Freemasonry is perfectly clear, at least since 1723, that it has but one religious test. That a man who would be a Mason believe in God.
Beyond that, it leaves the nature of each man’s particular belief to himself.
In this way, Freemasonry seeks to unite men of all nations, across all cultures, and beliefs into one common band of Brothers.
With that in mind, is the Masonic Knights Templar organization actually Masonic?
I know that the Knights Templar say that they are Masonic. I know that we recognize them as Masonic, but are they?
Specifically, the Knights Templar hold a different religious test from the rest of Freemasonry. A candidate for Templarism must profess a belief in the Christian religion.
As such, Templarism does not seek to unite men of all nations, cultures, and beliefs into a common band. Rather it seeks only those of one particular religious belief.
Knowing that, can we say that it is a Masonic organization?
If on reflection our answer is no, then given that the York Rite is structured with the Knights Templar at its head, how does that translate to the Royal Arch and Royal & Select Masters? Even to our own Blue Lodges?
I find this a fascinating subject, and I hope that you do too. Let’s discuss it.
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I hope that you have a wonderful Easter however you choose to celebrate it. As for me, we will be joining our children for brunch, and an Easter Egg Hunt for the little ones.
The Masonic Knights Templar certainly are not Craft Masonry, but they do not claim to be so either; it is a separate organization that is only appendant/concordant to Masonry. Because it is not Craft Masonry and does not claim to be, it is therefore not beholden to the exact same standards. It does, however, limit its membership to people who are already Craft Masons (as well as Royal Arch Masons and, in some jurisdictions, Cryptic Masons). It therefore can and does qualify as a Masonic organization.
Breaking away from the topic of appendant/concordant bodies: though the one religious test in Craft Masonry is certainly the standard that all recognized Masonic grand lodge jurisdictions hold in common, all recognized GLs are also within their rights to (and, as listed below, some do) add requirements to that religious test.
There are the GL jurisdictions who employ the Swedish Rite (Grand Lodge of Sweden, Grand Lodge of Finland [some of their lodges], Grand Lodge of Norway, Grand Lodge of Denmark) which requires that the Masons thereof be Trinitarian Christians.
The following information was compiled by MW Bro. Glen Cook:
2. Do you believe in the resurrection of the body?
3. Do you believe in the immortality of the soul.
Massachusetts: Sec. 102. This Grand Lodge recognizes the following Landmarks:
a. Monotheism, the sole dogma of Freemasonry;
PHA WA:
Title 113
Section 113.01
"Every Candidate applying for the degrees in Masonry must have the senses of a man; especially those of hearing, seeing, and feeling; be a believer in God and a future existence…"
Section 113.04
"A candidate who is unable or unwilling to express a belief in the existence of God and a resurrection to a future life lacks the essential qualification for the degrees to Masonry…"
Thank you for providing this information. I did know that the Grand Lodge of Sweden practiced a Christian only form of Freemasonry, but I did not know that it extended to Finland, Norway, and Denmark as well.
I would expand on your pretext that, "As such, Templarism does not seek to unite men of all nations, cultures, and beliefs into a common band.:" Christianity also does not seek to unite men of all nations, cultures, and beliefs into a common band either. It rather seeks to unite both men and women into Christianity and as such causes division worldwide.
Historically, Emperor Constantine the Great sought to use Christianity to unite the Roman Empire which was falling apart in the 4th Century under his rule. He soon found out that even Christianity was as fractured as the Roman Empire was.
The plan was to unify Christianity into one Doctrine by consensus rather then by Scripture. The First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. This ecumenical council was the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all Christendom.
This consensus resulted in the first uniform Christian doctrine, called the Nicene Creed which excluded all other variants of beliefs which did not conform.
This worked pretty well until; the Reformation movement came along and now "Christianity" has become as fractured as it was in the 4th century.
With that said, if the test of being a Knights Templar is that one is a Christian and the definition of what Christianity is today is what anyone decides it is, I don't see how that unites even the Knights Templar.
Personally, I am not a Trinitarian. I have yet to find in scripture a verse that says, "There is One God in three persons." I cannot even find a scripture that refers to God as a person. I believe humans have Godly characteristics and not that God has human characteristics. One has only to remember who is the Creator and who is the creation to understand this in my opinion.
I doubt that even John the Evangelist did not believe in the Trinity Doctrine. John 1:1 which was written in the first century reads in my Bible, " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Notice that the second word from the end of that verse is the past tense of the word "is" It is not "is" in the first century.
