The Moose lodge was founded in 1888 and by 1893 it had grown to fifteen Watering Places and 1000 Moose. But in a few years membership had slumped to fewer than 250.

      The initiation of James J. Davis charged the history of the LOM. Davis was initiated at a national Moose convention in 1906 at which only seven delegates were accredited. He was invited to address the gathering and the enthusiasm of his words prompted the remnant of Moose to appoint him Supreme Organizer on the spot.

      During the next two decades Davis stumped the United States setting up lodges and enrolling members. In 1911 alone he traveled 75,000 miles and spent 300 nights on Pullmans and coaches. By 1928 Davis had brought in 650,000 members in 1709 lodges along with another 59,000 members of the women's auxiliary.

      Open to all "male persons of the Caucasian or White race, who are of good moral character, physically and mentally normal, who shall profess a belief in a Supreme Being," the Loyal Order of Moose now reports slightly more than 1,000,000 members in 3500 lodges. It enrolls members in all fifty states, Guam, Canada, Bermuda, and England. Female relatives may join the Women of the Moose.125

      Beyond initiation, members may go on to the second degree, the Mooseheart Legion of the World. There are two higher degrees, the Fellowship and Pilgrim degrees.126

      Although there has been some abbreviation of the Moose ceremonies and the word "enrollment" has been adopted to describe the initiation ceremony, these changes can in no way be interpreted to mean that the Order has abandoned its lodge character. The moose no longer consider themselves a secret order, although the candidate for enrollment pledges to retain as confidential all matters revealed to him in the lodge.127

The purpose of the LOM can be seen in part by looking at "Mooseheart" 


"The heart of the Moose is Mooseheart." These words express the loyalty and devotion that members of the Moose Lodge have for their famed "child city" near Chicago, Illinois, where a home and school are provided for children of Moose, who have lost one or both parents. A project perhaps unrivalled by any other fraternal organization, Mooseheart, together with Moosehaven, a home for elderly Moose in Florida, is considered the top drawing card for Moose membership. 


The additional appeal of the lodge sponsoring more family activities has stimulated its growth. Participation in civic affairs, as well as the providing of bars in dry or partially dry areas, also contributes to the lodge's appeal.128

      But these social and benevolent projects do not by any means state the purpose of the Moose fully. The Mooseheart Legion of the World has as a part of its stated purpose to "advance throughout the world the principles of Faith, Hope, and Charity as based upon the broad platform of the common brotherhood of all mankind."129

      The "broad platform of the common brotherhood of all mankind" already tells us what kind of philosophy the Moose upholds. It is religious in the deistic sense. The same things which make other lodges deistic are at work in the Moose.

God is in the Loyal Order of Moose…The ritual teems with God's thought from the Bible. The Bible holds the high place of honor on the altar in the center of the lodge. Worship of God swathes the ceremonies of the initiation of every Moose. Under the most impressive conditions he takes his obligation upon the great religious book of Jew and Gentile, of Protestant and Catholic.130

This god of the Moose is to be worshipped. But notice the guideline for worship in the first commandment of the Moose read by the junior governor:

"Thou shalt believe in God, and worship Him as thy conscience dictates."131

God is not in control of such worship. The likelihood of its being "God-pleasing" worship is doubtful, considering the lack of God's guidance.

      The ill-defined god of the Moose is to be invoked by the candidate for membership, even though the Moose now call this an "obligation" rather than an oath.

      Prayers abound in the enrollment service, and especially in the Memorial and graveside services. When these special services are used they must be used as outlined. No exceptions are made for the conscience of a concerned Christian. Religious songs used in the ceremonies are carefully (re)worded to avoid distinctly Christian references.132

      Like all lodges which insist on using the Bible, the Moose misuse it. It is a piece of furniture on the altar to give an air of religiosity. The Bible is also misinterpreted. In the Moose 9 o'clock ceremony.

Assembled Moose join in repeating "Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven. God bless Mooseheart. Amen." The context and song following indicate that the "me" refers to Mooseheart. When it was pointed out that the promise "of such is the Kingdom of heaven" is made to those who come to "Me--Jesus Christ," it was declared that this is not a saying of Jesus, but an old proverb originally, part of the heritage of language, not to be restricted to Jesus. One non-Christian Moose official declared that if the Ceremony was using words restricted to what Jesus meant, he could not be a member of the Lodge.133

Such allegorical interpretation is bound to lead to a confusing religion. Look at the following section of the "Moose Credo" and consider how confusing their religion is.

I believe in the Gospel of work (sic), in the divinity of Good Health (sic), in the exercise of persistence, patience, economy, and good cheer. I believe in co-operation, mutuality, reciprocity…I believe in the Loyal Order of Moose. Amen and amen! (From the Moose Credo)

      Other indications of a "Gospel" of work (righteousness) are woven throughout rituals of the Moose. From the enrollment ceremony with its story of the moose, the candidate is to learn "those precepts which will lead you to the heights."134 A circle of Moose lodge brothers is to be found worthy "because of the love that builded it (the circle)."135

      This shows us that the virtuous life of the Moose member is counted on as the reason for his hope of heaven.

