-Caveat Lector- Here's some info on the Masons, Sincerely, Neil Brick Book Review The following article is about the book, "Masonry Beyond the Light" by William Schnoebelen, ordering information follows the article. Warning: Excerpts from the book may be triggering, please use caution while reading this article. Though the book is Christian based and contains quotes from the Bible, I believe the information is well researched. (Please note: all accusations are alleged.) After buying a book called "The God Makers." Mr. Schnoebelen realized that "in the chapters on the Mormon temple, the authors brilliantly drew parallels between the temple rites and Freemasonry.... it showed the occult and Luciferian roots of ... convincing me of both the Mormon cult's falsity and the Masonic lodge's peril. The book provided me with a starting place to begin some serious research into the dangers of the Lodge. My own background in occultism, witchcraft and even Satanism... provided me with a comprehensive knowledge of occult and esoteric (hidden, high level) Masonry and ceremonial magick." "Additionally, I was deeply involved in American Masonry for over nine years and went through both Scottish and York Rite bodies, the Mystic Shrine and the Order of the Eastern Star. I held offices in a half-dozen Masonic bodies... each of these offices demanded a high degree of zealous involvement, memory work and study. " (Page 17) The author mentions that he will use as references for his book, "The Ritual Monitors," specifically "Duncan's Ritual Monitor" which is "substantially identical to the modern ritual work in Freemasonry." (page 25) He also used Authoritative Writings from largely 33rd degree Masons, information from the "Masonic Bible" and other Masonic writers. "If the lodge is just a "club", it would be harmless. Yet by all fair standards and by the words of its own scholars, it is a religion... One of the standards for Masonic admission is the belief in a supreme being. This is borne out by the "Ritual Monitor".... Because Masonry requires the belief in a supreme being, it therefore has the first distinctive mark of a religion.... Does Masonry express this belief in conduct or ritual. The answer to this question is Yes. Masonry is highly ritualized, much more than most Christian churches. Lodge ceremonies are replete with prayers, funeral rites, and initiations... Masonic ritual experts from the Grand Lodge observe the ritual teams in action and critique them for minor infractions of either wording or gesture....Masons conduct funerals, open and close every meeting with prayer..." (pages 32-33) The author also believes that Masonry has a code of ethics. "Solemn norms of behavior are enjoined upon every Mason... Masons are sworn to expect torturous death at the hands of their brother Masons as the immediate result of violating any of their rules... the Masonic belief system also includes: 1) The immortality of the soul. 2) The judgement of Masons by the labors they have wrought. 3) A belief in extending charity and beneficence to all, and especially to brother Masons..." (page 34-35) The author concludes that "Freemasonry bears all the distinctive features of a religion according to the dictionary!" (page 35) Mr. Schnoebelen also quotes two famous Masons. Albert Pike, a 33rd degree Mason said, "Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion and its teachings are instructions in religion." Albert Mackey, a 33rd degree Mason said, "The religion of Freemasonry is not Christianity." (Page 36) In a different chapter, he talks about his beliefs while he was a Mason. "When I applied for Lodge membership, I was a witch...I was stupid enough to think the witch god, Lucifer, was the supreme being.... So when two Masons name calling to check me out as a candidate, and asked me if I believed in God, I said yes, without hesitation knowing that my god was Lucifer... After a couple of years, I met two high ranking Masons who were worshipers of Lucifer. One was a famous ritualist in the York Rite, and one was a Master of a Lodge. (Page 45) God has different names in the Masonic Lodge. During the Royal Arch degree (York Rite) the name is JAH-BUL-ON. "JAH... represents the name Yahweh or Jehovah, the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... BUL . . .represents the name Ba'al or Bel... the name of the god of Jezebel and Ahab, perhaps the most wicked couple ever to sit on the throne of Israel...ON.. represents the name of the Egyptian sun god... That is the god of Pharoah!" (page 57-58) In the degree of the Knights of East and West (17th degree) in the Scottish rite... there is a "sacred" ...... This name is Abaddon.... 'And they had a king over then, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon (Revelation 9:ll)...these terms mean "destroyer" and the angel of the bottomless pit is Abaddon, another word for Satan..." (page 59) "Albert Pike, the highest Mason in the U.S. in his day, wrote this: Lucifer, the Light-hearer! Strange and mysterious name to give to the Spirit of Darkness! Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who hears the Light, and with its splendors intolerable blinds feeble, sensual or selfish Souls? Doubt it not! for traditions are full of Divine Revelations and Inspirations: and Inspiration is not of one age nor one Creed." Then the author continues, ".... we must remember that the thing sought in every Masonic initiation is "LIGHT".... It is not without significance that this eminent Mason tells us that Lucifer is the source of that light." He continues to quote Pike, "The Masonic religion should be ... maintained in the purity of the Luciferian doctrine... .Lucifer is God, and unfortunately Adonay is also God.... there is no light without shade, no beauty without ugliness.. the absolute can only exist as two gods... the doctrine of Satanism is a heresy; and the true and pure philosophical religion is the belief in Lucifer..." (Page 60-61) The Knights Templar is the "pinnacle" of the York