Masonic Origins Masonic Origins This Article is an excerpt from "En Route to Global Occupation" by Gary H. Kah, published by Huntington House. This important book deserves a place in your library. After months of getting nowhere, a door finally opened. One Sunday evening in 1986 while sharing at a church in northern Indiana, I met an elderly lady who introduced herself to me at the close of the service. She inquired whether I knew anything about Freemasonry and its influence on the New Age. I told her I was aware of its involvement but that I still did not understand exactly what role the Masonic Order played in the overall scheme of things. She went on to share that she had been researching the Masonic movement for the past twenty years and had quite a collection of materials on the Order (much of which she had obtained from widows of deceased Masons who were unaware of the significance of the Order and its literature). She would make her materials available to me if I wanted them and explained that she had been unsuccessful at getting anyone to listen to her because of her age and the lack of a fancy job title. We ended up meeting several times at her home to sort through her materials on Freemasonry. Whatever this elderly saint did not have, it seemed she knew where to get it. In the months that followed, l received quite an education while combing through the major Masonic reference works. I found a repeated mention of such orders as the Illuminati, the Knights Templars, and the Rosicrucians, along with other cultish groups, which I had previously thought to be only myths. But I soon became convinced to the contrary, not only learning that they existed, but that Freemasonry was a modern-day continuation of Gnosticism and of the ancient mystery religions. While most sources placed the official birth of Freemasonry at 1717, Masonic references clearly indicated that the organization's history went back much further than this. The adjacent diagram, based on my research in both Masonic and non-Masonic sources, depicts the roots of the Order along with its historical and modern-day lines of influence. (A number of other false religions and subversive movements have also had an influence on the Masonic Order. However, those depicted are the main sects and religions to which the existence of Freemasonry and the New Age movement may be attributed. The names have changed, but the beliefs, tactics, and designs of the groups have remained essentially the same). The history of Freemasonry, I discovered, was also the history of the secret societies, and the history of the secret societies is the history of organized occultism—particularly in the Western world. Perhaps the most complete history of organized occultism has been provided by Albert Pike in his 861 page occult classic entitled—"Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry" (more commonly referred to by Masons as simply Morals and Dogma). Drawing from the sources available to him as the long-time leader of Freemasonry (1859-1891), Pike was able to trace the chronological growth and spread of the Mysteries over the face of the earth from ancient Babylon down to the present-day Masonic Order. In reference to the esoteric doctrines of the Mysteries, Pike states: The communication of this knowledge and other secrets, some of which are perhaps lost, constituted, under other names, what we now call Masonry, or Free, or Frank-Masonry . . . The present name of the Order, and Its titles, and the names of the Degrees now in use, were not then known . . . But, by whatever name it was known in this or the other country, Masonry existed as it now exists, the same in spirit and at heart . . . before even the first colonies emigrated into Southern India, Persia, and Egypt, from the cradle of the human race (Morals and Dogma, p.207-208). Pike goes on to remark, "We teach the truth of none of the legends we recite. They are to us but parables and allegories, involving and enveloping Masonic instruction; and vehicles of useful and interesting information. They represent the different phases of the human mind, its efforts and struggles to comprehend nature, God, the government of the Universe, the permitted existence of sorrow and evil. To teach us wisdom, and the folly of endeavoring to explain to ourselves that which we are not capable of understanding, we reproduce the speculations of the Philosophers, the Kabalists, the Mystagogues and the Gnostics. Every one being at liberty to apply our symbols and emblems as he thinks most consistent with truth and reason and with his own faith, we give them such an interpretation only as may be accepted by all." (Ibid, p.329). Dozens of supporting statements are scattered throughout the same volume, leaving no doubt that Pike meant what he said. Other Masonic reference works provide a similar account of the Order's roots. The Freemason's Monitor, for example, explains: "Our records inform us, that the usages and customs of Masons have ever corresponded with