MASONS & MORMONS

Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, more commonly known as Freemasons, are a part of almost every country and its members are found in many religions and organizations. There is a lot of confusion as to just who these “Masons” are and what they do exactly. The mission of Freemasonry, “Is to promote a way of life that binds like minded men in a worldwide brotherhood that transcends all religious, ethnic, cultural, social and educational difference; by teaching the great principles of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth and by the outward expression of these through its fellowship, its compassion and its concern, to find ways in which to serve God, family, neighbors and self.” ( Introduction to Freemasonry, Approaching the Portals 3). This gives us an introductory peek into what a Mason is, and what their goals are. So what is an Ancient Free and Accepted Latter-Day Saint? Can someone be a member of The Church and a member of the fraternity of Freemasons? Both are common questions as members of the Church do their family history or read church history and find the phrase “he was a Freemason” coming up time and time again. In order to answer, we will remove the cloaks of fiction and rumor, which often loom over things that are not fully understood.
The first cloak that we will have to remove is the cloak of the lack of information. Information in its true and pure nature will always fill the cracks of misunderstanding. As many of you readers are members of The Church, and therefore have at least a basic understanding of it, we will start by letting the sun shine in the light of information regarding Masonry.
Masons are not a secret society, and often feel misunderstood. “A secret society is generally one wrapping itself in a cloak of absolute secrecy. Meaning no one knows who the members are, where they meet, what they do or what they stand for”( Introduction to Freemasonry, Approaching the Portals 4). Masons however proudly display their membership in the Fraternity by wearing rings and cuff links. They are also included on the welcome signs to almost every city in which they are found. I am a Freemason, and hope to explain what they stand for. First they are not a religion, they are a fraternity. Much like you would have a college fraternity or sorority. Masonry is the oldest fraternity in the world and has over 3 million members worldwide. Its is said to have begun in 1390 A.D but the exact date is unknown. Many Masons believe that It has been around since the temple of Solomon, and some since the beginning of the world. The most widely accepted and taught beginning, is as the Knights templar were driven out of the Holy Land, they started the Fraternity in order to preserve their knowledge and teachings. This is supported by Masons because there are many members of the Knights Templar that still attend lodge meetings. After the masons began to grow and spread, they attracted many wise and important people in the history of the world. Though Masons are taught not to boast, I will include a couple of these people solely for the use of name recognition: First, President George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and Thomas Jefferson (www.masonicinfo.com/famous.htm). Many of those who founded and started this country were high ranking members of the Fraternity, along with Christopher Columbus and Winston Churchill. As masonry spread, it grew very fast here in America. This is in part because many people that came to America sought religious and personal freedom. And since “Sectarian religion and partisan politics are not discussed in Lodge meeting, Masons are all on the level, and are not subject to the classes and distinctions of the outside world (Introduction to Freemasonry, Approaching the Portals 1). Also it is quite easy to join. All you really have to do is ask. To become a Mason one only needs three things: First, he must be a man, there is a separate and equal part for women. Second, to be person deemed honest and true, and having a belief in a supreme being. Third, he must be elected by unanimous ballot. And as masonry grew it attracted one very famous family in the church.
I want to be very careful as I attempt to show the connection between The Church and The Fraternity. I do not want to arouse any feelings of uncertainty or unrest. In order to refrain from this I will use only facts that are widely known and upheld. Most of my sources are right out of the volumes of Church history and Masonic record books. The Church was founded by The Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. in April 6, 1830. But before that his Father and Grandfather were Master Masons and members of the Lodge No. 23, and his brother Hyrum upon becoming of age joined the fraternity and eventually became Grand Master of the state of Illinois (Mormonism and Freemasonry). Joseph Jr. is one of the few male members of the Smith family that refrained in his youth from joining the fraternity. Joseph did not officially join the fraternity until he moved to Nauvoo. Those who travel to Nauvoo now can see the restored Masonic Lodge that the Saints built there. “We have organized a Lodge here of Masons since we obtained a Charter. That was in March. Since then there has been near two hundred made masons. Bro. Joseph and Sidney were the first that were Received into the Lodge. All of the twelve have become members Except Orson P [ratt]. He hangs back. He will wake up soon.” (Heber C Kimball and Family, The Nauvoo Years). “About fifteen hundred Latter-day Saint men entered the Masonic order during the Nauvoo period;”( Why Joseph Smith). There is much speculation as to why so many members of The Church became members of The Fraternity. To avoid adding speculation to speculation, I can only say I don’t know. Some of the widely held ideas are; To gain a sense of brotherhood and fellowship with the community in which they lived. To prepare their minds to be able to memorize and cultivate things of the Gospel, and there are many other speculations. But it to my knowledge the reason if there was one has never been recorded. I will discuss this a little more later on when I will talk about the teaching of both. But the close relationship between The Church and The Fraternity would be tried when the Prophet died.
To understand why The Church was run out of Nauvoo you almost have to have an understanding of The Fraternity’s involvement. When Hyrum Smith was made Worshipful Master of the State if Illinois, Nauvoo was the biggest city in the state at the time, and also had the largest amount of Fraternity Brothers (Joseph Smith Chronology). About fifteen hundred of Nauvoo’s residents were Masons, a lot of the government being pulled from the ranks for the fraternity, and Joseph Smith running for president, the people began to fear for the fact that Joseph Smith could be the president. Therefore some of the residents including some of which were masons sought to put an end to the life of the prophet, hoping to end The Church. When Joseph died he went to the window not to jump as some historians would mistakenly write but to give the sign of distress knowing that there were Masons in the crowd that upon seeing it should save his life. In recounting the events of the marytrdom, Elder John Taylor related that the Prophet Joseph's dying words were, "O Lord my God!" (D&C 135:1; see also Ps. 38:21.). Elder B. H. Roberts has discussed the meaning of this phrase in the following words: "Were Joseph Smith's last words-'O Lord My God'-an interrupted Masonic cry of distress? The question has been somewhat widely debated. Of it the author of this History can form no adequate or positive opinion. In an editorial of the Times and Seasons, published soon after the murder (July 15th, 1844). The following passage occurs; referring to Joseph and Hyrum Smith: 'They were both Masons in good standing. Ye brethren of "the mystic tie," what think ye! Where is our good Master Joseph and Hyrum? Is there a pagan, heathen, or savage nation on the globe that would not be moved on this great occasion, as the trees of the forest are moved by a mighty wind? Joseph's last exclamation was, "O Lord My God!" (O Lord My God).
But just because Joseph and some of the early members of the church were members of the Fraternity does it mean that it is ok now? Most would have me give the names of members of The Church that are members of the Fraternity as well. But that is not my place, I will only say that there are many. But I would like to include some reasons as to why people think that is not ok for a Mormon to be a Mason. The first concern that I always get is, “aren’t we not supposed to be involved with secret combinations.” The answer is a yes do not get involved with a secret combination. Masonry is not a secret combination. It is an open fraternity.

