Court: Freemasonry a Religion ... Sort of

Contributed by Cary McMullen

A court in Los Angeles has ruled that Freemasonry is a form of "religious exercise," comparable to Christianity and Islam. "We see no principled way to distinguish the earnest pursuit of these (Masonic) principles ... from more widely acknowledged modes of religious exercise," said the ruling. The case involved the Los Angeles Scottish Rite Cathedral and the Scottish Rite Cathedral Association of Los Angeles. The groups had leased out the cathedral for events such as dances, in apparent violation of zoning rules that restrict it to Masonic events only. The Masons had sought relief under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons (RLUIPA) act. But even though the court ruled the Masons are a religious group, it said RLUIPA didn't apply to them, so it was a Pyrrhic victory.

Both my grandfathers were Masons. When I was a kid, one of them showed me his guidebook, which technically he wasn't supposed to do because Masons are sworn to secrecy about their rituals. No harm done -- I didn't understand any of it, in part because it was full of strange symbols. Basically, I always figured Freemasonry was a practice that sort of supplemented Christian belief. I just wonder if the secrets of the Masons were revealed in court? You can read a Religion News Service story about the case, via the Pew Forum Web site, here.http://blogs.theledger.com/default.asp?item=686680