Christianity and the Secret Teachings of the Masonic Lodge – Program 4

By: Dr. John Ankerberg, Jack Harris, Jim Flannagan, Bill Mankin, Dr. Walter Martin; ©1985

Masons claim the Bible is one of their Great Lights, but do they actually follow the Bible as their guide for faith and practice?

Do Masons Believe the Bible is Authoritative?

Introduction

On this edition of John Ankerberg, we will compare the secret teachings of the Masonic Lodge with Christian belief. You will hear what the Lodge teaches in the first three degrees of Masonry, as well as the higher degrees of the York Rite and the Scottish Rite. Masons are promised in their authoritative Masonic ritual that nothing in the Lodge’s teachings will ever conflict with one’s own religious beliefs. Has Masonry lied to Christians in stating this? Is it really possible for a Christian to embrace the teachings of Freemasonry? Tonight, you will find out.

Invitations for tonight’s program were extended to current leaders, scholars, and Worshipful Masters of the Lodge. But Lodge members declined our invitation to come and be a part of this program – though our invitation remains open. However, you will meet and hear two former Worshipful Masters, Mr. Jim Flannigan and Mr. Jack Harris, explain what they used to believe and teach as leaders of the Lodge.

---

Ankerberg: Welcome to our program. The Masonic Lodge claims in their authoritative Ritual that the Holy Bible is one of the Great Lights in Masonry and their rule and guide for all Masonic faith and practice. Well, tonight we’re going to examine the evidence to find out if that is really true. Now I believe that most men in the Lodge look at the Bible as former Junior Warden Paul Pantzer did, and I’d like you to listen.

[Excerpt from “What Goes on Behind Closed Doors?”]

Mr. Paul Pantzer: As a non-believer I felt that the Bible was the capstone of all that Masonry encompassed. The Bible was in the middle of the Lodge, on the altar, in view at all times from all points in the Lodge. To me, that made the whole thing worthwhile, even if I ever heard any negative comments from friends outside the Lodge. I felt that it probably encompassed everything that I was learning in Masonry since it was the highlight of the Lodge.

Ankerberg: Now, why would Masons think this way? Well, the reason is that every candidate who passes through the first degree initiation ceremony – the degree of Entered Apprentice – is taught during the Ritual that, “The three great lights in Masonry are the Holy Bible, Square and Compass. The Holy Bible is given to us as the rule and guide for our faith and practice.”

But I think the evidence proves that Masonry really believes the Bible is only a symbol and is not to be followed literally. For example, esteemed Masonic scholar Joseph Fort Newton wrote the following instruction which can be found in the front of every Holman Masonic Edition of the Holy Bible. He said, “The Bible, so rich in symbolism, is itself a symbol. It is a sovereign symbol of the book of faith, the will of God as man has learned it in the midst of the years. That perpetual revelation of Himself which God is making to mankind in every land, in every age. Thus, by the very honor which Masonry pays to the Bible, it teaches us to revere every book of faith, joining hands with the man of Islam as he takes oath on the Koran and with the Hindu as he makes covenant with God upon the book that he loves best. For Masonry knows what so many forget, that religions are many, but Religion is one – perhaps we may say, one thing. Therefore, it invites to its altar men of all faiths, knowing that if they use different names for ‘the Nameless One of a hundred names,’ they are yet praying to the one God and Father of all. Knowing also, that while they read different volumes, they are in fact reading the same vast Book of the Faith of Man.”

From this we can see that for Masonry, the Bible is not a rule and guide for faith and practice, but only a symbol. Now, we all know what a symbol is. The American flag is a symbol of freedom. The flag itself is not freedom, it is only a piece of cloth which symbolizes freedom. In the exact same way, Masonry teaches the Bible itself is not God’s Word, but it is only paper which symbolizes God’s Word. That is why the Bible is officially designated as a piece of Lodge furniture.

But what value is the Bible to the Lodge if it is only a symbol? Well, one of the greatest of Masonic scholars, Albert Pike, explains how Masonry uses a candidate’s reverence for the Bible to commit him to the Lodge. Here’s what Pike says: “The Bible is an indispensable part of the furniture of a Christian Lodge only because it is the sacred book of the Christian religion. The Hebrew Pentateuch in a Hebrew Lodge… and Koran in a Mohammedan one belong on the Altar. The obligation of the candidate is always to be taken on the sacred book or books of his religion, that he may deem it more solemn and binding; and therefore it was that you were asked of what religion you were. We have no other concern with your religious creed.”

Now let me give you two examples that show Masonry practices exactly what Pike stated. First, let’s listen to the last few lines of the actual vow that is taken by every candidate in the third degree of Masonry. And I want you to notice that the Holy Bible is used to seal this vow. Please listen.

[Excerpt from “What Goes on Behind Closed Doors?”]

(The Candidate repeats the obligation, phrase by phrase, as directed.)

