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goes on behind the closed doors of the
Masonic Lodge.

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In our prior program, a 32nd degree
Mason met with a Christian scholar to

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out whether or not Christianity and the
Masonic Lodge were compatible.

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In that program, our Masonic guest said
the ritual was the authoritative source

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for all Masons.

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But what is the ritual for the first
three degrees of Masonry?

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What does it teach?

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Tonight, you will find out.

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Mr. Jack Harris, a former worshipful
master from the state of Maryland, will

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reenact small parts of the ritual from
the first three degrees and explain what

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he taught in the lodge.

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In program one, you will be introduced
to the primary symbols in all Masonic

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lodges and watch how a candidate is
received upon his being initiated into

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entered apprentice degree of Masonry.

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In program two, the former worshipful
master will explain to us the meaning of

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the three great lights.

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and three lesser lights of masonry.

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In program three, what is the
significance of the working tools of

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What is the meaning of the white apron
and the rough ashlar and the perfect

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ashlar?

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In program four, how binding is the
obligation taken by any candidate

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into the first three degrees of masonry?

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In program five, you will see the actual
ceremony used at a Masonic funeral.

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In program six, both sides will comment
on whether masonry is a religion,

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whether or not it promises eternal life
in the celestial lodge above, what a

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mason must do in this life, and whether
masonry holds the Bible's teachings to

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be authoritative.

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In preparation for this program, letters
were sent to the grand lodges in all 50

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states asking them which Masonic authors
and books they would recommend as the

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most authoritative commentaries
concerning the teachings of masonry.

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We will report to you what they said.

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Then we will compare the commentary of
their recommended authors with some of

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the teachings of biblical Christianity
to answer the question, is Christianity

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compatible with the teachings of the
Masonic Lodge?

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Please stay tuned.

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Welcome to the John Ankerberg Show.

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Tonight, we begin a follow -up program
to a previous series that we did

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entitled, Christianity and the Masonic
Lodge, are they compatible?

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We received quite a bit of response from
that program.

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And tonight we want to continue.

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As our custom is, we allow the other
side to present their own position.

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So tonight and in the weeks to come, you
will hear excerpts from our previous

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program with our guest, Mr. Bill Manken,
a 32nd degree Mason.

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You'll hear additional information from
a former worshipful master of the lodge.

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But to set the setting tonight, let's go
back to the previous series where I

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asked two questions of Mr. Bill Manken
concerning the Masonic Lodge.

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First, is masonry a religion?

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Please listen to what he said.

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There are many good things with the
lodge in terms of what Walter just

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mentioned, the hospitals and so on, the
different functions, the charities.

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And I think that there's no argument on
that.

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We never argue with people on things
that are right.

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The discussion comes around. Let me see
if I can frame it for you.

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And that is that it's not a religion.

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More than that, it's not a religion. It
offers no system of salvation. And I'm

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going to have to read from this certain
point because this is very, very

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important and something that you should
realize because we have none of the

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marks of a religion. Okay, let her go.
We have no creed.

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No confession of faith in a doctrinal
statement.

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We have no theology.

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We have no ritual of worship.

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We have no symbols that are religious in
the sense of symbols found in a church

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or a synagogue.

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Our symbols are related to the
development of character of the

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man to man.

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They are working tools to be used in the
building of life. These working tools

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have been used from time immemorial to
build buildings.

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And all we are saying is that if you as
an individual adopt the principles

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represented, and we'll get into some of
that symbolism later on, that you will

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be a better person. Not that you're
going to go to heaven.

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The second question, if anyone is going
to investigate the teachings of the

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Masonic Lodge, Who or what is the
authority that we should listen to?

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Again, please listen to what he said.

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The authoritative source for masonry is
the ritual. The ritual, what happens in

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the lodge, what goes on. So there are
some basic things then that are

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to masonry. Yes. And that you would
agree with and that all masons would

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with. Yes.

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okay now we have established that there
is a basic foundation upon which all

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masonry rests all right tonight i
thought that you might like to see what

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on behind closed doors in a masonic
lodge room and we're actually going to

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recreate for you some of the ceremony
the ritual in the blue lodge the first

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three degrees of masonry why well you
just heard mr bill mankin a 32nd degree

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mason explained to you that he thought
that masonry cannot be considered a

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religion. Why? Because it has no creed,
it has no theology, it has no plan of

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salvation. But he did say the way that
you find out, the way you measure that,

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is by looking at the ritual. And
tonight, if that's the authoritative

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thought that I would like to show you
the ritual that you decide for yourself.

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Now we needed to have somebody that was
knowledgeable, somebody that would be

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considered knowledgeable by masons
across the country.

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Who could be more knowledgeable than a
worshipful master of the lodge?

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And tonight we actually have a former
worshipful master, a man who led over

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men in his lodge in Maryland, who
initiated many of those men into the

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And he's going to explain what is in the
typical Blue Lodge hall.

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And we are going to then ask him to give
us certain parts of the ritual.

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It will be exactly word for word those
parts that we duplicate.

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But we're not going to give you all of
the ritual. That would take about five

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hours. But the parts that we give to
you, you will find are word for word

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is in most of the lodges across the
country.

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Our guest tonight is Mr.

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Jack Harris.

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Jack.

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I would like for you to explain to us
what we see here. What is the big G

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this chair, and what is that chair, and
what are these other chairs?

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John, first of all, the chair of the
Wurzel Master is situated in the east.

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It is the place of authority in Masonic
Blue Lodge.

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Over top of the chair is a letter G,
found in every lodge within the United

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States.

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Okay, what are these chairs down here?

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Okay, on the left, we have the chair of
the chaplain.

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Every lodge must be open and closed with
prayer.

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And in a great many of your lodges
throughout the United States, the

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an ordained minister.

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To the right of the master is the chair
of the senior deacon. The senior deacon

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is in charge of conducting all
candidates through their initiation of

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three degrees of Freemasonry. All right.
What are these candles here, Jack?

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These candles represent the sun, the
moon, and the master of the lodge.

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as we come down through the center of
the lodge and this is significant

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This altar is in exactly in center of
every Masonic Lodge with the United

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Resting on top is the Holy Bible the
square and the compasses. All right

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gonna tell us more about why you have
these things there and what they mean in

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masonry We were gonna do that on a later
ritual right? All right. Why do we have

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the color blue here? The color blue
according to most Masonic authorities is

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used in the Blue Lodge, first and second
and third degree, because it is a

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symbol of fidelity.

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Now, Jack, tell us, what is the south
wall all about in the Masonic Lodge

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Okay, the south wall is the principal
place where the junior warden of the

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sits. Okay. To his right and to his left
are the chairs of the junior and senior

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stewards of the Masonic Lodge.

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All right, you're going to tell us why
you have, and you call it the south

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and then you've got the west wall over
here. That's correct. A little later as

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we go along, and the people will see how
these chairs are used.

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Yes, that's correct. All right, describe
what do we have over here on the west

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wall. Okay, the small chair on the left
is the chair of the junior deacon, who

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is in charge of a mission of all
candidates and also the guest of the

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right, what's this chair? The chair in
the center is the chair of the senior

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warden of the lodge, who is second in
command to the worshipful master of the

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lodge. Okay, Jack, what about this other
door on the west wall? What's this all

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about? This door is for the candidate to
come through. It's called the ante

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-room door.

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It's the door behind which the candidate
is prepared for initiation.

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Behind this door, we have a candidate
which is prepared for initiation in the

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first degree of freemasonry. We will
explain to you at a later time exactly

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he is dressed the way he is.

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Okay?

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All right, so now what we're going to do
is we're going to actually begin the

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first degree of masonry and take you
through, again, some of the key parts in

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the actual ritual as it happens in the
Blue Lodge.

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Tonight, we're going to bring you into
an actual lodge room and show you the

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ritual of the first degree of
Freemasonry.

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As John has mentioned earlier, we cannot
show you all the aspects of the ritual,

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but what we will show you will be an
actual...

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live representation of what happens in a
Masonic Lodge.

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Previous to this, there was about 20
minutes of ritual leading up to this

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where I am at at the present time.

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Who comes here?

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John Smith, a poor blind candidate who
desires to be brought from darkness to

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light. who wishes to receive a part of
the rights and benefits of this right

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worshipful lodge, erected to God and
dedicated to the Holy Saints John, as

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brothers and fellows have done before
him.

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Is it of his own free will and accord he
makes this request?

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It is. Is he duly and truly prepared?

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He is.

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By what further right does he expect to
gain admission?

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By the right of being a man, freeborn,
of good report, and well recommended.

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Being all this, he will wait a time with
patience.

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Until the worshipful master is informed
of his request and his answer returned

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Before

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we continue with the ritual

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I would like to make some comment about
the part of the ritual at the door that

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you have just seen Albert Mackie one of
the world's leading authorities in

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freemasonry and respected in his
interpretation of the rituals of

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has made this comment regarding the
scene that you have just said at the

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The book is called The Manual of the
Lodge, page 20, and he makes this

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statement. There he stands without our
portals on the threshold of his new

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Masonic life, in darkness, helplessness,
and ignorance.

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Having been wandering amid the errors
and covered over with the pollution, of

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the outer and profane world, he comes
inquiringly to our door, seeking the new

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birth, and asking a withdrawal of the
veil which conceals divine truth

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from his uninitiated eyes.

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As Christians, the Word of God is
considered their authority in all

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truth and conduct.

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I would like to quote to you with the
Word of God.

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says about this part of the ritual that
we have just shown you.

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In John 8, 12, the Word says, Again,
therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying,

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I am the light of the world.

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He who followeth me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of

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life.

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Also, in Ephesians 5, 14, the Word of
God says, Awake thou that sleepest from

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the dead.

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And Christ shall give you light.

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I spent many years in the Masonic Lodge
as an officer.

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And in all those years serving as
worshipful master in other offices, I

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Freemasonry to be something that was
really meeting a need in my life.

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But one night while at home and watching
Christian TV, I heard the gospel of

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Jesus Christ for the first time.

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knelt down there in the living room, and
accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord.

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My first love became the Word of God.

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And as I read the Word, the Spirit of
God showed me that I was a child of

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and Jesus, my Savior, was the light of
the world.

200
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I found that this was in tremendous
conflict with the teachings of

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especially the part of the ritual you
saw at the door.

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Saying that as a Christian candidate, I
was in darkness regarding spiritual

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00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:45,920
matters.

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Let me ask you, can you truthfully say,
when you came to the door of Freemasonry

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for initiation, that as a Christian, you
were in spiritual darkness?

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When the word of God says, as a
Christian, you are a child of light.

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00:14:09,370 --> 00:14:13,610
ritual of the first three degrees of
Freemasonry in order to answer the

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question, are the teachings of
Freemasonry compatible with biblical

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Christianity?

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00:14:19,310 --> 00:14:21,870
Now, why are we investigating the
Masonic ritual?

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Well, in our first series, as we were
talking with Mr. Bill Manken, a 32nd

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00:14:27,190 --> 00:14:30,250
degree Mason, we found out something
very interesting.

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00:14:30,650 --> 00:14:31,650
Please listen.

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00:14:32,390 --> 00:14:35,950
In order for us to define terms, because
the questions I'm going to ask you on

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00:14:35,950 --> 00:14:37,130
the two prayers that we've read.

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00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:41,940
have to do with how what god are we
talking about who is the great architect

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00:14:41,940 --> 00:14:45,800
supreme architect of the universe okay
now how do we how do we figure that out

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00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,500
what is your authority when you have a
question on the masonic lodge who do you

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00:14:48,500 --> 00:14:53,120
go to i go to the ritual and where does
the ritual come from uh the ritual is is

220
00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:58,740
that's that's the portion the monitor
portion of the ritual is spoken what

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00:14:58,740 --> 00:15:05,560
with the obligation and the doings of
masonry is the portion that is secret

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and and unfortunately

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you're not privy to that unless you ask
to be privy to it.

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Since Masons believe that the ritual is
their authority, then please listen as

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Mr. Jack Harris, a former worshipful
master of the lodge, continues to

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and explain the significance of portions
of the entered apprentice degree, the

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first degree of Masonry.

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We will now continue with our ritual in
the first degree of Freemasonry.

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Mr. Smith, you are received into masonry
upon the point of a sharp instrument

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piercing your naked left breast, which
is to teach you, as this is an

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of torture to your flesh, so may the
recollection thereof be to your

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should you ever reveal any of the
secrets of Freemasonry unlawfully.

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Thou safe thine aid, almighty Father of
the universe, to this our present

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convention, and grant that this
candidate for masonry may dedicate and

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his life to thy service.

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Endue him with the competency of thy
divine wisdom, that by the secrets of

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art he may be bettered and enabled to
display the beauties of holiness of thy

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holy name.

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Amen.

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Mr. Smith, in times of imminent peril
and danger, in whom do you place your

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trust? In God.

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All right, as a former worshipful
master, I want to ask you a couple

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First of all, we saw this segment with
Bill Minkin, 32nd degree Mason, talking

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to Dr. Walter Martin.

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He said Masonry is not a religion and
has no creed, no confession of faith,

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okay? Then we watched as you actually
performed the ritual and it seemed to me

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that you did have a creed You did have a
confession of faith. Tell us what you

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were doing and talk to both of those
areas Okay, the first area dealing with

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being received as a Freemason into the
lodge You were received upon the penalty

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00:17:26,050 --> 00:17:30,050
of a sharp instrument piercing your
naked left breast. Yeah, that was pretty

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00:17:30,050 --> 00:17:35,210
rugged What do you think about that
threat of punishment from a Christian

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of view from a Christian point of view
now? I believe that

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It's very hard for me to be a witness
for Jesus Christ in the world at the

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time knowing I belong to an organization
that is telling me that I must keep

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their religious secrets secret or I will
suffer a penalty of death. I have a

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hard time with this as a Christian.
Okay, you've got a secret organization

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versus an open one. That's right.

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All right, what about the...

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Prayer and the little ceremony that you
conducted when the man was kneeling.

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What about that? What did it mean, first
of all? Okay, what it basically means,

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John, is that they believe that they
will make good men better by the

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of God and the brotherhood of man
doctrine.

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That prayer, word for word, is the exact
prayer said in every lodge in the

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United States of America.

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So any mason can go to his little ritual
book, and he can look in there, and

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you'll find the exact same words that
you just said. That is correct.

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Now, the Grand Lodge of the state of
Maryland, John, has made a statement

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regarding that part of the ritual, that
prayer. I'd like to read it to you. All

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right.

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Thus, mastery is a great fellowship of
men of all countries and ages who are

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capable of discovering in the religious
teachings of all humanity, some of them

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crude indeed, the fundamental truth
common to them all, that God is the

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of all mankind and all men are brethren.

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that this principle is worth dying for,
and that he who remains steadfast in the

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service of this ideal may well hope for
and expect immortal life.

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Okay, so all the Christians that are
watching and that are a part of the

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okay, this is kind of an authority
speaking and giving the interpretation

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what that prayer means. That is correct.
And telling this is our creed, okay?

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How does that square with the Word of
God, if you want?

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Okay, the Word of God in Galatians, the
fourth chapter and the sixth

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verse, fifth and sixth verse, describes
that we as children of God, being

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redeemed as we are through the blood of
Christ, then and only then have a right

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to call God Abba, Father. So Father
delineates a relationship, and the only

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to have a relationship with God is your
Father.

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is through the shed blood of Jesus
Christ. So you're saying that actually

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all men are part of the sonship of God,
that you have to have a relationship

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with Jesus Christ to become a part of
the family of God. God is creator to all

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of creation, but he's not necessarily
our father. That is correct.

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00:20:12,620 --> 00:20:14,000
Now that's something a lot of people
disagree with.

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Well, that's what the Bible teaches,
John.

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Are there any other verses?

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00:20:16,860 --> 00:20:21,100
Well, Romans 8 .15 deals with the
adoption.

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into the family of god as children of
god which also says we are adopted

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00:20:26,140 --> 00:20:30,280
the shed blood of jesus christ it does
not talk about universal teachings as

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00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:34,420
freemasonry does which takes the moslem
the buddhist and the hindu teaching and

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00:20:34,420 --> 00:20:38,140
says if you obey each one of those you
can attain mortal life which the prayer

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00:20:38,140 --> 00:20:42,740
did show when it talked about the
fatherhood of god okay and finally it

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00:20:42,740 --> 00:20:47,080
statement that also disagrees with the
bible i think when you had uh in the

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00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:51,560
prayer you talked about by the arts of
masonry what are the arts of masonry and

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00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:55,400
what did you say by the arts of masonry
a man could accomplish okay we said in

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the prayer by the secrets of our art he
may be enabled to display the beauties

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00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:05,620
and the holiness of god that what they
mean by that is the teachings of

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00:21:05,620 --> 00:21:09,780
freemasonry the mysteries that you will
learn the moral lessons you will learn

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00:21:09,780 --> 00:21:15,800
in the building of your spiritual temple
of your soul you can gain eternal life

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00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:21,580
and will be able to look at God and say,
I have given you glory through the

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00:21:21,580 --> 00:21:25,300
teachings of Freemasonry. Okay. If you
were to talk to those that are

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00:21:25,300 --> 00:21:29,740
in the lodge, what would you challenge
them with right now concerning the

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00:21:29,740 --> 00:21:30,579
that we just saw?

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00:21:30,580 --> 00:21:35,040
I would say, first of all, in the
receiving of the candidate upon the

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00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:39,660
death, Jesus said he spoke in the
synagogue, he spoke openly to the world.

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00:21:40,110 --> 00:21:45,550
And Matthew 28, he told his disciples,
proclaim the gospel to all the world. So

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00:21:45,550 --> 00:21:49,930
all the word of God is to be proclaimed
without holding back any of the

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00:21:49,930 --> 00:21:51,790
teachings of the word of God.

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00:21:52,050 --> 00:21:56,070
Okay? And the prayer of the pillar,
dealing with the fatherhood of God and

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00:21:56,070 --> 00:21:59,710
brotherhood of man, we know as children
of God, it's only through the shed blood

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00:21:59,710 --> 00:22:01,870
of Jesus Christ we have a right to call
God our father.

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00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:07,640
So thereby, I believe as a Christian,
this violates my right as a child of God

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00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:10,840
to be part of such a teachings as we
have learned here in this ritual.

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00:22:11,380 --> 00:22:16,480
Next week, we're going to look into more
of the ritual that actually goes on in

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00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:19,600
the Blue Lodges all across the United
States and examine it in light of the

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Bible. I hope that you'll be with us.

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00:22:25,550 --> 00:22:29,990
For this program, we read and compared
the authoritative, monitorial manuals

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00:22:29,990 --> 00:22:32,810
containing the ritual of the lodges in
the different states.

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00:22:33,050 --> 00:22:38,090
We also wrote to each of the Grand
Lodges in all 50 states, asking them

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00:22:38,090 --> 00:22:42,270
books and authors they thought most
accurately conveyed the essential

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00:22:42,270 --> 00:22:43,270
of masonry.

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00:22:43,390 --> 00:22:48,630
42 % of the lodges that responded
recommended Henry Wilson Coyle, and one

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00:22:48,630 --> 00:22:51,910
of the lodges recommended Albert Mackey
and Joseph Fort Newton.

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00:22:52,490 --> 00:22:57,110
Authors recommended next in frequency
were Claudie, Haywood, Serza, Gould,

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00:22:57,310 --> 00:23:00,430
Roberts, and Pike, in that order. All of
these were read.

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00:23:01,130 --> 00:23:06,070
Then, Mr. Bill Mankin, a 32nd degree
Mason, was once again invited to come on

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00:23:06,070 --> 00:23:09,930
our program, but he was denied
permission by the worshipful master of

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00:23:09,930 --> 00:23:10,769
in Idaho.

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00:23:10,770 --> 00:23:15,150
An invitation was also extended to Mr.
Samuel Chandler, Grandmaster of the

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00:23:15,150 --> 00:23:19,010
Masons in Tennessee, but he said he
would not be interested in making any

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00:23:19,010 --> 00:23:21,210
response at all since, and I quote,

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00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:26,300
Freemasonry has survived all of its
critics for years and will survive this

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00:23:26,300 --> 00:23:28,260
attack also, end of quote.

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00:23:28,740 --> 00:23:33,640
Our invitation to these men or other
responsible spokesmen for Freemasonry

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00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:34,640
remains open.

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00:23:34,860 --> 00:23:38,100
But we hope that no one will think this
program is an attack.

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00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:43,480
We certainly believe that anyone who so
desires can join Masonry. All we are

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00:23:43,480 --> 00:23:47,800
interested in is comparing Freemasonry's
teaching with the plain truths of the

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00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:49,100
Bible. Hopefully.

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00:23:49,820 --> 00:23:54,540
Freemasonry will allow us to enter the
discussion and disagree with them since

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00:23:54,540 --> 00:23:58,600
we have taken the trouble to document
our position in their ritual and the

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00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:00,840
writings of the authorities they
recommended.

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00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:05,980
Now, if you want to have our special
package of information, it includes the

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00:24:05,980 --> 00:24:09,360
written transcripts of all six of the
television programs in this series

350
00:24:09,360 --> 00:24:14,000
entitled The Masonic Lodge, What Goes On
Behind Closed Doors? And the book on

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00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,520
Freemasonry by our guest, former
worshipful master Mr. Jack Harris.

