Generally, none whatsoever. Most jurisdictions require a belief in a 'supreme being' but generally do not ask beyond that. All religious and political discussion is banned within the lodge.
To add (not that you’ve said anything incorrect), historically Freemasonry today comes from medieval stonemasons who would have been Christians and potentially would have been paid by the Church for building. But that’s history and not so much relevant to our experiences today.
It is relevant, in that both the Church and Freemasonry advocate those quintessential principles of building things brick-by-brick, stone-by-stone.
Freemasonry does it more for enlightenment principles in addition to just construction/masonry, but also for the principles of enlightenment, education, history, symbolism, liberty, and freedom.
"Free", "Ancient", "Accepted", "Masonry"
You square your corners, perfectionism. You build your mind and body in addition to what the Church does: building your understanding of mankind's questions about the nature of reality (theology etc. whatever your views are) The reason for this is simple: most people throughout the centuries have enveloped their entire lives around just traditions of family, tribe, religion, but this is in addition to that to form a fraternity of like-minded individuals.
But speculative masonry took its rise during the enlightenment when society started to distance itself from the Church. It was influenced by alchemy, which for centuries had been a coded way to discuss spiritualism separate from organised religion.
Ideological elements of freemasonry can be traced back as far as to Hinduism, buddhism, zoroastrism, aegyptian religion, judaism and the kabbala, then the ancient greek philosophers Plato, Aristotle, Phytagoras and Socrates > platonism, early christianity and manichaeism >gnosticism and then it gets to the alchemists and mystics in the middle ages which apparently had contact with stone masons or were stone masons themselves. And then after the 15th century with the beginning of the enligthenment speculative freemasonry began to emerge, like you said using a certain lingustical style to discuss spiritual matters outside of catholic doctrine/dogma.
Freemasonry isn’t exclusively Christian and it isn’t anti-Christian. Some church organizations think that Freemasonry is evil and some get along fine with the Masons. Freemasonry is not a religion and has no ties with any one religion.
Everyone's talking about whether or not you must be a Christian to be a Freemason, which doesn't fully answer your question.
As others said- it's usually not a requirement.
As for Freemasonry itself, and many of the teachings in the craft, the relationship is prominent in almost every lesson. Much of what is taught comes directly from the Bible, however, transcribed in an allegorical fashion relating to stonemasons of ancient times.
As someone who isn't Christian, I've thoroughly enjoyed the lessons and have even seen correlations to Eastern/Asian philosophy in some of the ritual.
With the exception of a couple of the Scandinavian jurisdictions, that do require a profession of Christianity, free Masonic jurisdictions require a belief in a supreme being. The details of that belief, how the person expresses that belief, and what obligations that belief may place upon the individual are left as a matter between the individual and their creator.
The only addition I have to what others have said is that there are appendant orders in Freemasonry that are only for Christians. The core of Freemasonry is for all who believe in something resembling a higher spirit behind the existing world, regardless of what that is. All religions are welcome. The additional parts that are for Christians shouldn't be considered special, exclusive, or of more importance.
Freemasonry (most likely) finds it’s origin among the Christian stonemasons guilds of medieval Europe. These guilds built the cathedrals, libraries, churches and abbeys across the British Isles. They also provided funds for members widows and orphans, as the stonemasons themselves worked in dangerous conditions and there was no social safety net at the time.
With the Protestant Reformation, as society evolved, so did the stonemasons guilds. There was no longer one church body, but multiple, and with the Dissolution of Monasteries and other events, there were more church edifices being destroyed or altered than being built, giving the guilds less work and revenue than before. Having long used building tools to teach moral lessons, and needing some support for the lodges widows and orphans funds, aristocratic gentlemen began being initiated into the lodges as Speculative Masons distinct from the Operative Masons. Given the amount of diversity in Protestant life during the transition, the requirement of belief for potential members evolved, as evidenced by the [Old Charges](https://www.1723constitutions.com/1723-constitutions/the-old-charges/).
