There once was a time when I would never have admitted I was wrong, when I never would have uttered the two phrases "I'm sorry" or "please forgive me." But nothing has ever felt so good as when I said those words to my son.

For you to understand, I need to go back to the beginning. The beginning of my life?! Hold on! Don't hit the back-button just yet. I'm not going back THAT far! But as a young man, I became actively involved in the Masonic Order. My father and my grandfather were both as active as one could be in the Lodge, and I really wanted to please my Dad. So when he said I was old enough to join, I immediately got involved and made up my mind that I was going to learn everything I could on the Order and eventually climb as high as I possibly could.

For the next thirty-eight years, I was devoted to the Lodge and to my fellow Brother Masons. It became more than just a fellowship; it became my life. My wife Donna became an active member of the Eastern Star, and as my family began to grow, my six daughters went from the Order of the Rainbow to the Order of Job's Daughters. But Rick, my one and only son, outshone them all. From DeMolay as a young boy, he eventually rose to the position of Master Mason.

Then in 2000, my son became a Christian through this ministry (New Jerusalem) and from the influence of his newly converted brothers-in-law Dan, Kevin and Randy. Reveling in his new faith, and eager to serve the Lord (Who, sadly, I had never taught him about), Rick embraced the new Christian doctrine as he does every area of his life ... head-on and whole-heartedly. So when he learned of the evils behind the Masonic Order, he resigned immediately, withdrawing his membership and his financial support. He came to me and told me of his decision. I am NOW ashamed of my reaction. I argued, quarreled and put up the fight of my life. Rick stood firm in his usual gentle and loving way. But I hardened my heart against him, and as a result, we didn't speak for about two and a half months. I even refused his phone calls to me.

This distance between us gave me time to think about my own spiritual life, and how I had never had time for the Lord in my life. The more I thought on this, the more I could see that my son was right. And the more I saw he was right, the more I realized how much I missed him and what a fool I had been. So I called him and asked him to bring his family over for dinner one night. The thing that impressed me the most was that Rick never even acted like anything had happened between us. And if THAT wasn't the sign of a TRUE Christian, then I didn't know what was! He told me that his position against Masons hadn't changed (Rick stands his ground when he believes something!), but he told me that he still loved me.

I'm sure you know the rest of my testimony. I was saved shortly afterwards, and my wife Donna, too. The day after our commitment to the Lord, we left our affiliation with the Masonic Order. It's been a wonderful time of discovery, joy and peace for us. I'm proud to say that Donna and I have been given the great gift of seeing most of our children give their hearts to the Lord Jesus. Of our seven children, we have been blessed to see six (and their families) come to Him. Only our daughter Mary, who died in her sins ... a lifelong devestation to us.

Since leaving the Order, we have received threatening letters in the mail, our cars have been keyed, bricks thrown through the windows of our home, and our daughter Wendi's life has been threatened. It has been a tormenting and terrifying experience, to say the least. But Jesus Christ has been faithful to be there for us. And I have promised Him that as long as He is there for us, I will speak out publicly for Him ... sharing everything I know about the Masons, all the deepest darkest secrets, with anyone who is willing to listen to the dangers of an innocent affiliation with this organization.

And so, as part of my testimony, I speak out against the satanic evils associated with this occult group. Please listen and don't harden your heart against what I warn you against. Your association, however innocent, will prove to be not only damaging, but damning as well.

The things I'm going to share with you may be things you have never heard, and which you might not at first believe. It might step on some toes, but I make no apologies about that. If you think of Masons and Shriners as positive influences because they do all those "nice things" for kids and old people, this will burst your bubble. The Bible says that Satan walks to and fro on this earth masquerading as an "angel of light" so that many will be deceived.

Many people go into Freemasonry today believing that it is just a philanthropic organization that does a lot of good for people. These newcomers see the Shrine hospitals and the Masonic homes for the elderly. Many even think of it as a fraternal organization. And many, many men get involved for social reasons ... their friends are involved, or they find it's a good place to network and do business. But Freemasonry is actually a religion, not just merely a fraternal, social, civic organization.

