This is in reference to the document Christianity And Freemasonry Are They Compatible?

put forth
by Mr. Carl Gallups, an antimason who claims to be Christian.
It should be noted that although I am a Freemason, my motivation is not as a Mason, since
Freemasonry believes that everyone is allowed to believe anything they want to. My motivation stems
from my orthodox !iblical" Christian beliefs in opposition to false doctrine taught by various cults
atheism, #ehovah$s %itnesses, Mormons and &christian' antimasonry among others".
(everal early comments before beginning)
*. + text out of context is a pretext for a proof text. There are several places where Mr. Gallups
claims to have &proof' for something and even gives a reference, but fails to provide an actual
,uote, -ust Mr. Gallups$ misinterpretation. Many of the references do not clearly map to the
actual source documents in a manner I$m accustomed to, so I cannot cite them directly to expose
Mr. Gallup$s false witness. They are very common misinterpretations, so I have no problem
refuting them. In fact, these standard accusations are so common that it calls into ,uestion Mr.
Gallup$s claims of having done his own research.
.. /se of old and out of date documents, common among antimasons who claim to be Christian, in
some cases ta0ing advantage of language shifts that have occurred in the last *12 years.
3. 4ac0 of historical 0nowledge.
5. 6xcessive claim of authority for documents that are not supported anywhere but in the
antimason$s imagination. For example, +lbert 7i0e$s flawed boo0 Morals 8 9ogma was not
and never has been listed as an official &bible' for Freemasonry, but antimasons must give it
this spurious authority to have any leg to stand on. Morals 8 9ogma has not been considered
an official boo0 that all Freemasons must believe in by any group, including the +ncient and
+ccepted (cottish :ite, (outhern #urisdiction; the small subgroup of Freemasons that it actually
might apply to. In fact, to get any traction out of Morals 8 9ogma, all antimasons must totally
ignore the 7reface to the boo0, printed in every copy)
&The teachings of these Readings are not sacramental, so far as they go beyond the
realm of Morality into those of other domains of Thought and Truth. The Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite uses the word "Dogma" in its true sense, of doctrine, or
teaching; and is not dogmatic in the odious sense of that term. Every one is entirely
free to reject and dissent from whatsoever herein may seem to him to be untrue
or unsound. t is only re!uired of him that he shall weigh what is taught, and gi"e it fair
hearing and unpre#udiced #udgment.$ bold emphasis added"
1. Mr. Gallups claims authority from supposed study, including the fact that since he is a pastor,
his credentials as a Christian and authority to interpret the !ible in his personal manner are
beyond any ,uestion in his own mind. The good part of this, if Mr. Gallups is shown to be in
error, it ma0es the !iblical case for disregarding his false testimony. 6asy ones come from Mr.
Gallups attempts to use Morals 8 9ogma as a source for &proof' in light of the highlighted part
of the 7reface in bold above.
<. For reference)
:omans .2) &*= !ecause that which may be 0nown of God is manifest in them; for God hath
shewed it unto them. .2 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and
Godhead; so that they are without excuse) .* !ecause that, when they 0new God, they glorified
him not as God, neither were than0ful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish
heart was dar0ened.'
7salms *=) &* The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his
handywor0.'
There is something 0nown as &natural revelation', where the creation gives evidence to man of
the Creator. :omans *)*=>.* teaches this most clearly in (cripture. It is limited and shows no
more than that all man0ind has the evidence of God before them all of their life and it is by their
choice that they re-ect ?im. The !ible is &special revelation', or the %ord of God give to us by
?is will and for ?is purposes. It spea0s of things not found in nature. !y definition, any &holy
writing' from any religion also count as a &special revelation' for followers of that religion.
This is very relevant for understanding a number of Mr. Gallups$ misinterpretations.
