An Open Letter To Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon

Dear Sirs,

To introduce myself, I am Corky from Pine Island, Texas. I am 78 years old. Baptized in the University Baptist Church in Houston in 1944. Some years later became a Mason, joined the Scottish Rite and the Shrine and have never found a conflict between Christianity and Masonry.

I am sorry, but I can not agree with you. I would however, like to make a couple of points. One of the things I love about our Bible(the King James Translation) is that it reveals the truth about all things.

One of the truths I love best is found in the book of Luke,

(Luke 6:37) Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Some people would think that it is saying that if you condemn Masonry you will be condemned. And, maybe even that if you forgive Masons for what you see as sin, you will be also be forgiven.

Mark also left a message anti-Masons should heed;

(Mar 12:31) And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

And then Paul added another line to it;
(Gal 5:15) But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

That seems that Christ is saying that we should all get along with each other. It didn't even say, Thou shalt love Baptists or Christians only. It said, love thy neighbor.

But that must not be right, because that is the same thing Masonry teaches.

Then there is the statement in your article, "If you are a Christian, when the Lodge teaches a man that by his good life and by his good deeds God will admit him into heaven, is't that contrary to biblical teaching?" Actually, Masonry teaches that men will be judged by their works.

But then in our Bible, Jesus says in Revalations,

(Rev 22:12) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Now that really sounded like Jesus said men will be rewarded in heaven according to their works.

Then there is the Mason's bible, that you and other anti-Masons love to quote from, Albert Pike's "Morals And Dogma." I have been a Blue Lodge Mason for many years and a Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner. I am a Past Master and a Lodge Treasurer and have been Secretary, Warden and Deacon of more then one Lodge, but I have never seen a copy, or even heard a word quoted from "Morals and Dogma" in my life in a Masonic Lodge. In fact, I had never even heard of "Morals and Dogma" until I read about it on an anti-Masonic web site.

I guess that is another failing of Masonry, we don't even teach from the "Masonic Bible".