What Freemasonry is, is a revival of the ancient mystery religions of Egypt and Balbak, and from Persia and India. Albert Pike (the founder of modern Freemasonry) in his "Morals and Dogma" and Albert Mackey in his "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry" say that masonry is a religion and that every Masonic lodge is a temple of religion. Many Christians have gotten into this religion not understanding how pagan it is.

But Masonry is not based on the Bible, but on the Kabala (Cabala), a medieval book of mysticism and magic. Masons do not adjust their beliefs to fit the Bible, the Bible is adjusted to fit their beliefs. A Mason's loyalty is never to God, but to the Lodge.

Masonry was originally a means by which people in the occult could practice their "craft: and still remain respectable citizens. Masons have three classifications for workers practicing their craft: Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. Master Masons take an oath, "Ever to conceal, never to reveal."

Many other secret societies seem to be patterned after the Masons. It's teachings, rituals, customs and practices, and its secrecy have had an inspirational effect on other similar groups such as the Moose, Eagles, Elks and the National Grange. Mormon Temple rites are also strikingly similar to Masonic Lodge practices (probably because Joseph Smith, the found of the Mormon Church, was also a Mason). Most of the rituals of todays college fraternities are also based more or less directly upon Masonic rituals.

The symbols on the back of the U.S. dollar bill (pyramid, all-seeing eye, the number of feathers on the eagle's spread wings, the stars above the eagle's head in the shape of the Star of David, and the mottos e pluribus unum [out of many one] and novus ordo seclorum [a new order of the ages]) also appear to emanate from Freemasonry; this would not be surprising considering many of America's founding fathers were themselves Masons ... George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Ethan Allan, John Hancock, John Paul Jones, Paul Revere, Robert Livingston and 35 other lesser known men who were signers of the Declaration of Independence and/or the Consitution. (There were also a number of the founding fathers who condemned Masonry: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, James Madison, Millard Fillmore, Daniel Webster and Charles Sumner).

When my son first approached me about leaving the Lodge himself, he came prepared with facts, references and information on the "secrets" of the cult. He had documents, books and references to Scriptures on the subject. I stayed up until 5:00 in the morning reading all the material he had given me. I think in my heart, I knew I was already realizing that Rick was making sense.

And this is happening all over America and the world. The Masons have gone down from four million members in 1980 to under two million members in 1996. As Masons examine their own teachings, they are realizing that it is not compatible with being a Biblical follower of Jesus Christ.

WHERE LODGE INITIATIONS AND RITUALS ORIGINATE

Everyone who joins the local lodge joins what is called the Blue Lodge, the meeting center, and has to go through an initiation ceremony. Every Mason, including those in churches today, have gone through this initiation; it is the only way you can get into the lodge. The first thing that happens is that a blindfold is put on them, a noose (called a cabletoll) is hung on their neck, their shirt is opened to bare their chest, and they are brought to the outer door of the lodge. There, a sharp point of a dagger is placed on their chest. Someone then asks, "Who comes?" ... to which a candidate states, "A poor, blind beggar looking to move from darkness to the light of Freemasonry." They are then brought (pulled by the noose) into the Masonic Lodge where they must bow at an alter. Behind the altar stands a man they call the Worshipful Master of the Lodge (the leader of the Lodge). Again the candidate makes his plea for Freemasonry. After answering a series of questions, the Mason-to-be takes a series of blood oaths and promises not to reveal the secrets of Freemasonry that he will learn "upon having his throat cut from ear to ear."

These are some of the actual oaths a Mason must take: In the first degree of the Blue Lodge, "Binding myself under no less a penalty, than having my throat cut across, my tongue torn out from its roots and buried in the rough sands of the sea." In the second degree, "Binding myself under no less a penalty, than that of having my left breast torn open, my heart plucked out and given as prey to the wild beasts of the field and the foul of the air." In the third degree (Master Mason Degree), "Binding myself under no less a penalty, than that of having my body severed in twain, my bowels taken from thence and burned into ashes."

