Masons and Mormons?

[Bob Lucas]

Looking for info on the relationship between Masons and Mormons...anyone
help? Just curious as to their past/present relationship.
Fraternally Robert Lucas Wapsinonoc 381 West Branch IA

[Elias Ibrahim]

Dear Bob
Joseph Smith and some early Mormons were members of the Craft.
Joseph thought that Masonry was the remnant of the Temple priesthood.
He wrote rituals which were supposed to re-constitute it to its
ancient heritage, and I think these are the basis of the Melchizedek
priesthood which is an inner part of Mormonism open only to men.
Blessings
Elias

[Patrick Labbe RN MSN MPS 32^]

This is not quite a true representive of what the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints teaches about the temple Ceremony. Joseph Smith and
many early LDS Church leaders were indeed Masons. The temple ceremony has
very little similarity to Masonic ritual.

There has always been a bit of confusion about Joseph
Smith's relationship to the Freemasonry Movement...humbly
summitted for your approval....
Joseph Smith and the Masonic Movement
Concise, condensed and short study
by
Patrick C. Labbe MPS 32^
Blue Lodge #142 Dillon SC
A&ASR Valley of Charleston, Orient of SC

Joseph Smith founded the Church of Jesus Christ of latter
day saints in 1830. It was in this year that the Book of
Mormon was published also. The Doctrine and Covenants was
not published till 1836 but the Revelations it contained
dated back to as early as 1826.

Joseph Smith did not become a Freemason till 1841 in Nauvoo
Ill. However, his father was a freemason and so was his
older brother Hyrum prior to the founding of the Church.

President Smith's brother Hyrum who was assistant President of the Church
was Worshipful Master of the Nauvoo Lodge.
The Nauvoo lodge was allowed by the Illinios Grand Lodge to
establish "Mormon" Lodges in the surronding area. at one
time over 90 % of the Mormon males 21 years or older were
freemasons. The entire leadership of the LDS Church at this
time were Freemasons.

It is said that politics and misunderstanding led to the
revocation of the Nauvoo Charter and other Mormon Lodges.
Many of the non-Mormons within the state of Illinios
feared the growing power of the Church in secular affairs.
By 1843 there were more Mormons than non-Mormons in
Illinios. The same may be said of the Freemasons as well.
There were almost as many freemasons of Mormon association
in the Nauvoo area as in the rest of the US!

The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back was Joseph Smith's
murder. Many sensational authors both LDS and non-LDS blame Freemasonry
for his murder. Joseph Smith
was murdered by a mob that may have and most probably did
contain freemasons. But there is a difference between that
and saying freemasons killed the prophet Joseph. There was
no Masonic Conspiracy against the Church as contended by
some sensational authors.

What about the "sign" ? When the bullets came through the door, Joseph
ran to the window and most probably, according to eyewitnesses,
attrempted to give the "sign". He never gave it however. Now the question
remains what was the duty of the Freemasons in the mob? They most
assuradly should have come to his aid if they saw the sign.

笈
Now neither you or I were there. Murder is a heinous crime
weither the murder victim is a prophet or a pauper. Any
Masons involved in such a crime will be held accountable by
God for violating thier Masonic oaths for thier part in
this crime. What was the duty of the Freemasons in the mob? They most
assuradly should have come to his aid if they saw the sign.

There are other factors that can be pointed out for the falling out
between the LDS Church and freemasonry. It is a fact that Brigham Young
spoke against the Freemason "gentiles" within the Territory of Utah. But
these same Freemasons spoke harshly against the church, accusing it and
it's leadership of heinious crimes. There was a century of name calling
on both sides. Yet through all of this, Brigham young and other LDS
leaders never condemned FREEMASONRY AS A WHOLE or refuted thier
membership. There is p[ossible evidence that Brigham Young even sought a
seperate Charter from the United grand Lodge of England for the
establishment of Mormon Lodges in the west.

Whatever the cause...the Church and the Freemasons had a
falling out till 1984. In 1984 the Utah Grand Lodge lifted
thier prohibition against Mormons joining the faternity.

There are some that say the Mormon Temple ritual is steeped
in Masonic symbolism and is a "rip off" of our rituals. As
a Master Mason and a Temple Mormon, I bear my testimony
that this is totally untrue. While some of the symbolism is
the same, thier purpose is totally different. The Temple
ceremony is a highly meditative thing. The rituals and
covenants made in those holy places have no bearing one way
or another on the Craft. The reverse is true...nothing in
the Craft that contridicts or conflicts with the covenants
Mormons take upon themselves in those Holy places.

Patrick C. Labbe is a member of the Philalethes Society and the Scottish
Rite Research Society, as well as a 32^ Mason and member of the LDS
Church.

--
Patrick C. Labbe 32^ MPS
Blue Lodge #142 AFM, Dillon SC
AASR Valley of Charleston, Orient of SC
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member The Philalethes Society
member The Scottish Rite Research Society
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