I submitted a petition to the Lodge and was initiated in the Entered Apprentice Degree, passed to the degree of Fellowcraft, and was soon raised to the degree of Master Mason. I felt that I had attained to the finest fraternity in the world. I was selected by the Worshipful Master of the Lodge to serve as Junior Steward and later honored by serving as Chaplain. My studies in ritual and degree work continued as Junior Warden and then Senior Warden. I finally became Worshipful Master of the largest Lodge in the state of Nevada.
I believed myself to be a member of a fraternity that stood for God, country, and family. But, after five years of total dedication, I withdrew from the Order. It didn't happen overnight. My first questioning of Freemasonry was in regard to the obligation I took when I was initiated. One is made to swear secrecy to the point that bloody penalties of death are involved. It was explained that this was symbolic and only emphasized that what I had gleaned was not public information.
My next moment of confusion came when I was Junior Steward. A member was in the habit of talking during lodge meetings. This was disruptive but not a big problem. What was a problem, I thought, was his use of God's name in vain. One evening this terminology was used four or five times in a short period. I later told him that if he used those words in the Lodge room again, I was going to file Masonic charges against him. The reaction of the members who overheard was very confusing. Some approached me and mildly chastised me for the way I had approached him. But it was the reaction of the majority of the members that caught me off guard. They reminded me that he is a Past Master, and a Grand Lodge Officer. He was not wrong in using God's name in vain. Rather, I had affronted a Past Master and a Grand Lodge Officer.
All ritual work in Masonry is committed to memory and repeated verbatim, including prayers. At first I did not notice that none of the prayers are in the name of Jesus Christ. "Great Architect of the Universe," "Almighty Father of the Universe," "Judge Supreme," "God," and "Lord," yes, but never in the name of "Jesus Christ."
Being Chaplain, saying grace for a meal was my duty. Since there is no specified prayer, the prayer was my own, and I prayed in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I was soon told that we never pray in the name of Jesus Christ for it would be offensive to our Jewish members. I then became aware that there is no mention of Jesus Christ in any of the prayers or in the ritual book.
One evening, I asked about the inconsistency involved for the Jewish member in having the Bible resting on our altar. I was informed that it did not necessarily have to be the Bible. It could be the Koran, the Rig Veda, or even the Book of Mormon. What sacred writing was on the altar would depend upon the religious persuasion of the lodge. So, it really didn't matter if the Lodge had any Jewish member or not. The important thing was not to pray in the name of Jesus Christ!
A proposed major undertaking that would involve a great deal of money was made into a motion and defeated, much to the dissatisfaction of the Master. Without notice, it was brought up again, this time in a stacked meeting. 'The motion passed. I made an objection to the Master and told him that what he was doing prostituted the dignity of his office. I found myself "wrong", because the Worshipful Master is always right.
Both of my confrontations began to consume my thoughts. I was morally right, but I was made to feel that I was wrong. By opposing the Worshipful Master I was, in the eyes of some, committing blasphemy!
Despite this, I was able to be elected as the next Worshipful Master. I soon found myself questioning things, including my title. Was I really a Worshipful Master? By whose authority? I never considered myself to be master over anybody, and I certainly wasn't worshipful.
I was in a local Christian bookstore and found a book I was interested in, The Kingdom of the Cults, by Walter Martin. This was of interest to me because of stories regarding Mormonism and Joseph Smith. He was reported to have been a Mason and to have pirated signs, grips, and Masonic ritual work and incorporated them into the Mormon Temple rituals. But, when I turned to the table of contents, it was like someone hit me with a baseball bat.
Listed was the Rosicrucian Fellowship, a group my brother had been studying. He told me how there had been an organization known as The Great White Brotherhood of Man, and out of this came the Rosicrucians, and out of the Rosicrucians came the Masonic Order. For the first time I was seeing Rosicrucian Fellowship in print and it was in a book about cults.
