Freemasonry and Christianity

Freemasonry is positioned as a moral and ethical system, expressed in allegories and illustrated by symbols. Most of the symbolism is borrowed from Judaism and Christianity , legends with biblical characters are played out in rituals ^[8] . According to the instructions, rituals, catechisms and documents of the lodges, the attention of Masons is drawn to the need for moral self-improvement, as well as spiritual growth within the framework of the religion that each of them professes. The philosophy of Freemasonry includes the external elements of both Christianity and other religions.

According to the rules declared by Masonic lodges, each Mason must honor God in order to remain in the Masonic brotherhood ^[9] . The first of the fundamental laws of the “Constitution of Freemasons” (“The Constitutions of the Freemasons etc.”, L., 1723), one of the basic and earliest historical documents of speculative Freemasonry, written by James Anderson, states:

“If a freemason is well-versed in art, he will neither become a stupid apostate, nor a wicked freethinker. If in the old days, masons were obliged to adhere to the religion of this land or this nation in every country, then now it is recognized more appropriate to oblige them to have the only religion in which all people agree - while providing them, however, to have their own special (religious) opinions, - that is, to be good, conscientious people, full of honesty and honest rules. ”

Masons turn to God as the Great Architect of the Universe , and for Masons, any traditional religion is allowed. However, discussions on religious and political issues, according to the rules of Masonic lodges, are excluded from Masonic meetings. Freemasonry does not have its own theology; each Freemason continues to profess the religious views with which he came to the box, and his great attention to his religion is welcomed. The recognition of faith in God as the basis of Freemasonry and its principles is raised by researchers and members of Masonic lodges to the founders of modern speculative Freemasonry , and Anderson’s constitution ^{[10] at the} beginning of the 18th century and this is followed by the majority of world Freemasonry (the so-called regular or conservative Freemasonry), according to which emphasis is placed on mandatory monotheism .

Freemasonry is not an independent religion or a substitute for religion; Masonic philosophy does not apply to the religious views of its members and does not correct them. The Masonic moral and ethical system and philosophy is based on the faith of its members in God, but deals only with issues of relations between people, affects only issues of ethics and morality, not touching religious issues (that is, issues of a person’s relationship with God), leaving them on the conscience of each of the Masons.

Freemasonry and the Orthodox Church

Senator and Freemason I. V. Lopukhin, in the “Ethical Catechism of the True Freemasons,” wrote about the similarity of Freemasonry and Christianity he observed ^[11] :

1. How is the true freemason different? - The spirit of brotherhood, which alone is the spirit with the Christian.
2. What is the purpose of the Order of the True Freemasons? - His main goal is the same as the goal of true Christianity.
3. What should be the main exercise (work) of true freemasons? - Following to Jesus Christ.
4. What is the essence of the real means to that? - Prayer, exercise of one’s will in fulfilling the commandments of the Gospels and mortification of feelings by depriving them of their enjoyment: for a true freemason should not find his pleasure otherwise than only in fulfilling the will of Heavenly Father.
5. Where should a true freemason do his work? - In the middle of this world, not touching the vanities of his heart, and in the state in which everyone was called. (I. Cor. VII. 20.)
6. What are the most faithful signs of following Jesus Christ? - Pure love, devotion and the cross.

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Nevertheless, in the Russian Orthodox Church at the beginning of the 20th century a negative attitude towards Freemasonry prevailed. In the book of S.V. Bulgakov , published in 1913 and reprinted by the Moscow Patriarchate in 1993, it is stated:

The main task of the Masons is the destruction of religion and, especially, Christianity throughout humanity and the overthrow of all Christian laws. According to this task, they try to corrupt Christians, support philosophers, thinkers and writers who undermine Christianity, arouse people's discontent against the government, arrange and support all political unrest and revolution ^[12] .

In 1932, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad betrayed Freemasonry anathema:

Pointing out the harmful activities of Freemasonry ... The Holy Council determined:

1) To condemn Freemasonry as a teaching and organization hostile to Christianity and revolutionary, aimed at destroying the foundations of national statehood.
...
4) It is the responsibility of the pastors of the Church to ask those who begin confession whether they share these teachings and, if it turns out that they do, then explain to them that participation in these organizations is incompatible with the title of Christian, that they should or decisively abandon Freemasonry and relatives doctrine with him, or, if they do not fulfill it, will not be awarded Holy Communion, and with further unrepentance they will be excommunicated from the Holy Church