Rite. "The high point of the (Knights Templar) initiation is when the candidate is brought before a large, triangular table covered in black velvet illuminated by candles and containing eleven silver goblets and a human skull enthroned on the Bible. (Skulls figure prominently throughout the initiation.) This is intended to be the Last Supper. It seems but a grim mockery, though. The visual effect is more Satanic than Christian..." (page 67-68) Included in the ceremony is drinking from a human skull. The author continues by explaining how the Masons promote good public relations. "Freemasonry does a lot of promoting about how noble and godly it is.... In the lodge of which I was a member, we did many nice things, including giving scholarships at high schools. Whenever we did, we always made certain the papers knew about it. It was good public relations." (Page 75) In chapter 11, the author talks about Masonic Symbols and tokens "...the Shriner pin ... usually is some form of a crescent combined with a scimitar" (page 121) "the crescent is the sacred symbol of Islam... .the scimitar is a sword developed by Islamic armies... this sword (the scimitar) was used to cut off the heads of those who refused to bow down to Allah..." (page 122) Book review author's note: The red fez often worn by Masons may symbolize the victory in Morocco where the invaders dipped their fezzes (hats) in the blood running down the streets. "In the Scottish rite, the premier symbol is the double-headed ....... the eagle is also associated by Albert Pike with the Egyptian god ... the satanic "Goat of Mendes"" (page 122) The chapter goes on to discuss secret hand shakes, footsteps and code words and secret dialogues Masons use to identify each other and get special treatment. They are on pages 126 - 128. So readers will not be triggered I will not mention them here. On page 142, the author has a chart showing the structure of American Freemasonry from 1st to 33rd degrees and the names of all the degrees in both the York and Scottish rites. "Albert Pike remarks: "The Blue Degrees (1 - 3) are but the outer court or portico of the Temple. Part of the symbols are displayed there to the initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations." This shows how deceptive Masonry is..." (page 144) Author's note: It is claimed that some cults often lie to new members, because they claim new members are like spiritual babies." The reality is the new member may probably leave at this point if they knew the truth. The author also discusses the history of the Masons, including the origins of Tubal Cain (claimed to be the first Freemason in the third degree and Cain's descendant) whose father brags about the murder of Cain, and Nimrod (a founder of Masonry according to Mackey), who was the architect of the Tower of Babel. The author continues to discuss a variety of ancient stories and myths that may have influenced Freemasonry, including the myths of the ancient Egyptian Gods and the myth and initiation ceremony of Hiram Abiff. He then talks about the origins of the Knights Templar, including the crusades and the Templars establishing themselves as one of the most powerful groups in Europe at that time. In 1291, they were driven out of the Middle East and back into Europe. In 1307, King Phillippe IV of France arrested all the French Templars and confiscated their wealth, though most of it was not found. Confessions (some through torture) were extracted from the Templars They were accused of practicing black magic, pederasty, murdering babies, and worshipping Baphomet. Masonic scholar Manly P. Hall "identifies Baphomet with the satanic "Goat of Mendes," probably the best known representation of Lucifer in all occultism." (page 169) "Masonic historians admit a connection with the Rosicrucians. Nearly all agree that Freemasonry owes much to certain occult societies or groups that flourished (often in secret) during the late Middle Ages." (page 172) The following quotations show further connections between the Templars and Freemasonry. When unearthing the old Templar castle at Athlit during an excavation, tombstones were found with the markings of "a Mason's square, a plumb stone and a setting maul." (page 172) "Some authors speculate that some of the Templars ended up in Scotland, where their traditions became an integral part . .. of... "Scottish Rite" Masonry." (page 173) In 1348, Edward III of England created the Order of the Garter. This Order imitated the Templars. He started the order with 26 knights (13 x 2). "The garter was (and still is) the symbol of a witch high priestess." (page 173) "The resemblances of Rosicrucianism and Masonry are evident.. .Curiously, the matrix or mold into which modern Masonry was poured and shaped was the Rosicrucian order." (page 127) "When the occult "wisdom" of the Rosicrucians was joined to the stone Masons' guilds of the 16th and 17th centuries, that was the beginning of the modern cult of Freemasonry. " (page 178) The author also discusses the connection between Masonry and the Illuminati. Then he discusses the alleged connection between Albert Pike and Giuseppi Mazzini. Pike was a major figure in Masonry in the U.S. and Mazzini was a major figure in Masonry in Europe in the l9th century. Mazzini also formed a society called "Oblonica" (loosely meaning: "I reckon with a dagger.") "As typical with the Masons, Mazzini formed an order within an order. This elite inner group was called.. .the Mafia'." (page 192) Mafia is an Italian acronym for Mazzini authorizes thefts, arson and poisoning. Pike allegedly helped create the Ku Klux Klan. The book can be ordered from: With One Accord, P.O. Box 457, Dubuque, IA. 52004-0457, E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The book contains excellent first hand information on Freemasonry and excellent historical research about the Freemasons and related groups. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. 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