FREEMASONRY

According to early Masonic manuscripts, its origins can be traced back to Adam, who was said to be the first Mason. The apron of Masonry allegedly represents the fig leaves worn by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The knowledge received by Adam after eating from the forbidden tree, was carried on by his son Seth, and then Nimrod (who was responsible for the Tower of Babel), the great-grandson of Noah. Dr. Albert Mackey (33rd Degree), in writing his Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, referred to the "York manuscript, No. 1" which contained information from a parchment that dated back to the year 1560, which identified Babylon as the originator of Masonry. He also cited the Cooke Manuscript ("The Legend of the Craft", which was written in 1420, and is said to be the second oldest Masonic manuscript), which reveals that Nimrod taught the craft of Masonry to the workers at the Tower of Babel. When God confused their language, these secrets were said to be lost.

When King Solomon was building the Temple, it is taught that Freemasonry was revived. Mackey said that the "Masonic Lodges were initially dedicated to King Solomon, because he was our first Most Excellent Grand Master." However, Martin L. Wagner revealed in An Interpretation of Freemasonry that the "name Solomon is not the Israelitish king. It is the name in form, but different in its meaning. It is a substitute...a composite, Sol-om-on, the names of the sun in Latin, Indian and Egyptian, and is designed to show the unity of several god-ideas in the ancient religions, as well as with those of Freemasonry."

A story recounted in Masonic tradition, has to do with Hiram Abiff, a Syrian Master Mason, known as the architect of Tyre, who was said to be hired by Solomon to build the Temple. He was killed by three Fellow-Crafts, when he would not reveal the secret Masonic word (so they could get Master's wages in foreign countries), which was engraved on a gold triangle he wore around his neck. Solomon found the triangle, and had it placed in a secret vault under the Temple. Abiff later became a Christ-like figure to the Masons. Mackey said that "Hiram represent(s) a popular Syrian god against whom the champions of Jehovah (the Jews) strove ceaselessly." Another Mason, Daniel Sickles, correlates him with an Egyptian god, and Pierson's Traditions of Freemasonry said that he actually represented all of the pagan sun gods, as does Mackey's Lexicon of Freemasonry. What this does, is to relate the message that it was the sun god who was the builder of the Temple, which makes this Temple symbolic, and not to be confused with the Jewish Temple. Pike said in his Morals and Dogma, that the "Temple of Solomon presented a symbolic image of the Universe; and resembled, in its arrangements and furniture, all the temples of the ancient nations that practiced the mysteries."

In ancient Greece, there were organized groups, or guilds (like our unions), such as the "Dionysiacs," and in Rome, the "Collegium Muriorum," who built the temples and stadiums. These groups who were the forerunners of the Masons, were the draftsmen, builders, carpenters, and craftsmen who erected the huge cathedrals, castles, abbeys and churches during the Middle Ages. Because they "lodged" or lived together during the construction, this is where the term "masonic lodge" was originated.

The First Grand Lodge of England met at York in 926, where they adopted handsigns and passwords to identify themselves. Their workplace, or Lodges, was where their initiations, rites, rituals and ceremonies took place. Within their inner circles, witchcraft was practiced.

In the 13th century, they formed an association, headquartered at Cologne, with Lodges at Strasbourg, Vienna, and Zurich. They called themselves Free Masons, and had ceremonies for initiation. Near the end of the 16th century, people who weren't builders, were admitted into the fraternity, and were called "Accepted" Masons. They were usually distinguished members of the community, or in short, a source of funding. Becoming more symbolic, the working masons and builders eventually quit, as did the Accepted Masons, who had become disappointed at what the organization really was.

The Bruton Vault

Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), an English Lord, the son of Elizabeth I, was recognized as the "founder of Free Masonry...the guiding light of the Rosicrucian Order, the members of which kept the torch of the true universal knowledge, the Secret Doctrine of the Ages, alive during the dark night of the Middle Ages." Fluent in many languages, he was known to have edited the King James Version of the Bible, and is believed to be the true author of the William Shakespeare plays. He had been initiated by a secret society of intellectuals dedicated to civil and religious freedom. In his book Instauratio Magna, he wrote of a movement to "reorganize the sciences and restore man to the mastery over nature that he was conceived to have lost by the fall of Adam."