352
00:24:18,110 --> 00:24:21,230
plus the booklet I have written
entitled, Is Freemasonry a Religion?

353
00:24:21,430 --> 00:24:23,510
and other important questions about the
lodge.

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00:24:23,830 --> 00:24:28,810
Anyone sending a gift of $20 or more to
the ministry may request this package of

355
00:24:28,810 --> 00:24:34,910
information. Just ask for offer M7. Our
address is The John Ankerberg Show, Post

356
00:24:34,910 --> 00:24:39,570
Office Box 8977, Chattanooga, Tennessee,
37411.

357
00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:44,800
VHS video cassettes of all six TV
programs in this series are available

358
00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:48,840
request to anyone sending a gift of $39
or more to the ministry.

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00:24:53,340 --> 00:24:59,140
Masonry, as far as I was concerned, and
many, many men that I talked to when I

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00:24:59,140 --> 00:25:02,980
was in masonry and since I've come out
of masonry, is the way to God.

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00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:07,820
It is a religion in the minds of many of
the men in it. I can't speak for all of

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00:25:07,820 --> 00:25:10,120
them, and certainly there are men in
masonry who are there for a lot of

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00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:10,959
different reasons.

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00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:15,920
But many of them are there for the sole
purpose that they think it's making them

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00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:22,420
better, and behind that, it's giving
them what they need to make their life

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00:25:22,420 --> 00:25:23,420
acceptable.

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00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:27,760
Good evening.

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00:25:27,900 --> 00:25:32,040
This is the second program in our follow
-up series concerning the Masonic

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00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:37,200
Lodge. The reason for tonight's program
is that many of you have asked, are the

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00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:40,460
teachings of the Masonic Lodge
compatible with biblical Christianity?

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00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:45,280
Well, as our custom is, we allow others
to present their own position.

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00:25:45,900 --> 00:25:51,340
So to set the stage tonight, I'd like
you to listen to Mr. Bill Manken, a 32nd

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00:25:51,340 --> 00:25:56,280
degree Mason, who on our previous series
told us what the Masonic Lodge believes

374
00:25:56,280 --> 00:26:01,560
concerning their symbols, and in
particular, their symbol concerning the

375
00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:06,280
We have no creed, no confession of faith
in a doctrinal statement.

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00:26:06,540 --> 00:26:07,820
We have no theology.

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00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:09,620
We have no ritual of worship.

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00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:14,240
We have no symbols that are religious in
the sense of symbols found in a church

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00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:15,240
or a synagogue.

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00:26:15,500 --> 00:26:20,720
Our symbols are related to the
development of character of the

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00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:21,740
man to man.

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00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:25,560
They are working tools to be used in the
building of life.

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00:26:26,100 --> 00:26:27,100
Why are you praying?

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00:26:28,140 --> 00:26:34,120
We are praying to the same God the one
god are we the all -creating god the

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00:26:34,120 --> 00:26:38,920
god that is on the dollar bill and god
we trust right and the hindus too and

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00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:44,480
buddhists and the same you're nitpicking
and that's no no no that's very that's

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00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:48,200
very factual that's the minute that's
the crux of the whole thing the god of

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00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:50,850
bible is not the God of the Hindus.

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00:26:51,050 --> 00:26:54,930
The God of the Bible is not the God of
the Buddhists. The God of the Bible is

390
00:26:54,930 --> 00:26:55,729
not Allah.

391
00:26:55,730 --> 00:27:02,130
The God of the Bible is the Lord,
eternal God, who became man in Jesus

392
00:27:02,330 --> 00:27:06,650
You cannot call him by all these
different names and say you're talking

393
00:27:06,650 --> 00:27:07,569
the one God.

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00:27:07,570 --> 00:27:08,710
That's biblical nonsense.

395
00:27:09,110 --> 00:27:10,310
We are not doing that.

396
00:27:10,530 --> 00:27:15,010
When I say a prayer in lives, I say a
prayer to my God.

397
00:27:16,060 --> 00:27:20,120
But they're praying to the same God.
When I acted as chaplain, I said my own

398
00:27:20,120 --> 00:27:22,940
prayer. I didn't even use the prayer. In
a Buddhist lodge. There was no point in

399
00:27:22,940 --> 00:27:24,200
doing that. In a Buddhist lodge.

400
00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:26,060
In a Zoroastrian lodge.

401
00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:30,360
In a Muslim lodge. Are they praying to
the same God you're praying to? They are

402
00:27:30,360 --> 00:27:34,280
praying to their God. To the same God
you're praying to? Well, no. I can't say

403
00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:35,380
that. Then they're lost, right?

404
00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:38,040
Yes, but they're still makes. But
they're lost.

405
00:27:39,540 --> 00:27:44,020
So all your Masonic brothers, I want to
get this out, all your Masonic brothers

406
00:27:44,020 --> 00:27:48,740
who reject Jesus Christ's gospel and
follow these things, even in the full

407
00:27:48,740 --> 00:27:50,220
of Masonry, are lost.

408
00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:57,700
According to my beliefs as a Christian,
yes. Thank you.

409
00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:03,260
So, do the Masonic symbols, as explained
by the Lodge, conflict with the

410
00:28:03,260 --> 00:28:04,260
teachings of the Bible?

411
00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:08,700
Well, in order to answer that question,
we have asked that a former worshipful

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00:28:08,700 --> 00:28:13,540
master of the lodge, Mr. Jack Harris,
would come tonight and reenact part of

413
00:28:13,540 --> 00:28:18,400
actual ritual of the first three degrees
of masonry and explain to you exactly

414
00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:23,800
what he taught to more than 600 men in
his lodge concerning God, the Bible,

415
00:28:23,980 --> 00:28:27,120
man's nature, and eternal life. Please
listen.

416
00:28:27,660 --> 00:28:32,660
As a former worshipful master of a
Masonic lodge, It was my duty to

417
00:28:32,660 --> 00:28:34,840
candidate in many of the teachings of
Freemasonry.

418
00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:39,800
One of the most important was an
explanation of the letter G, which you

419
00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:41,800
suspended above my chair in the east.

420
00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:46,200
Let me tell you exactly what that means
to Freemasonry, as explained to the

421
00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:50,300
candidate. First of all, it alludes to
the fifth science, geometry.

422
00:28:51,140 --> 00:28:57,000
Geometry, according to Freemasonry,
delineates how God created the heavens

423
00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:59,720
the earth and its various shapes and
forms.

424
00:29:00,460 --> 00:29:04,900
But the most important meaning is, as
I'm going to give it to you at this

425
00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:09,680
The master removes his hat and tells the
candidate, It alludes to the sacred

426
00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:14,100
name of deity, before whom all, from the
youngest entered apprentice in the

427
00:29:14,100 --> 00:29:19,260
northeast corner, to the worshipful
master who presides in the east, should

428
00:29:19,260 --> 00:29:21,320
reverence most humbly bow.

429
00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:29,180
As a child of God, I accepted the Lord
Jesus Christ as my Savior several years

430
00:29:29,180 --> 00:29:35,320
ago. And I had a great deal of
difficulty with Freemasonry's definition

431
00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:40,020
because all through the rituals, as well
as this explanation, they call God

432
00:29:40,020 --> 00:29:45,640
deity, or grand architect of the
universe, or great architect of the

433
00:29:45,880 --> 00:29:49,320
They don't give him any specific name we
as Christians know.

434
00:29:49,620 --> 00:29:56,440
You see, in Freemasonry, they can accept
the deity of the Muslim, the Hindu, the

435
00:29:56,440 --> 00:30:00,070
Buddhist. Whatever the religion or
whatever the savior of any religion in

436
00:30:00,070 --> 00:30:02,210
world, Freemasonry will accept them.

437
00:30:02,550 --> 00:30:06,410
But they do not name what those deities
are, so they call him deity.

438
00:30:07,030 --> 00:30:09,590
But as a born -again Christian, I have a
problem with this.

439
00:30:09,910 --> 00:30:16,750
In Isaiah, the 44th chapter, the 6th
verse, the Lord says this, Thus

440
00:30:16,750 --> 00:30:23,030
says the Lord, the King of Israel, and
his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, I am

441
00:30:23,030 --> 00:30:28,800
first, and I am the last, and beside me,
There is no God.

442
00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:36,040
Also, as Christians in Colossians, the
second chapter, the ninth verse, we are

443
00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:42,560
told that in him, referring to the
person of Jesus Christ, all the deity is

444
00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:43,560
bodily form.

445
00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:50,760
So as born -again Christians, we see the
person of God revealed into the person

446
00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:56,260
of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.
He has a name, the Lord Jesus Christ.

447
00:30:56,760 --> 00:31:03,440
He is not referred to in any of our
churches or scriptures as just the name

448
00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:08,420
deity. This does present a tremendous
problem to me as a child of God.

449
00:31:09,140 --> 00:31:13,960
In conclusion, I find that the teachings
of Freemasonry lead to a universal

450
00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:20,160
religion. The religion that Freemasonry
teaches accepts saviors of all religions

451
00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:22,180
in the world, none being exclusive.

452
00:31:22,660 --> 00:31:28,850
But as a born -again Christian, I am
told in John 14, 6 by Jesus himself, I

453
00:31:28,850 --> 00:31:30,170
the way, the truth, and the life.

454
00:31:30,450 --> 00:31:33,670
No end comes unto the Father except by
me.

455
00:31:33,990 --> 00:31:40,270
So thereby, as a child of God and to be
obedient to the word of God, I must

456
00:31:40,270 --> 00:31:45,470
separate myself from the false teachings
and the many false saviors that mastery

457
00:31:45,470 --> 00:31:47,350
presents in all of their teachings.

458
00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:53,960
Next, we want to turn our attention to
the three great lights of masonry. What

459
00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:54,699
are they?

460
00:31:54,700 --> 00:31:57,600
What does the Masonic Lodge teach
concerning the Bible?

461
00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:03,200
First, we will listen to Mr. Bill
Mankin, a 32nd degree mason, talk about

462
00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:04,200
symbols.

463
00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:09,140
Every well -governed lodge is furnished
with a holy Bible. A square encompasses.

464
00:32:09,620 --> 00:32:14,480
The holy Bible is dedicated to God. It
being his inestimable gift to man as the

465
00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:15,720
rule and guide of his faith.

466
00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:17,120
Let me quote from Pike.

467
00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:19,000
All right.

468
00:32:19,449 --> 00:32:23,070
The Bible is an indispensable part of
the furniture of a Christian lodge.

469
00:32:23,290 --> 00:32:27,170
I've heard that in almost all the books.
Next line. Only because it is the

470
00:32:27,170 --> 00:32:28,810
sacred book of the Christian religion.

471
00:32:29,660 --> 00:32:34,360
the Hebrew Pentateuch in a Hebrew lodge,
the Koran in a Mohammedan one, belong

472
00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:37,660
on the altar. And one of these, in the
square and the compass, properly

473
00:32:37,660 --> 00:32:41,220
understood are the great lights by which
a mason must walk and work. Now why?

474
00:32:41,500 --> 00:32:45,580
The obligation of the candidate is
always to be taken on the sacred book or

475
00:32:45,580 --> 00:32:50,400
books of his religion, that he may deem
it more solemn and binding. And

476
00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:54,980
therefore it was that you were asked of
what religion you were. We have no other

477
00:32:54,980 --> 00:32:56,980
concern with your religious creed.

478
00:32:58,930 --> 00:33:05,830
To ask a Mohammedan to swear on a
Christian Bible would be ludicrous. It

479
00:33:05,830 --> 00:33:09,210
be sacrilegious. So then the Bible is
not the authoritative book of the

480
00:33:09,210 --> 00:33:10,210
Lodge.

481
00:33:11,030 --> 00:33:12,230
That's what Walter was saying.

482
00:33:12,470 --> 00:33:17,250
That's what I'm saying. I said in the
United States, the Holy Bible is the

483
00:33:17,250 --> 00:33:18,510
and guide of our faith.

484
00:33:18,990 --> 00:33:22,450
Yes. But then there must be something
behind the Holy Bible because it's not

485
00:33:22,450 --> 00:33:26,430
universal. It's just for this square
geographical area here, and over there

486
00:33:26,430 --> 00:33:29,710
there's another authoritative book. That
was where I think Walter was going.

487
00:33:29,930 --> 00:33:34,490
Well, it's not whether or not it's
authoritative. That is what's meaningful

488
00:33:34,490 --> 00:33:39,050
here. That's what he said. What you're
asking a candidate to do is obligate...

489
00:33:39,260 --> 00:33:43,200
himself according to the highest
principles that he knows according to

490
00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:47,200
religion there's no point in having him
obligated according to to dr martin's

491
00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:49,800
religion or according to my religion
okay bill how do you like that in terms

492
00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:54,940
truth in terms of truth truth is true
we're not talking about theology we are

493
00:33:54,940 --> 00:33:59,760
talking about a system of morality that
is illustrated by the use of the square

494
00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:05,280
by the compasses by the level and by the
plum so that you may compare the

495
00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:09,610
teachings of the masonic lodge with
biblical teaching I have asked former

496
00:34:09,610 --> 00:34:14,670
worshipful master, Mr. Jack Harris, to
give us part of the actual ritual of the

497
00:34:14,670 --> 00:34:19,150
lodge where he explained to the
candidate about the three great lights

498
00:34:19,150 --> 00:34:23,909
masonry. What I have explained to you
previously was an explanation of the

499
00:34:23,909 --> 00:34:26,429
letter G which you have found above the
master's chair.

500
00:34:26,830 --> 00:34:32,290
What I will give you now is actual
ritual taught by every Masonic lodge

501
00:34:32,290 --> 00:34:33,290
the United States.

502
00:34:33,350 --> 00:34:37,620
The three great lights of masonry are
the Holy Bible, the square, and the

503
00:34:37,620 --> 00:34:42,520
compasses. The Holy Bible we take for
the ruling God of our faith, the square

504
00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:46,659
square our actions, and the compasses to
circumscribe our desires and keep our

505
00:34:46,659 --> 00:34:47,900
passions within due bounds.

506
00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:52,340
The three lesser lights are the sun, the
moon, and the master of the lodge.

507
00:34:52,679 --> 00:34:57,380
As the sun rules the day and the moon
governs the night, so should the workful

508
00:34:57,380 --> 00:35:01,300
master endeavor to rule and govern his
lodge with equal regularity.

509
00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:07,060
Many of you are probably wondering what
does Freemasonry really believe about

510
00:35:07,060 --> 00:35:07,919
the Bible.

511
00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:13,960
I would like to quote to you Albert
Mackey, one of the world's greatest

512
00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:19,640
interpreters of ritual, says this in his
book Encyclopedia of Freemasonry under

513
00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:20,720
the title of Bible.

514
00:35:21,460 --> 00:35:26,060
The Bible is used among Masons as a
symbol of the will of God, however it

515
00:35:26,060 --> 00:35:31,570
expressed. And therefore, whatever to
any people expresses that will, may be

516
00:35:31,570 --> 00:35:35,190
used as a substitute for the Bible in a
Masonic lodge.

517
00:35:35,850 --> 00:35:39,730
Thus, in a lodge consisting of Jews, the
Old Testament alone may be placed upon

518
00:35:39,730 --> 00:35:40,589
the altar.

519
00:35:40,590 --> 00:35:43,130
And the Turkish Masons can make use of
the Koran.

520
00:35:43,450 --> 00:35:47,790
Whether it be the Gospel to the
Christian, the Old Testament to the Jew,

521
00:35:47,790 --> 00:35:53,070
Veda to the Brahmin, it conveys the same
idea, the will of God, to man.

522
00:35:53,990 --> 00:35:56,330
I have trouble with this as a born
-again Christian.

523
00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:03,420
For the Word of God tells me that there
is only one way, one light, and one

524
00:36:03,420 --> 00:36:04,420
truth.

525
00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:07,180
But Freemasonry says that is not true.

526
00:36:08,260 --> 00:36:13,960
Freemasonry says the Koran, the Vedas,
the Old Testament, the New Testament, or

527
00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:18,600
any scripture from any religion in the
world is sacred and reveals truth and

528
00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:22,980
light. In all of their teachings, they
talk about seeking light.

529
00:36:23,560 --> 00:36:27,220
But the Word of God tells me there's
only one light, and that light is to be

530
00:36:27,220 --> 00:36:28,300
found in Jesus Christ.

531
00:36:28,740 --> 00:36:34,640
It also tells me the fifth chapter of 1
John, that, gee, anyone who does not

532
00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:37,200
honor the Son does not honor the Father.

533
00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:42,200
Freemasonry, in their religious
teachings, does not honor the Son.

534
00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:49,620
2 Corinthians also tells us that there
is an artificial light, Satan appearing

535
00:36:49,620 --> 00:36:51,120
as an angel of light.

536
00:36:52,560 --> 00:36:57,320
I find that the teachings of
Freemasonry, accepting the sacred

537
00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:01,860
religions in the world, leads men to a
false hope and away from the person of

538
00:37:01,860 --> 00:37:02,860
Jesus Christ.

539
00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:08,820
That's why, after 11 years serving as an
officer in a Masonic lodge, I left

540
00:37:08,820 --> 00:37:09,900
Freemasonry.

541
00:37:15,060 --> 00:37:18,920
It's not a religion. It offers no system
of salvation.

542
00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:20,640
And I'm going to have to read...

543
00:37:21,720 --> 00:37:26,380
from this certain point because this is
very, very important and something that

544
00:37:26,380 --> 00:37:32,200
you should realize because we have none
of the marks of a religion. Okay, let

545
00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:36,600
her go. We have no creed, no confession
of faith in a doctrinal statement.

546
00:37:36,860 --> 00:37:38,160
We have no theology.

547
00:37:38,360 --> 00:37:39,940
We have no ritual of worship.

548
00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:44,540
We have no symbols that are religious in
the sense of symbols found in a church

549
00:37:44,540 --> 00:37:45,540
or a synagogue.

550
00:37:45,820 --> 00:37:49,000
Our symbols are related to the
development of character.

551
00:37:49,850 --> 00:37:55,130
of the relationship of man to man they
are working tools to be used in the

552
00:37:55,130 --> 00:37:59,230
building of life these working tools
have been used from time immemorial to

553
00:37:59,230 --> 00:38:04,770
build buildings and all we are saying is
that that if you as an individual adopt

554
00:38:04,770 --> 00:38:09,670
the principles represented and we'll get
into some of that symbolism later on

555
00:38:09,670 --> 00:38:13,800
that you will be a better person not
that you're going to go to heaven If you

556
00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:18,220
just joined us, you've been listening to
Mr. Bill Manken, a 32nd degree Mason

557
00:38:18,220 --> 00:38:21,220
who was a guest on a previous series
concerning Masonry.

558
00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:26,620
He said the working tools of the Masonic
Lodge symbolically teach a man how to

559
00:38:26,620 --> 00:38:29,560
become a better person, not how to go to
heaven.

560
00:38:29,980 --> 00:38:34,540
We wanted to investigate the actual
ritual of the Lodge to find out if that

561
00:38:34,540 --> 00:38:39,880
true. And so we invited Mr. Jack Harris,
a former worshipful master, to

562
00:38:39,880 --> 00:38:42,460
demonstrate what he taught in the Lodge.

563
00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:47,280
Okay, we've talked about the letter G
over the master's chair, the three great

564
00:38:47,280 --> 00:38:48,720
lights, and the three lesser lights.

565
00:38:49,260 --> 00:38:52,920
We now like to continue with the ritual
and explain what the meaning of the

566
00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:55,280
apron is, another symbol of Freemasonry.

567
00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:00,920
I'd like to present you, Brother Smith,
with this lambskin or white leather

568
00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:04,420
apron, which is an emblem of innocence
and a badge of a mason.

569
00:39:05,180 --> 00:39:09,180
More ancient than the golden fleece or
Roman eagle, or any other order that

570
00:39:09,180 --> 00:39:12,920
could be further from you at this or any
future date, by King...

571
00:39:13,210 --> 00:39:18,850
prince or potentate, or any other person
except to be a mason, and which I hope

572
00:39:18,850 --> 00:39:22,250
you will wear with pleasure to yourself
and honor to the fraternity.

573
00:39:23,210 --> 00:39:26,370
The lambskin has always been deemed a
emblem of innocence.

574
00:39:27,010 --> 00:39:32,630
He therefore who wears a lambskin as a
badge of a mason is continually reminded

575
00:39:32,630 --> 00:39:37,130
of that purity of life and conduct which
is so essentially necessary to his

576
00:39:37,130 --> 00:39:40,310
gaining a mission into the celestial
lodge above.

577
00:39:41,960 --> 00:39:45,400
I would like to explain to you what the
Word of God has to say about the Savior.

578
00:39:49,140 --> 00:39:55,940
We read in Ephesians, the second
chapter, verse 8, For by grace you have

579
00:39:55,940 --> 00:40:01,180
saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves, it is a gift of God, not a

580
00:40:01,180 --> 00:40:03,640
result of works, lest any man should
boast.

581
00:40:05,140 --> 00:40:10,220
Also in 1 Corinthians, the sixth
chapter, 11th verse, we read, And such

582
00:40:10,220 --> 00:40:11,220
some of you.

583
00:40:11,390 --> 00:40:17,010
but you were washed, but you were
sanctified, but you were justified in

584
00:40:17,010 --> 00:40:22,190
of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the
spirit of our God.

