Bridge To Light
Bridge To Light
Bridge To Light
However, the disclaimer does not change the fact that the leaders of the Scottish Rite (Southern Jurisdiction) publish, endorse, and present for the consideration of its members the interpretations found in A Bridge to Light. Scottish Rite Freemasonry claims to teach religious truth [pp. vii, 3]. It is a legitimate question to ask whether its teachings are compatible with Christianity.
Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, p. 196, quoted in A Bridge to Light (BTL), p. 85]. According to A Bridge to Light, the belief that God should be feared belonged to a primitive time. In these enlightened times, Scottish Rite Masons are taught that a God of love should not be feared [p. 92]. Response: There is no incompatibility between the biblical teaching that we are to fear God and the biblical teaching that God is loving. Scottish Rite Freemasonry has set up a false dichotomy. The Bible clearly teaches that we are to fear the Lord God (see 2 Chron. 19:7; Pss. 19:9; 34:11; 111:10; Prov. 14:27; 15:16). The biblical principle of the fear of the Lord is also found in the New Testament. Jesus taught that we are to fear God (see Luke 12:4-5). The denial of this biblical principle by Scottish Rite Freemasonry is contrary to the teachings of Christ.
[p. 218]. A Bridge to Light claims: This knowledge defied expression in ordinary language; even to attempt it was dangerous because the use of adjectives ordinarily describing men when used to describe the Deity tended to lessen Him [p. 248]. Response: While finite human beings will never fully comprehend the infinite God, it is not true that we are utterly powerless to form any conception of what He is [p. 218]. The Bible not only indicates that we can form accurate conceptions about God, but it also teaches that we can know God to the point of having a personal relationship with Him. The Bible uses many adjectives to describe God. God is portrayed as light (see 1 John 1:5), love (see 1 John 4:8,16), eternal (see Deut. 33:27; Rev. 4:8-10), immortal (see Rom. 1:23; 1 Tim. 6:16), almighty (see Gen. 17:1; Ex. 6:3), all-knowing (see Ps. 139:1-6; Prov. 5:21), unchanging (see Ps. 102:26-27; Jas. 1:17), wise (see Rom. 16:27), perfect (see Deut. 32:4; Matt. 5:48), holy (see Ps. 99:9), just (see Deut. 32:4; Isa. 45:21), true (see Jer. 10:10; John 17:3), good (see Pss. 25:8; 92:15), righteous (see Ezra 9:15; Pss. 119:68; 145:17), gracious and compassionate (see Ex. 34:6; Ps. 116:5), and faithful (see 1 Cor. 10:13; 1 Pet. 4:19). The Bible regularly uses adjectives that A Bridge to Light calls dangerous even to attempt.
Response: Christianity does not believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are emanations of the Trinity. The three Persons of the Holy Trinity are not the first three of 10 emanations as claimed by A Bridge to Light. The concept of emanations proceeding from God is a pagan and gnostic concept that is not compatible with Christianity. Since gnosticism believed that the material world was evil, it taught that the Supreme Being could not have created the material universe. Gnosticism, therefore, postulated a series of emanations from the Supreme Being. It was one of these emanations, not the Supreme Being, who created the evil material world [Bakers Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, p. 181]. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is also not the belief that God has three attributes. The Masonic Trinity is a complete misrepresentation of the Christian belief. This teaching, found in the lessons of the 26th Degree, is false. Christianity is the only religion that believes in the Holy Trinity [Christian Theology, p. 321]. The only way Scottish Rite Freemasonry can claim that the Trinity is not unique to Christianity is to redefine the doctrine so that it becomes something Christians have never believed. This misrepresentation of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity is very objectionable. To compare the Triune God of Christianity with the Hindu deities Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva is not only blasphemous, but also completely misrepresents Christian doctrine [pp. 230-31]. The Bible teaches that followers of the true and living God are not to follow after the false gods of the pagans (see Gen. 35:2; Ex. 23:13; Josh. 23:7; Ezek. 20:7; 1 Cor. 10:20). Scottish Rite Freemasonry not only misrepresents Christian doctrine, but it also distorts non-Christian religions when it falsely claims that they also believe in the Trinity. A Bridge to Light is incorrect when it argues that the doctrine of the Trinity is a universal truth of man [p. 236]. To maintain this position, it has to misrepresent the beliefs of both Christianity and the pagan religions. Its contention that the Trimurti of the Hindus is similar to the Christian Trinity is again both simplistic and false [Geoffrey Parrinder, Triads, The Encyclopedia of Religion 15, ed., Mircea Eliade (New York: Macmillian Publishing Co., 1987), p. 40]. The Trimurti of the Hindus has nothing in common with the God of Christianity.
