Cults, Occults and Religions – Freemasonry
Jan 28
“And the Levites shall speak and say to all the men of Israel with a loud voice, Cursed is the man that makes any graven or molten image, an abomination to Jehovah, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and puts it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen” Dueteronomy 27:14-15 Modern Freemasonry dates to 1717, when several members of four lodges met at London's Goose and Gridiron Tavern to form the first Grand Lodge. By 1723 the organization had adopted James Anderson's Constitution as a guide. Anderson's work clearly reflected a divergence from the Old Charges of operative Masonry, which had been in use since the fourteenth century. The Old Charges were distinctively Christian in tone and, according to Fraternal Organizations by Alvin J. Schmidt, dealt primarily with God and religion, the craft of masonry, and regal duty. The Constitutions, however, omitted the Trinitarian formula and "spoke of a 'religion in which all men agree'" (Fraternal Organizations, p. 121) In 1738 Anderson produced another accepted document titled "The Old Charges of the Free and Accepted Masons." By that year, operative Masonry had evolved into accepted Masonry. It continued to evolve until, by the second half of the eighteenth century it had become speculative Masonry, which interpreted "the symbols and artifacts of operative masonry in an allegorical, religious manner". For example, whereas operative Masons built stone edifices, speculative Masons seek to build spiritual edifices. The first Masonic Lodge was established in the United States on April 13, 1733. In the United States it yielded great influence. In fact, many scholars believe that Freemasonry helped inspire the American Revolution (Revolution and Freemasonry, 1680 to 1800 by Bernard Fay). There is also evidence that Freemasonry was influential in the formation of the U.S. Constitution. It has even been theorized that the designs on the back of American currency can be linked to Masonic signs and symbols (Fraternal Organizations, p.122).
New Year’s Vows and Christian Conversation
Jan 01
"But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." Matthew 5:37
The tradition of making resolutions for a new year dates back to ancient Babylon. It was connected then with the New Moon, which signaled the end of the winter season.
Roman emperors managed to manipulate the calendar enough to get the event out of sync with the moon, finally declaring in 153 B.C. January 1 as the New Year.
Greeks used a baby to symbolize the rebirth of their wine-god Dionysus as far back as 600 B.C.
All these celebrations centered on pagan ceremonies of pantheistic or polytheistic systems of worship, and the early Church fiercely fought these sensual revelries. However, by the Middle Ages, many of the pagan festivals and gods had been "Christianized" by various missionary efforts.
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