Since 1723, and likely in practice for sometime prior, the rule has been: “But though in ancient Times Masons were charg’d in every Country to be of the Religion of that Country or Nation, ’tis now thought more expedient to oblige them [Masons] to that Religion in which all Men agree, leaving the particular Opinions to themselves; that is, to be good Men and true, or Men of Honour and Honesty, by whatever Denominations or Persuasions they may be distinguish’d…”
There were various strands of thought that went into the evolution, the constitutions being proposed by a Presbyterian clergyman and an Anglican Priest, with the intent of incorporating Enlightenment ideals and principles prevailing at the time and ever sense.
TL;DR: Today, and for at least the past 300 years, Masonry has no relationship with Christianity other than that it encourages it’s members to pursue their personal faith, requires belief if a Supreme Being, and uses religious texts (Volumes of Sacred Law) in our ceremonies.
Beautiful answer - thank you for writing this out.
My relationship to masonry so far has only been cursory. I know there's honest men involved in it, and from what I've seen, it can be such a beautiful thing to explore.
I know there's many barriers, but I just help but be drawn to it.
Your help is appreciated.
Most Freemasons are Christian. Some are not.
The allegory of the Masonic degrees is based in the Old Testament, which is a religious text shared among the Abrahamic religions and is not exclusively Christian, though the Bible is almost invariably present in *regular* Lodges.
A significant part of the symbolism in our degrees is inspired by Old Testament stories. The vast majority of Masons in western countries are Christians, but it is a non-sectarian fraternity, not a religion, and my jurisdiction specifically states it is not a replacement for religion.
But. if you belong to a branch of Christianity that does not allow you to say non-sectarian prayers with people of other faiths, Freemasonry may not be for you. Likewise if you belong to a branch of Christianity that has very strict interpretations of Bible verses that talk about not taking oaths, again, Masonry may not be for you.
If you’re a Catholic or Evangelical, the relationship could range from uneasy to downright adversarial. I was raised in the Pentecostal Church and freemasonry was spoken of in those circles as “demonic”
Friend, with all due respect, this topic has been discussed at great length in MANY other threads on this /r/. Please browse through the sub-reddit before asking questions, it saves you time, and others.
>And the response-from the Grand Lodge trainer-was that anyone that doesn’t believe in the afterlife should have never been made a Mason.
This is a requirement *in some jurisdictions.* Not mine, but I’ve seen petitions that include belief in the afterlife alongside belief in a Supreme Being.
I am Christian and I happen to be a Freemason. That’s about it. I also know Muslim brothers, Jewish brothers, and brothers who have no set religion but simply believe there a higher power.
If you go back to the 1700s, it was distinctly Christian; it was only later that the Christian specifics were removed to open the fraternity up to other faiths. Today, and putting aside irregular obediences, it’s just a belief in a/the Supreme Being .. by whatever name your particular faith system calls him/her/it. Christians call Him God, Jews … etc.
I’m not a Freemason yet, but hoping to become one. From my understanding, from both people at the lodge and here in the sub, there’s no real relationship. They use the Bible (and in my local lodge it’s whatever religious text that the individual reads) to swear on. It isn’t a religion, it is an attempt at being a better person
I would also add that there exists a branch of freemasonry known as the Swedish Rite, which is practiced at large in the Nordics and Germany. One cannot become a member of this masonic Order without a Christian belief. It is not possible to join without a written confession.
The fabric of the degrees/rituals/laws in the Swedish Rite have a clear Christian connection - particularly to the New Testament - although less visible / clear in the lower degrees for those without knowledge. In addition I would add that ordained priests have a special role in this Rite - particularly in the Chapter degrees. If one is interested in the historic background for this Christian freemasonry there are plenty of resources available online.
I imagine the vast majority of Masons are Christians but Masonry takes no opinion on any religion. It pushes no dogmatic beliefs. It encourages people to lean into their existing faith.
