What's Going On

Behind the Lodge Door

?

Sent Forth by God's Blessing

to Proclaim The Truth

to Members of Pagan Religions

Rev. Randy Gragg

Trinity Lutheran Church -- LCMS

October 5, 1997

In God There Is No Darkness

Matthew 4:16 (NIV) the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

Matthew 6:23 (NIV) But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Matthew 8:12 (NIV) But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 10:27 (NIV) What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.

Luke 11:35-36 (NIV) See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you."

Luke 12:3 (NIV) What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

John 1:5 (NIV) The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

John 3:19 (NIV) This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

John 8:12 (NIV) When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Bylaws of the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod

X. FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS

10:01 Statement of Purpose

a. The Synod has declared itself firmly opposed to all societies, lodges, and organizations of an unchristian or antichristian character.

b. The Commission on Organizations shall assist the pastors and the congregations of the Synod in fulfilling their commitment to witness publicly and privately to the one and only Gospel set forth in the Holy Scriptures.

10.03 Responsibilities of Pastors and Congregations

a. Pastors and laypeople alike must avoid membership or participation in any organization that in its objectives, ceremonies, or practices is inimical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ or the faith and life of the Christian church.

b. It is the solemn, sacred, and God-given duty of every pastor properly to instruct his people concerning the sinfulness of all organizations that

1. explicitly or implicitly deny the Holy Trinity, the deity of Christ, or the

vicarious atonement;

2. promise spiritual light apart from that revealed in the Holy Scripture;

3. attach spiritual or eternal rewards to the works or virtues of men; and/or

4. Embrace ideologies or principles that clearly violate an express teaching of the	Holy Scriptures concerning the relationships of men to one another.

c. The responsibility of diligent and conscientious pastoral care requires that pastors of the Synod do not administer Holy Communion nor admit to communicant membership members of such organizations who, after thorough instruction, refuse to sever their affiliation with the organizations, since Holy Communion expresses an exclusive spiritual relationship of the communicant to his Lord and to his brethren (Matt. 10:32; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 1 Cor. 11:25). Earnest continuous efforts should be put forth to bring individuals to a clear-cut decision regarding their contradictory confessions, in order that they may become or remain communicant members of the congregation, as the case may be.

d. The responsibility of conscientious pastoral care recognizes that a pastor will occasionally encounter an exceptional case in which he is called on to administer Holy Communion to a person who is outwardly connected with such an organization. Such exceptional cases ordinarily involve an individual who

1. has accepted the pastoral care of the congregation and is being instructed by its	pastor in and effort to lead that person to see the inconsistency of contradictory	confession and witness;

2. has renounced to the pastor and / or church council the unchristian or
antichristian character of the organization in which membership is held.

In such exceptional cases the pastor should consult with his brethren in the ministry or with officials of the Synod, as the case may require. He should, furthermore, beware of procrastination and the giving of offense to members of either the congregation or sister congregations.

e. The Synod instructs its officials to exercise vigilant care and urges all pastors and congregations to carry out these provisions and faithfully eradicate all compromise or negation of the Gospel through members' identification with objectionable organizations. It shall be the duty of every member, pastor, and especially officials of the Synod to admonish those pastors and congregations that fail to offer counter testimony and take decisive actions in matters pertaining to this subject. Refusal to heed brotherly admonition shall lead to suspension and eventual expulsion from the Synod.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY

OF THE TEACHINGS

OF THE MASONIC LODGE

AND THE CHURCH

SHOWING A CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE: We desire to build Christian lives and not to hurt them. We are always pointed with the answer to the question "Lord, what wilt THOU have me to do?"

WE HOLD LOVE AND NOT ILL FEELING TOWARD OTHERS: We consider the teachings involved as evil and the individuals as sinners like us needing God's Law and Gospel.

THE MAIN ISSUES INVOLVED: The Triune God and His Plan of Salvation (There are only two basic religions in the world; Natural and Revealed. If the Triune God is tampered with; only natural religion can result which cannot save.)

IS RELIGION INVOLVED?

"Masonry is a religious institution." Masonic Ritualist (p. 44) A. G. Mackey.

"A Lodge is opened in the name of God and the Holy Saint John, as a declaration of the sacred and religious purpose of our meetings." Masonic Ritualist (p. 14) A. G. Mackey.

"Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion, and its teachings are instruction in religion." Morals and Dogma (p. 213) Albert Pike

"The first Masonic Legislator whose memory is preserved to us by history, was Buddha, who about a thousand years before the Christian era, reformed the religion of Manous. He called to the priesthood all men, without distinction of caste, who felt themselves inspired by God to intrust men." Morals and Dogma (p. 277) Albert Pike

"Masonry is a divinely appointed institution, designed to draw men nearer to God, to give them a clearer conception of their proper relationship to God as their Heavenly Father, to men as their brethren, and the ultimate destiny of the human soul." Iowa Masonic Quarterly Bulletin (p. 54).