When in good time our scroll is written and the record of our achievements made up, let us, "Meet death with a level gaze." Upon the faces of the great and good there shines a light reflected from the golden hills of heaven, which death cannot efface or dim, and for such for all eternity there waits a peer's place upon the Seats of the Mighty.136 


In a sentence the author has expressed the religious philosophy which pervades the Moose ritual, and about which the sincere Christian must express concern. The humanitarian accomplishments of the Order are to be commended and the social opportunities are frequently very constructive, but the tenets of the Order to which the Christian must subscribe in order to become a member are incompatible with the clear Word of God, in spite of the ritual's assurance of no conflict. The principles of moral living taught in the ritual are noble, but when the ritual speaks of man's relationship to God and the way of eternal life in the manner in which it does, it has trespassed upon the area in which only the Bible speaks the truth. The ritual presents God only in terms of Moosedom, "the Supreme Governor of the Universe", not as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which concept alone can God truly be known. A quotation from Scripture is made to appear as God's endorsement of Mooseheart, while its context in Scripture assigns to the Kingdom of Heaven only to those who come to Jesus Christ. Prayers and ritual references call upon God for blessing, without the least acknowledgement that man has separated himself from God and that this relationship can be restored only in Jesus Christ. To further strengthen the concept of universal salvation, the word "Christian" is deleted from a familiar Christian hymn. Especially does the teaching universal salvation appear in the Funeral Service which promises that the Moose Circle will be restored in eternity. Cited in support of this are God's love and mercy. Death is not to be feared, for God gave us life, and He will surely gather into His presence all to whom He gave this gift. In evidence of this, attention is drawn to the annual resurgence of Spring. The "great and good" shall be granted "a peer's place upon the Seats of the Mighty." The divinity of Jesus Christ and the blood-atonement are considered sectarian and must not be referred to in the promise of a resurrection from the dead. While it must be charitably assumed that there are members of the Order who do not in their hearts subscribe to this philosophy, nevertheless the Christian who participates in the required ritual will find himself with his lips denying the unique grace of God in Jesus Christ alone, thereby blunting his otherwise effective witness to the Son of God. It is hoped that the future will one day see this organization which does not purport to be religious, abandon its position of religious pronouncement.137

      Due to the lack of available materials besides Graebner's book of 1948, the report on the Fraternal Order of Eagles would have been hopelessly outdated. For this reason, the report of the LC-MS Commission has been reproduced to provide the necessary background on the Eagles. 

      To a greater extent than in many fraternal orders, where "charity begins at home" and often ends there, the Fraternal Order of Eagles frequently adopts projects which reach far outside its ranks. Such diverse accomplishments as the national observance of Mothers Day and the adoption of the Social Security Act were largely due to Eagle efforts. Recent years have seen an increasing emphasis upon community service. The Order, however, remains ritual-bound and requires initiation under a specified ritual-form. It has abandoned its secret pass-words, but has retained the religious character of its ceremonials.

      The purposes of the Fraternal Order of Eagles are stated as follows:

To unite fraternally for mutual benefit, protection, improvement, social enjoyment and association, generally all persons of the Caucasian race, of good moral character, who believe in a Supreme Being; to inculcate the principles of Liberty, Truth, Justice, and Equality;…and to promote the general welfare. (Constitution and Statues of the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, Preamble).

      The regulations governing membership in the Order require that candidates be over twenty-one years of age, of good moral character, white, believers in the existence of a Supreme Being, and in no way connected or affiliated with the Communist Party. (Ibid., Section 70.2). Two kinds of membership are offered beneficial and non-beneficial, the distinction being made because of sick or funeral benefits offered beneficial members. In either case, initiation under the ritual is required; the Order offers no "social memberships" to permit the use of club facilities for the payment of a fee without initiation. In midwinter, 1961-62, the board of Grand Trustees of the Order adopted a resolution permitting a shortened form of initiation ceremony to be used where there was objection to the full ritual, but such as are initiated under the shortened form were still required to take the vows and participate in all rituals of the Lodge following reception into membership. 

The Eagle Ritual

      The Opening Ceremony for Eagle Lode meetings consists chiefly of a review of the duties of the various officers. The Chaplain, for example, defines his duty:

To ask in the name of all, the guidance of God, to urge that wisdom mark all our deliberations, and to insist that Justice be measured out impartially. (The Official Ritual of the Local Aeries Fraternal Order of Eagles, p. 11).

The Bible is laid open upon the altar with the words,

This is the Bible. Its pages contain the wisdom of the ages and its teachings are founded on the everlasting laws of Truth. (Ibid. p.14)

Prayer is then offered by the Chaplain, asking God's favor upon the work of the Aerie and presenting the wish to assist one another as an offering to God. The prayer includes:

If we are loyal and true to ourselves, we shall be loyal and true to our Brothers. If we give Justice to all men, we ourselves shall be better for it. If we believe all men equal in Thy eyes, we shall be the more worthy of Thy loving care. Help us, Almighty God, to live toward the betterment of our own lives and to be worthy of the ideals of this Order. Amen. (Ibid., pp. 15-16).

The Closing Ceremony consists of a brief prayer and the assembly speaking in unison the motto of the Eagles, while the Junior Past Worthy President, the Worthy Chaplain, and the Worthy Vice-President "shall each stretch forth his right hand and touch the Bible with the tips of his fingers." The motto is: "If I cannot speak well of an Eagle, I will not speak ill of him." (Ibid., p. 26).