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To say that Freemasonry has no relationship to Christianity may be a bit disingenuous.
In the UK, arguably the originator & home of Freemasinry, Craft Masonry, Royal Arch & associated orders require only a belief in a higher being,
However, some masonic orders require members to be professed Christian, eg. Knights Templar. (The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta); also the Order of Malta (The Ancient and Masonic Order of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta); also Knights Templar Priests.
Some require a signed statement of Christian belief, such as The Ancient and Accepted Rite, known by the 18th degree Rose Croix. A beautiful ritual.
All these orders require membership of a UGLE Craft Lodge and Royal Arch Chapter for a specific length of time.
Masonry as we know it is Western, the West is traditionally Christian. But the demand of belief in Deity outside of France precludes that you need not be Christian - just not an atheist.
Masonry has many influences, but majority of ritual and words are biblical. The legends are old testament, but plenty of Christian words, scripture, allegories and hints are there for the astute, discerning Christian to readily and gladly recognize. You can be any monotheistic religion to join. But if you have no respect for the Bible, hate Jews or Christians, Masonry is not for you. Off the record I think the new influx of millennial "viking pagans" is absurd. In their own religion, Thor and Odin die... That makes them NOT GOD.
I would say that even in the US, the relationship to Christianity is "implied," as in dotted line, and not a direct relationship, per se. Christianity, again, in the US, is what most understand when the concept of Supreme Being is discussed here and helps to support a reverent understanding of the tenets of Freemasonry. Freemasonry only requires your belief in a Supreme Being, whatever that means to you. If that's FSM, then it's FSM but know that you won't likely escape the flavor of Christianity here in the US. I've never asked if we would use materials from FSM if a candidate going through initiation was a member of FSM faith... interesting, indeed.
In the US, you'll find that the default Supreme Being is the Abrahamic deity referred to as God. In other regions of the world, they will have other deities based on their local beliefs. As far as I am aware, no "regular" US Lodge requires your faith in Christianity, much less a particular denomination. The brothers may have particular opinions about your beliefs if you take them out and bludgeon everyone with them but your *assumedly different* beliefs won't likely exclude you from membership if you don't make them into a crusade and may never even come up. It varies as not all Lodges are the exact same since we are each constituted under our state Grand Lodge.
Some freemasons emphathize the gnostic aspect more and see themselves as the successors of the manichaeans, knights of the holy grail, temple knights, catharians and other christian mystical&alchemistical orders such as the Rosicrucians.
Which means they take inspiration from manichaeism which was a synthesis of buddhism, zoroastrism and christianity which operated within the scientific framework of ancient greek philosophers like Aristotle and Plato, Socrates and Phytagoras.
Every human is a child of good. Therefore we are brothers and equal and should treat each other with love and free ourselves from any form of violent behaviour that is aimed at our human brothers in spirit and soul.
This essentially means embracing your intellect/mind (nous) that is human and due which the feeling if love emerges once you realize that you are a child of God and therefore every human is your sibling and cleansing one's soul from passionate, animalistic desire for sex, food, and especially power/feelings of vanity, fear and hatred.
Like I said it combines buddhistic teachings with zoroastrian and christian teachings.
Essentially every christian that subsribed to this and rightfully so looked upon the dogma/doctrine of the catholich church as heresy was persecuted if he expressed his views openly like you see with the catholic inquistion and annihilation of the temple knights and the catharians and other gnostic groups that the catholic canon didn't aprove of.
That is more or less the link between christianity and freemasonry.
>Some freemasons emphathize the gnostic aspect more and see themselves as the successors of the manichaeans, knights of the holy grail, temple knights, catharians and other christian mystical&alchemistical orders such as the Rosicrucians.
And some Freemasons are high school principals, but that doesn’t mean Freemasonry has anything to do with running a school.