Bacon's novel, New Atlantis, published in 1627, a year after his death, by his secretary William Rawley, represented his vision for a new "Golden Age." It was about a crew of shipwrecked sailors who arrived on the shores a mysterious, unknown land, whose people had a much higher developed culture and possessed a technology unlike anything they had ever seen. He talked about buildings a half a mile high, flying machines, underwater vehicles, and a government of philosopher-scientists working in behalf of an enlightened group of people who were committed to learning, and a higher level of achievement.

Manly Palmer Hall (1901-1990), founder of the Philosophical Research Society in 1934, and one of the foremost experts in the realm of the metaphysical and the occult, authored over 200 books, and in six decades delivered more than 8,000 lectures. In his 1944 book The Secret Destiny of America, he revealed that even though the New Atlantis had been completed, the entire version was never published. He wrote: "The final (unpublished) chapters revealed the entire pattern secret societies had been working on for thousands of years to achieve the ideal commonwealth in the political world." It included details for nurturing the "New Order of the Ages," how this long range "Great Plan" would restore mankind to the original state that was intended to reflect the inner philosophical tradition of Freemasonry, and proposed timetables.

In The Secret Destiny of America Hall also wrote: "There exists in the world today, and has existed for thousands of years, a body of enlightened humans united in what might be termed, an Order of the Quest. It is composed of those whose intellectual and spiritual perceptions have revealed to them that civilization has a secret destiny...The outcome of this 'secret destiny' is a World Order ruled by a King with supernatural powers. This King was descended of a divine race, that is, he belonged to the Order of the Illumined for those who come to a state of wisdom than belong to a family of heroes - perfected human beings."

The full-length version (which included the missing chapters) was taken to Jamestown in 1635 by his descendant Nathaniel Bacon, where it was buried under the altar of the old brick church. In 1676, it was moved to Williamsburg, Virginia, where it was buried "in a great vault beneath the tower center of the first brick church in Bruton Parish." The current church, known as the Bruton Parish Church (which was declared a National Historic Landmark), was built in 1715, and within the grounds of its graveyard (the site of the original church), and is where the Bruton Vault is located.

It is believed by many serious researchers that Sir Francis Bacon faked his death (actually dying in 1684), and constructed the vault with the help of his Wild Goose Club. It is a 10 ft. by 10 ft. brick vault, possibly part of an underground Freemasonry Lodge, that is buried 20 ft. deep, and marked by certain strategically placed encoded memorials in the cemetery above.

The reason for the Rockefellers making such an investment to restore the town of Colonial Williamsburg, was the prospect of locating the fabled vault, which had three tunnels leading to it from homes in the area. Fortunately, ownership of the grounds remain in the hands of the Page and Bray families.

Deposited along with the unabridged copy of the New Atlantis were other secret documents, including ancient writings that had been in the possession of certain secret societies. One such artifact was the "Book of Thoth," which had been retrieved from a golden box out of an inner sanctuary in an ancient Egyptian temple. Known as the Sacred Torch, the most important document ever given to Man, it is believed that anyone who is able to decipher it will have their consciousness enhanced to the point that they will be able to see the invisible Immortals and enter the presence of the Superior Gods. Manley Hall wrote in his book, the Secret Teachings of All Ages that the Book "was lost to the Ancient World with the decay of the Mysteries, but its faithful initiates carried it sealed to another land. The book is still in existence..."

The vault also contains instructions, maps, and documents that lead to 144 sacred burial sites of certain forefathers, patriots and early leaders in our country that in turn contain original writings, diaries and documentation that will prove how history has been rewritten today to reflect the biased political views of certain leaders in this country. Hall wrote in the The Secret Destiny of America: "Not only were the founders of the United States Government Masons, but they received aid from a secret and august body existing in Europe, which helped them to establish this country for a peculiar and particular purpose known only to the initiated few."

Masonry was not always as it appears today. Many early Christian patriots during the foundational period of American history were part of the predominate York Rite, which promoted values, ethics, and brotherhood among its members. It has been reported that true Freemasonry Lodges were established in the cellars of Episcopalian and Presbyterian Churches. It was the Illuminati infiltration of the American Fraternal Lodges by the Jesuit-spawned Scottish Rite that moved through the ranks like a virus to take them over from within.

It is believed that the vault also contains a quantity of gold, an original edition of the Bacon-edited King James Bible, inventions that were ahead of its time, and a device that will enable their codes to be deciphered.

There is some evidence to indicate that handwritten copies of certain documents were made during the administration of President Washington and hidden at a remote location in Virginia.

