Is Freemasonry a Religion?
Unpacking Masonry’s relationship to God, the church, and the Supreme Architect of the Universe.
Is Masonry a religion? What religion are Masons? Can Catholics be Masons? What’s the Masonic bible? Are Mormons Masons? What’s the deal between Freemasonry and Catholicism? Questions about the relationship between Masonry and religion are among the most frequent inquiries we receive.
The question of the connection between Freemasonry and religion is not an easy topic to tackle. On the one hand, Masons are adamant that Freemasonry is not a religion, and not a substitute for religion. It encourages its members to be active in their own faith community but does not favor or promote any particular faith.
On the other hand, Freemasonry requires that all its members have a belief in a God. It begins and ends its meetings with prayer. Members take their promises as Masons on sacred book, often a Masonic Bible. Its rituals have frequent references to God. Their meeting places are often called Masonic temples. So if it isn’t a religion, why is religion such a feature of Freemasonry?
The History of Masonry and Religion— and Why Any Religion Can Be a Mason
It would be easy just to say that requiring a belief in God is a part of our Masonic heritage, and a part of the fabric of Freemasonry. It is, but it is also something more.
The Judeo-Christian tradition was a crucial influence in the early days of modern Freemasonry. That can be seen in the many references to Christian religious iconography in its ritual, from the story of Solomon’s Temple to St. John the Baptist (one of two patron saints of Freemasonry), and the bible as one of the “three great lights” of Masonry.
When the first Grand Lodge was organized in London in 1717, its leaders asked one of its prominent members, a Presbyterian minister named James Anderson, to write a set of rules to govern the new society, called “charges.” His “Six Charges” became the standard interpretation of the craft and still remain an important source for understanding the fundamental principles of our institution.
His first charge, “Concerning God and Religion,” was probably the most important. It read, “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…”
In other words, the fraternity would not be divided by religious differences.
Are Masons Christian?
As we’ve seen, Anderson’s careful language started a new chapter in Freemasonry—one of religious tolerance, and one that that stated plainly that the fraternity was open to men of any faith. (Although they had to be men of some faith.)
While Masonry is and has always been open to men of all religions, 18th century Britain was a predominantly Christian world. Historian David Hackett has written that while Anderon’s First Charge was a radical change, he was probably thinking more about uniting Unitarians, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Anglicans, and Catholics—in other words, various Christian denominations.
As a result, Masonic rituals retain many elements and symbols of Christianity. Perhaps most important is the fundamental mythology of Freemasonry, the Biblical story of the building of King Solomon’s Temple. Even today, Freemasonry bears the marks of the era in which it was founded.
That said, Masons today belong to practically all world religions. People of Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, and many other faiths are welcomed as members.
Why Is St. John the Patron Saint of Freemasonry?
Freemasonry has two patron saints: St. John the Evangelist and St. John the Baptist.
The reasons for this connection go back centuries—and remain shrouded in mystery. What we know for certain is that it isn’t strange that during the Middle Ages, many societies and guilds were dedicated to a particular saint. That figure received special devotion from the members of the society, and, in turn, he would offer its members special protection and favor. At some point in, the two St. John figures became known as the patron saints of Freemasonry. When and where that happened remains a mystery.
From the Masonic perspective, we can understand the balanced dualism of John the Baptist on one side and John the Evangelist on the other. Together, they represent two sides of a coin: the passionate zeal of the baptist and the knowledge of faith of the apostle. A Masonic lodge dedicated to the two patron saints of Freemasonry can be seen as a space to both reflect on and channel our passions. Taken as an abstract compilation of symbols, they represent a well-balanced path toward enlightenment. Even more, their feast days are closely associated with the summer and winter solstice—underscoring the symbolic duality of the two figures.
Masons recognize St. John the Baptist’s Feast Day on June 24 with a large dinner celebration, and St. John the Evangelist on December 27.
Can Catholics Be Masons?
Catholicism’s relationship to Freemasonry continues to confuse many people. That’s been the case all the way since Pope Clement XII in 1738.
The short answer is that Yes, Catholics can be Masons. Many Masons throughout history and today have been practicing Catholics. But over the years, the Catholic church has issued several statements on Masonry that have muddied those waters.
In 1738, a Papal Bull from Rome announced that attending a Masonic lodge would be punishable by death. That condemnation of Masonry has been reiterated by at least seven popes over three centuries. They rest largely on the grounds that the fraternity adheres to an idea described as “religious indifferentism,” according to at least one Catholic publication. The most recent missive was issued in November 2023 in a letter sent from the dicastery to a bishop in the Philippines, reiterated that membership in a Masonic lodge warrants an automatic excommunication that can only be lifted by the Holy See.
However, at other times, the church has appeared to walk back those rules. In the wake of the Second Vatican Council, in 1974, a letter from the Vatican’s prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith seemed to imply that Catholic laymen were able to join Masonic lodges, provided the lodges were not intrinsically anti-Catholic. The letter suggested that Catholics were simply forbidden from joining “associations which plot against the church.”
However, just a few years later, in 1981 (and again in ’83 and ’85), the same Vatican office reversed course, reiterating that the removal of Masonry by name in its Code of Canon Law did not change its position on the fraternity. However, in the U.S. and elsewhere, confusion has lingered.
In the end, Catholic Masons are left with a deeply personal question, just as they are with countless delicate matters. Art Salazar, the 2024-25 Grand Master of California, who is Catholic, says his deacon presented him with a piece of advice that he passes along to others in a similar position: “He said if I’m ever a member of any organization and feel like it’s not aligned with my moral compass, that’s when it’s time to walk away.”
