This point is not understood by many people and is denied by almost all Masons. However, statements from their own authorities affirm that it is so. With little comment and many quotations from Masonic authorities we document what we say:

From Albert C. Mackey in An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, vol. 2, pp. 617-619

"There has been a needless expenditure of ingenuity and talent by a large number of Masonic orators and essayists, in the endeavor to prove that Masonry is not a religion...I have never for a moment believed that any such unwarrantable assumption, as that Masonry is intended to be a substitute for Christianity, could ever obtain admission into any well-regulated mind, and, therefore, I am not disposed to yield on the subject of the religious character of Masonry, quite so much as has been yielded by more timid brethren. On the contrary, I contend, without any sort of hesitation, that Masonry is, in every sense of the word, except one, and that its least philosophical, an eminently religious institution---that is indebted solely to the religious element which it contains for its origin and for its continued existence, and that without this religious element it would scarcely be worthy of cultivation by the wise and good."

Mackey then gives four definitions of "religion" from Webster: "a belief in the being and perfections of God"; "godliness or real piety in practice"; "the performance of duties we owe directly to God"; and "any system of faith or worship" and continues by saying.....

"Now, it is plain that, in either of the first three senses in which we may take the word religion (and they do not very materially differ from each other), Masonry may rightfully claim to be called a religious institution. Closely and accurately examined, it will be found to answer to any one of the requirements of either of these three definitions. So much does it 'include a belief in the being and perfections of God,' that the public profession of such a faith is essentially necessary to gain admission into the Order. No disbeliever in the existence of God can be made a Mason...But it must be confessed that the fourth definition does not appear to be strictly applicable to Masonry. It has no pretension to assume a place among the religions of the world as a sectarian 'system of faith and worship,' in the sense in which we distinguish Christianity from Judaism, or Judaism from Mohammedanism. In this meaning of the word we do not and can not speak of the Masonic religion, nor say of a man that he is not a Christian, but a Mason. Here it is that the opponents of Freemasonry have assumed mistaken ground, in confounding the idea of a religious institution with that of the Christian religion as a peculiar form of worship, and in supposing, because Masonry teaches religious truth, that it is offered as a substitute for Christian truth and Christian obligation...The tendency of all true Masonry is toward religion. if it makes any progress, its progress is to that holy end. Look at its ancient landmarks, its sublime ceremonies, its profound symbols and allegories---all inculcating observance, and teaching religious truth, and who can deny that it is eminently a religious institution?"

Mackey then concludes:

"But the religion of Masonry is not sectarian. It admits men of every creed within its hospitable bosom, rejecting none and approving none for his peculiar faith. It is not Judaism, though there is nothing in it to offend a Jew; it is not Christianity, but there is nothing in it repugnant to the faith of a Christian. Its religion is that general one of nature and primitive revelation---handed down to us from some ancient and patriarchal priesthood---in which all men may agree and in which no men can differ. It inculcates the practise of virtue but it supplies no scheme of redemption for sin. It points its disciples to the path of righteousness, but it does not claim to be 'the way, the truth, and the life.' In so far, therefore, it cannot become a substitute for Christianity, but its tendency is thitherward; and , as the handmaid of religion, it may, and often does, act as the porch that introduces it votaries into the temple of Divine truth.

Masonry, then, is, indeed a religious institution; and on this ground mainly, if not alone, should the religious Mason defend it."

From Albert Pike in Morals and Dogma, pp. 212-214, 219, 196

"Whatever inculcates pure, noble, and patriotic sentiments, or touches the heart with the beauty of virtue, and the excellence of an upright life, accords with the religion of Masonry, and is the Gospel of literature and art...Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion...This is the true religion revealed to the ancient patriarchs; which Masonry has taught for many centuries, and which it will continue to teach as long as time endures...It is the universal, eternal, immutable religion, such as God planted it in the heart of universal humanity. No creed has ever been long-lived that was not built on this foundation. It is the base, and they are the superstructure...The ministers of this religion are all Masons who comprehend it and are devoted to it...The religious faith thus taught by Masonry is indispensable to the attainment of the great ends of life..."

From Albert Mackey in Masonry Defined, pp. 66, 177 we find reference to "the Masonic religious faith" as well as this statement: "The religion of Masonry is cosmopolitan, universal...",

Next: Masonry And The Bible: Points of Conflict

David Smitherman