“I solemnly and sincerely…promise and swear…to keep and perform the same…without any equivocation…mental reservation…or secret evasion of mind…in me whatever… binding myself under the no less penalty…than that of having…my body severed in twain…my bowels taken thence…and with my body burned to ashes…and those ashes scattered…to the four winds of heaven…so that there might remain…name…trace…nor remembrance…no more forever…of so vile a wretch…as I would be…should I ever willing…or knowingly…violate this…my most solemn obligation…as a Master Mason. So help me God…and keep me steadfast…in the due performance…of the same.

Worshipful Master: Mr. Smith, as an evidence that you took this oath freely and of your own will and accord, please kiss the book before you three times. It is the Holy Bible. [Candidate kisses the Bible.]

Ankerberg: Another example that proves that Masonry uses the Bible to secure a Christian candidate’s allegiance to the Lodge can be seen in the 10^th degree of the Scottish Rite. The candidate swears as follows: “I, John Smith, do promise and swear upon the Holy Bible to keep exactly in my heart all the secrets that shall be revealed to me.” From this, we can see that the only purpose Masonry has for recognizing the Scriptures of all faiths is to get men to swear allegiance to Masonry on the authority of the Scriptures they hold dear. Masonry has only used the Christian’s respect for the Bible to get him to swear allegiance to Masonry. Why? Well, obviously Masonry cannot ask a Christian to swear his allegiance on the Qur’an or on the Upanishads when he does not believe these are authoritative scriptures. But since Christians believe the Bible is holy and sacred, Masonry asks him to swear upon it.

Put simply, Masonry has no real respect for the contents of any holy books other than their motivating power to secure one’s commitment to Masonry. As Albert Pike said, “We have no other concern for your religious creed.” That this is exactly the way Masonry uses the Bible was made crystal clear to me by Mr. Bill Mankin, a 32^nd degree Mason, during our debate with Dr. Walter Martin. Please listen.

[Excerpt from “Christianity and the Masonic Lodge: Are They Compatible?”]

Mankin: To ask a Mohammedan to swear on a Christian Bible would be ludicrous; it would be sacrilegious.

Ankerberg: Then the Bible is not the authoritative book of the Masonic Lodge. That’s what Walter was saying.

Martin: That’s what I’m saying.

Mankin: I said, in the United States the Holy Bible is the rule and guide of our faith. Yes.

Ankerberg: But then there must be something behind the Holy Bible because it’s not universal, it’s just for this square geographical area here; and over there there’s another authoritative book. That was where I think Walter was going.

Mankin: It’s not…it’s not whether or not it’s authoritative that is what’s meaningful here.

Ankerberg: That’s what he said.

Mankin: What you’re asking a candidate to do is obligate himself…

Ankerberg: According to what he thinks…

Mankin: …to the highest principles that he knows. According to his religion. There’s no point in having him obligate it according to Dr. Martin’s religion or according to my religion.

Ankerberg: Okay, Bill. How do you like that in terms of “truth”?

Mankin: In terms of truth?

Ankerberg: Truth. Is truth that way?

Mankin: We’re not talking about theology, we are talking about a system of morality that is illustrated by the use of the square, by the compasses, by the level, and by the plumb.

Ankerberg: You know, it’s a fact that Masonry never intended that Christians would keep and follow their Scriptures, for to do so would be to deny the distinctive teachings of Masonry. Proof of this may be seen in the following statements by Masonic authorities Coil, Mackey and others. From these men we learn that Masonry has at least five distinct teachings about the Bible.

(1) the Bible is only a piece of Lodge furniture, a “great light” upon which the candidate obligates himself to Masonry. Mackey’s Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry teaches, “In the American system the Bible is both a piece of furniture and a great light.”

(2) the Bible is not really to be believed. It is only a symbol of the will of God. Masonry teaches that the actual contents of the Bible are not the Word of God. For example, in Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia we can read, “The prevailing Masonic opinion is that the Bible is only a symbol of divine will, law, or revelation and not that its contents are divine law, inspired, or revealed. So far, no responsible authority has held that a Freemason must believe the Bible or any part of it.”

(3) Masonry considers the Bibles of other faiths equally authoritative or, more to the point, equally unauthoritative. Mackey’s Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry’ teaches, “The Bible is used among Freemasons as a symbol of the will of God, however it may be expressed. Therefore, whatever to any people expresses that will may be used as a substitute for the Bible in a Masonic Lodge. Whether it be the Gospels to the Christian, the Pentateuch to the Israelite, the Koran to the Musselman [that’s the Muslim] or the Vedas to the Brahman [that’s the Hindu] it everywhere Masonically conveys the same idea, that of the symbolism of the Divine Will revealed to man.”

(4) Since the Bible is not the literal Word of God, it is not to be literally obeyed. Masonic scholar Oliver D. Street frankly confesses, “The Bible is not displayed on our altars now and never has been for the reason that Masons are required to believe its teachings. We know that there is a very large element of the craft the world over who do not believe the teachings of the New Testament. Hence, unless we are perpetrating a grim mockery, we do not employ the Bible as a profession that we as a society accept all its teachings and doctrines.”

