Hello all.

I wanted to post a response to a recent PM I received.

This person wanted to know if his decision to augment his belief and upbringing in the Catholic faith with that of Buddhism would be a problem during his investigation. He said he thought he would have a hard time explaining it, and was uncomfortable asking the question on the Live Forum. Thinking that others might have a similar situation, I am reposting my reply here in edited form.

I welcome thoughts from others.
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Thank you for your heartfelt message, _____.

Your question is legitimate. But your fears are not.

The fact that you believe that there is a Supreme Being is all that matters. Freemasonry only asks that you have a belief in a deity. That’s it.

I am Catholic also. But my religious preference did not come up in an interview.

Here is what I suggest. Your particular search for the truth is of no business to anyone but yourself. You believe in a supreme being. Period. You believe that there is a God. Period. If anyone asks you anything else they are going beyond the bounds of Freemasonry. And you can tell them so.

If, however, you offer information on your own—tell someone all your thoughts without prompting—people can think you are strange. It is just human nature. And you can be blackballed for being strange! If I tell someone that I was brought up Catholic, but as a theologian believe that we should all be searching for an ecumenical solution and a reinvention of the sacred—then perhaps I would not have been allowed to become a Mason!

The fact is, the God thing will probably not even come up. You already answered “yes” to the question of belief in your petition.

But someone could ask you again, just for clarity: “Do you believe in God?” And you could say yes. Or you could say, “What do you mean by God?”

That raises a red flag. Do not answer a question with a question. Just answer yes.

Religion is not a topic in Freemasonry. Men of all religions and beliefs come together for fellowship. That’s it. Men who believe in God but don’t know where they fit in are also Masons.

But in a weird way, if you try to make an issue of your faith—try to explain too hard and ask too many times if your particular idea of God is accepted—you may in fact raise a red flag that you could be here for the wrong reasons—like you are here to try to convert people or something. Or that you’re just strange…

We are here for fellowship, friendship, and fun. We do good things and have fun together. And we can choose not to hang out with someone who seems strange or too hung up on things.

Does that make sense?

As for Buddhism ...

The problem with Buddhism in America is that a lot of people don’t understand it. If you were to say you were a Buddhist and ask if Buddhists are accepted you run the risk that someone might see that group as one that actually doesn’t believe in God (it’s true, a lot of people just don’t know). All it takes is that one ignorant guy in a group of otherwise intelligent men who has it confused—and that guy says “I don’t want one of those “Buddhist atheists” in my Lodge. And he doesn’t recommend you. I’m not saying it will happen that way, I’m just saying that you’re bringing up something that nobody has asked you about. Why would you do that?

Freemasons are just men. We want to be around people we understand. We check religion at the door. Don’t try to explain your religion. If you don’t check it at the door you risk alienation.

Hope that helps. Since you believe in a Supreme Being, say, “Yes, I believe in a Supreme Being.” And leave it at that. If someone instead says “tell me about your religious beliefs,” say, “I believe in God.” If someone (illegally, in Masonic terms) says “What religion are you?” You could say, “None of your business,”—but that sounds like you are hiding something. OR you could just say “I believe in God, but I belong to no organized religion.” Period. Then shut up.

In other words, you don’t have to explain your views. Don’t.

And we’ll never discuss it again.

Hope that helps.

Now relax.

Bob

Bob-

I assume you know that Buddhism is not atheistic, it simply (or rather the Buddha) does not address the concept of a Supreme Being because it is, well, irrelevent to the purposes and intents of the belief tradition. The only way that Buddhism could be considered atheistic is if the religion said, somewhere in its canon, that there is no supreme being and the fact is that it does not.

I couldnt tell from your paranthetical state of “its true, a lot of people just dont know” whether you meant that its true that Buddhism is atheistic or just that a lot of people are familiar enough with the religion to know whether or not it is. One of the most visible figures in all of Buddhism, His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama regularly references god in his teachings, though we can likely safely assume that he is not referring to god as understood in the Juedo Christian tradition.

Thanks for clarifying. Now that I reread my post it does sound confusing. Certainly most Masons know that Buddhists are not atheists.

What I was trying to say is that an applicant with religious views outside the Judaeo-Christian realm should not feel the need to reconcile those beliefs to show that they “fit in.” How one describes his belief in the existence of a deity is of no interest to Freemasonry. All one has to do is say that he has this belief.

My point was that too many applicants feel the “need” to get down into the nitty gritty of “seeing if their definition of a Supreme Being is OK.” Don’t do that.

If you can say that you believe in a Supreme Being, you can become a Mason. If you can’t say that, you can’t become a Mason. it’s that simple. How you define Supreme Being is up to you.

And outside of some references in Masonic Ritual to God—and some allegories taken from the Judaeo-Christian bible—we check all discussion of religion at the door.

Bob Heruska
Boston, MA