- The District Epistle of the Council of Bishops of the ROCOR to all the faithful children of the Church of August 15/28, 1932 ^[13]

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The Council of Bishops of the Greek Church in 1933 formulated the following attitude to Freemasonry:

Unanimously and unanimously, we, all bishops of the Greek Church, declare that Freemasonry is completely incompatible with Christianity, and therefore faithful children of the Church should avoid Freemasonry. For we unshakably believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, “in whom we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, which he abundantly gave us in all wisdom and understanding” (Ephesians 1: 7-8), we have him open and the apostles preached by the truth “not in the convincing words of human wisdom, but in the manifestation of the Spirit and Power” (1 Corinthians 2: 4), and we partake of the divine ordinances, with which we are sanctified and saved for eternal life, and therefore we should not fall away from the grace of Christ becoming a communityer and alien mysteries. It is not at all fitting for any of those who belong to Christ to seek outside His deliverance and moral perfection. Therefore, true and genuine Christianity is incompatible with Freemasonry.

- Act of the Council of Bishops of the Greek Church, 1933 ^[14]

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Religious philosopher N. A. Berdyaev believed that all anti-Masonic books in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century are “ sweat sheets, extremely poor-quality and designed to stir up passions, written in the style of pogrom anti-Semitic literature ”, and called the followers of Nilus “ Russian maniacs of the Masonic conspiracy, imagining Orthodox themselves ” ^[15] . At the same time, Berdyaev wrote that “ in Latin and Catholic countries, in France and Italy, Freemasonry primarily has the character of anti-church and anti-Christian ”, “ anti-Christian humanism prevails in Masonic ideology ”, and he also quoted the words of the pro-Mason author- martinist Count Joseph de Mestra ^[16] , in which the latter admits that “ there is malicious Freemasonry, revolutionary destructive and directed against the Church and Christianity ” ^[15] .

Currently, the Russian Orthodox Church does not express its official position in relation to Freemasonry. However, according to the textbook published by the Moscow Theological Academy , “ Freemasonry is actually a secret religious and social organization ... All Christian churches condemn Freemasonry and recommend avoiding it ... There are several conflicting Masonic systems in the world; in one country, lodges that do not communicate with each other may operate. There are atheist masons who put forward one of their goals the destruction of all religions. On the other hand, there are Masonic organizations that see in Freemasonry a superreligion that is called to unite all of humanity and replace traditional religions with itself ” ^[14] .

The current Patriarch of Moscow, Cyril , when he was Metropolitan and Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, answered the following question about the position of the Church regarding Freemasonry:

Question : Your Eminence, what is the official position of the Russian Orthodox Church regarding Freemasonry and, in particular, regarding the Great Lodge and the Rosicrucian Society operating in Russia <...>?

Answer : The Russian Orthodox Church does not prohibit its children from joining various kinds of public organizations, but they should not be of the nature of secret societies. Often such organizations involve exclusive submission to their leaders, a conscious refusal to disclose the essence of the organization’s activities to the Church Hierarchy and even to confession. The Church cannot approve of the participation in such societies of Orthodox laity, and even less so of clergymen, since by their very nature they reject a person from the total devotion to the Church of God and its canonical system ^[17] .

You can also point out the individual statements of famous theologians and missionaries. In particular, Protodeacon A. V. Kuraev, in his interview about Dan Brown's literary book “Da Vinci Code,” expressed the opinion that “ one of the goals of Masons is to marginalize the traditional Christian Church ” ^[18] .

Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy A. I. Osipov called Freemasonry in the list of “ painful phenomena in the human mind and heart ” ^[19] . In addition, while expressing a negative attitude towards ecumenism , A. I. Osipov pointed out his connection with Freemasonry ^[20] .

Freemasonry and the Catholic Church

The confrontation between the Vatican and the Templars began earlier than the official date of the creation of Freemasonry (early 18th century ). The Jesuit Order has always shown particular zeal in the fight against Freemasonry. In 1738, Pope Clement XII declared an interdict to Freemasonry, which meant the Roman Catholics were automatically excommunicated from the church if they entered the Masonic lodge:

Freemasonry is a harmful sect, full of hypocrisy, pretense, heresy and superstition, aimed at the destruction of the church and state power.

- Bull of Pope Clement XII Eminenti Apostolatus Specula of April 28, 1738

French Masonic lodges were distinguished by their anti-religious orientation ^[21] . Masons had a certain influence on the ideas of the French Revolution ^[22] . The presence of members of the boxes in the government created after the revolution was significant ^[23] . During the French Revolution, a radical anti-church policy (“de-Christianization”) was carried out, including repression of the Catholic clergy ^[24] , which Masons are also accused of, but modern historians say that Masons did not play a significant role during the Terror ^[25] .

