For sure man, hop on over to /r/freemasonry on reddit, where we have a discord dedicated to this. If you have an open mind and are willing to have your beliefs challenged. As for most of that stuff, I've only participated in “mainstream” freemasonry which is blue lodge and I am a 3rd degree (master mason) which is the actual highest level that a mason rises to. Everything else outside of blue lodge I can’t speak to, but there are many other brothers who identify as Christians and Masons.

Thanks for the response. It's good to know. I would like to learn. My sources were more than just singular, though.

> A large portion of the Masonic rituals concentrate on murder (the rituals of the 3rd degree)

I got this from Stephen Knight's book "The Brotherhood." It seems, at least from Wikipedia, and Knight is largely regarded as a disreputable source, so I stand corrected.

> Masonic ideas of god are vague and don't correspond to the biblical teachings about YHWH

This came from Henry Wilson Coil, "Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia." I assume it's authoritative information. Am I wrong?

> In the Royal Arch (4th in York Rite, equivalent to 14th in Scottish Rite) degree, the initiate is taught that the true name of God is *Jahbulon*, a combination of YHWH, Baal (But or Bel), and On (Egyptian god Osiris).

This information came from Malcom Duncan's "Masonic Ritual and Monitor." Is it wrong?

> The degree of the Knights of East and West (17º Scottish Rite) calls god "Abaddon" (Rev. 9.11, a name for "Destroyer").

This comes from J. Blanchard's "Scottish Rite Masonry Illustrated: The Complete Ritual". Is it incorrect?

> Albert Pike, a leading Masonic authority, writes that "The Masonic Religion should be ...maintained in the purity of Luciferian doctrine [that Lucifer is God]."

This comes from Albert Pike's "Morals and Dogmas".

> In the Masonic periodical, *New Age*, it states, "Masonry holds and teaches that with all and above all there is God, *not* essentially a Christian Triune God."

This comes from, as I said, the Masonic periodical *New Age*. Is it incorrect, then? It sounds like official teaching from an official source.

> The symbols of Masonry, the square and the compass, are Masonic symbols of deception...

This comes, as I said, from Albert Mackey, in *The Manual of the Lodge* and Albert Pike.

I got my information about the Palladium Rite from William Schnoebelen, "Masonry," not from Taxil. Schnoebelen, if I understand correctly, was a Mason who climbed to Mason's 32nd degree, so I assumed the information was accurate.

> the Ancient and Illuminated Seers of Bavaria (The "Illuminati").

My information about the Illuminati also came from Schnoebelen.

I would be pleased to know if any of my information is incorrect, but you'll see that I didn't use Taxil as a source at all. I read in Wikipedia about Taxil and Taxil's hoax. So is the whole section about the Palladium ritual fictional? (The Palladium part was actually a small part of what I wrote. I could even remove the last two sections about the Palladium and the Illuminati, and I would still have strong convictions that Masonry is an anti-Christian organization.) But I would love to talk.

I’m a mason and a Christian and none of this true. This is all a lie. I am gonna copy a brother's response about palladium freemasonry because it may shed some light on the truth for you.

The Palladium Rite was a FICTIONAL rite created by the hoaxer, Leo Taxil, in about 1885. He took the name from an actual group of Freemasons that was founded in France about 1737, but that group had died out long before Taxil's time. Taxil later made a full public confession, laughing at how much of the public, especially conservative Catholics, had been taken in by his prank. In Taxil's version, the Freemasons were a group of Satanists. If you want to know more, do an Internet search on "Leo Taxil".

Thanks, that was really helpful!

I don't know what "the Church" says about them—but, then again, I'm not sure "the Church" says anything about them. But I'll give you my personal thoughts.

Though they portray themselves as a positive force in society, encouraging humankind to bond together for work and pleasure, it is basically an anti-Christian organization/institution. Based on my research and understanding...

- A large portion of the Masonic rituals concentrate on murder (the rituals of the 3rd degree)
- Masonic ideas of god are vague and don't correspond to the biblical teachings about YHWH. In their effort to be accepted by Muslim, Buddhists, Taoists, etc., they refuse to define God. In the Royal Arch (4th in York Rite, equivalent to 14th in Scottish Rite) degree, the initiate is taught that the true name of God is *Jahbulon*, a combination of YHWH, Baal (But or Bel), and On (Egyptian god Osiris). This is anti-Christian. The degree of the Knights of East and West (17º Scottish Rite) calls god "Abaddon" (Rev. 9.11, a name for "Destroyer"). Albert Pike, a leading Masonic authority, writes that "The Masonic Religion should be ...maintained in the purity of Luciferian doctrine [that Lucifer is God]." The God of Christianity is discredited by Masonry. In the Masonic periodical, *New Age*, it states, "Masonry holds and teaches that with all and above all there is God, *not* essentially a Christian Triune God."
- The symbols of Masonry, the square and the compass, are Masonic symbols of deception. Albert Mackey, in *The Manual of the Lodge*, writes, "The symbol [of the point within a circle] is really a beautiful but somewhat abstruse allusion to the old sun-worship, and introduces us for the first time to that modification of it, known among the ancients as the worship of the phallus." In another work Mackey wrote, "The phallus was a sculptured representation of the male organ of generation and the worship of it is said to have originated in Egypt. In the Mysteries...we find the remote origin of the point within a circle, an ancient symbol which was first adopted by the old sun worshippers...and incorporated into the symbolism of Freemasonry."
- In the Masonic hierarchy, one of the levels is the level of Palladium. In the Palladium, there are 5 steps:

1. Adoption: The Mason is brought into fellowship with Lucifer, and sings "Glory and Love for Lucifer! Hatred! Hatred! Hatred! to God accursed! accursed! accursed! In this oath, the initiate makes a pact with Satan.

2. Illumination: The Mason is "illuminated" through drugs and occult practices.

3. Conversation: The Mason begins conversations with the "mighty dead."

4. Congress: One is married to a spirit that has possessed the body of a medium of the opposite sex. Through their intimacy, the spirit is transferred to the body of the initiate. Through repeated sexual contact, the initiate can hope to gain all of the spirit's wisdom and knowledge.

5. Union. When union is achieved, the Mason's soul is completely eclipsed by the spirit.

- Another one of the higher Masonic levels is the Ancient and Illuminated Seers of Bavaria (The "Illuminati"). The Illuminati use Hashish to produce an "illuminated" state of mind. From the Illuminati come "The Law of Fives":

1. Chaos: society has no order
2. Discord: An unhappy ruling class emerges
3. Confusion: An attempt to restore order between the two forces.
4. Bureaucracy: the destruction of the middle class and downfall of society
5. Aftermath: Society reverts to chaos.

True Christians and Freemasons are at odds with each other.

What do you think about freemasons? Do you agree with what the church say about them?