The Real Truth: Freemasonry

Ok, so here we go:

I'm going to look at Freemasonry from strictly a Christian point-of-view.

Freemasonry, Eastern Star, and other similar "secret" organizations appear to be harmless fellowship gatherings. Many of them appear to promote belief in God. However, upon closer examination, we find that the only belief requirement is not that one must believe in the True and Living God, but rather, that one must believe in the existence of a “Supreme Being”, which includes the “gods” of Islam, Hinduism, or any other world religion. The unbiblical and anti-Christian beliefs and practices of this organization are partially hidden beneath an outward appearance of a supposed compatibility with the Christian faith. The following is a comparison of what the Bible says with the "official" position of Freemasonry:

Salvation from Sin:

The Bible’s View: Jesus became the sinner’s sacrifice before God when He shed His blood and died as the propitiation (payment) for the sins of all those who would ever believe (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5:8, John 3:16).

Mason’s View: The very process of joining the Lodge requires Christians to ignore the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. According to Freemasonry, a person will be saved and go to heaven as a result of his good works and personal self-improvement.

The View of the Bible:

The Bible’s View: The supernatural and plenary inspiration of the Scriptures—that they are inerrant and that their teachings and authority are absolute, supreme, and final. The Bible is the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

Mason’s View: The Bible is only one of several “Volume(s) of Sacred Law,” all of which are deemed to be equally important in Freemasonry. The Bible is an important book, only as far as those members who claim to be Christians are concerned, just as the Koran is important to Muslims. The Bible is not considered to be the exclusive Word of God, nor is it considered to be God’s sole revelation of himself to humankind; but only one of many religious sourcebooks. It is a good guide for morality. The Bible is used primarily as a symbol of God’s will, which can also be captured in other sacred texts, like the Koran or Rig Vedas.

The Doctrine of God:

The Bible’s View: There is one God. The various names of God refer to the God of Israel and reveal certain attributes of God. To worship other gods or to call upon other deities is idolatry (Exodus 20:3). Paul spoke of idolatry as a heinous sin (1 Corinthians 10:14) and John said that idolaters will perish in hell (Revelation 21:8).

Mason’s View: All members must believe in a deity. Different religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.) acknowledge the same God, only call Him different names. Freemasonry invites people of all faiths, even if they use different names for the ‘Nameless One of a hundred names,’ they are yet praying to the one God and Father of all.

The Doctrine of Jesus and the Trinity:

The Bible’s View: Jesus was God in human form (Matthew 1:18-24, John 1:1). Jesus is the second person of the trinity (Matthew 28:19, Mark 1:9-11). While on earth, He was fully human (Mark 4:38, Matthew 4:2) and fully divine (John 20:28, John 1:1-2, Acts 4:10-12). Christians should pray in Jesus’ name and proclaim Him before others, regardless of offense to non-Christians (John 14:13-14, 1 John 2:23, Acts 4:18-20).

Mason’s View: There is no exclusivity in Jesus Christ or the Triune God who is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; therefore there is no doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ. It is deemed to be un-Masonic to invoke the name of Jesus when praying, or mention His name in the Lodge. Suggesting that Jesus is the only way to God contradicts the principle of tolerance. The name of Jesus has been omitted from biblical verses that are used in Masonic rituals. Jesus is on the same level as other religious leaders.

Human Nature and Sin:

The Bible’s View: All humans are born with a sinful nature, are totally depraved, and need a Savior from sin (Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, Psalm 51:5, Ephesians 2:1). The Bible denies that because of the Fall, humanity has within itself the capacity for moral perfection (1 John 1:8-10, Romans 1:18-25).

Mason’s View: Through symbols and emblems, Masons teach that man is not sinful, just “rude and imperfect by nature”. Human beings are able to improve their character and behavior in various ways, including acts of charity, moral living, and voluntary performance of civic duty. Humanity possesses the ability of moving from imperfection toward total perfection. Moral and spiritual perfection lies within men and women.