585
00:40:22,970 --> 00:40:27,510
In Freemasonry, if you noticed it with
the white apron, they said by your

586
00:40:27,510 --> 00:40:33,650
of life and conduct, you will, not that
you may or that you could, you will gain

587
00:40:33,650 --> 00:40:38,070
a mission into the celestial lodge above
where the supreme architect of the

588
00:40:38,070 --> 00:40:39,070
universe presides.

589
00:40:39,150 --> 00:40:46,100
But as a child of God, I know that the
Word of God says it is only through the

590
00:40:46,100 --> 00:40:51,840
person of Jesus Christ that I can
possibly obtain admission into the

591
00:40:51,840 --> 00:40:52,618
lodge above.

592
00:40:52,620 --> 00:40:58,100
I find this is in direct conflict with
the teachings of Freemasonry, which

593
00:40:58,100 --> 00:41:02,980
it's by purity of my life, not through
the blood of Jesus Christ.

594
00:41:03,580 --> 00:41:09,460
So why am I dressed the way that I am,
with my high hat, my apron, and my

595
00:41:10,220 --> 00:41:15,520
As a worshipful master of a Masonic
Lodge, this hat represents a symbol of

596
00:41:15,520 --> 00:41:16,520
authority.

597
00:41:16,740 --> 00:41:23,420
Also, in a court of law, the judge has a
gavel symbolizing his position

598
00:41:23,420 --> 00:41:24,420
of authority.

599
00:41:24,720 --> 00:41:31,140
As a worshipful master, I have total
autocrat rule over my lodge. The hat and

600
00:41:31,140 --> 00:41:35,280
the gavel symbolize authority that I
have in Masonic Lodge.

601
00:41:35,820 --> 00:41:36,820
My apron?

602
00:41:37,580 --> 00:41:39,660
is an apron as we just explained to you.

603
00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:41,560
It is a badge of a mason.

604
00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:46,960
It is very important to all Masonic
people that they wear aprons.

605
00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:53,900
The apron represents a symbol of my
purity, and it tells me by my purity of

606
00:41:53,900 --> 00:41:57,500
and conduct, I will gain a mission into
the celestial lodge above.

607
00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:05,020
No mason can be buried or have a Masonic
memorial service without that apron

608
00:42:05,020 --> 00:42:06,520
being on his body.

609
00:42:07,180 --> 00:42:13,120
No one can attend a Masonic church
service without an apron on, and no

610
00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:19,140
member may attend his lodge unless he
first has his apron on, a symbol of

611
00:42:19,140 --> 00:42:20,600
of life and conduct.

612
00:42:22,320 --> 00:42:27,080
I would now like to explain to you the
rough ashlar and the perfect ashlar as

613
00:42:27,080 --> 00:42:28,780
given to the candidate in the first
degree.

614
00:42:29,560 --> 00:42:34,020
The rough ashlar is a stone as taken
from the quarry in its rude and natural

615
00:42:34,020 --> 00:42:35,020
state.

616
00:42:35,240 --> 00:42:40,280
The perfect ashlar is a stone made ready
by the hands of the workmen to be

617
00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:42,460
adjusted by the working tools of the
fellow craft.

618
00:42:43,700 --> 00:42:49,580
The rough ashlar to the mason represents
his rude and natural state as he comes

619
00:42:49,580 --> 00:42:50,580
into the world.

620
00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:56,200
The perfect ashlar, that state of
perfection at which he will arrive by a

621
00:42:56,200 --> 00:43:00,320
virtuous education, his own endeavors,
and the blessings of God.

622
00:43:01,100 --> 00:43:04,160
As a born -again Christian, I have
tremendous problems.

623
00:43:04,650 --> 00:43:09,750
with these teachings if you know when
they're when masonry is talking about

624
00:43:09,750 --> 00:43:15,350
rough ashner they are talking about the
sin nature of the candidate and they're

625
00:43:15,350 --> 00:43:19,290
going to take the sin nature of the
candidate sanctified and purified

626
00:43:19,290 --> 00:43:25,190
represented by the perfect ashner by a
virtuous education his own endeavors and

627
00:43:25,190 --> 00:43:29,490
the blessings of god the word of god
tells me in the third chapter of romans

628
00:43:29,490 --> 00:43:34,720
that all men are depraved and an
abomination before god when they come

629
00:43:34,720 --> 00:43:38,820
world. They come into the world sinners
and bound for hell.

630
00:43:39,240 --> 00:43:42,140
There is none good, no, not one.

631
00:43:43,220 --> 00:43:50,120
But the Word of God also tells me that
in order to perfect my life, as

632
00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:53,780
Maestri talks about the rough ashlar, is
not through a virtuous education.

633
00:43:54,120 --> 00:43:56,840
It's not through my own endeavors nor
the blessing of God.

634
00:43:57,080 --> 00:43:58,380
It is through...

635
00:43:58,750 --> 00:44:03,450
This shed blood of the person of Jesus
Christ and his sacrifice for me on

636
00:44:03,450 --> 00:44:09,110
Calvary. This is the only way that I can
be perfected from a rough ashter to the

637
00:44:09,110 --> 00:44:10,870
perfect ashter according to the word of
God.

638
00:44:13,250 --> 00:44:18,430
As a non -believer, I felt that the
Bible was the capstone of all that

639
00:44:18,430 --> 00:44:22,850
encompassed. The Bible was in the middle
of the lodge on the altar in view at

640
00:44:22,850 --> 00:44:24,830
all times from all points in the lodge.

641
00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:29,480
To me, that made the whole thing
worthwhile, even if I ever heard any

642
00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:32,040
comments from friends outside the lodge.

643
00:44:32,920 --> 00:44:37,860
As worship master of Masonic Lodge, in
all the rituals that I taught for 11

644
00:44:37,860 --> 00:44:41,760
years, masonry did teach how to get to
heaven.

645
00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:45,120
They taught it with the apron that I
wear on my purity of life and conduct.

646
00:44:45,620 --> 00:44:50,120
They taught it in the higher abyss
legend of the third degree, the

647
00:44:50,120 --> 00:44:50,819
of the soul.

648
00:44:50,820 --> 00:44:52,520
Through all their writings, they say.

649
00:44:53,150 --> 00:44:56,870
They are teaching the immortality of the
soul to the mason.

650
00:44:57,490 --> 00:45:02,570
The Word of God tells me, though, the
only way to have immortal life is

651
00:45:02,570 --> 00:45:03,610
the person of Jesus Christ.

652
00:45:04,030 --> 00:45:08,750
Never in any Masonic ritual do they
point that Jesus is this way of

653
00:45:28,460 --> 00:45:32,440
This is our third program in our follow
-up series concerning the Masonic Lodge.

654
00:45:32,800 --> 00:45:37,240
The reason for tonight's program is that
many of you have asked, are the

655
00:45:37,240 --> 00:45:40,640
teachings of the Masonic Lodge
compatible with biblical Christianity?

656
00:45:41,560 --> 00:45:45,020
Well, as our custom is, we allow others
to present their own position.

657
00:45:45,600 --> 00:45:50,180
So to set the stage tonight, I'd like
you to listen to Mr. Bill Manken, a 32nd

658
00:45:50,180 --> 00:45:55,060
degree Mason, who in our previous series
told us about how in the third degree,

659
00:45:55,260 --> 00:46:00,470
or the Master Mason's degree, Each
candidate takes part in being led

660
00:46:00,470 --> 00:46:01,650
legend of Hiram Abiff.

661
00:46:02,130 --> 00:46:03,890
Now, who was Hiram Abiff?

662
00:46:04,250 --> 00:46:08,510
Well, he was a man, a laborer in the Old
Testament, who worked on the temple

663
00:46:08,510 --> 00:46:09,610
under King Solomon.

664
00:46:10,210 --> 00:46:14,330
That's about the extent of the knowledge
that we have from the Bible about this

665
00:46:14,330 --> 00:46:19,310
man. The rest of what you will hear and
see tonight was added by the Masonic

666
00:46:19,310 --> 00:46:20,310
Lodge as legend.

667
00:46:20,850 --> 00:46:23,710
The question is, what is the meaning of
what was added?

668
00:46:24,010 --> 00:46:26,030
What do Masonic authorities say?

669
00:46:26,720 --> 00:46:29,600
Is it in direct conflict with the
teachings of the Bible?

670
00:46:30,220 --> 00:46:35,200
Well, let's listen to Mr. Bill Mankin, a
32nd degree Mason, and what he has to

671
00:46:35,200 --> 00:46:40,160
say about the deeper meaning of the
legend of Hiram Abiff in the third

672
00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:44,200
Masonry. If you were to come back and
you take a look at Albert Pike, who

673
00:46:44,420 --> 00:46:48,920
the blue degrees, which is what you
wanted to discuss, are but the outer

674
00:46:48,920 --> 00:46:51,420
portico of the temple. That's the lodge.

675
00:46:51,820 --> 00:46:55,040
Part of the symbols are displayed there
to the initiate, but he is intentionally

676
00:46:55,040 --> 00:46:57,260
misled by false interpretations.

677
00:46:57,680 --> 00:47:02,320
It is not intended that he shall
understand them, but it is intended that

678
00:47:02,320 --> 00:47:07,340
shall imagine he understands them. Is
that you, Bill? No, what he's describing

679
00:47:07,340 --> 00:47:09,260
there is the legend of the first,

680
00:47:10,040 --> 00:47:14,420
second, and third degree, where this all
takes place in King Solomon's temple.

681
00:47:14,580 --> 00:47:16,420
You are told that.

682
00:47:16,860 --> 00:47:21,000
But it is a Masonic legend. We can't
really suppose that there were really

683
00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:23,120
Masons at the building of King Solomon's
Temple.

684
00:47:23,320 --> 00:47:27,120
King Solomon's Temple was built largely
by conscripts.

685
00:47:27,660 --> 00:47:30,420
It says you're intentionally misled by
false interpretations.

686
00:47:31,000 --> 00:47:33,440
But that's an oversimplification.

687
00:47:33,760 --> 00:47:38,100
The fact is, what you're saying is that
we have an allegory here.

688
00:47:38,460 --> 00:47:42,340
And the real allegory has not been told
them at those degrees. It's not intended

689
00:47:42,340 --> 00:47:43,680
that he shall understand them.

690
00:47:44,080 --> 00:47:46,740
It's intended that he shall imagine he
understands them.

691
00:47:47,000 --> 00:47:51,360
There again, that's what he says. That's
not what I would say. What I would say

692
00:47:51,360 --> 00:47:55,680
is you go into the deeper meanings of
the degrees and you read and you put

693
00:47:55,680 --> 00:47:59,460
it and you will get out of it. We wanted
to find out more about the meaning of

694
00:47:59,460 --> 00:48:00,880
the legend of Hiram Abiff.

695
00:48:01,640 --> 00:48:07,340
So we asked a former worshipful master,
Mr. Jack Harris, to come and reenact

696
00:48:07,340 --> 00:48:11,140
part of the ritual tonight exactly as he
did it in his lodge.

697
00:48:11,940 --> 00:48:17,100
After you see the reenactment of the
ritual, he will explain what Masonic

698
00:48:17,100 --> 00:48:21,360
authorities say is the deeper meaning of
the legend. Please listen.

699
00:48:22,060 --> 00:48:25,320
Worshipful Master, I'd like to introduce
Brother Smith. Brother Smith, this is

700
00:48:25,320 --> 00:48:26,238
our Worshipful Master.

701
00:48:26,240 --> 00:48:30,520
Brother Smith, one might suppose from
the jewel you wear about your neck, you

702
00:48:30,520 --> 00:48:34,560
are a Master Mason, acquainted with all
the secrets belonging to this degree.

703
00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:38,660
But it is my duty to inform you, such is
not the case.

704
00:48:39,260 --> 00:48:43,960
You have a rough and dangerous road to
travel as a test of your fidelity in

705
00:48:43,960 --> 00:48:46,660
keeping secret that which has been
communicated to you.

706
00:48:47,180 --> 00:48:50,060
In your travels, you will be beset by
ruffians.

707
00:48:50,580 --> 00:48:53,160
Perhaps murdered, an instance has been
known.

708
00:48:53,760 --> 00:48:58,880
You will therefore suffer yourself again
to be hoodwinked and conducted to the

709
00:48:58,880 --> 00:49:03,460
altar where you may offer up your
devotions either mentally or orally. And

710
00:49:03,460 --> 00:49:07,540
you have finished, you will rise. You
will signify the same by rising,

711
00:49:07,640 --> 00:49:12,180
remembering. He that endureth to the
end, the same shall be saved.

712
00:49:48,110 --> 00:49:51,850
Remember now thy Creator in the days of
thy youth, while the evil days come not,

713
00:49:51,870 --> 00:49:55,430
nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt
say, I have no pleasure in them.

714
00:49:56,040 --> 00:50:02,200
Right now, in this portion of the ritual
of the third degree of Freemasonry, the

715
00:50:02,200 --> 00:50:07,460
candidate has symbolically become Hiram
Abiff. His walking around the altar

716
00:50:07,460 --> 00:50:12,060
symbolizes his journey through life, and
he's hearing scripture from the book of

717
00:50:12,060 --> 00:50:17,700
Ecclesiastes. In a moment, the candidate
will encounter ruffians on his journey

718
00:50:17,700 --> 00:50:22,560
who will threaten and eventually kill
him, the meaning of which will be

719
00:50:22,560 --> 00:50:26,640
explained later by former worshipful
master, Mr. Jack Harris.

720
00:50:26,900 --> 00:50:31,320
And the almond tree shall flourish and
the grasshopper shall be a burden and

721
00:50:31,320 --> 00:50:36,160
desire shall fail because man goeth to
his long home and the mourners go about

722
00:50:36,160 --> 00:50:37,160
the streets.

723
00:50:37,400 --> 00:50:41,960
Or ever the silver cord be loosed or the
golden bowl be broken or the pitcher be

724
00:50:41,960 --> 00:50:45,600
broken at the fountain or the wheel
broken at the cistern.

725
00:50:45,860 --> 00:50:50,820
Then shall the dust return to the earth
as it was and the spirit shall return to

726
00:50:50,820 --> 00:50:52,000
God who gave it.

727
00:50:55,340 --> 00:50:58,240
Grand Master Hiram Abiff, I am glad to
meet you thus alone.

728
00:50:58,500 --> 00:51:01,220
You have long promised us the secrets of
a master mason.

729
00:51:01,620 --> 00:51:05,620
Behold, the temple is almost completed,
and we have not yet received them. Give

730
00:51:05,620 --> 00:51:09,820
me the secrets of a master mason. This
is an unusual way of manner of asking.

731
00:51:10,120 --> 00:51:13,560
Neither is it to time their place. Wait
until the temple is finished, and then,

732
00:51:13,660 --> 00:51:15,380
if worthy, you will receive the secrets.

733
00:51:16,540 --> 00:51:19,480
Give me the secrets of a master mason,
or I will take your life.

734
00:51:19,780 --> 00:51:20,678
I cannot.

735
00:51:20,680 --> 00:51:23,940
Neither can they be given, except in the
presence of three. Solomon, king of

736
00:51:23,940 --> 00:51:26,260
Israel. Hiram, King of Tyre, and myself.

737
00:51:26,920 --> 00:51:30,780
Give me the secrets of a master mason,
or I'll take your life upon this spot.

738
00:51:31,040 --> 00:51:33,000
My life, but not the secrets. Then die.

739
00:51:36,320 --> 00:51:41,560
Grand Master Hiram Abiff, give me the
secrets of a master mason. I cannot.

740
00:51:42,060 --> 00:51:43,520
This neither is satisfactory.

741
00:51:45,060 --> 00:51:49,200
Give me the secrets of a master mason,
or I'll take your life.

742
00:51:50,000 --> 00:51:51,000
I will not.

743
00:51:51,360 --> 00:51:52,520
Give me the secrets.

744
00:51:53,040 --> 00:51:55,460
Of a master mason, or I'll take your
life on the spot.

745
00:51:55,720 --> 00:51:57,080
My life, but not the secrets.

746
00:51:57,340 --> 00:51:58,340
Then die!

747
00:52:03,900 --> 00:52:07,120
Then at the height of this, give me the
secrets of the master mason. I cannot.

748
00:52:08,100 --> 00:52:11,200
Give me the secrets of the master mason,
or I'll take your life. I will not.

749
00:52:11,920 --> 00:52:14,820
Give me the secrets of the master mason,
or I'll take your life on this spot.

750
00:52:15,040 --> 00:52:16,700
My life, but not the secrets.

751
00:52:17,120 --> 00:52:18,120
Then die!

752
00:52:21,200 --> 00:52:23,760
Companions. What horrid crime we had
committed.

753
00:52:24,360 --> 00:52:27,180
We have murdered our Grand Master, Hiram
of Eath.

754
00:52:27,460 --> 00:52:29,120
What shall we do with the body?

755
00:52:30,020 --> 00:52:31,660
Let us take it to Westerly Port.

756
00:52:33,980 --> 00:52:39,160
And bury it at the brow of a hill, some
six feet to east and west, and six feet

757
00:52:39,160 --> 00:52:43,180
perpendicularly, at the head of which we
will plant a sprig of acacia, that the

758
00:52:43,180 --> 00:52:44,420
place may be here unknown.

759
00:52:49,840 --> 00:52:51,200
Let us make our escape.

760
00:53:00,910 --> 00:53:04,370
Please stay with us, for after this
break, we will continue with the third

761
00:53:04,370 --> 00:53:05,870
degree of Freemasonry.

762
00:53:06,170 --> 00:53:09,150
You'll see where Hiram Abiff is raised
from the dead.

763
00:53:09,390 --> 00:53:13,190
And then the former worshipful master
will explain to us the meaning of what

764
00:53:13,190 --> 00:53:14,009
have seen.

765
00:53:14,010 --> 00:53:15,010
Oh, Lord,

766
00:53:19,670 --> 00:53:22,130
my God, is there no help for the widow's
son?

767
00:53:22,890 --> 00:53:26,550
Brother Senior Grand Warden, take the
body by the entered apprentice's grip

768
00:53:26,550 --> 00:53:27,550
see if it can be raised.

769
00:53:33,070 --> 00:53:36,250
Most worshipful King Solomon, the body
cannot be raised by the end of the

770
00:53:36,250 --> 00:53:40,470
premise grip. The skin slips from the
flesh. Take it by the fellow craft grip

771
00:53:40,470 --> 00:53:41,550
and see if it can be raised.

772
00:53:46,050 --> 00:53:49,490
For reasons already assigned, it cannot
be raised by the fellow craft grip.

773
00:53:49,690 --> 00:53:54,050
The flesh cleaves from the bone. In this
our extremity, what should we do? Let's

774
00:53:54,050 --> 00:53:57,010
pray. Okay, at this point, we will
eliminate the prayer.

775
00:53:57,650 --> 00:54:00,550
At the end of the prayer, we will take
the body.

776
00:54:00,960 --> 00:54:06,180
by the strong grip of a Master Mason or
the Lion's Paw, and raise it upon the

777
00:54:06,180 --> 00:54:07,340
five points of fellowship.

778
00:54:14,300 --> 00:54:19,820
Brother Smith, you have now been raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason,

779
00:54:20,000 --> 00:54:25,960
and the word which I have just
communicated is the grand Masonic word,

780
00:54:25,960 --> 00:54:30,560
promised in your obligation never to
communicate except in the way and manner

781
00:54:30,940 --> 00:54:32,220
and which you have received it.

782
00:54:32,800 --> 00:54:37,300
You have been raised by the strong grip
of a master mason or the lions, Paul.

783
00:54:38,380 --> 00:54:44,340
And upon the five points of fellowship,
which are, follow me, foot to foot, knee

784
00:54:44,340 --> 00:54:48,740
to knee, breast to breast, hand to back,
and cheek to cheek or mouth to ear,

785
00:54:48,880 --> 00:54:54,920
give me the word, which are thus
explained, foot to foot, that you will

786
00:54:54,920 --> 00:54:58,680
ready to go on foot and out of your way
to assist a worthy brother.

787
00:54:59,460 --> 00:55:00,460
Knee to knee.

788
00:55:00,540 --> 00:55:03,500
that you will remember a brother's
welfare as well as your own.

789
00:55:04,540 --> 00:55:09,000
Breast to breast, that you will keep the
secrets of a brother master mason when

790
00:55:09,000 --> 00:55:14,220
communicated to and received by you in
charge as such, as inviolable as they

791
00:55:14,220 --> 00:55:18,000
were in his breast as they are in yours
before being communicated.

792
00:55:18,580 --> 00:55:24,100
And hand to back, that you will be ready
to stretch forth your hand and assist

793
00:55:24,100 --> 00:55:25,860
and save a fallen brother.

794
00:55:26,360 --> 00:55:28,220
And cheek to cheek or mouth to ear.

795
00:55:28,760 --> 00:55:32,980
that you will whisper good counsel in
the ear of a brother, remind him of his

796
00:55:32,980 --> 00:55:35,980
error, and aid him in a reformation.

797
00:55:40,120 --> 00:55:45,140
All right, after watching the legend of
Hiram Abiff being displayed in the

798
00:55:45,140 --> 00:55:49,280
Masonic Lodge room, Jack, we all want to
know, what was it that you were

799
00:55:49,280 --> 00:55:52,380
teaching, and what was the meaning that
was given to you, and what did you pass

800
00:55:52,380 --> 00:55:54,400
along as the worshipful master in the
Lodge?

