This issue tackles another question posed in a 5th Wednesday. We started March 30 with our first 5th Wednesday Q & A session, and this topic comes from that meeting. If you have questions, about any topic, please feel free to write and mail them to me via the church or bring them on a 5th Wednesday. If you feel my answer is inadequate, in error or just wrong, please let me know that information too.
This article's topic is really hot. There are many Southern Baptist churches involved in this organization through members of their congregation, Sunday School teachers, Deacons, or even by their Pastor. I will name this group later but for now we will just call it the “Craft”. My information comes from valid sources. The root information comes from the people actually in the “Craft”. (I will also add my own commentary using parenthesis.) I will use a different font for their own information and bold it to draw attention to various phrases or words of interest.
Here is what the “Craft” has to say:
For the Fatherhood of God implies the Brotherhood of Man, and, conversely, he who devotes himself to the service of his fellow creatures proves, through his brotherly relationship, his descent from the Father of ALL.
The Mysteries: In every race and every clime, Since the earliest days of Time,
Men have taught the Mystic Quest, Shown the Way to Peace and rest.
Bacchus died, and rose again, On the golden Asian Plain;
Osiris rose from out the grave, And thereby mankind did save:
Adonis likewise shed his blood, By the yellow Syrian flood,
Zoroaster brought to birth, Mithra from His Cave of Earth.
And to-day in Christian Lands, We with them can join hands.
(Can we really join hands with these groups? In the “Craft” you do.)
This poem is very revealing. Bacchus is the god of wine. Osiris is the Egyptian god of the dead. He was raised to life by Isis. Is this your Saviour? Adonis is a Syrian dying-and-reborn annual vegetation god. Mithras was the central savior god of Mithraism, a syncretic Hellenistic mystery religion. Hey Freemasons, these are the gods you worship.
The S.W., representing the Soul, next proves that all present have made some progress towards the light. It is only when this has been achieved that any real advancement becomes possible, and only those who have started can help those who still remain in spiritual darkness. The Soul may desire to become incarnate, but unless its time has come it is turned back at the threshold, and even if it forces itself into birth it is cut short. (Notice they believe you existed in spirit form before you were born.)
When men evolved, and the solar system of religion developed, the God of Vegetation became the Preserver. This characteristic of the J.W. is emphasised by the upright lines of his plumb, which latter reminds us of water which falls from heaven, and of the cast marks of Vishnu in India. (See poem above God of Veg. = Adonis)
The S.W., as he indicates in his reply to the W.M., represents the Sun in its setting, and so the Destructive Side of the Deity, or Shiva. He also stands for the Soul. Shiva shall close not only our mortal life, but Time itself. (Shiva is the third form of god as the Destroyer in Hinduism. The diety they speak of is not the God of the Bible.)
The W.M. represents, as his words indicate, the creative side of God and the Divine Spirit in Man. He sets us to work on earth, but delegates to another the task of calling us back whence we came. He represents the male aspect of the Deity, as is shown by the tau crosses, called levels, on his apron, and by his use of the gavel, which represents the same emblem. The Tau Cross is, of course, a phallic symbol and stands for the male and creative aspect in Man. (Again modeled after Hindu gods where Shiva is the destroyer god, Brahma the creator god and Vishnu the preserver god. Remember: the “Craft” swears they are not a religion. )
The Spirit, being active, is male; whereas both soul and body, being more or less passive, are female. The feminine side of the S.W. or Soul is deliberately emphasised later-in the first degree-by a reference to the Moon, a feminine planet, the emblem of the Soul and of the psychic nature in man. Nor can we ignore the fact that the West is known as the feminine quarter of the heavens, whereas the East is the masculine; it is also worth noticing that Shiva is often depicted with the moon. (My soul and body are NOT female! Notice again the reference to Shiva.)
The three knocks, as distinct from the one knock with which the proceedings started, indicate that the members are about to work for the union and advancement of body, soul and spirit, and not for the body only. (Not by biblical means.)
It sounds almost too incredible to be true but all of the above quotes are from The Entered Apprentice Handbook By J.S.M. Ward. Forward by: The Honorable Sir John A. Cockburn. It is written for men entering the first level of the Blue Lodge of the Freemasons. The book is available online at
http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/ward_EA_handbookfr.html
and at
http://www.freemasonsdglmadras.com/Resources/entered_apprentice_handbook.htm
If you are a member of a masonic lodge - get out. The masons are a cult leading you away from Christ and not closer to Him. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 When I die, I’m going to Heaven and be with the Creator by Grace through Faith. I will not be going to the Celestial Lodge, to see the Grand Architect of the Universe by my purity of my life and conduct. That’s truth.
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