I know there is some controversy whether or not C.T. Russell was a Mason. I won't go there. And I know that this isn't the usual WTBT$/JW topic but Hubby & I were watching a documentary last night about the founding father's of U.S.A and their membership in the Freemason's and how this country was set up according to their beliefs. It was very interesting. But they brought up a points.... Even tho the Mason's aren't christian per se, they do still have some similarities with the beliefs. Here are a few things I found interesting. At initiation theya re given a white apron. When they die they are buried in this apron. The docu brought out that the Mormon's have a similar belief and inferred that the LDS religion was started by a Freemason Joseph Smith.
Freemason’s White Apron
Masonic historian William Harvey, in his detailed dissertation on the subject, entitled The Mason’s Apron, asserts, “We are told that the Apron is the badge of Innocence and the bond of Friendship … In addition to being the badge of Innocence and the bond of Friendship, the apron is an ever-present reminder of that purity of life and action which should at all times characterise a Freemason … the apron is an emblem of all that is highest and best in human life … When first invested with it we are conjured to let its pure and spotless surface be to us an ever-present reminder of rectitude of life and purity of conduct; and a never failing argument for higher thoughts, nobler deeds, and greater achievements. What is all this but an appeal to the best that is in us to make this world a better place for ourselves and our fellow-men?”
He adds, “The apron is the most comprehensive symbol of our faith.” We should not overlook the nature and gravity of this last statement as it is in such contrast to Christianity where Christ is the exclusive focus of the believer’s faith.
Freemasonry points to this white garment as the ultimate picture of purity and spotlessness. The donning of this garment is said to be indicative of the righteousness of the wearer. We cannot underestimate the importance the white robe or white apron plays in secret society thinking. Plainly, it is not a mere a badge of recognition between members nor simply a garment of decoration for special ceremonies, but it is an emblem of great honour and spiritual signification among the secret fraternal family. It represents a virtuous standing through human attainment. It denotes righteous living, something man cannot achieve outside of Christ and the Christian new birth.
Masonic writings praise the merits of this white apron and present it as a proof that there is some special virtue within the make-up of the Mason wearing it. One can come to no other conclusion but that it is intended to represent the idea that man is justified through his own good works. The member and his white garment are inextricably connected. He has become a new man – a pure man, all by being inducted into the Masonic Lodge by means of ritualistic initiation.
Not only does Freemasonry continually try to identify the whiteness of the lambskin apron with the character of the candidate, it also constantly elevates the apron as the Mason’s sole hope of salvation and therefore way of access into heaven. The Lodge endeavours to relate the purity of the white apron to the “life and actions” of the Mason. It promises the candidate that if he follows the example of the lambskin apron he will one day stand before the Great White Throne and here the immortal words: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant! Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!” (Matthew 25:21, 23).
Not surprisingly, the white robe endowment conferment plays a crucial part in the Mormon temple initiation ceremony. Its founder, Joseph Smith, was a zealous high-degree Freemason. Before receiving his white robe, symbolising his innocence, the Mormon candidate must go through a washing and anointing ceremony in which he is firstly stripped of all his worldly clothing, washed by his instructors, symbolising the removal of his sins. He is then anointed with oil in recognition of his supposed innocence, which thus enables him to be endowed with his robes of purity.
The Mormon lecturers then teach: “Brother, having authority, I place this garment upon you…which you must wear throughout your life. It represents the garment given to Adam when he was found naked in the Garden of Eden, and is called the garment of the holy priesthood. Inasmuch as you do not defile it, but are true and faithful to your covenants, it will be a shield and a protection to you against the power of the destroyer until you have finished your work on the earth. With this garment I give you a new name.”
The Mormon lecturers then declare, “Brethren, you have been washed and pronounced clean, that through your faithfulness, you may become clean from the blood of the sins of this generation. You have been anointed to become hereafter kings and priests unto the Most High God, to rule and reign in the House of Israel forever.” Finally, alluding specifically to these white garments, the Mormon lecturer affirms (in close keeping with Masonry), “these endowments are to prepare you for exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom.”
Like the fraternal world of secret societies, Mormonism takes these material garments as a symbol of the initiate’s supposed innate purity and presents them as his assumed guarantee of heaven. In keeping with Masonry it associates salvation with the reception of this garment – with it they obtain “a new name.” The mysterious awe with which these supposed garments of spotlessness and innocence are held, reveals the idolatrous nature of Mormonism. The veiled language used in the Temple ceremony exposes the hidden Occult significance of its teaching. In reality this garment is symbolic of Satan’s deceptive religion of good works.
Secret societies, the cults and the Occult foolishly point their initiates to a man-made white garment as a sign of moral cleanness, and as their hope in this life of salvation. Scripture on the other hand points men to the Saviour and what He has secured for sinners. As the Mason departs this life, at the point of death, his Lodge colleagues’ eyes are directed toward the lambskin apron for their example and eternal hope around the grave. The white apron follows him into the grave. At the Mason’s burial the “Worshipful Master” repeats the assurance that all Masons receive when they first joined the Lodge and receive their own white aprons.
http://www.evangelicaltruth.com/entered_apprentice_white_apron.html