801
00:55:54,640 --> 00:55:59,170
Okay, as far as a candidate is
concerned, John, He was impressed with

802
00:55:59,170 --> 00:56:03,410
that the secrets of Freemasonry, which
he was going to learn and had already

803
00:56:03,410 --> 00:56:05,750
learned up to this point, were to be
kept secret.

804
00:56:05,990 --> 00:56:11,010
That's the only thing that he received
from that trial and tribulation he went

805
00:56:11,010 --> 00:56:13,350
through from the first and second
ruffian and the third ruffian.

806
00:56:13,670 --> 00:56:19,610
Now, when he was killed symbolically and
put into the canvas and then raised to

807
00:56:19,610 --> 00:56:24,630
represent Hiram Abiff, as far as he is
concerned, he's to represent Hiram

808
00:56:24,920 --> 00:56:29,420
as a workman of the temple in his own
life to build his spiritual temple to be

809
00:56:29,420 --> 00:56:34,360
pleasing to God. Who in the world was
Hiram Abiff? Hiram Abiff in 1 Kings 7th

810
00:56:34,360 --> 00:56:37,480
chapter was a master builder on King
Solomon's temple.

811
00:56:38,080 --> 00:56:40,560
Scripture does not record his death.

812
00:56:40,920 --> 00:56:46,040
The legend was added by masonry in order
to give it meaning for their doctrinal

813
00:56:46,040 --> 00:56:50,880
beliefs. Okay, so what does killing
Hiram Abiff have to do with masonry

814
00:56:51,020 --> 00:56:55,180
Okay. According to Freemasonry, if you
remember at the door when the first

815
00:56:55,180 --> 00:57:00,100
program we spoke of, Albert Mackey said
that the candidate is looking for the

816
00:57:00,100 --> 00:57:01,019
new birth.

817
00:57:01,020 --> 00:57:06,620
The new birth is represented here in the
slaying of Hiram Abed. But the true

818
00:57:06,620 --> 00:57:10,660
meaning of all that takes place is this,
according to Masonic authorities.

819
00:57:10,940 --> 00:57:16,600
When he is hit by the first, second, and
third ruffian, that represents trials

820
00:57:16,600 --> 00:57:19,180
and tribulations he goes through in his
life.

821
00:57:19,690 --> 00:57:25,290
And then when he's symbolically murdered
and raised up again to represent Hiram

822
00:57:25,290 --> 00:57:31,250
Abed, he will then be pleasing to God
and gain immortal life by obeying all

823
00:57:31,250 --> 00:57:36,990
teachings of Freemasonry along his path
of life, from manhood to old age. This

824
00:57:36,990 --> 00:57:39,910
is what you actually taught in the life.
This is what we actually taught. Now,

825
00:57:39,990 --> 00:57:44,990
we have a book here put out by the most
contemporary writer in Freemasonry

826
00:57:44,990 --> 00:57:47,050
today. His name is Alan Roberts.

827
00:57:47,760 --> 00:57:52,640
And he says in the first chapter, let
there be light, you have entered a new

828
00:57:52,640 --> 00:57:56,300
world. Symbolically and spiritually, you
have been reborn.

829
00:57:56,960 --> 00:58:00,040
This started the moment you were
prepared to become a Freemason.

830
00:58:00,320 --> 00:58:05,280
As you progress in Masonic knowledge,
your vision will broaden. You will

831
00:58:05,280 --> 00:58:07,420
more vitally alive than ever before.

832
00:58:07,720 --> 00:58:11,640
You will become more aware of your
fellow men, your family, your church,

833
00:58:11,640 --> 00:58:12,399
your country.

834
00:58:12,400 --> 00:58:15,560
Your whole philosophy of life will
become richer.

835
00:58:16,220 --> 00:58:22,180
This will take place, but only if you
become masonically educated.

836
00:58:22,960 --> 00:58:28,020
So according to Freemasonry, all that
Hiram Abiff went through deals with his

837
00:58:28,020 --> 00:58:32,680
being born again into the teachings of
Freemasonry, which we have shown from

838
00:58:32,680 --> 00:58:38,360
previous broadcasts, deal with his own
efforts preparing his temple according

839
00:58:38,360 --> 00:58:42,120
his teachings, not according to the Word
of God to prepare him for eternal life.

840
00:58:43,290 --> 00:58:47,990
What do Masonic authorities and what did
you teach in the lodge concerning what

841
00:58:47,990 --> 00:58:51,690
was the state after all that had taken
place? Now, what does he achieve by

842
00:58:51,690 --> 00:58:52,790
becoming a master Mason?

843
00:58:53,150 --> 00:58:58,950
By becoming a master Mason, he is now a
much as a Mason as he ever will be. All

844
00:58:58,950 --> 00:59:03,870
other degrees of mastery of Scottish and
York Rite are actually side degrees.

845
00:59:04,090 --> 00:59:08,750
They're not really elevations in
knowledge and wisdom. They just continue

846
00:59:08,750 --> 00:59:10,870
story that he went through in the first
three degrees.

847
00:59:11,840 --> 00:59:16,640
in the very beginning in 1717 when these
degrees were first put together and

848
00:59:16,640 --> 00:59:22,400
formulated there were only three degrees
plus the royal arch degree there was no

849
00:59:22,400 --> 00:59:25,700
other degrees in freemasonry okay how
many years did you teach this in the

850
00:59:25,700 --> 00:59:32,140
11 years okay one day you were watching
christian television and you heard the

851
00:59:32,140 --> 00:59:36,660
gospel for the first time you knelt down
and invited the lord jesus christ to

852
00:59:36,660 --> 00:59:41,320
come into your life and then you realize
that the word of god the bible was the

853
00:59:41,320 --> 00:59:45,120
authority for the christian's life in
reading the bible after you've been a

854
00:59:45,120 --> 00:59:49,620
mason for all of these years you came to
realize there was conflict in what you

855
00:59:49,620 --> 00:59:52,980
were teaching as compared to what you
were reading in the word of god tell us

856
00:59:52,980 --> 00:59:59,000
what that conflict was okay the first
conflict is in first john 3 3 where

857
00:59:59,000 --> 01:00:04,220
says verily verily i say unto you unless
a man is born again he cannot enter the

858
01:00:04,220 --> 01:00:08,370
kingdom of heaven and of course a born
-again christian knows When Jesus is

859
01:00:08,370 --> 01:00:13,030
talking to Nicodemus about born again,
he's referring to the sacrificial death

860
01:00:13,030 --> 01:00:17,170
in which he would suffer for the
salvation or the redemption of mankind.

861
01:00:17,550 --> 01:00:20,870
This is not what Mastry is talking about
when they're talking about being born

862
01:00:20,870 --> 01:00:26,890
again. Also in Romans, the sixth
chapter, Paul talks about our death,

863
01:00:27,070 --> 01:00:30,290
and resurrection to become a new
creature in Christ.

864
01:00:32,230 --> 01:00:35,810
The sacrificial death of Jesus Christ
that he's born again.

865
01:00:36,400 --> 01:00:41,080
And Freemasonry is through his own
endeavors, the blessings of God, and the

866
01:00:41,080 --> 01:00:44,560
teachings of Freemasonry, he will gain
immortal life.

867
01:00:44,900 --> 01:00:49,120
Is there anything else that you would
say to a person that is a Christian that

868
01:00:49,120 --> 01:00:54,440
maybe entered the lodge, went through
these first three degrees, and did not

869
01:00:54,440 --> 01:00:58,900
realize what they were doing? How can
you help them in discovering what these

870
01:00:58,900 --> 01:01:00,260
meanings really are in Masonry?

871
01:01:00,720 --> 01:01:06,390
I would say that for a born -again
Christian who is truly in the Word of

872
01:01:06,390 --> 01:01:09,970
is saturating his mind with the Word of
God each day. He will have no problem

873
01:01:09,970 --> 01:01:13,590
seeing exactly what we have gone through
here with this Hiram of Beth legend

874
01:01:13,590 --> 01:01:15,170
that is contrary to Scripture.

875
01:01:15,590 --> 01:01:20,090
The person who will have a hard time,
John, will be the Christian who is not

876
01:01:20,090 --> 01:01:24,310
into the Word of God. This is a problem.
If he's in the Word of God, he will

877
01:01:24,310 --> 01:01:28,050
have no problem seeing where a thing is
true because he knows his birth is in

878
01:01:28,050 --> 01:01:29,390
Christ, not in that Hiram legend.

879
01:01:29,890 --> 01:01:32,870
Where does the power come in masonry
to...

880
01:01:33,440 --> 01:01:37,920
have the new birth where does the power
come from is it within us well to the

881
01:01:37,920 --> 01:01:44,320
mason it's within himself he's
constantly taught that by his own

882
01:01:44,320 --> 01:01:49,360
virtuous education and the blessing of
god through the implements that are

883
01:01:49,360 --> 01:01:54,400
taught through the various temple
building instruments such as the square

884
01:01:54,400 --> 01:01:58,500
level the plumb which are used to build
an operative temple they apply moral

885
01:01:58,500 --> 01:02:03,570
truth to these implements And he is to
use these to build a spiritual temple

886
01:02:03,570 --> 01:02:07,930
pleasing for God. But it's through his
own effort, never through the shed blood

887
01:02:07,930 --> 01:02:11,210
of Jesus Christ. In the weeks coming up,
we're going to talk about the Masonic

888
01:02:11,210 --> 01:02:16,670
funeral. And you actually conducted many
Masonic funerals. In the ritual that

889
01:02:16,670 --> 01:02:22,150
you gave at the Masonic funeral, what
did you say about the future life?

890
01:02:22,410 --> 01:02:24,490
What hope did you hold out for Masons?

891
01:02:24,730 --> 01:02:29,710
Okay, now the funeral that we gave was
the same whether he was a Christian,

892
01:02:30,200 --> 01:02:35,380
Buddhist, Hindu, Mohammedan, regardless
of what faith he was, we said a

893
01:02:35,380 --> 01:02:40,220
universal service. Same one. Same one.
So thereby, it was not exclusively

894
01:02:40,220 --> 01:02:45,740
Christian. It dealt with this mason was
true to all of our teachings.

895
01:02:45,960 --> 01:02:50,460
And the apron he now wears in a casket
represents that purity of life and

896
01:02:50,460 --> 01:02:55,100
conduct, which he will now gain a
mission into the celestial lodge above

897
01:02:55,100 --> 01:02:59,060
our teachings, never speaking about the
person or work of Jesus Christ.

898
01:02:59,550 --> 01:03:05,310
So again, it's a works system that you
follow in masonry, and because you do

899
01:03:05,310 --> 01:03:09,550
that, you're supposed to then hope for
eternal life. That's correct, John.

900
01:03:10,310 --> 01:03:14,190
All right, what final word would you
leave with those that are Christian

901
01:03:14,190 --> 01:03:15,410
brethren that are in the lodge?

902
01:03:15,710 --> 01:03:19,750
I would say to those who are Christians,
John, in the lodge, that I would really

903
01:03:19,750 --> 01:03:23,710
pray that they would look into the
ritual that they actually went through

904
01:03:23,710 --> 01:03:25,670
third degree especially, dealing with
the raising.

905
01:03:26,490 --> 01:03:28,950
Maybe order the tape that they have seen
here tonight.

906
01:03:29,370 --> 01:03:32,470
Look at it, and they will know that they
actually went through this. It's

907
01:03:32,470 --> 01:03:33,510
something they cannot deny.

908
01:03:33,910 --> 01:03:39,030
Go to the Word of God, okay, especially
in light of John, and especially in

909
01:03:39,030 --> 01:03:40,550
light of the book of Colossians.

910
01:03:40,890 --> 01:03:45,310
They are the two greatest books for
convicting a Mason that what we have

911
01:03:45,310 --> 01:03:48,710
here tonight is absolutely biblically
wrong for the born -again Christian.

912
01:03:49,130 --> 01:03:54,590
All right, now you have to decide
yourself. You've heard Bill Mankin say,

913
01:03:54,590 --> 01:03:59,140
32nd degree Mason, that there is a
deeper meaning to the allegory, to the

914
01:03:59,140 --> 01:04:04,200
of Hiram Abiff. You've seen that
recreated tonight exactly the way it's

915
01:04:04,200 --> 01:04:06,440
displayed in the lodge in most of the
states.

916
01:04:06,820 --> 01:04:08,920
You decide what that deeper meaning is.

917
01:04:29,900 --> 01:04:33,620
Tonight, what about the vows that every
man who becomes a Mason must swear?

918
01:04:34,020 --> 01:04:38,280
In each of the degrees of Masonry, there
is a vow that the candidate must make

919
01:04:38,280 --> 01:04:39,700
in order to pass that degree.

920
01:04:40,240 --> 01:04:41,380
What does he promise?

921
01:04:41,680 --> 01:04:43,420
How binding is his vow?

922
01:04:43,860 --> 01:04:47,280
Is it a vow that Jesus Christ would want
his followers to make?

923
01:04:47,680 --> 01:04:52,380
Well, tonight, you will hear a candidate
in a reenactment of the ritual take the

924
01:04:52,380 --> 01:04:54,020
vow of the Master Mason degree.

925
01:04:54,280 --> 01:04:56,700
I want you to be able to decide for
yourself.

926
01:04:57,370 --> 01:05:02,210
But to set the stage tonight, I'd like
you to listen to Mr. Bill Mankin, a 32nd

927
01:05:02,210 --> 01:05:03,850
degree Mason, and Dr.

928
01:05:04,050 --> 01:05:08,310
Walter Martin, a Christian scholar, who
on our previous program discussed this

929
01:05:08,310 --> 01:05:13,950
issue. In James chapter 5, we find these
words. Above all, my brothers,

930
01:05:14,130 --> 01:05:21,070
do not swear, not by heaven or by earth
or by anything

931
01:05:21,070 --> 01:05:24,510
else. Let your yes be yes and your no,
no.

932
01:05:25,610 --> 01:05:27,570
or you will be judged.

933
01:05:28,710 --> 01:05:34,550
Now, in the degrees of masonry, the
first three that you are expert in, you

934
01:05:34,550 --> 01:05:38,530
swearing oaths in diametric opposition
to Holy Scripture.

935
01:05:39,050 --> 01:05:42,030
The Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter 5 was
very clear.

936
01:05:42,750 --> 01:05:48,370
Swear no oath at all, neither by heaven,
for it is God's throne,

937
01:05:48,630 --> 01:05:54,590
earth for its footstool, nor by
Jerusalem, for it's the city of the

938
01:05:55,200 --> 01:05:59,120
Do not swear by your head, for you
cannot make even one hair white or

939
01:05:59,400 --> 01:06:05,900
Simply say, Bill, yes, yes, or no, no.

940
01:06:06,540 --> 01:06:12,080
Anything beyond this comes from the evil
one.

941
01:06:13,080 --> 01:06:19,220
Now, that's Christ on swearing oaths.
And you are in there, in that temple,

942
01:06:19,300 --> 01:06:23,140
swearing to God to pull out your tongue.

943
01:06:23,880 --> 01:06:28,860
Bury you in the sand. Enough. Give me a
chance. I mean, this is your own.

944
01:06:29,240 --> 01:06:32,360
The obligations are symbolic. The
obligations have always been symbolic.

945
01:06:32,360 --> 01:06:32,899
you're swearing.

946
01:06:32,900 --> 01:06:39,020
No. When Christ was speaking to the
Hebrews, as

947
01:06:39,020 --> 01:06:45,560
James quotes and as Matthew quotes, he
was saying because he was correcting

948
01:06:45,560 --> 01:06:49,920
perversions that existed at the time. At
the time, a Jew didn't have to tell the

949
01:06:49,920 --> 01:06:51,480
truth unless he was placed under oath.

950
01:06:52,860 --> 01:06:57,440
And further, if that oath was not in
proper context, he still didn't have to

951
01:06:57,440 --> 01:06:59,040
tell the truth. Let me finish.

952
01:06:59,560 --> 01:07:06,560
He still didn't have to tell the truth
unless he, even though he was under

953
01:07:07,100 --> 01:07:10,740
So tonight, should a Christian take the
vows of Freemasonry?

954
01:07:10,940 --> 01:07:14,820
In order to answer that question, I'd
like you to watch right now as we

955
01:07:14,820 --> 01:07:18,880
a candidate taking the actual obligation
of the Master Mason degree.

956
01:07:19,420 --> 01:07:20,420
Please listen.

957
01:07:20,880 --> 01:07:25,180
We will now continue with the
presentation of the rituals of

958
01:07:25,180 --> 01:07:28,580
going into the third degree obligation
of a mason.

959
01:07:29,400 --> 01:07:34,300
Behind me, to the left, is where the
Worshipful Master sits. I am the

960
01:07:34,300 --> 01:07:37,340
Master of the Lodge, and over his head
is a symbol, the letter G.

961
01:07:38,020 --> 01:07:40,880
And here we have the three lesser lights
of Freemasonry.

962
01:07:41,400 --> 01:07:42,880
Before us, we have an altar.

963
01:07:43,560 --> 01:07:48,380
And the altar is a color blue because it
represents fidelity to the Masonic

964
01:07:48,380 --> 01:07:52,370
order. To the right of me, we have the
candidate for Freemasonry in the third

965
01:07:52,370 --> 01:07:56,970
degree. He has a blue uniform on, which
also represents fidelity.

966
01:07:57,650 --> 01:08:00,130
He's hoodwinked with a cable toe about
his neck.

967
01:08:00,470 --> 01:08:04,550
In case he decides he does not want to
keep the secrets of Freemasonry or

968
01:08:04,550 --> 01:08:09,090
continue with the obligation, he can be
led or dragged out by use of a cable

969
01:08:09,090 --> 01:08:15,130
toe. He also is kneeling upon an altar
with both knees naked, a symbol of the

970
01:08:15,130 --> 01:08:17,310
third degree of Freemasonry. Both
breasts.

971
01:08:17,680 --> 01:08:22,560
and both knees naked to my left is an
officer of the lodge who will administer

972
01:08:22,560 --> 01:08:26,979
the obligation of the third degree in
the middle of the altar we have the holy

973
01:08:26,979 --> 01:08:32,300
bible the square and the compasses the
three great lights of freemasonry

974
01:08:48,170 --> 01:08:54,950
name and say after me i i your name mr
smith of my own

975
01:08:54,950 --> 01:08:59,729
free will and accord of my own free will
and accord in the presence of almighty

976
01:08:59,729 --> 01:09:04,010
god in the presence of almighty god and
this right worshipful lodge in this

977
01:09:04,010 --> 01:09:09,850
right worshipful lodge erected to him
erected to him and dedicated to the holy

978
01:09:09,850 --> 01:09:15,790
saints john and dedicated to the holy
saints john do hereby and here on Hereby

979
01:09:15,790 --> 01:09:17,910
and hereon. Solemnly and sincerely.

980
01:09:19,270 --> 01:09:20,850
Promise and swear.

981
01:09:21,710 --> 01:09:23,410
I will always hail.

982
01:09:24,430 --> 01:09:25,910
Forever conceal.

983
01:09:27,470 --> 01:09:28,470
And never reveal.

984
01:09:29,750 --> 01:09:31,290
Any of the secret arts.

985
01:09:32,790 --> 01:09:33,990
Parts or points.

986
01:09:34,950 --> 01:09:37,029
Of the Master Mason Lodge.

987
01:09:38,350 --> 01:09:39,729
Which have been.

988
01:09:40,970 --> 01:09:41,990
May now.

989
01:09:42,590 --> 01:09:44,450
Or shall hereafter.

990
01:09:44,910 --> 01:09:51,050
or shall hereafter be communicated to me
and charged as such

991
01:09:51,050 --> 01:09:57,890
to any person in the world except it be
to

992
01:09:57,890 --> 01:10:04,510
a true and lawful brother Master Mason
or in a legally

993
01:10:04,510 --> 01:10:11,410
constituted Master Mason Lodge and not
unto

994
01:10:11,410 --> 01:10:17,420
him and not unto him nor them therein
nor them therein until after due trial

995
01:10:17,420 --> 01:10:22,140
until after due trial strict examination
strict examination or lawful

996
01:10:22,140 --> 01:10:26,760
information or lawful information i may
have found them i might have found them

997
01:10:26,760 --> 01:10:32,450
legally entitled legally entitled to
receive the same to receive the same I

998
01:10:32,450 --> 01:10:37,510
furthermore promise and swear, I will
stand to and abide by

999
01:10:37,510 --> 01:10:43,050
the rules and regulations of the Master
Mason Lodge,

1000
01:10:43,150 --> 01:10:49,870
of which I may be a member, as also

1001
01:10:49,870 --> 01:10:56,550
the Constitution, Resolutions, Rules and
Edicts

1002
01:10:56,550 --> 01:11:02,290
of the Grand Lodge, to which I may be a
member. To which I may be.

1003
01:11:02,530 --> 01:11:03,790
Beholden. Beholden.

1004
01:11:04,990 --> 01:11:09,210
If within the length of my cable toe.
Within the length of my cable toe.

1005
01:11:09,550 --> 01:11:11,830
That means, my brother, if I'm able to
do so.

1006
01:11:14,190 --> 01:11:15,910
I furthermore promise and swear.

1007
01:11:16,150 --> 01:11:18,970
I furthermore promise and swear. I will
aid and assist.