@. 4u0e *<)*2 &?e who is faithful in a very little AthingB is faithful also in much, and he who is
dishonest and un-ust in a very little AthingB is dishonest and un-ust also in much.' +mplified"
I am not including a copy of Mr. Gallups wor0 with this for reference since I 0now that it will be going
to someone with a copy. If need be, a copy can be found online at)
http)CCwww.hic0oryhammoc0baptist.orgCboo0letsCmasons.html
In the opening section, Mr. Gallups$ 0ey point is this &is true Christianity compatible with
FreemasonryD' emphasis in original". This shows that Mr. Gallups is defining &true Christianity' to
be what Mr. Gallups says it is. ?e will then define &Freemasonry' to be what he says it is for
comparison purposes. Eo matter how correct he may be in his first claim, it is in the second that he
bears false witness and twists meanings to suit his purposes.
Mr. Gallups) &I AM prepared to say, however, that ANYONE, once confronted with the TRUTH about
Masonic teachins and the TRUTH of !od"s #ord and who chooses to $TAY in the Masonic %ode
cannot be a TRUE chi%d of the &ivin !od' ()ohn *+, -, I Ti.' +, */0, etc'12'
#ohn *5)< is of no problem to any Christian. * Timothy 5)*>. becomes interesting since Mr. Gallups
implies that he is the arbiter of which side he is on in this case, but I$ve used that passage against
cultists before, especially antimasons who claim to be Christian) &5 Eow the (pirit spea0eth expressly,
that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils; . (pea0ing lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;'.
I also note that Mr. Gallups ma0es the usual antimasonic claim that some Masons consider
Freemasonry to be all the religion they need. This is something that cannot be disproved, that
someone, somewhere, somehow, some when was a Mason who believed that. I$ll note that I$ve never
met one personally, I 0now of no Mason who has met one and it fran0ly is not a Masonic teaching.
Mr Gallups then as0s us understand some things of great importance)
&1.Freemasonry claims to be a religion' It a%so invo3es distinctive re%iious 4re5uire.ents4,
before you can even be considered for .e.bership' (6OI&"$ MA$ONI6 EN6Y6&O7E8IA 9:,:*0, and
the ;&ORI8A MA$ONI6 MONITOR pae : < =ua%i>cations of 6andidates'1 Two i.portant speci>c
re%iious re5uire.ents are that the candidate .ust be%ieve in a 4$upre.e ?ein4 and a 4future
e@istence4' It a%so contains the use of c%ear re%iious practices and teachinsA prayer, and a%tar, the
?ib%e on the a%tar, the %etter 4!4 for !od, teachins on the 4secret4 na.es of !od, The !rand
Architect of the Universe, The !reat 6e%estia% &ode Above, etc' No Mason can deny these re%iious
e%e.ents'2
Correct about the claims, but begging the conclusion. Freemasonry does re,uire belief in a (upreme
!eing and life after death, but Freemasonry has no consecrated priests, no sacraments, no sacred boo0s,
no plan of salvation. Instead it en-oins each member to practice their faith diligently. (o only in the
most superfical of definistions is Freemasonry a &religion' from these claims. In fact, by those
standards, there would be no difference between Christianity, Islam, #%, Mormonism, etc.
&2. Since Freemasonry makes religious claims, then, we have a riht to .easure its
teachins aainst our re%iion, in this case, ?ib%ica% 6hristianity' The ?ib%e, then, beco.es our
authority for a%% TRUE re%iious
c%ai.s'2
Correct about the right to measure its teachings against the !ible. 9oes Mr. Gallups claim that the
!ible does not teach that there is a (upreme !eingD 9oes Mr. Gallups claim that there is not life after
deathD If not, then what is the issueD Islam teaches these things also, does that ma0e them falseD Ff
course not, but deciding that something is against orthodox Christianity needs something a bit more
than that.