I remember how, after becoming a Mason, I had mentioned it to a man in my church. He said, "So you joined the Masonic cult." I said to myself, "He doesn't understand." And now it looked like I was to find out who understood and who didn't. Now there were three words racing through my mind: "Rosicrucianism," "Masonry," and "cult." I turned to the section about Rosicrucians and the reference to Masonry. "It (Rosicrucians) was by admission a secret society. It flourished in a day when secret societies were in vogue, and a century after its origin, Rosicrucianism underwent a recrudescence in connection with Freemasonry, which not only deemed Rosicrucianism genuine, but even borrowed usages and customs from the writings of those who had satirized the fraternity."
Every question that had previously troubled me about Masonry came back to me. A cold shiver went through me. I began praying to God for wisdom to know the truth. I placed a phone call to Christian Research Institute, and I told of my concern about Freemasonry. They said they would send me a booklet which might be helpful, Freemasonry and Christianity by Alva J. McClain.
That night, I shared my concerns with a Christian friend. He taught me about blood oaths, secular humanism, and other things.
The next two weeks found me in extreme turmoil. I would think about the discussions with my Christian friend but then I would read from my Masonic Bible. Everything I would read seemed beautiful and I could see no wrong in it. My family's Masonic background, the relationships I had with other Masons, and the beauty and dignity of Masonic ritual were all going through my mind. I was beginning to think that maybe my friend, like the man before, just didn't understand.
Finally, I went to my knees and once again asked the Lord to show me the truth. It roared across my mind. "Blood Oath." I recalled my uneasiness with the oath of secrecy, and Jesus' admonition to "make no oath at all" (Mat. 5:34). 'That week the secretary of Vegas Lodge No. 32 received my letter of withdrawal. I received a call from a Past Master who asked me why I was withdrawing. I told him I was a Christian, and shared my thoughts with him, including Scriptures from the Bible. He explained to me that I shouldn't believe everything I read in the Bible and that Christianity was a religion that the men in power at the time came up with to keep the common people in line. Then he said, "After all, Duane, our dad, uncle, grand dad, and great-grand-dad were all Masons." The Past Master extolling the virtues of Freemasonry and attacking my faith in Jesus Christ was my own brother.
My letter of withdrawal was held for over a month, but now there is a paper in my home titled, "Certificate for a Brother Dropped from the Rolls at His Own Request. "After Christ endured indescribable pain and suffering for my sins, I could not rationalize staying in the lodge because of the difficulties I would have encountered had I resigned. Besides, to stay in Masonry would mean to deny Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in my prayers.
I have prayed for forgiveness and know that God has answered my prayers; not because I am worthy, but because of His grace and love, and because Jesus Christ IS my Lord and Savior.
Duane Washum may be reached at the following address:
In Search of Light Ministries Box 28702 Las Vegas, Nevada 89126
In this next section you will find 20 questions about Freemasonry, which you probably never thought to ask. These are questions that Masonry does not want you to have the answers to!
1. Question: What according to the highest Masonic authority is Freemasonry?
Answer: "Masonry is a search after light. That search leads us directly back, as you see, to the Kabalah (Jewish book of occult knowledge). In that ancient and little understood medley of absurdity and philosophy, the Initiate will find the source of many doctrines; and may in time come to understand the Hermetic Philosophers, the Alchemists, all the Anti-papal Thinkers of the Middle Ages, and Emanuel Swendenborg." Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Rite, p. 741.
2. Question: From what
source does Masonry draw its Secrets and Symbols?
Answer: "ALL truly dogmatic religions have issued from the Kabalah and return to it; everything scientific and grand in the religious dreams of all the Illuminati, Jacob Boeheme, Swedenborg, Saint Martin, and others, is borrowed from the Kabalah: all Masonic associations owe to it their Secrets and their Symbols." Morals and Dogma p. 744.
3. Question: What is
this "Kabalah," or "Cabala" as it is spelled
in English?
Answer: "Cabala is, a medieval and modern system of theosophy, mysticism and thaumaturgy (magic)." Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, p. 153.
4. Question: Since
Freemasonry has a system of religion which is thoroughly
dogmatic, as Sovereign Grand Commander Pike has stated above;
then we ask: Is it Christian?
Answer: "Freemasonry is not Christianity, nor a substitute for it." Dr. Albert G. Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, p. 162.
5. Question: The Bible
appears on Masonic altars in supposed Christian lands, is Masonry
based upon the Bible?
