GLOBAL FREEMASONRY

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GLOBAL FREEMASONRY

GLOBAL FREEMASONRY

Author:
Publisher: www.alhassanain.org/english
English

This book is corrected and edited by Al-Hassanain (p) Institue for Islamic Heritage and Thought

THE DOUBLE COLUMN

An indispensable part of the décor of a Masonic lodge is the double column in the entrance. The words "Jachin" and "Boaz" are inscribed on them, in imitation of the two columns at the entrance to Solomon's Temple. But actually, the Masons do not intend these columns as a memorial to the Prophet Solomon (pbuh); they are an expression of those corrupt insinuations against the Prophet Solomon (pbuh). The origins of these columns again go back to Ancient Egypt. In the article entitled "Allegory and Symbols in our Rituals,"Mimar Sinan magazine states:

For example, in Egypt, Horus and Set were twin architects and supports of the heavens. Even Bacchus in Thebes was one too. The two columns in our lodges have their origin in Ancient Egypt. One of these columns was in the south of Egypt in the city of Thebes; the other was in the north in Heliopolis. In the entrance to the Amenta temple dedicated to Ptah, the chief god of Egypt, there were two columns as in the temple of Solomon. In the oldest myths associated with the sun, two columns are mentioned, named intelligence and power, erected in front of the gate of the entrance to eternity.72 6pTHE EGYPTIAN TERMINOLOGY  OF THE LODGES

In their book,The Hiram Key, two British Masonic authors, Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas, drew attention to the Ancient Egyptian roots of Masonry. One interesting point they reveal is that the words used in the ceremony in which a Mason is made to rise to the degree of Master Mason are:

Ma'at-neb-men-aa, Ma'at-ba-aa'. 73

Knight and Lomas explain that these words are used most of the time without any thought to their meaning, but they are Ancient Egyptian words and mean,6p"Great is the established Master of Freemasonry, Great is the Spirit of Freemasonry."74 6pThe authors state that the word "Ma'at" means the skill of wall building, and that the nearest translation is "Masonry." This means that modern Masons, thousands of years later, still conserve the language of Ancient Egypt in their lodges.

MOZART'S MAGIC FLUTE

One of the more interesting products of Masonry is theMagic Flute , an opera by the famous composer, Mozart. Mozart was a Mason, and it is an acknowledged fact that many parts of this opera contain Masonic messages. The interesting matter is that these Masonic messages are closely related to Ancient Egyptian paganism.Mimar Sinan explains it in this way:6pIt is known that there is a clear connection between Ancient Egyptian and Masonic rituals. No matter how much those who attempted to interpret the Magic Flute as "a story about the Far East," at its foundation are Egyptian rituals. It is the gods and goddesses of the Egyptian temples that influenced the creation of the characters of the Magic Flute.75 6pOBELISKS

Another important symbol of Masonry is what was once an important element in Ancient Egyptian architecture - the obelisk. An obelisk is a tall, vertical tower with a pyramid as its peak. Obelisks were inscribed with Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and lay buried for centuries under the ground until they were discovered in the nineteenth century, and removed to Western cities such as New York, London and Paris. The largest obelisk was sent to the USA. This exportation was arranged by Masons. This was because obelisks, as well as the Ancient Egyptian figures inscribed on them, are claimed by Masons as being really their own symbols.Mimar Sinan avers this about the 21-meter high obelisk in New York:

The most striking instance of the symbolic use of architecture is the monument called Cleopatra's needle, given to the US as a gift in 1878 by the Egyptian Governer Ismail. This monument is now in Central Park. Its surface is covered with Masonic emblems. This monument was originally erected in the 16th century BC at the entrance to a temple of the Sun god, an initiation center in Heliopolis.766p THE LEGEND OF ISIS - THE WIDOW

An important symbolic idea in Masonry is that of the widow. Masons call themselves the children of the widow, and pictures of widows often appear in their publications. What is the origin of this idea? Who is this widow?

When we examine Masonic sources, we find that the symbol of the widow derives originally from an Egyptian legend. This legend is one of Ancient Egypt's most important myths - the story of Osiris and Isis. Osiris was an imaginary fertility god and Isis was his wife. According to the legend, Osiris died as a result of a crime of passion by which Isis became a widow. So, the Masonic widow is Isis. An article inMimar Sinan explains the matter in the following way:

The Osiris-Isis legend is the topic of many articles and lectures and is the closest of the Ancient Egyptian myths to Masonry. The test to become a priest of the temple of Isis is the Masonic initiation itself. It would be tedious to have to repeat it. There, light was one of the most important elements; in order to be buried in the darkness of the East, the morning sun begins to descend after noon and takes on Osiris' duty every day, just like Horus who more brilliantly took the place of his murdered father. So, the "widow" whose children we are is none other than Osiris' widow Isis.77

We see that Masonry, which portrays itself as being founded on reason and science, is actually a mythological doctrine full of superstitious beliefs.

THE COMPASS AND SQUARE

Among the most familiar symbols of Masonry is the compass superimposed over a square. If Masons are asked, they explain that this symbol represents the concepts of science, geometric order and rational thinking. However, the compass and square actually has quite a different meaning.

We can learn this from a book written by one of the greatest Masons of all time. In his bookMorals and Dogma, Albert Pike wrote the following about the compass and square:6pThe square... is a natural and appropriate Symbol of this earth... The hermaphroditic figure is the symbol of the double nature anciently assigned to the Deity, as Generator and Producer, as Brahm and Maya among the Arians, Osiris and Isis among the Egyptians. As the Sun was male, so the Moon was female.78

This means that the compass and square, the most well known symbol of Masonry, is a symbol of Arian paganism and which dates back to Ancient Egypt or before the advent of Christianity. The moon and the sun, in the passage quoted from Pike, are important symbols in Masonic lodges, and are none other than a reflection of the false beliefs of those ancient pagan societies that worshipped the moon and the sun.