      The "initiatory Ceremony" introduces the candidates before the Altar where they pledge to devote their best efforts to the upholding of the teachings of the Order, which, they are promised, "will in no way conflict with any civic or religious duty". (Ibid., pp. 33-34). The candidates affirm their belief in the existence of a Supreme Being. The Obligation is then taken "Before God and on my honor." The candidates promise to keep Eagle matters confidential, obey Eagle Laws, support the projects and ideals of the Order, and in various ways show respect and honor for Brothers and their families. The Obligation ends with the affirmation:

I understand the meaning of these pledges and I ask my God and my Brothers to help me keep them. I acknowledge that the willful violation of any of them is just cause for expulsion from the Order...I do accept them and I will observe them, so help me God. (Ibid., p. 35)

The Chaplain offers prayer in behalf of the candidates, and an Ode is sung, in which the candidates are reminded that,

This Altar to be bound with you in vows forevermore. (Ibid., p. 37)

Candidates are conducted to the various stations of the Lodge, where they hear the virtues of Liberty, Truth, Justice, and Equality extolled. Preceding the final procedural instructions which conclude the initiation, the candidates are told:

The few years that you call life pass swiftly as the shooting of a star across the midnight sky. Your earthly hopes and strivings end at the grave. No matter with what honors life may clothe you, you must go naked to the Throne of God. At times your lot seems hard and the burden so heavy that you grow weary; but struggle on manfully, for, when you reach this goal, you shall enjoy eternal rest…Uncounted years will change your body into dust…Wealth and poverty, pride and humility, greed and charity, alike must pass this way--but beyond is God! This equality at the grave is the lesson that Death teaches, and the man who learns it early in life, early finds happiness in the knowledge. (Ibid., pp. 43-44)

      The Memorial Service, which every local Aerie must conduct annually, speaks of death as "eternal sleep" and "the enduring sleep of death, which is the new walking into life eternal." (Ibid., pp. 67-68). The Chaplain's prayer asks blessing and mercy upon the Brothers and the families of the deceased of the former year. The junior Past Worthy President addresses the assembly, saying,

We gather to pay tribute to those who have passed into the Grand Aerie of Heaven…(Ibid., p. 69)

The roll of names of the year's deceased is called, after which the assembly sings, "Nearer, My God, to Thee." The Chaplain again prays, concluding,

May this memorial make us appreciate our God-given mission and live up to the noble ideals of our Great Brotherhood. Amen. (Ibid., p. 72)

The Final Tribute to Deceased Members, or funeral service, which is not bound with rituals, but is subject to the wishes of the family of the deceased, assures those present,

It is a time-honored custom in our Fraternity that amid the busy turmoil of this life we pause to note the departure of our Brothers. Yet, it is not a final parting. The Fraternal Order of Eagles teaches that we shall meet again, and that the tender associations of life are broken only to be reunited. Whether we look into the living eyes of those we love or gaze upon the placid faces of our dead, love divine comforts us with the blessed assurance that this relation is eternal. (Final Tribute to Deceased Members, p. 1)

Of the deceased it is declared,

He believed in the existence of a Supreme Being, the Father of us all, giver of every food and perfect gift, and in this belief he died in the hope of a blessed immortality beyond the grave. He bore the trials of life and fought its battles, till, tired and weary of the struggle, he fell asleep. For him eternal rest remains...

"There is no death;

The stars go down

To rise upon some fairer shore,

And bright in Heaven's jeweled crown

They Shine forevermore." (Ibid., pp. 2-3).

The Chaplain's prayer asks God to take unto Himself the soul of the departed, and asks that all present be filled with the hope of immortality. The Worthy President addresses the assembly, and another prayer is offered by the Chaplain:

Help us to realize that the parting is only for a short season, and that we shall meet again in the Grand Aerie beyond, where the faults and frailties of this earthly life are forgotten, and all become perfect in the love of an infinite God. Amen. (Ibid., pp. 5-6). 

Evaluation of the Religious Aspects of the Ritual

      Growing emphasis upon community and family service has outstripped the Ritual in declaring the expressed purposes of the Eagles' Order. This mandatory Ritual, however, still continues to identify the Order as a fraternal organization with a religious philosophy incompatible with the Christian's confession of faith. Like similar Orders, the Eagles Lodge predicates its religious philosophy upon the belief that God hears all prayers of any who call upon Him, and that whatever Name they choose to call Him, and that He extends eternal life to all who embrace noble ideals. The Order must be considered objectionable by the concerned Christian, since it denies the efficacy and necessity of the work of Jesus Christ in procuring God's eternal blessing for man, while it at the same time offers an approach to God and a promise of His mercies.

      Officers of the Order have long contemplated revising the Ritual to remove its religious features and yet retain its encouragement toward civic and moral responsibility. Considerable attention and study have been given to suggestions made by the Commission on Fraternal Organizations of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, but no actual charges have been adopted. 

Structure and Projects

      The Fraternal Order of Eagles was organized in February, 1898, in Seattle, Washington, by six theater owners, and immediately set out upon a series of crusades in support of workmen's compensation laws, old age pension laws, and the Social Security Act. Through the years the Order has donated Truth Libraries to schools in 35 countries, supported Radio Free Europe, donated to coronary, cancer and dystrophy research, sponsored crusades for safety, civil defense, community betterment, and has contributed to various homes for homeless children and the aged.

      The Order is composed of local Aeries under the Grand Aerie in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Ladies auxiliaries to local Aeries are official adjuncts of the order. Membership in the Order is approximately 900,000. 

      When we are dealing with a lodge member, he may be willing to grant that some lodge practices find parallels, or even their origin, in the Bible. But like the Jehovah's Witnesses challenging us to find the word "Trinity" in the Bible, lodge members may be quick to challenge us with the absence of any Bible passages which use the word "lodge".

      Does such a challenge leave us without a foot to stand on? Must we be content to have God speak only to a few isolated practices in lodgery, or can we see Him deal with it as a complete system?

      In answer to this, let's consider the problem to which St. Paul was reacting in Colosse. A sect with definite gnostic tendencies was beginning to influence the Colossians. Their teachings have surprising parallels with our twentieth century lodges, even imitating the "non-interference" image projected by the lodge toward the church. That such a parallel to ancient sects exists is not accepted by all; not even by orthodox Lutherans such as Acker.138 But let's consider the evidence ourselves, to see if God speaks against the lodges when he speaks against the gnostics.