When a Christian takes the oath of Freemasonry, he is swearing to the following doctrines that God has pronounced false and sinful:

1. That salvation can be gained by man’s good works.
2. That Jesus is just one of many equally revered prophets.
3. That they will remain silent in the Lodge and not talk of Christ.
4. That they are approaching the Lodge in spiritual darkness and ignorance, when the Bible says Christians are already in the light, children of the light, and are indwelt by the Light of the World—Jesus Christ.
5. By demanding that Christians take the Masonic oath, Masonry leads Christians into blasphemy and taking the name of the Lord in vain.
6. Masonry teaches that its G.A.O.T.U. [Great Architect of the Universe], whom Masonry believes is the true God of the universe, is representative of all gods in all religions.
7. Masonry makes Christians take a universalist approach in their prayers, demanding a “generic” name be used so as not to offend non-believers who are Masonic “brothers”.
8. By swearing the Masonic oath and participating in the doctrines of the Lodge, Christians are perpetuating a false gospel to other Lodge members, who look only to Masonry’s plan of salvation to get to heaven. By their very membership in such a syncretistic type organization, they have severely compromised their witnessing as Christians.
9. By taking the Masonic obligation, the Christian is agreeing to allow the pollution of his mind, spirit, and body by those who serve false gods and believe false doctrines.

As you can see, Masonry denies and contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture and numerous issues. Masonry also requires people to engage in activities which the Bible condemns. As a result, a Christian should not be a member of any secret society or organization that has any connection with Freemasonry.

Remember, my argument is strictly on a Christian level. And I, as a follower of Jesus Christ, stand firm in saying you can NOT be a Christian and a Mason.

EDIT: I am not saying that everyone in Freemasonry believes this. But the organization does. So if you see something wrong with Masonry's stance on any of these issues, maybe you should question your committment to this "club"?

Originally posted by PronoEast

Remember, my argument is strictly on a Christian level. And I, as a follower of Jesus Christ, stand firm in saying you can NOT be a Christian and a Mason.

EDIT: I am not saying that everyone in Freemasonry believes this. But the organization does. So if you see something wrong with Masonry's stance on any of these issues, maybe you should question your committment to this "club"?

edit on 22-11-2010 by PronoEast because: (no reason given)

it sounds to me like you have to believe exactly as you do, or everyone else is doomed to hell. If heaven is full of over zealous people who think themselves superior to others simply because of what they believe and not how they act, I am afraid it's not for me. On the other hand, If God is as I see him and he is all loving and all powerful, then I guess he can build a special room for you folks and just tell you that ya'll are the only ones there.

Originally posted by Masonic Light

Originally posted by Skippy1138
Hi Ted-welcome to ATS!
Please believe me when I say I am NOT a "paranoid Mason-hater", but I wonder if you could address Albert Pike and his statements about Lucifer being God, and how initiates and lower degree Masons are intentionally misled as to what the organization is really about?

Albert Pike never, ever said anything about Lucifer being God. That was an anti-Masonic hoax invented and perpetuated by a Frenchman named Leo Taxil.

Pike did believe that the Blue degrees obscured and "intentionally misled" initiates as to the purpose of the organization. Pike believed that Masonry was really the Templar Order in disguise, and noted that the Blue degrees do not even mention the Templars.

We now know that Pike was in error in his thinking on that subject, so his comments about people being "intentionally misled" are no longer relevant.

So Pike never wrote a book called "Morals and Dogma"? That was all a hoax by some French guy? How come none of the other Masons in the thread said that? Why are you the first one? One said you just had to know the "context" of where Pike was coming from.You say it was all a hoax. Which is it?
(By the way, I'm not trying to be confrontational, just trying to understand, since there seem to be some conflicting viewpoints even among the Masons here...)

reply to post by network dude


"I'm basically a good person, so I'll go to heaven." "OK, so I do some bad things, but I do more good things, so I'll go to heaven." "God won't send me to hell just because I don't live by the Bible. Times have changed!" "Only really bad people like child molesters and murderers go to hell."