I am willing let let anyone have their own beliefs and would hope they allow me to have mine. We believe we should exercise Brotherly love as one family.
I probably will not advance to Knights Templar but will respect anyone who does or has.
Your discussion about the Council of Nicaea brings back memories of the years I spent in the Catholic school system. The history of that Council, and indeed of all that have come about since is quite fascinating.
I have many good friends and Brothers who are members of the Templar Order, but like you, I don't see Templarism in my future. To me, the universality of Freemasonry is of vital importance.
I am not a member of that particular body, so I am not speaking from authority. I had asked someone who was this particular question, and I found the answer interesting. He said you are not expressing belief in Christianity, but rather your obligation to defend it. Anyone can defend Christianity, not just believers. Someone else that actually belongs can confirm or deny.
What I found interesting is that I have heard from an older member of the fraternity that freemasonry is a christian entity. They were quickly corrected, but it was odd that someone who had been a past master, a district deputy, and a lifelong demolay and mason thought that.
I too have heard Freemasons, who should certainly know better, declare that Freemasonry is a Christian institution.
Like the example you give, I've heard it from men who have been Masons for a very long time, and risen to very prominent positions within the fraternity.
When I have heard that, I've wondered how one could possibly be active in the Craft for so long, and in such large ways, and yet fail utterly to understand it. To be honest, it completely baffles me.
Certainly the average Lodge in the United States will be mainly filled with Christian members, but surely the average Lodge in Turkey for example will be mainly filled with Muslim members. And on and on as one moves over the face of the globe. Likewise the Volume of Sacred Law in most United States Lodges is certainly the Bible, heading over to Turkey again it will be the Koran.
Many Lodges in this Jurisdiction hold multiple VSL's on the Altar in order to fulfil the needs of the Lodge's members, and as a reminder about the universality of Freemasonry.
Brother Albert Pike declared Freemasonry to be The Great Peace Society In The World. This because it cuts across all partisan political and sectarian religious lines. That is, in my view, something quite unique, and very important in our world.
When I was first becoming a Mason, I was taught that to be a Mason I needed to not be an atheist. As long as I believed in a Supreme being and was a good man, I was foundationally acceptable. We have brothers of 3-4 different religious beliefs in our lodge. I don’t believe Craft Masonry should be associated with any group that is exclusive to a single belief structure. Even if, as Brother Glenn shared, the obligation for a KT is to defend Christianity is a parsing of words. Why wouldn’t the obligation be to defend a Brother’s right to worship his Supreme Being? I understand the KTs were a Christian group of knights in the Middle Ages. I fear though that Freemasonry is slowly becoming monotheistic in the United States.
I must confess that I do not have an understanding of the early history of Masonic Templarism. Specifically, I don't know how it either grew out of Freemasonry, or became attached to Freemasonry.
I do though question how it can be considered a part of Freemasonry while holding a different core principal from Freemasonry, or perhaps equally important, why it would want to be. It would seem that perhaps it would be better served without the connection.
I don't say any of this as a knock on the organization, I've got great friends and Brothers who are active members of it, and I know that it does excellent work. It is just that the conflicting principals have always been very strange to me.
Ultimately though, to me, the Masonic experience is properly exactly as you describe your Lodge. A place in which men of three, or four, or more religious beliefs can sit together as Brothers.
I joined the Royal Arch and the Council of Royal & Select Masters in 2009; I have not joined the Commandry. The chief reason why I didn’t join back then was they were short a secretary, and I didn’t want to get roped into being the Commandry Secretary (which they did acknowledge would happen.) Since then, they elected a Secretary, but I still haven’t joined. I simply do not have the time to dedicate to it.
The problem I have with the Commandry is the requirement to join it in order to join other good York Rite bodies, such as the York Rite College, which I would otherwise have an interest in joining. It does kind of throw a monkey wrench into matters, since the Royal Arch is closely related to the Blue Lodge degrees, and also the Royal & Select Masters. This makes the Commandry the ‘oddball’ of the line.
Here is a link to a very good article by Bro. Chris Hodapp concerning the then-present state of the Masonic Knights Templar. I read it when it originally came out, but I find it’s still relevant today:
Thank you for the article. I've been a pretty loyal reader of the Freemasons For Dummies Blog for a lot of years, but I don't remember reading that post in the past.
It is certainly filled with good advice, good advice for all Masonic groups. I think that Blue Lodges could gain a lot from it as well.
Since I'm a Past Grand Commander of Knights Templar, your question requires a multitude of answers. Walk-around did a wonderful job of addressing the opening questions of a new candidate by certain states before they are allowed to proceed to the EAM ritual.