Each degree has a horrible oath and penalty connected with it. But Jesus commanded His followers to not swear at all (Matthew 5:34; James 5:12). In addition, Jesus would never sanction these required oaths, for He said: "I have said nothing in secret" (John 18:20). Masonry claims to have found the truth, and yet demands that its members swear never to reveal and always to conceal its teachings. How unlike true Christianity in which believers are commanded to "go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation" (Mark 16:15).

For a Christian to go through this, you have to ask several questions: How can a follower of Jesus Christ go to a Masonic Lodge, ask for membership and say "I am lost in darkness and I need the light of Freemasonry?" If you read First John, Chapter One, it says, "If you claim that you are lost in darkness, the Light (of Jesus Christ) is not in you and you are living a lie."

Secondly: How can a Christian bow at an altar before a man that is called the Worshipful Master? Jesus said, "You cannot serve two masters. There is only one Worshipful Master and that is Jesus Christ."

Lastly: How can a Christian take a pagan blood oath, swearing to have your throat cut from ear to ear, your heart given to the beasts of the field, your body cut in two and your bowels thrown into the sea? Those pagan blood oaths were forbidden by Jesus in Matthew, Chapter 5, and in the Book of James.

And these aren't only in the initial initiations; as a Mason goes through the higher degrees of the Scottish and York rites, the oaths are more hideous. Once completing the three degrees of the Blue Lodge, a mason is then allowed to go into either the Scottish rite of Freemasonry, which has 32 degrees, or the York rite which has 13 degrees. These are advanced degrees where you learn the secrets of Freemasonry. As one progresses through the degree work of these rites, they tell you that you are on a quest to find the "lost name of God."

The Masons have this story that somehow in the building of Solomon's Temple, the architect Hiram Abif lost the name of God. Masons claim that they have found this name and only very advanced Masons know the secret name of God. In a Masonic ceremony, this name is whispered by three men in the lodge to one another. The name is J-B-O, or Jobulin; three names put together ... Jehovah, Baal and Osiris. Jehovah, the God of Israel, Isaac and Jacob; Baal, the fertility god of Balbak that Elijah fought against (and beat); and Osiris, the Egyptian sun god. The Masons have combined this into a three-headed monster which they say is the Trinity. Well, Jesus will not share His glory with any other; but the Masons attempt to do this.

WHO'S YOUR GOD?

As a Mason goes through the 32 degrees of the Scottish rite, he ends up giving worship to every Egyptian pagan god, the gods of Persia, gods of India, Greek gods, Babylonian gods and others. As you come to the 17th degree, the Masons claim that they will give you the password that will give you entrance at the judgment day to the Masonic deity, the great architect of the universe. This secret password is "Abaddon."

You may have heard that name before. Look it up in the Bible. In Revelation, Chapter 9, it says, "The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss (the bottomless pit); and smoke came out of the Abyss like that of a great furnace" (Here, it describes those in the abyss, then continues). "They had a king over them, the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon." The angel of the Abyss (Hell) is really the chief demon whose name is Abaddon. Masons claim then, that the deity they worship is Abaddon! Not God. Not Jesus. But the number one servant of Lucifer (Satan).

Masons have mixed together idolatry, paganism, the occult, fertility cults, demonology, and come up with the Masonic religion. It is not of God; it is a false religion.

Masons require one to believe in God to be a member; but the candidate is never required to say what god he believes in. Masonry requires merely that you believe in some deity, given whatever name you will ... any god will do, just so he is your god. Masons commonly refer to their deity as the "Great Architect of the Universe."

