Freemasonry: Christian or Occult?

By Pastor Michael Frisbee

Though Freemasonry is not considered by many as a subject or a part of the paranormal, there are many aspects of Freemasonry that falls into special rituals, oaths, and such that fall into a quasi-religious aspect, and I will outline, have a pagan and non-Christian origin.  As always, I know I will be stepping on a lot of toes here, but considering the dangers for Christian and my mission to shine the light of God’s Truth, I feel that I must tackle this age old subject.

There is a great deal out there regarding Freemasonry.  For those who only have a passing awareness of this organization, here is a description:

Freemasonry is a fraternal organization that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and Grand Lodge of Ireland, over a quarter of a million under the jurisdiction of the United Grand Lodge of England and just under two million in the United States.

The fraternity is administratively organized into independent Grand Lodges or sometimes Orients, each of which governs its own jurisdiction, which consists of subordinate (or constituent) Lodges. The various Grand Lodges recognize each other, or not, based upon adherence to landmarks (a Grand Lodge will usually deem other Grand Lodges who share common landmarks to be regular, and those that do not to be "irregular" or "clandestine").

There are also appendant bodies, which are organizations related to the main branch of Freemasonry, but with their own independent administration.

Source – Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry

The most basic unit is your local “Masonic Lodge”.  Members join and begin as initiates known as an Entered Apprentice.  The member then works through the various rituals and requirements to attain the 2nd degree, titled Fellow Craft.  Then upon completing the various goals for advancement, becomes a Master Mason.  This comprises what is called the Blue Lodge Masonry.  Once completing the three degrees of the Blue Lodge, a mason is then allowed to go into either the Scottish rite of Freemasonry which has 32 degrees or the York rite which has 13 degrees. These are advanced degrees, where you pay more dues, and expect to learn (and don't) the secrets of Freemasonry. As one progresses through the degree work of these rites, they tell you that you are on a quest to find the lost name of God.

The most disturbing part of Freemasonry is the large number of Christians that have come under sway and membership of this organization.  They are drawn by the alleged networking of fellow businessmen, of the community work being done, etc.  Back in 1993, the Southern Baptist Convention took notice of this, formed an investigative commission, and it created a report that was one of the most in-depth.  There were eight areas of concern the commission identified as being “contrary to Christian belief.”

1. Freemasonry uses offensive, non-biblical, and blasphemous terms relating to God.
2. Freemasonry insists on the use of “bloody oaths” or obligations, which are strictly forbidden by the Bible (Matt.5:34-37).
3. Freemasonry urges that occultic and/or pagan readings be used, and that their teachings be appropriated in interpreting such concepts as the Trinity.
4. Freemasonry includes the Bible as part of the “furniture of the lodge,” but only as an equal with non-Christian symbols and writings.
5. Freemasonry misuses the term “light” to refer to moral “reformation” as a means to salvation.
6. Freemasonry teaches that salvation may be attained by “good works” and not through faith in Christ alone.
7. Freemasonry advocates in many of its writings the non-biblical teachings of universalism.
8. In some of its lodges, Freemasonry discriminates against nonwhites.

Source - Annual of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1993

Under the Scottish Rite, once you achieve the 33rd Degree, you can now join additional advancement organizations, such as the Shriners.  We all recognize them, Red Fezzes, funny little cars at the parades, they have a front of doing great works in the community, much leaning towards charity work for children.

What many ignore is the very symbolism of what they proudly display.  The fez itsef is an affront to Christianity.  So named after the city of Fez, Morocco…which by the way has been the site of numerous documented massacres of both Jews and Christians by various Muslim conquerors. The Fez is a distinctly Muslim symbol and, at least indirectly, celebrates the Muslim conquest of the area.

The emblem found on the fez is that of Muslim origin. It contains the Arabic pagan god symbols of the Crescent Moon and Star, originally the symbol of the Ottomon Empire, now an international symbol of Islam. The symbols are hung under a "scimitar" or an Arabic sword of war. This is the sword that has killed the "infidels" down through the ages under Muslim conquest.  

The Shriner meets in a "temple" most of which have distinctly Arabic names. They are often built to resemble a Mosque. He wears his fez with the Muslim symbols on it. He takes his oaths and says his prayers in the name of ALLAH. Many of his secret passwords and code phrases are in Arabic, which he is required to memorize in order to be in the "order".

Candidates for induction into the Shriners are greeted by a High Priest, who says: “By the existence of Allah and the creed of Mohammed; by the legendary sanctity of our Tabernacle at Mecca, we greet you.”  The inductees then swear on the Bible and the Koran, in the name of Mohammed, and invoke Masonry's usual gruesome penalties upon themselves:

“I do hereby, upon this Bible, and on the mysterious legend of the Koran, and its dedication to the Mohammedan faith, promise and swear and vow that I will never reveal any secret part or portion whatsoever of the ceremonies and now upon this sacred book, by the sincerity of a Moslem's oath I here register this irrevocable vow in willful violation whereof may I incur the fearful penalty of having my eyeballs pierced to the center with a three-edged blade, my feet flayed and I be forced to walk the hot sands upon the sterile shores of the Red Sea until the flaming sun shall strike me with livid plague, and may Allah, the god of Arab, Moslem and Mohammedan, the god of our fathers, support me to the entire fulfillment of the same. Amen. Amen. Amen."

Source - Excerpt from The Origins and Influence of Masonry by Lee Penn, SCP Journal Vol. 25:2-25:3 2001

With this oath, Christians swear on the Koran, and declare Allah to be the god of our fathers. From the perspective of Christianity and Islam alike, Shriners take the name of God in vain, and mock both faiths.  I know many Shriners will deny this, but many who have left and re-committed their lives to Christ have shared this truth.

