by aniron 7 Replies latest jw friends
I've been going through my WT 2003 and 1995 CD-Rom's looking for articles on the Freemasons in any WT publication.
There doesn't seem to be much from 1950 onwards only basically passing references.
But there are 8 references from 1930 to 1958 all in the Awake magazine. which of course are not on the CD's.
Does anyone know what these articles are.
Especially an article in the Awake 22nd March 1958 which was 4 pages long.
Long shot I know.
I checked my limited resources and couldn't find anything helpful. Sorry.
I guess you are right. i could find little either. You probably saw this but I thought it was worth posting up. Everything was of course negative and lumped them as part of Babylon the Great
***
w97 12/15 p. 10 They ?Bought Truth?! ***Still, ?buying truth? required him to make some painful adjustments in his life. Recalls Godwin: "I was a member of a Masonic Lodge. And though it is known as a fraternal society that provides help for its members, I observed rituals that involved the use of skulls and bones and the invoking of spirits. These spirits supposedly help those who interact with them to develop spiritually.
"My studies helped me to see that Jehovah God detests any involvement with spiritism because it can bring one under the influence of Satan and his wicked spirit forces. Would I continue as a member of the Masonic Lodge with all its mysticism, or would I quit and please Jehovah? I chose the latter. I destroyed all the Freemason paraphernalia I had, even the suit I used for Lodge meetings. I experienced the truth of Jesus? promise when he said, ?The truth will set you free?! (John 8:32) Now I am happily sharing the things I have learned with others. I have no regrets whatsoever."
Someone here has got to have saved there old Awake! magazines. I mean, come on. I want to see these too.
I looked on Randys site @freeminds and the 1958 Awake! you want is crossed out. So it has to be out there somewhere.
I did find these though, that may be of interest:
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/1997/6/1/article_01.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2001/8/1/article_01.htm
| In this series: |
| Your Right to Believe |
| Why Do You Believe What You Believe? |
| Related topics: |
| Should You Believe Everything You Hear? [hahaha, you tell us Watchtower, should we?!] |
"Can I Worship God in My Own Way?" sKally |
What I am also finding interesting, as I continue to do some searching for ANY early Awake! articles/ references, is that the Awake! magazine was called "The Golden Age" before it was re-titled.
Check some of these search hits out regarding this so-called Golden Age and Freemasonry. (Some may say I am grasping here, but I know better):
http://www.google.com/search?q=freemasons+Golden+Age+magazine+articles&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8
Freemasonry and Cults
... reference book called "10,000 Famous Freemasons" written by ... of Christian Science
Weekly and monthly magazines, 1922-29 ... New Age--calling it a "Golden Age" to come ...
www.geocities.com/endtimedeception/templar.htm - 19k - Cached - Similar pages
ZO_DEE's Place
... are popular with Enochian Magic, and the Freemasons are "Millennial Dawn", "Golden
Age" and "Watchtower ... His earlier magazine was called The Golden Age ...
groups.msn.com/ZODEEsPlace/yourwebpage8.msnw - 47k - Cached - Similar pages
Here, in this search page, are USENET (google) discussions on said topic:
sKally
I have the Awake! The article is entitled "The History and Nature of Freemasonry." (pp. 20-24) It's completely unremarkable, but I'll scan it if you're interested.
Briefly, the article gives a cursorial history of the order that is fairly neutral up until page 24 and the subheading, "Is It For Christians?"
The final two paragraphs read:
In view of all the foregoing, how can one who believes the Bible to be God's inspired Word also be a Freemason? As one British clergyman, himself a Freemason, expressed it: "If true religion is thus to be narrowed down to salvation in no other name in heaven [wich is what the Christian Greek Scriptures explicitly and unequivocally do], then any such 'Christian' must indeed be straining his conscience to breaking point by accepting initiation into the broader and deeper mysteries of Freemasonry. I, for one, can never eunderstand how anyone who takes an exculsive view of Christ as the only complete revelation of truth, can become a Freemason without suffering from spirtual schizophrenia.
We cannot escape it. As the inspired apostle Paul shows, "the things which the nations sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, and I do not want you to become shareers with the demons. You cannot be drinking the cup of Jehovah and the cup of demons." Truly, in ever so many respects, the contrast between Biblical Christianity and Freemasonry could scarecely be greater. -1 Cor. 10:20-21
While our congregation re-built their hall, we held meetings in the local masonic hall. It was spookey to say the least.
I happen to be a Master Mason in Freemasonry and while I cannot tell you the intimate details of what goes on in our rituals, I can say without a doubt that there is no use of skulls or bones (although those are used by Knights of Columbus) and we do not invoke any spirits, good or bad. In fact, there is no worship of any sort, save for a prayer or two to God, much like what you would have before a football game or group dinner meeting. There also is no ceremonial magic practiced, nothing supernatural or occult. Witchcraft has no place in Freemasonry and there are no spells or hexes put on anyone. There is a lot of misinformation and outright lies published about Freemasons by individuals who have a grudge against the fraternal organization and that is what many individuals mistakenly run into when they research our brotherhood.
I'd love to say we have magical powers and secretly run the universe -- but it just aint so.