The name of Chris is seldom referred to in Masonic literature. Masonic leaders even teach that the Messiah will not be an individual, but the "perfection of the human race." When quoting from the Bible, references to Christ are omitted, and prayer is never allowed to be offered "in the name of Jesus Christ." Masons do not care whether a person privately petitions God or Jehovah, Allah or Buddha, Mohammed or Jesus, but in the Lodge, the only petition allowed is to the "Great Architect of the Universe." Freemasonry does not believe that Jesus Christ is God, nor that salvation is available only through Him. Freemasonry is a religion without a Savior.

Because they deny the reality of sin, Masons see no need of salvation. They see salvation as a step-by-step enlightenment, which comes through initiation into the Masonic degrees and their mysteries. In the 19th degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, the initiate is told that attachment to Masonry's statutes and rules of the order will make him :deserving of entering the celestial Jerusalem" (Heaven). In the 28th degree, he is told that "the true Mason raises himself by degrees until he reaches heaven" and that one of his duties is "to divest himself of original sin." Masons clearly teach a salvation by works, or character development, NOT a salvation by faith in Christ alone. Even in the 32nd Degree, a Mason never can nor will find the "light" he is looking for.

There are Christians all over the world who even today suffer greatly, and some have even given up their lives because they refuse to compromise their faith in Christ. And yet, professing Christians who are involved in the highest ranks of Freemasonry honor the persecution of Christians.

When a Mason gets to the highest degree of the Scottish rite or the York rite, he is then allowed to go into what is called the Shrine. You may have seen them in parades, wearing their red fezzes with the sword and crescent emblem on them. You hear about the Shrine Circus and the burn centers for children run by the Shriners. People think this is a nice, fun organization who do so much good for children and others. BUT ...

In order for a person to become a Shriner, he must not only go through all the degrees of Masonry, make all those blood-oaths, worship gods who are not gods but are of Satan, but he must make a blood oath of allegiance to Allah as his god and Mohammed as his prophet.

The Shriner is then given a red fezz with an Islamic sword and crescent jeweled on the front of it. This originates from 7th century Arabia when the Moslems, under the leadership of Mohammed, slaughtered all Christians who would not bow down to Allah. Allah, by the way, was not another generic name given to God by Mohammed.; Allah is the tribal deity ... the moon-god ... of Mohammed. It was the name of the god in the tribe that Mohammed was born into. That is why every mosque today has a crescent moon on top of its spire.

Now when Mohammed's army of men, out to slaughter all the "infidels", came to the city of Fez (in Morocco), they found a community of Christians. After killing all the Christians there with their Islamic-style swords, they took their hats (called a fez) and dipped them in the blood of the Christians, and wore the fezzes throughout the land glorying in their victory over Christianity. Today Shriners put on red fezzes (representing the hats dipped in the blood of Christians) with the Islamic sword and crescent showing their allegiance to Allah and Mohammed, and the defeat of Christianity. If you are a Christian, and you are a Mason or a Shriner reading this, you have no business being part of a lodge, no business being part of a Shrine. For your own eternal sake, repent of it and get out of it immediately.

WILL BUILDING HOSPITALS GET YOU TO HEAVEN?

Many men have gotten involved with Freemasonry and did not know what they were really getting into. Yet, you have to ask, how could they go through the first initiation and IF THEY TRULY ARE CHRISTIANS, not know this is wrong and directly opposed to God’s Word. Are your loyalties with Jesus Christ or are they with the Lodge?

One Mason, when asked, "What would you say If you were to die tonight and stand before God, and He were to ask you 'Why should I let you into Heaven?'," said that he guessed he would have to tell God "I was a good Mason." You see, many Masons believe that Masonry is a system of morality. Masonry teaches that through one's "good works." Masons can obtain the "celestial lodge" above, the "heavenly kingdom."

Most Masons, especially those who profess to be Christians, would tell us all the good works they do. They'd ask, "How could you say we're not Christians? Look at the Shrine homes for the elderly, look at the work we do with children. Don't these things count?"

