Masonry teaches that God is one person only (Unitarian) [1], while Christianity teaches that God is triune, not unitarian. An article by G.A. Kenderdeine, "The Idea of God in Masonry," cited in the Masonic magazine The New Age on pages 269ff. states, "Masonry holds and teaches that with all and above all there is God, not essentially a Christian Triune God" [2], (emphasis added).

Masonry also teaches that God is an amalgamation of all gods: "[The Mason] may name Him [God] as he will, think of Him as he pleases; make Him impersonal law or personal and anthropomorphic; Freemasonry cares not...God, Great Architect of the universe, Grand Artificer, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge above, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, or Great Geometer ..." [3]. But the Bible teaches that the Christian God alone is the one true God (John 17:3) -- He is not an amalgamation of all gods:

"O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no god like The in heaven or on earth ..."
(2 Chronicles 6:14)

"I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give my glory to another" (Isaiah 42:8).

"Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other" (Deuteronomy 4:39 NIV).

Masonry also denies the biblical teaching on Jesus Christ. Albert Pike taught that Masonry held that Jesus Christ was only a man and not God:

"It reverences all the great reformers. It sees in Moses, the Lawgiver of the Jews, in Confucius and Zoroaster, in Jesus of Nazareth, and in the Arabian Iconoclast, Great Teachers of Morality, and Eminent Reformers, if no more ..." [5]

Masonry claims it does not offend a Christian's belief about Jesus Christ. For example: "We do not say to Christians that Christ was a mere man, whose life's story is only a revival of similar older [pagan] stories. To do any of these things would be irreverent. We utter no such words" [6]. But Masonry does teach that Jesus Christ was merely a man [7]. The important Masonic Ritual called the Maudy Thursday Ritual of the chapter of Rose Croix states officially, "We meet this day to commemorate the death [of Jesus], not as inspired or divine, for this is not for us to decide" [8].

In his spiritual darkness or ignorance, an individual Christian Mason may choose to believe that Jesus was God and Savior of the world, but this is not Masonic truth. Those who consider themselves enlightened Masons hope that their unenlightened brethren will realize that all specific dogmas about Christ are in error. As Clausen emphasizes, it is important to "strip from all religions their orthodox tenets, legends, allegories and dogmas" [9]. This is why the Masonic scholar Albert Pike asserts that Jesus was "a great teacher of morality" -- but nothing more [10].

So it is neither fair nor true for Masons to say that Masonry does not offend Christians by teaching that Jesus was only a man. This is exactly what it teaches. Why does Masonry say that Christ was only a man and thereby offend the beliefs of Christians? It does this because it does not wish to offend the religious sensibilities of those Masons who are members of other faiths which deny that Jesus is the only incarnation of God and Savior of the world. For example, the unique nature and mission of Christ is denied by Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, etc. In order to not offend these people, it offends Christians.

This is why nowhere in Masonic literature will you find Jesus called God or said to be the world's Savior who died for men's sin. To portray Him in such a light would "offend" men, and Masonry wishes to offend no one. The necessity for this approach can be found in the fundamental doctrines or Landmarks of Masonry (the Fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, and the immortality of the soul, Masonically interpreted). These doctrines presume beforehand that there is no either reason nor necessity that Jesus should be unique either as to His Person (God) or His mission (Savior). Thus, Masonry teaches that man already has a perfect standing with God. All men are guaranteed eternal life regardless of their personal religious beliefs. As a result, there is no need for God to incarnate (Philippians 2:1-8) in order to die for the world's sin (John 3:16) because the teachings of Masonry assume all men are saved or redeemed to begin with.

This is why Masonry completely excludes all particular biblical teachings about Christ such as His incarnation, redemptive mission, death, and resurrection. In fact, there is no biblical truth about Jesus Christ that is affirmed by Masonry as one of their Landmarks. This is why former Mason Edmond Ronayne confesses:

"Freemasonry 'carefully excludes' the Lord Jesus Christ from the Lodge and chapter, repudiates his mediatorship, rejects his atonement, denies and disowns his gospel, frowns upon his religion and his church, ignores the Holy Spirit and sets up for itself a spiritual empire, a religious theocracy, at the head of which it places the G.A.O.T.U -- the god of nature -- and from which the one only living and true God is expelled by resolution ..." [11]

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is God:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God ... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us ..." (John 1:1, 14)

"Looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus" (Titus 2:13).