a source of intercession with Deity; in particular one who, as a human, had been tempted and suffered the daily pangs of life and so could be expected to possess a particular sympathy and understanding; in a word, the messiahs expressed hope [pp. 112-13]. Response: The comparison of Jesus Christ to the pagan deities Dionysus, Sosiosch, Krishna, and Osiris denigrates the deity of Christ. The words of Hebrews 2:18 apply to Christ and Christ alone. The Bible teaches that Jesus is unique. He is not just one messiah among many (see John 3:36; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5). A Bridge to Light attempts to read into these pagan religions Christian concepts that never existed.
A Bridge to Light Confuses Pagan Deities with the One True God
A Bridge to Light does not distinguish between the true God of the Bible and the deities of the pagan world. It indicates that the only distinction between the God of the Bible and those of the pagans is a difference of terminology [pp. 31, 120]. For example, A Bridge to Light calls Albar of the Druse the Most High, or the Deity [p. 219]. In the 31st degree, Amun-ra is called this great God. A Bridge to Light quotes the following words in its discussion of the 31st degree: they do not behold the great god Amun-ra their eyes do not imbibe the rays that flow from his disktheir souls shall not be manifested or made illustrious in the worldthey shall not hear the voice of this great God,who is exalted far above their sphere [p. 301]. Response: A Bridge to Light does not distinguish between the deities of the pagans and the true God of the Bible. The gods and goddesses of the pagans were not just different cultural representations of the one true God. The gods and goddesses of the pagans, and their representative idols, are false deities, which the Bible totally rejects (see Ex. 20:4-5). The Bible also rejects the idea that the pagans simply worshiped the one true God but used different names (see Ex. 32:4-8). No idol or pagan deity is a representation of the true God. They are all false deities and must be rejected by Christians. The differences between the God of the Bible and the gods and goddesses of the pagans are far greater than just a difference of terminology.
Evil institutions alone have made them bad [Legenda XIX-XXX, pp. 168-169, quoted in BTL, p. 292]. Response: The Bible warns us that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9see also Pss. 51:5; 53:2-3). Likewise, Jesus cautioned us that evil thoughts and deeds do not come from outside a person but from within (see Matt. 15:19; Mark 7:21). The assertion by Pike, that the heart of man craves only justice and love directly contradicts the teachings of the Bible [p. 292]. Jesus taught that human hearts have a tendency toward sin and evil. He also instructed His disciples that this tendency toward evil is not only caused by outward influences, but also by the evil desires of the human heart. The Bible warns us that human beings are not good (see Rom. 3:23). A Bridge to Light also errs when it claims that the soul of man is part of the Divine [p. 220]. The Bible teaches us that humans were created in the image of God (see Gen. 1:26-27). However, the Bible never instructs us that humans are a part of God. The Bible instead stresses the distinction between God and humanity (see Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29). When God created human beings, He made something that was not Himself. This is the heart of the Christian understanding of creation.
pantheon of Egypt. Her worship was so popular that the cult of Isis was one of the last mystery cults to survive [Leonard H. Lesko, Isis, The Encyclopedia of Religion 7, ed., Mircea Eliade (New York: Macmillian Publishing Co., 1987), p. 302]. Christians must reject the statement that the pagan god Khem is the source of life. The New Testament instructs us that it is Jesus, not the great god Khem, who is the true source of life (see John 6:35,48,51; 11:25; 14:6). The recognition and respect accorded these Egyptian deities in A Bridge to Light is highly objectionable. Among these deities are gods and goddesses that are condemned in the Bible. For example, the ninth plague in which God brought darkness on the land of Egypt (see Ex. 10:21-29) was an insult directed toward Thoth, one of the moon gods [John J. Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1971), p. 128]. It is highly objectionable to Christians that Scottish Rite Freemasonry includes references to these deities in its rituals. The Bible warns its readers that they are to have nothing to do with Egyptian deities. No Christian should ever participate in any ceremony or ritual that involves pagan deities (see Ex. 12:12; Deut. 32:16; Josh. 24:14; Jer. 43:12-13; 46:25).