MASONRY'S PAGAN PHILOSOPHY

So far, we have learned that Masonry's origins lie in a pagan doctrine that stretches back to Ancient Egypt, and that it is there that the true meaning of its concepts and symbols are hidden. For this reason, Masonry is in conflict with the monotheistic religions. It is humanist, materialist and evolutionist. The American historian Michael Howard describes this secret that is only completely revealed to those Masons of the highest degree:

Why should Christians be so critical of Freemasonry…? …[T]he answer to this question lies in the "secrets" of Freemasonry. If these secrets were readily available to the general public it is doubtful if their meaning would be understood to those who were not versed in the doctrines of occultism and ancient religion. In fact it is doubtful if many of the ordinary lodge members understand what its secrets represent. In the inner circle of Masonry, among those who have obtained higher degrees of initiation, there are Masons who understand that they are the inheritors of an ancient and pre-Christian tradition handed down from pagan times.79

When we look at the writing of Turkish Masonry, we see that Masons of the highest degree are in possession of knowledge that they keep hidden from the other brothers. The Master Mason Necdet Egeran describes what higher degree Masons think about this matter:6pSome Masons even understand Masonry as only a kind of half religion, half charitable fraternal institution where they can establish pleasant social relationships and treat it accordingly. Others think that the purpose of Masonry is only to make good people better. Still others think that Masonry is a place to build character. In short, those who do not know how to read or write the sacred language of Masonry understand the meaning of its symbols and allegories in this way or some such similar way. But for a few Masons who are able to go deeply into it, Masonry and its goals are quite different. Masonry means a revealed knowledge, an initiation and a new beginning. It means leaving an old way of life and entering a new and still nobler life….Behind Masonry's elementary and basic symbolism there is a series of revelations that helps us to enter a higher inner life and to learn the secrets of our existence. So, it is in this inner life and the entrance into it that it is possible to reach the Enlightenment of Masonry. Only then does it become possible to learn the nature and conditions of progress and evolution.806p This quotation underlines that though a few Masons of lower degree think that Masonry is a charitable and social organization, it is actually about the secrets of human existence. That is, the outward appearance of Masonry as charitable or social organization is actually a guise to hide the philosophy of the organization. In reality, Masonry is an organization that aims to systematically impose a specific philosophy on its members as on the rest of society.

As we said at the beginning, the fundamental element of this philosophy, one which has transpired to Masonry from pagan cultures, especially that of Ancient Egypt, is materialism.

MATERIALISM IN MASONIC SOURCES

I. THE ABSOLUTE MATTER ERROR

Today's Masons, as did the pharaohs, priests and other classes of Ancient Egypt, believe in the eternity and uncreatedness of matter, and that out of this lifeless matter living things came to be by chance. In Masonic writings we can read detailed accounts of these basic errors of materialist philosophy.6pIn his book,Masonluktan Esinlenmeler (Inspirations from Freemasonry), Master Mason Selami Isindag writes about Masonry's pure materialist philosophy:6pAll space, the atmosphere, the stars, nature, all animate and inanimate things are composed of atoms. Human beings are nothing more than a spontaneously occurring collection of atoms. A balance in the flow of electricity among atoms assures the survival of living things. When this balance is destroyed (not the electricity in the atoms), we die, return to the earth and are dispersed into atoms. That is, we have come from matter and energy and we will return to matter and energy. Plants make use of our atoms, and all living things including us make use of plants. Everything is made of the same substance. But because our brains are most highly evolved of all animals, consciousness appeared. If we look at the results of experimental psychology, we see that our three-fold psychic experience of emotion-mind-will is the result of the balanced functioning of the cells in the brain's cortex and hormones… Positivist science accepts that nothing came into existence from nothing, and nothing will be destroyed. As a result, it can be concluded that human beings feel grateful and obliged to no power. The universe is a totality of energy with no beginning or end. Everything is born from this totality of energy, evolving and dying, but never totally disappearing. Things change and are transformed. There is really no such thing as death or loss; there is continuous change, transformation and formation. But it is not possible to explain this great question and universal secret by means of scientific laws. But extra-scientific explanations are imaginary descriptions, dogma and vain belief. According to positivist science and reason, there is no spirit apart from the body.81

You will find views identical to those above in the books of materialist thinkers such as K. Marx, F. Engels, V .I. Lenin, G. Politzer, C. Sagan, and J. Monod. They all accept the basic materialist myth that the universe has existed for ever, matter is the one absolute existent entity, human beings are composed of matter and are without spirit, matter evolved in and out of itself, and life appeared as a result of chance. It is right to use the term myth because, contrary to Isindag's claim that "these processes are the result of positivist science and reason," all these views have been invalidated by scientific discoveries in the second half of the twentieth century. For example, the Big Bang theory, accepted in scientific circles as proven, shows scientifically that the universe was created from nothing millions of years ago. The Laws of Thermodynamics show that matter does not have the ability to organize itself and that the balance and order in the universe is the result therefore of a conscious Creation. By demonstrating the extraordinary structure of living things, biology proves the existence of a Creator, in other words Allah, Who made them all. (For detailed information, see Harun Yahya'sThe Creation of the Universe, Darwinism Refuted, The Evolution Deceit )

In his article, Isindag continues to explain that Masons are, in fact, materialists and, therefore, atheists, and that they use the concept of the "Great Architect of the Universe" in reference to a material evolution:

I want very briefly to touch on some principles, thoughts adopted by Masons: According to Masonry, life begins from a single cell, changes, is transformed and evolves into a human being. The nature, cause or purpose or conditions of this beginning cannot be known. Life comes from a combination of matter and energy and returns to it. If we accept the Great Architect of the Universe as a sublime principle, an endless horizon of goodness and beauty, the apex of the evolution, its highest stage and the ideal towards which human beings strive, and if we do not personalize it, we may be rescued from dogmatism.82

As we see, one of the most basic principles of Masonic philosophy is that things come from matter and go back to matter. An interesting aspect of this view is that Masons do not regard this philosophy as particular to just themselves; they want to disseminate these ideas to the whole of society. Isindag continues:

A mason trained with these principles and doctrines accepts the duty to educate people... and to edify them by teaching them the principles of reason and positivist science. In this way, Masonry is addressed to people. It works on behalf of people despite the people.83 6pThese words show two aspects of Masonry's perceived role in society;

1.    Under the guise of positivist science and reason, Masonry attempts to impose on the rest of society the materialist philosophy it believes in (that is, Ancient Egyptian myth).