Leo XIII in the encyclical Humanum Genus of April 20, 1884 condemned Freemasonry. The 1917 Code of Canon Law included the provision that joining a Masonic lodge means automatic excommunication. In 1983 , a new code was adopted, in which Masonic organizations are not mentioned, which created the impression that this situation was partially weakened by the Catholic Church. However, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1983 issued a statement stating that membership in the Masonic lodge was still unacceptable to Catholics:

So, the Church’s negative judgment on Masonic associations remains unchanged, because their principles have always been irreconcilable with the teachings of the Church, and therefore membership in them remains banned by the Church. The Christians who are their members are in great sin and cannot begin Holy Communion ^[26] .

Freemasonry and Protestant Churches

In the Protestant countries of northern Europe, the attitude of representatives of Christian denominations towards Freemasonry is different. In Britain, the head of the Church of England is directly the British monarch , and the great master of the United Great Lodge of England is one of the members of the royal family (currently the Duke of Kent , the Queen’s nephew) ^[27] . Many bishops of the Church of England were Freemasons. At the same time, after being elected spiritual leader of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams announced that he would fight Freemasonry in the Church ^[28] .

A similar system exists in Sweden , where the king heads the church, and is also the head of the Swedish Order of Freemasons ^[29] . The great master of the Great Lodge of Scotland, Joe Morrow, was a canon of the Episcopal Church of Scotland ^[28] .

Intersections with Christianity

The system of three so-called symbolic, or "John" degrees of Freemasonry is named after the patron saint of the old, operational Freemasonry - John the Baptist . Also, John the Baptist is considered as their patron and speculative Masonic lodges, requiring their members to believe in God ^[30] .

A large number of borrowings from Christianity were made in the Swedish Statute , which is traditionally considered the most Christianized of all Masonic charters . Even now, today, only Christians can enter it. Initiation to some extent of the Swedish Statute takes place in the church.

According to Albert Pike , one of the most prominent and respected Freemasons of the 19th century, Christian and Jewish symbols and rituals are still used in the highest degrees of the Ancient and accepted Scottish charter ^[31] . In the Revised Scottish Charter , starting from the 5th degree, ritualism and some Christian symbols ^[32] , and in this charter a commitment is made to devote one's life to the service of Christ.

In his speech delivered in September 2008 at the Third European Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu , European Commissioner Barroso drew attention to the significant role that religions play in the process of European integration and in building a future Europe. European representatives of liberal Freemasonry , defending the secular nature of the state , were alarmed by such words, and they demanded explanations from the head of the European Commission:

But the conversation with Barroso put everything in its place. “The meeting was held in a very cordial atmosphere,” stated Antoniu Reisch ( Grand Master of the Great East Lusitanian Lodge) ^[33] .

In 2010, the former great master of the Great East of France, Jean-Michel Kiyardé, called for a struggle against the "growing influence of church organizations in the structures of the European Union." In an interview with the Belgian newspaper Suar, he said:

Masonic lodges should begin to pursue a policy in the positive sense of the word. Despite internal disagreements, they all advocate secularization and disagree with decisions on this matter that are adopted at the national or pan-European levels ^[34] .

• Many of the symbols that are currently considered Masonic are borrowed by Masons from a number of religious traditions, mainly from the religion of Ancient Egypt, Judaism and Christianity. These symbols are often found in Christian churches ^{[35] [36] [37]} .
• Anders Breivik , a former member of the Grand Lodge of Norway ^[38] , motivated his terrorist activities by the struggle to protect Christian Europe from Islamization ^[39] .

• Freemasonry
• Anderson, James (Freemason)
• Constitution of anderson
• Desagulier, John Theophilus
• Masonic manuscripts
• Masonic Landmarks
• Great Architect of the Universe
• All-seeing eye
• St. John's Day in Freemasonry

• Sergey Karpachev // Secrets of the Masonic Orders. The rituals of "free masons." - M .: Yauza-Press, 2007 .-- 384 p. - ISBN 978-5-903339-28-0
• Albert Pike // Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry) - M .: Ganga, 2007. - T. 1. - 392 p. - ISBN 978-5-98882-026-0

• James Anderson's Constitution
• Masonic signs in cathedrals and monasteries of Russia
• Vuris G. Facts for the Freemason
• Explanations of the United Great Lodge of England