FREEMASONRY: DEFENSA OF PERSONA; CONSCIENCE
Bro. and Dr. Boettjer is a member of Cypress Lodge
# 295 of Naples Fl. He is the managing Editor of The
Scottish Rite Journal and was invited to address the
editors association of the Baptist Press in June, 1993 at
the Southern Baptist Convention in Houston, Texas. The
following STB is a portion of that address. While the
remarks were directed to a Baptist audience, the issues
raised and the answers given are clearly significantly
important in discussing Freemasonry with any religious
Group! --Editor
My thesis is that Freemasonry has been
misunderstood and then, for whatever reason,
demonized and vilified, sometimes by members of churches, to the extent that a response
to the critics of Freemasonry was and still
remains necessary.
We all cringe at the words of some Masons
even well respected writhes, and, in particular,
when anti-Masonic writers select quotations
from supposed Masonic authorities when there
is no accepted Masonic authority except for \
the Grand Master of each Grand Lodge of state
and then he is only and authority within his
jurisdiction and only for the year of years of
his term in office. Worse yet, Freemasonry's
critics tend to twist whatever juicy quotations
they have found, taking them out of context,
editing them, and so slanting them that they
say just about anything the anti-Mason wishes
the quotations to say.
First a bit of history. Freemasonry has by tradition and, in some cases, by
rule, not responded to its critics. This silence has been
misinterpreted by many. They presume that
silence gives consent or that Masons do not
have the facts to refute attacks and, therefore,
remain silent. Somewhat over a year ago,
however, the attacks on Freemasonry became
so virulent that we felt a response was necessary Please understand, we do not object to
differences of opinion or reasoned criticisms.
Freemasonry is not perfect. There are many
things to correct or improve. We are working
to resolve many of these problems and thus
improve Freemasonry.
Historically, the right to private judgment
is as much a part of Freemasonry as it is of the
Southern Baptist tradition. As early as 1798,
Charleston, South Carolina Southern Baptists
advised the matter of Southern Baptist membership in Freemasonry, "be left with the judgment of the individual."
Similarity, George W.
Truett, one of the greatest leaders of Southern
Baptists, and a Freemason said: "The right to
private judgment is the crown jewel of humanity, and for any person or institution to
dare to come between the soul and God is a
blasphemous impertinence and a defamation
of the crown-rights of the Son of God.
Let me say this clearly and emphatically:
Freemasonry is NOT a religion. It is a Fraternity based on moral principles and
dedicated to the overall ethical and educational improvement of its members. If it has any relation to
religion at all, it is as a complement to faith.
We often say, "Masonry makes good men
better." Many, many new Masons become
more active in their church after becoming
Masons. Why? Because Freemasonry stresses
values central to most churches and to our
nation. Freemasonry was a crusader for "family values" before the term became politically
correct. Freemasonry has been a defender of personal conscience, political
freedom, and individual liberty long before George Washington and Benjamin Franklin took Masonic
vows to support and extend the Masonic ideals
of Brotherhood, Relief, and Truth.
Because Freemasonry stands squarely for the constitution and all the fundamental
freedoms bequeathed to us by the writers of that
great document, 13 of the 39 signers being
Freemasons, Freemasonry has always been
attacked by those who would limit liberty.
Freemasons were among the first to be persecuted by Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Stalin, and
the Ayatollah Khomeni. And so it has always
been. Freedom is the lifeblood of Freemasonry. That is why Freemasons were central to
the creation of these United States and why
tyrants and dictators of every sort, upon coming to power, immediately stigmatize Freemasonry
and persecute its members. Today, as in
the past, Freemasons are defenders of First
Amendment rights and the concept of liberty.
We are not opposed to differences of opinion,
but we are opposed to lies and deliberate
manipulations of the truth.
We believe the attacks on Freemasonry have
come to malicious slander and the unjustified
and unconscionable tearing down of one's
neighbor rather that building, with him, of
bridges of understanding and cooperation.