Elder Ballard writes “What is masonry? Why, a fragment of the old truth coming down perhaps from Solomon's temple of ancient days, and but a fragment, as Christianity is but a fragment of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was only to be had and enjoyed by those who hold the holy priesthood. The prophet Elijah revealed these truths; he possessed them anciently and he gave them in their perfectness, and simplicity and purity to the Prophet Joseph Smith” (Conference Report).

“Joseph Smith and many of the leading brethren of that day were Masons. The question implies that there is something secret or sinister in their Masonic affiliation. This was hardly the case. The Saints who built Nauvoo built a Masonic lodge there. It is among the buildings that have been restored in Nauvoo, and visitors are encouraged to visit it.”(Why Joseph Smith).

The Next question is doesn’t masonry have the same things that the temple does. The answer again is no. While masonry does have links to the temple it does not teach anything. It simply gives the ways for men to become better. They do not say that there is anything of Divinity in it. They link it to operative masons. They say in the same way that operative masons build buildings we can also build our lives. But they do not teach anything. They simply give the information and you take what you can from it to better your life. Also did Joseph get the temple ceremonies from the Masons? No he did not. It would be impossible to get the temple that we have now from the Masons, they differ from each other in every aspect.

In the Saint George Temple the following was said by Willford Woodruff. "Before I left St. George, the spirits of the [Founding Fathers] gathered around me,(Almost all of whom were Masons) wanting to know why we did not redeem them. Said they, 'You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God.” (Journal of Discourses 19:229.) He was then baptized for nearly one hundred of the founding fathers of this country, most of whom where freemasons. "Those men who laid the foundation of this American government and signed the Declaration of Independence were the best spirits the God of heaven could find on the face of the earth. They were choice spirits, not wicked men. General Washington and all the men that labored for the purpose were inspired of the Lord. . .Everyone of those men that signed the Declaration of Independence, with General Washington, called upon me, as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Temple at St. George, two consecutive nights, and demanded at my hands that I should go forth and attend to the ordinances of the House of God for them." (Conference Report)

When the church left Nauvoo it headed out west to Utah. At that time Brigham young and the entire quorum of the 12 were masons. So why not get involved with Masonry again in Utah? The answer is really quite simple, we don’t want a repeat of what happened in Nauvoo. So even though they were members till death they did not charter a Lodge in Utah, or continue to encourage members to be in the Fraternity. They chose to be involved with a different but similar Fraternity called the Boy Scouts. But thought the Boy scouts and Masonry are similar they have no affiliation. The best example of a modern mason that was open with his involvement is John Taylor. John Taylor was a Master mason that was proud of his involvement in the fraternity. Though many members of the church now are masons, they are not all active in masonry. There is simply too many demands on their time.
With the history that the church has had with masonry, has it now chosen to abstain from it? The answer is no, the church says nothing for, or against masonry. When leaders are asked about it the answer is usually, “as long as it does not consume all their time”. So if you want to learn the hearts and minds of some of the greatest people in the world then come take a peak into the world of freemasonry. Next time you see a person with a ring bearing the builders square and compass, don’t be so quick to judge, take the time to talk and get a glimpse into the world of Freemasonry.










Works Citied

Ballard, Elder Melvin J. “Conference Report” 1913

Grand Lodge, Idaho. Introduction to Freemasonry, Approaching the Portals. Idaho:
A.F & A.M of Idaho, 1998.

Grand Lodge, Idaho. The Fellowcraft, Second Degree Proficiency. Idaho: Grand Lodge A.F & A.M of Idaho, 1998.

King, Edward L. “Mormons” 1999-2008


McConkie, Joseph Feilding. “Why Joseph Smith”1996-2008


McGavin, E. Cecil Morminism and Masonry. Kessinger Pub co. 2004

Stanley B. Kimball, “Heber C Kimball and Family, The Nauvoo Years” BYU Studies Vol 15.1974-1975
< http://gospelink.com.adam2.byui.edu/next/doc?doc_id=282249&highlight_p=1>

Ward, Paul. “Mormonism and Freemasonry” 2008
< http://www.masonicmoroni.com/>
Conference Report, April 1898, pp. 89-90.