Enemies and
opponents of the LDS church have long pointed to the years old connection
between the early Mormon leaders and Freemasonry, with special emphasis given
to the fact that Joseph Smith was himself a Master Mason.
This favoured
form of criticism which is almost always levelled exclusively at the Prophet,
takes its potency from commonly held misconceptions and lack of understanding
as to what Freemasonry is and what the Fraternity stands for.
Indeed, even
those inside the LDS church often feel a certain discomfiture at the thought of
their most revered mortal figurehead being associated with an organisation that
many deem dark and suspect.
The reality
of what Freemasons believe in however, should cause us to neither shy away from
the church's early Masonic associations nor feel ashamed of them. In fact, an
understanding of Masonry will almost certainly have the dual effect of both dispelling
the doubt of the believer and rendering the slur of the critic null and void.
Freemasonry: A Brief Overview
For many
centuries, stonemasons viewed their craft as something close to sacred, with
the ability to construct great buildings such as Cathedrals and other
monumental structures deemed a feat of craftsmanship and skill that they sought
to preserve amongst themselves.
The art of
using geometry to measure and cut stone was considered a secret that should be held
within the fraternity of stonemasons, lest other unskilled workers should seek
to encroach on their specialist and lucrative trade. A freelance stonemason who
wished to travel further afield to practice his craft, often had to rely on the
universally recognised 'secret handshakes' as a means of identifying himself as
a genuine stonemason, following which he would be welcomed by the local
fraternity and free to engage in local construction projects or merely mingle
with his fellow Brothers.
Within this
society of stonemasons (often referred to as operative freemasons), was a
strong belief that their Biblical counterparts were the workers honoured with
the task of building Solomon's Temple.
The Masons
believe, amongst other things, that the building of so great an edifice as the
temple of Solomon, represented not only a great feat of construction, but was
also symbolic of the building up of themselves as people and how they in turn should
reverence themselves toward God.
The account
of how chosen stonemasons working on their own individual parts of the temple;
following the instructions from the architect, using geometrical terms in which
only they could understand, and their mutual reliance on each other, came to
symbolise mans reliance on God - 'The Great Architect', who gives knowledge and
instruction to those worthy and prepared to receive it, and that by honouring
and sustaining our Brothers, a man can build a strong and moral life that will
stand the test of time, much like a grand building that is raised by worthy men
who are prepared to follow the instructions given to them from one who has the
overall vision of how that building will finally look.
Overtime, the
story of Solomon's Temple has been symbolised by a series of rituals that the
Masons use to not only symbolically re-enact the construction but to further promote
the tenets of Brotherly love, morality and respect for God.
Masonry in Joseph Smiths time
The expansion
and popularity of Freemasonry evolved to a point where men who were not
stonemasons by profession were gradually admitted to the fraternity; such men being
known as Speculative Freemasons. As time went by, speculative Freemasonry
spread from its traditional heartlands of England and Scotland and found its
way to cities and communities throughout 19th century North America.
Putting all
symbolism and ritual story-telling to one side, being a Mason was and is akin
to being part of a gentleman's club, where men from a variety of professional
and social backgrounds would meet in the Lodge as equal Brothers to converse
and build acquaintances with one another.
Although
still viewed by some as a secret society not to be trusted; masonry was accepted
as a relative norm during the early period of the formation of the church;
indeed, in some communities it would have been seen as unusual for men in good
standing were they not part of the
local Lodge given the favourable appeal among most men of the time.
Because
Freemasonry is not a religion but a fraternity, membership didn't (and doesn't)
intrude upon a person's outside religious beliefs provided that the individuals
beliefs were consistent with the notion of a supreme being.
Joseph's Entry into Freemasonry
In the LDS
church's official history manuals it is often suggested that the Prophet joined
the recently formed Nauvoo Lodge in order to benefit from associations that
would potentially enable him to be looked upon more favourably by previously
hostile persons throughout the state and the union.
While this
would have been an obvious secondary benefit, it's also probable to assume that
the Prophets initiation would have at some point been a foregone conclusion
given the strong pull that Masonry had with men at the time. Perhaps it was only
Joseph's divine call to other more sacred matters that postponed what would
have almost certainly have been a natural gravitation toward the fraternity upon
his ascension to manhood.
During the
Nauvoo period, a portion of men in the church were already initiated Masons and
in 1841 obtained permission to setup a Lodge in the city. Given that the Masonic
officers were church members, Joseph's initiation saw him rise quickly to the
rank of Master Mason.
Just as with 21st Century Masonry, the Nauvoo Lodge would have been a central meeting point for men of the city to discuss business and address important matters in a relaxed, social setting.
Prior to the
martyrdom, Dan Jones petitioned the Governor, Thomas Ford for protection for
the Smith Brothers, pointing out amongst other things that both were Masons and
as such should be treated as friends rather than enemies.
Masonic Symbolism in the Church Today
 | ||
| The Beehive. LDS symbol of industry. Also a Masonic symbol. |
There are
many clues as to the church's early link to Freemasonry. One of the most common
rituals; that of laying the cornerstone prior to the construction of a new
temple is every inch a Masonic ceremony, derived from the sacred regard that
early stonemasons placed on erecting buildings together with the accompanying
symbolism relative to life.
It should be
remembered that the Latter Day church in its infancy was being formulated from
scratch. Despite having a divine mandate to restore the gospel in its fullness,
church leaders relied in part on their past associations with other Christian
denominations to determine for example, how a Sunday church meeting would be
run.
Aside from
the blessing and passing of the Sacrament, a modern day Sunday service will bear
little resemblance to the early days of the church when meetings were fashioned
around the traditional Christian model of having a minister stand and deliver a
sermon.
Gradual
inspiration and insight led to the institutional running of the church being
what it is today. Given the relative lack of experience that the early leaders
had, experiences within Freemasonry provided much needed ideas in respect of
the use of symbolism and ceremonies that overtime would be polished and refined
based on further light and understanding.
And thus we
see that neither Joseph nor the other leading members of the church were part
of a sinister organisation that seeks to hide in darkness. Rather, they were
part of a benign, fraternity of men whose foundations were based on the bedrock
of Brotherhood and morality and whose only enemy is common ignorance and
misunderstanding.
