Is Freemasonry a Religion?

Had a great time tonight teaching at Cafe Adonai re. Freemasonry. It was cool to have two Christians there who both were previously lodge members. One was a "Worshipful Master". Cool because they both agreed that the description of Freemasonry and its rites were accurate and true. So here is part of the notes - on whether or not Freemasonry is a religion.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable claims that masons insist on blindly is that Freemasonry is not a religion. They claim you can be a Christian or anything else for that matter, and still be a Freemason. Let me tell you that the Bible says, “You can't drink the cup of demons and the cup of the Lord.” and “What fellowship does light have with darkness?”
Although Freemasonry claims to be revealing light to its initiates, there is only darkness ahead for those who are 'obligated'.

So here's an examination of some of the practices, terms and tenets of the organisation. Also quickly consider what organisations are also part of Freemasonry.

Bible
They use a Christian bible, although they have their own version of the bible – you may have heard of a “Masonic Bible”. The Bible is used for swearing oaths and also as a basis for the mythology of the religion. So in that sense, they actually misuse it: The story of Hiram Abiff, for example in masonry, is based on the story of bringing in an artisan for the building of the temple of Solomon. Who he was, and what his skills were, his role, his significance is fabricated by the masons, not based on the Biblical narrative.

Altar
Like in a Catholic or Anglican church – there is an altar used in their ceremonies, bedecked with the trappings of Freemasonry.

Cathedral
The headquarters for the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, the largest Masonic organisation in Canada is in Hamilton at King and Queen. It is called a Cathedral.
Chambers:
Cathedral
noun: the principal church of a diocese, in which the bishop has his throne.
ETYMOLOGY: 13c: from Greek kathedra seat.

Rite

(Chambers again)
1 a formal ceremony or observance, especially a religious one. 2 the required words or actions for such a ceremony. 3 a body of such acts or ceremonies which are characteristic of a particular church

Clearly, a religious building where “rites” are conducted.

Temple
Another common phrase is “The Masonic Temple.”
Again, a temple is a place of religion, true or false.

God
The organisation purports to reveal the true nature and identity of God.
The organisation claims to reveal the names of God to its initiates. Beginning with “GAOTU” - the “great architect of the universe”. Through successive levels Masons are then told new names, which are not the names given earlier. Jabulon, is a despicable contrivance from the names Yahweh and Baal and
Osiris (On was thought at one time to be a variation or alternative name for Osiris. Even if this is now known to be inaccurate, the intent is the same).
Ahura Mazda – Persian god of fire.
AUM, hindu false trinity of Brahma/Vishnu/Shiva

God said,
"Do not use my name for evil purposes, for I, the LORD your God, will punish anyone who misuses my name. “
Exodus 20:7 GNB

Also “Baphomet”, “Osiris”.
Finally the secret is revealed and the claim is made that Lucifer is the bringer of light....

The New Testament says, “at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

There are many names of God revealed in the Bible, but the masonic names are not in there. This is not God, but false names for God.

FALSE PLAN OF SALVATION
Along with this their is a false plan of salvation:

In the Entered Apprentice Degree, the Worshipful Master asks, "What covering has a Lodge?" The Senior Warden answers:
A clouded canopy or star-decked heavens, where all good Masons hope at last to arrive. . .
During the Master Mason Degree, the Worshipful Master asks, "What is meant by the three steps usually delineated on the Master's Carpet?" The following answer is given by the Senior Warden:
. . .as Fellow Crafts, we should apply our knowledge to the discharge of our respective duties to God, our neighbors, and ourselves; so that, in Age, as Master Masons, we may enjoy the happy reflections consequent on a well-spent life, and die in the hope of a glorious immortality.
When a mason portrays Hiram Abiff, the Worshipful Master offers a prayer just before he (as Hiram Abiff) is "raised" from the dead. His prayer ends with these words:
Yet, O Lord! have compassion on the children of Thy creation; administer them comfort in time of trouble, and save them with an everlasting salvation. Amen.
At the close of the Legend of the Third Degree. The Senior Warden says:
Then, finally my brethren, let us imitate our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, in his virtuous conduct, his unfeigned piety to God, and his inflexible fidelity to his trust; that, like him, we may welcome the grim tyrant, Death, and receive him as a kind messenger sent by our Supreme Grand Master, to translate us from this imperfect to that all-perfect, glorious, and celestial Lodge above, where the Supreme Architect of the Universe presides.
The following explanation of the meaning of the Legend of the Third Degree is found on page 96 of Albert Mackey’s Manual of the Lodge:
It was the single object of all the ancient rites and mysteries practiced in the very bosom of pagan darkness. . .to teach the immortality of the soul. This is still the great design of the third degree of Masonry. This is the scope and aim of its ritual. The Master Mason represents man, when youth, manhood, old age, and life itself have passed away as fleeting shadows, yet raised from the grave of iniquity, and quickened into another and better existence. By its legend and all its ritual, it is implied that we have been redeemed from the death of sin and the sepulchre of pollution. . . .and the conclusion we arrive at is, that youth, properly directed, leads us to the honorable and virtuous maturity, and that the life of man, regulated by morality, faith, and justice, will be rewarded at its closing hour by the prospect of eternal bliss. . . .the Master Mason represents a man saved from the grave of iniquity, and raised to the faith of salvation.
Masonry teaches that Master Masons, as a group, may die in the hope of a glorious immortality, that they represent those raised from the grave of iniquity and that they have been redeemed from the death of sin. Masonry is teaching that Master Masons have salvation!

Worshipful Master
Worship is something that is directed to God. It is true that we use the term in reference to other people, notably, “His worship the Mayor”, for example. However, in the context of a rite in a Cathedral at an altar with a Bible, the man is taking the position of a priest – directing the worship.