Reared on earth by the Hand of God

“As I tarried within, I found that Masonry began to open before me as ever a profounder and profounder study. I consulted some of its great authors, and they gave me at least the clue with which I could threat its mazes; they placed in my hands the plummet with which, sailing out upon its ocean, I could sound its depths; for the views which I shall soon present to you are by no means original discoveries of mine. I found that what, in the ritual of Masonry, had seemed to me frivolous was richly laden with meaning; the shadowy shapes came out of their mist. Until at last, impressed with awe at the wondrous harmony of all the parts of the structure, at its majesty as a whole, and at a certain reserved strength which I recognized in it, I felt that I stood within a structure reared on earth by no less than the hand of God. For God’s constructive hand is not alone to be seen in the church; it is to be seen in governments, in machinery, in systems of thought, and in the organization of nations and civilizations. And, finally, I felt sure that if there were brethren in whose minds our beloved Masonry took the place of the church, that they misconceived her great design; that they failed to recognize the thoughts that were within her as she spoke; that the fault was not hers, but theirs.”

Excerpt from "Oration by the Rev. Ferdinand C. Ewer on the Relationship Between Masonry & Christianity" 1862.

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Visualised Religion

I do not endorse the following statement. However, I am collecting quotes on the subject in a study of eminent Masonic authors. This quote is taken from the introduction of the book "Freemasonry and the Ancient Gods," by J. S. M. Ward. The Introduction is written by the Hon. Sir John A Cockburn.

"The code of morality taught by Christianity can hardly be distinguished from that of Masonry. The new commandment of Brotherly Love is common to both. The difference lies not so much in the precepts as in the manner in which they are conveyed. Other cults communicate their lessons through the medium of written or spoken words. Masonry does so by means of symbols. It may be described as visualized religion."

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"Yet Freemasonry, which demands the simple confession of faith, asks no questions as to what God, nor even what kind of a God.  The candidate-to-be may name Him by any syllables; Freemasonry cares not.  That she does not care is one of her dearest symbols, since by this very act she teaches to all her sons that brotherhood is not in a Name, but in hearts; that men may believe in God, Jehovah or Great First Cause; in Love, Confucius, Mithra or a Cosmic Urge, and still be children of one Father, and therefore brethren in the true meaning of the word."

Carl H. Claudy, Foreign Countries

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Is It OK to Pray Together?

OK, here's another scenario.  You are invited to a wedding.  Your friend is of another religious faith than you.  His daughter is getting married and he wants to share it with you, so you are invited.  You are one of the only ones there of your faith, but it is a beautiful ceremony.  Although you don't completely understand all of the details, the traditions, or the significance of each activity, you can follow along pretty good.

It turns out the wedding is pretty similar to how weddings take place in your religion.  There are commitments made, with participation and expectations for family and friends, and there are appeals to God for the blessing of the union.  You stand up when everyone else stands, and you kneel when everyone else kneels.  You repeat what others say, if you can follow along.  Nothing is said which would contradict your own beliefs, so you feel pretty OK.

At a few points throughout the ceremony, there is prayer.  You find that everyone is asked to bow their heads or close their eyes.  The prayers are in English, so nothing is said you wouldn't understand.  The Officiant prays to "God".  he asks for blessings for the couple.  Even though you don't practice this religion, you know who "God" is, and when you prayed in your heart, you prayed to the God you know, understand, and worship.

But wait?  Which God did you pray to?  Which God did all the other people around you pray to?  Oh no?!  Have you blasphemed?

Of course not.  You prayed only to "God".  When you asked for a blessing for the couple, you were thinking in your heart of the God you worship.  It never occurred to you that you might be worshiping a different God than your own, because you were not.

Freemasonry is much like this.  Even though people around you may mean something other than what you mean, your religion is not compromised even if you step inside a house of worship of a religion you do not practice.  Because you are not scared of people who have a different religion, you were able to learn, experience another culture.  You might have liked it, you might have hated it.  But it did not harm you spiritually.  

People can pray together and be of different religions.  Just as someone of a different faith could come into your Church without harming the practice of your religion, you could go into someone else's house of worship.

Those critics of Freemasonry who object to it on religious reasons, sometimes say this is why a person of faith cannot be a Freemason.  Basically, they are saying if you practice their religion, your relationship with God is external.  Whatever is said around you is what you believe.  If someone prays around you to a God you do not pray to, YOU will have sinned.  If you pray near someone who does not practice your faith, you won't be practicing your faith.

If your relationship with your God is on a firm enough foundation that the mere existence of other religions is not enough to shatter your faith, you might be able to be a Freemason.

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Praying Together

Source: Virginia.Catholic.org

OK, here's the scenario.  You're at work when your boss invites you and some co-workers out for lunch.  You all go out to eat together.  Before you eat, you silently bow your head to pray over your food.  Everyone doesn't do this, but the way you were raised, you bless your food at every meal.  You don't know what religion your co-workers might be, and you don't much care.  It is a diverse environment with people of many religions.  It's not really your business, and you're fine with this.  You simply exercise the tenets of your own faith and move on.

When you're around you're family, maybe everyone prays together, while one person recites a prayer, and then you all eat.  Or maybe you don't.  Or when you are in Church, maybe everyone prays together, with a leader.  But you're not at Church right now.  Some of the people around you don't pray at all, and maybe a few others close their own eyes and bless their own food.

But wait a minute?  What religion are those other people? Are they Christian?  You don't know!  Oh no!  If you have accidently prayed with people who are of a different faith then you,... that is... its... well what does that mean?  Did you accidentally worship the wrong God?

But you wouldn't worry about that, right?  Because you are not in a Church, a Mosque, or a Temple, you are in a restaurant.  And you were not practicing a religion, you are just having lunch.  Your prayer was quick and personal.  You performed an expression to the God you worship, and nothing the people around you did or did not do changes or in any way impacts your faith.

Freemasonry is something like this.  It allows people of different faiths to participate in a shared experience.  Each may have different faith.  Each may even pray, or participate in prayer, at the same time, and in the same place.  Yet each has a personal experience, worshiping their own God.  That one person may focus his heart on Allah, another on Jehovah, another on Christ, does not invalidate the faith of any of them.  One person's faith has no more impact on anothers in the Lodge than it does in a restaurant.  We can pray together.

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The Five Articles of Remonstrance - Article V

That those who are incorporated into Christ by a true faith, and have thereby become partakers of his life-giving spirit, have thereby full power to strive against Satan, sin, the world, and their own flesh, and to win the victory, it being well understood that it is ever through the assisting grace of the Holy Ghost; and that Jesus Christ assists them through his Spirit in all temptations, extends to them his hand; and if only they are ready for the conflict, and desire his help, and are not inactive, keeps them from falling, so that they, by no craft or power of Satan, can be misled, nor plucked out of Christ's hands, according to the word of Christ, John x. 28: "Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." But whether they are capable, through negligence, of forsaking again the first beginnings of their life in Christ, of again returning to this present evil world, of turning away from the holy doctrine which was delivered them, of losing a good conscience, of becoming devoid of grace, that must be more particularly determined out of the Holy Scriptures before they can teach it with the full persuasion of their minds.

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