      What exactly do we have in mind with gnosticism? First, we must say that we have nothing exact in mind. Scholars do not agree as to just what qualifies as "gnostic".139 The following definition from the Lutheran Cyclopedia will serve our purpose. Gnosticism is a

Syncretistic movement with roots in pre-Christian times; flowered in 2d-3d c. AD; continued to the 7th c.; involved occult lore, magic watchwords, and secret names; claimed to have a divinely-given secret message that held the key for a higher life. 


The beginnings of gnosticism may be found in the fusion of religious beliefs and cultures that arose as a result of Persian power and the conquests of Alexander III (the Great; 356-323 BC; king of Macedonia 336)… 


While this redemption took place through initiations, rites, mysteries, magic (each sect having its own peculiarities), the more speculative adherents needed philosophical basis. Hence the dualism inherent in the doctrine of redemption was expanded (supreme God---demiurge; good-evil; light-darkness; cosmic fall-historic fall; spirit-matter; pleroma-hysterema) and synthesized in the good God.140

      Church historians can readily corroborate this definition. The use of secret names, magic watchwords and so forth as symbols is recognized as a sure sign of gnosticism.

"The gnostics…clothe their ideas not in the simple, clear, and sober language of reflection, but in the many-colored fantastic mythological dress of type, symbol and allegory.141

Some gnostic groups, it is true, rejected all ritual and symbol. "But with this came also the opposite extreme of a symbolic and mystic pomp…"142 Knowing what we do of the lodge rituals with their pomp and symbolism, need we even ask if there is a correlation?

      The use of symbolism among the gnostics was purposeful, to keep the uninitiated from learning the secrets. "The highest source of knowledge, with these heretics, was a secret tradition, in contrast with the open, popular tradition of the Catholic church."143 It has, for instance, been  noted that Clement puts forward a theory of Christian gnosis"…whereby the LOGOS serves to guide the neophyte through successive stages of illumination.144 Into how many "degrees" of illumination must the lodge member be initiated before he has all the secret tradition?

      The parallel use of secret successive revelations for initiates is no less convincing than the parallel of "syncretistic fusion" of religious ideas. In Gnosticism we see

the barbarous and orientalized Platonism which resulted from an indiscriminate conflation of elements derived from Greek idealism with the metaphysical dualism of the Orient.145

Among the many religions contributing to gnosticism we find "Oriental Mysticism, Greek philosophy, Alexandrian, Philonic, and Cabalistic Judaism, and Christian ideas of salvation, not merely mechanically compiled, but, as it were, chemically combined."146 Need we refer to anything more than the Royal Arch Mason's Word, "Jah-Bul-On"?147 Do not the Oddfellows express the same philosophy when they say, "Judaism, Christianity, and Mohammedanism recognize the one only living and true God"?148

      It is precisely because of such broad inclusiveness that the gnostic groups felt themselves to be quite superior.

…they (the Gnostic's) regarded themselves as the genuine spiritual men in the full sense of the word; while they looked upon the great mass of Christians (oi( polloi/ !) as only psychical, not able to rise from blind faith to true knowledge…149

The lodges also extol their open mindedness which accepts all religions. Christians, on the other hand, who believe that Jesus Christ is the only means to eternal life are accused by Lodge authors of having "a narrow view."150 And even though the lodge candidate is promised that his membership will not interfere with his religion,151 we must wonder how sincere that promise is, in light of the "narrow view" accusation.

      The concept of having only one ruling power in the universe would also be labeled a narrow view by both the early gnostics and their modern day lodge brother descendants. Gnosticism generally advocated a dualistic concept of deity and existence.

The ascetic Gnostics,..like the Essenes and the errorists noticed by Paul in the Colossians and Pastoral Epistles ...confounded sin with matter,...Instead of hating sin only, which God has not made, they hated the world, which he had made.152

      This attitude toward the worldly is reflected by the lodges as we see from the Masonic exhortation to rise above material/fleshly domination to a spiritual plateau.

...he who aspires to be master of his fate and captain of his soul must walk upon these opposites in the sense of transcending and dominating them, of trampling upon his lower sensual nature and keeping it beneath his feet in subjection and control...His object is the development of his innate spiritual potencies, and it is impossible that these should develop so long as he is over-ruled by his material tendencies and the fluctuating emotions of pleasure and pain that they give birth to.153

The Masonic view of the resurrection backs this up by interpreting it not as a bodily resurrection but as an ascending to new heights of spirituality and self-direction.154

      When we see so close a correspondence of lodge philosophies with the beliefs of the ancient Gnostic sects, we cannot escape the fact that they are essentially the same. Having established this similarity, let us now proceed to an evaluation of the sect troubling the Colossians. If they were actually gnostic, then Paul's treatment of them would also apply broadly to the lodges.

      As we read through Martin Franzmann's evaluation of Paul's epistle to the Colossians--especially after reading in detail the beliefs of the lodges--catch words and phrases used by the lodges virtually jump out at us.

It is difficult to get a clear and consistent picture of the heresy which threatened Colosse, for Paul in his letter to the Colossians does not so much oppose it argumentatively as overwhelm it by confronting it with the whole riches of the true Gospel of Christ. It seems to have been a religion of self-redemption of the "gnostic" type.155

      Consider three words in the last sentence. "Religion": we have already seen ample proof that the lodges are essentially religious. "Self-redemption": Wilmshurst, just above, wrote of being "captain of our own fate". "Gnostic": the preceding two pages have already shown the similarities.

      Franzmann continues by describing the sect in Colosse as one

Built upon a Jewish or Jewish-Christian basis, it was fusion of Greek and Oriental ideas and combined at least three elements.156

      We see, a similar fusion of Christian and Egyptian religions in the writings of lodge authors, one of whom equates Christ with Osiris, the Egyptian God of the dead.

