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Myths of Masonry, Part 1
Saving Yourself & Becoming Christ
I don’t know too much about Freemasonry, but I just came across this rather interesting quote from Lynn Perkins’ book, The Meaning of Masonry:
Therefore Masonry teaches that redemption and salvation are both the power and the responsibility of the individual Mason. Saviors like Hiram Abiff can and do show the way, but men must always follow and demonstrate, each for himself, his power to save himself, to build his own spiritual fabric in his own time and way. Every man in essence is his own savior and redeemer; for if he does not save himself, he will not be saved.
I found this on a bunch of different Christian websites that are trashing Freemasonry. I guess to “normal” Christians this idea of saving yourself is pretty much heretical, isn’t it? I also found these quotes from JD Buck’s Mystic Masonry:
“It is far more important that men should strive to become Christs than that they should believe that Jesus was Christ.” (page 62)
“The perfect man is Christ: and Christ is God. This is the birth-right and destiny of every human soul.” (page 86)
It’s funny that when Christians try to make points about things they consider “occult” that they always use really old books, which are often out of print. Anyway, to me, all this stuff just sounds gnostic to me, and quite compatible with Christianity (if not closer to the original intention of it). But what do I know? Anyway, these quotes come from a page called Masons: Sons of Light or Sons of Darkness?
This is also a great quote:
“The true Mason is not creed-bound. He realizes with the divine illumination of his lodge that as a Mason his religion must be universal: Christ, Buddha or Mohammed, the name means little, for he recognizes only the light and not the bearer. He worships at every shrine, bows before every altar, whether in temple. mosque or cathedral, realizing with his truer understanding the oneness of all spiritual truth.”
It comes from Manly Palmer Hall’s Lost Keys of Freemasonry. I really enjoy watching fundamentalist Christians scratch their noodles trying to figure this stuff out. It seems like it really hurts them to hear it. That site exclaims at the end: “How can a man call himself a Christian and at the same time be a member of another religion which disowns Jesus Christ and sets up altars to other gods?”
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- Next: Myths of Masonry, Part 2
September 3rd, 2005 at 6:12 pm
in my divinity studies and in reading the words of christ himself, i believe we are being asked to work towards a christlike state whereby we can perform miracles such as having a happy life, loving each other and being prosperous in our work. is that a heresy?
September 3rd, 2005 at 6:30 pm
Yeah I think it is…
September 3rd, 2005 at 6:38 pm
alistair: Indeed, and most of the divinity students I’ve known would agree that working towards a christlike state is the whole idea behind being a Christian (though most would draw the line at “becoming a Christ”, with some exceptions).
It’s interesting to note the differing attitudes I’ve seen towards occultism and mysticism from Christians in different denominations over the years. The most outright anti-occultism I’ve seen has tended to come from the same denominations that seem to breed the most occultists- fundamentalists (esp. Southern Baptists) and Catholics. Of course, as for the ones who do become occultists, their attitudes tend to be different- the fundies often get involved out of childish rebellion, and then later repent and frequently attack people for their involvements in evil, ungodly magic, whereas occult-positive Catholics tend to come at it from the perspective that occult matters are sciences: knowledge that can be applied to a godly or ungodly end. Catholics and esoteric magic have a long and shady relationship; while you’ll find plenty of priests who condemn the practices, and others who merely think that the occult is harmless baloney, there are still catholic hermetics and cabalists here and there… (Valentin Tomberg is probably the most famous example from the last century)
Lutherans seem, in general, to be utterly indifferent to the whole affair (though there are exceptions)… most midwestern Lutherans just think occultism is a silly head-trip, only really dangerous in the same way as alcoholism or videogames- it can become an obsession and addiction that keeps you from being a productive member of society. This is especially amusing given that the Rosicrucian tradition is an outgrowth of Lutheranism, and one that most Lutherans, even ones well studied in theology, seem strangely ignorant of.
I’ve met occultists through unitarian churches- but whether unitarians are really to be considered “Christian” or not is debatable.
I don’t know enough about Eastern Orthodox to really know, though I’ve heard people mention on various forums that they know Orthodox clergy who practice forms of cabalism and esotericism… it wouldn’t be shocking, anyhow, especially given that the Orthodoxies are some of the most mystical branches of Christianity to begin with…
September 4th, 2005 at 11:09 am
Anyway, to me, all this stuff just sounds gnostic to me, and quite compatible with Christianity (if not closer to the original intention of it). But what do I know?
You know quite a bit;P It’s quite like the Gospel of Philip, isn’t it?