A person who is a genuine Mason, I believe cannot move up the levels without deepening the connection and therefore the belief in God, Supreme Being, G.A.O.T.U. I am not a Mason, but feel a strong spiritual connection with the organisation, and speak from that standpoint alone. I also believe that the genuine secrets are accessible to non-Masons.
Recently I had the opportunity to spend some time studying Social Psychology. I ran across an very useful idea in a chapter on social organization, stereotyping, and prejudice. (I wish my computer had a "is not equal to" sign because it makes the presentation much more effective) The idea is - "Useful (is not equal to) Real". People stereotype others because it is a useful (and easy) way to choose a predetermined category of responses to those people. What people fail to realize is that while their stereotypes are useful, they do not describe reality.
Why am I bothering to put all this into a thread about Belief In God? Because, for me, there was a fundamental shift in perception when I accepted the concept of God. Suddenly I became aware that my thoughts, feelings, perceptions, interpretations, and understanding about and of the world, while useful personal concepts, were not reality. There is always a greater reality to be sought. In those few moments when I have glimpsed the next higher reality, my old feelings, perceptions, interpretations, and understandings, everything I thought was "real", fell away in an instant.
So back to the question, "Is Belief in God essential to Masonry?" I think that God is a very effective way to teach that reality is greater than what an individual knows, thinks, feels, experiences, and believes. Is it the only way? Well, <insert chuckle> that depends on what you think God is. If your God means only the teachings of a specific religion then no. If your God means adherence to the concept that one should continually seek to improve their individual "I Am", to continually move closer to a more perfect relationship with reality, then yes.
For sure our understanding is ever evolving, traditions of thought and methods of creating a model of reality are not the reality itself, the saying that the map is not the terrain etc. comes to mind, but as tools they can provide access to that reality which they attempt to represent. I think that limiting one's view of reality to the teachings of a religion or esoteric tradition is useful to the extent that one absorbs the teachings and communal experiences it offers. The masonic tradition and teachings, to my mind are one way, a very rich way of helping us navigate, explore, map, receive, transmit, and begin to master our selves in that greater reality. I used the word secrets in my post above, and in my experience, seeking secrets in itself is a null path, but seeking understanding reveals secrets, and that, as I used the word above, to me means understandings that cause significant enough reframing of our views on the reality which the model attempts to represent. My personal experience of God is of course beyond my ability to understand Him and what He is. My reference to Masons was not intended to encompass all that Masons are and do, only a simple way of addressing those that participate in the traditions that it perpetuates.
Last Edit: Jul 11, 2015 15:49:16 GMT 9.5 by Deleted
So religion (for god access) is perhaps deemed as safe access points with minimal damage to access father of lights aka higher power ... Like the Hebrews packed around an god point amplifier >>> People were dropping like flies ... that tinkered with it from curiosity
Yesterday i was looking for info on "Father of Lights" And found Father of Lights (2012) Documentary | 8 July 2012 (USA)
Ratings: 8.3/10 from 353 users Reviews: 5 user
Through filming incredible spiritual encounters around the world, Darren Wilson cuts through religious misconceptions in an effort to find the true nature and character of God.
A documentary about God's character and heart, with some of the most amazing supernatural encounters ever caught on film.
About Father of Lights
Father of Lights is the final film in the Finger of God/Furious Love trilogy. It is big, epic, and above all, challenging. If I were to have to explain what it is about in a nutshell, I would put it like this: if Finger of God is about God’s power, and Furious Love is about God’s love, then Father of Lights is about God’s heart. I went into making this film by asking the simple question: who is God? I wanted to know His character, His personality, and who He truly is. To answer this question, we had to peel back the many layers of religiousgarbage (Distractions) that has been passed onto him through generations. That He is angry. Vengeful. Wrathful. And in general, that He doesn’t like you very much. The truth, as you will see vibrantly in this film, is that He is the most loving, compassionate, and wonderful Father you can imagine.
I just watched the part in the documentary about the husband and wife that set up the orphanage in China and I found it very moving, it's a beautiful story of faith, giving up everything to follow God's direction. Thanks for link.
It's an interesting video fox, I've had the pleasure of meeting Tom Campbell, he's a rare sort of person, an accomplished scientist and highly spiritual as well.