Examine the Lodge features: Temple, Altars, Chaplain, High Priests, Rituals, Teachings regarding future life, Prescribed conditions under which Masons may enter heaven. (There is more religion to be found in the Masonic Lodge than some churches offer!)

"THE RELIGION OF MASONRY IS NOT CHRISTIANITY." Mackey Encyclopedia of Freemasonry

"For the ten degrees of the York Rite however, individual participation is generally required. Especially in the first four degrees, those of the Royal Arch. It is in the final or Royal Arch Degree that a most shocking thing occurs. And it is handled in such a mundane manner that the candidate little realizes what has happened. At the final stage of the allegory, the candidate is given what he is told is a further secret, substitute name for God. The Tripartite name Jah -Bul- On is whispered in his ear. And unlike the words in the Blue Lodge, this one is never really to be used as a password, so little reference is ever again made to that word. However, even a superficial examination of that anagram will horrify any Christian. Jah merely stands for Jahweh or Jehovah which certainly shouldn't bother us. But Bul is Baal, the Baal who Jezebel setup in defiance of the Triune God. The Baal the Children of Israel were warned against. And On or Osiris is the Egyptian god against whom God has already pronounced judgement. The Masonic fraternity then has placed our Triune God among this composite thing, this unholy trinity." The Masonic Lodge in Light of Confessional Christianity, Rev. William A. Ferguson (p. 15)

"The charge to the candidates for the 30th degree reads thus: 'You have already been informed that among the Knights Kadosh truth and reality take the place of symbols, and even now your sagacity will partly raise the curtain which cannot be entirely removed until you have sustained new trials. In all the preceding degrees you must have observed that the purpose of Scotch Masonry is to overthrow all kinds of superstition, and that by admitting in her bosom on the terms of the strictest equality the members of all religions, of all creeds and of all countries, without any distinction whatever, she had, and indeed can have, but one single object, and that is to restore to the Grand Architect of the Universe; to the common father of the human race, those who are lost int he maze of imposture invented for the sole purpose of enslaving them. The Knights Kadosh recognize no particular religion, and for that reason we demand of you nothing more than to worship God. And whatever may be the religious forms imposed upon you by superstition, at a period of your life when you were incapable of discerning truth from falsehood, we do not even require you to relinquish them. But you will never be a true Mason unless you repudiate all superstition and prejudices.'" Modern Secret Societies, Charles A. Blanchard (p. 140).

(Below are conflicting quotations which show that what you have learned from your study of the Bible and what you have confessed on the day of your confirmation stands in direct contradiction to what is being taught by the Masonic Order.)

CONFLICTING VOWS

Question: Does Masonry teach the God you worship?

CONFIRMATION VOW

(Only the Triune God)

"Go ye therefore and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Matthew 28:19

"Thou shalt have NO OTHER GODS before Me." (The First Commandment)

"Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and HIM ONLY shalt thou serve." Matthew 4:10

"I am the Lord; that is My name and My glory will I not give to another." Isaiah 42:8

"Choose you this day whom ye will serve!" Joshua 24:15

"There is none other God but one." 1 Corinthians 8:4

"This is eternal life that they might know Thee the ONLY TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." John 17:3

"I am the first, and I am the last; beside Me there is no God." Isaiah 44:6.

MASONIC VOW

(Any god)

"So bread is the religion of Masonry, and so carefully are all sectarian tenets excluded from the system, that the Christian, the Jew, the Mohammedan, may combine with the Buddhist, the Parsee and the Confucian and worship the Deity under every form." Masonic Monitor (p. 285) Webb

E. A. Coil, a Unitarian Minister and Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge in his pamphlet "The Relationship of the Liberal Churches and the Fraternal Orders" says, "The Fraternal Orders and the Liberal Churches ought to get together because they have the same conception of God." (Unitarians do not teach the Triune God.)

"Free Masonry has taught that each man can by himself work out his own conception of God and thereby achieve salvation." Freemasonry by Ward.

CONCLUSION:	Can you as a Christian side-step your Triune God and tolerate the propagation of false gods?

Questions: Is Jesus taught as the only Savior of the World?

CONFIRMATION VOW

(Jesus is the only Savior)

"There is ONE God and ONE mediator between God and man, the Man, Christ Jesus." 1 Timothy 2:5

"He that denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father." I John 2:23

"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." John 14:6.

"Jesus saith unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me." John 8:42

"Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12.

