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Masonic Doctrine and Irish ChristianityAuthor(s): Liam ClarkeSource: Fortnight, No. 204 (May, 1984), p. 14Published by: Fortnight Publications Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25547466 .

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MASONIC DOCTRINE AND

IRISH CHRISTIANITY In a follow-up article to last month's feature on the Freemasons in Northern Ireland LIAM

CLARKE writes about the uneasy relationship between Masonic doctrine and the teachings of the main Irish churches. IN 1977 Rev George Hutton, then a Free

Presbyterian minister in Lame and the son of one of the church's founders, preached a

memorable sermon entitled 'How to go to hell

with an apron on'. He took the opportunity to

ape Masonic ritual from the pulpit and proclaim that both Masons and Orangemen were guilty of mortal sin by joining their respective orders.

He threw out a challenge to the Grand Lodge of Ireland to justify its teachings, but the gauntlet

was not taken up. Journalists were told that

Irish Masonry wished to avoid controversy. In a society which takes its religion so

seriously the relationship between Masonic

doctrine and Christianity is a touchy subject.

Although the three main Protestant

denominations in Ireland are well represented in the Order, none of them have carried out any

study of its teachings and Masonic clergymen remain tight-lipped on the significance of lodge ceremonial.

One obvious reason ^ that the subject touches directly on those aspects of

Freemasonry that are protected by binding oaths of secrecy. As one Masonic clergyman

put it, 'all such questions must be considered

leading'.

Any defence is couched in very general terms. Attention is directed to the Order's

charitable record. It is stated that there is

nothing objectionable to be found in it. It is

asserted that Masonry draws on elements that

are common to all religions, and is not

specifically Christian. Most fundamentally it is

said that since non-Masons can know nothing of

the ceremonial then they must trust the

judgement of those who combine Masonry with

church membership. However none of this has prevented a

number of churches from obtaining copies of

Masonic ritual, concluding from them that it

contains heresies. The list of those who have

done so includes the Roman Catholic Church, The Scottish Presbyterian Original Secession, the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in

Ireland, the Free Presbyterian Church of

Scotland, the Greek Orthodox Church, the

Orthodox Presbyterian Church in America, the

Church of the Nazarene, the English Methodist

Church, the Fellowship of Independent Methodist Churches, the Salvation Army, the

American Lutheran Church and the Dutch

Reformed Church of South Africa. Although Masons are now admitted to membership of

Rev Ian Paisley's Irish Free Presbyterian Church they cannot become elders or ministers

in it.

The Order tends to be best represented

amongst clergy who are theologically liberal.

Profesor John M. Barkley, who combines the

chair in Church History at the (Presbyterian)

Assembly's College with the office of Masonic

Provincial Grand Chaplain of Down, would be

a typical figure. The former Church of Ireland

Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Alan Buchanan, is

also a past Senior Grand Chaplain ofthe Order.

Clerical lodges exist, one being Westminster

Lodge 289, which is based at Templepatrick and whose secretary is Rev R.A. Boyd; so do

demoninational lodges, like the mainly Methodist Epworth Lodges 562 and 718.

Yet the Christian objections to Masonry

persist, and it is undeniable that Masonry is

surrounded in all its several degrees by the

trappings of religion and even occultism. Its

ceremonial is conducted in 'temples' before

'altars' and a supreme being known as 'the

Grand Architect ofthe Universe' is venerated.

Masonic literature traces the order's beliefs to

the pagan mystery cults of Eleusis, Samothrace

and Egypt. The Grand Lodge's headquarters in

Dublin contains an Egyptian room decked out

with the effigies of pre-Christian idols.

The criticisms may be summarised as follows:

The concept of God as 'Great Architect'

has been emphatically rejected by Christianity since the time of St Augustine. The Holy Royal

Arch states of the Masonic deity that at his

'command the world burst forth from chaos and

all created matter had its birth'. It is a Gnostic

notion to see the deity as drawing order from

pre-existing chaos rather than creating first

matter from nothingness. It opens up the

question of earlier deities and, for those who

are interested, renders the ontological

arguments for the existence of God redundant.

Also in the Royal Arch the Masonic God is

given a name. It is JAH-BUL-ON, a composite word made up of Yahweh (identified with the

demiurge Ialdaboath in Gnosticism), Baal (the Middle Easter fertility god commonly

identified with the devil) and ON or Osiris (the Egyptian god of the dead). However in some

Irish workings the more acceptable JEHOVAH is substituted to meet the obvious

objections and charges of satanism.

In the 18th degree (Sovereign Prince Rose

Croix of Heredom) the resurrection of Jesus is

mimicked. The passion of Christ is described as

'a misfortune' and the candidate achieves a

symbolic return from the dead by his own

efforts. This fits with the general Masonic

teaching of salvation by works and special

knowledge, cutting across the Christian

concept of atonement.

The exclusive claims of Christianity are

denied. All Masons will be saved through the

craft and, although the Bible is open at

meetings, it is merely an article of lodge furniture. The Koran, Talmud, Upanishads or

any other holy book will serve just as well.