2.    They intend to do this despite the people. That is, even if a society believes in Allah and has no desire to accept a materialist philosophy, Masonry will be dogged in their attempt to change people's world view without their consent.

There is an important matter that we must take notice of here: the terminology that Masons use is deceptive. In their writings, especially those directed at the rest of society, they employ language designed to show their philosophy as harmless, intelligent and tolerant. An example of this can be seen in the quotation above, in the notion of "edifying people by teaching them the principles of reason and positivist science." Indeed, Masonic philosophy has nothing to do with "science and reason"; it has to do with an outmoded myth that flies in the face of science. It is not Masonry's goal to edify people; their deliberate intention is to impose their philosophy on people. When they maintain that they are determined to do this despite the people, we see that they are not tolerant, but in possession of a totalitarian world-view.

II. DENIAL OF THE EXISTENCE OF SPIRIT AND OF THE HEREAFTER

As a part of their materialist beliefs, Masons do not accept the existence of the human spirit and completely reject the idea of the hereafter. In spite of this, Masonic writings sometimes say of the dead that they "passed over into eternity" or other such spiritual expressions. This may appear contradictory, but it is not, actually, because all of Masonry's references to the immortality of the spirit are symbolic.Mimar Sinan deals with this topic in an article entitled, "After Death in Freemasonry":

In the myth of Master Hiram, Masons accept resurrection after death in a symbolic manner. This resurrection shows that truth always prevails over death and darkness. Masonry does not give any importance to the existence of a spirit apart from the body. In Masonry, resurrection after death is to leave some spiritual or material work as a legacy to human beings. These make a human being immortal. Those who have been able to have their names immortalized in this deceptively short human life are those who have become successful. We regard those who have had their names immortalized as persons who have spent all their efforts, either for their contemporaries or for those generations that follow them, to make people happy and to ensure for them a more humane world. Their aim is to exalt the humane impulses that influence the lives of living people… Human beings who have sought immortality throughout the centuries can achieve it through the work they do, the services they perform and the ideas they produce, and this will give their lives meaning. As Tolstoy explained, "Paradise will then have been established here on earth and people will attain the highest possible good."84

On the same topic, Master Mason Isindag writes:

THE SUBSTANCE OF EVERYTHING: Masonry understands this as energy and matter. They say that everything changes stage by stage and will return again to matter. Scientifically, this is defined as death. Mysticism on this matter, that is, the belief that, of the two forces of which a person is composed - spirit and body - the body will die and the spirit will not; that spirits pass away to the world of spirits, continue their existence there and come back into another body when God commands, does not fit in with the change-transformation ideas accepted by Masonry. The ideas of Masonry on this matter can be expressed in this way: "After your death, the only things that will be left of you, and not die, are the memories of your maturity and what you have accomplished." This idea is a kind of philosophical way of thinking based on the principles of positivist science and reason. The religious belief in the immortality of the spirit and resurrection after death does not agree with positivist principles. Masonry has taken its principles of thought from positivist and rationalist philosophical systems. So, in this philosophical question, it is connected to a different way of thinking and explanation than that of religion.85 6pTo reject resurrection after death and to search for immortality in worldly legacy... Even if Masons present this idea as being in conformity with modern science, it is, in fact, a myth that has been believed by godless people since the early ages of history. It is stated in the Qur'an that godless people "constructed fine buildings hoping to live forever." The Prophet Hud (peace be upon him), one of the past prophets, warned the people of 'Ad against this mode of ignorance, as stated below:

When their brother Hud said to them, "Will you not do your duty?

I am a faithful Messenger to you, so heed Allah and obey me.

I do not ask you for any wage for it. My wage is the responsibility of no one but the Lord of all the worlds.

Do you build a tower on every hilltop, just to amuse yourselves,

and construct fine buildings, hoping to live for ever,

and when you attack, attack as tyrants do?

So heed Allah and obey me." (Surat ash-Shu‘ara’: 124-131)

The mistake these godless people committed was not the construction of fine buildings. Muslims also give importance to art; by producing it, they try to beautify the world. The difference lies in intention. A Muslim is interested in art to the extent that it expresses the beauty and esthetic notions that Allah has given to human beings. Godless people are mistaken in regarding art as a way to immortality.

THE SCIENTIFIC INCONGRUITY OF DENYING THE SOUL

The Masons' denial of the existence of spirit, and their claim that human consciousness is composed of matter, are not in accord with science. On the contrary, modern scientific discoveries demonstrate that human consciousness cannot be reduced to matter, and that consciousness cannot be explained in terms of the functions of the brain.

A look at the relevant literature shows that scientists have reached no conclusion as a result of their efforts, spurred on by materialist belief, to reduce consciousness to the brain, and many have ultimately given up. Today, many researchers are of the opinion that human consciousness comes from an unknown source beyond the neurons in the brain and the molecules and atoms that form them.

After years of study, one of these researchers, Wilder Penfield, reached the conclusion that the existence of spirit is an undeniable fact:6pAfter years of striving to explain the mind on the basis of brain-action alone, I have come to the conclusion that it is simpler (and far easier to be logical) if one adopts the hypothesis that our being does consist of two fundamental elements [brain and mind (or soul)]. …Because it seems to be certain that it will always be quite impossible to explain the mind on the basis of neuronal action within the brain… I am forced to choose the proposition that our being is to be explained on the basis of two fundamental elements." [brain and mind, or body and soul]86

What leads scientists to this conclusion is the fact that consciousness can never be described in terms of material factors alone. The human brain is like a marvelous computer, in which information from our five senses are collected and processed. But, this computer does not have a sense of "self"; it cannot conceive, feel or think about the sensations that it receives. The prominent English physicist, Roger Penrose, in his bookThe Emperor's New Mind , writes:

What is it that gives a particular person his individual identity? Is it, to some extent, the very atoms that compose his body? Is his identity dependent upon the particular choice of electrons, protons, and other particles that compose those atoms? There are at least two reasons why this cannot be so. In the first place, there is a continual turnover in the material of any living person's body. This applies in particular to the cells in a person's brain, despite the fact that no new actual brain cells are produced after birth. The vast majority of atoms in each living cell (including each brain cell) - and, indeed, virtually the entire material of our bodies - has been replaced many times since birth. The second reason comes from quantum physics…If an electron in a person's brain were to be exchanged with an electron in a brick, then the state of the system would beexactly the same state as it was before, not merely indistinguishable from it! The same holds for protons and for any other kind of particle, and for whole atoms, molecules, etc. If the entire material content of a person were to be exchanged with corresponding particles in the bricks of his house then, in a strong sense, nothing would have happened whatsoever.87

Penrose clearly says that, even if all human atoms were exchanged with brick atoms, the qualities that make a human being conscious would remain completely the same. Or we could think of it conversely. If we exchanged the particles of the atoms in the brain with the atoms in bricks, the bricks would not become conscious.

In short, what makes human beings human is not a material quality; it is a spiritual one, and it is clear that its source is an entity apart from matter. In the conclusion of his book, Penrose comments:

Consciousness seems to me to be such an important phenomenon that I simply cannot believe that it is something just "accidentally" conjured up by a complicated computation. It is the phenomenon whereby the universe's very existence is made known.88

What is materialism's standpoint, then, in light of these findings? How can materialists claim that human beings are composed only of matter, and that a human being with intelligence, feelings, thoughts, memory and senses, could come to be by the chance composition of lifeless, unconscious atoms? How can they possibly think that such a process is possible?

These questions concern all materialists. But, on these topics, Masonic writings contain ideas still more curious than anything found among the writings of materialists. When we look at these writings, we see clearly that behind the materialist philosophy lies the "worship of matter."

MASONIC MATERIALISM: THE DIVINIZATION OF MATTER

It is necessary to understand clearly what the materialist philosophy is: Those who espouse this philosophy believe that the great order and balance of the universe, and the millions of species of living things in the world, including human beings, came about only by the activity of the atoms that comprise matter. In other words, they think that lifeless and unconscious atoms are creators (Surely Allah is beyond that).

No matter how modern this idea may seem, it is, in fact, a reemergence of a corrupt belief that has existed since the earliest ages of history: Idolatry. Those who worshipped idols believed that the statues and totems they worshipped had spirit and power. In other words, they attributed consciousness and great power to lifeless, unconscious matter. Surely, this is obviously nonsensical. In the Qur'an, Allah refers to the irrationality of paganism. In the stories of the Prophets, the spuriousness of pagan beliefs is especially emphasized. For example, it is revealed in a Qur’anic verse that the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) asked his father, "Father, why do you worship what can neither hear nor see and is not of any use to you at all?" (Surah Maryam: 42) It is clear that, to attribute divinity to lifeless matter, that cannot hear or see, and has no power, is evidently very foolish.

Materialists are modern examples of idolaters. They do not worship statues and totems made of wood and stone, but believe in the idea that matter constitutes, not only these, but all bodies, and think that this matter has limitless power, intelligence and knowledge. Masonic writings have some interesting things to say about this, because Masons openly confess this pagan belief, which is the essence of materialism. An article inMimar Sinan magazine declares:

In order for a material object to come to be, atoms come together in a certain order. The force that causes this organization is the spirit possessed by each atom. Because every spirit is a consciousness, every created thing is an intelligent consciousness. And every created thing is intelligent to the same degree. A human being, an animal, a bacterium and a molecule are all intelligent to the same degree.89 6pWe notice that it is claimed here that every atom has intelligence and consciousness. The Masonic writer making this claim proposes that every thing has consciousness because of the atoms it possesses and, because he rejects the existence of the human spirit, he regards a human being as a mass of atoms, just like an animal or lifeless molecules.

However, the fact is this: lifeless matter (atoms) has no spirit, consciousness or intelligence. This is a fact proved to us by both observation and experiment. Only living things have consciousness, which is the result of the "soul" that Allah has given to them. Of all living things, human beings are benefited with the highest degree of consciousness because they possess a unique spirit that Allah has given to them.

In other words, consciousness is not found in lifeless matter, as the Masons believe, but in beings that have spirit. But, in order not to accept the existence of Allah, Masons resort to the foolish belief that attributes "spirit" to atoms.

This materialist belief espoused by Masons is a new expression of a pagan belief called "animism," which supposes that every material thing in nature (rocks, mountains, winds, water, etc.) has its own spirit and consciousness. The Greek philosopher Aristotle combined this belief with materialism (the belief that matter is uncreated and is the only absolute) and even today, the attribution of consciousness to lifeless things - being the essence of materialism - has become a kind of contemporary paganism.

Masonic writings are full of interesting accounts of this belief. An article inMimar Sinan entitled "The Way of Truth" maintains:

If we accept the animist hierarchy that spirit exists in an atom, that a molecule directs the spirit in an atom, that a cell directs the spirit in a molecule, that an organ directs the spirit in a cell, is not the main spirit that directs the whole body the god of these lesser spirits?90

This false and primitive doctrine leads Masons to believe that the balance and order in the universe is effected by lifeless matter. Again, inMimar Sinan , an article has appeared about the world's geological development. It states:

This surface deterioration occurs so subtly that we can say that the present state of life has been attained as a result of this hidden intelligence in magma. If this were not so, water would not collect in hollows and the earth would be completely covered by water.916p Another article in the magazineMimar Sinan claims that the first living cells, and those that multiplied from them, were conscious, formed a plan and implemented it:

The beginning of life on earth happened when a single cell came to be. This single cell immediately began to move and, under a vital and truly rebellious impulse, divided in two and continued along this path of infinite division. But these separated cells perceive no purpose to their wandering and, as if fearing this wandering and under a powerful instinctive drive of self-preservation, these separated cells co-operate among themselves, come together and work in a total democratic harmony and self-sacrifice in the creation of those organs critical for life.92 6pBut, contrary to what is asserted in this quotation, there is no consciousness in a living cell. To believe this is nothing but superstition. Again, as we see in the above quotation, in order to deny the existence and creative activity of Allah, they attribute farcical attributes to atoms, molecules and cells, such as intelligence, the ability to plan, self-sacrifice and even "democratic harmony." Just as it is nonsense to say of the creation of an oil painting that "the paints ordered themselves together according to a plan, and proceeded democratically and in harmony," so the Masons' claim about the origin of life is nonsense.

