Idol Worship in Secret Societies Like Freemasonry
The concept of idol worship in secret societies, such as Freemasonry, raises questions about the nature of idolatry and its prohibition in religious traditions. In Jewish tradition, idolatry is considered a severe prohibition, applicable even in cases of duress, with distinctions made between public and private idol worship [4, 6].
The prohibition against idolatry is rooted in biblical texts, such as Deuteronomy 7:25-26 and 27:15, which condemn the making and worshiping of idols [3, 7]. The Babylonian Talmud interprets these texts to mean that an idol belonging to a gentile is forbidden immediately, while one belonging to a Jew is not forbidden until it is worshipped [3, 7].
In the context of secret societies like Freemasonry, the concern is that members may be engaging in idolatrous practices, even if in secret. John Gill's commentary on Job 31:25 notes that "there is a secret idolatry, idolatry in the heart, and setting up of idols there, as well as worshipping them" [1]. This suggests that idolatry can occur even in private, without public manifestation.
Abraham Ibn Ezra's commentary on Deuteronomy 29:28 also highlights the issue of secret idolatry, stating that "the reference is to one who serves idols in secret" [2]. This underscores the idea that idolatry can be a private, as well as public, phenomenon.
The severity of the prohibition against idolatry is emphasized in the Babylonian Talmud, which notes that even an item not entirely owned by a Jew is treated with great stringency due to the severity of the prohibition [8, 9]. This highlights the gravity with which idolatry is viewed in Jewish tradition.
In Christian tradition, idolatry is also considered a serious offense. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown's commentary on Deuteronomy 4:16 notes that the prohibition against making images for worship was intended to prevent idolatry, which was widespread in the ancient world [5].
The concern about secret idolatry in societies like Freemasonry is thus rooted in a broader religious and historical context. The prohibition against idolatry is a fundamental aspect of Jewish and Christian traditions, and its application to secret societies is a matter of ongoing interpretation and debate.
Sources
- Job (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Job 31:25: And mine heart hath been secretly enticed,.... Drawn away by beholding the magnitude of these bodies, the swiftness of their motion, their glorious appearance, and great usefulness to mankind, to entertain a thought of their being deities; and privately to worship them, in secret acts of devotion, as by an honourable esteem of them as such, reverence and affection for them, trust and confidence in them; for, as there is a secret worshipping of the true God, so there is a secret idolatry, idolatry in the heart, and setting up of idols there, as well as worshipping them i”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 29:28: THE SECRET THINGS. The reference is to one who serves idols in secret.”
- Mishneh Torah (Maimonides) (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Mishneh Torah (Maimonides), Mishneh Torah%2C Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 7:4: What is the difference 1 with regard to the prohibition mentioned in the previous law between an idol belonging to a gentile and one belonging to a Jew? It is forbidden to benefit from an idol belonging to a gentile immediately [after it is fashioned], as [implied by 2 the Torah's command to destroy idols Deuteronomy 7:25]: "You shall burn the sculptures of their gods with fire" - i.e., 3 the mention of the word "sculptures" is an addition, teaching that they are considered gods as soon as they have be”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 54a.5: The Merciful One then wrote: “And you shall not profane My holy name” (Leviticus 22:32), indicating that the prohibition against idol worship applies even in a case of duress, as this constitutes a desecration of God’s name. How can these texts be reconciled? This verse is referring to worshipping under duress in private, and that verse is referring to worshipping under duress in public. In private one is not required to sacrifice his life in order to refrain from idol worship. In public one is required to sacrifice his life rather than engage in idol wor”
- Deuteronomy (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Deuteronomy 4:16: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image--The things are here specified of which God prohibited any image or representation to be made for the purposes of worship; and, from the variety of details entered into, an idea may be formed of the extensive prevalence of idolatry in that age. In whatever way idolatry originated, whether from an intention to worship the true God through those things which seemed to afford the strongest evidences of His power, or whether a divine principle was supposed to reside in the things themselves, ther”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 153b.107:5: The Merciful One then wrote: “And you shall not profane My holy name” (Leviticus 22:32), indicating that the prohibition against idol worship applies even in a case of duress, as this constitutes a desecration of God’s name. How can these texts be reconciled? This verse is referring to worshipping under duress in private, and that verse is referring to worshipping under duress in public. In private one is not required to sacrifice his life in order to refrain from idol worship. In public one is required to sacrifice his life rather than engage in ido”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 52a.11: The Gemara asks: And as for the opinion of Rabbi Akiva, we found a source for the halakha that a gentile’s object of idol worship is prohibited immediately. From where do we derive that a Jew’s object of idol worship is not forbidden until it is worshipped? Rav Yehuda said that the verse states: “Cursed be the man who shall make a graven or molten image… and shall set it up in a hidden place” (Deuteronomy 27:15). This indicates that the idol is not rendered forbidden until the idolater performs in service of the idol those matters, i.e., rites, that are ”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 15a.7: The Gemara answers: Idol worship is different, as it is a particularly severe prohibition, and therefore even an item that does not entirely belong to a Jew is treated with great stringency. As it is written: “And you shall not bring an abomination into your house” (Deuteronomy 7:26), and this house still retains the name of its Jewish owner.”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 153b.29:7: The Gemara answers: Idol worship is different, as it is a particularly severe prohibition, and therefore even an item that does not entirely belong to a Jew is treated with great stringency. As it is written: “And you shall not bring an abomination into your house” (Deuteronomy 7:26), and this house still retains the name of its Jewish owner.”