A Brother Asks: Can a person believe in Satan as a higher power
and still be a Freemason?
Coach: No.
Brother: No?
Coach: They are not allowed to be a member. Why do you ask?
Brother: We have this weird
guy at work who claims to be a Freemason, and we also believe he’s into the
occult.
OCCULT
Coach: What do you mean by the occult?
Brother: Yeah, more specifically, Satan worshiping. Why do you ask?
Coach: Occult has many meanings.
Brother: It does?
Coach: Yes. And depending
upon how you are using it and to what you refer, it takes on entirely different
meanings.
Brother: Such as?
Coach: You used it as a noun.
Brother: Yes.
Coach: In its simplest form, when used as a noun, “occult” describes
something that is “supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or
phenomena”.
Brother: Okay, and?
Coach: Well, that describes every known faith on the planet,
whether you like the faith or not.
Brother: Okay, I see where you are going with this.
Coach: Okay, thanks.
Brother: You make a valuable point here. Let me rephrase it.
Coach: Please do.
Brother: His occult references all appear to be pointing back to satanic
practices and beliefs.
DISCUSSION GROUPS
Coach: Thanks for clarifying this for me. This topic, the one you originally asked
about and all the surrounding issues related to it, comes up on discussion
forums ad nausea.
Brother: Really?!
Coach: Yes. It is a hot
topic at times too and the discourses that unfold are usually altogether interesting,
annoying and amusing, all at once.
Brother: Why’s that?
Coach: Because it usually reveals the personal biases, attitudes,
assumptions and all sorts of logical fallacies that each poster has.
Brother: I can imagine.
Coach: All of which are easily spotted by those who have seriously
studied the Trivium.
Brother: Ah! This is yet
another reason to study Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric?
Coach: Yes. The answer you'll get from most everyone on the
topic of Satanists being Freemasons is “no way in hell”.
Brother: Was that a pun?
Coach: Of course.
Brother: Why is that a typical response?
TECHNICALITIES
TECHNICALITIES
Coach: The problem stems from the technicalities involved in the
term "belief in a higher power".
Brother: How is that a problem?
Coach: It's a euphemism for "God", as is the term
"supreme being".
Brother: So?
Coach: Well, each of them appear to be a harmless substitution.
Brother: They sure do.
Coach: And therein lays the problem.
Brother: How so?
Coach: Neither is harmless because each is not an equal substitution.
Brother: Please explain.
MYTHOS
Coach: In Judeo-Christian mythos…
Brother: Mythos?
Coach: Yes. Mythos.
Brother: Does mythos mean it’s not true?
Coach: Mythos means belief systems that reveal truth through the use
of symbols, metaphor, allegory and analogy.
Brother: So, in this light, religions are mythos?
Coach: Yes. And in this case, it’s the Judeo-Christian mythos to which
I refer.
Brother: Oh! Okay. Thanks for that.
Coach: You’re most welcome.
Brother: So, what about this mythos?
Coach: In Judeo-Christian mythos, Satan is not a higher power,
hence to believe in Satan as a higher power is to believe in a lesser power.
Brother: So, since Satan is a lesser power, they falsely believe that
Satan is a higher power?
Coach: Yes! Satan comes
from the Hebrew word for adversary a.k.a. God’s opponent so to speak. Satan continually puts forth “that which is
counter to God's Word”.
Brother: Really?
Coach: Yes. According to
scripture, and rabbinical tradition, Satan was God's "Right hand man"
when it came to testing humanity, especially when God’s Word was involved.
Brother: Meaning?
HIS DAY JOB
Coach: Satan had a job to do.
Brother: Which was?
Coach: To test God's Word to assure that it could not be shown to
be false. God depended on this to be
done by Satan and for Satan to do so passionately!
Brother: Yikes!
Coach: Exactly! It was an
important job and God had Satan around to assure God's Word was proved to be infallible.
Brother: That’s amazing. God
did this?
Coach: According to scripture, God trusted Satan to do this and to
do this continually and impeccably.
Brother: Is that why even the Vatican has the devil's advocate, Satan’s
spokesman so to speak, to be played by some of the smartest of their members so
as to assure what the Vatican said could not be proven false?