Another common expression of the superstitious tenets of Masonry and its materialism is the notion of "Mother Nature." We encounter this expression in documentary films, books, magazines and even commercials; it is used to express the belief that the lifeless matter that composes nature (nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, etc.) has a conscious power, and that it has by itself created human beings and all living things. This myth is not based on observation or logical reasoning, but is intended to win people over by means of mass indoctrination. The purpose is for people to forget Allah, the real Creator, turning instead to paganism, in which "nature" is regarded as the creator.

Masonry strives to give shape to this creed, strengthen and disseminate it, and supports all social forces that it regards as being its allies. An article inMimar Sinan , entitled "Thoughts About The Concept and the Evolution of Solidarity from the Scientific Point of View," speaks of the "mysterious harmony that mother nature has ordered" and states that this is the basis of Masonry's humanist philosophy. It further states that Masonry will support those movements that espouse this philosophy:

When it considers from the point of view of the material give and take in the world of living things, that beneficial microbes which live on the earth and within us, all plants, animals and human beings exist in a mysterious harmony ordered by mother nature, and that they are continually engaged in an organic solidarity, I want to affirm once again that Masonry will regard every kind of psycho-social movement dedicated to well-being, peace, security and happiness, in short, every movement that is on the road to humanism and the universal unity of humanity, as means and actions that advance its own ideals.93 6pThe most important of those "means and actions" which "advance the ideals of Masonry" is the purportedly scientifically based theory of evolution, the modern support for materialism and humanism.

In the next chapter we will take a closer look to the theory of evolution from Darwin's time to modern evolutionist propaganda, and we will discover the secret relationship of Masonry to this greatest scientific error of all time.

-I- FROM THE TEMPLARS TO ANCIENT EGYPT

THE CRUSADERS

The common perception of the majority of historians of Freemasonry is that the origin of the organization goes back to the Crusades. In fact, though Masonry was only officially established and recognized in England in the early eighteenth century, the roots of the organization do reach back to the Crusades in the twelfth century. At the center of this familiar tale is an order of crusaders called the Knights Templar or the Templars.

Six years before this present work, our book, entitledThe New Masonic Order , examined the history of the Templars in great detail. For that reason, we will now offer just a summary. For, as we analyze the roots of Masonry, and the influence that it has had on the world, we discover the meaning of "Global Freemasonry."

No matter how much some may insist that the Crusades were military expeditions carried out in the name of the Christian faith, fundamentally, they were undertaken for material gain. In a period when Europe was experiencing great poverty and misery, the prosperity and wealth of the East, especially of the Muslim in the Middle East, attracted the Europeans. This inclination took on a religious facade, and was ornamented with the symbols of Christianity, though, in actuality, the idea of the Crusades was born out of a desire for worldly gain. This was the reason for the sudden change among Christians of Europe from their former pacifist policies, in earlier periods of their history, towards military aggression.

The founder of the Crusades was Pope Urban II. He summoned the Council of Clermont, in 1095, in which the former pacifist doctrine of the Christians was abandoned. A holy war was called for, with the intent to wrest the holy lands from the hands of the Muslims. Following the council, a huge army of Crusaders was formed, composed both of professional soldiers, and tens of thousands of ordinary people.

Historians believe Urban II's venture was prompted by his desire to thwart the candidacy of a rival to the papacy. Furthermore, while European kings, princes, aristocrats and others greeted the pope's call with excitement, their intentions were basically mundane. As Donald Queller of the University of Illinois put it, "the French knights wanted more land. Italian merchants hoped to expand trade in Middle Eastern ports... Large numbers of poor people joined the expeditions simply to escape the hardships of their normal lives."1 Along the way, this greedy mass slaughtered many Muslims, and even Jews, in hopes of finding gold and jewels. The crusaders even cut open the stomachs of those they had killed to find gold and precious stones they may have swallowed before they died. So great was the material greed of the crusaders that they felt no qualms in sacking the Christian city of Constantinople (Istanbul) during the Fourth Crusade, when they stripped off the gold leaf from the Christian frescoes in the Hagia Sophia.6pAfter a long and difficult journey, and much plunder and slaughter of Muslims, this motley band called Crusaders reached Jerusalem in 1099. When the city fell after a siege of nearly five weeks, the Crusaders moved in. They carried out a level of savagery the like of which the world has seldom seen. All Muslims and Jews in the city were put to the sword. In the words of one historian, "They killed all the Saracens and the Turks they found... whether male of female."2 One of the Crusaders, Raymond of Aguiles, boasted of this violence:6pWonderful sights were to be seen. Some of our men (and this was more merciful) cut off the heads of their enemies; others shot them with arrows, so that they fell from the towers; others tortured them longer by casting them into flames. Piles of heads, hands and feet were to be seen in the streets of the city. It was necessary to pick one's way over the bodies of men and horses. But these were small matters compared to what happened at the Temple of Solomon, a place where religious services are normally chanted in the Temple and the porch of Solomon, men rode in blood up to their knees and bridle reins.3

In two days, the Crusader army killed some 40,000 Muslims in the most barbaric manner.4 The crusaders then made Jerusalem their capital, and founded a Latin Kingdom stretching from the borders of Palestine to Antioch.

Later, the crusaders initiated a struggle to maintain their position in the Middle East. In order to sustain the state they had founded, it was necessary to organize it. To this end, they established military orders, the alike of which had never existed before. Members of these orders came from Europe to Palestine, and lived in a type of monastery where they received military training to fight against Muslims.

One of these orders, in particular, was different from the others. It underwent a transformation that would influence the course of history. This order was the Templars.