If in Masonry the mystical death is dramatized more realistically than the resurrection that follows upon it, that resurrection is nevertheless shown in the "raising" of the candidate to the rank of Master Mason and his "reunion with the companions of former toils," implying the reintegration and resumption of all his old faculties and powers in sublimated state, just as the limbs of the risen Osiris were said to reunite into a new whole and as the the Christian Master withdrew His mutilated body from the tomb and reassumed it, transmuted into one of supernatural substance and splendour."157

Because of this fusion, the Colossian sect is defined as theosophic,

that is, the new teaching claimed to have and to impart an occult profound knowledge derived from God; Paul speaks contemptuously of, a "tradition" and a "philosophy" (Col. 2:8).158

Consider first of all the reference to "occult" knowledge, paralleled by the masonic reference

The possession of the Mysteries, after initiation, and the use of the signs, either vocally, actionally, or ejaculatorily, with "intention" in their use (not as mere mechanical repetition), were attended by occult powers directed to the subjects of their special intention.159

This belief in occult power combined with the countless hundreds of written lodge "philosophy" and "tradition" parallel the "theosophic" tendencies of the Colossian sect.

      The Colossian sect, like the lodges was also ritual bound. For the Colossians it was a requirement of a circumcision service, (2:11,16) and the observance of special religious festivals. Initiation and other rites in lodgery parallel this emphasis.

Paul's references to the "worship of angels" (Co. 2:18) and to elemental spirits of the universe" (2:8,20) indicate what was the heart of the danger present in this teaching. Other powers besides the Christ were being proclaimed and invoked as mediators between God and man; the ritual and ascetic aspects of this religion probably represent means of placating or of obtaining contact and communion with these powers.160

Reference has already been made to the invocation of occult power through the lodge rituals and secrets. In a similar vein, lodge members are advised also to use the powers of astrology in order to bring themselves to greater light and self-understanding, since the heavenly bodies are said to parallel the psychic cosmos within us.

Moreover, as in the outer heavens of nature the sun, moon, and stars exist and function, so in the personal heavens of man there operate metaphysical forces inherent in himself and described by the same terms. In the make-up of each of us exists a psychic magnetic field of various forces, determining our individual temperaments and tendencies and influencing our future. To those forces have also been given the names "sun", "moon" and planets, and the science of their interaction and out-working was the ancient science of astronomy, or, as it is now more often called astrology, which is one of the liberal arts and sciences recommended to the study of recommended to the study of every Mason and the pursuit of which belongs in particular to the Fellow-Craft stage.161

Even angels are included in the "other powers" employed by the lodges religion.

Masons under the obedience of the Craft Degrees and the Royal Arch may be surprised to hear that there are angels at all in Masonry: it is only over the wide-extending field of the High Grades that the flash of their wings is seen; but even then the visits are few and far between, which--the proverb tells us--is after the manner of the angels.162163

If all of this sounds like a highly developed religious system, it is! So highly developed in fact that lodges see themselves as a helpful adjunct to the church.164 This in turn makes them actually superior to the church, since they are supposed to provide something good which the churches cannot provide. Franzmann describes the exact same attitude in the Colossian sect.

      "What made this heresy all the more dangerous was the fact that it claimed not to supplant, but to supplement, the Gospel which the Colossians had received. The new teaching would, so the new teachers claimed, carry the Colossian Christians beyond their rudimentary Christianity to fullness and perfection.165 But as if all this were not serious enough in Colosse and in the modern day Lodge, consider the most dangerous element which is inherent in both.

What Epaphras, with a sound Christian instinct, surely sensed and what Paul clearly saw was this: the new teaching called into question and obscured the unique greatness of the Christ and the complete sufficiency of His atonement.166

      Over and over again we heard the lodges tell of eternal bliss being gained as the reward for a virtuous life through the person's faithful membership in the lodge. Read the Fraternal Order of Eagle's burial service and judge whether Christ is honored, or the deceased, as the reason for eternal lie.

He who lies here was both friend and brother. Knowing that he believed in the eternal principles of this Order, we are comforted. He valued liberty, loved Truth, and was just in his dealing with all men, and gracious and brotherly in all the observance of true equality. He believed in the existence of a Supreme Being, the Father of us all, Giver of every good and perfect gift, and in this belief he died, in the hope of a blessed immortality beyond the grave. He bore the trials of life and fought its battles till, tired and weary of the struggle, he fell asleep. For him eternal rest remains.167

      If the gnostics and the lodges did nothing more than deny the necessity of Christ's sacrifice in this way, they would still require censure. Combining all the other gnostic tendencies along with these we can fairly conclude that also the lodges are condemned in the Bible when gnosticism is condemned.

      Lodgery may be only a "pale shadow" of the early mystery cults and gnostics,168 but Paul's advice is still sound: "See to it that no one take you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Colossians 2:8. 

      It may seem that this question has already been answered in the previous section. That entire section, however, depends on whether or not the lodge is "gnostic". Someone may deny the connection and convince himself there is no problem.

      But the Bible does do much more than just look at the overall philosophy of the lodges. Many specific beliefs and actions of the lodge are challenged by God's Word. The following groups of passages can help us to find very quickly where God deals with specific problems, so that we can answer for ourselves, 'What does the Bible say about the lodge?' (For details or verification that these problems are in the lodges see parts I and II.) (Thanks to Pastor Jon Schmugge, who prepared most this table.) 

