Masonry In Mormonism

by Joseph Lloyd

(A paper read before the Clarence E. O'Neal Council Allied Masonic Degrees, March 9, 1962.)

The Philalethes Society, August 1962

Reprinted from The Philalethes CD-Rom© by permission.

ON THE SIXTH of April, 1830 Joseph Smith established a Church, or in his teachings, re-established the Authority of God upon this earth. This Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has grown from six members in 1830, one hundred thousand in the 1890's, one million in the 1940's and over two million today, 1962. David O. McKay, the Prophet of the Church, that this membership will double in the next five years.

This phenomenal growth is due to a zealous missionary endeavor which has spread ten thousand saints by twos over the face of the earth. They pay their own way, receiving no money whatever from the Church, which by the way, has just acquired of George Romney's American Motors three thousand Ramblers which they are distributing to the missions.

One of the Landmarks of Freemasonry is that the only religious test of a petitioner is that he has a steadfast belief in the existence and perfection of God. In the 1925 proceedings of The Grand Lodge of Utah under section 111, Qualifications, is found the following:

"Standing Resolution, Page 58 - The Mormon Church is an organization, the teachings and regulations of which are incompatible with membership in the Masonic Fraternity. Therefore, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly called the Mormon Church, is not eligible to become a member of any Masonic Lodge in this State; and membership in such Church shall be sufficient grounds for expulsion."

To understand the reason for this strict regulation we must go back to the early history of the Grand Lodge of Illinois.

The first Grand Lodge of Illinois was organized in 1823 and disappeared under a cloud of darkness in 1827, undoubtedly as a result of the Morgan incident.

The second Grand Lodge was established in 1840 and the following year a dispensation was issued for a Lodge at the Mormon town of Nauvoo. On March 15, 1842, Grand Master Jonas instituted the Lodge and at the same time Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and Sidney Rigdon were made Masons.

During the next six months this Lodge entered 286 candidates, passed and raised 256 Master Masons. This is quite impressive when compared to the total membership of the Grand Lodge of Illinois at that time, which was about 150.

At first glance, the raising of 256 Master Masons in a six month period seems unbelievable, but it is possible that it was not the custom in those days of conferring the degree on each individual candidate. More amazing would be the raising of 358 Masons during one year by a Lodge within the Grand Jurisdiction of Ohio in recent years.

After investigations of charges and complaints of irregularities, the Grand Lodge ordered the Mormon Lodges to dissolve in 1843. These orders were ignored and the Lodges continued to labor causing the Grand Lodge to declare them clandestine in 1844. Only the revolt and the murder of Joseph Smith on June 27th, 1844 caused these Lodges to disappear.

After the death of Joseph Smith, the Church was torn by different factions trying to gain its control. Brigham Young became the leader of one group and led them on their exodus to Mexican Territory and into the infamous practice of polygamy. They soon spread out into the territory that is now Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California.

When the first Lodge in Utah, other than a military Lodge, petitioned the Grand Lodge of Nevada in 1866 for a dispensation the Grand Master issued it under a pledge that the Lodge would not admit Mormons. This exclusion continued after the Grand Lodge of Utah was formed in 1872 and as we have already seen it is still in effect to this day.

One reason for this Ostracism of Mormons by the Freemasons of Utah is that of keeping the Church from gaining control over the Grand Lodge.

There of course are other reasons One being that the Mormons are considered by the Grand Lodge of Utah to be clandestine Masons. After having been exposed to Freemasonry in Illinois, they have since incorporated it into their religious rituals, especially in their "Rite of Endowment."

In his book Isn't One Wife Enough, Kimball Young, a grandson of Brigham Young and who was raised in the Church, states, "It is well to understand that the Mormon Church is really a form of secret society. The basic rituals are taken from those of the Masonic Order, of which Smith and the three subsequent presidents of the Church were all high ranking members."

It is interesting to note here that members of the Church and especially missionaries proudly proclaim that Joseph Smith was the highest ranking Mason, a thirty second degree Mason. He left this earth in the year 1844 and the Scottish Rite entered Illinois in the year 1857. This must have been a "celestial conferment."

Concerning the "rite of endowment," Brigham Young states in the Journal of Discourse, April 1853: "Your endowment is, to receive all the ordinances in the House of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens pertaining to the Holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell."

In 1958 a resolution to amend the Masonic Code of the Grand Lodge of Utah to formally declare that members of the Mormon Church are ineligible to visit a Utah Lodge was referred to the Committee on Jurisprudence. That committee's report as printed in the 1959 proceedings on page 85 is as follows:

"Your Committee feels that such a proposal is a gratuitous insult to sister jurisdictions who admit Mormons to membership. Legislation prohibiting visitation by any class of members other jurisdictions deem acceptable, could and eventually will have serious repercussions in our fraternal relations. To say the least the proposal leads to needless embarrassments.

"Assuming that there are good reasons for formally declaring members of that particular church ineligible for membership in Utah because of conditions prevailing here that do not exist elsewhere, none of these reasons can possibly require the formal prohibition of the courtesy of allowing visits from qualified brethren of sister jurisdictions recognized by us and whose good will we desire to retain. A visitor can neither vote nor dominate, neither can he see or hear anything not already within his knowledge. Such blanket denial of the privilege of visitation seems intolerant and unMasonic, and subjects us to needless and warranted criticism without accomplishing any substantial purpose.

"We must remember that since visitation is a privilege and not a right, any individual Mason feeling as the proponents of the amendment feel can accomplish the exclusion of any visitor objectionable to him by a simple objection made to the Worshipful Master at the time application to visit is made. It follows that legislation is wholly unnecessary to protect our members from contacts personally objectionable to them. On the other hand, in the event the amendment is adopted those Masons and Lodges who do not object are bound by such blanket denial of Masonic privileges. Your Committee feels that each Mason should be left to his oven individual right of objection, and not subject brother Masons to such prohibitions.

"Therefore, your Committee strongly recommends that the proposed amendment be not adopted."

In the 1959 proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, Grand Master Chester Hodges, in his address rendered the following:

Question 11, Is a member of the Mormon, or Latter-day Saints eligible for membership in Masonry?

Ruling, The petitioner petitions a Lodge out of choice and consequently would be dropped from his church membership if there is objection by the church. As for eligibility to petition Freemasonry, we can see no reason to prohibit anyone who expresses a belief in God, if found worthy and well Qualified.