Why are atheists not allowed if (according to your own website) 1) “fremasonry is not a religion”, 2) “religion is not discussed at Masonic meetings” and 3) masonry is “not concerned with your particular religious beliefs”?

Freemasonry is not a religion, true.  However, the organization is comprised of religious men.  Which religion or beliefs you subscribe to is not important in Freemasonry, but only men who recognize that there is something more, and that we have a creator to whom we must ultimately answer, will truly benefit from Masonry.

Religion is not discussed at meetings, true.  I think you are confusing “religion” with “belief in God”.  Religion is an organized faith with dogma and a way to God.  Freemasonry is none of this.  Each meeting begins with a prayer, but this is non-denominational, and does not need to follow any particular religion. 

Masonry is not concerned with your particular religious beliefs, true.  You are never asked about which religion you belong to.  So in saying that religion is not discussed at meetings, we mean that we do not talk about how to save your soul, or how to worship properly, or even which faith is best.  If we did discuss religion, being an organization comprised of men from many different faiths, we would certainly have MAJOR disagreements.  For this reason, instead of focusing on things that divide mankind, such as politics and religion, we focus on things that unite men, such as the brotherhood of man and the kindness we can extend to others, regardless of which religion we practice.

Atheism. God. Religion. Symbolism.

It’s very interesting that we get so many questions on the issue of religion and freemasonry. I’m sure there’s a myriad of reasons.  The “churchlike” rooms. The “alter”. The big “G”. The supposed roots in the Knights Templar.

In addition to the wonderful post above, I’m going to give a personal thought as a Mason on the whole atheism thing. First, there’s probably hundreds of Masons out there who for one reason or another don’t believe there’s a God. But at some point while they became Masons they all signed something saying they did, later said that they put their trust in God, and then took a sacred oath to keep Masonic secrets. Other than that I don’t get involved in another Mason’s beliefs.

Someone said there’d no atheists in Foxholes. There’s also a number of reasons that an AVOWED atheist cannot become a Mason. I suppose one could get nit picky on this, but Freemasonry is about trying to make good men better through allegory. Much of that allegory surrounds the idea of shaping our lives—with perfection as the always worthwhile but unobtainable goal. The allegory makes use of the idea that the perfection we seek is in an afterlife. An atheist wouldn’t be real comfortable with this. And Masons don’t want any man doing anything that would make him feel uncomfortable. An atheist might also feel uncomfortable with the following:

o There are references throughout the allegorical plays and lessons taught in Freemasonry to the “Supreme Architect of the Universe.”
o Masonic ritual asks men to “trust in God.”
o And finally, all Masons are required to take an oath to “keep sacred the secrets”. An avowed atheist would have to take an oath—as opposed to a promise or a pledge or a vow—otherwise no promise would be binding upon him. An atheist would have trouble with this—and I would have trouble entrusting the secrets to him.

Just my two cents

Thank you for the question because it is important to discuss.  The first two answers were both very good, but I would like to add a little more to it.

The fundamental concept of Freemasonry is based on the belief, common to all religions and almost all systems of philosophy, that there exists a Supreme Being who created this world and to whom all mankind is the instrument and servant.  Although we are not concerned with how our members define or worship their Supreme Being, the Fraternity’s ritual emphasized three ideas: first, God exists; second, men are put on this world to exercise their faculties and work as God’s instruments; and third, that their work is to be performed in accordance with certain principles of morality and justice indicated by the laws contained in Sacred Writings. Freemasonry has no Sacred Book of its own.  Instead, our individual members refer themselves to the Book of their faith.  It would be inconsistent for an Atheist to join Freemasonry because our entire system is based on the belief of the existence of a Supreme Being.  If this is incompatible with a man’s personal beliefs then he cannot become a Mason.  On the other hand, the words Atheist and Agnostic are often misunderstood by some people who think they refer to a belief in a “God” defined by an organized faith.  We have many members who do not subscribe to any particular religion, but have a belief in something greater than we are that they are unwilling to define.  If this more accurately reflects you beliefs, then there might be a place for you in our Fraternity.

I hope this helps.
-Robert

Would this mean then that a Deist, who thus does not believe in divine immanence or a teleology within the created realm, is like the atheist barred from seeking membership?  A Deist certainly believes in a Supreme Being and some categories mentioned in previous answers, such as sacrality, would not be foreign or improper within a Deistic worldview, but a Deist does not affirm any accountability of human beings to the Divine.  The Divine is simply too transcendent for such accountability, and quantum mechanics has banished a Laplacian demon-type relationship between the Divine and the created order.

The Founding Fathers were Deists (some of them atleast). So I’m pretty sure that would be allowed. But I’ll wait for a mod to reply.

Ah, but the Deism of today differs from the Deism of the 18th century.  Back then, one could equate the Divine with what was basically Laplace’s demon.  That is, they had a mechanical view of physics.  Therefore, the Divine could have (and they thought did) set creation in motion such that there were specifics of a plan, including the appearance of human beings, a natural law of morality, etc.

Deism today must account for quantum mechanics in which the Divine could not even have had guaranteed knowledge that intelligent beings would appear.  There is no divinely mandated morality, no ultimate plan, no human accountability to the Divine.  The philosophical principles are shared across the centuries, but the conclusions have changed as our scientific knowledge increased.

I hope this clarifies the issue brought up by Flash’s post for any moderator who replies.

Deism is an interesting word. Like the word “secrets,” it’s incendiary.
Freemasons are often “accused” of being deists by organized religions.

Deism was certainly popular in the 18th century, as were all of the movements in the humanist tradition that came out of the Renaissance and culminated in Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, and indeed, our American Revolution.

As a Deist, Hobbes’ cosmological argument for the existence of God does not seem outside the Masonic definition. And Enlightened thinkers like Voltaire—a very prominent Freemason in France (Ben Franklin spoke at his funeral)—had no problem reconciling Masonry and God with the philosophical thought of the day.

I am certain that our founding fathers, whether they were deeply religious men or not, were constantly wondering how to reconcile God and the new scientific world —just as we are today.

And while I appreciate your question, the bottom line is that how you define your relationship with a Supreme Being is up to you.

I personally find the whole subject a little taxing.

One of the great things about Freemasonry (and one of the reasons it has lasted so long) is that we really don’t care about your definition of God. If you can say, in front of a Lodge full of men, that you place your trust in God, I’m fine with it.

And if you can’t—there’s nothing about our ceremonies that would keep you from getting up and walking out at any time.

In fact, if you can’t say it, we’ll help you walk out.

Regards,

Bob