These are all common rationalizations, but the truth is that they are all lies. Satan, the ruler of the world, plants these thoughts in our heads. He, and anyone who follows his ways, is an enemy of God (1Peter 5:8). Satan is a deceiver and often disguises himself as someone good (2 Corinthians 11:14), but he has control over all the minds that do not belong to God. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4).

It is a lie to believe that God doesn't care about small sins or that hell is reserved for "bad people." All sin separates us from God, even a “little white lie.” Everyone has sinned, and no one is good enough to get to heaven on their own (Romans 3:23). Getting into heaven is not based on whether our good outweighs our bad; we will all lose out if that is the case. "And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace" (Romans 11:6). We can do nothing good to earn our way to heaven (Titus 3:5).

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it" (Matthew 7:13). Even if everyone else is living a life of sin in a culture where trusting in God is not popular, God will not excuse it. "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient" (Ephesians 2:1-2).

When God created the world, it was perfect and good. Then he made Adam and Eve and gave them their own free will, so they would have a choice whether to follow and obey God. But they were tempted by Satan to disobey God, and they sinned. This separated them (and everyone that came after them, including us) from being able to have a close relationship with God. He is perfect and holy and must judge sin. As sinners, we couldn't reconcile ourselves to God on our own. So God made a way that we could be united with Him in heaven. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Jesus was born to die for our sins so that we would not have to. Three days after His death, He rose from the grave (Romans 4:25), proving Himself victorious over death. He bridged the gap between God and man so that we may have a personal relationship with Him if we only believe.

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3). Most people believe in God, even Satan does. But to receive salvation, we must turn to God, form a personal relationship, turn away from our sins, and follow Him. We must trust in Jesus with everything we have and everything we do. "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference" (Romans 3:22). The Bible teaches that there is no other way to salvation than through Christ. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Jesus is the only way of salvation because He is the only One who can pay our sin penalty (Romans 6:23). No other religion teaches the depth or seriousness of sin and its consequences. No other religion offers the infinite payment of sin that only Jesus Christ could provide. No other “religious founder” was God become man (John 1:1,14) – the only way an infinite debt could be paid. Jesus had to be God so that He could pay our debt. Jesus had to be man so He could die. Salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ! “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Originally posted by network dude
On the other hand, If God is as I see him and he is all loving and all powerful, then I guess he can build a special room for you folks and just tell you that ya'll are the only ones there.

Now THAT made me laugh

Its been a very frustating day today. Its been extremely hard to subdue my passions. I see several replys I really would like to respond to. But the way I feel it may not be the freindlist response. So I'm asking god to bridle my tongue. So I will leave with this, some of you people (anti-mason, "christian", atheist) are so damn ignorant it makes my stomach cramp.

FYI Not many people outside of the U.S have heard of Pike, If I am not mistaken the Scottish Rite of masonry is predominatly an American concordant body of masony. I have only heard of the northern and southern jurisdiction of scottish rite. Historically, the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry evolved from the Rite of Perfection more than 200 years ago on the continent of Europe under the Constitutions of 1762, In 1801 the first supreme council was formed in S.C. Pike was consider the father of American Scottish rite freemasonry. So all the crap he wrote really only applied to american freemasonry. Thats why the OP stated he was not too familiar with Pike. That is why it pisses me off when people use Pike as the got to guy for masonry. There is no degree in masonry higher than that of Master Mason.

reply to post by Skippy1138


All questions can by answerd by doing a little research online id never really looked into the whole hoax thing over albert pikes words, but after looking into it, what masonic light says is all true

Originally posted by SirKnightE
That is why it pisses me off when people use Pike as the got to guy for masonry. There is no degree in masonry higher than that of Master Mason.

I never said Pike was the "go to" guy for Masonry. Instead of being "pissed off" at me, you should be glad I'm willing to ask questions and educate myself and not just blindly believe everything I read on the Internet.....

Originally posted by Skippy1138

Originally posted by SirKnightE
That is why it pisses me off when people use Pike as the got to guy for masonry. There is no degree in masonry higher than that of Master Mason.

