freemasonry in society
CHAPTER XXXXXI
part IV - Freemasonry, Science and Mankind
THE SQUARE AND COMPASSES
W.
M. Don Falconer PM, PDGDC
Freemasonry is a benefactor of humanity
and a religion of universal application that is compatible with all
religious denominations, science and civilised
society.
As we reach the end of our
journey in search of freemasonry, we might be prompted to ask what
is the present relationship that freemasonry has with religion, with
modern science and with society in general. This is a very important
question. Throughout our journey we have observed the close
association that freemasonry has had with religion from time
immemorial - not with one religious belief, nor with any particular
faith, denomination or sect, but with religion as a system of faith
and morality. We have also seen that the precepts and tenets of
freemasonry embody the same fundamental truths as those that are the
foundation of all religions that are based on a belief in one true
God and the immortality of the human soul.
The vital role that
freemasonry has played in the development of civilisation throughout
history, in both the secular and the spiritual spheres, proves
beyond doubt that freemasonry works with and for the benefit of
humanity in general and society in particular. It therefore would
appear to be self-evident that freemasonry must always have had a
good relationship with religion and with society in general.
However, the benefits stemming from freemasonry apparently have not
always been apparent from the point of view of some religious
leaders, not least because of the suspicions that some of them have
or have had with respect to both science and freemasonry. These
suspicions have been and continue to be exacerbated by the
disinclination of many religious leaders to accept and assimilate
new information as it becomes available. Dogmatism through all ages
has been an enemy of the freedom of the people and the wellbeing of
society, but freemasonry has been a constant campaigner for freedom
and the well being of humanity.
Freemasonry has always had a
viable relationship with science, which should not be surprising
because the operative freemasons depended upon a practical
application of science, as well as on the developments of science to
provide the best tools, methods of measurement and materials with
which to carry out their work. The liberal arts and sciences always
were essential elements in the training of operative freemasons,
which enabled them to design their structures and carry out their
work with skill and ability and provide a practical and useful
dimension to the religious implications of their work. A
contemplation of the liberal arts and sciences continues to be an
important element in the philosophy of speculative craft
freemasonry.
Thus, throughout all ages of
human existence, freemasonry has occupied a unique position for the
assimilation of moral and religious values, whilst at the same time
providing an ideal environment for the practical development of
moral training. Freemasonry avoids dogmatism and leaves individuals
free to adopt whatever creeds they choose. Freemasons may consider
all aspects of science and accept or reject hypotheses in accordance
with their belief that they are true or false. Before concluding a
consideration of the present relationship that freemasonry has with
religion, with modern science and with society in general, a review
of some important aspects of the several relationships that have
prevailed between these three disciplines in the past will help to
establish a better understanding of the factors underlying this
subject.
Religion and science
frequently have been openly antagonistic to each other, even though
both have always professed to be searching for the truth concerning
the universe and its creation, about the place that humanity
occupies in the universe and in relation to the ultimate destiny of
human beings. The problem is typified in the Dark Ages
by the story of Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543), who had the temerity
to challenge a dogma of the Church of Rome, which propagated the
belief that the earth is the centre of the universe.
Nicolas Copernicus held degrees in medicine and church law, but
also continued his studies of astronomy throughout his professional
life. His professional duties were concentrated on healing the sick
and serving the church with his legal knowledge, but he proved that
the earth rotates on its own axis while revolving around the sun. He
wrote a book on the subject, but such was his fear of the
persecution that inevitably would have been meted out to him by the
bishops if he had made his knowledge public, that his friends
published his book. Nicolas Copernicus only received a copy of his
book when he was on his deathbed. In fact it was not true religion
that was in conflict with science, but the church and more
specifically powerful individuals within the church.
