Chapter Five
The Masonic Doctrine of Man

The Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Man

Masonry is a Divinely appointed institution, designed to draw men nearer to God, to give them a clearer conception of their proper relationship to God as their Heavenly Father, to men as their brethren and the ultimate destiny of the human soul.⁽¹⁾

The three main pillars that support the ideological structure of the Lodge are said to be the "Fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, and the immortality of the soul."⁽²⁾ Since the Masonic concept of deity is nothing more than a thinly disguised worship of human sexuality, it then follows that, since all men are sexual creatures, they all must be considered as "offspring" of the same "universal Father" and are thus "spiritual brothers." This concept lies at the very foundation of the Lodge’s goal to unite men of all religions under its own roof, in preparation for the "New World Order." In the words of J. Blanchard:

...[T]he object of Scotch Masonry is to overthrow all kinds of superstition [i.e. Christianity], and that by admitting in her bosom on the terms of strictest equality, the members of all religions, of all creeds and of all countries, without any distinction whatever, she has, and indeed can have, but one single object and that is to restore to the Grand Architect of the Universe [the generative principle]; to the common father of the human race those who are lost in the maze of impostures, invented for the sole purpose of enslaving them.⁽³⁾

In the Masonic mind, it is both an "imposture" and "enslaving" to deny that all men are of common spiritual stock and that God "dwelleth in all [and] with all...."⁽⁴⁾ In fact, the Masonic "tools" -- the square, level, and the plumb -- are said to represent this "natural equality of the human family."⁽⁵⁾
         We will now examine the first of these two doctrines -- the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man -- as they relate to one another. We will deal with the third -- the immortality of the soul -- in the next chapter.
         In the opening ceremony of the Scottish Rite, initiates are given the following charge: "Believe that there is a God; that he is our father; that he has a paternal interest in our welfare and improvement; ...that he has destined us to a future life of endless progress toward perfection and a knowledge of himself."⁽⁶⁾ On the surface, it would seem that Masonry directs its adherents to worship a transcendent "higher power." This, however, is not true. In fact, it can be proven that the religious beliefs of the Mason are actually an internal quest for enlightenment and fulfillment of his own self-will. According to Mason W.L. Wilmhurst, "Masonry... is a system of religious philosophy in that it provides us with a doctrine of the universe and of our place in it. It indicates whence we are come and whither we may return."⁽⁷⁾ Wilmshurst went on to explain that "the study of man leads to a knowledge of God, by revealing to man the ultimate destiny at the base of human nature."⁽⁸⁾ To this, Henry Clausen added, "We must return to a faith in man himself."⁽⁹⁾
         As is the case with any pagan religion, man and his own potential is really the focal point and true recipient of the worship offered to "God" in the Lodge. The Masonic "doctrine of the universe" therefore places man squarely in the center and elevates him as an object of worship whereby he becomes "the measure of all things." However, as we have seen, "spiritual enlightenment" in the Lodge is really nothing more than a revival of the base carnality of ancient paganism.

The Biblical Doctrine of the Fatherhood of God

Although the Bible does indeed teach the "Fatherhood of God" and the "brotherhood of man," the manner in which it does so bears little resemblance to the doctrines promulgated by the Masonic Lodge. According to the Scriptures, only those whom God has chosen "before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4), for whom Christ died to redeem, and whom the Holy Spirit regenerates and indwells, may rightly be called the children of God. The intent of the following verses is unmistakable:

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12).

         For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father (Romans 8:14-16).

The Apostle Paul was also clear in stating that we "are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26). Only those who have been adopted by God into His eternal family (the Body of Christ or the Christian Church) may refer to one another as "brother" under the embracing Fatherhood of God (Hebrews 2:11).
         There is, however, a sense in which all men are physically and spiritually related, but the Scriptures make it clear that they are united in and to Adam, the progenitor of the human race, and are thus partakers of his fallen and corrupt nature (Romans 5:12). In fact, all men, unless they are born again by God’s Spirit, are referred to by Scripture as "sons of Adam" (Deuteronomy 32:8), "children of [their] father the devil" (John 8:44), "sons of the wicked one" (Matthew 13:38), and "sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). Consequently, the only "natural equality" of men that the Bible recognizes is that all are "by nature children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3), and thus are "alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart" (Ephesians 4:18).

