A Brief Note to our Detractors

"[You are not] to suffer your zeal for the institution to lead you into argument with those who, through ignorance, may ridicule it."
-From the Entered Apprentice Charge

   With the above in mind, I will spend very little time and effort on the (usually futile) treatment of this issue. I do not expect pre-conceived notions to be altered, nor already-closed minds to be moved.

   One of the most common complaints about the Craft raised by non- or "former" Freemasons is that of not being allowed to pray specifically in the name of their own God (usually Jesus Christ) within the Lodge room or during Lodge activities. Because Masons of many different faiths are often found working together in Lodge, we allow no sectarian prayer or discussion (including prayer in the name of Jesus or any other named Deity) during such times. Our detractors say that this proscription is "anti-Christian." Freemasons claim this policy to be merely "non-sectarian," and assert that the Masonic Lodge is no more a proper forum for sectarian discussions than, say, one's place of employment. The uncommitted reader must, then, decide (or not decide) which, if either, of these assertions is to be accepted.
   Our Christian detractors have often made the assertion that "Freemasonry is incompatible with Christianity." Christian Freemasons have vehemently denied this allegation. With all due respect to my brethren who have repeatedly stated that "Freemasonry is not incompatible with any religion," I must say the following:
   If your religion, as you practice it, makes it impossible for you to peacefully coexist with anyone of a different faith than yours, under the spirit of universal religious tolerance, or to show respect for another's faith by reciting a non-sectarian prayer that does not name any specific Deity and to which a brother of a different faith may readily add his "Amen;" if your religion, as you practice it, requires that you always be allowed to proselytize your beliefs to others, no matter what the forum; then Freemasonry is indeed incompatible with your religion, whatever it may be.
   Here, it seems appropriate to quote one of my favorite authors:

"The major offense of Masonry to orthodox churches is that it, like our First Amendment, encourages equal tolerance for all religions, and this tends, somewhat, to lessen dogmatic allegiance to any one religion. Those who insist you must accept their dogma fervently and denounce all others as devilish errors, correctly see this Masonic tendency as [inimical] to their faith."
- Robert Anton Wilson, Everything is Under Control: Conspiracies, Cults, and Cover-Ups, HarperCollins, 1998.

   But Freemasonry does not have to be incompatible with your (or anyone's) religion. Whether it is so is up to you, not us.

   We have also been accused of "Satanic" practice and "cult" activity. To the Satanic charge, I will say only two things: 1) Show me a Masonic Lodge in which identifiably Satanic activity or worship (or any sectarian practice or worship) is being performed, show me substantiated evidence of such activity, and I will show you an irregular or clandestine Lodge! 2) If your definition of "Satanism" is "any spiritual event or activity that does not specifically refer to or include the recognition and worship of Jesus Christ," then I suppose that, by your definition, we are guilty of that charge; but do not expect us or anyone else to accept or operate under such a narrow-minded definition.
   Those who would suspect Freemasonry of being a "cult" are hereby directed to Isaac Bonewits' (not a Mason) Cult Danger Evaluation Frame. Be warned, however, that many will not at all appreciate what Mr. Bonewits has to say about how to identify a "cult" or any group's danger potential, especially when they attempt to apply his evaluation method to their own situation. As Bonewits himself explains, "people who cannot view competing belief systems as ever having possible spiritual value to anyone, will find the [Cult Danger Evaluation Frame] annoyingly useless for promoting their theocratic agendas. "

   Finally, to those Brethren who are considering leaving the Craft for any reason, that decision should be yours and yours alone. Just as Masons do not (or should not) solicit the membership of any man, so too should you not be coerced or badgered into staying where you are not comfortable. You are the ones I most hope to move by the above discussion, and I would remind you of a specific, memorable occasion when you were indeed allowed, in fact bidden to pray for yourself in any name of God that you chose to use. (Do you remember this?) A hallmark of Freemasonry is that it encourages every man to look within and find his own Spiritual Path. If, however, you have decided, of your own free will and accord, that your own Path must not include any Masonic affiliation, then I can only say, "Go, then, my Brother, and may the blessings of God accompany you."

May the Light be extended upon you.

-Eric Schmitz, P.M.