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Question
30.
Dear Pater Christopher,
Thank you for your beautiful website.
While it goes back a few years, I remember seeing the Church of Cyprus a
number of times condemning the wrong teachings of freemasonry. Has
anything changed in this regard?
Although all my life was spent in the Greek Archdiocese of America, as is
sadly the case with a number of other clergy in the GOAA, my family was
abandoned by the hierarchy in large part because of this very issue. There
are many good leaders and faithful in this temporary “jurisdiction” that
was established in 1922, with the full support of my new Archbishop xxxxx
in the Orthodox Church of America (OCA), I no longer have to be concerned
about guiding people who have questions on the matter if the need arises.
Pray for us
In Christ
Fr. xxxxx
Answer to Question 30
Dear Fr. xxxxx,
From your email I didn't understand who
was for and who against the freemasonry, but as the church in general is
opposed to them, I can only assume that you speak in support of them. In
our days, the masons are in general a group of people who are involved in
charitable and good works, but historically they were a secret religious
sect opposed to the traditional teachings of the church. Today this is not
so obvious even among its members, but certain rites still take place.
The practice of freemasonry includes temples, altars, a moral code,
worship services, vestments, feast days, a hierarchy of leadership,
initiation and burial rites, and promises of eternal reward and
punishment. During the initiation ceremony, the candidate kneeling, is
blindfolded in front of the altar and required to make an oath to
freemasonry and its secrets, under pain of death by placing his hands upon
the volume of sacred law or even the Bible. He is told that he does not
know all the secrets for which he is taking an oath. But after the
initiation, the general members are not involved with the religious aspect
of the movement. Only when someone moves to the higher positions is he
aware than they exist. This is where the church comes in conflict with the
masons because any group having secret rites means that it is a religious
sect teaching something very different to what the church teaches.
In modern times, and in an effort to bring
together people of different provenances, Masonry requires that its
members adhere to a minimal belief in a “Supreme architect of the
universe, a God for all people whether they be Christian, Muslim, Buddhist
or Hindu and leave aside all other aspects of their faith. Thus, Jesus and
the truth of His divinity, Incarnation, Salvation and Second Coming have
no place in their doctrine. For most people active in the Masonic lodges,
the activities are more social in nature; and for someone seeing the good
works and meeting the members, who are ordinary people with an disposition
for helping, it is very easy to be drawn to their defence. But, there is
more to the Masonry than meets the eye.
You should put your trust in the Church as
she has been around for two thousand years and has carefully studied every
heresy and secret sect that cropped up during that time. It is not a
question of stubborn men with views stuck in the middle ages who are not
willing to be open minded with modern ideas. There is something very
secret about the Masons and if they were a harmless group of people just
doing good works then why the need for secret ceremonial rites?
With love in Christ
Fr. Christopher
Reply by Fr. xxxxx
Dear Pater Christopher,
THANK you again, for your martyria. Forgive my not being clearer. A main
reason that our family was abandoned is that all in all, the GOAA strongly
supports masons inside it. Besides ignorance and pride-- how could my
_____ (relative) have been wrong? -- the main reason for this is money and
the things of this world over God, truth and people’s very souls. So many
of our people from the time of poor Patriarch Meletios Metaxakis, are
members including my maternal grandfather xxxxx as well as my father of
blessed memory xxxxx who at least, got out when he learned better.
I was told by my former chancellor xxxxx, “You must understand Father
xxxxx, the Holy Metropolis of xxxxx has absolutely no problem with someone
being at the same time, a member of the Masonic lodge and an Orthodox
Christian.” Nineteen years ago after the repose of the godly bishop of
integrity xxxxx, who oversaw our parish in xxxxx, his replacement (until
another hierarch was selected) Fr. xxxxx who happens to be one of the two
most influential priests in the Archdiocese in front of the sacred icons
in the centre of the Church said to the faithful, “you all need to know
that there is no problem for a person to be both an Orthodox Christian and
a member of the Masonic lodge.”
You see Pater Christopher, when I would visit the Holy Mount Athos on a
number of occasions during my 10 months’ stay in Greece with my wife as
newlyweds, I would hear this warning from the God-fearing fathers there
who knew how influenced the Church in America has been by it, “Be careful
of the masons.”
How can most priests who are close to bishops in the Archdiocese who
remain with closed mouth on the subject, have any courage to say anything?
After all, the above mentioned Fr xxxxx’s good father, relatives,
parishioners who gave so much money to his wealthy parish and/or directly
to the Archdiocese were masons / therefore, “how is it possible for the
Lodge to be a bad thing?”