MASONIC VOW

(Jesus is placed on a level with false christs)

"In the history of man the shining lights are those who taught exceedingly clearly, rightly used that thinking, and gave the results of their efforts to mankind to use constructively. Among such can be found Jeseus Christina of India; Confucius of China; Orpheus, Plato, and Pythagorus of Greece, or our own Christian leader and teacher. EACH OF THESE TAUGHT THE TRUTH." The New Age (p. 494).

"Then, my brother, if Christ and Buddha are one and the same why condemn you these that follow Buddha? Know you not that they who follow Buddha follow the same Christ?" Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry by G. S. Clymer (p. 11)

The Masonic "Bible" has changed passages to eliminate Jesus.

THE BIBLE

"Ye also as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, and holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God BY JESUS CHRIST." I Peter 2:5.

MASONRY

"Ye also as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God." (Mark Master's Degree) (Mackey says: "The passages are taken with slight but necessary modifications."

Also in the Royal Arch Degree the name Jesus is omitted in quoting the following passages: II Thessalonians 3:6, 3:12; and Hebrews 7.

The Masonic Hymnal is changed to eliminate the Trinity and Christ.

THE LUTHERAN HYMNAL

"Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty, God in Three persons, Blessed Trinity."

"Blest be the tie that binds, Our hearts in Christian love."

"Jesus, lover of my soul."

"Rock of ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in Thee, Let the water and the blood From thy riven side which flowed."

"Asleep in Jesus, Blessed sleep."

"Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning," etc.

THE MASONIC HYMNAL

"Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, Look upon this brother who comes with faith in Thee."

"Blest be the tie that binds, Our hearts in purest love."

"Lord, the Savior of my soul."

"Rock of ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee. Let thy power and thy love Rest on me from heaven above."

"Asleep, O Brother, blessed sleep."

"Glory be to God on high, as it was in the beginning," etc.

"WHOSOEVER SHALL CONFESS ME BEFORE MEN, HIM WILL I ALSO CONFESS BEFORE MY FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN. BUT WHOSOEVER SHALL DENY ME BEFORE MEN WILL I ALSO DENY BEFORE MY FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN." Matthew 10:32-33

CONCLUSION:	As Christians we ought to be confessing our Savior instead of tolerating the elimination of His name from His Word and from hymns dedicated to Him.

The Way of Salvation

CONFIRMATION VOW

(By Jesus Payment -- GRACE)

"By Grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9.

"He that believeth on Him (Jesus) is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:18

"Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1

"All have sinner and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24

"The son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His Life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28

"I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me." John 14:6.

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Romans 3:20

"I do not frustrate the Grace of God; for if righteousness comes by the Law, then Christ is dead in vain." Galatians 2:21

MASONIC VOW

(By man's merit -- WORKS)

"Freemasonry in practice teaches that all good men, whatever their personal belief, have a right to hope for salvation. Each Mason can for himself work out his own conception of God and thereby achieve salvation." Ward

"Thy brother lies down to peaceful rest wearing the white rose of a blameless life; calm in the assurance of a blessed immortality." Minnesota Proceedings (p. 47).

The lambskin the Mason wears reminds him of "That purity of life and conduct which is essentially necessary to his gaining admission into the celestial lodge above where the Supreme Architect of the Universe presides."

"Masonry does not teach salvation by faith, nor the vicarious atonement." Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry by Clymer (p. 10)

"Masonry inculcates the practice of virtue but it supplies no scheme of redemption for sin. It points its disciples to the path of righteousness." Encyclopedia of Masonry (p. 619)

"He who lives a life in conformity with the principles which he here imbues need have no fear when the word shall come calling him into the hereafter." Minnesota Masonic Proceedings (p. 66)

"Mutually promote the welfare and happiness of each other and the honor and glory of God and the salvation of our own souls." Masonic Ritualist (p. 238)

Moral Standards

Question: Does God require limited or universal morality?

CONFIRMATION VOW

(Love all men)

"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good to all men." Galatians 6:10

"Thou shalt not commit adultery." The Sixth Commandment.

"If ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15

MASONIC VOW

(Love fellow Masons)

Masons pledge themselves to show special favoritism and render special acts of kindness to fellow masons.

"I will not have illicit carnal intercourse with a brother's wife, his mother, sister, or daughter, knowing them to be such." Master Mason Ritual

"The Ten Commandments are not obligatory upon a Mason." Mackey

Oaths

CONFIRMATION VOW

(God's Standards)

"In secret have I said nothing." John 18:20

"Thou shalt not kill." The Fifth Commandment

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers." Romans 13:1

MASONIC VOW

(Sinful Oaths)

"Binding myself with no less penalty than having my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by the roots, and buried in the rough sands of the sea." Entered Apprentice Mason Oath.

The Master Elect of the Fifteen and the Thirtieth Degree swears to take vengeance by death upon all who are traitors of Masonry.

