Today I spent the bulk of the browsing the Internet for Anti-Masonic information. It seems to be there are two major reasons why the conspiracy theorists or hate groups dislike us. But I will only discuss the first point in this article.

1. Occult organization or Satan worshipers

2. Political corruption and perceived benefits of membership

It seems to me that any organization with an element of secrecy will eventually be targeted by someone who thinks they are up to no good. From my own limited experiences in the Craft it seems that in the past Freemasons decided to ignore external criticisms and not engage in petty mud-slinging.

Freemasonry has had a long history of persecution from modern political anti-masonry, war era totalitarian regime persecution, perceptions of promoting Zionist principles (Iraq) and of course probably the most commonly known pre-1983 threat of excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church for joining Freemasonry.

With modern day telecommunications and the advent of Internet communications anti-masonry seems to have taken on a whole new face. Individuals with a some strange ideas, ex-Masons with a grudge, and people looking to earn a quick dollar by creating a controversy now have a virtually free medium to slander or otherwise defame our fraternity.

If you are to search the Internet today the most common anti-Masonic website will probably choose to quote Albert Pike in his book Morals and Dogma with reference to Lucifer or that Blue Lodge is simply the "outer court" and we are all pawns in a bigger secret organization.

"Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light, and with its splendors intolerable blinds feeble, sensual, or selfish Souls? Doubt it not!"

I have seen this line quoted over and over an nearly every anti-Freemasonry site which is grossly misinterpreted and which I hope can be more clearly explained by the following explanation.

"Lucifer makes his appearance in the fourteenth chapter of the Old Testament book of Isaiah, at the twelfth verse, and nowhere else: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!""

"The first problem is that Lucifer is a Latin name. So how did it find its way into a Hebrew manuscript, written before there was a Roman language? To find the answer, I consulted a scholar at the library of the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. What Hebrew name, I asked, was Satan given in this chapter of Isaiah, which describes the angel who fell to become the ruler of hell? The answer was a surprise. In the original Hebrew text, the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah is not about a fallen angel, but about a fallen Babylonian king, who during his lifetime had persecuted the children of Israel. It contains no mention of Satan, either by name or reference. The Hebrew scholar could only speculate that some early Christian scribes, writing in the Latin tongue used by the Church, had decided for themselves that they wanted the story to be about a fallen angel, a creature not even mentioned in the original Hebrew text, and to whom they gave the name "Lucifer.""

"Why Lucifer? In Roman astronomy, Lucifer was the name given to the morning star (the star we now know by another Roman name, Venus). The morning star appears in the heavens just before dawn, heralding the rising sun. The name derives from the Latin term lucem ferre, "bringer, or bearer, of light." In the Hebrew text the expression used to describe the Babylonian king before his death is Helal, son of Shahar, which can best be translated as "Day star, son of the Dawn." The name evokes the golden glitter of a proud king's dress and court (much as his personal splendor earned for King Louis XIV of France the appellation, "The Sun King")."

The next big hurdle that we have is the quote about the outer court which seems to imply that we are all pawns in some bigger conspiracy. I've had many people tell me to my face that I don't know anything about what Freemasonry "REALLY" is because I'm just low in the organization. This is where I believe they came up with that judgment.

"The Blue Degrees are but the outer court or portico 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 that he understands them. Their true explication is reserved for the Adepts, the Princes of Masonry."

I do know quite a number of Senior Brethren from around the world and I am quite certain they are not part of clandestine organization bent on taking over the world and that I'm a lowly grunt or cog in the wheel of world domination.

Additionally, I would say that a great number of Freemasons around the world have never heard of Albert Pike before. Many people indeed quote him and praise him as one of the most important Brothers in American Freemason history. However we need to keep in mind that he was indeed a prolific writer not everything he wrote applies to our entire Fraternity and ultimately much of what he wrote was his personal interpretations and ideas.

But finally I would like to leave you with a pro-Freemasonry quote as I prefer to think of as a positive organization that develops and encourages its members to become better men which thusly contribute positively to society.

"Learn, that you may be enabled to do good; and do so because it is right, finding in the act itself ample reward and recompense." --Albert Pike

By: Ken Dennis

About the Author:
Ken Dennis is the webmaster of Masonic Travels -- a large free masonic newsletter published daily to your e-mail. Signup to learn more about Freemasonry, its rituals and it's history.