The Lodge Says	"God"	The Bible Says
The one God is not triune	De. 6:4, Mt. 28:19	The one God is triune
Any god is acceptable	Ps. 96:5, Ep. 2:12	Any other god is no god
Any view of Christ is acceptable	Jn. 5:25	Denying Christ denies God
The Lodge Says	"Word"	The Bible Says
The Bible is a furniture showpiece	II Ti. 3:16	Bible is God's inspired Word
All "holy books" are good	Jn. 17:17	Only the Bible is truth
The Lodge Says	"Salvation"	The Bible Says
God doesn't expect perfection	Ro. 6:23	A just God punishes sin
Some can be virtuous	Ro. 3:23	All men sin
God provides illumination to "save" us	Jn. 3:16	God sent His Son
Christ is only a good example,	II Co. 5:21	Christ is our substitute
To set us on the right path.	Is. 53	To suffer for sin
Resurrection is not physical	Ro. 4:23	Jesus' resurrection proves justification
Salvation must be earned	Jn. 19:30	Salvation is already accomplished
The Lodge Says	"Faith"	The Bible Says
Man is basically good	Ep. 2:8, Ro. 5:6-8	Man hates God by nature
Man seeks god…	Jn. 3:5pp.; I Co. 12:3	God creates faith
Through symbol and allegory…	II Th. 2:14; Ro. 10:17	Faith comes through God's Word
To learn to please god by actions	Ro. 3:28	Faith alone accepts salvation
Faith in any god plus good works saves	Ac. 4:12	Only faith in Jesus saves
The Lodge Says	"Good Works"	The Bible Says
Any lodge member can be virtuous	Jn. 15:5	Come only from faith
Lodge members induce one another	Ep. 2:10	Encouraged by Holy Spirit
Anything "good" is god-pleasing	Mt. 15:9; He. 11:6	Civic righteousness--not meritorious by itself
The Lodge Says	"Salvation by Grace"	The Bible Says
Man saves himself	Ep. 2:8-9	God does all redeeming
The Lodge Says	"Prayer"	The Bible Says
Praying adorns a ritual	Mt. 6:5-8	Prayer is real communication
Any prayer is true prayer	Jn. 14:6; 16:23	Christ mediates prayer
The Lodge Says	"Witnessing"	The Bible Says
Teach only the physically healthy	Lu. 14:21	Witness to every person
Speak way of life only to lodge members	Ga. 3:26-28	Witness to every person
Women and blacks kept out	Mt. 28:19; I Ti 2:4	Witness to every person
Don't challenge another religion	Ez. 33:8	Warn every unbeliever
Never reveal, conceal	Jn. 18:20; Mt. 10:26-27	Speak gospel openly
The Lodge Says	"Worship"	The Bible Says
Lodge dues promote lodge teaching	I Ch. 16:29	Worship the Lord with offerings
Rituals and songs only set a mood	Co. 3:16	Worship the Lord with praise
Lodge reverence honors idols	Ps. 95:6	Worship the Lord with reverence
Lodge religion leads away from the Lord	De. 11:16	True worship draws near God
Glorify all gods as one	Is. 42:8	Worship befits Lord only
Leave Christ outside the lodge door	Co. 3:17	Do all in Christ's name
The Lodge Says	"Oaths"	The Bible Says
Rituals usually require oath	Ex. 20:7	Don't misuse God's name
Reworded rituals require a promise made in the presence of God	Ja 5:12; Mt. 5:33-37	Our simple answer is enough
Swear to uphold what is unknown	Le. 5:4	Thoughtless oaths condemn us
Oath is nothing to worry about	Le. 5:5	Confess thoughtless oath as sin
The Lodge Says	"Fellowship"	The Bible Says
We can worship many gods	Mt. 6:24; 12:30	We can be loyal to only one
Lodge membership won't effect church participation	II Jn. 10-11; Re. 18:4	Participating with sin brings guilt
Join indiscriminate worship	II Co. 6:14-17; Ro. 16:17	Avoid known sin
Avoid religious debate	Ep. 5:11-12	Reprove idolatry by avoidance

May God guide your use of these passages! 

      Common practice in all lodges forbids members to speak of Christ as the exclusive source of forgiveness and eternal life. Such practice, they say, is too narrow and sectarian. Assuming that all lodge members comply with this--and the Grand Lodges do enforce it--we will find the lodge member in precarious situation. Whoever disowns me before men", Jesus warns, "I will disown him before my Father in heaven." Mt 10:33.

      We will want to share God's warning against sinful lodge practices wherever we see the enticement of membership leading someone to a new, strange, deistic altar.

      The best way to accomplish this is to keep people away right from the start. It may or may not surprise us to find out that even the elders and other leaders of our congregations do not realize the seriousness of the lodge problem. We can begin by showing our spiritual co-workers a comparison of lodge lies with God's truth. If our leaders are convinced by God's Word of the dangers, the rest of the congregation will more easily follow.

      Yet, no matter how insistent our efforts, we will find some involved with a lodge. Yes, even among our own members! We may have weak members who don't see the problem, or not so weak members who have simply hidden their membership until we discover it somehow.

      Even more common, is the interested prospect who finds out in adult class that we accuse the lodge of teaching sinful anti-Christian doctrine. Naturally he wonders why. Hopefully he has seen enough of our Biblical teaching to give us a chance to explain.

      In either case, member or prospect, we share what the Bible says about the lodge. We do not want someone to risk having Jesus deny him before the heavenly Father, just because we are too timid to speak up, or too fearful of losing a member.

      So often, it is simply a matter of ignorance anyway. The authorities of the lodges frequently bewail the fact that the average member doesn't really know as much as he should about his beliefs. (At least in that respect, we can empathize with them!) Quite generally the church-going lodge member is also ignorant of what God's Word says regarding the real lodge positions. We share what the Bible says about the lodge, so that once informed, they can demit and live in obedience to their Lord.

      When someone is willing to compromise and join a lodge even when he isn't totally ignorant of the problems, it is probably because he doesn't accept the Bible position on fellowship with sin and unbelief.