If you are an atheist, you're not to become a mason. Washington State has the same question/criteria.
In the York Rite, especially the Grand Chapter it starts where the Blue Lodge ended. In the older days, the Mark Master degree, now the beginning degree in the Chapter, was the pinnacle degree for those Blue Lodge Masons in England. In Englund, they have the Mark Master Lodge. The Mark Master is really an extention of the Fellowcraft Degree.
The York Rite extends the Blue Lodge Degrees. One of those extensions is the Knight Templar.
In the Knight Templar, your obligation is to defend innocent maidens, destitute widows, helpless orphans and to defend the Christian religion.
DEFEND THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION!
You can be a Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, etc., if you are willing to defend the Christian religion. Everyone in the Grand Encampment is a religious man, just like Blue Lodge, but they must comply with the obligation above.
Thank you for providing this information. I really appreciate it.
I think that there is a large difference between a requirement that one profess a belief in the Christian religion, and that one pledge to defend the Christian religion. So I'm very pleased to have your confirmation of the requirement.
I do not doubt the veracity of your statement.
I do however have to point out that the information that the public sees regarding the Knights Templar, as provided by the Knights Templar, says something completely different. It does declare that one profess a belief in the Christian religion, which would exclude those who hold to a different faith.
>>"To petition a Commandery one must profess a belief in the Christian Religion."
and
>>"Currently, Templar membership consists of people from all walks of life, including doctors, lawyers, clergy, businessmen and entertainment personalities, all of whom profess a belief in the Christian Religion."
That website, for the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar USA indicates that the Grand Commandery for Washington State is a constituent body.
This is where my confusion comes from, and I presume the confusion of others.
I am sorry for responding twice, but I forgot to mention that the Petition provided by the Grand Commandery of Washington also declares that one must profess Christian belief.
>>"that he is a firm believer in the Christian religion"
Please understand that with these examples I am not attempting to attack the Knights Templar. I am however trying to explain my confusion over what the requirements actually are, and who is allowed and not allowed to petition.
Brother, the Muslims believe Jesus is a profit. I believe Buddhists believe in Budda.
There is vast difference between belief and baptism as a Christian.
In the church, until you profess your belief in Jesus Christ, repent of yours sins and are baptised, only then can you receive His Grace, the Holy Spirit.
The Masonic Knights Templar certainly are not Craft Masonry, but they do not claim to be so either; it is a separate organization that is only appendant/concordant to Masonry. Because it is not Craft Masonry and does not claim to be, it is therefore not beholden to the exact same standards. It does, however, limit its membership to people who are already Craft Masons (as well as Royal Arch Masons and, in some jurisdictions, Cryptic Masons). It therefore can and does qualify as a Masonic organization.
Breaking away from the topic of appendant/concordant bodies: though the one religious test in Craft Masonry is certainly the standard that all recognized Masonic grand lodge jurisdictions hold in common, all recognized GLs are also within their rights to (and, as listed below, some do) add requirements to that religious test.
There are the GL jurisdictions who employ the Swedish Rite (Grand Lodge of Sweden, Grand Lodge of Finland [some of their lodges], Grand Lodge of Norway, Grand Lodge of Denmark) which requires that the Masons thereof be Trinitarian Christians.
The following information was compiled by MW Bro. Glen Cook:
Texas requires on its petition for the degrees a belief in the US Constitution and the divine authenticity of the volume of sacred law. http://grandlodgeoftexas.org/assets/uploads/2015/10/26.pdf
Mississippi ask 3 questions:
1. Do you believe in God
2. Do you believe in the resurrection of the body?
3. Do you believe in the immortality of the soul.
Massachusetts: Sec. 102. This Grand Lodge recognizes the following Landmarks:
a. Monotheism, the sole dogma of Freemasonry;
PHA WA:
Title 113
Section 113.01
"Every Candidate applying for the degrees in Masonry must have the senses of a man; especially those of hearing, seeing, and feeling; be a believer in God and a future existence…"
Section 113.04
"A candidate who is unable or unwilling to express a belief in the existence of God and a resurrection to a future life lacks the essential qualification for the degrees to Masonry…"
Oklahoma requires a belief in the one true and living God, prohibits support of the overthrow of the government and requires that one support the Constitution and agree to defend it. http://www.gloklahoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/petition2011.pdf
Florida asks if you believe in the one ever living and true God. It also prohibits a belief in the overthrow of the government. http://grandlodgefl.com/docs/GLF_Forms/GL%20601%20Petition%20for%20the%20Degrees.pdf
Thank you for providing this information. I did know that the Grand Lodge of Sweden practiced a Christian only form of Freemasonry, but I did not know that it extended to Finland, Norway, and Denmark as well.