THE TEMPLARS

The Templars, or, their full name, The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, was formed in 1119, that is, some 20 years after the crusaders took Jerusalem. The founders of the order were two French knights, Hugues (Hugh) de Payens and Godfrey de Saint-Omer. At first there were 9 members, but the order steadily grew. The reason they named themselves after the temple of Solomon was because the place they had chosen as a base was the temple mount where the temple the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) had built is believed to have been located. This same location was where the Dome of the Rock (Qubbet as-Sakhrah) stood.

The Templars called themselves "poor soldiers," but within a short time they became very wealthy. Christian pilgrims, coming from Europe to Palestine, were under the complete control of this order, and by whose money they became very rich. In addition, for the first time they set up a cheque and credit system, similar to that of a bank. According to the British authors, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, they established a kind of Medieval capitalism, and led the way to modern banking through their interest-based transactions, even though it was against their faith.5 6pIt was the Templars who were mainly responsible for the crusaders' attacks of and murder of Muslims. For this reason, the great Islamic commander Saladin, who defeated the crusaders' army in 1187, in the Battle of Hattin, and afterwards rescued Jerusalem, put the Templars to death for the murders they had committed, even though he had otherwise pardoned a large number of Christians. Although they lost Jerusalem, and suffered heavy casualties, the Templars continued to exist. And, despite the continual diminution of the Christian presence in Palestine, they increased their power in Europe and, first in France, and then in other countries, became a state within a state.

There is no doubt that their political power made the monarchs of Europe uneasy. But there was another aspect of the Templars that also made the clergy ill at ease: the order had gradually apostatized from the Christian faith, and while in Jerusalem, had adopted a number of strange mystical doctrines. There were also rumors that they were organizing strange rites to give form to these doctrines.

Finally, in 1307, the French king Philippe le Bel decided to arrest the members of the order. Some of them managed to escape but most of them were caught. Pope Clement V also joined the purge. Following a long period of interrogation and trial, many of the Templars admitted to heretical beliefs, that they had rejected the Christian faith and insulted the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) in their masses. Finally, the leaders of the Templars, who were called "grand masters," beginning with the most important of them, Jacques de Molay, were executed in 1314 by order of the Church and the King. The majority of them were put into prison, and the order dispersed and officially disappeared.6pSome historians have a tendency to portray the trial of the Templars as a conspiracy on the part of the King of France, and depict the knights as innocent of the charges. But, this manner of interpretation fails in several aspects. Nesta H. Webster, the famous British historian with a great deal of knowledge on occult history, analyzes these aspects in her book,Secret Societies and Subversive Movements. According to Webster, the tendency to absolve the Templars of the heresies they confessed to during the trial period is unjustified. First, during the interrogations, despite the standard claim, not all the Templars were tortured;6pMoreover, do the confessions of the Knights appear to be the outcome of pure imagination such as men under the influence of torture might devise? It is certainly difficult to believe that the accounts of the ceremony of initiation given in detail by men in different countries, all closely resembling each other, yet related in different phraseology, could be pure inventions. Had the victims been driven to invent they would surely have contradicted each other, have cried out in their agony that all kinds of wild and fantastic rites had taken place in order to satisfy the demands of their interlocutors. But no, each appears to be describing the same ceremony more or less completely, with characteristic touches that indicate the personality of the speaker, and in the main all the stories tally.6 6pAnyhow, the trial of the Templars ended with the termination of the order. But, although the order "officially" ceased to exist, it did not actually disappear. During the sudden arrest in 1307, some Templars escaped, managing to cover their tracks. According to a thesis based on various historical documents, a significant number of them took refuge in the only kingdom in Europe that did not recognize the authority of the Catholic Church in the fourteenth century, Scotland. There, they reorganized under the protection of the Scottish King, Robert the Bruce. Some time later, they found a convenient method of disguise by which to continue their clandestine existence: they infiltrated the most important guild in the medieval British Isles - the wall builders' lodge, and eventually, they fully seized control of these lodges.7

The wall-builders' lodge changed its name, at the beginning of the modern era, calling itself the "Masonic lodge." The Scottish Rite is the oldest branch of Masonry, and dates back to the beginning of the fourteenth century, to those Templars who took refuge in Scotland. And, the names given to the highest degrees in Scottish Rite are titles attributed centuries earlier to knights in the order of Templars. These are still employed to this day.

In short, the Templars did not disappear, but their deviant philosophy, beliefs and rituals still persist under the guise of Freemasonry. This thesis is supported by much historical evidence, and is also accepted today by a large number of Western historians, whether they are Freemasons or not. In our book,The New Masonic Order , we examined this evidence in detail.

The thesis that traces the roots of Masonry to the Templars is often referred to in magazines published by Masons for its own members. Freemasons are very accepting of the idea. One such magazine is calledMimar Sinan (a publication of Turkish Freemasons), which describes the relationship between the Order of the Templars and Freemasonry in these words:

In 1312, when the French king, under pressure from the Church, closed the Order of Templars and gave their possessions to the Knights of St. John in Jerusalem, the activities of the Templars did not cease. The great majority of the Templars took refuge in Freemasonic lodges that were operating in Europe at that time. The leader of the Templars, Mabeignac, with a few other members, found refuge in Scotland under the guise of a wall builder under the name of Mac Benach. The Scottish King, Robert the Bruce, welcomed them and allowed them to exercise great influence over the Masonic lodges in Scotland. As a result, Scottish lodges gained great importance from the point of view of their craft and their ideas.6pToday Freemasons use the name Mac Benach with respect. Scottish Masons, who inherited the Templars' heritage, returned it to France many years later and established there the basis of the rite known as the Scottish Rite."86p Again,Mimar Sinan presents a lot of information about the relationship between the Templars and Freemasonry. In an article entitled, "Templars and Freemasons," it states that "the rituals of the initiation ceremony of the Order of Templars are similar to those of present-day Freemasonry."9 According to the same article, as in Masonry, the members of the Order of the Templars called each other "brother."10 Towards the end of the article, we read:6pThe Order of the Templars and the Masonic organization have influenced each other to a noticeable extent. Even the rituals of the corporations are so similar as to have been copied from the Templars. In this respect, Masons have to a great extent identified themselves with the Templars and it can be said that what is viewed as original Masonic esoterism (secrecy) is to an important extent an inheritance from the Templars. To summarize, as we said in the title of this essay, we can say that the starting point of Freemasonry's royal art and initiatic-esoteric line belonged to Templars and its end-point belonged to Freemasons.11

Finally, we say, it is clear that the roots of Freemasonry stretch back to the Order of Templars, and that the Masons have adopted the philosophy of this order. Masons themselves accept this. But certainly, the important matter for our consideration is the nature of this philosophy. Why did the Templars abandon Christianity and become a heretical order? What led them to this? Why did they undergo such a change in Jerusalem? Through the agency of Masonry, what has been the effect on the world of this philosophy adopted by the Templars?

