The name of Jesus is on his lips. He is ready to help anyone who needs a hand and shows a loving concern for his neighbors. Manifesting the qualities and the spirit of Jesus Christ, he seeks to find more ways to show his love for man and for Christ. He is enticed by a community serving brotherhood that is known as the world’s largest, Freemasonry. Although this fraternity appeals to many Christian men with the opportunity to serve their community and God, Freemasonry is deceptive and harmful to Christians.
Freemasonry attracts many men because it promotes “friendship, morality, and brotherly love” as well proposing to “make good men better. Masonry is also the world’s oldest and largest fraternity. (Grand Lodge of Massachusetts A.F. & M.) Masonry seems almost like a Boy Scouts for men. In order to help their communities, they have to go to through initiation ceremonies, secret passcodes, and levels of honor and respect. Once involved, a mason can move through a total of thirty- two or thirty-three degrees, depending on the lodge.
The face of Masonry may be filled with many appealing principals, however the fraternity is deceiving Christians. They purposefully mislead people about their symbolism, beliefs, and practices. Freemasonry’s own thirty-third degree philosopher, Albert Pike, explains that the first degrees of Masonry are only the outer circle of the organization. Each Mason initiate is purposefully misled and only some of the symbols are shown to him. The only Masons that truly understand are the Masons who hold positions in the highest degrees. (819) He also states, “Masonry… conceals its secrets from all except… the elect, and uses false explanations and interpretations… to mislead those who deserve only ...
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Mormonism and its effect on Mason’s life was surprisingly not very influential. In the 1840’s, Mormonism was on its westward journey and eventually landed some followers in California. Being a slave to a Mormon apostle Amasa Mason Lyman and his 8 wives heavily impacted Biddy Mason’s view on religion (P.434). Being constantly around a faith that was fairly new didn’t completely rub off on Biddy, instead she went against the stream and aided the spread of proud African American culture by opening that Methodist church. Since the church, she opened was the first black church, it gave many opportunities for strong black communities that wasn’t restricted by the Mormon faith. Biddy Mason travelling against the stream of the influence of religion got many to follow her through her opening of the
Jacob, Margaret C. The Origins of Freemasonry: Facts & Fictions. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006.
When the British Army left Boston, this Lodge, # 441, granted Prince Hall and his brethren authority to meet as a lodge, to go in procession on Saints John Day, and as a Lodge to bury their dead; but they could not confer degrees nor perform any other Masonic "work".
Andy Stanley shows how to become deep and wide by staying simple in a church. First, he accomplishes this by keeping programming simple. By making the programs simple he can get more involvement from those who attend North Point. Secondly, Stanley demonstrates easy simplistic ways to move people through the discipleship process. By making this process simple those who attend North Point can more easily reach the community around them. Even though these are a few of the many applications used by Stanley he effectively helps pastors by giving them simple steps to bring people closer to Christ without a church background.
...e Witnesses door-to-door evangelism, the practices of these religions may be off-putting for some, however millions of people embrace these eccentricities open heartedly, all in the name of religion.
Not all cults are the evils the public makes them out to be; they are not necessarily spotless institutions, however. When one thinks of a cult, they imagine death, brainwashing, and simple human robots following the reincarnation of the devil. Not all cults end in mass suicide, violence, or terror; many religions once started as cults and have thrived since. However, some cults end in the expected display of death, confusion, and regret. Heaven’s Gate, led by Marshall Applegate, is one such example.
... Guys in fraternities gain respect from their ‘brothers’ when they sleep or hook up with a lot of girls. If they don’t try and hook up with girls, or if they have never slept with anyone, they are often looked down upon, or made fun of. If the fraternity is more popular with the girls than other fraternities, they gain a sense of power and more masculinity.
John Lawrence Reynolds efficaciously persuades his readers that the secret society of the Skull and Bones is one that is based in Germanic roots and produces members that achieve roles of prominence and power. Reynolds uses Aristotelian rhetoric to convince his readers that the affluent members of this society retain close bonds with their fellow bonesmen throughout their careers creating a façade of intrigue and conspiracy whose existence is verifiable and history is linked to Masonic traditions and possibly to the Nazi parties belief in a new world order.
It all starts with rush week. Every fraternity will put together some open invite events for any student who wishes to join the fraternity. Every year over hundreds of students sign up for rush week. You can sign up for as many fraternities as you wish, but it is always a good idea to sign up for a maximum of 2. The open invite events are meet and greets, for potential new members to meet the brothers and get a feel if that fraternity is right for them.
...oking at social institutions with their own culture, they are a prime example of just that. Sororities have developed their own language, gestures, values, customs, traditions, and rules. New members complete a process in which they are taught this culture and its initiated members live by these standards and participate in society accordingly. Sororities are often faced with class and race inequalities, as most are seen as expensive and exclusive, with the majority of members falling in the Caucasian, upper class. They can also influence social roles and social statuses within the campus environment depending on the amount of presence Greek life has on campus. Sororities are a group of women who are connected by a unique culture and participate within society according to the standards and expectations of their organization, much like any racial or religious group.
"The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies." Secret Teachings of All Ages: , Part Three. N.p., 30 June 2007. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.
For many decades, the cult phenomenon has fascinated the masses. A cult is an organization with deviant beliefs and practices, and is characterized by the apparent life-time membership of its participants. It seems to be very popular among troubled teenagers and adults. The psychology behind why some people are more susceptible to the charms and the lure of being in a cult is not very widely researched or understood. Many people are concerned with cultist behavior and the effect that they have on the individuals involved, believing that they have been “brainwashed” into this lifestyle. This paper deals with cult mentality and how people become involved in certain religious and secular cults. It will explore the personality traits of current and ex-cult members as well as look at case studies of members of particular cults. The format of this paper will first look at some preexisting dispositions, the psychological effects while in the cult, and any short term or long term effects upon leaving the cult, as well as some treatment options.
As many people will agree, Christ can be referred to, as Kierkegaard’s states it, “the prototype” (239). In other words, Christ lived in such an ethical and loving way that many people admire. Therefore, we can safely say that in following Christ’s “footprints” (238), we are closer to being more ethical and loving individuals. Consequently, in becoming involved with this service-learning project, I have come to realize that I, and everyone in general, do hold a moral responsibility towards complete strangers. This is most evident when regarding our religious background since I, and anyone else for that matter, cannot truly claim to being an ethical individual if we are stuck being admirers and do not alter in becoming imitators.
Over time freemasonry has developed to cult-like status, an exclusive fraternity that is often associated with religion. The official George Washington Masonic Memorial page on Freemasonry defines Freemasonry as “kindness in the home; honesty in business; courtesy toward others; dependability in ones work; compassion for the unfortunate; resistance to evil; help for the weak; concern for good government; support for public education; and above all, a life-practicing reverence for God and love of fellow man.” This is primarily what the term “Freemason” refers to today, and it has grown into a massive group, with over 10,000 local lodges in the United States alone, and 52 Grand Lodges.
His church is a “good sized” suburban church that has been around for 295 years. He describes the parishioners as having a “broad tent” of theological views. This congregation is open to new ideas and re-visiting the old. They appear to be carrying out intentional missional work in their community