Masonry vs the Bible:

Masonry:

The Bible. Although pretending great reverence, the Bible is considered a mere symbol of the will of God for man and as such is designated “lodge furniture.” (The Bible is on par with a chair or table.) As a flag symbolizes a country, so does the Bible symbolize God’s word. The Bible is in the same category as The Book of Mormon, the Vedas, the Koran, etc. and need not be obeyed.

God. God is the spiritual father of all mankind. When a person dies, regardless of his beliefs and past lifestyle, he will go to the “Celestial Lodge Above.” God is unitarian (only one person is God). God is so awesome that it is impossible for man to make contact with Him. God is referred to as the Great Architect of the Universe. In the higher levels God is called Jabulon, a name taken from pagan gods.

Salvation. The Mason is taught he can by his own efforts and self-improvement become worthy of the Celestial Lodge Above. In the Second Degree, the Mason is given an apron and told: “The apron of a Mason is intended to remind him of purity of mind and morals….. Thus you will wear your apron while laboring among us…ever remembering that you are to wear it as an emblem of that purity of heart and conscience that is necesary to obtain for you the approval of the Grand Architect of the Universe.”

Jesus Christ. The name of Jesus is prohibited in many Lodges as that name might be an offense to some. The name of Jesus is removed from Scriptural texts when used in rituals. Of all the prayers used in the rituals of Masonry not once is a prayer offered to God in the name of Jesus Christ. Masons degrade the name of Jesus. In one ritual the candidate is told, “Be thou a Priest forever, after the order of Melchisedek.” (This is particularly blasphemous as that holy office has only been filled by one Person, the Lord Jesus Christ.) Christ is not believed to be God, but merely a man.

Now let’s get the Bible perspective.

The Bible:

The Bible. Issue # 3 of The Main Issue gives much evidence that the Bible is in a class by itself. The Bible claims itself to be the inspired word of God and the Christian community has always accepted it as so. The difference between the Bible and the Book of Mormon, the Koran, the Vedas, etc., is simple: the Bible is true and the others are not.

God. God is not the spiritual father of all mankind, but only those who have been born spiritually into His family. That is why Jesus taught, “You must be born again.” God is a triune God, three Persons in one God, each Person equally and fully God. These three are the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. God can be reached through His Son Jesus Christ. The true name for God is “I am.”

Salvation. Scripture states very plainly (Ephesians 2:8,9), “By grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Attempting to make it by one’s own effort is rejecting the salvation that God gave freely, the gift of eternal life. The big difference between Christianity and all religions (including Masonry) is that Christianity receives by faith while religion strives to accomplish by one’s own effort.

Jesus Christ. Jesus said (Mark 8:38), “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” The Bible declares that Jesus is the Son of God, equal to the Father. He left His regal position and entered the human race through the body and obedience of a virgin. As a man he was tempted in all ways but sinned not. Jesus voluntarily went to the cross to pay for man’s sins so that through Him we can be saved.