THE TEMPLARS AND THE KABBALAH

A book written by two Masons, Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas, entitledThe Hiram Key reveals some important facts about the roots of Freemasonry. According to these authors, it is evident that Masonry is a continuation of the Templars. Though, in addition to this, the authors also examined the origins of the Templars.

According to their thesis, the Templars underwent a great change while they were in Jerusalem. In the place of Christianity, they adopted other doctrines. At the root of this lies a secret that they discovered in the temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, whose ruins they had set out to investigate. The writers explain that the Templars used their purported role as protectors of Christian pilgrims visiting Palestine as a pretense, but that their real aim was quite different:

…There is no evidence that these founding Templars ever gave protection to pilgrims, but on the other hand we were soon to find that there is conclusive proof that they did conduct extensive excavations under the ruins of Herod's Temple…12

The authors ofThe Hiram Key were not the only ones who found evidences of this. French historian Gaetan Delaforge makes this similar contention:

The real task of the nine knights was to carry out research in the area in order to obtain certain relics and manuscripts which contain the essence of the secret traditions of Judaism and ancient Egypt.13

At the end of the nineteenth century, Charles Wilson of the Royal Engineers, began conducting archeological research in Jerusalem. He arrived at the opinion that the Templars had gone to Jerusalem to study the ruins of the temple. Wilson found traces of digging and excavation under the foundations of the temple, and concluded that these were done by tools that belonged to the Templars. These items are still in the collection of Robert Brydon, who possesses an extensive archive of information concerning the Templars.146p The writers of theHiram Key argue that these excavations of the Templars were not without result; that the order discovered in Jerusalem certain relics that changed the way they saw the world. In addition, many researchers are of the same opinion. There must have been something that led the Templars, despite the fact that they had previously been Christian and came from a Christian part of the world, to adopt a system of beliefs and a philosophy so completely different from that of Christianity, celebrate heretical masses, and perform rituals of black magic.6pAccording to the common views of many researchers, this "something" was the Kabbalah.

Encyclopedias and dictionaries define the Kabbalah as an esoteric, mystical branch of Jewish religion. According to this definition, the Kabbalah investigates the hidden meaning of the Torah and other Jewish religious writings. But, when we examine the matter more closely, we discover that the facts are quite something else. These facts lead us to the conclusion that teachings rooted in pagan idolatry, that existed before the Torah, and became widespread within Judaism after the Torah was revealed, were included in the Kabbalah.

This interesting fact about the Kabbalah, is explained by just as interesting a source. Murat Ozgen, a Turkish Freemason, maintains the following in his book,Masonluk Nedir ve Nasildir? (What is Freemasonry and What is it Like?):

We don't know clearly where the Kabbalah came from or how it developed. It is the general name for a unique, metaphysically constituted, esoteric and mystical philosophy particularly connected with Jewish religion. It is accepted as Jewish mysticism, but some of the elements it contains show that it was composed much earlier than the Torah.15 6pThe French historian, Gougenot des Mousseaux, explains that some beliefs set out in the Kabbalah are actually much older than Judaism.166p The Jewish historian, Theodore Reinach, says that the Kabbalah is "a subtle poison which enters into the veins of Judaism and wholly infests it."17 Salomon Reinach defines the Kabbalah as "one of the worst aberrations of the human mind."186p The reason for Reinach's contention that the Kabbalah is "one of the worst aberrations of the human mind" is that some of its doctrine is used by some people connected with magic. For thousands of years, the Kabbalah has been one of the foundation-stones of every kind of magic ritual. It is believed that some rabbis who study the Kabbalah possess great magical power. Also, many non-Jews have been influenced by the Kabbalah, and have tried to practice magic by employing its doctrines. The esoteric tendencies that took hold in Europe during the late Middle Ages, especially as practiced by alchemists, have their roots, to a great extent, in the Kabbalah.6pThe strange thing is that Judaism is a monotheistic religion, incepted with the revelation of the Torah to the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him). But some have attempted to include in this religion a system that adopts the basic practices of magic which are in fact opposed to religious morality. This substantiates what we have presented above, and demonstrates that some statements in the Kabbalah are actually elements that have entered Judaism from the outside.

But, what is the source of this element?

The Jewish historian Fabre d'Olivet says that it came from Ancient Egypt. According to this writer, the roots of some statements in the Kabbalah stretch back to Ancient Egypt. Some part of the Kabbalah’s teaching is a tradition learned by some of the leaders of the Israelites in Ancient Egypt, and passed down as a tradition by word of mouth from generation to generation.196p For this reason, we must look to Ancient Egypt in order to find the basic origins of the Kabbalah-Templars-Freemasonry chain.

THE MAGICIANS OF ANCIENT EGYPT

The Ancient Egypt of the pharaohs was one of the most ancient civilizations of the world. It was also one of the most oppressive. The magnificent monuments that still remain from Ancient Egypt - the pyramids, sphinxes and obelisks - were constructed by hundreds of thousands of slaves, worked to the point of death, under the whip and threat of starvation. The pharaohs, the absolute rulers of Egypt, wanted themselves to be represented as supposed deities and to be worshipped by the people. (Surely Allah is beyond that.)

One of our sources of knowledge about Ancient Egypt is their own inscriptions. These were discovered in the nineteenth century and, after intense labor, the Egyptian alphabet was deciphered, bringing to light much information about the country. But, because these inscriptions were written by official state historians, they are filled with biased accounts designed to praise the state.