those of the Egyptian philosophers, to which they bear a near affinity. Unwilling to expose their mysteries to vulgar eyes, they concealed their particular tenets, and principles of polity, under hieroglyphical figures; and expressed their notions of government by signs and symbols, which they communicated to their Magi alone, who were bound by oath not to reveal them" (Thomas Smith Webb, PGM, The Freemason's Monitor Cincinnati: The Pettibone Bros., 1797, p.39). I discovered that historical documents pertaining to the beginnings of Freemasonry and the spread of organized occultism had been preserved in a number of Masonic libraries throughout the world. In Europe, for example, a sizable collection can be found in Freemason's Hall located on Great Queen (i.e. Semiramis) Street in the heart of London. In the United States, on the other hand, a large depository of Masonic writings is located at the Grand Lodge of Iowa in Cedar Rapids. The most extensive collection by far, however, can be found at the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C. Along with serving as the headquarters for the Mother Supreme Council of the World (the governing body of Freemasonry) and containing a vast, exquisite Masonic shrine, the House of the Temple also houses a universally renowned Masonic library. Henry C. Clausen, the former Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite referred to this library in his book, Masons Who Helped Shape Our Nation written in 1976. "A priceless treasure of The Supreme council is its Library. One-third of the 175,000 volumes which it contains deal with Freemasonry in all its branches, forming one of the most comprehensive collections on this subject in the entire world." "The Archives in the House of the Temple supplement the Library. More than two-and-a-half million papers, giving details of the history of Masonry and of the Scottish Rite are carefully filed and indexed." (Henry C. Clausen, SGM, Masons Who Helped Shape Our Nation. San Diego: Neyenesch Printers, 1976, p.111). Another prominent Masonic writer, H.L. Haywood, confirms these figures, claiming the existence of "fifty or sixty thousand Masonic books" (H.L. Haywood, Famous Masons and Masonic Presidents. Richmond, VA: Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., p.97). If Freemasonry were nothing more than a social organization, as it publicly claims to be, then how could one account for the incredible number of books existing on the Order? What kind of social organization would possess an archive of two-and-a-half million documents along with a library of sixty thousand books containing its history? The mere existence of such a collection suggested that Freemasonry was more than a large group of citizens organized for community service. As a result of my research, I finally came to conclude that a careful history of the occult had been maintained by the ancient priests wherever the mysteries were practiced. This information was probably initially passed along chiefly by word of mouth and possibly assisted by the use of hieroglyphics and other forms of primitive writing developed among the ancient civilizations. However, as time progressed, this knowledge of the secret rituals, beliefs and practices of the occult priesthood, was put into writing on manuscripts, providing a permanent record of these Luciferic activities. Much of this ancient knowledge was allegedly first recorded by some of the Greek and Roman philosophers, whose philosophical societies existed as special extensions of the occult priesthood. According to Masonic sources, this information has been miraculously preserved ever since, having been passed from one generation to the next through an unbroken line of occult priests. The Masonic Order claims to be the latest in a succession of occult orders who have served as the guardians of this ancient knowledge. Many specifics of the Order's diabolical legacy have been revealed in the works of Masonic historians such as Pike, Mackey, Haywood, M.P. Hall, and others who have provided summaries of Masonic/occult history. While some discrepancies exist among the various accounts, there is, nevertheless, a remarkable degree of uniformity and consistency considering the complexity of the subject. However, to understand the Masonic Order's complete role and where it fits in, a bit of world history is required. A Historical Perspective By the days of Noah the world had become completely saturated with the occult to the point where only one righteous family was left. As a result, God, who was grieved by man's sin and wickedness, judged the world by sending a flood. After the flood, however, it took only a few generations before man had once again begun to embrace the occult. This was evidenced at the building of the Tower of Babel, which is believed to have been the first ziggurat—an ancient occult worship tower with a shrine at the top. Under the umbrella of pantheism, the ancient occult mysteries began to take hold and spread. By the