, forbidding sectarian discussion within her Lodge rooms, encouraging each to be steadfast in the faith of his acceptance, Freemasonry takes all good Men by the hand and leading them to her altars The main word in this dissertation is the word CREED, which means A brief authoritative formula or religious belief, a set of fundamental beliefs, or a guiding principle. The etymology of this word is from Middle English (crede), from the Old English (creda), from Latin (credo), first word of the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, from credre to believe, trust, entrust; akin to Old Irish cretid he believes, Sanskrit (srad-dadhati). So if Masonry forbids these things in her Lodge rooms, I personally think that we are somewhat insensitive to the fact,
and choose in Freemasonry what we want for ourselves caring little about others. Why did the ritual or rather some rituals use the words (adopting no particular creed)? And then states, (forbidding sectarian discussion within her Lodge rooms)? And you are telling me that our Leader don t see this? I am more then sure they can read, but I am also sure that they are selective readers. This must stop for the sake of this Fraternity. The truth of the matter is, that for the sake of regularity, we must evaluate our condition in Craft Masonry, so that bodies that claim to be Masonic, and are not, do not reference us by actions that are irregular to Freemasonry. This is something we should consider at all cost. We are not a religion, nor a religious institution. When we care not about others in the way and manner we treat others concerning our religious beliefs, we actually become bigots because we become obstinately or intolerantly devoted to our own opinions and prejudices, caring little about how the Brother in the same room feels while you pray. Bigotry is not only about race, but it can be referred to as prejudice against some ones religious faith. The Grand Lodge of New York has three prohibitions in all Masonic Discussions, which can be found in their Masonic Manual called The 24 Inch Gauge. They mention that all sectarian discussion, all argument or statements pro or con as to the merits of politics, of any given religion or theological creed, or racial questions, of private business, or of any other non-masonic subject by which men are divided into classes, feuds, schisms, or are opposed on sectarian issues, is at all times forbidden. This can be found on page 17 of their Manual. Although I am mostly concern with sectarian prayers in the Lodge room, this discussion is not limited to just Masonry. The outside world also sees the affect it can cause in forums of mix faiths. For example, on March 28, 2000 ACLU of SAN DIEGO challenged sectarian prayers before a council meeting. In this letter they report, The Oceanside City Council violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution every time it opens a meeting with a prayer to Jesus Christ, according to a letter sent to the Council by the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego & Imperial Counties. The letter, dated Friday, March 24, 2000, requests the Mayor and Council to change this practice and require all future Council prayers to be nonsectarian. The letter was written on behalf of an Oceanside resident who regularly observes Council meetings. "All people should be able to participate in the activities of their government without regard to their religious faith, but when government aligns with one particular religion in its invocation, those of other beliefs must either participate against their conscience or sit in uncomfortable and obvious isolation," says ACLU Managing Attorney Jordan Budd. "No one should have to make such a choice in order to attend a meeting of elected officials." Five out of ten meetings of the Oceanside Council observed since December 1999 began with prayers making express reference to Christian theology, such as invoking Jesus Christ or quoting from the Apostles. The U.S. Supreme Court banned such sectarian invocations prior to legislative meetings in 1989 in the case of Allegheny v. ACLU. Because of historic traditions, there is a narrow exception for legislative bodies to the First Amendment prohibition against official religious observance; however, the Allegheny case made it very clear that such legislative prayers must be nonsectarian.
When GOD revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush, In Exodus 3:13 we read, "Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?" Verse 14 explains, "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." The universality of Freemasonry respects every man s faith and the one Deity. Freemasonry can be considered monotheistic in this aspect. In Final, I hope and pray to the Grand Architect of The Universe, that our Fraternity become Universal again.