My Response to Truth Watchers

This week my attention was directed to the article "The Roots of Freemasonry: Satanism and Occultism" by Heath Henning over at Truth Watchers. To my knowledge, Mr. Henning is not nor has ever been a Freemason; if this is incorrect, the corrections are welcome (with the name of the lodge where his was initiated as well as the dates of his initiation, passing, and raising). Let's get right into it.

Evaluating the relations with the mystery religions, as well as those involved with the modern revival of the satanically inspired movement, there is no reason to assume anything but an attempt to infiltrate the local church.

Right off the bat, Henning compares Freemasonry to religion. However, we know from grand lodge publications that Freemasonry is neither a religion nor a substitute for one, making Henning's comparison an apples-to-oranges logical fallacy. Given that grand lodges are the only entities that carry weight of authority in Masonry in regard to what it consists of, let us visit a few of their websites to see what they have to say:

United Grand Lodge of England (Freemasonry and Religion; bold format added by me for emphasis)

Freemasonry is not a religion, nor is it a substitute for religion. It demands of its members belief in a Supreme Being, but provides no system of faith of its own. Its rituals include prayers, but these relate only to the matter instantly in hand and do not amount to the practice of religion. Freemasonry is open to men of any faith, but religion may not be discussed at its meetings …. Without interfering in religious practice, it expects each member to follow his own faith, and to place his duty to God (by whatever name He is known) above all other duties. Its moral teachings are acceptable to all religions.

Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania (About Freemasonry; bold format added by me for emphasis)

Freemasonry is not a religion. It only requires that its members believe in a Supreme Being.

Grand Lodge F&AM of Alaska (Freemasonry and Religion; bold format added by me for emphasis)

Freemasonry is not a religion, nor is it a substitute for religion. It requires of its members a belief in God as part of the obligation of every responsible adult, but advocates no sectarian faith or practice. Masonic ceremonies include prayers, both traditional and extempore, to reaffirm each individual's dependence on God and to seek divine guidance. Freemasonry is open to men of any faith, but religion may not be discussed at Masonic meetings.

Grand Lodge F&AM of Utah (Frequently Asked Questions; bold format added by me for emphasis)

Masonry is not a religion by the definitions most people use. Religion, as the term is commonly used, implies several things: a plan for salvation or path by which one reaches the after-life; a theology which attempts to describe the nature of God; and the description of ways or practices by which a man or woman may seek to communicate with God. Masonry does none of those things. We offer no plan of salvation.

With the exception of saying that He is a loving Father who desires only good for His children, we make no effort to describe the nature of God. And while we open and close our meetings with prayer, and we teach that no man should ever begin any important undertaking without first seeking the guidance of God, we never tell a man how he should pray or for what he should pray. Instead, we tell him that he must find the answers to these great questions in his own faith, in his church or synagogue or other house of worship. We urge men not to neglect their spiritual development and to be faithful in the practice of their religion.

Freemasonry has no dogma or theology. It teaches that it is important for every man to have a religion of his choice and to be faithful to it. A good Mason is made even more faithful to the tenets of his faith by membership. Rev. Norman Vincent Peale, who was also a Mason.

There are also the points listed here to consider.

I challenge Mr. Henning and/or any of his subscribers to find a single legitimate grand lodge that states unequivocally that Freemasonry is a religion.

Mr. Henning then appeals to the opinions of the historical figures listed below; however, Mr. Henning falsely passes these opinions off as if they were authoritative in or on Masonry. Just to be clear:

• Helena Petrovna Blavatsky: flatly denied ever being a Freemason (Helena Petrovna Blavatsky); therefore, any opinions on Masonry are based on uninformed, secondary, or tertiary sources.
• Alice Bailey: a member under the American Federation of Human Rights (Masonic Biographies: Alice Bailey), a grand lodge jurisdiction that is not nor ever has been recognized as legitimate among mainstream (or actual) Masonry. Any of her opinions on actual Masonry, therefore, are based on uninformed, secondary, or tertiary sources.
• Annie Besant: a member under the Supreme Council of Le Droit Humain (Annie Wood Besant), a grand lodge jurisdiction that is not nor ever has been recognized as legitimate among mainstream (or actual) Masonry. Any of her opinions on actual Masonry, therefore, are based on uninformed, secondary, or tertiary sources.
• Manly Hall: published his books decades prior to becoming a Freemason. His preface for later editions stated that what information he had about Masonry came from books commonly available at that time (The Lie of Luciferianism). Any of his published opinions on Masonry were, in and of themselves, therefore secondary or tertiary.
• Albert Pike: was a Freemason at the time that Morals and Dogma was published. In the preface, Pike clearly states that the book is composed of his opinions and that everyone is free to reject and dissent from his writings therein. In addition, this book was not published nor backed by any grand lodge, therefore resulting in it also only being an opinion-piece.
• Éliphas Lévi: was a 1° Entered Apprentice for just over 5 months before permanently resigning his Masonic membership. In addition, Henning attributes the book The Mysteries of Magic to Lévi even though Lévi never wrote a book of any such name (it's instead a work by A.E. Waite published in 1927, 52 years after Lévi's death). Even so, Lévi's books on Masonry were all published prior to his being initiated anyway (Éliphas Lévi), making all of his works on Masonry in and of themselves uninformed, secondary, or tertiary.
• Aleister Crowley: joined an illegitimate grand lodge jurisdiction in Mexico in 1900; he was then initiated again under the jurisdiction of the Grande Loge Nationale Français in Paris in 1904, which at that time also was not recognized as a legitimate grand lodge (Aleister Crowley and Freemasonry). He never had any influence whatsoever on actual Masonry (Aleister Crowley).
• Gerald Gardner: became a Mason in 1910; ended up resigning in 1934 in order to join Ordo Templis Orientalis (Gerald Brosseau Gardner).