time of Abraham and Lot, the human state, at least in their part of the world, had once again gotten out of control. Those were the days of Sodom and Gomorrah when perversion and immorality were taken to new heights. Although Abraham was himself not perfect, he was a man who sought to do right in the eyes of God. Because he and his family were the only righteous ones left who were willing to acknowledge Him, God would honor Abraham's faith by choosing to create a nation from his seed. God would work through this nation, Israel, to keep His truth and the way of righteousness alive in the midst of a dark, occult-ravaged world. After a few hundred years when Abraham's seed had sufficiently multiplied, there were enough Israelites to constitute a physical nation. At that time, God led His people out of Egypt by His servant Moses. The history of Israel would be one of ups and downs. When the Israelites were obedient to God, they prospered; and none of their pantheistic neighbors could stand against them. However, when the Israelites themselves began to fall for the spiritual lies of the surrounding nations, they were oppressed by these same powers. God sent a steady stream of holy prophets to teach Israel His ways and to warn them of what would happen if they did not obey. Much like the relationship between a loving father and his child, while longing for his child (Israel) to be good and loving, there were times when that child was rebellious and needed to be disciplined before something much worse happened. The Israelites, through Moses, had been instructed to bring regular animal offerings or sacrifices before God. These sacrifices symbolized the payment for their sins, reminding them: that sin does not come without a penalty. These offerings were also symbolic of the coming supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ Who would pay the penalty for the sins or the entire world at the appointed time. After the proper groundwork had been laid, God sent His Son. The Message of forgiveness and the promise of eternal Life to those who believe in Christ would be carried forward from Israel to all nations. Although this gospel (the good news) spread in all directions, It would not be equally accepted by all peoples and would meet with more resistance in some places than in others. Those missionaries, for example, who carried the message into Babylon, Persia, and India were violently rejected; and only a small number of people believed and received the truth there. Likewise today, in spite of nearly twenty centuries of missionary efforts in the Far East, with the exception of a few areas, the Message of Christ has been overwhelmingly rejected. The hold of Satan on these countries is so complete and established that, to this day, only a small percent of the orient believes in Christ. Hinduism—the oldest surviving pantheistic religion is still being practiced by a majority of India's inhabitants. The story would be different in the Mediterranean where the gospel was accepted by large numbers, in spite of fierce persecution against those who believed. Within a few generations there were so many Christians in this region that the high priests of the Mysteries of Greece, Rome, and Egypt began to lose their control. The teachings of Christ went head-to-head against the pantheistic beliefs and occult practices of the priests, exposing them for what they were. The more the believers were persecuted, the larger their numbers grew, until finally the occult priests were forced to go underground in order to keep their secret knowledge and traditions alive. These occult teachings have been handed down from generation to generation ever since, kept alive in the Western world by the secret societies, which are little more than a continuation of ancient occult priesthoods. Satan's plan was to keep his priesthood and secret doctrines alive until, being sufficient in number and power, the priesthood could once again seize control over his lost territories. Gnosticism, the most effective and widely accepted form of pantheism, was more deceptive and clever than the others, developing the occult's only major counter explanation to the Message and Person of Christ. The Gnostics were the chief adversaries of the Apostle Paul and the early Church, relentlessly pursuing Christians wherever they went, long before the mystery religions even began to crumble. According to Albert Pike, Gnosticism was an offshoot of Kabalism, an oral occult tradition, which was adhered to by a minority of the Jews. At some point, which remains uncertain, these occult teachings were reduced to writing, and the Kabalah was born. On page 626 of Morals and Dogma, Pike states, "The Kabalah is the key of all Masonry and the occult sciences; and the Gnostics were born of the Kabalists." Kabalism was merely a unique version of the ancient mysteries specifically designed to deceive God's chosen people. Unlike the other mysteries, its teachings dealt specifically with Israel, offering occult