The Masonic Lodge in the higher degrees even teaches that Christians cannot properly interpret their own Bible. For example, Pike declares, “The Hebrew books [that is, the Bible] were written in symbols unintelligible to the profane”, that is, the ignorant or the non-Mason. In other words, only Masons can properly interpret the Bible.

Now, I’d like you to listen as former Worshipful Master Jack Harris tells us how he came to realize the Masonic Lodge was lying to him about the Bible being the “Great Light” in Masonry. Please listen.

Harris: I didn’t think there was any conflict and I enjoyed doing what I was doing. But something was tugging inside that was wrong.

Ankerberg: Because you still weren’t a Christian at that time.

Harris: I still was not a Christian at the time.

Ankerberg: Even though you went to a church and you were Worshipful Master of the Lodge.

Harris: That’s right. I had a lot of head knowledge, John, but the heart wasn’t committed to any of the head knowledge.

Ankerberg: So this started you thinking. Then what happened?

Harris: Well, what happened at that time is that one night I was watching a Billy Graham Crusade, I remember, October of 1970. And he was preaching on Hebrews 4:12. Well, it convicted my heart so bad that I knew I was a sinner; I needed Jesus Christ as my Savior. I got on my knees and accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. At that time my first love, other than the Lord Jesus Christ, was His Word. I saturated my mind day and night with the Word of God. And then I said, the Rituals that I had memorized word of mouth were coming back to me, and it’s a total conflict with what I’m reading in the Word of God. What do I do?

Ankerberg: Give me an example.

Harris: An example?

Ankerberg: Give me an example of where you saw conflict when you read the Bible and you compared it to your Masonic teachings.

Harris: When I first came into Masonry they told me that I was “in darkness, seeking spiritual light.” And when I read in John 8:12 where Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.” And as I saw many other passages that said I am a child of light. In the book of Colossians, “He has called me out of darkness” [Col. 1:13]. I thought, “Well, wait a minute! If I’m out of darkness and I’m in Jesus’ light, why am I still in darkness in every degree of Freemasonry until I come to their light?” So this kind of opened my eyes that something is wrong here with Freemasonry.

I then contacted the Grand Lodge of the State of Maryland, debated with them on the issue, and their final word was: “We worship the Supreme Architect of the Universe here. If you want to worship Jesus Christ, you go to your church.” My point was, “Sir, in the light of the first chapter of John, Jesus Christ is the Architect of the Universe but he has a name: it’s Jesus Christ.” He said, “End of argument.” I then decided in order to be true to the Word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, I must renounce Freemasonry.

Ankerberg: Now, was that a hard decision to make?

Harris: Not after being convicted. No. Because it was a matter of a love for the Lord and now I… what made it an easy decision, John, is I felt tremendously lied to and deceived by what Masonry taught to me as they said it was truth. And now I find out it wasn’t the truth, it was a lie! Yes. I was very upset.

Ankerberg: When did you realize that the Masonic plan of salvation or the way to get into the Celestial Lodge was not what the Bible said?

Harris: I would say within about a month after I was saved and I started to saturate my mind with the Word of God and reading the book of Romans, the sixth chapter, that said I am dead, buried and resurrected with the person of Jesus Christ [v. 4]. And then when I read John 3:7, “Ye must be born again.” Oh? Must be born again – not brought to light of the teachings of Freemasonry. They never taught me to be born again in Freemasonry.

Ankerberg: You know, Jack Harris is correct. The Masonic Lodge lied to him about the Bible. Yet at the same time Masonic authors are very blunt in stating what Masonry really believes in their books. For example, in Chase’s Digest of Masonic Law he asserts, “To require that a candidate profess a belief in the divine authority of the Bible is a serious innovation in the very body of Masonry. The Jews, the Chinese, the Turks, each reject either the Old or the New Testament, or both. And yet we see no good reason why they should not be made Masons. In fact, Blue Lodge Masonry has nothing whatever to do with the Bible. It is not founded on the Bible. If it were, it would not be Masonry.”

In conclusion, virtually all Masonic authorities establish three things: (1) that the Bible is only a symbol; (2) that a Mason is not required to believe the Bible’s teachings and (3) that some other book may be substituted for the Bible.

But these Masonic views concerning the Bible are in direct conflict with what the Bible teaches about itself. Here’s what Jesus taught about His own teachings. He said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away” (Matt. 24:35). Again, He said, “He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has One who judges him. The word I speak is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on my own initiative but the Father Himself who sent me has given me commandment what to say and what to speak. The things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told me” (John 12:48-50).

Now, concerning the Bible itself, the apostles taught, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (1 Tim. 3:16-17). And finally, we find this Scripture, “No prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will but men, moved by the Holy Spirit, spoke from God” (2 Pet. 1:20-21).

Read Part 5