According to Colin Dyer in his book Symbolism in Craft Masonry, in 1804, Thomas Jefferson (3rd President) was the last person to examine the contents of this vault. It was believed that the contents were removed and placed in a secret location either at the University of Virginia (founded by Jefferson), or the capitol building in Washington, D.C. However, Manley Hall became a leading proponent for the Bruton Vault as being the location of this sacred repository. His quest to protect it from falling into the wrong hands cost him his life, because he was strangled to death by two members of the Skull and Bones Society - Morgan Brandt and Daniel Fritz. Luckily all of his research notes, documents, maps, books, photos, and artifacts relating to 50 years of work on the vault had already been sent to a secret location in Russia.

In The Secret Destiny of America Hall wrote: "America's true destiny will remain a secret as long as great masses of people have no knowledge whatsoever that enlightened humanitarians through thousands of years have in their own and succeeding generations remained united on the high purpose of eventually instituting democratic rule throughout the world. It is necessary to know, too, that it was anciently planned that leadership would fall to America- to a nation established on the Northern continent of the Western Hemisphere...Long before Columbus, they were aware of the existence of the Western hemisphere, and selected it to be the site of the philosophic empire. The American continent was set apart for establishing here a great democratic nation, centuries before the founding fathers and colonists envisioned the Union...

When President Theodore Roosevelt visited the site, and learned of its significance, he vowed to protect it, and out of appreciation, he was honored by having his image placed on Mount Rushmore. David Rockefeller and Queen Elizabeth have shown a particular interest in the vault's contents.

The contents of the Bruton Vault are priceless, and considered so important that it is referred to as the "Seventh Seal."

A group known as Sir Francis Bacon's Sages of the Seventh Seal have been the driving force behind the movement to uncover the vault. Though there were unsuccessful attempts in 1938 (which did discover the original church foundations) and 1992, they now believe that a spiral staircase exists beneath the pyramid-shaped monument that marks the centuries-old graves of David and Elizabeth Bray, and leads to the vault, which they refer to as a "Freemasonry library." Armed with new evidence from their continued research, the group has lobbied the Rev. Herman Hollerith IV, rector of the Episcopal church, to authorize a new, controlled, archeological dig, to raise the vault, so that its contents can be studied, and protected from forces hostile to the information it contains.

The Growth of the Mason Movement

Inigo Jones (1573-1652) reorganized the Lodges, introducing the Descartes rationalism, and they were now known as the Free and Accepted Masons. Elias Ashmole, a banker, Rosicrucian, and founder of the Oxford Museum, who became a Mason in 1648, established the three basic degrees: 1) Entered Apprentice, 2) Fellow-Craft, and 3) Master Mason.

On June 24, 1717, the four lodges in London were united into a Grand Lodge (sometimes called the Grand Mother Lodge) by three members who met at the Apple-Tree Tavern, thus beginning the era of modern Freemasonry. Rather than being a guild of stone masons and builders, they altered their philosophy and became a pseudo-religion who "tried to cooperate with the Church so as to be able to work from the inside, rationalize the doctrine of Jesus and empty it gradually of its mystical content. Freemasonry hoped to become a friendly and legal heir to Christianity. They considered logic and the rules of scientific thinking as being the only absolute and permanent element of the human mind." By 1725, the movement had spread to France.

The members of the Grand Lodge of England brought their fraternity to America. In 1730, Daniel Core was appointed Provincial Grand Master of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, after the first lodge was established in Philadelphia. A lodge was established in Boston in 1733. By the time of the American Revolution, there were 100 Masonic lodges. The Masons were firmly entrenched in the eastern colonies, but since 95% of the population identified themselves as Christians, they had to modify their philosophies to include Christian teachings. The Grand Lodge of the United States was established in 1777, which officially cut all ties to their British counterparts.

One writer summed up Masonry this way: "Freemasonry has incorporated bits of other systems in its initiations and higher degrees, such as mystery schools, Mithraism, the Egyptian priesthood, the system of the Pythagoreans, Essenes, Cabalists, Druids, the Orders of the Knighthood, Rosicrucians, Arabic secret societies, and the Knights Templar."

Masonry slowly spread throughout the world: France (1718-25) , Ireland (1725-26), Spain (1726-27), Holland (1731), Germany (1730-33), Africa (1735), Scotland (1736), Portugal (1736), Switzerland (1737), Italy (1733-37), Russia (1731-40), Canada (1745), Sweden (1735-48), Prussia (1738-40), Austria (1742), Poland (1784), and Mexico (1825).