There was no change in
attitude of the Roman Church toward science for about a century
after Nicolas Copernicus died, until Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
another well-known scientist who, among many other things, developed
the telescope and studied the heavens. Whilst still at university
Galileo Galilei’s studies led him to disbelieve the prevailing
Aristotelian philosophy that the stars and planets are composed of a
perfect and incorruptible element called ether, carried on revolving
spheres centred on the earth. Although Charles Darwin acknowledged
that Aristotle’s work in biology had been a great help to him,
Aristotle’s theories in astronomy seriously handicapped its
progress. After Galileo Galilei reached his conclusions concerning
Aristotle’s philosophy, he supported and expanded upon the
discoveries of Nicolas Copernicus. In 1632 Galileo Galilei published
a book on the system of worlds in our universe, which was greatly
applauded by scientists. However the attitude of the Church of Rome
had not changed, as a result of which Galileo Galilei was summoned
by Pope Urban VIII, imprisoned and tried by the iniquitous
Inquisition. Galileo Galilei was condemned to renounce his
scientific creed under oath and sentenced to imprisonment for an
indefinite period. Because of his age and his fear of the
consequences of refusal, Galileo Galilei yielded to the
Inquisition's demands. Ultimately he was released at the request of
the Grand Duke of Tuscany, but kept under house arrest. About a
century later the Church of Rome recognised Galileo Galilei's work
for its true worth and accepted the fact that the world is not the
centre of the universe.
The persecution of Nicolas
Copernicus and Galileo Galilei contrasts with the state of freedom
in which the Reverend John Michell (1724-1793) worked about two
centuries after Nicolas Copernicus and a century after Galileo
Galilei published the results of their investigations. John Michell
established the science of seismology and was the first to propose
the existence of dark stars. He was a
prominent scientist before he studied divinity. About a century and
a half after John Michell a Belgian priest, Georges Edouard Lemaître
(1894-1966), became famous as a scientist when he was the first to
hypothesise in 1927 that all material in the universe came into
existence at the instant of a big bang. These two
examples indicate that religion and science coexist more compatibly
now than they did during the Dark Ages, even though
several of the more radical religious sects are not yet in a state
of harmony with science.
We have seen that the
prodigious advances made by science, in explaining the origin and
development of our universe and the evolution of life on earth, are
compatible with the precepts and tenets of freemasonry. In fact the
present concepts of cosmology do not preclude the existence of God,
which is a fundamental precept of freemasonry, but on the contrary
they suggest that the existence a Great Architect of the Universe is
an essential element of the process. Furthermore, the concept of a
big bang as the
originating act of creation does not conflict with a freemason's
belief in and the immortality of the human soul. The theories that
have been advanced in an endeavour to prove that our universe
operates purely as a clockwork machine, on the basis that its big bang origin requires
no external initiating force, have not been substantiated. Indeed,
our beliefs as freemasons should constantly remind us of Albert
Einstein’s statement: "I want to know how God created
this world",
which he often repeated.
An apprentice in speculative
craft freemasonry is told, among many other things, that freemasonry
is a peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated
by symbols. When he advances and becomes a fellow of the craft, he
is earnestly exhorted to make a diligent study of the liberal arts
and sciences, which will polish and adorn his mind. Still later as a
master mason he is told that his mind, which has been moulded by a
study of the secrets of nature and the principles of intellectual
truth, is ready to contemplate the closing hours of his mortal life.
He is invited to reflect upon death, confident in the knowledge that
the vital and immortal element reposed in his perishable frame will
enable him to overcome the fear of death and lift that mysterious
veil of darkness, which will bring peace and salvation to all those
who are faithful and obedient to God's commands. This search for the
purpose of human life, coupled with our belief that human beings
have some ultimate destiny and our faith that on our mortal death
our spirit shall return to God whence it came, are all essential
elements of true freemasonry that are predisposed to fostering
scientific endeavours.
The Poor Soldiers of Christ
and the Temple of Solomon, who became known as the Knights
Templar, were established in France in 1118 or earlier under
the leadership of their first Grand Master, Hugues de Payens, a
middle-class nobleman of Champagne. It is of interest to know that
in 1101 Hugues de Payens married Catherine St Clair, a niece of
Baron Henri St Clair of Roslin, whose family later established
Rosslyn Chapel and a member of which was appointed as hereditary
patron and protector of Scottish freemasons by King James II in
1441. The original Knights Templar took an oath of
obedience to a Cistercian Abbot, St Bernard de Clairvaux
(1090-1153), a renowned French theologian and reformer who was
canonised in 1174. Operative freemasons were a significant and
essential element in the Knights Templar, responsible
for the construction of many castles, hospitals and ecclesiastical
buildings in the Holy Land and elsewhere over a period of about 150
years. The Knights Templar were firmly attached to the
Cistercian popes and were revered until the savage Inquisition
established by the Dominican popes in about 1232 to detect and
punish heretics, when the last vestiges of free thinking
disappeared.
