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Originally posted by Avalessa
reply to post by pshea38
So they can unite as humans with something in common. Like an after school club.
It's a King James bible with some extra stuff at the front and the back that might be of interest to Masons. So what?
Originally posted by emptyOmind
Have a look at their own version of the bible: Masonic Bible
Originally posted by ezekielken
reply to post by SisyphusRide
that poem is awesome. You took the words right out of our program overlap. resistance is futile, you will be assimilated
Originally posted by redindigo
I agree fully that the bible has to have been changed / altered once or twice if not many times, however in bringing up this argument with my (very ) Christian dad he dropped the dead sea scrolls on me saying these were found to prove that every single word in the bible is verified.
Apparently the scrolls date back through carbon dating to the around the very time the old testament was written. Now I am not a sucker and have NO trust for any religious institution whose main aim is to control the masses. So I'm looking for someone who can explain the dead sea scrolls and how they would match word for word with our current bible, given the fact that the bible was written in ancient Hebrew that included no vowels and all the vowels were selectively inserted by some guys.
Doesn't it seem unlikely that these guys managed to get the vowels (through speculation) 100% right to match the ancient dead sea scrolls exactly? I'm just searching for truth, if it verifies the bible or completely debunks its authenticity I could care less. I just want to know truth.
Which is a lot of what Pike does in Morals & Dogma.
Originally posted by artistpoet
Any Mason seeking truth would not claim truth began 2000 years ago
I would have thought the quest of any Mason or non Mason would be to look at all religions and discern the roots and original philosophy behind it.
Just curious, but what ever lead you to that conclusion? Infiltrated by WHO and to WHAT ENDS? And HOW? These are not idle questions. It's easy to toss off a one-liner about infiltration, but can you actually explain what that means to you? Or have you never thought about it and just assume it is so? And if that's the case, what lead you to that assumption over the other possibilities?
I do think that modern Freemasons have been infiltrated however.
Originally posted by JoshNorton
Which is a lot of what Pike does in Morals & Dogma.
Originally posted by artistpoet
Any Mason seeking truth would not claim truth began 2000 years ago
I would have thought the quest of any Mason or non Mason would be to look at all religions and discern the roots and original philosophy behind it.
Just curious, but what ever lead you to that conclusion? Infiltrated by WHO and to WHAT ENDS? And HOW? These are not idle questions. It's easy to toss off a one-liner about infiltration, but can you actually explain what that means to you? Or have you never thought about it and just assume it is so? And if that's the case, what lead you to that assumption over the other possibilities?
I do think that modern Freemasons have been infiltrated however.
Originally posted by artistpoet
My thoughts stem from this question:-
Do you think the elite and very real power players of global events would not attempt to infiltrate such a well connected organization as Freemasonry? -
This is not a criticism but an observation of how things work in the real world.
Originally posted by JoshNorton
Originally posted by artistpoet
My thoughts stem from this question:-
Do you think the elite and very real power players of global events would not attempt to infiltrate such a well connected organization as Freemasonry? -
This is not a criticism but an observation of how things work in the real world.
I guess that's just going on the false assumption that Freemasonry is a "well connected organization." The truth is, it isn't. It's not even one organization, it's hundreds, perhaps even a thousand small organizations. There's no umbrella organization running the show, no hierarchy pulling the strings. There can't be, because each Grand Lodge is autonomous, elects its own leadership, enforces its own rules and bylaws, etc.
And if, by well connected, you mean that there are Masons in "positions of power", that's really not the case today either. It may have been more common in the 1950s, but then there were more than 4 million Masons in the US. There's been a steep decline, as the generation growing up in the 60s and 70s were not "joiners". You'd be hard pressed to name more than a handful of prominent business leaders or politicians today who are Masons.
That's fine. We're more than happy to answer questions.
Originally posted by artistpoet
Thanks for your response - Yes - I have assumed certain things but I am here to learn,
There are certain principles that are, or should be, adhered to. There's a system of "recognition" as well. So while there isn't a control structure beyond the state level, there IS a lineage.
If Lodges are autonomous - what then is the glue that holds them together under the name of Freemasonry?
I know a lot of the members of my lodge are active with UNICEF, Kiwanis, and other groups. We do blood drives for the Red Cross, and donate food to local shelters.
Do lodges act independently always or do they ever work with other public body's or private groups?
There are no rules against it. I know some Masons who have also been Knights of Columbus, Oddfellows, or other groups. Nowhere in the Masonic oaths does it require exclusivity over any other part of your life.
It is possible for a member of a Lodge to also be a member of a another secret society?
Originally posted by artistpoet
If Lodges are autonomous - what then is the glue that holds them together under the name of Freemasonry?
Do lodges act independently always or do they ever work with other public body's or private groups?
It is possible for a member of a Lodge to also be a member of a another secret society?