Coach: Yes. I’m glad that you’re
seeing the connections. It's a vital role and it is not played lightly by
believers.
Brother: So, what does this have to do with people who say Satan is
their higher power?
Coach: Good! You’re coming
back to the original question. The problem
with believing in Satan as a higher power is that the believer assumes that
Satan has higher power than God.
Brother: And that’s not a sound assumption.
Coach: Precisely! But it’s
not enough just to say it’s not sound.
You have to show why.
Brother: Let me take it from here.
Coach: Okay.
Brother: Obviously those who accept this have embraced God's tester,
believing that Satan can prove a much more powerful being to be false.
Coach: Exactly. God created
Satan. Satan did not create God.
Brother: Wait! There’s some
esoteric stuff here!
Coach: Indeed. Take it
further, please.
Brother: God is believed to Be Truth.
Speaking Truth creates the possibility of Fallacy and opportunity to
test Truth. After all, if a stated Truth is not True, then what is stated is of a false god.
Coach: Yes. But couldn’t
the opposite be also true?
Brother: As in… Satan represents Fallacy. Speaking Fallacy creates the possibility of
Truth and opportunity to test Fallacy.
Coach: Yes.
Brother: So, you’re implying Satan speaking Fallacy could have Created
God thus saying Satan is a higher power than God?
Coach: What I’m saying is that we have to be careful with our premises,
arguments and conclusions. That’s how
troubles start. Satan is not the
opposite of God nor is Satan God's opposition.
Brother: He isn't?
Coach: He isn't. Satan is God’s tester. It cannot be said equally that God is Satan’s
tester even though it is superficially interesting to entertain that notion.
Brother: But why not?
Coach: Because “Not God” is not the same as "the opposite of God";
although many people fall for this trap.
Brother: Sounds like logical studies would help prevent this.
Coach: Indeed and it is one of a few subjects one needs to study seriously
and thoroughly to assure you don’t fall into accepting things presented as
valid until they are understood to be valid based upon solid premises and
arguments.
Brother: Agreed!
Coach: Do you see where I am going with this?
Brother: Yes, and it makes perfect sense.
Coach: Good. So, let's go back to the actual problem.
Brother: Okay, I’m ready!
EUPHEMISMS (and other Substitutions...)
Coach: Good! By substituting euphemisms like "Higher
Power" and "Supreme Being" for the word "God", you
take light off of God and allow for a different premise and a false argument to
occur that no longer has to do with God.
Brother: Are you saying that using euphemisms for God create straw
man arguments?
Coach: Yes!
Brother: So, it’s using a logical fallacy to support Satan as “A
Higher Power” or “A Supreme Being.
Coach: Exactly!
Brother: However, Satan is not “THE” Highest Power or “THE” Supreme
Being.
Coach: Yes! Does this all
make sense?
Brother: Yes, very much. It’s
very logical the way this is explained
Coach: Good!
Brother: But let’s get back to the original situation. We have several Brothers who want to call this
guy out.
Coach: If you are dealing with a Satan worshiper, you are likely dealing
with a sophist and you must know how to spot logical fallacies to deal with
them for they are masterful at twisting words.
That is, unless…
Brother: Unless what?
Coach: Unless he is too dim minded to twist words, and then you
just have an easily influenced individual who is effortlessly deceived. This
too is a possibility.
Brother: Yes. That's the other side of this and it describes him
very well. I can see that some people
who get pulled into Satan worship are easily duped.
Coach: Yes. They would have
weak minds and be easily manipulated.
BUT WHAT ABOUT...
Brother: Okay... then can a Hindu become a Freemason. With like, 23,000 gods…is that even plausible?
Coach: Wow! You’re changing
directions here.
Brother: Sorry. Yes.
Coach: Okay, the answer is “yes”.
Brother: But wouldn’t that mean they believe in many higher sources?
Coach: Not really. The
nature of their belief supports every notion of one ultimate source for all their
manifestations of God.
Brother: So while they have many gods, their gods answer to the One true GOd?
Coach: More like, even though they believe in many gods, they know
through their teachings that each god represents one of many masks that the One
true God may chose to wear.
Brother: So, although there are many masks, there’s still only One
player – okay, I get it! God manifests in billions of Ways...