      In these cases we need to show that our membership in an organization is a confession of agreement with its official aims, purposes, and actions. Every organization has such purposes: social, business, recreational, charitable, or religious. Often a combination of purposes are found in one organization. In any case it is the obligation of a Christian to judge the organization carefully before becoming responsible for its actions by his membership.

      With any organization we join, we make ourselves responsible for all of the official actions of the organization. We are responsible because our membership is voluntary. No one forces us to do anything. That is why the lodge is ultimately not answerable to Christianity for its idolatry.

      When we participate with the ceremonies and rituals of any group, we are saying by our actions that we approve of their content. The lodge member, by his membership, says that he finds the rituals of his lodge acceptable.

      Just as condemning, is the fact that lodge officials, including the chaplains are elected. By his vote the lodge member gives the officers the right to represent him with their rulings and actions.

      Nor can we overlook the fact that lodge dues support lodge rituals, lodge lecturers, lodge printers…and thereby the lodge's philosophy. We share what the Bible says about the lodges, because God says that we can't have both. The ghost writing Masonic apologist "Vindex" expresses the same attitude that Christianity and Masonry (and thus lodgery) are mutually exclusive.

If true religion is thus to be narrowed down to salvation in no other name under heaven, and St. Paul's words to this effect be understood in a spirit of bigoted literalness, then any such "Christian" must indeed be straining his conscience to the breaking point by accepting initiation into the broader deeper mysteries of Freemasonry. I, for one, can never understand how anyone who takes an exclusive view of Christ as the only complete revelation of God's truth can become a Freemason without suffering from spiritual schizophrenia. (Light Invisible, pp. 24-27).

      Lodges are inherently religious. Therefore it is necessary for Christians to judge the lodge religion by the standard of God's Word alone. It is our duty as Christians (Ezek. 33:8) to help people do this. We share what the Bible says about the lodge, because failure to sound the warning will make us accountable.

      We can sound the warning first of all, in a very positive way. Start with the basics. When witnessing to prospects, simply use a TAS or similar presentation. The word of God alone, without any specific lodge references may very well lead a person to see the inconsistencies between the Bible and the lodge...and lead him to leave the lodge without a further word.

      The same principle can apply to members who ignorantly join or are finally discovered. Maybe "salvation by grace through faith" is still a foreign concept in spite of years of "church membership." "Elders use TAS", or a similar approach may solve the problem immediately.

      A proper application of law to show that no amount of lodge induced virtue will save them, will lead many to see that the professed salvation in Christ is the only solution.

      At times of course, it may be necessary to re-apply the law more specifically, to show that a particular lodge practice is sinful. Two things should be kept in mind with this. The positions of the lodges presented in part one of the paper were included to show the lodge member, where necessary, exactly what he is supporting. But we need to be prudent. Use only what is necessary. We don't want to "beat a dead horse" and alienate the lodge member by an "overkill" with the law.

      We also need to be aware of just what it is we are objecting to in the lodges.

"When asked what are the objections of the Luther Church to many of the lodges, the answer is often given: the rituals, the secrecy, the closed membership, and the oaths. This answer is at the sane time both valid and invalid. 


The Ritual. The mere use of a ritual is not in itself objectionable. Liturgy is a form of ritual. Some State Laws require fraternal organizations to have some kind of ritual or other binding statements of principles in order to qualify for certain tax benefits. It is the contents of its ritual, not the mere use of a ritual, that determines whether membership in an organization is objectionable to the committed Christian or not. 


Secrecy. Every organization is entitled to keep its affairs confidential if it desires. Secrecy, however, becomes morally and ethically objectionable when an organization declares that it possesses knowledge that is beneficial to all mankind, but shares it only with those who meet its standards for membership. Secrecy becomes more blatantly objectionable when an organization requires that its members support or defend something in which they have not been instructed or that has not yet been revealed to them. 


Closed Membership. There are valid reasons for an organization to limit its membership to people who are in sympathy with its purposes. A hobby club, for example, could quickly lose its purpose if it admitted into membership people who were not the least bit interested in the hobby about which it gathers. Closed membership, on the other hand, becomes objectionable from the Christian point of view when an organization declares, for example, that it "stands for the highest ideals of brotherhood," but at the same time excludes certain races. The Christian cannot consent to such "highest ideals" when he knows of a brotherhood far higher. 


Oaths. All calling upon God as a witness cannot be condemned. Such an act becomes objectionable, however, when little or no thought is given to the implications of the oath. An oath or pledge taken in God's name can never be "a mere form you must go through" in order to gain certain social, recreational or business advantages. Robert Bolt, in the preface to his play "A Man for All Seasons", catches the significance of an oath for the Christian when he speaks of it as "an invitation to God, an invitation God would not refuse, to act as a witness and to judge…a man takes an oath when he wants to commit himself quite exceptionally to the statement, when he wants to make an identity between the truth of it and his own virtue; he offers himself as a guarantee." (WELS Lodge Membership, Information Packet, p. 2)

      Overreacting to any of these sub-points obscures the main allegation that the lodges degrade and deny Christ.

      Should a reasonable yet firm presentation of the law lead to repentance, we will naturally apply the gospel immediately. Assure the former lodge member that there is forgiveness for his false oath (Lev. 5:5), and that there is joy among the angels in heaven because he has demitted, not because he has "sought light" in the lodge.

      In some cases, it may be helpful to leave materials to read. But we must be careful what we leave. Most anti-lodge material is highly inflammatory. After reading a few pages, no lodge member would really listen to us. Only where true rapport exists, might it be wise to let the lodge member dig through the writings of the "enemy" on his own.

