I was just speaking with someone today about something similar to the article below, written by Brother Halpaus. I had a customer in my office, they saw my ring and said that their son would be interested in me because I was a Mason. They said that his grandfather was a Mason and never spoke a word about it. The wife said she was trying to find out info for her son so she asked her baptist preacher and he said "it's a cult, he don't want to be involved in that!" It is amazing to me that people speak on things which they know nothing about.
The gentleman the asked me what I could tell him, so I said "Basically, Masonry is a system of teaching, though symbolism and stories, to help us become better men by adhering to the most basic of God's laws: do unto others as you would have done unto yourself, and love your neighbor as yourself." I also to him that it was a support group of like minded men that want to better themselves for God, family, community, and self.
In reference to the article below, I despise when someone quotes something out of context or doesn't give the whole story, so as to warp the point of view to coincide with their ideals.
A show on the history channel last night did just that. It was a show about "Mysteries of the Bible". Somewhere throughout the course of the show they said that "the Bible wasn't clear on why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah." They said that "Perhaps it was because of poor hospitality"??????? Really, poor hospitality????
I then told my wife that it was very clear on why. Then I read heard the story and she knew right away why. She had not read that story before, but it was very easy to figure out!
Anyway, I really felt like they were trying to cover up the reason because it would have been too controversial for TV or didn't coincide with their point of view. At the least extent it would have to do with forceful sex(rape), at the most, one could say homosexuality. Either way it paints a pretty vivid picture that what was being done was wrong in God's eyes. It was very clear. Read the whole story and don't quote things out of context!!!
OK, I'm off my soapbox. Read the article below if you're interested in Albert Pike, anti-masonry, or what I commented on above.
ML #336
Posted by: "Ed Halpaus"
hiram223
Fri Dec 9, 2011 3:11 pm
*Mehr Licht – More Light*
Number 336 – December 09, 2011
Old LEO Letters
By Ed Halpaus
One of the things the anti-Masons seem to like to do is to vilify Brother
Albert Pike: In particular they like to tell anyone and everyone who will
listen that Pike was a devil worshiper, and along with that they also want
to convince the uninformed that Pike and all Masons in general worship a
Masonic god whose name is The Great Architect of the Universe. What they
may or may not realize, and what they don’t want to accept is the truth,
and the truth is that Pike was a Christian, and ‘The Great Architect of the
Universe’ is a interfaith name coined by the Christian theologian John
Calvin (he coined a number of names he used for God), and that Freemasonry
adopted his name or term (The Great Architect of the Universe) for use in
Lodges where Masons of more than one religion may sit in Lodge together.
Using an interfaith name, when Deity is referred to, is a good way to not
promote one religion over another among friends and Brothers; it allows
each man to accept the prayer as his own to the Deity of his religion when
it is given by one Mason on behalf of all of us. The prayer is ended with
the traditional word “Amen” to which all Masons can truthfully reply ‘so
may it be,’ by using an archaic word to say “So Mote It Be.”
Anti-Masons love to proof-text Brother Pike in his book Morals and Dogma.
Sometimes they will quote him, but most of the time they will misquote him
by proof-texting portions of Morals and dogma to make it look like Pike
wrote something he didn’t write. One portion the enemies of Masonry never
quote from pike is found on page 134U (meaning page 134 upper portion of
the page). Page 134 is a part of the 8th Degree of the Ancient Accepted
Scottish Rite of Freemasonry; reading the 8th degree will capture the
attention of any Mason who would read it, and I think, anyone who reads
will want to study that degree and others to learn more. Here is what pike
wrote on page 134U: *“Speak kindly to your erring Brother! God pities him;
Christ has died for him. Providence waits for him: Heaven’s mercy yearns
towards him; and Heaven’s spirits are ready to welcome him back with joy.
Let your voice be in unison with all those powers that God is using for his
recovery!” *
Those words from Brother Pike on page 134U of Morals and Dogma don’t sound
like the words someone would use if they didn’t believe in God and in Pikes
Case his Christian religion.
Don’t believe for one moment the lies and untruths the anti-Masons of the
world – the enemies of Masonry – want everyone to believe. What is true is
that the malarkey and falsities of these anti-Masons cannot stand up to
investigation, but what Masonry is, and stands for, can stand up to
investigation and study. So if you hear something that makes you wonder –
check it out; you’ll enjoy the process – or ask one of your Brothers who
likes to do research and study to help you check it out, you’ll still enjoy
the process as well as the learning that results.
Also don’t believe that Morals and Dogma is a hard or difficult book to
read – it isn’t – any Mason is capable of reading and understanding what
Pike wrote in it; although speed reading and understanding it, doesn’t seem
to work. One can read the book slowly and deliberately with a pen and paper
to take notes etc. and thus enjoy what Pike had to say.
Sadly, it has been reported that one Masonic library has been disposing of
excess copies of Morals and Dogma by destroying them or tossing them into
dumpsters. If you can get one of those copies others no longer want – get
it – and begin to read the book: There’s good information in it. (or Check
with Harold Davidson at brodave@wtp.net for a good used copy, or on-line
for an e-copy of the book.
One final comment: The anti-Masons want everyone to believe that Pike wrote
for all of Freemasonry – that he was and is “The” authority, and all Masons
adhere to his writings; he wasn’t, isn’t, and we don’t. But still his book,
Morals and Dogma, does contain some good information and is a pleasure to
read. When you read it pay particular attention to page ivm (Page iv of the
preface in the middle of the page): *“Every one is entirely free to reject
and dissent from whatsoever herein may seem to him to be untrue or unsound.”
* Albert Pike, just like the rest of us, wrote for himself only, not for
our entire fraternity; this is another truth the anti-Masons – the enemies
of Masonry – don’t want to accept.
* "The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good, is so essential to the
moral order of the world and to the happiness of man, that arguments which
enforce it cannot be drawn from too many sources nor adapted with too much
solicitude to the different characters and capacities impressed with
it."*--James Madison, letter to Frederick Beasley, 1825
James Madison is the 4th President of the United States; he is thought to
be a Mason, but no documentation or proof of his being initiated has been
found. I good book for research into questions like this is “Masonic
Membership of the Founding Fathers” by Ronal Heaton and available from the
Masonic Service Association of North America.
Words to Live by: *"It is the duty of all men in society, publicly, and at
stated seasons, to worship the SUPREME BEING, the great Creator and
Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt, molested, or
restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping GOD in the
manner most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience; or for his
religious profession or sentiments; provided he doth not disturb the public
peace, or obstruct others in their religious worship."* --John Adams,
Thoughts on Government, 1776 –
President John Adams was not a Mason, and even though he is closely linked
with other Founding Fathers who were Masons he was an anti-Mason who wrote
letters as such, and his son President John Quincy Adams was a devout
anti-Mason.
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Questions and ideas for Masonic discussions and programs can be found at
www.lodgebuilder.org - just click on the Masonic Monday Question.
*It’s individual Masons who help their Lodge survive and thrive *-* *Ed
Halpaus
Ed Halpaus 32° K.C.C.H., FPS
Grand Lodge Officer
Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of MN
Executive Secretary - The Philalethes Society
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