In 1304, when Pope Benedict XI
had refused to acknowledge the supremacy of Philip IV, the
French king, then tried to restore the authority of the Holy
See, agents of the king poisoned him. Philip IV offered the
Archbishop of Bordeaux the papacy in exchange for six favours, to
which the Archbishop agreed and was crowned as Pope Clement V at
Lyons in 1305. At the instigation of Philip IV, who was almost
bankrupt, Pope Clement V summoned the Grand Masters of the
Knights Templar and the Hospitallers to
France in 1306, to discuss combining the two orders. When the
Knights Templar refused to combine with the
Hospitallers in October 1307, Philip IV ordered all
Knights Templar to be seized, falsely accusing them of
blasphemy, heresy and various heinous acts. The simple fact was that
the Knights Templar had become so powerful that the
popes and the French crown set out to acquire their wealth.
All Knights
Templar who had been captured were subjected to intensive
interrogation and torture, then in 1309 were called to face trial by
the court of the Inquisition, which was then under the control of
Pope Clement V at Avignon. Under torture the Grand Master of the
Knights Templar, Jacques de Molay, denied that the
Knights Templar had perpetrated any heinous acts, but
admitted that they did not accept the doctrine of the virgin birth,
nor did they regard Christ as god in human form. Simply expressed,
the Knights Templar adhered to the beliefs of the
Nazareans, similar to those of the Celtic Christians. In 1310 a
total of 67 Knights Templar were burnt at the stake.
In 1311 the Papal Commission completed its hearings and Pope Clement
V published a bull in 1313 abolishing the Knights
Templar, but he did not rule on their guilt. However King
Philip IV convened a secular council in 1314, which proclaimed
Jacques de Molay guilty of blasphemy and heresy and condemned him to
be burnt. When allowed to speak shortly before he was burnt, Jacques
de Molay reiterated his earlier statements and said that God would
avenge the deaths of those who had been wrongfully accused. On
19 March 1314 Jacques de Molay and the Preceptor of
Normandy, Geoffrey de Charney, were roasted to death over a slow
fire. However the perpetrators, King Philip IV and Pope Clement V,
did not live long to ponder Jacques de Molay’s prophetic words or to
reap any benefits from their heinous deed, because both died during
1314.
A sidelight to the martyrdom
of Jacques de Molay and Geoffrey de Charney is the fact that the Shroud of Turin was
secretly held by Geoffrey de Charney's wife and their family for
more than fifty years, until it was first displayed in 1357 as a
holy relic in a small collegiate church in the town of Lirey. The
church was inaugurated in 1356 after it had been set up by a
Geoffrey de Charney, believed to have been a grandson of Jean de
Charney a brother of the Knight Templar who was
martyred with Jacques de Molay and whose family had cared for them
both after they had been tortured by the Inquisition to obtain
confessions before being tried. Extensive scientific tests
conclusively prove that the material used in the shroud only dates
from 1260 to 1280, a few years before the martyrdom, which adds
weight to the hypothesis.
Existing documents record the
fact that at first the Church of Rome endeavoured to have the Shroud of Turin
destroyed, but support for the Knights Templar was so
strong and the known origin of the shroud so important that the
owners secreted it away for several years, until the display of the
shroud could no longer be suppressed. When the shroud was displayed
again, the Church of Rome took extraordinary steps to conceal its
real identity, saying that it must not be called an original and
requiring that whenever it was displayed the shroud should be
described as a figure or representation. Christopher Knight and
Robert Lomas cover the history of the Knights Templar in detail in
The Second Messiah,
including these events relating to the Shroud of Turin. The
authors provide convincing arguments that after Jacques de Molay had
been brutally tortured and crucified, whilst awaiting resuscitation
so that he could face trial later, he was wrapped in the cloth known
as Shroud of Turin. If this
hypothesis is correct, then it is the image of Jacques de Molay that
appears on the shroud, which would explain why the Church of Rome
tried to have the shroud destroyed and later called it a
"representation".
When purely speculative
freemasonry was established in England, two eminent clergymen
prepared the first rituals used in lodges working under the
jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of England, based on the documents
available to them from operative freemasonry. The clergymen were Dr
James Anderson (1684-1739), a member of the Church of Scotland and
Dr John Desaguliers (1683-1743), an influential Presbyterian
minister. Despite the religious heritage of freemasonry the
important role that clergymen played in the preparation of modern
masonic rituals, the hierarchies of some religious groups sometimes
raise the spectre that freemasonry is an anti-religious
organisation, which could not be further from the truth. Perhaps the
antagonism to freemasonry that is shown by the officers and members
of some religious hierarchies may stem from their fear of a loss of
control over those of its members who are freemasons. If that is the
reason for the antagonism it does not augur well for the freedom of
thought that religions are supposed to foster, or indeed for the
freedom of worship. Moreover, that attitude is the complete opposite
of the teachings of freemasonry.
