Founding Fathers and Freemasonry

[Cato]

Hank asserted in a former thread that most of the Founding Fathers were Freemasons, implying as I took it, some lack of credibility as Christians. Frankly, I knew nothing about the Freemasons. Since I have great confidence in the fact that the majority of the Founding Fathers were men of the Christian faith, I found this disturbing.

I contacted Wallbuilders, an organization run by David Barton, a noted historian and Christian who spends a great deal of his time documenting the faith of the Founders. This is the gist of the response I received.

In it's early stages, Freemasonry was a genuine guild or union of those who were literal stone masons. This was the case with George Washington, who's masonry work is still found outside Washington D.C. Over time, long after the involvement by any founders, the organization transcended to a speculative organization with entirely different goals and objectives.

One of the significant transition points came after the Civil War, when Albert Pike is credited with instituting the degree rituals from the 4th to the 32nd degree. His famous, or infamous book, Morals and Dogmas details the rituals and teachings of those degrees. It is from this book that so many Evangelicals find much to condemn about Freemasonry. Of course this came in long after the Founding Fathers were on the scene.

The article cites much more. But my conclusion is that it is very unfair to the facts to imply that George Washington, or any other Founder, should be considered a hypocritical Christian for his membership at that time.

If you have any interest in the enitre article, send me a PM with your email address, and I'll attach it to an email.

Cato

[Esquire]

Cato,

I'm interested.

My email is available through my profile. Thanks.

Mike

[cecole74]

I would like to read it to.cecole74@yahoo.com thanks in advance. :thankyou:

[Matt]

Many people up to the civil war were FreeMasons. It was more of a fraternity than anything else. I wouldn't be surprised if they founding fathers were freemasons as many people were.

[Swanny]

"Since I have great confidence in the fact that the majority of the Founding Fathers were men of the Christian faith, I found this disturbing."

Hi, Cato. It's not my intention to be a naysayer here, and I would like to give the benefit of the doubt, but with all that I have read concerning this matter, I personally haven't found enough evidence to be convinced that the majority of Founding Fathers were true believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Maybe some of your perspectives and thoughts would help, though I think the tendency is for most Americans is to just assume they were since they were moral people who often went to church, prayed, and referenced Divine Providence (or God's Sovereignty) quite frequently. But most of us here ought to know better than to read these alone as evidences of true Christianity (Jn.8:31).

With Washington - the evidence seems split. If you read his prayer journels by themselves one would undoubtedly think he recognizes his own unworthiness, God's righteous judgement of sin and wickedness, and Christ's atonement for the sins of those who repent and believe.

I just browsed through Wallbuilder's version of this matter.... http://www.wallbuilders.com/resources/search/detail.php?ResourceID=13
and saw the typical assertions and assumptions that he was indeed a Christian, but didn't see any convincing evidence given that would support his life long pattern was one that embraced the true Gospel of Christ.

Other substantial evidence of his speaks loudly that he didn't recognize the importance of routine 'assembling together' with the brethren (Heb.10:25), and that he didn't partake in the Lord's Supper (I Cor.11)....he would get up and routinely leave the few times he gathered with the saints. Lot's of other points that would make him suspicious that I'm leaving out here. Obviously, I have a different view on what the biblical idea of communion is than the Episcopal tradition does, but, nonetheless, a discerning view of his *life's pattern* according to the whole of Scripture leaves me to doubt true allegiance to Christ.

Jefferson is a little more black and white, IMO. His retrofitted bible (and hymnal) alone is enough to convince me that he didn't have the correct view of Christ. He openly claimed he was a Deist, as well as Benjamin Franklin. Even jumping way ahead to Lincoln, there are writings of his that suggest he thought Christ was illegitimate, though I know that any one of these folks could have later repented of these ideas and embraced a correct view of Christ.

There is a big disadvantage of trying to hold a correct judgement of these matters when one does not have *personal and intimate knowledge* of these folks, but is soley dependant upon written history which may or may not accurately reflect the truth.

Admittedly, each of us can only be 100% confident with our own salvation....we can't even be that (100%) sure with our spouses if they believe, but we are called upon in Scripture to be discerning of the body of Christ, though it will always be mixed with wheat and tares.

Lastly, when one looks at the bottom line of why the Revolution occured...the heart and soul of the issue was "taxation without representaion", of which a biblical understanding of Rom. 13 would not allow for a mutiny over such matters. Where is the Scriptural support found of the supposed 'inalienable rights'?

On one hand, America has done more for the Great Commission than any other nation, but on the other, has done more for the undermining and distortion of what it means to be a true follower of Christ in the removal of persecution from the church here in America...land of the free.

A couple thought provoking articles: http://www.searchingtogether.com/articles/bjork/better-society.htm

http://www.searchingtogether.com/articles/4tragic.htm (point #3 in first paragraph)

Please don't read me 'wrong'....In a sense I am grateful for the freedoms offered in Amercia, but am not at the point where I can in good conscience 'pledge allegiance to the flag...'. Confused....probably. :) So, help me out....I'm all ears. :)

[Swanny]

Here's an interesting book review I found today surfing Google with things like "was Benjamin Franklin a Christian?" etc. etc. Interesting to read the progression of thought in a person's life, and the details surrounding their death beds...quite revealing, I think.

http://www.ids.org/pdf/reviews/america.pdf

Sounds like a good book offering a thought-provoking perspective.

I hope I didn't come across as un-patriotic (like many irrate folks in Irag are) with my post above. Just a bit of non-patriotism (big difference) in my bones at this point in my life.

Bottom line for us all is..."what think ye of Christ?"