1008
01:11:19,270 --> 01:11:20,410
I will aid and assist.

1009
01:11:20,710 --> 01:11:25,710
All poor, distressed brother master
masons. All poor and distressed poor

1010
01:11:25,710 --> 01:11:32,500
masons. Their widows and orphans were so
ever dispersed, I

1011
01:11:32,500 --> 01:11:33,720
knowing them to be such.

1012
01:11:35,710 --> 01:11:42,590
I further promise and swear I will
answer and obey all

1013
01:11:42,590 --> 01:11:47,610
due signs and summonses sent there from
the regular Master

1014
01:11:47,610 --> 01:11:54,250
Mason Lodge or handed me by a brother

1015
01:11:54,250 --> 01:11:55,250
Master Mason.

1016
01:11:57,350 --> 01:12:03,290
I furthermore promise and swear I will
keep the secrets of a brother master

1017
01:12:03,290 --> 01:12:09,930
mason when communicated to and received

1018
01:12:09,930 --> 01:12:16,130
by me and charged as such murder and
treason

1019
01:12:16,130 --> 01:12:22,350
alone accepted and these left to my
election

1020
01:12:26,720 --> 01:12:31,100
I furthermore promise and swear I will
not cheat

1021
01:12:31,100 --> 01:12:37,760
defraud I brother Master Mason speak

1022
01:12:37,760 --> 01:12:44,200
evil of his good name or that of his
family or allow

1023
01:12:44,200 --> 01:12:50,460
the same to be done by others if in my
power to prevent

1024
01:12:52,640 --> 01:12:54,300
I furthermore promise and swear,

1025
01:12:56,260 --> 01:13:01,880
I will not violate the chastity of a
brother master mason's wife,

1026
01:13:01,960 --> 01:13:08,780
mother, sister, or daughter, nor suffer
the

1027
01:13:08,780 --> 01:13:14,640
same to be done by others within my
power to prevent.

1028
01:13:15,150 --> 01:13:16,410
If in my power to prevent.

1029
01:13:16,650 --> 01:13:18,130
I furthermore promise and swear.

1030
01:13:18,390 --> 01:13:19,870
I furthermore promise and swear.

1031
01:13:20,090 --> 01:13:21,570
I will not be at the making.

1032
01:13:21,810 --> 01:13:23,390
I will not be at the making.

1033
01:13:23,630 --> 01:13:29,190
Of a woman a mason. At a woman a mason.
An old man in his dotage. An old man in

1034
01:13:29,190 --> 01:13:31,110
his dotage. A young man underage.

1035
01:13:31,350 --> 01:13:33,390
A young man underage. A fool.

1036
01:13:33,960 --> 01:13:38,860
a fool a madman madman or suffer the
same to be done by others or suffer the

1037
01:13:38,860 --> 01:13:42,620
same to be done by others within my
power to prevent within my power to

1038
01:13:42,620 --> 01:13:47,500
i furthermore promise and swear i
furthermore promise and swear i will not

1039
01:13:47,500 --> 01:13:53,440
will not sit in a clandestine a
clandestine lodge of masons lodge of

1040
01:13:53,440 --> 01:13:58,360
hold converse Or nor hold converse. Upon
the secrets of masonry. Upon the

1041
01:13:58,360 --> 01:14:03,520
secrets of masonry. With a clandestinely
made mason. With a clandestinely mason.

1042
01:14:04,020 --> 01:14:05,720
Will one suspended or expelled.

1043
01:14:06,120 --> 01:14:07,940
Will one suspended or expelled.

1044
01:14:08,340 --> 01:14:11,820
From a regular lodge. From a regular
lodge. I knowing him to be such.

1045
01:14:12,020 --> 01:14:13,260
I knowing him to be such.

1046
01:14:13,710 --> 01:14:20,590
I furthermore promise and swear I will
not communicate the grand Masonic

1047
01:14:20,590 --> 01:14:26,950
word except in the way and manner in
which I received it

1048
01:14:26,950 --> 01:14:33,790
and then only in a low breath to all of
which To

1049
01:14:33,790 --> 01:14:40,610
all of which I solemnly and sincerely
promise and swear to keep and

1050
01:14:40,610 --> 01:14:45,090
perform the same without any
equivocation,

1051
01:14:45,090 --> 01:14:51,750
mental reservation, or

1052
01:14:51,750 --> 01:14:56,290
secret evasion of mind in me whatever.

1053
01:14:57,980 --> 01:15:02,080
finding myself under the no less penalty
finding myself under the no less

1054
01:15:02,080 --> 01:15:08,280
penalty than that of having than that of
having my body severed in twain my body

1055
01:15:08,280 --> 01:15:14,260
severed in twain my bowels taken vents
my bowels taken twins and with my body

1056
01:15:14,260 --> 01:15:19,360
burned to ashes and with my body burned
to ashes and those ashes scattered and

1057
01:15:19,360 --> 01:15:23,740
those ashes scattered to the four winds
of heaven to the four winds of heaven so

1058
01:15:23,740 --> 01:15:29,380
that there might remain so that there
might remain name name, trace, nor

1059
01:15:29,380 --> 01:15:30,380
remembrance,

1060
01:15:31,540 --> 01:15:32,540
no more forever,

1061
01:15:33,780 --> 01:15:35,060
of so vile a wretch,

1062
01:15:36,540 --> 01:15:37,560
as I would be,

1063
01:15:38,860 --> 01:15:40,360
should I ever willingly,

1064
01:15:42,420 --> 01:15:47,600
or knowingly, violate this, my most
solemn obligation,

1065
01:15:47,860 --> 01:15:50,980
as a master mason.

1066
01:15:52,120 --> 01:15:53,480
So help me God.

1067
01:15:53,980 --> 01:15:57,940
So help me, God. And keep me steadfast.
And keep me steadfast. In the due

1068
01:15:57,940 --> 01:15:59,760
performance. In the due performance.

1069
01:16:00,040 --> 01:16:01,420
Of the same. Of the same.

1070
01:16:02,100 --> 01:16:06,240
Mr. Smith, as an evidence that you took
this oath freely and of your own will

1071
01:16:06,240 --> 01:16:10,440
and accord, please kiss the book before
you three times. It is the Holy Bible.

1072
01:16:17,860 --> 01:16:22,340
What you have seen here is the
obligation of a candidate in the third

1073
01:16:22,340 --> 01:16:28,050
Freemasonry. the exact obligation given
in every lodge in the United States of

1074
01:16:28,050 --> 01:16:32,910
America. We will take a break at this
time and come back and talk about this

1075
01:16:32,910 --> 01:16:33,910
obligation.

1076
01:16:37,130 --> 01:16:41,370
I'd like to look at the obligation from
a Christian perspective and examine some

1077
01:16:41,370 --> 01:16:44,010
of the points that this candidate took
in his ritual.

1078
01:16:44,570 --> 01:16:48,570
First, his hand was upon the Holy Bible,
the square, and the compasses.

1079
01:16:48,810 --> 01:16:53,400
And according to the teachings of
Freemasonry, The Holy Bible square

1080
01:16:53,400 --> 01:16:58,540
encompasses, encompasses all the
teachings of Freemasonry that he has

1081
01:16:58,540 --> 01:16:59,438
himself upon.

1082
01:16:59,440 --> 01:17:05,140
But according to what we have learned
early in our broadcast, the Holy Bible

1083
01:17:05,140 --> 01:17:09,720
be the sacred scripture from any
religion in the world, whether it be the

1084
01:17:09,760 --> 01:17:13,400
the Vedas, the Old and New Testament, or
just the Old Testament that he's

1085
01:17:13,400 --> 01:17:14,400
obligated upon.

1086
01:17:14,460 --> 01:17:19,180
And as a Mason, he is committed and
bound by obligation.

1087
01:17:19,850 --> 01:17:24,270
to anyone who has taken an obligation
upon any sacred scripture in the world

1088
01:17:24,270 --> 01:17:29,290
recognized by freemasonry from a
christian perspective i have problem

1089
01:17:29,290 --> 01:17:35,130
obligation from several points of view
first of all this christian saved by

1090
01:17:35,130 --> 01:17:41,110
grace has been released from the law of
bondage of sin by taking this obligation

1091
01:17:41,110 --> 01:17:47,800
he has placed himself under the law of I
will and I will not, and a system of

1092
01:17:47,800 --> 01:17:51,640
promises, which we believe as a
Christian he should not commit himself

1093
01:17:52,400 --> 01:17:56,900
Second of all, there are very
questionable things in the obligation we

1094
01:17:56,900 --> 01:18:01,620
that this candidate should not have
taken. One in particular would be, I

1095
01:18:01,620 --> 01:18:04,820
and swear I will keep the secrets of a
brother master Mason.

1096
01:18:05,100 --> 01:18:10,480
When communicated to me, murder and
treason alone accepted, and these left

1097
01:18:10,480 --> 01:18:11,480
my election.

1098
01:18:11,500 --> 01:18:14,440
If he kept the secret, all the Mason...

1099
01:18:14,780 --> 01:18:20,180
in treason or murder he would be
violating not only god's law but the law

1100
01:18:20,180 --> 01:18:25,240
land the third point i'd like to talk
about would be the penalty which means

1101
01:18:25,240 --> 01:18:30,800
that this mason will allow other masons
to mutilate his body upon the penalty of

1102
01:18:30,800 --> 01:18:36,180
the revelation of the rituals that he
will now be given to in this degree we

1103
01:18:36,180 --> 01:18:40,560
believe that the word of god says in
first corinthians that our body is the

1104
01:18:40,560 --> 01:18:45,400
temple of the holy spirit And as such,
it belongs to God, and we are not given

1105
01:18:45,400 --> 01:18:49,880
the prerogative to tell the Masons that
if we reveal their secrets, that they

1106
01:18:49,880 --> 01:18:51,760
can take our body and mutilate it.

1107
01:18:52,000 --> 01:18:57,020
I believe these points, along with maybe
many others that you could think of, is

1108
01:18:57,020 --> 01:19:00,540
objectionable to the Word of God as a
born -again Christian.

1109
01:19:02,180 --> 01:19:05,980
Now, while you're thinking about the
Masonic vows, please turn your attention

1110
01:19:05,980 --> 01:19:08,220
some of the other things we have heard
the last few weeks.

1111
01:19:08,670 --> 01:19:15,630
And I think that the single greatest
enemy masonry has today is what I have

1112
01:19:15,630 --> 01:19:21,650
to describe as a Christian new right.
The people who belie the tolerance of

1113
01:19:21,650 --> 01:19:27,210
Christ for different ideas, for the fact
that we're not trying to be a religion.

1114
01:19:27,310 --> 01:19:29,370
We're not trying to take the place of
God.

1115
01:19:29,790 --> 01:19:33,210
And there's nothing that you saw in
masonry that should indicate that.

1116
01:19:36,830 --> 01:19:37,830
Let me ask you.

1117
01:19:38,240 --> 01:19:42,100
Do you think the Bible teaches the
concept of the fatherhood of God so that

1118
01:19:42,100 --> 01:19:44,060
men are automatically the sons of God?

1119
01:19:44,600 --> 01:19:48,840
Or do you think the Bible teaches that
God is so loving that when a man dies,

1120
01:19:48,840 --> 01:19:51,640
matter what he has done, God will give
him eternal life?

1121
01:19:52,260 --> 01:19:55,860
Or do you think that the Bible teaches
that God will only reward those who

1122
01:19:55,860 --> 01:19:57,900
deserve it, those who have lived a good
life?

1123
01:19:58,600 --> 01:20:02,120
Well, the Bible does not teach any of
the above, but masonry does.

1124
01:20:02,400 --> 01:20:03,440
For example...

1125
01:20:03,690 --> 01:20:07,430
During the ritual of the first three
degrees, every Mason swears his belief

1126
01:20:07,430 --> 01:20:08,430
the fatherhood of God.

1127
01:20:08,650 --> 01:20:13,890
The prayer in the manual states,
Vouchsafe thine aid, almighty father of

1128
01:20:13,890 --> 01:20:18,550
universe. The candidate is told again
and again that God will be gracious and

1129
01:20:18,550 --> 01:20:21,610
reward those who build their character
and do good deeds.

1130
01:20:22,130 --> 01:20:24,890
Let me document where Masonry teaches
this.

1131
01:20:25,230 --> 01:20:29,990
Every Masonic manual explains the symbol
of the all -seeing eye, one of the

1132
01:20:29,990 --> 01:20:31,930
symbols for God with these words.

1133
01:20:32,560 --> 01:20:37,420
The all -seeing eye, who pervades the
inmost recesses of the human heart, will

1134
01:20:37,420 --> 01:20:40,460
reward us according to our works, our
merits.

1135
01:20:41,300 --> 01:20:44,420
What is the reward man will get because
of his good works?

1136
01:20:44,760 --> 01:20:48,840
Masonry teaches God will reward man with
eternal life in the celestial lodge

1137
01:20:48,840 --> 01:20:53,340
above. This can be documented in the
Masonic Manual under the explanation

1138
01:20:53,340 --> 01:20:55,780
concerning the lambskin or white linen
apron.

1139
01:20:56,040 --> 01:20:57,040
There it says...

1140
01:20:57,430 --> 01:21:02,670
He who wears the lambskin as a badge of
a mason is thereby continually reminded

1141
01:21:02,670 --> 01:21:08,470
of purity of life and conduct, which is
essentially necessary to his gaining

1142
01:21:08,470 --> 01:21:11,230
admission into that celestial lodge
above.

1143
01:21:11,710 --> 01:21:15,750
Another place this is taught in the
manual is in the explanation concerning

1144
01:21:15,750 --> 01:21:20,190
sprig of acacia, where it says, This
serves to remind us there is an

1145
01:21:20,190 --> 01:21:23,230
imperishable part within us which will
never, never die.

1146
01:21:23,900 --> 01:21:28,460
Doubt not that on the glorious morn of
resurrection, our bodies will rise and

1147
01:21:28,460 --> 01:21:31,180
will become as incorruptible as our
souls.

1148
01:21:31,840 --> 01:21:35,540
Another place this is taught is in the
charge to the lodge during the third

1149
01:21:35,540 --> 01:21:40,440
degree of masonry, where we read, Let
all the energies of our souls and the

1150
01:21:40,440 --> 01:21:45,500
perfection of our minds be employed in
attaining the approbation, that's the

1151
01:21:45,500 --> 01:21:47,640
approval, of the Grand Master on high.

1152
01:21:48,190 --> 01:21:52,650
so that when we come to die, with joy we
may hail the summons of the Grand

1153
01:21:52,650 --> 01:21:56,450
Warden above to repair from our labor
here on earth.

1154
01:21:57,210 --> 01:22:01,510
Now this is what masonry teaches, and
men in the lodge believe it because they

1155
01:22:01,510 --> 01:22:03,150
think this is what the Bible says.

1156
01:22:04,510 --> 01:22:09,670
As a non -believer, I felt that the
Bible was the capstone of all that

1157
01:22:09,670 --> 01:22:14,070
encompassed. The Bible was in the middle
of the lodge, on the altar, in view at

1158
01:22:14,070 --> 01:22:16,050
all times, from all points in the lodge.

1159
01:22:16,410 --> 01:22:20,710
To me, that made the whole thing
worthwhile, even if I ever heard any

1160
01:22:20,710 --> 01:22:23,270
comments from friends outside the lodge.

1161
01:22:23,830 --> 01:22:28,050
I felt that it probably encompassed
everything that I was learning in

1162
01:22:28,050 --> 01:22:29,990
since it was the highlight of the lodge.

1163
01:22:30,570 --> 01:22:34,270
Well, if the Bible is the great light of
masonry, let's read it and see what it

1164
01:22:34,270 --> 01:22:35,330
says about these things.

1165
01:22:35,630 --> 01:22:38,890
In the Gospel of John, chapter 1, we
read concerning Jesus.

1166
01:22:39,230 --> 01:22:42,890
He came to that which was his own, but
his own did not receive him.

1167
01:22:43,350 --> 01:22:47,810
Yet to all who received him, to those
who believed in his name, he gave the

1168
01:22:47,810 --> 01:22:49,930
right to become children of God.

1169
01:22:50,550 --> 01:22:54,830
Notice, if Jesus gives to those who
believe on him the right to become

1170
01:22:54,830 --> 01:22:58,310
of God, then all men were not children
of God before that.

1171
01:22:58,710 --> 01:23:03,170
It means men do not start out as
children of God, and God is not the

1172
01:23:03,170 --> 01:23:05,490
all spiritually, relationally. Why?

1173
01:23:05,990 --> 01:23:10,130
Well, it seems masonry has forgotten or
ignores the account of man's fall in

1174
01:23:10,130 --> 01:23:11,930
Genesis, of Adam and Eve in the garden.

1175
01:23:12,540 --> 01:23:17,260
The Bible teaches that man, through
disobedience to God, sinned and broke

1176
01:23:17,260 --> 01:23:19,120
spiritual relationship with God.

1177
01:23:19,580 --> 01:23:24,220
All men, although created by God, are
not in right relationship with God.

1178
01:23:24,940 --> 01:23:29,140
Proof of this can be found in the book
of Acts, where we read, The God who made

1179
01:23:29,140 --> 01:23:33,200
the world and everything in it is the
Lord of heaven and earth. Since we are

1180
01:23:33,200 --> 01:23:37,460
God's children, we should not think that
the divine being is like gold or silver

1181
01:23:37,460 --> 01:23:38,460
or stone.

1182
01:23:38,820 --> 01:23:43,230
Notice, because God is the creator, All
men are said to be his children, his

1183
01:23:43,230 --> 01:23:45,430
offspring, but not relationally,
spiritually.

1184
01:23:45,830 --> 01:23:46,830
There is a problem.

1185
01:23:47,050 --> 01:23:49,230
Look what God says to his children.

1186
01:23:49,630 --> 01:23:52,830
God now commands all people everywhere
to repent.

1187
01:23:54,770 --> 01:23:58,630
Repentance means we must be willing to
turn away from our beliefs and way of

1188
01:23:58,630 --> 01:24:02,910
doing things and turn to and act on
God's promises and instructions.

1189
01:24:03,410 --> 01:24:04,790
What is God's way?

1190
01:24:05,230 --> 01:24:09,710
How does the Bible say you can become a
child of God, have your sins forgiven,

1191
01:24:09,950 --> 01:24:11,770
and know God will take you to heaven?

1192
01:24:12,370 --> 01:24:16,550
Well, first, the Bible says all have
sinned and come short of the glory of

1193
01:24:16,730 --> 01:24:21,050
When the Bible uses the word all, does
that include both you and me? Of course.

1194
01:24:21,110 --> 01:24:22,350
We are both sinners.

1195
01:24:22,890 --> 01:24:28,830
Second, the Bible says the wages of sin
is death, but the gift of God is eternal

1196
01:24:28,830 --> 01:24:30,870
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1197
01:24:31,590 --> 01:24:33,690
Wages are what you get paid at work,
right?

1198
01:24:34,300 --> 01:24:39,380
God says the wages or the payment we
will receive from him because of our sin

1199
01:24:39,380 --> 01:24:43,960
death. Now, death here means both
physical death and spiritual death.

1200
01:24:43,960 --> 01:24:46,440
eternal separation from God, what Jesus
called hell.

1201
01:24:46,760 --> 01:24:48,940
But the Bible talks about God's gift.

1202
01:24:49,260 --> 01:24:50,260
What is a gift?

1203
01:24:50,620 --> 01:24:52,820
Well, it's something that you get for
doing nothing, right?

1204
01:24:53,280 --> 01:24:57,980
God has the gift of eternal life for
you, and you don't have to work for it,

1205
01:24:57,980 --> 01:24:58,980
masonry says.

1206
01:24:59,100 --> 01:25:03,540
And notice, if you want God's gift of
eternal life, you must come to Jesus.

1207
01:25:04,060 --> 01:25:05,060
Why Jesus?

1208
01:25:05,480 --> 01:25:08,440
Because he paid for your sin with his
own blood on the cross.

1209
01:25:08,740 --> 01:25:14,680
The Bible says, for Christ died for your
sins once for all, the just for the

1210
01:25:14,680 --> 01:25:17,780
unjust, that he might bring you to God.

1211
01:25:18,100 --> 01:25:22,420
Would you like Jesus to bring you to
God? If you say yes, here's what the

1212
01:25:22,420 --> 01:25:23,420
says to do next.

1213
01:25:23,900 --> 01:25:27,700
Whosoever shall call upon the name of
the Lord shall be saved.

1214
01:25:27,980 --> 01:25:30,280
How do you call to the Lord? By praying.

1215
01:25:30,860 --> 01:25:34,680
If you will pray to the Lord Jesus and
tell him you are a sinner, that you are

1216
01:25:34,680 --> 01:25:38,440
willing to turn from your sin, that's
repent, and you will ask him to forgive

1217
01:25:38,440 --> 01:25:42,560
you and give you eternal life, and
you'll invite him to come into your life

1218
01:25:42,560 --> 01:25:47,520
empower you and be your God and friend,
he promises to do just that. The Bible

1219
01:25:47,520 --> 01:25:49,740
says, shall be saved.

1220
01:25:50,480 --> 01:25:54,740
Again, according to the Bible, it is
Jesus, not your own good life, who will

1221
01:25:54,740 --> 01:25:58,520
save you. It is Jesus who gives the
right to become a child of God.