Answer: "Masonry has nothing whatsoever to do with the Bible, that it is not founded upon the Bible, for if it were it would not be Masonry, it would be something else." Digest of Masonic Law, p. 207-209.
6. Question: Since
Freemasonry is not based upon the Bible, yet is a religious
institution as we have seen; then we ask: what is its revelation,
or what is its holy book?
Answer: "Beautiful around stretches off every way the Universe, the Great Bible of God. Material Nature is its Old Testament . . . and Human Nature is the New Testament from the Infinite God." Morals and Dogma, p. 715.
7. Question: Seeing as
we do that Freemasonry's revelation and holy book is only
material and human nature; we then ask: what is its god?
Answer: "Freemasonry proclaims as it has ever proclaimed from its origin, the existence of a Creative Principle, under the name of The Great Architect of the Universe." The Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Rite of Lusanne, 1868.
This title "Great Architect of the Universe" was coined, not by a Mason, but by an Alchemist Rosicrucian named Hesse Komensky. See Conspiracy Against God and Man, by Clarence Kelly, p. 47.
8. Question: If the
Masonic god is only a creative principle, then Freemasonry
doesn't accept the personal Father God of the Scriptures does it?
Answer: "The only personal God Freemasonry accepts is "humanity in toto . . . Humanity therefore is the only personal god that there is." J. D. Buck's Mystic Masonry, p. 216.
9. Question: To what
other gods might Freemasonry's Great Architect of the Universe be
compared?
Answer: In speaking of the name, "Great Architect of the Universe," Albert Pike had this to say; "It is but an old term revived. Our adversaries numerous and formidable as they are, will say and will have a right to say that our Creative Principle is identical with the Generative Principle (god) of the Indian and Egyptian." Blavatsky's Isis Unveiled, Vol. 2, p. 377.
10. Question: Are
candidates informed of Freemasonry's true religion and god when
they enter the Blue Lodge?
Answer: "The Blue Degrees are but the court(yard) or portico (porch) of the Temple. Part of the symbols are displayed there to the initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them; but it is intended that he shall imagine he understands them." Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma, p. 819.
11. Question: If the
Blue Degrees are only Sham Masonry especially designed to deceive
the ignorant masses, who do all the leg work, recruiting, fund
raising etc., then who are the true interpretations--if there be
such--reserved for?
Answer: "There true explication (explanation) is reserved for the Adepts, the Princes of Masonry." Morals and Dogma, p. 819.
12. Question: Do the
Adepts and Princes--Thirty Third Degree Council and above--look
down on those of the lower degrees as being vulgar and ignorant?
Answer: "The symbols of the wise (the Adepts and Princes) are the idols of the vulgar, or as meaningless as the hieroglyphics of Egypt to the (ignorant) nomadic Arabs." Morals and Dogma, p. 819. [The parenthesis are ours to help you get the message.]
13. Question: Why are
Masonic meetings usually held in upper chambers?
Answer: "Lodge meetings at the present day are usually held in upper chambers . . . Before the erection of Temples the celestial bodies were worshipped on hills and the terrestrial ones in valleys." The General Ahiman Rezon by Daniel Sickles, p. 75.
14. Question: What is a
Masonic Lodge?
Answer: "Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion; and its teachings are instructions in religion." Morals and Dogma, p. 213.
15. Question: What does
a Masonic Lodge actually represent?
Answer: And so in our day every Masonic Lodge represents the Universe. Each extends, we are told, from the rising to the setting sun." Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma, p. 209.
16. Question: In the
Third Degree of Blue Lodge Masonry the Candidate is required to
impersonate a character known as Hiram Abiff; who is this Hiram
Abiff?
Answer: "The Masonic legend stands by itself, unsupported by history or other than its own traditions; yet we readily recognize in Hiram Abiff the Osiris of the Egyptians, the Mithras of the Persians, the Bacchus of the Greeks . . . , whose passion, death and resurrection were celebrated by these people respectfully." Past Grand Master Pierson's Traditions of Freemasonry, p. 240.
17. Question: Seeing, as
we do, that Hiram Abiff of Masonry and Osiris of Egyptian sun
worship are one and the same, we ask: what do they actually
represent?