I never said Pike was the "go to" guy for Masonry. Instead of being "pissed off" at me, you should be glad I'm willing to ask questions and educate myself and not just blindly believe everything I read on the Internet.....

Dont feel so special, I didnt even read your reply, I was talking about people in general using Pike as the poster boy for satan in masonry. But now that i think I did read some of it. Pike did say something about Lucifer being the bright morning star. Lucifer is the light bearer or light bringer. Which has absolutly nothing to do with masonry. Jesus said I am the way truth and Light. Pike may think of Lucifer as A god, but not the God. Even THE God acknowledges that there are other gods besides him. And in a since Satan is a god, THE God gave satan dominion over this earth. That is why we are born into sin. So like I said Pike may or may not said some off the wall sh!t that no one should take it as him speaking for all of masonry. Masonry is a beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory, and illustrated through signs and symbols. So nothing in masonry can be taken to face value, its secrets are only there to teach a specific lesson and apply it to life. Making good men, better men

reply to post by SirKnightE


I agree with you in the sense that not all Masons should be judged by what one man said. That would be like all of Christianity being held accountable if the world's most popular preacher made claims denouncing Christ.

Originally posted by SirKnightE

Originally posted by Skippy1138

Originally posted by SirKnightE
That is why it pisses me off when people use Pike as the got to guy for masonry. There is no degree in masonry higher than that of Master Mason.

I never said Pike was the "go to" guy for Masonry. Instead of being "pissed off" at me, you should be glad I'm willing to ask questions and educate myself and not just blindly believe everything I read on the Internet.....

Dont feel so special, I didnt even read your reply, I was talking about people in general using Pike as the poster boy for satan in masonry. But now that i think I did read some of it. Pike did say something about Lucifer being the bright morning star. Lucifer is the light bearer or light bringer. Which has absolutly nothing to do with masonry. Jesus said I am the way truth and Light. Pike may think of Lucifer as A god, but not the God. Even THE God acknowledges that there are other gods besides him. And in a since Satan is a god, THE God gave satan dominion over this earth. That is why we are born into sin. So like I said Pike may or may not said some off the wall sh!t that no one should take it as him speaking for all of masonry. Masonry is a beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory, and illustrated through signs and symbols. So nothing in masonry can be taken to face value, its secrets are only there to teach a specific lesson and apply it to life. Making good men, better men

OK my bad- I wasn't trying to feel special, I just thought it was directed at me.Unlike some people in the "other" Masonic thread that's in full-swing right now, I am not a "Mason-hater" nor do I think you are all evil...

Hmmm,
Perhaps Lucifer is an allegory for knowledge? Liberation?
Maybe Lucifer is a metaphor for Venus, Jesus, any other persona or archetype in that faculty...
Satan is hebrew, Shaitan. Lucifer is NOT the same person... Even if they existed or didn't exist ... 2 separate archetypes.. 1 is the Adversary.. the other is a judge and bringer of light. Maybe the Sun...

reply to post by PronoEast


the Bible is a book written by man. It has been translated many times. In the original version the words were very differnt than what we read today. Man is not perfect.

Given that all that is true, why would anyone use the bible as a literal refrence to anything? It's stories are a guide to live by, but if you take one part of it literal and try to use that as a way to get people to not like masonry, then you need to take the entire book literal. Every bit of it. or you are just another hypocrit.

I don't think destroying others religion is what god wants. Seriously, you have people in there doing evil.

reply to post by Masonic Light


It was Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry page 232 and 249, and Clausen's commentaries page 148
The Mackey ebook is free online, but I can't find the Clausen one, I own both in hard copy though.
books.google.com... _20&hl=en&ei=4AXpTKjhOYWusAPo5NyxCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CFUQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false

reply to post by TedHodgson


I understand it exactly and it is Egyptian Pagansim, a religion of slaves where most of the masses is kept ignorant with a simplified religion of false interpretations, while a select few posses true knowledge and use it to rule over the population as gods. We have a lot of that in our society today, it is too much to be coincidence.