counter-explanations to the revelations of the prophets, complete with a cleverly disguised occult interpretation of the history of Israel. Moses, for example, rather than being the righteous prophet of God who led the Israelites out of Egypt, was made out to be an occult figure whose purpose was to initiate the Israelites into the enlightened and more advanced teachings of Egypt. If Kabalism could be viewed as the occult counter-explanation of the Old Testament, Gnosticism, existing as a further development of Kabalism and taking into account Satan's "new problem" posed by the risen Christ, would serve as the main occult counterattack against the New Testament. Thus, Kabalism and Gnosticism combined, composed a type of occult parallel to the Old and New Testaments. Gnosticism, although originally composed of Jewish occultists, rapidly gained Gentile followers until it soon became predominantly Gentile. As the priesthoods were forced to take on new forms, Gnosticism became a magnet for these occult adepts. Branches of Gnosticism represented the first significant secret societies of the post-resurrection era with various degrees or levels of initiation and the inner circle of initiates worshiping Lucifer. Gnosticism A significant amount of space has been devoted to the discussion of Gnosticism in Masonic reference works. Morals and Dogma, for example, has allotted more than forty pages to Gnosticism and its connection with Freemasonry. Albert Pike, the book's author, offers the following explanation of Gnosticism: "The Gnostics derived their leading doctrines and ideas from Plato and Philo, the Zend-avesta and the Kabalah,and the Sacred books of India and Egypt; and thus introduced into the bosom of Christianity the cosmological and theosophical speculations, which had formed the larger portion of the ancient religions of the Orient, joined to those of the Egyptian, Greek, and Jewish doctrines, which the New-Platonists had equally adopted in the Occident" (Morals and Dogma, 248). Gnosticism flourished through various offshoots such as the Manicheans of the third century, the Euchites of the fourth century, the Paulicans of the seventh century, and the Bogomils of the ninth century (Nesta H. Webster, Secret Societies and Subversive Movements, Hawthorne, CA: Christian Book Club of America, 1924. p.32-34, 63). It is not possible within the scope of this book to identify and define each branch of Gnosticism that has existed over the centuries, but the following teaching of the Bogomils will give us an idea of what beliefs the Knights Templars embraced before passing them on to Freemasonry. God, the Supreme Father, has two sons, the elder Satanael, the younger Jesus. To Satanael, who sat on the right hand of God, belonged the right of governing the celestial world, but filled with pride, he rebelled against his Father and fell from Heaven. Then, aided by the companions of his fall, he created the visible world, image of the celestial, having like the other its sun, moon, and stars, and last he created man and the serpent which became his minister. Later Christ came to earth in order to show men the way to Heaven, but His death was ineffectual, for even by descending into Hell He could not wrest the power from Satanael, i.e., Satan. This belief in the impotence of Christ and the necessity therefore for placating Satan, not only "the Prince of this world," but its creator, led to the further doctrine that Satan, being all-powerful, should be adored (Ibid., 63). At the base of each form of Gnosticism existed this adoration or worship of Satan, as well as a profound hatred for Christ and His teachings. It was perversions such as these, handed down in an unbroken tradition from the earliest Gnostics, that were eventually embraced by the Knights of the Temple (Knights Templars) in the twelfth century. Knights Templars The Knights Templars were a military and religious order first established in AD 1118 in Jerusalem by nine French knights under the leadership of Hugues de Payens of Champagne and Godefroi de Saint- Omer (Ibid., 49). Their stated mission was to protect pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land during the crusades (Collier's Encyclopedia, 1985 "Knights Templars"). They also fought in various battles of the crusades and became famous for their bravery (World Book Encyclopedia, 1969 "Knights Templars"). "Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, gave the Knights Templars quarters in his palace, built on the site of Solomon's Temple." From this, the order derived its name—Knights of the Temple. Membership in the Knights Templars was originally limited to nobles. However, later on, the order opened its ranks to other men whom it felt could be used to further its aims. The order grew rapidly and in the year 1128 was taken under the special protection of the pope (Collier's Encyclopedia, "Knights Templars"). During the Crusades, the Knights Templars established local offic… truncated (51,328 more characters in archive)