      In every case, however, we can follow a simple guideline. We are seeking lost souls who need God's free forgiveness and justification. The cause of their lost condition just happens to be specific, and shrouded in secrecy. By asking God's guidance in prayer, before our conferences with lodge members, using God's Word abundantly in the conference, and using the informational tools available, we can do our best as ministers of Christ to sound a signal against the sins of the lodge. 

      One of the chief concerns expressed when this paper was assigned, is that it contain reliable, up-to-date information. There seems to be a feeling that because we are dealing with "secret societies" that we can hope for only second-hand information, at best. Nothing could be further from the truth! We can and do know what the lodges teach and believe.

      Some of this information is available from men who have left the lodge. Realizing that these sources may be biased, and usually are quite polemical, it seemed best not to rely on them as final authorities.

      More reliable are the authorities within the lodges themselves. Many men have written detailed explanations of lodge doctrines. The only drawback is that the lodge may try to disown their writings as just so much personal opinion. The need not deter us from using those authorities to tell us what the lodges believe. These authors have a perfect right to represent their respective lodges, because one tenet of lodge teaching is that each man may work out his own philosophy of salvation within the broad framework of lodge principle. By not condemning these writings, the lodge is accepting them.

      Even more reliable are the ritual books themselves. Whether in code or not, these rituals spell out exactly what the lodge does and believes.

      The books and other sources of information mentioned above are publicly available. The lodge publishers and distributors themselves are known to be indiscriminate in their sales to member and non-members alike. But other, public sources also list lodge publications. Publishers Central Bureau lists several books on Masonry in its catalog. The entire catalog of anti-lodge materials from the National Christian Association is now available form Sword of the Lord Publishers, including several primary sources from other lodges. Perhaps even more helpful and certainly the most recent, is the material available from the LC-MS Commission on Organizations, with its profuse quoting from primary lodge sources.

      These and other materials have been used extensively in this paper to provide accurate materials from the lodges themselves. The careful documentation in part one of this paper will show that almost all of the material is from primary sources, or is directly quoted elsewhere from primary sources.

      Any opportunity to attend the public ceremonies and funeral services of the lodges could vividly confirm the accuracy of these materials.

    None of this quoting would do any good however, if the materials were at all outdated. The footnotes and text, to a degree have brought out the contemporary nature of the material. Introductions to two of the Masonic sources were written recently in 1970, the other in 1980. Each commended the older writings of Waite and Wilmshurst to Masonic readers as faithful and useful information. Publication dates on many items in the bibliography will show them to be quite recent.

    Those which are not recent, have been vouched for as being currently accurate by the executive secretary of the LC-MS Commission on Organizations, Rev. Phillip Lochhaas. In a telephone interview with Rev. Lochhaas, the following information was obtained.

    Elks and Moose. Photocopies of letters in the file of this author from the national offices of these lodges date 1973, indicate that these lodges have not dropped any of their (false) religious practices. The LC-MS Commission has sent annual inquiries regarding the disputed doctrine. But according to Lochhaas, "They have become impatient, they no longer answer our yearly inquiries, they haven't changed."

    Eagles. The LC-MS Commission has a thorough article on the Eagles, written some time after 1962. Since then, the Eagles have also cut off all further exchange of information with the LC-MS. A recent study document of 107 pages prepared by the LC-MS at the request of the Eagles was rejected by the Eagles. Their religious position remains the same.

    Scottish and York Rite Masonry. They refuse to talk to the LC-MS, just as a 32d degree Mason refused to comment to this author regarding any of this paper.

    Odd Fellows. The latest information available to this writer was dated 1965. Rev. Lochhaas assured this writer they have changed nothing. Their book of ritual, referred to in this paper and dated 1895, "has undergone no real changes" according to Rev. Lochhaas.

    Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Rev. Lochhaas confirmed the reliability of the author's primary sources. Waite's Encyclopedia is "acceptable to Masons", although Coil's new encyclopedia (quoted in this paper from LC-MS sources) is more widely accepted. Duncan's Ritual is still a faithful representation of the Masonic rites. Says Rev. Lochhaas "…nothing has changed." Wilmshurst, author of The Meaning of Masonry is sometimes "a dreamer", that is, too speculative, according to Lochhaas. But at the same time, he said Wilmshurst can be relied on, because Masonry gives him the right to see things as he wants.

    Because of the personal contact between the LC-MS Commission on Organizations, and the lodges, and of the reliability of Rev. Lochhaas verbal confirmations, we can be assured of the reliability of the information provided here. May this evidence assure the reader that he is reading an accurate account of the lodges.

      The following organizations should not be treated as lodges. They may, incidentally, use objectionable practices such as unionistic prayer. But they have no requirement of any religious usage or belief as a basis for membership. They are basically just community service organizations.

• Kiwanis
• Rotary
• Lions
• YMCA
• YWCA
• American Legion
• Veterans of Foreign Wars
• Disabled American Veterans of the World War
• American Veterans of World War II 
  

      Anyone wishing to obtain their own source materials, may wish to write to the following to make a start in getting their own lodge materials:

    The Commission on Organizations

    Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

    500 North Broadway

    St. Louis, MO  63102

    314-231-6969 (ask for Rev. Phillip Lochhaas)

    *Request: "Christians and their Affiliations", as well as individual information papers on specific lodges. 

    Institute for Contemporary Christianity

    Box A

    Oakland, New Jersey  07436

    201-337-0005

    *Request the full research report ($3.00), "Is Masonry a Religion?" by Shildes Johnson. 

    National Christian Association

    Tennessee Office

    P.O. Box 1492

    Murfreesboro, TN  37130

    *Assorted tracts on lodges 

Source: http://www.wls.wels.net/library/Essays/Authors/XYZ/ZagerLodge/ZagerLodge.rtf