I would expand on your pretext that, "As such, Templarism does not seek to unite men of all nations, cultures, and beliefs into a common band.:" Christianity also does not seek to unite men of all nations, cultures, and beliefs into a common band either. It rather seeks to unite both men and women into Christianity and as such causes division worldwide.
Historically, Emperor Constantine the Great sought to use Christianity to unite the Roman Empire which was falling apart in the 4th Century under his rule. He soon found out that even Christianity was as fractured as the Roman Empire was.
The plan was to unify Christianity into one Doctrine by consensus rather then by Scripture. The First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. This ecumenical council was the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all Christendom.
This consensus resulted in the first uniform Christian doctrine, called the Nicene Creed which excluded all other variants of beliefs which did not conform.
This worked pretty well until; the Reformation movement came along and now "Christianity" has become as fractured as it was in the 4th century.
With that said, if the test of being a Knights Templar is that one is a Christian and the definition of what Christianity is today is what anyone decides it is, I don't see how that unites even the Knights Templar.
Personally, I am not a Trinitarian. I have yet to find in scripture a verse that says, "There is One God in three persons." I cannot even find a scripture that refers to God as a person. I believe humans have Godly characteristics and not that God has human characteristics. One has only to remember who is the Creator and who is the creation to understand this in my opinion.
I doubt that even John the Evangelist did not believe in the Trinity Doctrine. John 1:1 which was written in the first century reads in my Bible, " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Notice that the second word from the end of that verse is the past tense of the word "is" It is not "is" in the first century.
I am willing let let anyone have their own beliefs and would hope they allow me to have mine. We believe we should exercise Brotherly love as one family.
I probably will not advance to Knights Templar but will respect anyone who does or has.
Your discussion about the Council of Nicaea brings back memories of the years I spent in the Catholic school system. The history of that Council, and indeed of all that have come about since is quite fascinating.
I have many good friends and Brothers who are members of the Templar Order, but like you, I don't see Templarism in my future. To me, the universality of Freemasonry is of vital importance.
I am not a member of that particular body, so I am not speaking from authority. I had asked someone who was this particular question, and I found the answer interesting. He said you are not expressing belief in Christianity, but rather your obligation to defend it. Anyone can defend Christianity, not just believers. Someone else that actually belongs can confirm or deny.
What I found interesting is that I have heard from an older member of the fraternity that freemasonry is a christian entity. They were quickly corrected, but it was odd that someone who had been a past master, a district deputy, and a lifelong demolay and mason thought that.
I too have heard Freemasons, who should certainly know better, declare that Freemasonry is a Christian institution.
Like the example you give, I've heard it from men who have been Masons for a very long time, and risen to very prominent positions within the fraternity.
When I have heard that, I've wondered how one could possibly be active in the Craft for so long, and in such large ways, and yet fail utterly to understand it. To be honest, it completely baffles me.
Certainly the average Lodge in the United States will be mainly filled with Christian members, but surely the average Lodge in Turkey for example will be mainly filled with Muslim members. And on and on as one moves over the face of the globe. Likewise the Volume of Sacred Law in most United States Lodges is certainly the Bible, heading over to Turkey again it will be the Koran.
Many Lodges in this Jurisdiction hold multiple VSL's on the Altar in order to fulfil the needs of the Lodge's members, and as a reminder about the universality of Freemasonry.
Brother Albert Pike declared Freemasonry to be The Great Peace Society In The World. This because it cuts across all partisan political and sectarian religious lines. That is, in my view, something quite unique, and very important in our world.
When I was first becoming a Mason, I was taught that to be a Mason I needed to not be an atheist. As long as I believed in a Supreme being and was a good man, I was foundationally acceptable. We have brothers of 3-4 different religious beliefs in our lodge. I don’t believe Craft Masonry should be associated with any group that is exclusive to a single belief structure. Even if, as Brother Glenn shared, the obligation for a KT is to defend Christianity is a parsing of words. Why wouldn’t the obligation be to defend a Brother’s right to worship his Supreme Being? I understand the KTs were a Christian group of knights in the Middle Ages. I fear though that Freemasonry is slowly becoming monotheistic in the United States.
I must confess that I do not have an understanding of the early history of Masonic Templarism. Specifically, I don't know how it either grew out of Freemasonry, or became attached to Freemasonry.