There's nothing wrong with all of these things, but they are not going to save you. What gives us eternal life is faith in Jesus by His Grace only. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: "For it is by grace (unmerited favor) you are saved, through faith -- and that, not of yourself, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no man can boast." Masons pride themselves in all their words, but Paul tells us in Romans 10:1-3, "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they maybe saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness."

Jesus said on the cross: "It is finished!" There is nothing more that Masons (or anyone) can add to what is already done. All one has to do is receive this free gift that Christ purchased for us.

DONNA'S TESTIMONY

My father died of a massive heart attack when he was twenty-eight years old. My mother was left to raise two children on her own -- my one year old brother Walter and myself, who was three years old at the time.

Being a woman of faith who put her trust in the Lord, Mother saw to it that my brother and I grew up being in church every service. It was always a comforting feeling to sit there in church. Mother had worked so hard all week, and this was her day to rest. But she still got both her children up, washed, fed and dressed, and to the church house on time before the notes of the first hymn rang out. Times got tough, and my mother had to work very hard to keep her little family together, but many times when we didn't know where the next meal was coming from, we would hear her say, "We won't worry, because God will provide." And looking back, He always did.

Growing up in a Christian home, I escaped from trouble and worries that I saw my friends go through. We were poor, but we were happy -- and that made our home very blessed.

I became a teenager and began dating. A girlfriend from another school had invited me to attend a school dance with her, and because my mother didn't approve of dancing, I had to sneak out to do it. It was at this dance that I met Glen Landers, and boy did I fall hard! It was love at first site for me, and you could have picked me up off the floor when he asked me out before the evening was over. Glen and I dated for the rest of the school year, and that summer we eloped and were married.

I was a young bride and soon became a young mother. The children arrived quickly over the next few years. Glen and I were so in love and so busy with raising our ever-growing family that we neglected the important things, like raising our family in church. Glen's family had not attended church, and he really knew nothing about it. I knew about it, but I was just so busy! By the time our family was complete, I couldn't imagine getting up early on a Sunday morning and trying to get seven children to church on time!

In the meantime, Glen worked hard to provide for our family. He layed carpets by day (still his job until he retired, and on weekends he would take on odd-jobs to help bring in much needed extra money. He worked so hard to make sure his children ate well, dressed nicely and received extra little gifts at Christmas time. So when he got more and more involved in the Masonic Lodge, I saw that as a nice "evening out" for him every week. But I could never have dreamed how important those nights would become, and how really it took Glen away from the family more than I liked. In reality, the Lodge BECAME his family.

Glen has given his testimony, and he has gone into great length about the effects and dangers of being involved in the Masons. As a member of the Eastern Star, I was as blind as my husband while I was still involved. But once our son helped to open our eyes, I immediately wanted out -- even before Glen. It was so painful when Glen and Rick weren't speaking because of Rick's stand against the Masonic Order. Talk about tearing a mother's heart in two! During all of this, I would talk to my mother and pour my heart out to her. Her answer was always the same. "You were raised to know what to do, Donna. Just keep praying for Glen."

And I did pray. But one day while I was praying, I realized that I was no longer worthy to be praying any prayer, except for one. The Lord was only obligated to hear my prayer of repentance. And I hadn't done that. Until I made it right within my own heart, I was in no position to pray for my husband.

But three of our children (Rick, Michie and Debi) were also praying for their father, and for me. Their prayers were answered when Glen called Rick, and begged forgiveness over how he had reacted to the information on the dangers of Masonic involvement. And the next Sunday morning, father and son knealt together at the altar of Rick's church and Glen gave his heart to the Lord. Before I knew it, Pam Stewart was at my side and went to the altar to pray with me.

From that day forward, Glen and I have been happier than we have ever been before. We've been married for over forty-five years, and we're more happy, more wise, more in love and closer to Jesus Christ than we've ever been.

A parent is supposed to teach their children. But thank God, sometimes the child teaches Mom and Dad what's important. Our son did -- and we will be grateful to him through all eternity.