The name of Jesus is specifically excluded

from Masonic sacred ceremonial.

Oaths are taken without prior knowledge of what they imply.

Against this it may be said that most Masons

regard the order as either complementary or

incidental to Christian belief, seeing such

objections as at best narrow-minded and at

worst malicious. Most neither notice nor

believe in any Masonic heresies, but remain

unwilling to discuss the details of the criticisms.

I ULSTER'S MASONIC CLERGYMEN TAKEN' AS a group Ulster's Masonic

clergy tend to be men of the broad church, far removed from the evangelical and

Anglo-Catholic fringes. They do not tend to

| rise as high in the senior degrees as their

Southern counterparts and where they do

J they are usually Presbyterians, a reversal of

the situation south of the border.

One factor that does emerge is the

existence of a number of churches with a

strong tradition of Masonic clergy: Cooke

Centenary in Belfast, Trinity Omagh, First

Coleraine and West Church Ballymena are

examples in the Presbyterian communion.

In the Church of Ireland all the cathedrals

fall into this category and St Anne's has

benefited greatly from Masonic

benevolence in its various rebuilding

appeals. The Church of Ireland has also

participated with the Order in housing

schemes, although these are 100% funded

by the Department of the Environment. In

; November 1982, for instance, the Bishop of I Derry and Raphoe, Dr James Mehaffey,

opened a scheme of 16 bungalows in

Eglinton near Derry. Six were intended for

retired clergy and the remaining ten for members and widows of the Masonic Order.

The following is a list of some prominent Masonic clergymen.

Rev David J. Allen (Methodist, retired). Provincial Grand Chaplain of Antrim, Prelate of the Provincial Priory of East Ulster, Prince Mason of Dunluce Chapter 26 (Portrush).

Rev Harold R. Allen (Ballyclare Presbyterian Church). Member of Heredom Chapter of Prince Masons in Belfast.

Rev Canon Wilfred T. Ailister (at various times rector at Devenish, Co. Fermanagh, Prebendary at Donaghmore and Rural Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin). Provincial Grand Chaplain of Tyrone and Fermanagh.

Rev Professor John M. Barkley (Presbyterian, former principal, Assembly's College, Belfast). Provincial Grand Chaplain of Down.

Rev David J.D. Barr (C of I). Grand Chaplain of the Supreme Royal Arch Chapter of Ireland.

Rev Thomas C. Burrows (C of I). Provincial Grand Chaplain of Down.

Rev Robert A. Boyd (Presbyterian, 2nd Ballyeaston Church). Secretary Westminster Lodge 289.

Rev James Bridgett (Presbyterian retired. Formerly of Castlewellan Church). A 30th degree Knight of the Sun, Prelate of the Provincial Priory of East Ulster.

Rev David D. Caldwell (C of I, Kilwaughter and Cairncastle). Provincial Grand Chaplain of Antrim.

Canon Arthur J.E. Campbell (C of I, St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast). A past Grand Officer of the Grand Council of Knights Masons.

Rev Thomas Carlisle (Presbyterian, retired. Formerly of

Castlewellan and Joymount churches). A 31st degree '

Mason. Chaplain to District Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Antrim. Grand Prelate of the Knights Templar. Prelate of Provincial Priory of East Ulster. Ballymena Chapter 19 of Prince Masons.

Rev Thomas Stanley Coulson (C of I, Woodchapel). Provincial Grand Chaplain of Londonderry and Donegal. 1

Rev Matthew Evans (Presbyterian, West Church Ballymena). Prelate of Provincial Priory of East Ulster. Ballymena Chapter of Prince Masons 19. |

Rev Canon William B. Evans (C of I, Londonderry I Cathedral). St Columb's Chapter of Prince Masons 13.

Rev Ross K. Greer (Presbyterian retired. Formerly of Donemana and Cooke Centenary churches). A 31st degree Mason. Constellation Chapter of Prince Masons | 20. [

Rev George N. Little (C of 1, Aghaderg, Co. Down). Provincial Grand Chaplain of Armagh. Also holds

position of Deputy Grand Chaplain of Tyrone County | Rand Orange Lodge. t

Rev George Temple Lundie (Presbyterian, retired. | Former minster of First Armagh and Moderator of

[ General Assembly in 1974). Provincial Grand Chaplain of

Armagh. Senior Grand Chaplain of Grand Lodge of | Ireland in 1982.

j Rev Thomas R. Moore (C of I, Kilsceery and Trillick). I Provincial Grand Chaplain of Tyrone and Fermanagh.

Rev Robert Harold Pinkerton (Presbyterian retired.

Formerly of Trinity Omagh and Edenderry). Grand [ Chaplain of District Royal Arch Chapter of Londonderry. I

Inniskilling Chapter of Prince Masons Enniskillen 16. | Rev T. Harold Trimble. Chaplain of District Grand |

Royal Arch Chapter of Londonderry. I Rev William James Watson (Presbyterian, Roseyards

Church). Dunluce Chapter of Prince Masons 26, Portrush.

Deputy Grand Chaplain of Grand Orange Lodge of

Ireland._ j

14 Fortnight May 1984

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