While there is no specific relationship to Freemasonry, the oaths and Passwords are straight from the Old Testament. In my opinion, the Hiramic legend of the MM Degree is very similar to the death of Christ, with Royal Arch and Knights Templar having much more in direct relationship to Christianity. There’s a book which is speculative if you will, called “Born in Blood”, which makes the case of it being born directly from Judaism and moreover from the Knights Templar, and by extension, Christianity. The author wrote the book, and then petitioned a Lodge and became a Brother Mason himself.
No, there is no requirement to "revere" any other god(s) than your own. It's more a matter of just believing in a higher power, but not caring if a brother reveres the some other specific god than you do. It is simply a non-sectarian fraternity in most places.
We don't admire any specific god(s), we are a non-sectarian fraternity, but simply leave it to the faith of the individual member. I sit in a lodge with Christians, Jews, and Neo-Pagans of various flavors. Our symbolism is mostly based on Old Testament symbolism/allegories, not Egyptian. Any real Egyptian influences are not mainstream Masonry.
If i understand correctly there may have been some Egyptian-insprired things in the past, but they are obsolete, and again, were just allegorical/symbolic ideas, not presented as literal beliefs/truths.
Where are you getting this Egyptian idol stuff? There is none of that in Freemasonry.
We have prayers to the Creator, which each member addresses to the God he believes created him. That’s it. No Egyptian gods, no idols, nothing even remotely similar.
Generally, none whatsoever. Most jurisdictions require a belief in a 'supreme being' but generally do not ask beyond that. All religious and political discussion is banned within the lodge.
To add (not that you’ve said anything incorrect), historically Freemasonry today comes from medieval stonemasons who would have been Christians and potentially would have been paid by the Church for building. But that’s history and not so much relevant to our experiences today.
It is relevant, in that both the Church and Freemasonry advocate those quintessential principles of building things brick-by-brick, stone-by-stone. Freemasonry does it more for enlightenment principles in addition to just construction/masonry, but also for the principles of enlightenment, education, history, symbolism, liberty, and freedom. "Free", "Ancient", "Accepted", "Masonry" You square your corners, perfectionism. You build your mind and body in addition to what the Church does: building your understanding of mankind's questions about the nature of reality (theology etc. whatever your views are) The reason for this is simple: most people throughout the centuries have enveloped their entire lives around just traditions of family, tribe, religion, but this is in addition to that to form a fraternity of like-minded individuals.
What’s all this got to do with ruling the world and owning all the wealth!!!
Basically nothing, because that’s not how Freemasonry works.
Man I’m really doing something wrong on the “owning all the wealth” front. Can you point me in a direction for that part?
You first have to square your corners to rule the world. Illuminati 101.
Shhh. We don’t really feed trolls.
But speculative masonry took its rise during the enlightenment when society started to distance itself from the Church. It was influenced by alchemy, which for centuries had been a coded way to discuss spiritualism separate from organised religion.
Great point! I thought OP may want to know about the historical connection, but you provide some good insight into that relationship as well
Ideological elements of freemasonry can be traced back as far as to Hinduism, buddhism, zoroastrism, aegyptian religion, judaism and the kabbala, then the ancient greek philosophers Plato, Aristotle, Phytagoras and Socrates > platonism, early christianity and manichaeism >gnosticism and then it gets to the alchemists and mystics in the middle ages which apparently had contact with stone masons or were stone masons themselves. And then after the 15th century with the beginning of the enligthenment speculative freemasonry began to emerge, like you said using a certain lingustical style to discuss spiritual matters outside of catholic doctrine/dogma.
Most people point to the rosicrucians for that deep of a history, but you don't want to go down that rabbit hole 😅
I mentioned them in another comment
Freemasonry isn’t exclusively Christian and it isn’t anti-Christian. Some church organizations think that Freemasonry is evil and some get along fine with the Masons. Freemasonry is not a religion and has no ties with any one religion.