Three Fundamentals of Biblical Christianity are as follows:
1. esus Christ is 8eity and the ON&Y way to Heaven and eterna% &ife ()ohn *+,- B', etc'1
2. The Bible is the ;INA& AUTHORITY for a%% .atters of re%iious state.ents of faith, re%iious truth
and .ora%ity' (7$ **9,C9, II Ti.' D,*-, etc'1
!. Sal"ation is obtained throuh !od"s !RA6E a%one (not #ORE$1 (Ephesians 0,C/*F, etc'1
These Three #oints are really the acid test for deter.inin whether so.ethin is tru%y ?ib%ica%
6hristianity or so.e for. of a cu%t' Every re%iious cu%t denies one or a%% of the above three
funda.enta%s of the 6hristian faith' G
Eo problem here, these are good. +ntimasonic, #%, Mormon, whatever, they fall afoul of these three
points.
&Freemasonry distinctly denies ALL THREE'2
?ere, Mr. Gallups is reaching. It has already been shown that what religious elements are in
Freemasonry, they are in accordance with the !ible, but we will see how he twists things.
Freemasonry clearly denies the $eity of esus G
Eo, it doesn$t. ?owever, since Freemasonry is a secular fraternity, not a religious order, it does not
adhere to any special revelation of any religion. %hat Freemasonry clearly does is not affirm Christ$s
9eity since that would ma0e it a Christian order. Many men may pursue salvation by many means, but
Freemasonry does not choose between them. This is left up to the individual Mason.
Freemasonry clearly denies the %nality and authority&
+gain, as a secular fraternity, Freemasonry does not -udge among religions, instead allowing all men to
see0 the Creator revealed by the creation in their own manner. (o it does not affirm the !ible as the
only valid holy writing. This is left up to the individual Mason.
Freemasonry clearly denies that sal"ation is by 'od(s 'race&
?ow can this be denied when Freemasonry has no plan of salvation, but leaves it up to the individual
MasonD For some of what I thin0 his specific concerns might be, how is something reminding a
Christian that &rectitude of conduct' and &purity of life' are re,uirements for a ChristianD (hould he
go to church on (unday and live li0e hec0 the rest of the wee0D I$ll ,uote the +postle 7aul) God forbidG
+ point here, antimasons who claim to be Christian always seem to leave out those ,ualifying words
li0e reminder, may, hope, etc. to twist ,uotes from Masonic sources into ones that will fit their agenda.
I$ll also note that he tries to use Morals 8 9ogma here as a source and I addressed &christian'
antimasonry$s issues with it above.
)f you are only a member of the Blue *odge+ G
Morals 8 9ogma again. I will state this one again) Eo Grand 4odge has ever accepted this boo0 as
official or definitive. The statement he is ,uoting is something made up by +lbert 7i0e to push his
organiHation and its additional degrees.
)f you claim to be a born again belie"er in esus Christ+
If Freemasonry was what Mr. Gallups claims it is, then there would have a point. Eone of the three
fundamentals listed by Mr. Gallups above are contradicted by anything taught by Freemasonry. For no
other reason than they are items of special revelation and Freemasonry does not -udge or address such
issues since it is a secular fraternity.
If you are a member of the SOUTHERN BAPTIST DENOMINATION,
I much prefer being an orthodox Christian, so I$m no longer a member of the (lowly !ecoming
Catholic denomination after decades of belonging to (outhern !aptist churches, but that was caused
more by the lies of the leadership when they promised the Convention that records of the GC: would
be 0ept open, except in a few small exceptions, then demanded that they all be sealed or that no records
would ever be 0ept again despite what the Convention ordered. I$m not going to touch on the issues
listed here about the (!C$s ?M! and the political underhandedness pervading the bureaucrats in the
Convention in any depth. I$m going to point out four things)
*. ?ow good is their researchD 4oo0 at item I5, because all lodges must be &furnished with a
!ible', or in other words provided or supplied with. This ma0es the !ible furnitureD
(eriouslyD
.. Mr. Gallups neglects to point out that there were also eight good things listed about
Freemasonry.
3. The ?M!$s secondary statements on Freemasonry exceeded the mandate from the Convention
in violation of (!C rules and violated a core concept on the priesthood of believers.