1222
01:25:59,160 --> 01:26:03,680
Now, the Bible's teachings are clear
about man's fallen relationship before

1223
01:26:03,680 --> 01:26:07,740
and how God will forgive a man and give
him eternal life if he believes on

1224
01:26:07,740 --> 01:26:12,720
Jesus. On the other hand, Masonry's
teachings are also clear, though

1225
01:26:12,720 --> 01:26:16,420
different. One of these is right, and
one of these is wrong.

1226
01:26:16,720 --> 01:26:19,660
One of these the Bible teaches, the
other it does not.

1227
01:26:19,940 --> 01:26:21,400
You will have to choose.

1228
01:26:55,180 --> 01:26:55,858
Good evening.

1229
01:26:55,860 --> 01:27:00,200
Tonight we want to talk about what does
Freemasonry teach through their ritual

1230
01:27:00,200 --> 01:27:01,840
at a Masonic funeral ceremony.

1231
01:27:02,480 --> 01:27:05,000
Are those teachings in accord with the
Bible?

1232
01:27:05,700 --> 01:27:09,340
To begin with tonight, I'd like you to
look at two statements that are taken

1233
01:27:09,340 --> 01:27:13,120
from the ritual from the Masonic funeral
ceremony in Maryland.

1234
01:27:13,800 --> 01:27:20,620
First, Masonry seeks constantly to build
the temple of the soul and thus to fit

1235
01:27:20,620 --> 01:27:24,500
us for that house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens.

1236
01:27:25,230 --> 01:27:30,910
And second, when our brother labored
with us in Masonic attire, he wore a

1237
01:27:30,910 --> 01:27:35,770
apron, which he was taught is an emblem
of innocence and a badge of a Mason.

1238
01:27:36,110 --> 01:27:41,970
By it, he was constantly reminded of
that purity of life and that rectitude

1239
01:27:41,970 --> 01:27:48,110
conduct so necessary to his gaining
admission into the celestial lodge

1240
01:27:48,910 --> 01:27:51,490
That's how the Masonic lodge says...

1241
01:27:51,820 --> 01:27:55,000
their members can know they will get to
the celestial lodge above.

1242
01:27:55,480 --> 01:27:57,300
Well, let's compare that with the Bible.

1243
01:27:57,720 --> 01:28:01,500
What does the Bible say about how a
person can get to heaven?

1244
01:28:02,100 --> 01:28:07,620
First of all, in John 14, 6, we read,
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and

1245
01:28:07,620 --> 01:28:11,320
the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me.

1246
01:28:11,640 --> 01:28:18,160
In Ephesians 2, 8, it says, For by grace
you have been saved through faith, and

1247
01:28:18,160 --> 01:28:21,280
that not of yourselves, it is the gift
of God.

1248
01:28:21,790 --> 01:28:25,030
not as a result of works that no one
should boast.

1249
01:28:25,430 --> 01:28:31,250
And finally, in John chapter 3, verse
36, he who believes in the Son has

1250
01:28:31,250 --> 01:28:36,570
life, but he who does not believe in the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath

1251
01:28:36,570 --> 01:28:38,170
of God abides on him.

1252
01:28:38,430 --> 01:28:41,610
So tonight, that's the topic that we
want to investigate.

1253
01:28:42,170 --> 01:28:45,610
And as our custom is, we let others
speak for themselves.

1254
01:28:46,210 --> 01:28:49,810
And so to begin, I would like for you to
hear a 32nd degree Mason.

1255
01:28:50,410 --> 01:28:54,890
talk about what he believes the Masonic
funeral ceremony is teaching. Please

1256
01:28:54,890 --> 01:29:01,230
listen. When you have the funeral
service and you commit people, as a

1257
01:29:01,230 --> 01:29:05,270
a brother, you commit that individual to
the great lodge in the sky.

1258
01:29:05,990 --> 01:29:06,990
Symbolic. Dr.

1259
01:29:07,690 --> 01:29:12,210
Martin, that is symbolic. What is it
symbolic of? It is symbolic of the

1260
01:29:12,210 --> 01:29:13,310
of resurrection.

1261
01:29:14,430 --> 01:29:15,850
That's one of the landmarks.

1262
01:29:16,090 --> 01:29:19,950
Isn't that a belief, a religious belief?
It is a symbolic belief. It is an

1263
01:29:19,950 --> 01:29:20,950
allegorical belief.

1264
01:29:21,470 --> 01:29:22,470
Now, wait a minute.

1265
01:29:22,950 --> 01:29:29,210
I'm confused here. Is resurrection an
actuality, or is resurrection a symbol?

1266
01:29:30,990 --> 01:29:36,850
The resurrection is an actuality, but as
it is portrayed in the Masonic funeral

1267
01:29:36,850 --> 01:29:38,070
service, it is symbolic.

1268
01:29:38,870 --> 01:29:40,410
So they don't believe in resurrection?

1269
01:29:40,830 --> 01:29:43,930
No, and don't change my words.

1270
01:29:44,210 --> 01:29:49,710
Well, I'm just saying, I asked you,
first of all, if it was reality or

1271
01:29:50,670 --> 01:29:51,670
Resurrection exists.

1272
01:29:51,970 --> 01:29:53,770
Okay, now, and you said to me, yes.

1273
01:29:54,250 --> 01:29:59,470
for me it's it's a reality now how about
for the masons for the lodge for the

1274
01:29:59,470 --> 01:30:03,150
funeral service and so forth and you
said well it's symbolic it is symbolic

1275
01:30:03,150 --> 01:30:08,550
it deals with that particular aspect
then if it's symbolic it isn't reality

1276
01:30:08,550 --> 01:30:14,870
portrays uh a concept it is not man's
right to grant resurrection and what

1277
01:30:14,870 --> 01:30:19,710
you're seeing is a symbolic is it
holding out a hope of resurrection i

1278
01:30:19,710 --> 01:30:24,700
think so is it a false hope No, in terms
of symbolism, no.

1279
01:30:25,000 --> 01:30:29,260
In this program, I wanted to follow up
on what Mr. Bill Manken was saying.

1280
01:30:29,580 --> 01:30:30,580
Is it true?

1281
01:30:30,760 --> 01:30:35,440
And so I've asked a former worshipful
master of the lodge in Maryland to come

1282
01:30:35,440 --> 01:30:39,980
and reenact the actual funeral ceremony
that he performed hundreds of times.

1283
01:30:40,180 --> 01:30:45,260
I want you to listen and see and to hear
what masonry actually is teaching

1284
01:30:45,260 --> 01:30:47,760
through their ritual funeral ceremony.

1285
01:30:48,560 --> 01:30:50,660
We will now at this time cover...

1286
01:30:50,990 --> 01:30:56,750
the masonic memorial service that is
given to the deceased mason at the

1287
01:30:56,750 --> 01:31:03,010
of the family usually this is given at
the church or at the funeral home the

1288
01:31:03,010 --> 01:31:07,770
members present here in front of us are
the family and friends we will now give

1289
01:31:07,770 --> 01:31:12,550
you the exact ritual as it's given in
the state of maryland and in other

1290
01:31:12,550 --> 01:31:16,410
throughout the united states the
principle and the doctrines are exactly

1291
01:31:16,410 --> 01:31:18,750
same the wording only varies slightly

1292
01:31:20,400 --> 01:31:25,380
Friends and brethren, we who are Masons
have assembled on this occasion to

1293
01:31:25,380 --> 01:31:30,440
express our respect and esteem for our
brother, who has passed beyond our

1294
01:31:30,440 --> 01:31:35,940
sight, and to share with those near and
dear to him our belief in the

1295
01:31:35,940 --> 01:31:37,880
immortality of the soul.

1296
01:31:38,400 --> 01:31:44,400
In this time of sorrow, when we all need
comfort and consolation, let us turn

1297
01:31:44,400 --> 01:31:49,860
reverently to God, who in the midst of
the trials and tribulations that are a

1298
01:31:49,860 --> 01:31:55,540
part of life can alone and do us with
that quietness of spirit and that peace

1299
01:31:55,540 --> 01:32:02,420
mind and heart which the world can
neither give nor take away let us pray

1300
01:32:02,420 --> 01:32:09,120
oh god our

1301
01:32:09,120 --> 01:32:15,320
father in heaven thou art the giver of
life and light and love our health and

1302
01:32:15,320 --> 01:32:17,280
solace in times of trial and sorrow

1303
01:32:18,440 --> 01:32:22,580
Thou hast assured us that when we walk
through the valley of the shadow of

1304
01:32:22,580 --> 01:32:24,380
death, thou art with us.

1305
01:32:24,980 --> 01:32:27,460
Thy rod and thy staff comfort us.

1306
01:32:28,060 --> 01:32:33,820
Thou art light and our salvation, our
refuge and our strength in every time of

1307
01:32:33,820 --> 01:32:34,820
trouble.

1308
01:32:35,200 --> 01:32:37,320
We thank thee for the life of our
brother.

1309
01:32:37,840 --> 01:32:42,660
We thank thee that he was one of our
fellowship and that we were privileged

1310
01:32:42,660 --> 01:32:45,080
labor with him in the mystic tie of
brotherhood.

1311
01:32:45,870 --> 01:32:49,490
We are grateful to thee for the precious
memories of him which we shall always

1312
01:32:49,490 --> 01:32:50,490
carry in our hearts.

1313
01:32:51,130 --> 01:32:54,690
We thank thee for all that he has meant
to those who were near and dear to him

1314
01:32:54,690 --> 01:32:57,010
through the ties of family and
friendship.

1315
01:32:58,510 --> 01:33:03,310
Most of all, we are grateful to thee for
teaching us that while the body is

1316
01:33:03,310 --> 01:33:05,870
mortal, the soul is immortal.

1317
01:33:06,470 --> 01:33:10,790
Though the outward form we knew and
loved be removed from our sight, we have

1318
01:33:10,790 --> 01:33:14,410
assurance that thou hast taken to
thyself his soul.

1319
01:33:15,050 --> 01:33:17,350
which is the enduring essence of life.

1320
01:33:18,050 --> 01:33:23,950
This conviction thou hast implanted in
us through thy holy word, which is the

1321
01:33:23,950 --> 01:33:25,230
great light of masonry.

1322
01:33:26,050 --> 01:33:30,070
We earnestly beseech thee that this
short time which we spend together may

1323
01:33:30,070 --> 01:33:32,050
and strengthen our conviction and our
hope.

1324
01:33:32,490 --> 01:33:37,090
Let thy peace abide with us now and lead
us ever in the paths of righteousness.

1325
01:33:38,030 --> 01:33:39,930
In thy name we make our prayer.

1326
01:33:40,730 --> 01:33:41,730
Amen.

1327
01:33:48,080 --> 01:33:52,380
From time immemorial, it has been the
custom of Masons to assemble with the

1328
01:33:52,380 --> 01:33:57,940
family and friends of a departed brother
to honor his memory and to voice their

1329
01:33:57,940 --> 01:34:01,300
sympathy to those whom he loved and who
loved him.

1330
01:34:01,980 --> 01:34:08,300
The message we bring is one of the
triumph of life over death, the conquest

1331
01:34:08,300 --> 01:34:10,060
hope over despair.

1332
01:34:11,180 --> 01:34:13,340
Masonry has come down from the far past.

1333
01:34:14,120 --> 01:34:20,860
It uses the tools of the builder's trade
as emblems and symbols to teach Masons

1334
01:34:20,860 --> 01:34:24,140
how to build character and moral
stature.

1335
01:34:24,400 --> 01:34:28,740
It teaches service to God, to a brother,
and to all mankind.

1336
01:34:29,520 --> 01:34:35,500
It seeks constantly to build the temple
of the soul and thus to fit us for that

1337
01:34:35,500 --> 01:34:39,200
house not made with hands, eternal in
the heavens.

1338
01:34:40,040 --> 01:34:43,960
Masonry is a fellowship that unites
Masons in friendship and goodwill.

1339
01:34:44,640 --> 01:34:50,960
It teaches the spiritual values of life
that lie beyond the physical senses.

1340
01:34:51,900 --> 01:34:57,080
Mastry confronts the fact of death with
the greater fact of faith in the

1341
01:34:57,080 --> 01:34:58,740
immortality of the soul.

1342
01:34:59,620 --> 01:35:05,220
Masons believe sincerely that when life
on earth comes to a close, the soul is

1343
01:35:05,220 --> 01:35:10,380
translated from the imperfections of
this mortal fear to that all -perfect,

1344
01:35:10,480 --> 01:35:12,780
glorious, and celestial lodge above

1345
01:35:14,540 --> 01:35:17,720
the grand architect of the universe,
presides.

1346
01:35:18,420 --> 01:35:23,320
With these truths and convictions, our
brother was well acquainted.

1347
01:35:24,140 --> 01:35:29,760
Though perfection of character is not of
this world, yet we are persuaded that

1348
01:35:29,760 --> 01:35:35,840
our brother sought to live by these
truths and principles of mastery, that

1349
01:35:35,840 --> 01:35:41,980
sustained and supported him, and that by
them his life was made richer,

1350
01:35:42,140 --> 01:35:47,700
fuller, and more meaningful when our
brother labored with us in the sonic

1351
01:35:47,700 --> 01:35:53,440
he wore a white apron which he was
taught is an emblem of innocence and a

1352
01:35:53,440 --> 01:36:00,080
of a mason by it he was constantly
reminded of that purity of life and that

1353
01:36:00,080 --> 01:36:06,420
rectitude of conduct so necessary to his
gaining a mission into that celestial

1354
01:36:06,420 --> 01:36:11,200
lodge above he will now wear that apron
forever

1355
01:36:12,080 --> 01:36:14,940
as the emblem of the virtues it
represents.

1356
01:36:15,940 --> 01:36:20,280
The evergreen is an emblem of our faith
in the immortality of the soul.

1357
01:36:20,940 --> 01:36:26,500
By it, we are reminded of the immortal
soul of man which survives the grave and

1358
01:36:26,500 --> 01:36:28,680
which will never, never die.

1359
01:36:29,280 --> 01:36:34,540
In accordance with our custom, I now
place this evergreen over the heart of

1360
01:36:34,540 --> 01:36:35,540
brother.

1361
01:36:39,420 --> 01:36:40,740
And now to you.

1362
01:36:41,320 --> 01:36:45,640
who shared with our brother the intimate
ties of family and friendship, we

1363
01:36:45,640 --> 01:36:47,340
tender our affectionate sympathy.

1364
01:36:47,780 --> 01:36:51,000
Our hearts respond to your hearts in
your grief.

1365
01:36:51,300 --> 01:36:56,820
We trust that these affirmations of
faith in which our brother shared may

1366
01:36:56,820 --> 01:37:00,740
to you and inspire you to live with hope
and courage.

1367
01:37:01,100 --> 01:37:07,740
We ask you always to remember that the
God and Father of us all is a loving

1368
01:37:07,900 --> 01:37:09,460
a merciful God.

1369
01:37:10,040 --> 01:37:16,380
a compassionate God whose ears are ever
open to the crying of the afflicted.

1370
01:37:16,620 --> 01:37:17,620
Let us pray.

1371
01:37:22,600 --> 01:37:27,500
Eternal and everlasting God, we look to
Thee in faith and confidence, knowing

1372
01:37:27,500 --> 01:37:33,480
that Thy love has power to bring comfort
and consolation, even in this time of

1373
01:37:33,480 --> 01:37:35,480
bereavement to those near and dear to
our brother.

1374
01:37:36,500 --> 01:37:38,920
Fill their hearts more and more with
blessed assurance.

1375
01:37:39,999 --> 01:37:42,520
of immortality and of thy abiding love.

1376
01:37:43,220 --> 01:37:44,840
Bless them and keep them, O Lord.

1377
01:37:45,340 --> 01:37:48,780
Make thy face to shine upon them and be
gracious unto them.

1378
01:37:49,360 --> 01:37:52,840
Lift up thy countenance upon them and
give them thy peace.

1379
01:37:53,280 --> 01:37:54,280
Amen.

1380
01:37:57,700 --> 01:38:02,100
If you've just joined us, we are
investigating what Freemasonry teaches

1381
01:38:02,100 --> 01:38:04,600
its ritual read during their funeral
ceremony.

1382
01:38:05,280 --> 01:38:10,120
Does Freemasonry teach anything about
how a man may safely reach the celestial

1383
01:38:10,120 --> 01:38:11,120
lodge in the sky?

1384
01:38:11,540 --> 01:38:16,220
Are the teachings of Freemasonry in
agreement or disagreement with the

1385
01:38:16,220 --> 01:38:18,500
teaching on how a person can go to
heaven?

1386
01:38:19,100 --> 01:38:23,360
First, you will hear the commentary of a
32nd degree Mason during a previous

1387
01:38:23,360 --> 01:38:28,980
program, and then the comments of former
worshipful master, Mr. Jack Harris, who

1388
01:38:28,980 --> 01:38:33,140
performed the Masonic funeral ceremony
in the first half of our program.

1389
01:38:33,640 --> 01:38:36,820
Would anybody standing around the
Masonic Lodge get the idea that as being

1390
01:38:36,820 --> 01:38:41,000
of the Lodge, having the Masonic
funeral, because we did all of this,

1391
01:38:41,000 --> 01:38:45,200
had all this, because we followed the
very tenets and symbolism of the Lodge,

1392
01:38:45,280 --> 01:38:49,200
that the symbolism that I put into it,
namely resurrection, the great Lodge in

1393
01:38:49,200 --> 01:38:53,100
the sky, according to your Christian
teachings, that's not how you get to

1394
01:38:53,100 --> 01:38:57,300
heaven. That is in fact. That's why I'm
saying that this is in fact a symbolic

1395
01:38:57,300 --> 01:38:58,300
act.

1396
01:38:58,700 --> 01:39:01,420
Because there's no man who's going to
resurrect anybody.

1397
01:39:01,700 --> 01:39:04,120
All right, so what you're saying is you
have a symbolic act that you're holding

1398
01:39:04,120 --> 01:39:05,240
on to that has no content.

1399
01:39:06,280 --> 01:39:08,540
It has content in its symbolism.

1400
01:39:09,160 --> 01:39:13,120
It is a system of allegory veiled. But
nobody knows what it is. A system of

1401
01:39:13,120 --> 01:39:16,500
morality veiled in allegory and
illustrated by symbols. We've got to

1402
01:39:16,500 --> 01:39:18,960
to that. So it means nothing again. It's
just the fact you say it. It is a

1403
01:39:18,960 --> 01:39:19,960
symbol. It is a symbol.

1404
01:39:21,020 --> 01:39:22,700
That's it. Does it stand for something?

1405
01:39:23,840 --> 01:39:26,960
It's symbolic in a ritualistic context.

1406
01:39:27,500 --> 01:39:28,640
I think that's what religion is.

1407
01:39:30,600 --> 01:39:32,020
I would argue that.

1408
01:39:32,520 --> 01:39:35,820
I know you do, but I'm still saying that
I can't get away from the fact that

1409
01:39:35,820 --> 01:39:40,100
when you say we are holding to this
concept, you call it symbolism, and it

1410
01:39:40,100 --> 01:39:43,680
the word resurrection attached to it,
and yet you won't put any content other

1411
01:39:43,680 --> 01:39:44,680
than the fact of resurrection.

1412
01:39:45,000 --> 01:39:47,700
Resurrection, by definition, means
certain things. It's a religious view.

1413
01:39:48,320 --> 01:39:51,400
And you're saying, but you won't tell
people how to get there, and yet your

1414
01:39:51,400 --> 01:39:55,340
Christian view, which does have content,
says specifically you don't get there

1415
01:39:55,340 --> 01:39:59,220
just by hoping you'll get there. You
don't get there just by holding it out

1416
01:39:59,220 --> 01:40:03,120
people. You need to tell them something,
that you have to go to a Savior, namely

1417
01:40:03,120 --> 01:40:04,120
Jesus Christ.

1418
01:40:04,860 --> 01:40:05,860
That's the problem.

1419
01:40:06,120 --> 01:40:10,920
What you have just heard is the
authentic Masonic memorial service given

1420
01:40:10,920 --> 01:40:12,000
throughout the United States.

1421
01:40:12,720 --> 01:40:15,580
This man I personally knew as a Mason.

1422
01:40:16,080 --> 01:40:17,560
He never once...

1423
01:40:17,770 --> 01:40:21,430
proclaimed to me that he knew Jesus
Christ as his personal Savior.

1424
01:40:22,490 --> 01:40:28,290
Is it conceivable, then, that he
believed the teachings of Freemasonry

1425
01:40:28,290 --> 01:40:31,590
they taught him on how to gain eternal
life?

1426
01:40:32,310 --> 01:40:36,550
Let me recap some of the things that we
have taught in our previous broadcast

1427
01:40:36,550 --> 01:40:41,470
dealing with the teachings of
Freemasonry and how you may gain eternal

1428
01:40:42,010 --> 01:40:47,680
In the first degree, as Worshipful
Master of Masonic Lodge, I taught this

1429
01:40:47,680 --> 01:40:53,920
that the name of God could be any God of
any religion. It wasn't

1430
01:40:53,920 --> 01:41:00,100
exclusively, as the Bible lines it out,
the name of Jesus Christ in whom all

1431
01:41:00,100 --> 01:41:02,960
deity dwells, the person of Jesus
Christ.

1432
01:41:03,500 --> 01:41:07,020
Mystery says the God of all religions
are acceptable.