Coach: Yes!
Brother: Is this is why they don't get upset by different names
others may use or by different manners of worship?
Coach: Yes. They recognize
each is valid in its own right.
Brother: And that means they believe in God.
BACK TO THE SUBJECT...
Coach: Yes. This brings us back to Satanists.
Brother: How so?
Coach: They will argue that they should be considered under that
same umbrella as Hindu. Unfortunately,
it's apples and oranges.
Brother: Why is that?
Coach: Satanists, if atheistic are automatically disqualified.
Brother: What?
Coach: Bro.! Atheists don’t
believe in God, and by default, any other deity.
Brother: But what about theistic or, as you just shared, deistic Satanists?
Coach: They admit Satan is God’s “right hand man”, second to
another deity.
Brother: Okay, this brings up the question of deity.
Coach: And?
Brother: If all that one has to do is believe in a deity, then
shouldn’t Satanist qualify.
Coach: No
Brother: No?! Why not?
Coach: Good Question. That
was covered by the same straw man argument involving higher powers and supreme
beings. Freemasons are not talking about
“A” Deity. They are referring to THE
Deity.
Brother: Okay, but what if they say that Satan is God, THE Deity,
THE Supreme Being, or THE Highest Power?
Coach: Great question! The
operative term in your question then becomes “if all that one has to do is
believe in a deity”.
Brother: How is that operative?
Coach: Believing in a deity is yet another euphemism and that’s
not the question or is it the focus.
BELIEF IS NOT ALL
BELIEF IS NOT ALL
Brother: Okay, I see the euphemism part. Belief in a deity changes it into a straw man
situation. But what’s the focus?
Coach: Believing in God is not all that one has to do.
Brother: No?
Coach: No!
Brother: How so?
Coach: Although “belief in God” is the only “religious”
requirement that you’ll usually see in most jurisdictions, one must also be a
man, of age, well recommended and, here’s the biggie... he must fit in with the other lodge
members.
Brother: You’re emphasizing that. Why is that so important?
Coach: Because to be accepted, one must fit in to the lodge one is
joining. This is human nature and, even though you'll never see it written down in any jurisdiction rule or regulation, people always consider this aspect when they case their ballot!
Brother: Why?
Coach: Because when one doesn’t fit in, the
lodge’s harmony is affected and that would detrimentally affect the lodge and
its operation. It is a necessary consideration, always!
Brother: So, even if a candidate does believe in God, no matter how
he may chose to define and practice this, if he doesn’t fit in, he is likely to
not be accepted.
Coach: Yes. But let’s get
back to Satanists who believe in Satan as a deity.
Brother: Okay.
THE SWITCH
Coach: All of this assumes Satanist believe in the same Satan that
is written within scripture.
Brother: Are you saying the Satanist might not be worshiping the
same Satan as in the Bible?
Coach: What I’m saying is we assume in the premises of your
arguments that this is true.
Brother: So, they might be using the name, but they have an entirely
different mythos involved?
Coach: Yes.
Brother: Wow! That means they
might be able to get away with claiming to believe in God then.
Coach: As strange as it seems to anyone who does not have this deceptive
thinking, it could apply. Think about it. Is this just the
kind of thinking one could expect from Satanist?
Brother: It sure fits the mythos.
Coach: Do you really think so?!
Brother: Yes, absolutely. Is this why Freemasons speak about no equivocating, having any
reservations of mind and things like this?
Coach: Of course! We’re not
looking for sophists or sophistry; and for that matter, individuals whose core beliefs are founded upon deception.
Brother: Wow! Freemasonic ritual makes even more sense to me after this talk.
Coach: Good! People who
speak equivocally will say what you want to hear and not appear to be lying by
doing so. When you don’t train yourself to recognize such things, you are a
sucker for being misled.
Brother: And not being able to spot this character might open the West Gate to
such candidates?
Coach: You mean like, when individuals say that they believe in
God and leave out the part about worshiping Satan anyway?
Brother: Well, yes. I’m seeing
how language can mislead us into falsely assuming extremely important understandings.
Coach: Are you also seeing why it’s so important to know who is
petitioning before you sign your name and give him your endorsement?
Brother: Yes. I am.
Coach: Good!
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