Because Jesus Christ is God He will one day judge all the world, including all Masons and other men:

"For not even the Father judges any one, but He has given all judgment to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him" (John 5:22-23).

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats....Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'...Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.'...And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46).

"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

All of these teachings of Jesus in the Bible prove that Masonry is wrong in its teaching about Jesus Christ. How then can a Christian who claims to believe in Jesus as his Savior continue to support the false religion that denies His Lord? Did not Jesus Himself say, "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and not do as I say?" (Luke 6:46). Did not even Jesus warn, "But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:33)? And did He not say, "Not every one who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21)?

Masonic Ritual and oath demands that the Christian Mason's first allegiance is to Masonry, not to Jesus Christ. Who then is the "Lord" of the Christian Mason?

In conclusion, Masonry is opposed to the Christian God. One of the leading Masonic scholars, Albert Pike, describes Freemasonry as follows: "Masonry, around whose altars the Christian, the Hebrew, the Moslem, the Brahmin, the followers of Confucius and Zoroaster can assemble as brethren and unite in prayer to the one God who is above all the Baalim ..." [12], emphasis added). Notice that the term "Baalim" which refers to the false gods and idols that men worship (13) is also applied to the Christian religion. That means Christianity is considered to be as false a religion as all the rest.

Masonry only claims to be tolerant of the concepts of God found in other religions. In reality, it sees them as inferior to its own concept of God [13]. But then how is it possible for a Christian to support Masonry when it denies the true God, blasphemes Him, and leads people to worship a false God? Christians are exhorted to "live a life worthy of the Lord and ... please Him in every way ... growing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10 NIV). They cannot do this by remaining members of the Masonic Lodge.

If Jesus came back today or you died and faced Him, how would you explain to Him why you continued to uphold the beliefs of an organization that rejects and denies Him?

Footnotes:

[1] Little Masonic Library, V:51; Henry Wilson Coil, "Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia. New York: Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply, 1961, pp 516-517; Martin L. Wagner, Freemasonry: An Interpretation, nd., np. (distributed by Missionary Service and Supply, Route 2, Columbiana, OH, 44408, pp. 321-351

[2] J.W. Acker. Strange Altars: A Scriptural Appraisal of the Lodge. St. Louis, MO: Concordia, 1959, pp.37

[3] Henry C. Clausen. Clausen's Commentaries on Morals and Dogma, The Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction of the USA, 1976, cf. Carl H. Claudy. Introduction to Freemasonry (three volumes). Washington, DC: The Temple Publishers, 1984, Vol. II, pp. 110

[4] Albert Pike. Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Charleston, SC: The Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1906, pp. 525

[5] Henry C. Clausen. Clausen's Commentaries on Morals and Dogma, The Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction of the USA, 1976, pp. 159

[6] J.W. Acker. Strange Altars: A Scriptural Appraisal of the Lodge. St. Louis, MO: Concordia, 1959, pp. 34; e.g. Jim Shaw and Tom McKenny. The Deadly Deception: Freemasonry Exposed by One of Its Top Leaders, Lafayette, LA, Huntington House, 1988, pp. 126-27

[7] Jim Shaw and Tom McKenny. The Deadly Deception: Freemasonry Exposed by One of Its Top Leaders. Lafayette, LA: Huntington House, 1988, pp. 127, cf. Henry C. Clausen. Practice and Procedure for the Scottish Rite. Washington, DC: The Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Mother Jurisdiction of the World, 1981, pp. 75-77

[8] Henry C. Clausen. Clausen's Commentaries on Morals and Dogma, The Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction of the USA, 1976, pp. 157

[9] Albert Pike. Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Charleston, SC: The Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1906, pp. 525

[10] Edmond Ronayne. The Master's Carpet; or Masonry and Baal-Worship -- Identical, nd., np. (distributed by Missionary Service and Supply, Route 2, Columbiana, OH 44408) pp. 87

[11] Little Masonic Library, Volumes 47-52; The Supreme Council, 33rd Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Southern Jurisdiction of the USA, Liturgy of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, Part Two. Washington, DC: 1982, pp. 202

[12] Little Masonic Library, Volumes 51-52

[13] Little Masonic Library, Volumes 47-52; The Supreme Council, 33rd Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Southern Jurisdiction of the USA, Liturgy of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, Part Two. Washington, DC: 1982, pp. 137, 202