For us, of course, the best source of knowledge about this matter is the Qur'an.6pIn the Qur'an, in the story of the Prophet Moses (pbuh), we are given important information about the Egyptian system. The verses reveal that there were two important focal points of power in Egypt: pharaoh and his inner-council. This council tended to exercise an important influence over pharaoh; Pharaoh would often consult them and, from time to time, follow their suggestions. The verses quoted below show the influence that this council had on Pharaoh and Allah knows the truth:

Moses said, "Pharaoh! I am truly a Messenger from the Lord of all the worlds, duty bound to say nothing about Allah except the truth. I have come to you with a Clear Sign from your Lord. So send the tribe of Israel away with me."

He said, "If you have come with a Clear Sign produce it if you are telling the truth."

So he threw down his staff and there it was, unmistakably a snake.

And he drew out his hand and there it was, pure white to those who looked.

The ruling circle of Pharaoh's people said, "This is certainly a skilled magician who desires to expel you from your land, so what do you recommend?"

They said, "Detain him and his brother and send out marshals to the cities,

to bring you all the skilled magicians." (Surat al-A‘raf: 104-112)

It should be noticed that mention here is made of a council that advises Pharaoh, that incites him against the Prophet Moses (pbuh), and recommends to him certain methods. If we look at the records of Egyptian history, we see that the two basic components of this council were the Egyptian army of the time and the priests.

The position occupied by the priesthood, one of these two main power blocs, in the social order of Egypt at the time is of great importance. We should look more closely at the role of the priests. The priests of Ancient Egypt were a class referred to in the Qur'an as magicians. They represented the cult which supported the regime. It was believed that they had special powers and possessed secret knowledge. By this authority they influenced the Egyptian people, and ensured their position within the administration of the pharaohs. This class, known from Egyptian records as the "Priests of Amon," focused their attention on practicing magic and administering their pagan cult; in addition, they also studied various sciences such as astronomy, mathematics and geometry.

This class of priests was a closed order possessed (so they thought) of a special knowledge. Such orders are commonly known as esoteric organizations. In a magazine calledMason Dergisi (Masonic Journal), a publication distributed among Turkish Masons, the roots of Freemasonry are stated as going back to this kind of esoteric order, and special mention is made of the Ancient Egyptian priests:6pAs thought develops in human beings, science advances and as science advances, the number of secrets increases within the lore of an esoteric system. In this development, this esoteric enterprise, which began first in the East, in China and Tibet, and then spread to India, Mesopotamia and Egypt, formed the basis of a priestly knowledge that had been practiced for thousands of years and formed the basis of the power of the priests in Egypt.20

How can there be a relationship between the esoteric philosophy of the priests of Ancient Egypt and present-day Freemasons? Ancient Egypt - a classic example in the Qur'an of a godless political system - disappeared thousands of years ago. Can it have any influence today?6pTo find the answer to these questions, we must look at the Ancient Egyptian priests' beliefs with regards to the origin of the Universe and of life.

THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN BELIEF IN MATERIALIST EVOLUTION

In their bookThe Hiram Key , the English Masonic authors Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas argue that Ancient Egypt has a very important place in regards to the origins of Masonry. According to these authors, the most important idea that has transpired to modern Masonry, from Ancient Egypt, is the mistaken idea of a universe existing by and of itself, and evolving by chance. The false Egyptian belief is described as follows in that book:6pThe Egyptians believed that matter had always existed; to them it was illogical to think of a god making something out of absolutely nothing. Their view was that the world began when order came out of chaos, and that ever since there has been a battle between the forces of organization and disorder…This chaotic state was called Nun, and like the Sumerian …description …, all was a dark, sunless watery abyss with a power, a creative force within it that commanded order to begin. This latent power which was within the substance of the chaos did not know it existed; it was a probability, a potential that was intertwined within the randomness of disorder.21

It will be noticed that the beliefs described here are in harmony with the erroneous assertions of the present-day materialist establishment, which are promoted by the agenda of the scientific community with such terms as "the theory of evolution," "chaos theory," and the "essential organization of matter." Knight and Lomas continue their foregoing discussion by saying:6pAmazingly, this description of creation perfectly describes the view held by modern science, particularly "chaos theory" which has shown intricate designs which evolve and mathematically repeat within completely unstructured events.22

Knight and Lomas claim that there is a harmony between Ancient Egyptian false beliefs and modern science, but what they mean by modern science is mistaken materialist concepts, such as the theory of evolution or chaos theory. Despite the fact that these erroneous theories have no scientific basis, they have been forcibly imposed on the field of science over the past two centuries, and are presented as scientifically justified. (In the following sections we will examine those who have imposed these theories on the scientific world.)

Now, we have come to an important point in this stage of the book. Let us summarize what we have discovered so far:

1.    We began the discussion by discussing the Order of Templars which is thought to be the origin of Masonry. We have seen that, although the Templars were founded as a Christian order, they were affected by some secret doctrines that they discovered in Jerusalem, totally abandoned Christianity and became an anti-religious organization practicing heretical rites.

2.    When we asked what this doctrine was that influenced the Templars, we found that it was basically the Kabbalah.

3.    When we examined the Kabbalah, we found proof that, however much it may resemble Jewish mysticism, it contained traces of a pagan doctrines older than Judaism, that later entered the religion, and that their true roots are found in Ancient Egypt.

4.    Ancient Egypt was governed by the pagan system of Pharaoh, and there we found an erroneous idea that forms the basis of the modern atheistic philosophy: that of a universe existing of its own accord, and evolving by chance.6pAll this surely paints an interesting picture. Is it by chance that the philosophy of the priests of Ancient Egypt still thrives, and that there exist traces of a chain (Kabbalah-Templars-Masonry) that has been responsible for maintaining the supremacy of this philosophy to the present day?

Is it possible Masons, who have made their mark on the world's history since the eighteenth century, fomenting revolutions, promoting philosophies and political systems, can be the inheritors of the magicians of Ancient Egypt?            6pIn order to make the answer to this question clearer, we must first examine more closely the historical events that we have now only briefly outlined.


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