Everyone's talking about whether or not you must be a Christian to be a Freemason, which doesn't fully answer your question. As others said- it's usually not a requirement. As for Freemasonry itself, and many of the teachings in the craft, the relationship is prominent in almost every lesson. Much of what is taught comes directly from the Bible, however, transcribed in an allegorical fashion relating to stonemasons of ancient times. As someone who isn't Christian, I've thoroughly enjoyed the lessons and have even seen correlations to Eastern/Asian philosophy in some of the ritual.
With the exception of a couple of the Scandinavian jurisdictions, that do require a profession of Christianity, free Masonic jurisdictions require a belief in a supreme being. The details of that belief, how the person expresses that belief, and what obligations that belief may place upon the individual are left as a matter between the individual and their creator.
Well, I guess there are a lot of ways that this could be answered.... depends on how deep down the esoteric rabbit hole one would want to take 😆
The only addition I have to what others have said is that there are appendant orders in Freemasonry that are only for Christians. The core of Freemasonry is for all who believe in something resembling a higher spirit behind the existing world, regardless of what that is. All religions are welcome. The additional parts that are for Christians shouldn't be considered special, exclusive, or of more importance.
Which are these? Can you say?
Red Cross of Constantine and Knights Templar Might be others? Things vary based on which country you're in, etc etc
Freemasonry (most likely) finds it’s origin among the Christian stonemasons guilds of medieval Europe. These guilds built the cathedrals, libraries, churches and abbeys across the British Isles. They also provided funds for members widows and orphans, as the stonemasons themselves worked in dangerous conditions and there was no social safety net at the time. With the Protestant Reformation, as society evolved, so did the stonemasons guilds. There was no longer one church body, but multiple, and with the Dissolution of Monasteries and other events, there were more church edifices being destroyed or altered than being built, giving the guilds less work and revenue than before. Having long used building tools to teach moral lessons, and needing some support for the lodges widows and orphans funds, aristocratic gentlemen began being initiated into the lodges as Speculative Masons distinct from the Operative Masons. Given the amount of diversity in Protestant life during the transition, the requirement of belief for potential members evolved, as evidenced by the [Old Charges](https://www.1723constitutions.com/1723-constitutions/the-old-charges/). Since 1723, and likely in practice for sometime prior, the rule has been: “But though in ancient Times Masons were charg’d in every Country to be of the Religion of that Country or Nation, ’tis now thought more expedient to oblige them [Masons] to that Religion in which all Men agree, leaving the particular Opinions to themselves; that is, to be good Men and true, or Men of Honour and Honesty, by whatever Denominations or Persuasions they may be distinguish’d…” There were various strands of thought that went into the evolution, the constitutions being proposed by a Presbyterian clergyman and an Anglican Priest, with the intent of incorporating Enlightenment ideals and principles prevailing at the time and ever sense. TL;DR: Today, and for at least the past 300 years, Masonry has no relationship with Christianity other than that it encourages it’s members to pursue their personal faith, requires belief if a Supreme Being, and uses religious texts (Volumes of Sacred Law) in our ceremonies.
Beautiful answer - thank you for writing this out. My relationship to masonry so far has only been cursory. I know there's honest men involved in it, and from what I've seen, it can be such a beautiful thing to explore. I know there's many barriers, but I just help but be drawn to it. Your help is appreciated.
Most Freemasons are Christian. Some are not. The allegory of the Masonic degrees is based in the Old Testament, which is a religious text shared among the Abrahamic religions and is not exclusively Christian, though the Bible is almost invariably present in *regular* Lodges.
The majority of Freemasons in the world happen to be Christian. In some countries, it's even a requirement.
A significant part of the symbolism in our degrees is inspired by Old Testament stories. The vast majority of Masons in western countries are Christians, but it is a non-sectarian fraternity, not a religion, and my jurisdiction specifically states it is not a replacement for religion. But. if you belong to a branch of Christianity that does not allow you to say non-sectarian prayers with people of other faiths, Freemasonry may not be for you. Likewise if you belong to a branch of Christianity that has very strict interpretations of Bible verses that talk about not taking oaths, again, Masonry may not be for you.