1433
01:41:07,360 --> 01:41:12,440
So when he took his obligations in the
first degree, he put his hand on the

1434
01:41:12,440 --> 01:41:13,440
Bible.

1435
01:41:13,980 --> 01:41:19,660
He bound himself to those who also put
their hand on the Koran or the Vedas or

1436
01:41:19,660 --> 01:41:20,660
just the Old Testament.

1437
01:41:21,240 --> 01:41:25,900
We believe God's word forbids this for a
Christian, yet this man conceivably

1438
01:41:25,900 --> 01:41:26,900
believed this.

1439
01:41:27,440 --> 01:41:32,120
Also, in the first degree, he wore a
white apron. If you notice, he has that

1440
01:41:32,120 --> 01:41:36,060
apron with him now and a casket. I have
this apron on. What does the apron

1441
01:41:36,060 --> 01:41:39,640
signify? This apron is a badge of a
mason.

1442
01:41:40,220 --> 01:41:41,220
I taught.

1443
01:41:41,770 --> 01:41:47,810
that by the purity of his life and
conduct of which this apron represents,

1444
01:41:47,810 --> 01:41:53,170
will, not he may or he could, he will
gain a mission into the celestial lodge

1445
01:41:53,170 --> 01:41:58,030
above where the supreme architect of the
universe presides. What the word of God

1446
01:41:58,030 --> 01:42:03,690
tells us in Ephesians 2 .8 .9, it's for
by grace we are saved through faith, not

1447
01:42:03,690 --> 01:42:05,510
of works lest any man should boast.

1448
01:42:06,170 --> 01:42:10,570
There's no way, according to the Word of
God, that by our purity of life and

1449
01:42:10,570 --> 01:42:13,890
conduct that we can gain a mission into
the celestial lodge above.

1450
01:42:14,170 --> 01:42:18,650
It is by the grace of God through the
finished work of Jesus Christ.

1451
01:42:19,110 --> 01:42:24,610
So I taught this man through Masonic
ritual a lie, according to the Word of

1452
01:42:24,810 --> 01:42:27,070
He conceivably may have believed it.

1453
01:42:28,010 --> 01:42:33,550
Also, I taught this man in the third
degree of Freemasonry.

1454
01:42:34,120 --> 01:42:40,400
The legend of Hiram Abiff dealing with
how to gain eternal life,

1455
01:42:40,480 --> 01:42:43,260
recapping the first three degrees of
Freemasonry.

1456
01:42:43,580 --> 01:42:49,880
In that legend, I taught this man that
as he takes the tools of the builder's

1457
01:42:49,880 --> 01:42:55,680
trade and he applies the moral truths
that mastery teaches him through these

1458
01:42:55,680 --> 01:43:01,080
tools, which is learning to go to heaven
by his own endeavor, the blessings of

1459
01:43:01,080 --> 01:43:02,380
God and the virtues of education.

1460
01:43:02,960 --> 01:43:08,460
He will build the spiritual temple of
his body, make it pleasing to God, so

1461
01:43:08,460 --> 01:43:12,880
when he's raised up, he will be accepted
into the lodge above.

1462
01:43:13,840 --> 01:43:18,680
But the word of God does not give me
that prerogative. The word of God lets

1463
01:43:18,680 --> 01:43:24,120
know it is only through the shed blood
of Jesus Christ, through his sacrifice

1464
01:43:24,120 --> 01:43:29,620
Calvary, that this man can possibly gain
heaven. Yet he may have believed these

1465
01:43:29,620 --> 01:43:30,800
things in freemasonry.

1466
01:43:31,210 --> 01:43:34,590
And I may have sent him to hell for what
I taught him.

1467
01:43:34,950 --> 01:43:41,950
The Word of God teaches me that what I
learn from God's Word is not

1468
01:43:41,950 --> 01:43:46,530
supposed to be kept secret as
Freemasonry taught me and I taught him.

1469
01:43:46,970 --> 01:43:51,890
I taught him that everything that he
learns in Freemasonry, keep it secret

1470
01:43:51,890 --> 01:43:53,190
those who are not Masons.

1471
01:43:54,050 --> 01:43:57,710
Because it's specially designed for
those who are what?

1472
01:43:58,290 --> 01:44:01,330
Worthy. found worthy according to
Freemasonry.

1473
01:44:01,730 --> 01:44:06,150
But God says no one's worthy. No one.
Everyone's a sinner.

1474
01:44:07,070 --> 01:44:12,010
Freemasonry says, according to our
teachings, this man is found worthy

1475
01:44:12,010 --> 01:44:14,890
creed, initiation, and ritual.

1476
01:44:15,470 --> 01:44:19,410
What does God's Word say about how we
are to be saved?

1477
01:44:19,870 --> 01:44:24,930
And also, as I read to you the plan of
salvation, according to God's Word, not

1478
01:44:24,930 --> 01:44:27,570
my opinion, I like to say that...

1479
01:44:27,790 --> 01:44:34,230
Jesus said in Matthew 28, we are to
proclaim all of this word to the world,

1480
01:44:34,230 --> 01:44:35,390
the deepest mysteries.

1481
01:44:36,390 --> 01:44:41,670
Freemasonry says, no, we are to keep the
teachings such as how to gain eternal

1482
01:44:41,670 --> 01:44:46,510
life, how to lead a good life, secret,
and only give it to those found worthy.

1483
01:44:47,830 --> 01:44:53,390
Let me read what God's word says
regarding the plan of salvation as he

1484
01:44:53,390 --> 01:44:54,390
it down in Scripture.

1485
01:44:54,880 --> 01:45:01,800
In Romans 3 .10, God's Word says, As it
is written, there is none righteous, not

1486
01:45:01,800 --> 01:45:03,080
even one.

1487
01:45:03,700 --> 01:45:09,860
According to Freemasonry, you are found
worthy through their

1488
01:45:09,860 --> 01:45:13,700
ritual, their creed, your virtuous
education.

1489
01:45:14,820 --> 01:45:19,620
Another point this is brought out in
Freemasonry is with the rough ashler and

1490
01:45:19,620 --> 01:45:24,120
the perfect ashler, which I taught this
man in the first degree. An ashler...

1491
01:45:24,360 --> 01:45:27,760
is a stone is taken from the quarry in
its rude and natural state.

1492
01:45:28,960 --> 01:45:34,120
Freemasonry uses the ashlar in its rude
and natural state to say to you as a

1493
01:45:34,120 --> 01:45:39,740
mason and as a candidate that your
nature about you, your whole life, is

1494
01:45:39,740 --> 01:45:41,960
and crude as this ashlar is.

1495
01:45:42,200 --> 01:45:46,460
And then they say, here's a perfect
ashlar, smooth and shiny.

1496
01:45:47,360 --> 01:45:52,920
We're going to take you and your moral
conduct and your rectitude of life.

1497
01:45:53,260 --> 01:45:57,480
And we're going to smooth and polish it.
In other words, we're going to sanctify

1498
01:45:57,480 --> 01:45:58,379
you. How?

1499
01:45:58,380 --> 01:46:02,080
By virtuous education, your own
endeavors, and the blessings of God.

1500
01:46:02,700 --> 01:46:07,880
God's word is totally in disagreement
with this. For the wages of this sin is

1501
01:46:07,880 --> 01:46:13,960
death. But the free gift of God is
eternal life in Jesus Christ,

1502
01:46:14,240 --> 01:46:16,460
our Lord. A free gift.

1503
01:46:16,740 --> 01:46:20,540
He doesn't have to work for it. He
doesn't have to have a virtuous

1504
01:46:21,340 --> 01:46:22,620
He doesn't have to labor.

1505
01:46:22,960 --> 01:46:26,500
He doesn't have to take an oath. It's a
free gift from God.

1506
01:46:26,940 --> 01:46:33,920
In Romans 10, 9 and 10, the Word of God
says that if you confess with your

1507
01:46:33,920 --> 01:46:39,980
mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your
heart that God had raised him from the

1508
01:46:39,980 --> 01:46:42,400
dead, ye shall be saved.

1509
01:46:43,320 --> 01:46:47,020
For with the heart man believes,
resulting in righteousness.

1510
01:46:47,400 --> 01:46:49,940
And with the mouth he confesses.

1511
01:46:50,300 --> 01:46:52,340
resulting in salvation.

1512
01:46:53,360 --> 01:47:00,080
So according to the word of God, to gain
eternal life, you must

1513
01:47:00,080 --> 01:47:04,480
ask as a simple child, Lord Jesus, I'm a
sinner.

1514
01:47:04,880 --> 01:47:10,000
I want you to come into my life and save
me. I believe that your son, the Lord

1515
01:47:10,000 --> 01:47:16,300
Jesus Christ, died in my place on
Calvary's cross for me so that I may

1516
01:47:16,300 --> 01:47:18,540
eternal life. Come into my life now.

1517
01:47:19,080 --> 01:47:21,460
and be my Savior and my Lord.

1518
01:47:22,440 --> 01:47:27,480
Now, there's those of you watching by
television, and some of you are Masons,

1519
01:47:27,540 --> 01:47:34,160
and also you have put a professing
profession in the person of Jesus Christ

1520
01:47:34,160 --> 01:47:34,919
your salvation.

1521
01:47:34,920 --> 01:47:37,700
So you're a Mason, and you're a born
-again Christian.

1522
01:47:38,480 --> 01:47:41,840
And you have seen what we have showed
you here tonight at the funeral. You

1523
01:47:41,840 --> 01:47:44,060
seen all the previous broadcasts.

1524
01:47:44,440 --> 01:47:47,520
And I ask you, is it possible?

1525
01:47:48,560 --> 01:47:54,900
From the core of your heart, can you
possibly embrace these teachings knowing

1526
01:47:54,900 --> 01:47:59,740
that they can lead this man to hell and
not to heaven?

1527
01:48:00,380 --> 01:48:05,700
Can you do this and be obedient to the
Word of God where it tells us, have no

1528
01:48:05,700 --> 01:48:08,540
fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness?

1529
01:48:08,880 --> 01:48:14,460
All of the teachings of Freemasonry add
up to salvation by works. And as

1530
01:48:14,460 --> 01:48:15,940
believers, we are commanded.

1531
01:48:16,840 --> 01:48:18,720
to have no fellowship with this
darkness.

1532
01:48:19,400 --> 01:48:25,700
Can you truthfully in your heart embrace
these teachings and still say, I'm

1533
01:48:25,700 --> 01:48:29,820
being obedient to the Word of God and to
the Lord Jesus Christ?

1534
01:48:30,200 --> 01:48:34,400
I leave this decision up to you to make.

1535
01:49:03,240 --> 01:49:06,060
There are approximately 4 million Masons
in the United States.

1536
01:49:06,360 --> 01:49:10,940
Many Masons are Christians, and many are
from other religious faiths. The

1537
01:49:10,940 --> 01:49:15,460
question tonight, are you willingly or
unwillingly participating in another

1538
01:49:15,460 --> 01:49:17,540
religion, the religion of Freemasonry?

1539
01:49:18,020 --> 01:49:20,800
Now, most people believe the religion
they hold is true.

1540
01:49:21,080 --> 01:49:25,060
They would not think of actively
participating or embracing the beliefs

1541
01:49:25,060 --> 01:49:25,978
another religion.

1542
01:49:25,980 --> 01:49:31,040
For example, Christians know Jesus said,
I am the way, the truth, and the life.

1543
01:49:31,450 --> 01:49:33,990
No man cometh unto the Father but by me.

1544
01:49:34,530 --> 01:49:39,230
Christians believe that. If Freemasonry
is another religion, it would be

1545
01:49:39,230 --> 01:49:42,510
competing against Jesus Christ, and
Christians would have to choose.

1546
01:49:42,870 --> 01:49:47,050
So I think tonight's program should be
of extreme importance to Christians in

1547
01:49:47,050 --> 01:49:49,630
the Lodge as well as others of different
beliefs.

1548
01:49:50,110 --> 01:49:52,230
Is Freemasonry a religion?

1549
01:49:52,910 --> 01:49:56,850
Now, obviously, most Masons say that
what goes on in the Lodge is not a

1550
01:49:56,850 --> 01:49:57,850
religion.

1551
01:49:57,880 --> 01:50:01,400
And I want you to hear both sides
tonight, so let's begin by listening to

1552
01:50:01,560 --> 01:50:06,580
Bill Menken, a 32nd degree mason who was
a guest on a previous program, and a

1553
01:50:06,580 --> 01:50:10,840
former worshipful master, Mr. Jack
Harris. They will set the basis for our

1554
01:50:10,840 --> 01:50:14,840
discussion. The discussion comes around.
Let me see if I can frame it for you.

1555
01:50:15,420 --> 01:50:17,380
And that is that it's not a religion.

1556
01:50:18,700 --> 01:50:23,480
More than that, it's not a religion. It
offers no system of salvation.

1557
01:50:23,700 --> 01:50:25,160
And I'm going to have to read...

1558
01:50:26,250 --> 01:50:30,950
from this certain point because this is
very very important and something that

1559
01:50:30,950 --> 01:50:36,950
you should realize because uh we have
none of the marks of a religion okay we

1560
01:50:36,950 --> 01:50:42,270
have no creed no confession of faith in
a doctrinal statement we have no

1561
01:50:42,270 --> 01:50:47,010
theology we have no ritual of worship we
have no symbols that are religious in

1562
01:50:47,010 --> 01:50:52,070
the sense of symbols found in a church
or a synagogue our symbols are related

1563
01:50:52,070 --> 01:50:53,490
the development of character

1564
01:50:54,460 --> 01:50:56,660
of the relationship of man to man.

1565
01:50:57,160 --> 01:51:01,600
They are working tools to be used in the
building of life. These working tools

1566
01:51:01,600 --> 01:51:04,440
have been used from time immemorial to
build buildings.

1567
01:51:04,700 --> 01:51:10,240
And all we are saying is that if you as
an individual adopt the principles

1568
01:51:10,240 --> 01:51:15,120
represented, and we'll get into some of
that symbolism later on, that you will

1569
01:51:15,120 --> 01:51:17,300
be a better person. Not that you're
going to go to heaven.

1570
01:51:17,580 --> 01:51:23,700
In all the rituals that I taught for 11
years, masonry did teach how to get to

1571
01:51:23,700 --> 01:51:26,950
heaven. They taught it with the apron
that I wear, by my purity, life, and

1572
01:51:26,950 --> 01:51:31,450
conduct. They taught it in the
hieroglyphic legend of the third degree,

1573
01:51:31,450 --> 01:51:32,610
immortality of the soul.

1574
01:51:32,990 --> 01:51:38,030
Through all their writings, they say,
they are teaching the immortality of the

1575
01:51:38,030 --> 01:51:39,030
soul to the Mason.

1576
01:51:39,730 --> 01:51:44,850
The word of God tells me, though, the
only way to have immortal life is

1577
01:51:44,850 --> 01:51:45,930
the person of Jesus Christ.

1578
01:51:46,410 --> 01:51:51,050
Never in any Masonic ritual do they
point that Jesus is this way of

1579
01:51:52,970 --> 01:51:56,850
Now, if I heard Bill Mankin correctly,
and if I'm accurately comprehending the

1580
01:51:56,850 --> 01:52:01,030
comments I have received in the mail
from Masons, I think that I can

1581
01:52:01,030 --> 01:52:02,210
their argument this way.

1582
01:52:03,190 --> 01:52:07,370
Freemasonry is not a religion because of
the following things. Number one, it

1583
01:52:07,370 --> 01:52:11,850
does not meet the definition of
religion. Number two, it offers no

1584
01:52:11,850 --> 01:52:13,010
teaching of salvation.

1585
01:52:13,450 --> 01:52:18,970
Number three, it has no creed, no
confession of faith, no theology, and no

1586
01:52:18,970 --> 01:52:20,050
ritual of worship.

1587
01:52:20,620 --> 01:52:25,260
And four, it has no symbols that are
religious like the symbols that are

1588
01:52:25,260 --> 01:52:26,260
in a church.

1589
01:52:27,160 --> 01:52:31,180
Now, I think that in order to answer the
question, is Freemasonry a religion, we

1590
01:52:31,180 --> 01:52:32,940
need to start with the definition of
religion.

1591
01:52:33,740 --> 01:52:37,560
It's interesting that Masonic author
Alphonse Serza, in his book, Let There

1592
01:52:37,560 --> 01:52:42,260
Light, a study in anti -Masonry, has
said, by any definition of religion

1593
01:52:42,260 --> 01:52:46,360
accepted by our critics, we cannot
qualify as a religion.

1594
01:52:47,070 --> 01:52:50,170
Well, to see if that's true or false,
let's begin with the definition of

1595
01:52:50,170 --> 01:52:51,630
religion from a credible source.

1596
01:52:51,890 --> 01:52:55,930
How about Webster's Dictionary? See if
you think Freemasonry is included or

1597
01:52:55,930 --> 01:52:57,870
excluded by this definition.

1598
01:52:58,690 --> 01:53:05,170
Webster defines religion as, one, a
belief in a divine or superhuman power

1599
01:53:05,170 --> 01:53:08,890
obeyed or worshipped as the creator and
ruler of the universe.

1600
01:53:09,150 --> 01:53:13,750
Two, expression of this belief in
conduct and ritual.

1601
01:53:15,200 --> 01:53:20,380
Now, would any Mason deny that
Freemasonry demands belief in a supreme

1602
01:53:20,620 --> 01:53:24,800
Would any Mason deny their authoritative
ritual describes how they are to

1603
01:53:24,800 --> 01:53:27,460
express this belief in conduct and
ceremony?

1604
01:53:28,100 --> 01:53:32,060
In brief, can any Freemason say Masonry
is not a religion according to this

1605
01:53:32,060 --> 01:53:34,340
definition from Webster? I don't think
so.

1606
01:53:34,700 --> 01:53:39,680
But don't take my word for it. Rather,
listen to respected Masonic authorities.

1607
01:53:40,520 --> 01:53:44,780
Now, in order to know who are the
accepted authorities, we wrote a letter

1608
01:53:44,780 --> 01:53:48,620
the Grand Lodges in the United States.
And this is what the Grand Lodges told

1609
01:53:48,620 --> 01:53:49,620
us.

1610
01:53:49,820 --> 01:53:54,900
Coyle's Masonic Encyclopedia was
recommended by almost half of the Grand

1611
01:53:54,900 --> 01:54:00,180
in America as being, for them, the most
authoritative book in print concerning

1612
01:54:00,180 --> 01:54:06,140
Masonry. And one -third of the Grand
Lodges recommended Mackey's Encyclopedia

1613
01:54:06,140 --> 01:54:07,140
Freemasonry.

1614
01:54:08,010 --> 01:54:12,430
So, let me quote to you what these two
most highly recommended Masonic

1615
01:54:12,430 --> 01:54:16,410
authorities say concerning the question,
is Freemasonry a religion?

1616
01:54:16,770 --> 01:54:21,910
First, Albert Mackey in his Encyclopedia
of Freemasonry. He quotes Webster's

1617
01:54:21,910 --> 01:54:25,650
definition of religion, and then after
giving the definition, here is what

1618
01:54:25,650 --> 01:54:26,650
Mackey states.

1619
01:54:27,170 --> 01:54:32,210
Now, it is plain that in either of the
first three senses in which we take the

1620
01:54:32,210 --> 01:54:33,210
word religion,

1621
01:54:33,820 --> 01:54:38,040
Freemasonry may rightfully claim to be
called a religious institution.

1622
01:54:39,240 --> 01:54:40,240
Interesting, huh?

1623
01:54:40,720 --> 01:54:45,280
Let's look now at what Henry Wilson
Coyle in his Masonic Encyclopedia says.

1624
01:54:45,920 --> 01:54:50,780
Coyle quotes Funk and Wagner's
definition of religion and then asserts

1625
01:54:50,780 --> 01:54:55,480
Freemasonry not only fits this
definition, but fits also the definition

1626
01:54:55,480 --> 01:54:56,480
church.

1627
01:54:56,620 --> 01:55:02,200
Here's... Coyle's exact quote, masonry
certainly requires a belief in the

1628
01:55:02,200 --> 01:55:07,220
existence of and man's dependence upon a
supreme being to whom he is

1629
01:55:07,220 --> 01:55:12,080
responsible. What can a church add to
that except to bring into one fellowship

1630
01:55:12,080 --> 01:55:13,740
those who have like feelings?

1631
01:55:14,180 --> 01:55:17,800
Then Coyle says that is exactly what the
lodge does.

1632
01:55:18,080 --> 01:55:22,360
In other words, Coyle is saying that not
only is Freemasonry a religion, but

1633
01:55:22,360 --> 01:55:26,060
Freemasonry practices being a religion
as much as a church.

1634
01:55:26,930 --> 01:55:29,050
So, is Freemasonry a religion?

1635
01:55:29,570 --> 01:55:33,230
According to Webster's Dictionary,
according to Funk and Wagnalls, and

1636
01:55:33,230 --> 01:55:37,210
to the two top Masonic authorities
recommended by the Grand Lodges in this

1637
01:55:37,210 --> 01:55:39,850
country, Freemasonry is a religion.

1638
01:55:40,930 --> 01:55:43,930
Now, are there some men in the Lodge who
have always thought Masonry is a

1639
01:55:43,930 --> 01:55:48,050
religion? I'd like you to listen to the
thoughts of a former junior warden and a

1640
01:55:48,050 --> 01:55:49,170
former worshipful master.