Why is so much of our population dumbed down watching sports and Jersey shore all the time? Why do so many not vote, not watch the news, or have even a basic understanding of the world like how to find China on a map? All this ignorance and apathy did not happen by chance, our society is ruled by this same mystery religion. It flaunts its symbols everywhere, on our TVs, magazines, corporate logos, our monuments and currency.

Our celebrities and politicians all use these signs, all have personality cults around them, like they are gods worshiped by ignorant masses.

It is not just the higher levels of Freemasonry that is responsible for this, all the occult groups like Bohemian Grove, Skulls and Bones, all are involved, they are like slightly different denominations of this mystery religion.

reply to post by network dude

Not only can we take the Bible literally, but we must take the Bible literally. This is the only way to determine what God really is trying to communicate to us. When we read any piece of literature, but especially the Bible, we must determine what the author intended to communicate. Many today will read a verse or passage of Scripture and then give their own definitions to the words, phrases, or paragraphs, ignoring the context and author’s intent. But this is not what God intended, which is why God tells us to correctly handle the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

One reason we should take the Bible literally is because the Lord Jesus Christ took it literally. Whenever the Lord Jesus quoted from the Old Testament, it was always clear that He believed in its literal interpretation. As an example, when Jesus was tempted by Satan in Luke 4, He answered by quoting the Old Testament. If God’s commands in Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:13, and 6:16 were not literal, Jesus would not have used them and they would have been powerless to stop Satan’s mouth, which they certainly did.

The disciples also took the commands of Christ (which are part of the Bible) literally. Jesus commanded the disciples to go and make more disciples in Matthew 28:19-20. In Acts 2 and following, we find that the disciples took Jesus' command literally and went throughout the known world of that time preaching the gospel of Christ and telling them to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Just as the disciples took Jesus’ words literally, so must we. How else can we be sure of our salvation if we do not believe Him when He says He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), pay the penalty for our sin (Matthew 26:28), and provide eternal life (John 6:54)?

Although we take the Bible literally, there are still figures of speech within its pages. An example of a figure of speech would be that if someone said "it is raining cats and dogs outside," you would know that they did not really mean that cats and dogs were falling from the sky. They would mean it is raining really hard. There are figures of speech in the Bible which are not to be taken literally, but those are obvious. (See Psalm 17:8 for example.)

Finally, when we make ourselves the final arbiters of which parts of the Bible are to be interpreted literally, we elevate ourselves above God. Who is to say, then, that one person’s interpretation of a biblical event or truth is any more or less valid than another’s? The confusion and distortions that would inevitably result from such a system would essentially render the Scriptures null and void. The Bible is God’s Word to us and He meant it to be believed—literally and completely.

The doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible teaches that scripture is “God-breathed”; that is, God personally superintended the writing process, guiding the human authors so that His complete message was recorded for us. The Bible is truly God’s Word. During the writing process, the personality and writing style of each author was allowed expression; however, God so directed the writers that the 66 books they produced were free of error and were exactly what God wanted us to have. See 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21.

Of course, when we speak of “inspiration,” we are referring only to the process by which the original documents were composed. After that, the doctrine of the preservation of the Bible takes over. If God went to such great lengths to give us His Word, surely He would also take steps to preserve that Word unchanged. What we see in history is that God did exactly that.

The Old Testament Hebrew scriptures were painstakingly copied by Jewish scribes. Groups such as the Sopherim, the Zugoth, the Tannaim, and the Masoretes had a deep reverence for the texts they were copying. Their reverence was coupled with strict rules governing their work: the type of parchment used, the size of the columns, the kind of ink, and the spacing of words were all prescribed. Writing anything from memory was expressly forbidden, and the lines, words, and even the individual letters were methodically counted as a means of double-checking accuracy. The result of all this was that the words written by Isaiah’s pen are still available today. The discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls clearly confirms the precision of the Hebrew text.

The same is true for the New Testament Greek text. Thousands of Greek texts, some dating back to nearly A.D. 117, are available. The slight variations among the texts—not one of which affects an article of faith—are easily reconciled. Scholars have concluded that the New Testament we have at present is virtually unchanged from the original writings. Textual scholar Sir Frederic Kenyon said about the Bible, “It is practically certain that the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved. . . . This can be said of no other ancient book in the world.”