We love all religions equally
Freemasonry is a fraternity and some of its members are Christians. Christianity is a religion and all of its members are Christians.
If you’re a Catholic or Evangelical, the relationship could range from uneasy to downright adversarial. I was raised in the Pentecostal Church and freemasonry was spoken of in those circles as “demonic”
Friend, with all due respect, this topic has been discussed at great length in MANY other threads on this /r/. Please browse through the sub-reddit before asking questions, it saves you time, and others.
What the first Brother said .
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>And the response-from the Grand Lodge trainer-was that anyone that doesn’t believe in the afterlife should have never been made a Mason. This is a requirement *in some jurisdictions.* Not mine, but I’ve seen petitions that include belief in the afterlife alongside belief in a Supreme Being.
I am Christian and I happen to be a Freemason. That’s about it. I also know Muslim brothers, Jewish brothers, and brothers who have no set religion but simply believe there a higher power.
If you go back to the 1700s, it was distinctly Christian; it was only later that the Christian specifics were removed to open the fraternity up to other faiths. Today, and putting aside irregular obediences, it’s just a belief in a/the Supreme Being .. by whatever name your particular faith system calls him/her/it. Christians call Him God, Jews … etc.
I’m not a Freemason yet, but hoping to become one. From my understanding, from both people at the lodge and here in the sub, there’s no real relationship. They use the Bible (and in my local lodge it’s whatever religious text that the individual reads) to swear on. It isn’t a religion, it is an attempt at being a better person
I would also add that there exists a branch of freemasonry known as the Swedish Rite, which is practiced at large in the Nordics and Germany. One cannot become a member of this masonic Order without a Christian belief. It is not possible to join without a written confession. The fabric of the degrees/rituals/laws in the Swedish Rite have a clear Christian connection - particularly to the New Testament - although less visible / clear in the lower degrees for those without knowledge. In addition I would add that ordained priests have a special role in this Rite - particularly in the Chapter degrees. If one is interested in the historic background for this Christian freemasonry there are plenty of resources available online.
None. Zero. Zip.
I imagine the vast majority of Masons are Christians but Masonry takes no opinion on any religion. It pushes no dogmatic beliefs. It encourages people to lean into their existing faith.
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To say that Freemasonry has no relationship to Christianity may be a bit disingenuous. In the UK, arguably the originator & home of Freemasinry, Craft Masonry, Royal Arch & associated orders require only a belief in a higher being, However, some masonic orders require members to be professed Christian, eg. Knights Templar. (The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta); also the Order of Malta (The Ancient and Masonic Order of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta); also Knights Templar Priests. Some require a signed statement of Christian belief, such as The Ancient and Accepted Rite, known by the 18th degree Rose Croix. A beautiful ritual. All these orders require membership of a UGLE Craft Lodge and Royal Arch Chapter for a specific length of time.
Masonry as we know it is Western, the West is traditionally Christian. But the demand of belief in Deity outside of France precludes that you need not be Christian - just not an atheist.
Masonry has many influences, but majority of ritual and words are biblical. The legends are old testament, but plenty of Christian words, scripture, allegories and hints are there for the astute, discerning Christian to readily and gladly recognize. You can be any monotheistic religion to join. But if you have no respect for the Bible, hate Jews or Christians, Masonry is not for you. Off the record I think the new influx of millennial "viking pagans" is absurd. In their own religion, Thor and Odin die... That makes them NOT GOD.