1641
01:55:50,370 --> 01:55:52,090
Was Masonry a religion?

1642
01:55:52,650 --> 01:55:53,650
To me, it was.

1643
01:55:54,160 --> 01:55:58,520
I was a non -Christian when I first
entered masonry, and for 12 years, it

1644
01:55:58,520 --> 01:56:00,020
basically my only religion.

1645
01:56:00,260 --> 01:56:04,460
I was attending a church, but I wasn't
hearing the gospel there. I felt that

1646
01:56:04,460 --> 01:56:07,760
things that I was doing in masonry were
very helpful not only to me, but to

1647
01:56:07,760 --> 01:56:09,900
those men that I was teaching the same
things.

1648
01:56:10,380 --> 01:56:14,620
As worshipful master of Masonic Lodge, I
taught the man that he had to believe

1649
01:56:14,620 --> 01:56:18,620
in immortality of the soul, the
resurrection of the body. We had a

1650
01:56:18,620 --> 01:56:19,660
had a Bible and an altar.

1651
01:56:20,200 --> 01:56:22,200
Everything that we taught about how to
lead a good life.

1652
01:56:22,590 --> 01:56:28,150
To me, I consider it a religion. But the
Word of God tells me that this religion

1653
01:56:28,150 --> 01:56:30,850
should be through the person of Jesus
Christ.

1654
01:56:31,510 --> 01:56:33,130
Freemasonry never mentions Jesus Christ.

1655
01:56:34,470 --> 01:56:39,310
All right, the next reason that Masons
give for Freemasonry not being a

1656
01:56:39,310 --> 01:56:42,150
is because it offers no system of
salvation.

1657
01:56:42,350 --> 01:56:46,590
It has no teachings about how a man can
go to heaven. But is that true?

1658
01:56:47,390 --> 01:56:51,170
Well, you know, every candidate is told
again and again during the first three

1659
01:56:51,170 --> 01:56:56,620
degrees, that God will be gracious and
reward those who build their character

1660
01:56:56,620 --> 01:56:57,620
and do good deeds.

1661
01:56:58,060 --> 01:57:01,300
Let me document for you where Masonry
teaches this.

1662
01:57:02,460 --> 01:57:06,960
Every Masonic manual explains the symbol
of the all -seeing eye, one of the

1663
01:57:06,960 --> 01:57:08,660
symbols for God, with these words.

1664
01:57:09,260 --> 01:57:15,100
The all -seeing eye, who pervades the
inmost recesses of the human heart, will

1665
01:57:15,100 --> 01:57:19,200
reward us according to our works, our
merits.

1666
01:57:19,790 --> 01:57:22,450
What is the reward man will get because
of his good works?

1667
01:57:22,810 --> 01:57:26,750
Masonry teaches God will reward man with
eternal life in the celestial lodge

1668
01:57:26,750 --> 01:57:31,290
above. This is documented in the Masonic
Manual under the explanation concerning

1669
01:57:31,290 --> 01:57:33,630
the lambskin or white linen apron.

1670
01:57:34,170 --> 01:57:40,050
There it says, He who wears the lambskin
as a badge of a mason is thereby

1671
01:57:40,050 --> 01:57:45,610
continually reminded of purity of life
and conduct, which is essentially

1672
01:57:45,610 --> 01:57:50,930
necessary to his gaining admission into
that celestial lodge above.

1673
01:57:51,670 --> 01:57:56,130
Now let me ask you, does this sound to
you like Freemasonry is teaching a way

1674
01:57:56,130 --> 01:57:57,130
salvation?

1675
01:57:57,310 --> 01:58:00,870
If you were to hear this in the lodge,
wouldn't you think that Freemasonry is

1676
01:58:00,870 --> 01:58:04,970
saying that you can go to the celestial
lodge above if you live a pure and

1677
01:58:04,970 --> 01:58:05,809
honest life?

1678
01:58:05,810 --> 01:58:07,210
It isn't that religion?

1679
01:58:07,670 --> 01:58:12,450
And if you're a Christian, when the
lodge teaches a man that by his good

1680
01:58:12,450 --> 01:58:17,850
and by his good deeds, God will admit
him into heaven, isn't that contrary to

1681
01:58:17,850 --> 01:58:18,850
your Christian teachings?

1682
01:58:19,230 --> 01:58:23,070
Doesn't the Bible clearly teach that
salvation is not by man's work?

1683
01:58:23,630 --> 01:58:27,210
Salvation is only by God's gracious
provision through Jesus Christ?

1684
01:58:27,970 --> 01:58:32,670
Ephesians 2 .8 says, For by grace are
you saved through faith, and that not of

1685
01:58:32,670 --> 01:58:37,150
yourself, it's the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast.

1686
01:58:37,570 --> 01:58:38,990
Well, I certainly think so.

1687
01:58:39,430 --> 01:58:43,190
I'd like you to listen to the thoughts
of the former worshipful master about

1688
01:58:43,190 --> 01:58:45,410
what he thought he was teaching in the
lodge.

1689
01:58:46,570 --> 01:58:51,070
Okay, I found that the working tools of
each degree of freemasonry, and here

1690
01:58:51,070 --> 01:58:52,650
we're speaking of the first, second, and
third.

1691
01:58:53,340 --> 01:58:59,780
The purpose of the working tool is to
teach moral truths for the purpose of

1692
01:58:59,780 --> 01:59:05,500
building the spiritual temple of a
Mason. Now, what's the purpose of

1693
01:59:05,500 --> 01:59:10,480
spiritual temple of a Mason with these
working tools? The purpose is so that

1694
01:59:10,480 --> 01:59:15,600
they can prepare this spiritual temple
for that celestial lodge above.

1695
01:59:15,920 --> 01:59:21,180
They say in their ritual that as we
build this temple, we will make you a

1696
01:59:21,180 --> 01:59:22,240
person and pure.

1697
01:59:22,910 --> 01:59:27,690
through the working tools now that they
explain, and prepare your soul for

1698
01:59:27,690 --> 01:59:31,410
heaven above. They say this in all of
the rituals of the first three degrees.

1699
01:59:32,550 --> 01:59:37,490
If after all of this you are still not
persuaded that masonry is presenting a

1700
01:59:37,490 --> 01:59:43,350
way to heaven, listen to Masonic
authority Henry Wilson Coyle talk about

1701
01:59:43,350 --> 01:59:44,410
Masonic funeral ceremony.

1702
01:59:44,950 --> 01:59:50,610
In his encyclopedia he writes,
Freemasonry has a religious service.

1703
01:59:51,200 --> 01:59:55,820
to commit the body of a deceased brother
to the dust whence it came, and to

1704
01:59:55,820 --> 01:59:58,840
speed the liberated spirit back to the
great source of light.

1705
01:59:59,120 --> 02:00:04,500
Many Freemasons make this flight with no
other guarantee of a safe landing than

1706
02:00:04,500 --> 02:00:09,220
their belief in the religion of
Freemasonry. Notice he says, religion of

1707
02:00:09,220 --> 02:00:13,960
Freemasonry. If that is a false hope,
the fraternity should abandon funeral

1708
02:00:13,960 --> 02:00:19,260
services and devote its attention to
activities where it is sure of its

1709
02:00:19,260 --> 02:00:20,260
and its authority.

1710
02:00:21,480 --> 02:00:26,200
From all of this, I can only conclude
that Freemasonry is a religion because

1711
02:00:26,200 --> 02:00:29,900
does offer instruction and promises of
how a man may get to heaven.

1712
02:00:30,400 --> 02:00:34,980
That's just another way of saying that
Freemasonry is presenting a plan of

1713
02:00:34,980 --> 02:00:35,980
salvation.

1714
02:00:49,320 --> 02:00:52,860
If you just joined us, we're
investigating the question, is

1715
02:00:52,860 --> 02:00:57,240
religion? We've already found out that
it fits the definition of religion as

1716
02:00:57,240 --> 02:01:01,300
given by Webster, and we've already seen
that it does offer a plan of salvation,

1717
02:01:01,540 --> 02:01:02,700
how a man can go to heaven.

1718
02:01:03,180 --> 02:01:07,620
But then there are some Masons that
would say, but Freemasonry cannot be a

1719
02:01:07,620 --> 02:01:11,940
religion because it has no creed, it has
no confession of faith, it has no

1720
02:01:11,940 --> 02:01:13,960
theology, no ritual of worship.

1721
02:01:14,640 --> 02:01:17,200
Well, we want to take a look at those,
and first...

1722
02:01:17,550 --> 02:01:22,670
Can any Mason say that he has no creed?
Here's what Henry Wilson Coyle in his

1723
02:01:22,670 --> 02:01:25,110
Masonic Encyclopedia has to say about
that.

1724
02:01:25,390 --> 02:01:31,950
He says, Does Freemasonry have a creed,
or tenet, or dogma, to which all members

1725
02:01:31,950 --> 02:01:32,909
must adhere?

1726
02:01:32,910 --> 02:01:38,110
Does Freemasonry continually teach and
insist upon a creed, tenet, and dogma?

1727
02:01:38,600 --> 02:01:43,300
Does it have meetings characterized by
the practice of rites and ceremonies in

1728
02:01:43,300 --> 02:01:48,140
and by which its creed, tenet, and dogma
are illustrated by myths, symbols, and

1729
02:01:48,140 --> 02:01:53,300
allegories? If Freemasonry were not
religion, what would have to be done to

1730
02:01:53,300 --> 02:01:54,300
it such?

1731
02:01:54,480 --> 02:01:58,400
Nothing would be necessary, or at least
nothing but to add more of the same.

1732
02:01:58,980 --> 02:02:03,100
Then Coyle says, that brings us to the
real crux of the matter. The difference

1733
02:02:03,100 --> 02:02:07,540
between a lodge and a church is one of
degree and not of kind.

1734
02:02:08,160 --> 02:02:13,060
Some think because it is not a strong or
highly formalized or highly dogmatized

1735
02:02:13,060 --> 02:02:18,420
religion, such as the Roman Catholic
Church, it can be no religion at all.

1736
02:02:18,420 --> 02:02:23,860
church of friends, Quakers, exhibits
even less formality and ritual than does

1737
02:02:23,860 --> 02:02:24,860
Masonic lodge.

1738
02:02:25,360 --> 02:02:27,840
And then look what Coyle says in
conclusion.

1739
02:02:28,120 --> 02:02:33,760
He says, the fact that Freemasonry is a
mild religion does not mean that it is

1740
02:02:33,760 --> 02:02:34,760
no religion.

1741
02:02:35,310 --> 02:02:38,130
But can any mason really say that he has
no creed?

1742
02:02:38,510 --> 02:02:43,330
In reality, no person can become a mason
without a confession of faith in a

1743
02:02:43,330 --> 02:02:47,710
supreme being. He also must believe in
the immortality of the soul, give

1744
02:02:47,710 --> 02:02:52,450
honorable service to God by practicing
the secret arts of masonry, say prayers

1745
02:02:52,450 --> 02:02:55,490
to deity, and take oaths of secrecy.

1746
02:02:55,770 --> 02:03:00,270
I want you to listen now to one part of
the Masonic creed, their belief in the

1747
02:03:00,270 --> 02:03:03,890
immortality of the soul that is taught
during the Masonic funeral ceremony.

1748
02:03:04,650 --> 02:03:11,090
For me, that memorial funeral service is
one of the most profound things in

1749
02:03:11,090 --> 02:03:16,590
masonry. Standing before the mourners,
the family of the man whose body rests

1750
02:03:16,590 --> 02:03:21,770
that coffin, reading from a book that is
used universally throughout masonry for

1751
02:03:21,770 --> 02:03:28,430
this service, talking specifically about
how this man's fellowship with me in my

1752
02:03:28,430 --> 02:03:31,430
lodge and what he learned in that lodge
and how the things that he learned.

1753
02:03:31,870 --> 02:03:37,150
And that lodge were helping him, in
fact, making it possible for him to get

1754
02:03:37,150 --> 02:03:39,610
heaven. That's very, very profound.

1755
02:03:40,230 --> 02:03:46,150
What we were trying to do through that
service is to ease the pain in the

1756
02:03:46,150 --> 02:03:50,590
of the mourners, more significantly show
them that they had nothing to worry

1757
02:03:50,590 --> 02:03:51,590
about.

1758
02:03:53,270 --> 02:03:57,070
The things that he had learned and done
in missionary.

1759
02:03:57,690 --> 02:03:59,830
I believed in my heart.

1760
02:04:00,750 --> 02:04:05,490
That what I was saying was true because
I believe the teachings of Freemasonry

1761
02:04:05,490 --> 02:04:10,210
before I was a Christian was true on how
to make a man good and how to get to

1762
02:04:10,210 --> 02:04:17,210
heaven. And when I talk to the deceased
family, I also comfort them with

1763
02:04:17,210 --> 02:04:20,610
the same words of belief that I had,
that this was true.

1764
02:04:21,570 --> 02:04:27,370
At the point at which I found, as far as
myself is concerned, what actually

1765
02:04:27,370 --> 02:04:28,430
cemented the fact.

1766
02:04:28,800 --> 02:04:33,440
that this was true even before I was a
Christian, was because standing beside

1767
02:04:33,440 --> 02:04:39,580
at some of the services, as well as
standing beside me in the lodge, as well

1768
02:04:39,580 --> 02:04:45,760
taking part in the ceremonies, were
Masons that were elders, deacons, Sunday

1769
02:04:45,760 --> 02:04:50,940
school teachers, and pastors of my
church that I even went to myself and

1770
02:04:50,940 --> 02:04:52,400
member of before I was a Christian.

1771
02:04:52,700 --> 02:04:58,060
So thereby, my thinking that it was
wrong was completely put at ease.

1772
02:04:58,490 --> 02:05:02,690
Because those I really trusted in
knowing the word were standing right

1773
02:05:02,690 --> 02:05:08,390
me. If what Jack said is correct, how
can any Mason truthfully say he has no

1774
02:05:08,390 --> 02:05:10,350
confession of faith in a doctrinal
statement?

1775
02:05:10,930 --> 02:05:12,070
Let me ask you.

1776
02:05:12,270 --> 02:05:16,010
Do all religions believe in the doctrine
of the immortality of the soul?

1777
02:05:16,330 --> 02:05:17,510
The answer is no.

1778
02:05:18,070 --> 02:05:22,310
Seventh -day Adventists, Jehovah's
Witnesses, Armstrongites, and Buddhists,

1779
02:05:22,310 --> 02:05:23,770
name just a few, do not.

1780
02:05:24,190 --> 02:05:26,630
Do all believe in a supreme being?

1781
02:05:26,950 --> 02:05:32,900
No. Hindus believe in millions of gods,
so do Mormons. At death, do all believe

1782
02:05:32,900 --> 02:05:35,760
they will reside in a celestial lodge in
the sky for all eternity?

1783
02:05:36,360 --> 02:05:40,020
No. Hindus and Buddhists believe in the
extinction of the person.

1784
02:05:40,540 --> 02:05:42,700
Mormons believe they can become gods
themselves.

1785
02:05:43,320 --> 02:05:48,860
Jehovah's Witnesses believe only 144
,000 will get to reside in heaven, and

1786
02:05:48,860 --> 02:05:51,540
the rest who aren't annihilated will
stay on earth.

1787
02:05:51,950 --> 02:05:56,510
Right here, it's very plain to see that
the Masonic Lodge has its own very

1788
02:05:56,510 --> 02:05:58,310
distinct doctrinal statement.

1789
02:05:59,430 --> 02:06:03,710
Then I want you to notice that Masonic
teachings are accepted by Masons as

1790
02:06:03,710 --> 02:06:08,910
authoritative dogma. That is, principles
and instruction taught and held by

1791
02:06:08,910 --> 02:06:09,950
their own body of believers.

1792
02:06:10,250 --> 02:06:13,330
And Masonic dogma is not held by all
others.

1793
02:06:13,550 --> 02:06:18,870
That's exactly what dogma is, a distinct
set of beliefs. And Masonic dogma is

1794
02:06:18,870 --> 02:06:19,870
very distinct.

1795
02:06:20,250 --> 02:06:23,210
Then, how can anyone say masonry has no
theology?

1796
02:06:23,850 --> 02:06:29,570
Well, the definition of theology, theos,
God, plus legion, to speak, is to speak

1797
02:06:29,570 --> 02:06:30,570
of God.

1798
02:06:30,810 --> 02:06:35,790
Masonry speaks of God, demands belief in
God, informs each candidate that the

1799
02:06:35,790 --> 02:06:40,170
true name of God has been lost, and then
in a later degree reveals that lost

1800
02:06:40,170 --> 02:06:44,130
name. In the seventh or royal arch
degree, you can look it up in your

1801
02:06:44,350 --> 02:06:49,810
the last name that is given is Ja -bul
-an, the joining of Jehovah, Baal, and

1802
02:06:49,810 --> 02:06:53,550
Osiris, something that the God of the
Bible strictly forbids.

1803
02:06:53,790 --> 02:06:58,230
But I want you to listen to Webster's
dictionary define the word theology and

1804
02:06:58,230 --> 02:06:59,550
then compare that to masonry.

1805
02:06:59,950 --> 02:07:04,990
Webster defines theology as the
relationship between God and the

1806
02:07:04,990 --> 02:07:09,670
specific form or system as expounded by
a particular religion or denomination.

1807
02:07:10,410 --> 02:07:15,710
Now, does masonry have its specific
form, which clearly spells out exactly

1808
02:07:15,710 --> 02:07:17,330
one is to perform their ceremonies?

1809
02:07:17,650 --> 02:07:19,870
Of course it does. It is the ritual.

1810
02:07:20,370 --> 02:07:24,850
Then, can any truthful mason say that
masonry has no ritual of worship?

1811
02:07:25,390 --> 02:07:29,890
Well, obviously masonry has 32 degrees
of ritual, but is the ritual worship?

1812
02:07:30,310 --> 02:07:34,430
I want you to look at Webster's
dictionary, how he defines the word

1813
02:07:35,190 --> 02:07:37,630
Webster says worship is defined as...

1814
02:07:37,870 --> 02:07:43,410
A prayer or other rites showing
reverence or devotion for a deity, for a

1815
02:07:43,730 --> 02:07:48,330
According to this definition from
Webster's, aren't masons worshipping in

1816
02:07:48,330 --> 02:07:49,390
lodge meeting they hold?

1817
02:07:49,950 --> 02:07:54,530
Then finally we want to ask, how can any
mason say that in the lodge they have

1818
02:07:54,530 --> 02:07:58,470
no symbols that are religious in the
sense of symbols that are found in a

1819
02:07:58,470 --> 02:07:59,329
or synagogue?

1820
02:07:59,330 --> 02:08:03,130
Listen. The symbols are related to the
character of man to man. They are not

1821
02:08:03,130 --> 02:08:04,130
related to God.

1822
02:08:04,400 --> 02:08:08,260
We have no symbols that are religious in
the sense of symbols in a church.

1823
02:08:08,500 --> 02:08:12,160
While I was worshiping a master and
conferring those degrees for many years,

1824
02:08:12,160 --> 02:08:13,160
didn't look at it that way.

1825
02:08:13,580 --> 02:08:18,400
I had a chaplain to my left, and every
lodge had to be open and closed with

1826
02:08:18,400 --> 02:08:22,540
prayer. Every lodge had to have a Bible
upon the altar of some religion.

1827
02:08:23,600 --> 02:08:29,580
Every lodge made the candidate obligate
himself upon that Bible.

1828
02:08:34,380 --> 02:08:39,400
things and tools regarding religious
worship we have the plan of salvation

1829
02:08:39,400 --> 02:08:43,580
through the working tools the apron that
i wear telling me by my purity life and

1830
02:08:43,580 --> 02:08:48,020
conduct i will gain a mission to
celestial lodge above over top of my

1831
02:08:48,020 --> 02:08:53,740
letter g signifying deity so as i taught
it as a word for master i saw

1832
02:08:53,740 --> 02:08:59,700
freemasonry reeling as having many
symbols uh regarding you know that would

1833
02:08:59,700 --> 02:09:04,520
recall it to be a religion in a church
You have a Bible and maybe a cross.

1834
02:09:04,800 --> 02:09:09,620
In a Masonic lot, you have a Bible, a
letter G, and many other symbols that

1835
02:09:09,620 --> 02:09:10,680
point to me, to religion.

1836
02:09:12,640 --> 02:09:17,020
In conclusion, tonight we have seen that
Freemasonry does fit every standard

1837
02:09:17,020 --> 02:09:18,020
definition of religion.

1838
02:09:18,200 --> 02:09:20,200
It does offer a system of salvation.

1839
02:09:20,460 --> 02:09:24,280
It does have a creed. It does have a
confession of faith. It does have a

1840
02:09:24,280 --> 02:09:28,960
theology. It does have a ritual of
worship. And it does have symbols like

1841
02:09:28,960 --> 02:09:29,960
found in a church.

1842
02:09:30,360 --> 02:09:34,700
Henry Wilson Quayle, in his Masonic
Encyclopedia, closes this debate when he

1843
02:09:34,700 --> 02:09:39,000
says, Nothing herein is intended to be
an argument that Freemasonry ought to be

1844
02:09:39,000 --> 02:09:43,820
religion. Our purpose is simply to
determine what it has become and is.