It should also be noted that Henning has removed one of Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma quotes from context. The quote (in black text) and Henning's evaluation of it (in red text) are as follows:

To occultists it is Lucifer who brings this enlightenment as is seen in Albert Pike’s statement. "Lucifer, the Light-Bearer! Strange and mysterious name to give to the Spirit of Darkness! Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light, and with its splendors intolerable blinds feeble, sensual, or selfish Souls? Doubt it not!" This statement of Pike was plagiarism. "Once again, few Freemasons realize that Albert Pike is quoting directly from page thirty-six of The History of Magic by Eliphas Levi."

Again, Lévi never wrote such a book, and it was published decades after both Pike and Lévi died. So it is therefore impossible for Pike to have quoted directly from The History of Magic; that stated, Lévi may have written it elsewhere. This quote from Pike says nothing whatsoever about Masons getting enlightenment from Lucifer. Instead, Pike does the following:

• He comments on the irony of Lucifer's name. This is because:
• Lucifer is a being of darkness
• The Latin word "lucifer" literally translates to English as "light-bearer."
• He then states that the "light" that Lucifer uses blinds the feeble, the sensual, and the selfish.

I should also point out that Pike never took credit for all of the words in Morals and Dogma. In the preface, he refers to himself as "about equally Author and Compiler, since he has extracted quite half its contents from the works of the best writers and most philosophic or eloquent thinkers. … Still, perhaps half of it is his own; and, in incorporating here the thoughts and words of others, he has continually changed and added to the language, often intermingling, in the same sentences, his own words with theirs. It not being intended for the world at large, he has felt at liberty to make, from all accessible sources, a Compendium of the Morals and Dogma of the Rite, to re-mould sentences, change and add to words and phrases, combine them with his own, and use them as if they were his own, to be dealt with at his pleasure and so availed of as to make the whole most valuable for the purposes intended. He claims, therefore, little of the merit of authorship, and has not cared to distinguish his own from that which he has taken from other sources, being quite willing that every portion of the book, in turn, may be regarded as borrowed from some old and better writer." Given that standards for plagiarism and citing sources were different in Pike's day than in ours, he was not (by the standards of his day) a plagiarist.

Henning then tries to appeal to the opinions of Aleister Crowley and Gerald Gardner, noting that both were Satanists and Wiccans. However, we have already noted above that Crowley never joined an actual Masonic lodge and that Gardner left Masonry in order to join the OTO.

In conclusion, Henning relies on absolutely no official Masonic sources whatsoever in his mischaracterization of the nature of Masonry; irrelevant opinions are used in lieu of primary, authoritative sources. If Mr. Henning has any grand lodge sources that condemn the character of Masonry by proving it to be Satanic or Luciferian, he is invited to provide it here.

Works Cited

“About Freemasonry.” Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, pagrandlodge.org/about-freemasonry/.

“Aleister Crowley.” Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A. M., 21 Dec. 2004, freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/crowley_a/crowley_a.html.

“Aleister Crowley and Freemasonry.” Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A. M., 2 Apr. 2001, freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/AleisterCrowley.html.

“Annie Wood Besant.” Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A. M., 11 Aug. 2002, freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/besant_a/besant_a.html.

“Éliphas Lévi.” Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A. M., 9 Apr. 2011, freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/levi_e/levi_e.html.

“Freemasonry and Religion.” Grand Lodge of Iowa A.F. & A.M., Grand Lodge of Iowa A.F. & A.M., grandlodgeofiowa.org/docs/Freemasonry_Religion/FreemasonryAndReligion.pdf.

“Freemasonry and Religion.” The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons of Alaska, M.:W.: Grand Lodge of F&AM of Alaska, www.alaska-mason.org/h_learn/Freemasonry_And_Religion.html.

“Frequently Asked Questions.” G.L.O.U. | F&AM, The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Utah, utahgrandlodge.org/faq.php.

“Gerald Brosseau Gardner.” Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A. M., 15 Jan. 2016, freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/gardner_g/gardner_g.html.

“Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.” Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A. M., 26 Feb. 2001, freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/esoterica/blavatsky_hp/blavatsky_hp.html.

Henning, Heath. “The Roots of Freemasonry: Satanism and Occultism.” Truth Watchers, Truth Watchers, 3 Dec. 2006, http://truthwatchers.com/roots-freemasonry-satanism-occultism/.

“The Lie of Luciferianism.” Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A. M., 24 Aug. 2002, freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/luciferianism.html.

“Masonic Biographies: Alice Bailey.” Universal Co-Masonry, Universal Co-Masonry, The American Federation of Human Rights, Inc., www.universalfreemasonry.org/en/famous-freemasons/alice-bailey.

Pike, Albert. “Preface.” Morals and Dogma, The Supreme Council of the Thirty-Third Degree for the Southern Jurisdiction, A. A. S. R., U. S. A, 1871, pp. iii-iv, www.sacred-texts.com/mas/md/md01.htm.