5. Isn$t the !ible the standard Mr. Gallup is supposed to be usingD Then why the appeal to the
(!CD %hy not an appeal to the 7opeD
&,-.T )F ) T/*$ 0/1 T-.T F2/3 4/, /4 5T-)S C-12C- ,)** B6*)67685 G
Then Mr. Gallup gives us a list. %ell given that I$m a Christian, I$d certainly leave that church, because
it would no longer be Christian. I$ll note as amusing a few things)
*. The boo0 on the altar in a Masonic lodge is the one of the faith that the ma-ority of members
belong to. (ince Freemasonry does not claim to be a religion, this isn$t an issue.
.. Jery narrow definition of words found ,uite commonly among antimasonic cultists. 7ray tell
me, what do I call those who served in combat in the military as I didD +m I going to hell
because they are my &brothers'D %hat should I call my male siblings born of my parentsD +m
I going to hell because they are my &brothers'D Is Mr. Gallup implying that all those around the
world who are not Christian by his definition are subhumansD That he would be happy with
ma0ing Cain$s claim against these non>Christians he definesD
3. Eot relevant since Freemasonry has no plan of salvation. Eot sure what to do here, better
theologians than I have addressed this, but still antimasons claim it against all evidence.
+' 4ac0 of history here. !y the best it can be traced, these were actually not so nasty punishments
given out for oathbrea0ers several centuries ago. +rgument by outrage here, a fallacy. It is a
stronger case to argue against ta0ing any oaths ever. Eot !iblical, except in the most simplistic
sense, but better than this.
1. Complicated sub-ect, but not any more or less true than Christians should shield each other from
public shame.
<. Mr. Gallup claims that only white men can be Masons, which proves his bearing of false
witness and lac0 of 0nowledge on Freemasonry since my petition to -oin the lodge had a blac0
man as its first line signer. I$ve also sat in lodges where other than myself, if the lights went out,
all you would see of anyone else would be eyeballs and teeth.
@. +ctually, Masonic funeral services are full of words li0e &may', &hope', &pray', etc. There is
no +((/:+EC6 given.
K. +ctually, a title for the Creator is commonly used, but anyone who says they are a Christian, has
read #ohn * and then claims that a !eing called Great +rchitect 9esigner" of the /niverse is
not #esus Christ, then I$d say they are not familiar with the !ible or maybe are #ehovah$s
%itnesses, but they are not Christians in a !iblical sense.
=. Eo discussion of religion may occur in a lodge meeting. Eo politics either. (ince one cannot
give a sermon during a meeting of the County Commission, does this ma0e the County
Commission a spawn of (atanD Eo, it is simply inappropriate to interfere with the business to
be conducted.
&EHERY T216 MA$ON 94/,S THAT EHERY ONE O; THE A?OHE, ARE THE TEA6HIN!$ O; THE
&O8!EI #OU&8 YOU #ANT YOUR 6HUR6H TO O7ERATE THI$ #AYJ #OU&8 YOU #ANT YOUR
7A$TOR TO ?E&ON! TO AN OR!ANIKATION THAT TAU!HT AN8 ?E&IEHE8 THE$E THIN!$J THEN
HO# 6OU&8 IT 7O$$I?&Y ?E O'E' ;OR YOUJ THE ?I?&E $AY$ THAT IT I$ NOT, AN8 THAT YOU MU$T
6OME OUTI (II 6ORINTHIAN$ -,*+L*M1'2
F0ay, he has to yell. +ctually, as shown, most items are not teachings of Freemasonry or have been
willfully twisted by Mr. Gallups to ma0e them fit his personal interpretation. This is a common method
of attac0ing the Christianity of the !ible. Mr. Gallups presents this twisted view of Freemasonry that
Masons have never heard of except where they$ve met antimasonic lies which seem to 0now things
about Freemasonry that no Mason was ever taught in a lodge", then trots out . Corinthians <)*5>*@.
This will be relevant at the end.