Answer: "This legend was purely astronomical. Osiris (Hiram) was the sun, Isis (the weeping virgin) the moon. Typhon (represented by the three ruffians) was the symbol of winter, which destroys the fecundating and fertilizing power of the sun, thus as it were, depriving him of life." Albert G. Mackey's Lexicon of Freemasonry, p. 130. The parenthesis we have added to show you the symbols and characters in the lodge ritual, which round out the legend to its original Egyptian form.
18. Question: Is
Freemasonry's religious system based upon primitive sun-worship?
Answer: "The veneration which Masons entertain for the east confirms an opinion previously announced, that the religious system of Masonry comes from the east, and has reference to the primitive religion whose first occupation was the worship of the sun." Baxot's French Manual of Freemason , p. 154.
19. Question: One is
told in the Blue Lodge that by the Compass he is to circumscribe
the boundaries of his passions and desires; and that by the
Square he is to square his dealings with his fellow man; but what
do the Compass and Square actually represent?
Answer: This old Hermetic symbol appears on page 839 of Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma and according to Pike, "Is a Symbol of the double nature anciently assigned to the Deity, as Brahm and Maya among the Aryans, Osiris and Isis among the Egyptians. As the Sun was male, so the Moon was female."
Therefore, you can see that the Compass and Square, according to Sovereign Grand Commander Pike have nothing whatsoever to do with your passions, desires or your square dealings. They represent the male and female principles in Nature Worship, the sun and the moon, Osiris and Isis!
20. Question: Does
Freemasonry equate Jesus Christ the Son of God with Krishna
sun-god of India?
Answer: "It has been shown that every act in the drama of the life of Jesus, and every quality assigned to Christ, is to be found in the life of Krishna." J. D. Buck's Mystic Masonry, pp. 119, 138.
Freemasonry not only equates Jesus Christ with the pagan god Krishna, but with hundreds of other nature gods; as well as Mohammed, Gautama, Buddha, Confucius and others.
SYNOPSIS
Freemasonry, according to your own highest authorities is:
1. A search after light, which is not to be found in Christ or the Bible, but in the Jewish Cabala.
2. Freemasonry's religious system shares the dreams of the Illuminati, the Jacobins, Swedenborgism and Martinism, all of which dreamed of destroying organized religion, civil governments and controlling the world.
3. Freemasonry is not Christian, neither is it based upon the Bible. Its revelation is Nature, its god is a nature god the same as that of the Hindu, Egyptian and Syrian.
4. Freemasonry intentionally misleads those beneath the 33rd Degree Council into thinking that they know something of the institutions purpose and secrets, when in reality they know nothing whatsoever.
5. The Masonic Lodge represents the Universe and the religion practiced there is Naturalism or Nature Worship. The Candidate himself impersonating the sun-god Osiris (Hiram) in the third degree.
6. Freemasonry equates Jesus Christ with the pagan Krishna. And will not allow his name to be mentioned in a well governed lodge.
The institution of Freemasonry has intentionally deceived you as to its true purpose and nature, according to Sovereign Grand Commander Albert Pike. Freemasonry has involved you in the oldest form of idolatry known among men, "Nature Worship," which is strictly forbidden by God!
Should you be in, and support, such an institution? We earnestly pray that you will find the right answer.
Excerpt from the Third Protocol:-
7. We appear on the scene as alleged saviours of the worker from this oppression when we propose to him to enter the ranks of our fighting forces - Socialists, Anarchists, Communists - to whom we always give support in accordance with an alleged brotherly rule (of the solidarity of all humanity) of our SOCIAL MASONRY. The aristocracy, which enjoyed by law the labor of the workers, was interested in seeing that the workers were well fed, healthy, and strong. We are interested in just the opposite - in the diminution, the KILLING OUT OF THE GOYIM. Our power is in the chronic shortness of food and physical weakness of the worker because by all that this implies he is made the slave of our will, and he will not find in his own authorities either strength or energy to set against our will. Hunger creates the right of capital to rule the worker more surely than it was given to the aristocracy by the legal authority of kings.
8. By want and the envy and hatred which it engenders we shall move the mobs and with their hands we shall wipe out all those who hinder us on our way. testfrem.htm