Masonry: Beyond the Light by Schnoebelen William

Author:Schnoebelen, William [Schnoebelen, William]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Spiritual & Religion
ISBN: 9780758908162
Publisher: Chick Publications, Inc.
Published: 2009-08-17T16:00:00+00:00

A Mystery Religion

Freemasonry has been vaunted by its authorities to be a form of the “Ancient Mysteries.”[1] That sounds fascinating, but what does it mean? On its most superficial level, a mystery religion is a religion in which secret doctrines are kept from the public.

Christianity is not a mystery religion. All its elements are readily available to non-Christians. It is an “open book.” Its rites may be attended by anyone.

In mystery religions, all or part of the religion are zealously concealed from the “profane” (i.e., outsiders). Two examples of mystery religions in America today are the Mormon church and the Freemasons, although most Americans would not recognize them as such.

In Mormonism, the temple rituals are available to only a select few. No outsiders (or “unworthy” Mormons) may enter temples after they are dedicated, although most Mormon worship is open to the public.

Freemasonry is a different matter. Except for public appearances (i.e., parades, funerals) and ceremonies like cornerstone layings, all Masonry is closed to the profane. This makes it a consummate mystery religion. But what are “the myteries”? The dictionary defines them as:

Ancient religions that admitted candidates by secret rites and rituals the meaning of which was known only to initiated worshipers.[2]

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