Letter To The Editor

Below you will find the "Letter to the Editor" that appeared in the Baptist Beacon and Most Worshipful Brother Carver's response. Make sure that you read the letter to the editor first

THE LETTER

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Offended
By Terry R. Cromer, West Columbia

Published May 11, 2007

I was offended by the picture of Padgetts Creek Baptist Church recognizing the Masons. This was in the May 3 issue.

During the annual session of the Southern Baptist Convention, June 15-17, 1993, the messengers overwhelmingly approved a report on Freemasonry. Although they recognized the many charitable endeavors of Freemasonry, they concluded that “many tenets and teachings of Freemasonry are not compatible with Christianity or Southern Baptist doctrine.”

The report identified eight tenets and teachings that it concluded were not compatible with Christianity. Here are the eight concerns:

1. Freemasonry uses offensive, non-biblical, and blasphemous terms relating to God.

2. Freemasonry insists on the use of “bloody oaths” or obligations, which are strictly forbidden by scripture (Matthew 5:34-37).

3. Freemasonry urges that occultic and/or pagan readings be used.

4. Freemasonry includes the Bible as part of the “furniture of the lodge,” but only as an equal with non-Christian symbols and writings.

5. Freemasonry misuses the term “light” to refer to moral “reformation” as a means to salvation.

6. Freemasonry teaches that salvation may be attained by “good works” and not through faith in Christ alone.

7. Freemasonry advocates in many of its writings the non-biblical teachings of universalism.

8. In some of its lodges, Freemasonry discriminates against non-whites.

(Note: These have been taken from the Report on Freemasonry by the NAMB staff.)

I know that many outstanding Christians and Southern Baptist (some preachers) have been, and are, members of Freemasonry. Many of them don’t even know what the tenets and teachings mean. Many don’t even know that a Freemason doesn’t have to be a Christian. A Muslim or a Hindu can be a Freemason.

I understand that the Freemasons do a lot of charitable work, but we should not publicly recognize them in our churches. To read the NAMB report, go to www.4thruth.com.

THE RESPONSE

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May 29, 2007

Don Kirkland

Editor and President

Baptist Courier

100 Manly Street

Greenville, South Carolina 29601

Dear Christian Brother Kirkland,

As a born again Christian, a member, and a leader in a Southern Baptist Church for over forty-seven years, I was deeply sadden to see the May 17^th issue of our Baptist Courier used as a vehicle to bash and to try to discredit such an old and honorable institution as Freemasonry.  I feel certain that our late Christian Brother James A. Hoyt, who served as the third editor of the Baptist Courier, would have also been sadden considering that he served as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina during 1874 – 1875.  We as Christians have been concerned over the national media being used as a platform to try to discredit the teachings of our Lord Jesus through slanted and bias reporting.  It now appears that we are adopting similar techniques in our Baptist Courier to discredit that which we may personally dislike or disagree with.

 I am currently Chairman of the Deacon Board and the Adult Men’s Sunday School Teacher at Bethel Baptist Church in Prosperity, SC.  Through the years my family and I have been faithful to serve and support our Church and the Southern Baptist Convention.  In Columbia on April 27^th I was installed during a public ceremony as Grand Master at the 270^th Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina.  The Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina is comprised of 43, 315 Masons of which a conservative estimate would be that over 20,000 of our members are currently members in Southern Baptist Churches in South Carolina and many of them serve as leaders and Pastors.

The individual, who wrote that he was offended at the pictures of Christian Free Masons attending church in their aprons during a Masonic Recognition Service, misrepresented Freemasonry and the findings of the NAMB report which concluded: “Membership in a Masonic order is a matter of personal conscience”.  Below I would like to respond to several misrepresentations made by the offended writer.