. Few 2easons ,hy . True Born .gain Belie"er Cannot Be . 3ason or Stay . 3ason
/nce -e 9nows The Truth according to Mr. Gallup" .bout 3asons.&
*' F2663.S/420 )S 5.4/T-625 26*)')/4. (6oi%"s MA$ONI6 EN6Y6&O7E8IA <
Hereafter referred to as 6ME1 9:,:*0
Coil$s Masonic 6ncyclopedia has Mr. Coil$s thoughts about Freemasonry and is not considered
re,uired or doctrinal by any Masonic body.
0' 3.S/420 T6.C-6S )T(S /,4 :*.4 /F S.*7.T)/4 contrary to the ospe%' (Masonic
Ritua% and Monitor < :C,:F,-9,CC1
%hich oneD 6ach Grand 4odge has its own Monitor. Eone of them have a plan of salvation
since Freemasonry teaches that salvation is the responsibility of the individual Mason.
D' 3.S/4)C 2)T1.* )S . S0ST63 /F :.'.4 ,/2S-): < (A%bert 7i3e < Mora%s and
8o.a 0-,:0-1'
Morals 8 9ogma, addressed at the beginning.
+' 3.S/420 is a religious system based u#on )4T64T)/4.* deceit, especia%%y to
the ?&UE &O8!E 4inorant .asses'4 (A%bert 7i3e Mora%s and 8o.a, pae C*91'
Morals 8 9ogma, addressed at the beginning.
:' F2663.S/420 )S $)ST)4CT*0 4/T C-2)ST).4)T0I < (A%bert Mac3ey"s Encyc%opedia
of ;ree.asonry 9-,II, C+M/C+C1'
(ee above about Coil$s 6ncyclopedia. +lso, how can a secular fraternity be a religionD Ff
course it isn$t.
-' . C-2)ST).4 ,-/ 3.0 64T62 T-6 */$'6 is told, (and he attests and swears to
this in the ;irst 8eree initiationI1, that he is in dar3ness and wi%% be brouht to the 4%iht4
throuh Masonry' (A%bert Mac3ey < The .anua% of the &ode *F:,0F, *D,:1'
Mr. Gallup proposes to claim authority as a theologian, but cannot manage to notice that the
candidate is considered a type or representation of the ignorant man who has no 0nowledge of
the creation or the Creator.
M' 3.S/420 T6.C-6S T-.T T-6 '/$ of the Bible is NOT the od of MasonryL(6ME <
9:,:*-/:*M1'
(uch a claim is unMasonic. Mr. Gallup decides that if all of Freemasonry does not 0owtow to
his vision of Christianity in every -ot and tittle, then it denies everything. The truth of the
matter is that as a secular fraternity that teaches that the creation shows the Creator, it neither
affirms nor enies that any particular deity of any particular religion is the &real thing'.
C' 3.S/420 6;:*)C)T*0 $64)6S T-6 $6)T0 /F 6S1S C-2)ST < (Maundy Thursday
Ritua% < 6hapter of the Rose 6roi@'1
:epetitive, see the previous about neither affirming nor denying.
9' )4 the -)'-62 degrees of 3asonry < the initiate >nds that $atan or &ucifer is
revea%ed as the 4?EARER O; &I!HT4 to the MA$ON (7i3e, Mora%s and 8o.a *9th deree
pae D0*1'
Morals 8 9ogma, addressed at the beginning. This is actually an additional issue of how the
word &4ucifer' became e,uivalent with (atan, which is an interesting study in itself and
something 0nown about for centuries.
*F' The order of the 6astern Star (the wo.en"s branch of ;ree.asonry1 has chosen as
its sy.bo%, the 7entara.I (The UNIHER$A& sy.bo% of $atanis. and witchcraftI This
sy.bo% is proud%y disp%ayed on a%% OE$ %odes and on the front of the white OE$ ?ib%e' It is
a%so to be found on the cover of every $atanic ?ib%eI In their own %iterature, the OE$
A8MIT$ that they 3now it is the universa% sy.bo% for #itchcraft, but they used the sy.bo%
anyway to 4try and brin ood .eanin to an evi% sy.bo%'4
!HHtG %rong +nswerG The 6astern (tar predates the use of the five pointed star pointing down
as a symbol of (atanism. Friginally, the symbol was one for the star of !ethlehem pointing
down to the birthplace of Christ and with the five points for the five wounds Christ suffered on
the cross. In other words, Mr. Gallup has no clue, despite his claims, that the satanic connection
is a relatively recent one. I notice Mr. Gallup does not source his claim about the F6( in the
last sentence, I$ve never heard that one ever and it smells li0e male bovine excrement to me.
