I recently received a newsletter from a lodge and much to my disappointment, it read like a religious pamphlet from one of the local churches rather than a newsletter with information about what is going on in the lodge. In my opinion this should never occur as it sends the wrong message about our fraternity and some may misconstrue the message to mean that Masonry is a religion. It is not, nor should it ever be regarded as a religion.
As Masons we must have a belief in Deity as no Atheist can be made a Mason. This belief, in a Supreme Being, should be the extent of what a brother should discuss while in the lodge as anything further has the potential to cause disharmony in the lodge. In a world filled with wars and turmoil in large part due to religious differences, Masonry stands as beacon of hope and an example of tolerance. In Masonic lodges with members of different faiths, the Holy Bible, Torah, and Koran can reside on the same altar and men of various faiths can meet as part of the universal “Brotherhood of Man”.
As Albert Pike stated in Morals and Dogma, “The Bible is an indispensable part of the furniture of a Christian Lodge, only because it is the sacred book of the Christian religion. The Hebrew Pentateuch in a Hebrew Lodge, and the Koran in a Mohammedan one, belong on the Altar; and one of these, and the Square and Compass, properly understood, are the Great Lights by which a Mason must walk and work. The obligation of the candidate is always to be taken on the sacred book or books of his religion, that he may deem it more solemn and binding; and therefore it was that you were asked of what religion you were. We have no other concern with your religious creed”. In my opinion it is very important that we abide by the guiding principles of not discussing religion in the lodge because the result is almost invariably disagreement, hurt feelings, and in the worst of cases, the loss of a good Brother because he feels that his religious freedom is being encroached upon.
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