US political corruption

Today I spent the bulk of the browsing the Internet for Anti-Masonic information. It seems to be there are two major reasons why the conspiracy theorists or hate groups dislike us. But I will only discuss the first point in this article.

1. Occult organization or Satan worshipers

2. Political corruption and perceived benefits of membership

It seems to me that any organization with an element of secrecy will eventually be targeted by someone who thinks they are up to no good. From my own limited experiences in the Craft it seems that in the past Freemasons decided to ignore external criticisms and not engage in petty mud-slinging.

Freemasonry has had a long history of persecution from modern political anti-masonry, war era totalitarian regime persecution, perceptions of promoting Zionist principles (Iraq) and of course probably the most commonly known pre-1983 threat of excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church for joining Freemasonry.

With modern day telecommunications and the advent of Internet communications anti-masonry seems to have taken on a whole new face. Individuals with a some strange ideas, ex-Masons with a grudge, and people looking to earn a quick dollar by creating a controversy now have a virtually free medium to slander or otherwise defame our fraternity.

If you are to search the Internet today the most common anti-Masonic website will probably choose to quote Albert Pike in his book Morals and Dogma with reference to Lucifer or that Blue Lodge is simply the "outer court" and we are all pawns in a bigger secret organization.

"Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light, and with its splendors intolerable blinds feeble, sensual, or selfish Souls? Doubt it not!"

I have seen this line quoted over and over an nearly every anti-Freemasonry site which is grossly misinterpreted and which I hope can be more clearly explained by the following explanation.

"Lucifer makes his appearance in the fourteenth chapter of the Old Testament book of Isaiah, at the twelfth verse, and nowhere else: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!""

"The first problem is that Lucifer is a Latin name. So how did it find its way into a Hebrew manuscript, written before there was a Roman language? To find the answer, I consulted a scholar at the library of the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. What Hebrew name, I asked, was Satan given in this chapter of Isaiah, which describes the angel who fell to become the ruler of hell? The answer was a surprise. In the original Hebrew text, the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah is not about a fallen angel, but about a fallen Babylonian king, who during his lifetime had persecuted the children of Israel. It contains no mention of Satan, either by name or reference. The Hebrew scholar could only speculate that some early Christian scribes, writing in the Latin tongue used by the Church, had decided for themselves that they wanted the story to be about a fallen angel, a creature not even mentioned in the original Hebrew text, and to whom they gave the name "Lucifer.""

"Why Lucifer? In Roman astronomy, Lucifer was the name given to the morning star (the star we now know by another Roman name, Venus). The morning star appears in the heavens just before dawn, heralding the rising sun. The name derives from the Latin term lucem ferre, "bringer, or bearer, of light." In the Hebrew text the expression used to describe the Babylonian king before his death is Helal, son of Shahar, which can best be translated as "Day star, son of the Dawn." The name evokes the golden glitter of a proud king's dress and court (much as his personal splendor earned for King Louis XIV of France the appellation, "The Sun King")."

The next big hurdle that we have is the quote about the outer court which seems to imply that we are all pawns in some bigger conspiracy. I've had many people tell me to my face that I don't know anything about what Freemasonry "REALLY" is because I'm just low in the organization. This is where I believe they came up with that judgment.

"The Blue Degrees are but the outer court or portico 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 that he understands them. Their true explication is reserved for the Adepts, the Princes of Masonry."

I do know quite a number of Senior Brethren from around the world and I am quite certain they are not part of clandestine organization bent on taking over the world and that I'm a lowly grunt or cog in the wheel of world domination.

Additionally, I would say that a great number of Freemasons around the world have never heard of Albert Pike before. Many people indeed quote him and praise him as one of the most important Brothers in American Freemason history. However we need to keep in mind that he was indeed a prolific writer not everything he wrote applies to our entire Fraternity and ultimately much of what he wrote was his personal interpretations and ideas.

But finally I would like to leave you with a pro-Freemasonry quote as I prefer to think of as a positive organization that develops and encourages its members to become better men which thusly contribute positively to society.

"Learn, that you may be enabled to do good; and do so because it is right, finding in the act itself ample reward and recompense." --Albert Pike

By: Ken Dennis

About the Author:
Ken Dennis is the webmaster of Masonic Travels -- a large free masonic newsletter published daily to your e-mail. Signup to learn more about Freemasonry, its rituals and it's history.

US political corruption