Originally against the Masonic Order, Benjamin Franklin became a Mason in 1731, at the age of 25. He became the Provincial Grand Master of Pennsylvania in 1734, and was the "appointed spokesman" of the secret societies. As ambassador to France, he was honored there at a major Masonic lodge. It is believed that while he was on a diplomatic trip to Paris to seek financing for the Revolution, he was initiated as a member of the Illuminati. George Washington joined the Fredericksburg Lodge #4 in Virginia, in 1752, and when he was elected President in 1789, he was the Grand Master of the Lodge (the highest official). He took his Oath of Office on a Masonic Bible, as did his Vice-President, John Adams, who was also a Mason. This Masonic Bible from the altar of St. Johns Lodge No. 1 in New York City, which was printed in London in 1767, was later used for other Oaths administered to Harding, Eisenhower, Carter, Reagan and Bush. This Masonic Bible has an introductory section that explains that Masonry is not a Christian fraternity, but in fact supports all religions. Eight of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were also members of the Fredericksburg Lodge. Actually, 51 of the 56 signers were believed to be Masons; however, only 8 were known to be members, while another 24 were suspected of being members.

It is also believed that 8 to 10 signers of the Articles of Confederation were Masons. There were 9 Masons that signed the Constition, while 6 others later became members. Other sources have used the figure of 13, while some have said there were as many as 28 members who signed the Constitution.

Because of the disagreement between various books and on-line sources, representing Masonic and non-Masonic sources, it's easy to see how erroneous information becomes perpetuated as fact, and truth. If the Masons can't even nail down the specifics of their own history, then, the only thing we can hope to do, is to produce as accurate of a picture as possible, based on the facts.

Among the ranks of the Masons were: Patrick Henry (all Masonic researchers do not agree on this), John Hancock, Paul Revere, John Paul Jones, Alexander Hamilton, Benedict Arnold, John Marshall, Samuel Adams, Anthony Wayne, Francis Marion ("The Swamp Fox") and Ethan Allen. In the military, 24 of Washington's Major Generals, and 30 of his 33 Brigadier Generals were Masons (another fact that Masonic researchers do not agree on).

It was actually the Masons who instigated and carried out the American Revolution. The secrecy of the Masonic lodges allowed the Colonial patriots to meet and discuss strategy. It was commonly believed that the reason for the Revolution was "taxation without representation", when actually it was because the Parliament in the 1760's passed a law that no colony could issue its own money. The colonies had to issue bonds, and sell them to the Bank, who would then loan them money. This forced the colonies to pay interest on their money. The Revolution was ignited by the Boston Tea Party, which was planned during a dinner at the Bradlee home. The participants were from the St. Andrew Lodge in Boston, who dressed up as Mohawk Indians, and went aboard the Dartmouth, which was anchored in the harbor, and dumped its load of tea overboard. The British government responded by closing the port, and sending in British troops. Empress Catherine the Great of Russia, who wasn't controlled by the International Bankers, refused to send in 20,000 Russian troops against the colonists, when asked by King George III of England. The attack unified the colonies against England.

The Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry was established in Charleston, South Carolina in 1801, because that area was geographically located on the 33rd parallel. They are an extension of French Freemasonry, and considered liberal. In 1755, the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry had expanded to 32 degrees, and then they added a 33rd degree. In 1813, the Northern Supreme Council was established, consisting of 15 states, and was headquartered in Boston. They were an extension of English Freemasonry, and are considered conservative. The Supreme Council, which represented the Southern jurisdiction, relocated to Washington, D.C., and covers the remaining 35 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. protectorates. It is considered the Mother Supreme Council of the World.

Among the Presidents who have been Masons: Washington, Jefferson (33rd Degree), Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Polk, Buchanan, Andrew Johnson (32nd Degree and Grand Master), Garfield , McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Taft, Harding (32nd Degree), Franklin Roosevelt (32nd Degree), Truman (33rd Degree and Grand Master), Eisenhower, Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson (1st Degree), Nixon, Ford (33rd Degree), Carter, Reagan (33rd Degree), and George H. W. Bush, Sr.

Many State Governors, U.S. Senators and Congressmen are Masons. The Masonic Bible says that "for well over 150 years, the destiny of this country has been determined largely by men who were members of the Masonic fraternity."

