Jesus and (Craft) Freemasonry
Why doesn't Freemasonry, particularly Craft Masonry, acknowledge Jesus? Why is there a distinct absence of him across the Three Degrees and in the Inner Workings (Board of Installed Masters)? It would seem strange for Masons who are Christian to participate in Masonry without the presence of Jesus within the ceremonies.
Now, before we continue, I am fully aware of the "prohibition" on the discussion of religious or political topics within Freemasonry. This is designed to prevent discussions and debates of theology, which can create disharmony. However, since my YouTube video versions of these articles are now attracting the attention of Christians, it's a good opportunity to set the record straight on the matter of Jesus and Craft Freemasonry.
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This is not only the case on YouTube but is quite common on Masonic Facebook posts as well. As a Mason who is also a Christian, you may find yourself having to defend the Craft to your brothers and sisters in Christ. So this is an important topic to cover.
In full disclosure, I am a Christian and I am also a Freemason. These are not mutually exclusive, as many (Christians) might think. I've written previously about how Freemasonry doesn't claim authority on divine matters, but rather directs the Mason to his own Deity for spiritual guidance. Freemasonry refers you to that "higher authority" responsible for matters of faith and religion.
What I am not going to provide in this article is a Christian interpretation of the Three Craft Degrees. This would be insensitive to my brothers who follow a different supreme being than myself. My newsletter is supposed to stay within the compass of the Craft, which we all share, regardless of our Volume of Sacred Law. I will address the distinct absence of Jesus within the accepted circumference of the Craft.
First, let's look at the Craft historically within the context of Jesus. When I wrote about the Regius Poem / Halliwell Manuscript in my research, the poem had several direct references to Christ. Freemasonry originally had references to Christ, but these were not specifically within the allegory or stories of our Degrees. Those references to Christ could be replaced simply with the title "The Great Architect," and they would retain the same meaning. However, the Craft was historically distinctly Christian, likely due to the requirement to believe in God and the dominance of Christianity.
But it was an innovation in Masonry to remove the Christian requirements and admit Men of other Faiths, noteably Judaism and Islam.
Why, then, are both Islamic and Jewish men warmly welcomed into Freemasonry? I am no theologian or scholar, but in my research and basic understanding, the Quran acknowledges the Old Testament, and the Tanakh shares the same books as the Old Testament with some differences. Essentially, it comes down to this: the three Abrahamic religions all have some level of agreement on the Old Testament. This gets us to the crux of the matter. The Three Craft Ceremonies are based upon books of the Old Testament, with the main books being:
Entered Apprentice: Genesis & Ruth
Fellowcraft: Exodus & Judges
Third Degree: Chronicles & Kings
This is how we arrive at the point of admitting men of other faiths or spiritual beliefs into what was originally a Christian-dominated institution. I won't go into why we admit men of other faiths or beliefs, as that's a separate discussion. However, Freemasonry warmly welcomes any good man who believes in a Supreme Being who is the Creator of All Things, regardless of his individual belief.
But this still hasn't explicitly explained the absence of Jesus in Craft Masonry. Don't make the mistake of perceiving him as being removed from Masonry. As I have said before, the term "Great Architect" is a title for the Divine Being of each brother's own faith. For me, as a Christian, "Great Architect" means God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. While our Jewish brethren hear Yahweh, and our Islamic brethren hear Allah. Brethren of other faiths hear the name of their Deity.
So, Jesus is not exactly absent from the Craft, but he is not explicitly present either.
The simple explanation for this is that Freemasonry is a progressive science. That means that Freemasonry must be discovered incrementally. If you are only a Craft Mason, then you must consider the Volume of Sacred Law within the context and constraints of the degree upon which you hold. The Craft strictly confines Craft teachings within the progressive nature of the three degrees.
To put this in a more simple way, imagine for a moment that you woke up with no knowledge of anything, except the ability to read and talk. You have a Bible, and you start reading it sequentially, from Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning." You wouldn't find any direct reference to Jesus until the New Testament.
Now many Christians will argue that that Jesus is foretold as early as Genesis 1:26.
Yes, but no. As a Christian, you would only know that because you already know the whole story or at least the part about how the hero saves the day. Reading Genesis 1:26,
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
For the first time with no prior knowledge of Jesus, you wouldn't have been able to ascertain that the "us" reference in any way, shape, or form refers to God being a trinity. "Us" may actually mean the duality of God and the Spirit.
Regardless, the whole notion of foretelling and signposts only makes sense or are only apparent once you know the ending of the story.
Here's an example. I will spoil Harry Potter for you. So don't read on if you don't want the spoilers.
We know Harry Potter is the saviour and has to die, defeat death and live again to defeat Voldemort because its foretold in the first book. Harry's scar comes from Voldemort's downfall as a result of a failed Killing Curse, almost killing Voldemort in the very beginning and attaching part of his soul to Harry. So for Harry to kill Voldemort and defeat the devil of the story, Harry himself must die to kill that part of Voldemorts sould.
Sound familiar. Well, this is exactly how Christianity is taught. As Christian's we tell you about the amazing thing that the Saviour did before you've had a chance to read the whole Bible from Page 1. So now, if you go back and read Harry Potter, or the Bible you will now be able to clearly see all of the clues, signposts and foretelling right throughout the story. You effectly read the story with the context of the ending in mind.
But that's not how Freemasonry works. Freemasonry requires you to consider something strictly within the constraints and confines of your Degree, Masonic knowledge and progression.
So now as you read the Bible from cover to cover with no prior knolwedge of the ending. When you read Genesis, Ruth, Exodus, Judges, Chronicles and Kings - you read them within their specific context and not in relation to any forthcoming elements of the Bible.
And that is why there is a distinct absense of Jesus from Craft Freemasonry. He explicitly isn't mentioned in those books or in the narrative of the Building of King Solomons temple which the Craft is based upon. So he isn't explicitly mentioned in the Craft.
If you are a Christian, He is present and Central to several Other Orders.