Undoubtedly, some of their anti-Masons are
sincere. Possibly, they cannot see beyond the
misconceptions foisted on them by those who
promote themselves at the expense of others.
Freemasons are saddened to see this exploitation.
We are outraged, however, when men of
God promote what they must know to be
falsehood. What excuse can one offer, for
instance, for Rev. Pat Robinson's "The New
World Order?" Despite the ready assistance of
a research staff, Robertson trucks out, with no
qualifications at all, what we Scottish Rite
Masons call "the lie that will not die," the
assertation that Albert Pike. a late l9th-century
leader of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry,
advocated a, quote, "Luciferian doctrine"
advising Masons to worship the Father of Lies,
Lucifer.
Pike NEVER wrote these words. They come
from a notorious atheist and pornographer,
Gabriel Jogand-Pages, who wrote under the
pen name of Leo Taxil. Taxil wrote some
bogus "Instructions" to Scottish Rite Masons,
supposedly from Pike, as a device to expose
the credulity of the Catholic Church , an institution he hated as much as the Masonic Lodge
that had, with good sense, rejected his application for membership.
Taxil publicly exposed his own hoax on
April 19, 1897, but the hoax lives on, savored
by anti-Masons who never tire of trundling out
this hoary story though even the slightest of
research efforts would reveal it was unmasked
by its inventor and disproved nearly a century
ago!
Similarly, Rev. Ron Carlson of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, in one of his broadcast
sermons quotes Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma.
(Ironically, Pike is read by more of Masonry's
foes than by Masons!) Rev. Carlson in what
must be the 10,000th expose of so-called
Masonic secrets, quotes Pike as saying on
page 545 of Morals and Dogma:
"All mysteries [meaning Masonic mysteries] should be kept concealed, guarded by
faithful silence, less it should be inconsiderately divulged to the ears of the Profane, He
sins against God who divulges to the unworthy
the Mysteries confided to him. The danger is
not merely in violating the truth, but in telling
the truth."
[Then Carlson continues saying,] "Albert
Pike says it is a sin to divulge the truth. Now
how different this is from what we read in
God's word."
Ironically, the truth is that Rev. Carlson is
not quoting Albert Pike. Here is what Pike
actually wrote in Morals and dogma. Previous to the quotation noted above are the words,
"St. Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan, who was
born in 340, and died in 394, says in his work
De Mysteriis." In fact, the words Carlson
attributes to Pike are actually the words of St.
Ambrose. Pike was quoting St. Ambrose on
what that Christian Father taught regarding
the Christian Mysteries, NOT any alleged
Masonic mystery.
This is what we object to: not differences of
opinion or open, fact-supported discussions
but the fabrication of slanted truth, half truth,
and outright untruth. I do not know if the intent
of such anti-Masonic authors as Robertson
and Holly (whose fathers are Masons) and
Carlson may be to deceive the gullible or if
they themselves are deceived by their biased
view of Freemasonry.
Most certainly, Freemasonry is not about
paganism or devil worship. Most certainly it is
not un-Christian or anti-Christian. Most certainly it is not "secretive" or "closed." All men
of good character who believe in God are
welcomed to Freemasonry. Then, through a
series of Masonic lessons, what we call
"Degrees," moral principles are taught that
Support a man's personal faith, whatever his
denomination; that enhance his dedication to
his family and country that encourage his
participation in the life of his community in a
variety of civic and philanthropic ways.
Masons, for instance, are justifiably well-known for the support of orthopedic hospitals,
burn centers, childhood language disorders
clinics, Alzheimer's and schizophrenia research , programs for the unsighted,
and many, many other charities. Masonic philanthropy today extends more than
$525 million per year or $ 1.4 million per day to charity, and 58% of this goes
to members of the general public, all\ totally free. Nor do we claim this
Masonic philanthropic outreach as any means of personal salvation, any way by which a Mason
might believe he is paving his way to Heaven.