There are about 16,000 Blue or Symbolic Lodges, with a Grand Lodge in every state, which represent more than four million members. There are 150 Grand Lodges in the world, and a world-wide membership of over 6,000,000.

Members must be 21 years old, however, sons of members can be initiated at 18. Before consideration, an initiate must prove themselves to be "mentally and physically competent, of good moral character, and believe in the existence of a Supreme Being." Among their affiliated organizations: The Order of Demolay, The Order of Rainbow for Girls, and The Order of Job's Daughters, which allow children as young as 11 to become indoctrinated in Masonic teaching. The Order of the Eastern Star, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and Daughters of the Nile are organizations closely aligned with the Masons.

Their literature claims that "Freemasonry is not a religion even though it is a religion in character...does not pretend to take the place of religion nor serve as a substitute for the religious beliefs of its members...(and) accepts men, found to be worthy, regardless of religious convictions." They claim that they exist "to make good men better through its firm belief in the Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of Man (and) consists of men bound together by bonds of Brotherly Love and Affection."

Examining Masonic Tradition

Any organization which strives to adhere to such a high moral standard certainly should deserve our admiration and respect. However, why have they elicited the criticism that they have? The Vatican has issued many Edicts condemning Masonry: Pope Clement XII in 1738, Pope Benedict XIV in 1751, Pope Plus VII in 1821, Pope Leo XII in 1825, Pope Plus VIII in 1829, Pope Gregory XVI in 1832, Pope Plus IX in 1846 and 1873, and Pope Leo XIII in 1884 and 1892. Pope Leo XXIII said that the goal of the Masons was the "overthrow of the whole religious, political and social order based on Christian institutions and the establishment of a state of things based on pure naturalism." Until 1974, the Roman Catholic Church had forbidden its members to be Masons, and on March 21, 1981, the Vatican warned that "all Roman Catholics who belong to Masonic lodges risk excommunication."

In 1784, and again in 1845, the Bavarian government considered Masonry a danger to the state. In 1814, The Regency of Milan and Governor of Venice echoed these same sentiments. King John VI of Portugal issued orders in 1816, and again in 1824, prohibiting the operation of the fraternity. In Russia, in 1820, Alexander I banished the Order.

Many writers in the late 1800's, such as Archbishop Meurin and Dr. Bataille, said that Masonry was just a cover organization for Satan worship, which occurred within its higher degrees, and was unknown to the ordinary member. In 1921, Dr. James Anderson wrote a booklet on Freemasonry called The Anderson Constitution in which he wrote: "Freemasonry rapidly expanded in Europe. In France, a number of the Masonic sects dabbled with magic and occultism. In Germany some were called Order of the Gold, and Rosy Cross (or Rosicrucians). In England, during the 1880's, the famous magical society, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn adopted most of the Masonic grades." Many Druid ceremonies and witchcraft rites have been incorporated into Masonic rituals.

So, are the Masons a Christian organization? The answer is a resounding No! Their literature claims that Jesus was just a man, equal to Mohammed and Krishna, the Hindu God. He is called the "son of Joseph," not the Son of God. Initiates are told that Masonic rituals are "based on the Bible," however in Chase's Digest of Masonic Law it says that "Masonry has nothing whatever to do with the Bible...it is not founded upon the Bible, for it were it would not be Masonry, it would be something else." Chase said that the Bible is just one of the "holy books" of man, equal to the Koran, Hindu Scriptures and others. Its literal meaning was meant only for the ignorant masses. At the end of the initiation for the Royal Arch degree, the initiate has the lost name of "God" whispered to him: "Jebulon." Mackey, in his Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, said that "Freemasonry is not Christianity" and indicates that this name actually represents a composite of the names of the sun god of three religions: "Jah," the Syrian form of Jehovah; "Eel," which is Baal; and "On," the Egyptian sun god. J. D. Buck (32nd degree) wrote in Mystic Masonry (1925): "The only personal God Freemasonry accepts is humanity in toto...Humanity therefore is the only personal God that their Masonic philosophy is that God is whatever you want him to be and is referred to in general terms as the "deity" and the "Great Architect of the Universe," but in higher degrees, he is identified as a force of nature, usually the sun.