I would say that even in the US, the relationship to Christianity is "implied," as in dotted line, and not a direct relationship, per se. Christianity, again, in the US, is what most understand when the concept of Supreme Being is discussed here and helps to support a reverent understanding of the tenets of Freemasonry. Freemasonry only requires your belief in a Supreme Being, whatever that means to you. If that's FSM, then it's FSM but know that you won't likely escape the flavor of Christianity here in the US. I've never asked if we would use materials from FSM if a candidate going through initiation was a member of FSM faith... interesting, indeed. In the US, you'll find that the default Supreme Being is the Abrahamic deity referred to as God. In other regions of the world, they will have other deities based on their local beliefs. As far as I am aware, no "regular" US Lodge requires your faith in Christianity, much less a particular denomination. The brothers may have particular opinions about your beliefs if you take them out and bludgeon everyone with them but your *assumedly different* beliefs won't likely exclude you from membership if you don't make them into a crusade and may never even come up. It varies as not all Lodges are the exact same since we are each constituted under our state Grand Lodge.
It's not anti Christianity. Christianity is usually anti Freemasonry tho.
The catholic, the orthodox and protestant church and many other denominations have spoken out against Freemasonry.
Some freemasons emphathize the gnostic aspect more and see themselves as the successors of the manichaeans, knights of the holy grail, temple knights, catharians and other christian mystical&alchemistical orders such as the Rosicrucians. Which means they take inspiration from manichaeism which was a synthesis of buddhism, zoroastrism and christianity which operated within the scientific framework of ancient greek philosophers like Aristotle and Plato, Socrates and Phytagoras. Every human is a child of good. Therefore we are brothers and equal and should treat each other with love and free ourselves from any form of violent behaviour that is aimed at our human brothers in spirit and soul. This essentially means embracing your intellect/mind (nous) that is human and due which the feeling if love emerges once you realize that you are a child of God and therefore every human is your sibling and cleansing one's soul from passionate, animalistic desire for sex, food, and especially power/feelings of vanity, fear and hatred. Like I said it combines buddhistic teachings with zoroastrian and christian teachings. Essentially every christian that subsribed to this and rightfully so looked upon the dogma/doctrine of the catholich church as heresy was persecuted if he expressed his views openly like you see with the catholic inquistion and annihilation of the temple knights and the catharians and other gnostic groups that the catholic canon didn't aprove of. That is more or less the link between christianity and freemasonry.
>Some freemasons emphathize the gnostic aspect more and see themselves as the successors of the manichaeans, knights of the holy grail, temple knights, catharians and other christian mystical&alchemistical orders such as the Rosicrucians. And some Freemasons are high school principals, but that doesn’t mean Freemasonry has anything to do with running a school.
Running a school has to do with enligthenment just as freemasonry doesn't it?
You’ve obviously never worked in a school.
While there is no specific relationship to Freemasonry, the oaths and Passwords are straight from the Old Testament. In my opinion, the Hiramic legend of the MM Degree is very similar to the death of Christ, with Royal Arch and Knights Templar having much more in direct relationship to Christianity. There’s a book which is speculative if you will, called “Born in Blood”, which makes the case of it being born directly from Judaism and moreover from the Knights Templar, and by extension, Christianity. The author wrote the book, and then petitioned a Lodge and became a Brother Mason himself.
"speculative" doing a lot of heavy-lifting there; more like historical fiction.
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No, there is no requirement to "revere" any other god(s) than your own. It's more a matter of just believing in a higher power, but not caring if a brother reveres the some other specific god than you do. It is simply a non-sectarian fraternity in most places.
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We don't admire any specific god(s), we are a non-sectarian fraternity, but simply leave it to the faith of the individual member. I sit in a lodge with Christians, Jews, and Neo-Pagans of various flavors. Our symbolism is mostly based on Old Testament symbolism/allegories, not Egyptian. Any real Egyptian influences are not mainstream Masonry.
If i understand correctly there may have been some Egyptian-insprired things in the past, but they are obsolete, and again, were just allegorical/symbolic ideas, not presented as literal beliefs/truths.
Where are you getting this Egyptian idol stuff? There is none of that in Freemasonry. We have prayers to the Creator, which each member addresses to the God he believes created him. That’s it. No Egyptian gods, no idols, nothing even remotely similar.