A Study of Freemasonry

goomba

Active Member
Today I received A Study of Freemasonry in the mail. This is a 70+-page paper from the mid-1990’s from the Southern Baptist Convention’s Interfaith Witness Department. It is mentioned several places online but not available for download. I emailed the SBC asking about this and they sent me a copy. I think this was probably the BEST evaluation and read I have seen from a mainline Protestant Christian denomination. In the following weeks, I will scan this document and make a word document. Below I am going to post the final paragraph on page 71 of the report.


From A Study of Freemasonry:

The Home Mission Board Interfaith Witness Department staff agree with Charleston Southern Baptist, who, in 1798, advised that the matter of Southern Baptist membership in Freemasonry “be left with the judgment of the individual”. They agree with George W. Truett who said, “The right to private judgment is the crown jewel of humanity, and for any person or institution to dare to come between the soul and God, is a blasphemous impertinence and a defamation of the crown-rights of the Son of God.”

It is refreshing to see a denomination put to paper that it believes its members intelligent enough to make decisions for themselves.
 

Winter

I've been here before
That is nice to see.

How dies the rest of the paper read? Pro or con as regards Freemasonry.
 

goomba

Active Member
I would say the paper overall is PRO. The rumor I found online, please see I said rumor, is that the gentleman who did the majority of the paper became a Freemason.
 

goomba

Active Member
It is also worthy to note in the same report on page 1:

From 141st Annual report, home mission board 1986:
after a thorough study by the Interfaith Witness Department, it is the Board's conclusion that Freemasonry does not fall within the scope of assigned responsibility of the Home Mission Board

and

From The Christian Index April 3, 1992 page 2
The department of Interfaith Witness does not recolonize Freemasonry as a religion.


I believe the bottom line is from the paragraph a originally posted. The individual has to make the decision for themselves. Read your VSL for yourself and pray to God for guidance. When I get the report scanned I will be more than willing to email it to anyone.
 

jaya

Active Member
There were/are a good percentage of the SBC that are Freemason including some involved in that study and paper.
 

Winter

I've been here before
If you read the link I posted, one of the issues was that there were Baptist Freemasons involved in the report which was supposed to be, I believe, an impartial study.
 

goomba

Active Member
The study covers that. The person who motioned for the study only wanted non-Masons conducting the study. The convention thought that to be unfair so they made the group of both Mason's and non-Mason's.
 

goomba

Active Member
To everyone who sent me an email wanting a copy of the study. My pc crashed so it will take me a little bit to get back to you with that. I was able to send it to one member so if you can help me out with that I would be grateful. Sorry Bro's.
 

goomba

Active Member
Thanks Coach. Everything I had saved over the past 9 years is currently unavailable. I need to buy a hard drive enclosure.
 
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