Salvation, grace, and faith are within the province of the Church. Freemasonry, as a fraternity, has nothing to say about salvation. The
Bible is guide enough for every individual
when it says faith without works is dead.
Clearly, faith without understanding or toleration can only divide people. Religions,
transformed into single-minded zealotry,
become fiercely competitive. Many claim for
themselves the exclusive mandate to speak
and act for God. In contrast, Masonry believes
religious difference between human beings
are how we respond to God, the Father of all,
Who is continually pouring His love and His
blessings on us. The Masonic Fraternity has its
deepest roots in Christianity and therefore
espouses the central teaching of the "New
Law" as taught by our Lord Jesus Christ, "to
love one another." Freemasonry is dedicated
to helping men of every faith to live by principles fundamental to Christianity. The attacks
on Freemasonry, in my opinion, display little
of the love, joy, and peace of Christ. Instead of
love, they offer hate; instead of knowledge
they offer bias; instead of the joy of spiritual
self-fulfillment. they offer a thirst for battle;
instead of peace and harmony, they offer violent verbal attacks.
If I may be so bold as to offer my voice as
that of all Freemasons and Americans as well
as the voice of the many thousands of spirit
filled, Bible-believing, Church-supporting
Southern Baptists who are also Lodge-attending and Lodge-supporting Masons, I again
offer the truth so well stated by that great
Southern Baptist and Freemason, George W.
Truett: "The right to private judgment is the
crown jewel of humanity, and for any person
or institution to dare to come between the soul
and God is a blasphemous impertinence and a
defamation of the crown-rights of the Son of
God."
(and the insert FOCUS)
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION VOTE VITALIZES MASONRY
The first milestone of the Center for Masonic Information has
been reached--and successfully Based!
On June 16, 1993, in an overwhelming vote estimated by Masons
and non-Masons alike to be as high as 9 to 1, the 18,000+
messengers (delegates) to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting
in Houston, Texas, approved a Home Mission Board, SBC, report
saying, in part: "we therefore recommend that consistent with our
denomination's deep convictions regarding the priesthood of the
believer and the autonomy of the local church, membership in a
Masonic Order be a matter of personal conscience."
This vote avoided the possibility of an outright (and
unjustified) condemnation of Freemasonry as advocated by a vocal
extreme group within the Convention. Such a negative vote by
America's largest Protestant denomination (over 15 mi11ion members)
would have had t0 do serious damage both to Freemasonry and to the
Southern Baptist denomination itself.
A large part of the credit for the successful outcome of the
vote must be given to Brother John J. Robinson. Without his initial
leadership, hark work and generous financial support, The Center
for Masonic Information would not have been created nor could it
have been represented at Houston. As a result of John Robinson's
vision; Bro. and Dr. John W. Boettjer, Managing Editor of the
Scottish Rite Journal, was able to represent the Center for Masonic
Education at Houston in the SBC press room, on the Convention floor,
and at the hospitality suite/media center set up by the Center at
the Four Seasons Hotel near the Convention hall,
The Center also provided a high positive profile to
Freemasonry at the convention in several other ways. The Center
sponsored Brother Boettjer as the guest speaker at a banquet held
by the Baptist Press Editors Association, provided 100 well-stocked
press packets, developed an attractive brochure titled "Facts About
Freemasonry" (copy enclosed). ran full-page ads in Houston's two
daily newspapers on June 15, the day before the vote (for a copy of
the ad, see the reverse side of this sheet), and coordinated the
availability of thousands of pro-Masonic printed materials (such as
the February and May 1993 special issues of the Scottish Rite
Journal at the Convention's doors.
With the historic milestone of the Southern Baptist Convention
successfully behind and the Fraternity revitalized from having been
tested and proved true, the ten-member steering committee of the
Center for Masonic Information is already planning additional ways
the center can continue to maintain a positive thrust for Freemasonry in America. Your suggestions are welcome!
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