The Master Mason swears that if he violates his oath he will take the penalty of "having his body severed in the midst, his bowels burnt to ashes, and scattered to the four winds of heaven."

The Royal Arch Degree requires the penalty of "Having his skull smitten off and his brains exposed to the scorching rays of the sun."

The Master Mason vows to conceal crimes of fellow Masons, except murder and treason.

The Royal Arch Mason swears to conceal all secrets of a companion of the same Degree - - murder and treason not accepted, and to aid in extricating him from the same. He swears: "Not to reveal any secrets revealed to me in the future."

CONCLUSION: Can a Christian take oaths like the above?

ATTITUDE TOWARD RELIGION

CONFIRMATION VOW

(Only one true religion)

"There be some that trouble you and would pervert the Gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached to you, let him to accursed." Galatians 1:7-8

"Many false prophets shall arise and deceive many." Matthew 24:11

"Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrines ye have learned and avoid them." Romans 16:17

"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed." 2 John 8-9

MASONIC VOW

(Any Religion is good)

"At the heart of every religion lies the same eternal truths." Masonry by Clymer (p. 38)

"There never has been a false religion in the world." Inner Sanctuary 1:271 by Albert Pike

"The ethics of Buddha, Plato, Apollonius, Jesus, Ammonius Saccus and his disciples were all based upon the same mystic philosophy." Symbolic Teachings by Steward (p. 8.)

WHAT ABOUT THE SHRINERS?

(All of the following quotations are excerpted from "The Mystic Shrine an Illustrated Ritual of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine" Revised Edition 1975 published by Ezra A. Cook Publications, Inc. ("Serving the Craft Since 1867) Chicago.

"The Mystic Shrine is called an Arabic Order, but it is only in a spirit of frolic that Shriners assume the garb and role of Arabs. They do not worship the Mohammedan Allah, and they do not accept the religion of Islam. Shriners are all Masons, believing in deity, and they are all liberty-loving Americans. Organized in fun, the Shrine is called a "playground for Masons". Its principles are pleasure, hospitality, and jollity, without intemperance, coarseness or rudeness. It is a mistake to call the Mystic Shrine the highest degree of Freemasonry. It is not a part of the Masonic Lodge, but it is perhaps the best loved of all the non-Masonic bodies composed of Masons. The order in the United States numbers thousands of members, all enthusiasts at the Shrine of fraternal affection and good-fellowship." (p. 7)

DO THE RITUALS OF THE SHRINE SUPPORT THE ABOVE STATEMENT?

Initiation --

High Priest --

...Our alliance or the Rite of our Mystic Shrine is ancient, honorable, benevolent and secret. It is devoted to the cause of justice, truth and mercy. It is ancient as the corner-stone of Mohammed's Temple of Mecca; as secret as the Moslem that bound the tribes of Arabia to Allah or their god; as honorable as the Christian, and the tenets to which it is dedicated when once assumed cannot be eschewed or cast aloof. ...We require absolute secrecy and desire all our disciples to hold and interest in our noble cause and a just observance of the tenets of our faith. ...By the existence of Allah and the creed of Mohammed; by the legendary sanctity of our Tabernacle at Mecca we greet you, (p. 17-18)

Grand Potentate --

Who is he who hath professed to have conversed in person with the Supreme and maketh himself mightiest of his Mohammed, the Prophet of the Arab's creed? (p. 18)

Priest --

There are Moslems among us; there are others who swerve from propriety; but whoso seeketh Islam earnestly seeks true direction; but those who swerve from truth and justice shall merit and reap abundance of chastisement. (p. 19)

Obligation

...I do hereby, upon this Bible, and on the mysterious legend of the Koran, and its dedication to the Mohammedan faith, promise and swear and vow on the faith and honor of an upright man,... (p. 20)

...and now upon this sacred book, by the sincerity of a Moslem's oath I here register this irrevocable vow, subscribing myself bound thereto as well as binding myself by the obligation of the prerequisite to this membership m that of a Knight Templar or that of a thirty-second degree A. and A, Scottish Rite Mason. ... may Allah, the god of Arab Moslem and Mohammedan, the god of our fathers, support me to the entire fulfillment of the same, Amen, Amen, Amen. (p. 22)

Priest --

And may Allah protect and support you, that you be not cast into 'al hotama' (hell).... (p. 24)

Conductor --

This is the place where our brethren stop to sprinkle the Devil's Pass with urine. You will contribute a few drops of urine to commemorate the time and place where all who pass here renounce the wiles and evils of the world to worship at the Shrine of Islam. Only a few drops will do. (p. 28)

GRAND HAILING SALAAM.

...This sign must be given on entering and retiring. Word of entrance given to Outer Guardian, Mecca. Word of entrance given to Inside Guardian, Nemesis (the pagan Greek goddess of punishment). (p. 40)