Mackey, in his Masonic Rituals said that the elimination of the name of Jesus, and references to him, in Bible verses used in rituals are "slight but necessary modifications." Mackey also wrote in his Lexicon of Freemasonry: "The religion then of Masonry is pure theism on which its different members engraft their particular opinions, but they are not permitted to introduce them into the lodge or to connect their truth or falsehood with the truth of Masonry...A Christian Mason is not permitted to introduce his own peculiar opinions with regard to Christ's mediatorial office into the Lodge." No masonic prayers in monitors, handbooks and guides, end in Jesus' name, and if it is discovered that they do, the Grand Lodge of that state will revoke their charter. Edmond Ronayne a Master Mason), wrote on page 74 of the Masonic Handbook (later revised to eliminate the passage): "When a brother reveals any of our great secrets...or whenever a minister prays in the name of Christ in any of our assemblies, you must always hold yourself in readiness, if called upon, to cut his throat from ear to ear, pull out his tongue by the roots, and bury his body at the bottom of some lake or pond." According to Morris in The Freemason's Monitor (or Webb's Monitor), which omits any reference to the name of Jesus: "Prayer...should be of a general character, containing nothing offensive to any class of conscientious brethren."

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993), author of The Power of Positive Thinking was a 33rd degree Mason, and his name appeared in many Masonic publications. In March, 1991, he was featured in the cover story of The Scottish Rite Journal (formerly known as the New Age magazine), and is quoted as saying that "Masonry became an early and essential part of my success." On Sunday, February 24, 1991, Peale had told the congregation of Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral in California: "Jesus Christ, Buddha and Krishna are examples of great philosophers who taught how to use mind power." In May, 1991, at a Dallas, Texas seminar for Christian writers, Dina Donahue, a contributing editor for Guidepost magazine (which Peale founded), said that any submission to the publication can never refer to the deity of Jesus, and claim that He is the only means by which salvation can be achieved. He can only be presented in a historical context as a prophet and philosopher. She said that the reason for this was that "Guidepost is an interfaith magazine, and Dr. Peale does not want to offend those who are not Christians."

In Les Sectes et Societies Secretes published in 1863, Le Couteulx de Canteleu wrote that the goal of the Masonic Order "was, is and will always be the struggle against the Church and the Christian religion..." Joseph Fort Newton wrote in The Builders: "Masonry...is Religion, a worship in which all good men may unite, that each may share the faith of all...Where else, except in a Masonic lodge, could men of many religions meet, each praying for all and all for one." Mackey wrote in his Textbook of Masonic Jurisprudence, that Masonry is "undoubtedly a religious institution"; and also in his Manual of the Lodge, he emphatically states that "Masonry is a religious institution." Buck wrote in Mystic Masonry that Masonry is "a world wide religion...Masonry is the universal religion only because and so long as it embraces all religions."

High level Masons believe that Lucifer never fell to earth, and that Lucifer is really God, and refer to Jehovah by the name of "Adonay," saying that he is the god of evil because he forces men to be subservient to his repressive dictates. Masonic books given to handpicked members of the 32nd and 33rd Degrees, say that Jesus was an impostor, and that Lucifer is the true God. The Masons have their own Luciferian based calendar. Where ours is based on the years before (B.C.) and after (A.D.) the birth of Christ, theirs counts its years with the suffix A.L. means Anno Lucis or "Year of Light (Lucifer)."

In Morals and Dogma, Pike wrote: "Every Masonic lodge is a temple of religion; and its teachings are instruction in religion...Masonry, like all religions, all the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy, conceals its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the Elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead...to conceal the Truth, which it calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it...The truth must be kept secret, and the masses need a teaching proportioned to their imperfect reason." He wrote that "every man's conception of God must be proportioned to his mental cultivation, and intellectual powers, and moral excellence. God is, as man conceives him, the reflected image of man himself." The next statement reduces the Masonic philosophy to a single premise. Pike writes: "The true name of Satan, the Kabalists say, is that of Yahveh reversed; for Satan is not a black god...Lucifer, the Light Bearer! Strange and mysterious name to give to the Spirit of Darkness! Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light...Doubt it not!"

These various passages should settle any arguments concerning the anti-Christian nature of the Masons. Their role in history seemed to be to act as a diluting factor, to lessen the impact of Christianity through tolerance, and to politically work towards the goals established by the Illuminati.

The Blue Lodge (Symbolic Lodge of Masonry):

Lodge of Perfection (Scottish Rite or Ancient and Accepted Scotch Rite):

Council of Princes of Jerusalem:

Chapter of Rose-Croix

The Consistory (Council of Kadosh)

Consistory of Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret

Supreme Council

Red Masonry or York Rite (or Craft Masonry):