This brings us to the translation of the Bible. Translation is an interpretative process, to some extent. When translating from one language to another, choices must be made. Should it be the more exact word, even if the meaning of that word is unclear to the modern reader? Or should it be a corresponding thought, at the expense of a more literal reading?

As an example, in Colossians 3:12, Paul says we are to put on “bowels of mercies” (KJV). The Greek word for “bowels,” which is literally “intestines,” comes from a root word meaning “spleen.” The KJV translators chose a literal translation of the word. The translators of the NASB chose “heart of compassion”—the “heart” being what today’s reader thinks of as the seat of emotions. The Amplified Bible has it as “tenderhearted pity and mercy.” The NIV simply puts “compassion.”

So, the KJV is the most literal in the above example, but the other translations certainly do justice to the verse. The core meaning of the command is to have compassionate feelings.

Most translations of the Bible are done by committee. This helps to guarantee that no individual prejudice or theology will affect the decisions of word choice, etc. Of course, the committee itself may have a particular agenda or bias (such as those producing the current “gender-neutral” mistranslations). But there is still plenty of good scholarship being done, and many good translations are available.

Having a good, honest translation of the Bible is important. A good translating team will have done its homework and will let the Bible speak for itself.

As a general rule, the more literal translations, such as the KJV, NKJV, ASB and NASB, have less “interpretative” work. The “freer” translations, such as the NIV, NLT, and CEV, by necessity do more “interpretation” of the text, but are generally more readable. Then there are the paraphrases, such as The Message and The Living Bible, which are not really translations at all but one person’s retelling of the Bible.

So, with all that in view, are translations of the Bible inspired and inerrant? The answer is no, they are not. God nowhere extends the promise of inspiration to translations of His Word. While many of the translations available today are superb in quality, they are not inspired by God, and are not perfect. Does this mean we cannot trust a translation? Again, the answer is no. Through careful study of Scripture, with the Holy Spirit's guidance, we can properly understand, interpret, and apply Scripture. Again, due to the faithful efforts of dedicated Christian translators (and of course the oversight of the Holy Spirit), the translations available today are superb and trustworthy. The fact that we cannot ascribe inerrancy to a translation should motivate us towards even closer study, and away from blind devotion towards any particular translation.

reply to post by TedHodgson


I suspect there's an awful lot of confusion about Freemasonry simply because there's been an awful lot written about the subject, much of it probably wrong. I find the Freemason philosophy commendable and see nothing conspiratorial about the organization. In fact, there are probably far more conspiratorial groups. What interests me most of all is Freemason history and I'm not just talking about the official approved history of the London Lodge; speculative Freemasonry if you will. Of course, there's an official history and there's nothing wrong with it. What I find fascinating is the relationship and potential linkages between speculative Freemasonry and the masonic guilds dating from the late Medieval Period. Perhaps what I find most fascinating is that we may never know the true associations and this leaves room for interesting speculations and conjecture. History is of course the collection of data but ultimately it's what we do with these data that makes history interesting, valuable, and ultimately fun. While it is fun teasing our facts and weaving a factual story, speculation is also fun and there are few subjects that fascinate more than the speculative history of Freemasonry. May you shed light on this subject and offer opinion!

People who hate Freemasons frequently carry on about pedophile rings and other corruption and naughtiness. Sometimes I think they are confusing the institution with the Catholic Church.

reply to post by Unilluminist

Such as?

reply to post by Unilluminist

The appendant rites are just icing on the cake as I like to say. Think of the Masonic family as a tree. The Blue Lodge is the trunk, the roots of the tree with various branches stemming from it, but without the trunk the branches would die. The Master Mason, the Blue Lodge (aka Craft Masonry), is the highest degree you can get as the appendant orders require the permission of the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge to operate within that specific jurisdiction.

Please do more research on all the Rites and their history. The Scottish Rite is often focused upon because of the numbering system.