In this excerpt from his book, MASONRY: BEYOND THE LIGHT, author William Schnoebelen, former 32 degree Mason, describes a conversation that he had with a caller who demanded to be removed from his mailing list:
I took a call at our ministry from a fellow who was quite upset. He had received some information on the dangers of Masonry, which we send out on request. He was beside himself and demanded that his name be taken off our mailing list. I told him we would, but I wanted to know what the problem was.
“I’m a Mason,” he proclaimed proudly, “and I don’t appreciate getting this garbage that you sent! It’s a bunch of lies!”
“I see…” I managed to get in.
“I don’t mind telling you that I’m a Southern Baptist, and have been all my life, and the Lodge has made a better Christian out of me than anything else I can think of!”
“Well, I’m sorry you’re so upset, sir,” I put in, “but I’d just like to tell you that I was a member of the Masons for nine years until I got saved, and then the Holy Spirit convicted me of the sin of it…”
“Listen, you!” he interrupted. “Freemasonry is the best thing that ever happened to me in my whole life, and…”
I jumped in. “Just a minute, sir! Masonry was the best thing that ever happened to you?”
“Yes!” he barked.
“Better than Jesus Christ?”
Silence.
“Are you telling me that Masonry has been a better experience for you than Jesus?”
“Th…that isn’t what I meant!” he finally managed to choke out.
“But listen to what you just said! What does that tell you about your spiritual life in…?”
“Just take my name off your mailing list!” he demanded, and hung up.
That response is tragically typical. Christian Masons have been delicately, oh-so-gradually, blinded to their “first love,” Jesus (Revelation 2:4). They would be the last to acknowledge it or admit it, but Freemasonry has taken the top shelf in their lives, and Jesus has been moved to second place.
Like the fellow in Schnoebelen’s illustration, many see no contradiction between Masonry and being a Christian. Two factors figure into this: ignorance of Masonry’s paganism and not discerning the Great Commission. Schnoebelen goes into great detail how the symbols and rituals are of Luciferian origin. Any Mason or Masonic candidate does not have to look far to see that Masonry’s god is not the God of the Bible.
Secondly, anyone serious about the Great Commission would feel very uncomfortable (convicted) if he became involved in Masonry. Masonry welcomes both saved and lost into one “brotherhood.”Any “brotherhood” that is not “brothers in Christ” will dampen a soul winner’s attitude toward the lost sinner. When the Lodge becomes a Christian’s primary circle of friends, obedience to the Great Commission effectively ceases.
Churches whose ministries are struggling for lack of interest by its men, should take a lesson from Masonry’s appeal to men. God has placed a masculine dynamic in the spirit of the man that longs for the opportunity to be part of a team that is challenged to accomplish a goal. If the church does not provide an outlet for that dynamic, its men will find it outside in sports, Masonry, or bury themselves in their career or business.
The biblical outlet for that dynamic is the Great Commission, winning souls and then discipling (mentoring) the converts. The church must first make sure the men understand the gospel —their salvation in Christ and what it means to be a godly man. Then teach the men how to explain the gospel until they have confidence to give any unbeliever the “reason for the hope” that they have in Christ. (See 1 Peter 3:15.)
If the church will provide for the outlet of this masculine dynamic, men will not be tempted by worldly uses for it. They will see right through the temptations of Masonry, the shallowness of sports, the futility of chasing riches in business or career. They will shoulder their responsibility for winning the lost, nurturing the young in Christ, and guarding the purity of the fellowship.
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