I do though question how it can be considered a part of Freemasonry while holding a different core principal from Freemasonry, or perhaps equally important, why it would want to be. It would seem that perhaps it would be better served without the connection.
I don't say any of this as a knock on the organization, I've got great friends and Brothers who are active members of it, and I know that it does excellent work. It is just that the conflicting principals have always been very strange to me.
Ultimately though, to me, the Masonic experience is properly exactly as you describe your Lodge. A place in which men of three, or four, or more religious beliefs can sit together as Brothers.
I joined the Royal Arch and the Council of Royal & Select Masters in 2009; I have not joined the Commandry. The chief reason why I didn’t join back then was they were short a secretary, and I didn’t want to get roped into being the Commandry Secretary (which they did acknowledge would happen.) Since then, they elected a Secretary, but I still haven’t joined. I simply do not have the time to dedicate to it.
The problem I have with the Commandry is the requirement to join it in order to join other good York Rite bodies, such as the York Rite College, which I would otherwise have an interest in joining. It does kind of throw a monkey wrench into matters, since the Royal Arch is closely related to the Blue Lodge degrees, and also the Royal & Select Masters. This makes the Commandry the ‘oddball’ of the line.
Here is a link to a very good article by Bro. Chris Hodapp concerning the then-present state of the Masonic Knights Templar. I read it when it originally came out, but I find it’s still relevant today:
https://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2016/06/lets-make-knights.html
Thank you for the article. I've been a pretty loyal reader of the Freemasons For Dummies Blog for a lot of years, but I don't remember reading that post in the past.
It is certainly filled with good advice, good advice for all Masonic groups. I think that Blue Lodges could gain a lot from it as well.
Since I'm a Past Grand Commander of Knights Templar, your question requires a multitude of answers. Walk-around did a wonderful job of addressing the opening questions of a new candidate by certain states before they are allowed to proceed to the EAM ritual.
If you are an atheist, you're not to become a mason. Washington State has the same question/criteria.
In the York Rite, especially the Grand Chapter it starts where the Blue Lodge ended. In the older days, the Mark Master degree, now the beginning degree in the Chapter, was the pinnacle degree for those Blue Lodge Masons in England. In Englund, they have the Mark Master Lodge. The Mark Master is really an extention of the Fellowcraft Degree.
The York Rite extends the Blue Lodge Degrees. One of those extensions is the Knight Templar.
In the Knight Templar, your obligation is to defend innocent maidens, destitute widows, helpless orphans and to defend the Christian religion.
DEFEND THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION!
You can be a Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, etc., if you are willing to defend the Christian religion. Everyone in the Grand Encampment is a religious man, just like Blue Lodge, but they must comply with the obligation above.
Thank you for providing this information. I really appreciate it.
I think that there is a large difference between a requirement that one profess a belief in the Christian religion, and that one pledge to defend the Christian religion. So I'm very pleased to have your confirmation of the requirement.
I do not doubt the veracity of your statement.
I do however have to point out that the information that the public sees regarding the Knights Templar, as provided by the Knights Templar, says something completely different. It does declare that one profess a belief in the Christian religion, which would exclude those who hold to a different faith.
From https://www.knightstemplar.org/faq.html:
>>"To petition a Commandery one must profess a belief in the Christian Religion."
and
>>"Currently, Templar membership consists of people from all walks of life, including doctors, lawyers, clergy, businessmen and entertainment personalities, all of whom profess a belief in the Christian Religion."
That website, for the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar USA indicates that the Grand Commandery for Washington State is a constituent body.
This is where my confusion comes from, and I presume the confusion of others.
I am sorry for responding twice, but I forgot to mention that the Petition provided by the Grand Commandery of Washington also declares that one must profess Christian belief.
>>"that he is a firm believer in the Christian religion"
Petition at:
http://www.yorkritewa.org/gckt/forms/PETITIONFORTHEORDERS-2019.pdf
Please understand that with these examples I am not attempting to attack the Knights Templar. I am however trying to explain my confusion over what the requirements actually are, and who is allowed and not allowed to petition.
Brother, the Muslims believe Jesus is a profit. I believe Buddhists believe in Budda.
There is vast difference between belief and baptism as a Christian.
In the church, until you profess your belief in Jesus Christ, repent of yours sins and are baptised, only then can you receive His Grace, the Holy Spirit.
Now do you see the difference?
Also, we do have brothers from other religion's within our Grand Commandery.
Thank you Brother. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.