**' T-6 :64T.'2.3 (sy.bo% for the OE$1 is the $atanic sy.bo% for 4the oat"s head4 <
the o%d od of ?aa% worship < universa%%y connected with $atanic ritua% worship' In the upper
derees of ;ree.asonry (DF throuh D01 < the initiate is infor.ed that the 4MA$ONI6
RE&I!ION is 4&U6I;ERIAN 8O6TRINE'4 (A%bert 7i3e < Mora%s and 8o.a 8erees DF, D*, and
D0'1
Morals 8 9ogma, addressed at the beginning. (ee also = 8 *2 above.
*0' The S.T.4 of the B)B*6 is c%ear%y denied and dis.issed as a 6hristian Myth4 and is
presented as the true %iht of MasonsI (7i3e < Mora%s and 8o.a D0 deree pae C:91'
Morals 8 9ogma, addressed at the beginning. !T%, Christianity isn$t mentioned there at all.
(o even if the common view of (atan is denied there depends on how you read it", there is no
lin0 to (atan or the !ible, but simply to &6vil' as part of the 9ivine 7lan. In other words, Mr.
Gallup is twisting things again to prove his position.
*D' .40T)36 B)B*6 scri#ture is used in Masonic ritua%A the na.e of )esus is 7UR7O$E&Y
re.ovedI (A%bert Mac3ey < Masonic &aw pae 0FM < 0F91'
I$d have to see what (cripture he references, since the ones I$m aware of are Fld Testament or
don$t have a mention of Christ in them.
*+' 4/ 3.TT62 what you may ha"e been told, ?%ue &ode Masonry is NOT founded on
the ?ib%e, nor does the true .eanin of Masonry havin anythin to do with the ?ib%eI
(6hase 8iest of Masonic &aw paes 0FM < 0F91' Eot sure where this one is coming from at
all.
(o, pretty much, Mr. Gallup is no different from any other antimasonic cultist who claims to be
Christian. ?e shows some 0nowledge in copying the claims of other antimasons, including those that
are proven liars. ?e pursues his own definitions of what Freemasonry is and what it teaches and
obviously doesn$t care about the truth because his mind is made up. Multiple times, Mr. Gallup has
borne false witness against others and I$ll let (cripture spea0 on that sub-ect for me)
#ohn K)55 Le are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. ?e was a murderer
from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. %hen he spea0eth a lie,
he spea0eth of his own) for he is a liar, and the father of it.
:evelation ..)*1 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters,
and whosoever loveth and ma0eth a lie.
7roverbs <)*<>*= These six things doth the 4F:9 hate) yea, seven are an abomination unto him) +
proud loo0, a !yin" ton"ue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that e#iseth $i%&e
ima"inations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A fa!se $itness that s'ea&eth !ies, and he that
so$eth is%or amon" brethren(
In agreement with a common theme among antimasons who claim to be Christian and listed above by
Mr. Gallup as one of his three &acid tests') /nder what to do, Mr. Gallup lists as part of the process of
being &saved' from Freemasonry..
&0' #rite the Mason %ode a %etter dec%arin your re.ova% fro. their ro%%s and denunciation of your
oaths and vows'
D' 7ub%ic%y dec%are your disaN%iation with ;ree.asonry'2
I$m saved by grace alone, I don$t need to do wor0s such as writing letters and ma0ing public
declarations to ensure my salvation through my 4ord, #esus Christ.
Conclusion) Mr. Gallup has shown himself to be &dishonest and un-ust in a very little AthingB'
repeatedly. Does the truth %ome from !ies)