The Masonic Lodge as a Modern Tower of Babel

Freemasonry’s goal of "uniting all mankind in one vast brotherhood"⁽¹⁰⁾ is certainly nothing new. Secret societies and pagan religions throughout history have had similar goals, as does the so-called New Age Movement of today. However, all these efforts to build a New World Order based on human efforts and secular principles of law can be traced back to the Tower of Babel:

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
         And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
         So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth (Genesis 11:1-9).

Constructed approximately one hundred and forty years after the Flood under the leadership of Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-10), the Tower of Babel was the focal point of the universal brotherhood and religion of the ancient worshippers of the sun, the pre-eminent god among the other celestial gods (the stars and planets). There is strong evidence to indicate that this tower was built specifically for astrological purposes, because it provided the necessary elevation above the dusty atmosphere of the Babylonian desert to permit a clear view of the stars and thus enable the builders to chart their progress across the heavens.
         God responded to the construction of the Tower of Babel, not only by destroying it, but also by scattering its builders over the face of the earth and confusing their languages. The consolidation of all mankind into a single political community under the religious umbrella of pagan sun-worship was only one of the reasons this was done. The underlying theme of the Tower of Babel story is that fallen man does not wish to submit himself to the sovereignty of God, and will use every means available to him to rebel against his Creator. The Tower of Babel, constructed of stone and mortar, was merely an outward manifestation of the monument which sinful man, if left to himself, will inevitably attempt to erect to himself in his own heart. God cannot but respond in judgment against such a usurpation of His throne (Isaiah 42:8).
         With all this in mind, it is not surprising to discover that Masonic authorities look rather favorably upon the Tower of Babel incident. In his book, A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Arthur E. Waite described the Tower as an early "Masonic enterprise," and even referred to Nimrod as "the Grand Master of all Masons."⁽¹¹⁾ Albert Mackey likewise named Nimrod as one of the founders of Masonry, and went on to describe the Tower of Babel as "the Gate of God."⁽¹²⁾ According to Mackey, the universal worship of the true God was lost when the Tower was destroyed by his evil counterpart, and, thus, without the light of the principles of Masonry, the nations were dispersed into "darkness and ignorance."⁽¹³⁾
         Freemasonry seeks to unite all men spiritually, but it utterly rejects the Scripture’s declaration that such can only be accomplished through common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2). God did not allow His enemies to fulfill the desire of their sinful hearts in the eleventh chapter of Genesis, and, since His righteous character never changes, Masons have no grounds to invoke God’s blessings on their own similar endeavors. It is without question that the Masonic Lodge, claimed by its own scholars to be a resurrection of the Tower of Babel, is a satanic brotherhood and must be rejected and avoided by Christians.⁽¹⁴⁾

Endnotes

1. Iowa Quarterly Bulletin, April 1917, page 54.

2. Tract: "Freemasonry, A Way of Life" (Baltimore, Maryland: The Grand Lodge of the State of Maryland, n.d.).

3. Blanchard, Scottish Rite Masonry, Volume II, pages 263-264.

4. Blanchard, ibid., page 282.

5. Raymond Lee Allen, Tennessee Craftsmen or Masonic Textbook (Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee Board of Custodian Members, 1963), page 26.

6. Liturgy of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America, Part Two (The Supreme Council, 33^rd Degree, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, 1982), page 137.

7. Wilmhurst, Meaning of Masonry, page 74.

8. Wilmhurst, ibid., page 121.

9. Clausen, Commentaries, page xviii.

10. Blanchard, Scottish Rite Masonry, Volume II, page 277.

11. Waite, Encyclopedia, page 181.

12. Mackey, Encyclopedia, Volume II, page 513.

13. Mackey, ibid., Volume I, pages 88-89.

14. There is an interesting side-note to this subject of the Tower of Babel. According to Genesis 10:11, after the destruction of the Tower, Nimrod went on from the land of Shinar to build the city of Ninevah in Assyria. The reader will remember that the Assyrians were also worshippers of the pagan sun-god, whom they named Baal.
         It is apparent that Nimrod had not learned his lesson and did not repent of his rebellion against God, for he reattempted at Ninevah what he had done in Shinar -- the establishment of a pagan civilization. It was to the city of Ninevah that God later sent His prophet Jonah saying, "Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me" (Jonah 1:2). Though God threatened this pagan "brotherhood" with the same fate as Babel (Jonah 3:4), their response to the Prophet’s message was quite different than that of their founder:

For word came unto the king of Ninevah, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Ninevah by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? (Jonah 3:6 9)