• The writer indicated that Christian Freemasons do not even know that the tenets of Freemasonry were not compatible with Christian beliefs.  The tenets of Freemasonry have been published since the 17^th Century and are Friendship, Morality, and Brotherly Love.  Our teachings are the brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God.  In my 33 years as a Christian Freemason, I have never found those teachings incompatible with my Christian faith and can not understand how anyone else would find them incompatible.
• Freemasons never refer to God in a blasphemous manner.  Freemasons always refer to God in the most reverent manner as a creature to his creator.  We refer to God as God and as the Great Architect of the Universe, the Creator of all things.
• There are oaths and promises made in Freemasonry just as there are oaths of office, oaths for citizenship, and oaths taken in many organizations.  My pastor Lynn Peters and I both agree that the Bible verse quoted as prohibiting oaths is actually dealing with those who take oaths for show and then break those oaths.  In Freemasonry, oaths are taken seriously.  Freemasonry teaches its members to be men of their word and to keep their commitments made to God and man.  There are those misguided religious organizations that use this same scripture to teach that the pledge of allegiance to old glory, the beloved flag of our country is non compatible with Christianity.
• Every Bible verse used by Freemasonry is found in the King James Version of the Holy Bible.  The Holy Bible is referred to as the Great Light of Masonry.  Light is a term used by Freemasons to describe knowledge with the greatest light coming from the Holy Scriptures.  The Bible or Holy Scriptures is referred to as the Great Light of Masonry, because from the Bible comes the greatest knowledge.  In my 33 years as a Mason, I have never heard a pagan reading in a Lodge.
• Referring to the Bible as the furniture of the Lodge is not a disrespectful term but rather a term of honor because no Lodge can ever open or conduct a meeting without the Holy Bible being present.
• Freemasonry is not a religion and therefore does not teach any form of salvation.  Freemasonry directs its membership to seek those teachings in the house of worship of their choice.  Freemasonry teaches men to be men of their word, to be of good and moral character, and to aid and assist their fellowman in need.  In today’s society, these teachings are needed as much now as ever before. 
• The tenets and teachings of Freemasonry are the same as those that our great country was founded upon.  That all men (people) are equal regardless of their station in life, their religion, their race, or whether they are rich or poor.  George Washington, a great man, the father of our country, and a great Freemason used his Masonic teachings in his everyday life and as the President of this country.  He was Master of his Lodge while serving as President of the United States.

·         Masons are taught never to discriminate, but to treat all men (people) equal “on the level”.  Men of all races, religions, and stations in life are Freemasons and hold high offices in the Masonic Fraternity.

·         Freemasons contribute over $2,500,000 per day to the fraternity’s many charities which include helping children with burns, orthopedic issues, and language disorders.  Those same Freemasons contribute even more daily to support their houses of worship and their communities.

Churches that are members of our South Carolina Baptist Convention should be able to share pictures of their church’s events in the Courier without fear of being criticized from members of another church.  There is probably someone who disagrees with every activity pictured in the Courier and could criticize every Church for having those events with which that person disagrees.  But as Christians, we should maintain our conduct on a higher plane.

On June 10, 2007, my church, Bethel Baptist Church is planning a Masonic recognition day where my Masonic Brethren will join my Church family in listening to the word of God and hearing about the salvation available through our Lord and Savior, Jesus.  How can that be offensive to any Christian?  On June 24^th Jamestown Baptist Church in Conway SC will also hold a Masonic recognition service.   On August 12, 2007, Jordan Memorial Baptist Church in Greenwood will hold a Masonic Recognition day. There are other recognition services scheduled at Baptist, Methodist, and other Churches in South Carolina and around the country.

I sincerely hope that you will provide an un-biased approach by also publishing this letter in the “Your Views” section of the Courier and continuing to publish the provided pictures of all the events held by our member churches without prejudice.

Yours in Christ,

 Gerald L. Carver

Cc:       Rev. W. Lynn Peters, Rev. Carroll Caldwell. Rev. Glenn Mosteller, Grand Lodge of AFM Officers