Membership of freemasonry is
not restrictive in relation to religious beliefs, but a belief in
God is essential. Also there are obvious religious connotations in
the rites and ceremonies of freemasonry and embodied in the pursuit
of masonic knowledge. Even so, Grand Lodges generally proclaim that
freemasonry is not a religion and forbid the discussion of religious
subjects in open lodge. It seems obvious that Grand Lodges are
equating religious denominations, churches and sects with religion
in its universal sense, which embraces all systems of religious
belief. The proclamations of Grand Lodges in relation to religion
also overlook at least one essential aspect of true religion, which
is that a religious person does not necessarily belong to any
particular faith or church or sect. The religion embodied in
freemasonry is universal and independent from liturgical influences,
its only creed being a belief in God and the immortality of the
soul.
To fully appreciate the
foregoing comments, it is important to understand what is meant by
religion, which is derived from the Latin religare meaning to bind. It is believed
that the word religion originally referred to the
binding of humans to God. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary
defines religion as:
1. Action or conduct indicating a belief
in, reverence for and desire to please a divine ruling power; the
exercise or practice of rites or observances implying this.
2. Recognition on the part of man of some
higher unseen power as having control of his destiny and as being
entitled to obedience, reverence and worship; the general mental and
moral attitude resulting from this belief, with reference to its
effect upon the individual or the community; personal or general
acceptance of this feeling as a standard of spiritual and practical
life. (From as early as 1535)
3. Devotion to some principle; strict
fidelity or faithfulness; conscientiousness; pious attention or
attachment. (From as early as 1691)
4. The religious sanction or obligation
of an oath. (From as early as 1704)
The Hutchinson Encyclopedia
defines religion on a comparative basis, which is of special
relevance when considering those aspects of religion that are
pertinent to the objectives of freemasonry:
“Code of belief or philosophy, which
often involves the worship of a god or gods. Belief in a
supernatural power is not essential (absent in, for example,
Buddhism and Confucianism), but faithful adherence is usually
considered to be rewarded, for example by escape from human
existence (as in Buddhism), by a future existence (as in
Christianity and Islam), or by worldly benefit (as in Soka Gakkai
Buddhism).”
The following summary
highlights key elements common to both freemasonry and religion.
They clearly show that freemasonry is a religion that is universal
in its application, though it is not a religious denomination, nor a
church nor a sect:
1. Freemasonry requires a belief in God
and the recognition of some higher unseen power, called the Great
Architect of the Universe.
2. Freemasonry fosters the development of
mental and moral attitudes for the benefit of the individual and the
community.
3. Freemasonry requires its members to
enter into oaths or obligations of strict fidelity and faithfulness
and practices rites and observances that promote its teachings.
4. Freemasonry embraces a belief in the
immortality of the soul.
This concludes our journey in
search of freemasonry. We have discovered that freemasonry has been
a benefactor of humanity since the dawn of civilisation. We also
find that, from the dawn of history, freemasonry has always used
every endeavour to maintain a harmonious and useful relationship
with the many and varied facets of civilised society, whilst also
fostering the beneficial application of science for the advancement
of the human race. A freemason's belief in the immortality of the
human soul, coupled with his faith in a resurrection to a life
hereafter, are clearly reflected in the principles and precepts that
freemasonry has always upheld, as well as in the work that
freemasonry has carried out down through the ages. These important
considerations clearly support the view that freemasonry embodies a
religion of universal application and that it is compatible with all
religious denominations that are founded on a belief in God, who is
the Divine Force of the
universe. Notwithstanding the strong evidence of freemasonry's
status as a universal religion, it has never sought to dissuade its
members from also adhering to any religious denominations of their
choice. Giuliano Bernado records his comprehensive philosophical
investigation of the scientific, technological, economic, political,
social, religious and spiritual aspects of freemasonry in his book
Freemasonry and its Image of
Man, which is very informative. Another book of particular
interest is The Arcane Schools by
John Yarker, who also explored these various aspects.
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