Saturday I woke up at 4 am to head down to the Shrine Temple to start my initiation into the largest fraternity in the world and become a brother of Free Masonry. As a Christian I had been scared away from Free Masonry because of it's lable as a cult. After extensive research on the internet and from programs on the History Channel and Discovery Channel coupled with prayer, I strongly felt that there was nothing cultish about it. From my research I learned that it was the churche's ignorance and their closed minded views on anything outside the church that formulated their opinion. I was a little nervous about going through the ceremony and becoming a Mason because I feared that maybe something the church said was based in truth.

From the moment the ceremony began I paid careful attention to each word that was said. After 8 hours of ceremoney and becoming a Master Mason there had been nothing said or done which in anyway went against anything I believed in. More than that, any oath in which I had taken was prefaced with it not having any effect negative or positive on my religious belief or my feelings for my country.
I am very thankful that I have had the opportunity to join such a brotherhood of men. And having had first hand testimoney of becoming a Free Mason, I am horribly disappointed that such things are said about the Free Masonry.

The problem is that these people are comparing Free Masonry to a religion. We don't compare and hold accountable the Boy and Girl Scouts of America to religion. Rather we remove all aspects of God from The Boy's and Girls Club and let them keep on teaching children. If we can accpet that Free Masonry is not a religion but rather a group of men who encourage each other to be godly men in each ones own right, then there should be no problem. Our country was founded on religous freedom and everyone has the right to worship their own god. Our public school system has been completely stripped of all religion because of this issue and now has to be tolerant of all religions. Is the public school system a cult? Or how about miltary chaplins? Chaplins must counsel and witness to all of the major religions, not advocating or denying any of them. IS the Untied States Military a cult? They swear an oath to God and Country. Which god?

It's a buch of over dramatic Christian fundamentalist that have nothing better to do than make Free Masonry a religion and then bash it for being one. As Christians we can't live in a Christian bubble. We must go out into the world and socialize with non-believers. It's only through this that they will see our faith.
Just to spite all the fundamenalist I spent another 6 hours at the Shrine to get initiated into the Shriners. Now I wear a Fez and hang around with a bunch of old men 4 tmies my age, helping them to raise money for childrens hostipals around the world.

To sum it up, I think it's as one of my Brother's put it when I received my 3rd Degree and became a Master Mason: "You only get out of it what you put into it". Therefore if I put Christ into it, then Christ is what I'll get out of it.