2012 And New Age Hysteria

By Pastor Michael Frisbee

Now that 2011 has closed out and 2012 has begun, a new countdown begins for a whole lot of paranoid people caught up in Doomsday hysteria (again) leading to the latest chosen date for the end of all things. It amazes me how reasonable people (allegedly) can over and over fall for these false prophecies. They will even shout you down for being ignorant and closed minded, yet will shut their minds to God’s Word, God’s truth, God’s Own Prophecy.

This coming year, more specifically December 21st of 2012, is the target date for our sensitive New Agers. From (non) Mayan Prophecy, renewed Planet X interest, alignment of the planets with the galaxy core, etc to even a spiritual rebirth thanks to the Pleiadians, alien spiritual guardians from afar, there are a number of predictions which none has any scientific evidence or bearing to support them. There are conspiracies abound that even fall across political lines, people who are creating survival shelters, hoarding supplies, food, weapons to survive doomsday December 2012.

If you are having déjà-vu, you aren’t going crazy. There have been doomsayers for a few millennia. More recently, there was that whole Y2K deal. I worked in the Information Technology field then, and tried to calm my clients nerves that the power grids were not going to implode, their computers were not going to melt down, that society was not going to fall apart and have to revert to counting on their hands and in their heads. It was pretty much a waste of breath since the media was flooded with fear inducing hysteria pieces. Then on January 1, 12:00:01 am 2000…….NOTHING HAPPENED. Just a lot of people feeling like idiots.

Then there was the whole Planet X prophecy in 2003 – sputtered into non existence, but getting a good resurgence in 2012. It’s amazing how incredibly high the level of failure these prophecies by psychics, mediums, New Age shamans, and so forth have regarding prophecies. Even with 9/11, a perfect opportunity for psychics, mediums, New Age shamans and other sensitive’s to show their capabilities, not one prophecy announced or shared BEFORE the event, but plenty claiming to have given one AFTER the event. The end of times for 2012 will prove out to be just as much as a fizzled failure, and doomsayers will have to find another date to go frantic over, or maybe they will finally turn to the one true source of prophecy that NEVER fails.

The other side of all this is the farce and demonic doctrine of the Pleiadians. The whole scam began with Billy Meier in the 70’s claiming he was contacted and appointed by them as their earthly ambassador to introduce them to mankind. They were essentially visitors from another galaxy, and have been involved in our development going back almost 225,000 years. As the whole hoax broke down, the spiritualists of the New Age picked up the storyline and suddenly spirit Channelers, mediums, and such began to layout how they were truly spiritual guardians of humanity. They talk of a spiritual evolving of mankind coming in December 2012 rather than a world ending destruction. They even have the gall, which reveals the true demonic nature of their teachings, that Jesus Christ was a Pleiadian spiritual leader that stayed behind to help us evolve.

I’ll be delving even deeper into the whole Pleiadian scheme January 13th, with a radio show featuring Dr Fred DeRuva, an expert on the Pleiadian fraud, which will air January 14th on The Paranormal Christian, www.theparanormalchristian.com .

As for an astronomic ending to our world, there are no scientific findings or data that supports the alignment of our planets with the galactic core. There are no findings of deep space large objects hurtling at earth, nothing of an extraterrestrial origin that can bring an end to us in 2012.

There is only one source of prophecy we need concern ourselves with and that is the Bible. The second coming of Jesus Christ is approaching closer and closer. When you take all the prophecies in the Bible, the only ones that never materialized are the ones yet to come. Many of the signs of the second coming have come to pass. Many others are yet to happen. There is no date set in the Bible for when that time will come. No man will ever know, and certainly no demon will either. Only God knows what is in His mind and what His plan is for humanity. But as a born again Christian – I need not worry. For as long as I am in Him, and He in me, whether I die in some prophesied doomsday, get run over by a train, or have some stupid home bound accident that takes my life I am not the least bit concerned for I know my ultimate destination – Heaven.

It is only through accepting Jesus Christ can one enter into Heaven. You have to confess your sins to Him, rebuke your sinful ways and sinful life, and ask to be forgiven and be washed and sanctified in His sacrificed blood. He died for you, so you can enter Heaven upon your death. When you are re-born in Christ – death is no longer something to fear. You can set aside silly man made prophecies and doomsday scenarios. You can see with clear and open eyes the fraud of the occult and New Age, and recognize the doctrines of the demonic and how they deceive the non believer into following it to their spiritual and eventually physical death.

I invite you to make a New Years Eve resolution that you can easily keep, and will provide you life eternal and salvation from a wicked world. If you are a non believer, if you are a lost soul caught up in the world and the occult, I invite you to rebuke all of that. I encourage you to lay aside your ego and pride, and to accept the freely given, and greatly paid for, gift of salvation. I invite you to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.

It’s not an easy thing by any means. It’s easy to accept the gift, but it is hard to walk the path, to live your life as a Christian. It takes sacrifice, but none more than what Jesus sacrificed for us. It can lead to rejection, even by your dearest friends and family.

Do you have the guts, the courage, the commitment to walk as Christ walked? If you want to begin 2012 on the right path, if you want to walk into 2012 not fearing anything in death, then I invite you to contact me through my church ministry, www.LibertyGospelMinistries.com . I’ll speak with you and help you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

If you want a truly PARANORMAL and SUPERNATURAL experience – you can’t find one more intense than feeling the Holy Spirit filling you up and anointing you as a born again believer of Jesus Christ.