Influence of Pagan Religions on Scottish Rite Symbolism and Ritual Admitted by A Bridge to Light
According to A Bridge to Light, the symbolism of Freemasonry has been influenced by several pagan and occultic groups [p. 1]. The influence of these pagan and occultic groups can be found in several Scottish Rite rituals. In its discussion of the 9th degree, A Bridge to Light claims that one of this degrees symbols originated in the mystical and occult school of the Jewish Kabalah [pp. 56-57]. Commenting on the 17th degree, A Bridge to Light quotes Pike, who indicates that two of the colors used in the degree are emblems of the sun and moon, which in turn are representations of the pagan deities Osiris and Isis [Morals and Dogma, p. 202, quoted in BTL, p. 133]. A Bridge to Light also claims that the 24th degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry focuses on the mystery religions of the ancient world. Candidates for this degree are invited to compare the teachings of Masonry with these mystery religions [pp. 206-07]. In the commentary on the 28th degree, we are informed by A Bridge to Light that the eye of gold is a symbol of the sun or of the Deity [p. 247]. The book also explains the symbol of the gnostic worm as it is used in Scottish Rite Freemasonry [p. 251]. Of all the degrees of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, the 31st degree probably has the greatest uses of pagan symbolism. As A Bridge to Light explains, the ritual of the 31st degree is derived from the Egyptian Book of the Dead [pp. 299-300]. According to A Bridge to Light, Isis directs the Masonic candidate to the altar of the great god Khem, the source of life [p. 302]. Response: Isis was the chief goddess in the ancient
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compatible with walking with God. The Bible, however, indicates that this in not true. Astrology is a form of divination, and the Bible warns its readers that God considers divination an abomination (see Deut. 18:10-13). The statements made about Genesis 49 and astrology also falsely imply that Jacob was a practitioner of astrology. A reading of Genesis 49 reveals that astrology is not the subject matter of this biblical passage. The statement found in A Bridge to Light that the 12 tribes of Israel are associated with the 12 signs of the astrological zodiac is both false and offensive. Even more offensive is the claim made by A Bridge to Light that the Greek letters Alpha and Omega are representative of the divine in man. According to the book of Revelation, the Greek letters Alpha and Omega do not represent the divine in man but rather represent the GodMan Jesus Christ. When Jesus claims to be the Alpha and Omega, He is making a unique claim for personal divinity (see Rev. 1:8; 21:6; 22:12-13). He is not claiming that all humans are divine, as claimed by A Bridge to Light [pp. 205-06]. It should also be pointed out that the pentagram is one of the most common symbols of the occult and is used in countless magick rituals. Masons may use it to symbolize humanity, but other groups give this occultic symbol entirely different meanings. Satanists, for example, use the upside-down pentagram to represent Satan [Anton Szandor LaVey, The Satanic Bible (New York: Avon Books, 1969), pp. 129-30].
Response: The belief that one can do something to make oneself acceptable to God is a belief common to many false religions. Human nature leads people to believe that there is something they can do to earn eternal life. The Bible, however, informs us that this belief is wrong. The Bible warns us that there is nothing that we can do to make ourselves acceptable to God. Salvation is obtained on Gods terms, not by what may appear right to humans. The Bible informs us that salvation is the result of the grace of God and that this grace comes to us when we personally place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible also warns us that the grace of God is incompatible with any type of works salvation (see Rom. 3:27; 4:4; 11:6; Gal. 2:21; 5:4; Eph. 2:8; Titus 3:5). The teaching that salvation is the result of good works (which is found in BTL) is highly objectionable to Christians. It is objectionable because it contradicts the teaching of Scripture. It also gives people the false hope that through their good actions they may be found acceptable in the eyes of God. This teaching of Scottish Rite Freemasonry is incompatible with the Bible because it does not point to faith in Christ as the only hope of salvation (see John 3:16).
Conclusion
The conclusion of this study is that many of the religious teachings presented in A Bridge to Light are incompatible with biblical Christianity.
Bill Gordon, Associate, Interfaith Evangelism 2001, North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Alpharetta, Georgia All rights reserved. The North American Mission Board grants permission for reproduction of this publication for educational purposes. Alteration of this publication is strictly prohibited. May not be sold for profit. All other inquiries should be addressed to: Editorial and Design Manager, North American Mission Board, 4200 North Point Pkwy., Alpharetta, Ga. 30022-4176; or fax (770) 410-6006; or e-mail permissions@namb.net. For more information contact Interfaith Evangelism via e-mail at interfaith@namb.net. http://www.namb.net/interfaith
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