As much as anyone in America of Hellenic extraction, my family has
suffered because of even the lightest stand on the matter. To be
considered in a particular Metropolis, I had to sign a letter that I would
never raise the subject, which I did and didn’t have a problem with
because as my spiritual father said, “it will be on their heads at the
judgement seat.” And yet, I was still, not offered anything because
supposedly, according to one bishop, I can be a “mason magnet.” Well, it
is true that with the Lord’s help, I’ve had the honour of leading a number
of men out of the Lodge. Glory to God!
Since the official teaching of the lodge is that the one they worship is
the eosphoro/Lucifer, something purposefully kept from all except as you
say, the highest adepts, how can we not realize why local Orthodox
Churches compromised on this matter that is so much more serious than
Arianism do not have God’s full blessings, wisdom and humility? There’s no
other way to put it, but demons have influenced our leadership to bring
confusion, which is not of God (I Cor. 14:33). We have bishops and priests
publicly honouring many faithful who’ve never confessed, openly support
abortions, have striptease bars, devil nites at their restaurants, and I’m
just getting started. They tell us that “for the common good of the Church
we must have patience” and so on and so forth while we work on being the
most politically popular that we can be.
Fortunately, as with the Churches of Cyprus, ROCOR, Serbia and many
others, the OCA does not allow any mason to lead a parish in any way or
even vote. Some will not let them receive communion. The latter was the
OCA’s position in the late ‘60s when whether they wished to or not, all
priests had to announce from the pulpit that if one is a member of the
Masonic Lodge, “he/she has to decide within the next few weeks. Either
leave the Church or exit the lodge…”
As we move forward with faith to somehow not lose our home, pray for us.
The financial raping of a number of us who’ve in private asked questions,
is not easy to accept. It seems that the hierarchy give account to no one
but themselves and of course, the super wealthy, many of whom have a
similar mindset only because of the poor example and distorted teaching
from some previous spiritual leaders who by being members themselves, led
their parents to become masons. Thus, many Lutherans not tolerating
masonry are in fact, more Orthodox than a good number of men wearing
cassocks with long beards. Some sincere priests not realizing better, will
say “I have kids to put through college…” And if I didn’t know better, I
would say the same. But after I learned what Albert Pike, Manley Hall,
Coil and so many others teach, I could not but carefully, take a stand.
Presbytera and our kids have paid a TREMENDOUS price because of this
“foolishness” (I Cor. 4:10).
In Christ Jesus,
unworthy Priest Fr xxxxx
Reply to Fr. xxxxx
Dear Fr xxxxx,
Christ is in our midst!
I apologize for assuming that you were in support of the masons. In truth
I had no idea at what scale this unholy sect has infiltrated the Church,
but at the same time I am not shocked. Bishops and Priests are after all
only human and even though I like to think that when they entered the
Priesthood they were all humble and true believers of the Gospel, some
have not the spiritual strength and unmoveable faith to remain steadfast
and are easy prey to the temptations of this world, especially when these
temptations involve money and power. Very often, we Priests forget our
humble beginnings, and in time, take the Church and her teachings for
granted, believing that we are above such teachings and they are only
things we teach the people to keep them in check. If however, we take a
close look at ourselves we’ll often see a great similarity with the
Scribes and Pharisees during the time of Christ. They too, were spiritual
leaders of the people and fell to the same temptations that many Priests
fall to today.
Every year at the Matins of Holy and Great Tuesday we read the Gospel
reading where Christ reprimanded the spiritual leaders of Israel. But this
should not serve only as a historical account of what Christ said. It
should also, remind us to beware of falling into the same traps. For what
was valid then is valid for us today.
Of course each and every one of us will give account for his actions
before the dread judgement seat of Christ, but how much more will we
priests be judged? We’ve willingly taken upon ourselves to be accountable
for the spiritual welfare of the flock that God has entrusted to us. Thus
Fr xxxxx, you and your family are bearing a heavy Cross because you
decided to remain steadfast in those things you believe in. God will
reward you for your patience and martyria although sometimes it is not so
obvious in this life. He has already led you to a haven with the OCA who
have the courage to keep masons from their communities.
With brotherly love in Christ
Fr. Christopher
Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his
disciples, Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All
therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not
ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy
burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but
they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all
their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their
phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the
uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And
greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi... But woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of
heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye
them that are entering to go in... Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear
beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all
uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but
within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity... (Matthew 23: 1-39)
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