# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1875_S29
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 29 —

A pastor must rather explain to such persons that if they still continue to pray in such societies, they would have to be turned away from the Lord's altar. Another matter it is with such members as have made long years of payments and from fear of losing them shrink from withdrawing, yet do not take part in the cultus of the lodge. With regard to the lodges' books it was remarked that no book concerning the lodge may be published by the members without approval of the Grand Lodge. At burials too, it was said, it is not permitted to use forms that are not approved. It was objected, however, that books appearing with permission and approval of the Grand Lodge would not yet mark it as a symbol. But if it were prescribed that no deviation from it be allowed, then the religious society would be complete. It was objected from another side that if the writings and deposited confessions were not credible, the ground would be cut from under our feet for most attacks against the lodges. The reply was: That would not be so. One can prove to a member from them: This occurs among you and you take part in it. If one should deny it, one could well tell him that he and his lodge are wretched liars and deceivers. With this the matter was dropped, and the following declaration was adopted as authentic:

"By secret societies we understand not only those which are religious societies, or societies with religious ceremonies and tendencies, but altogether all secret societies with moral purposes which rest on the principle of secrecy."

Our thesis has the purpose of testifying publicly before the whole church: For church fellowship it is not enough for us that the preachers of our synods reject the secret societies, but we demand as a condition of church fellowship that they attack this cancer publicly from the pulpit; further, that they take the members of secret societies in their congregations into instruction and discipline, and not rest until these either leave the lodge or are put out of the congregation. It is therefore not sufficient at all that a general testimony be given at synodical conventions. The General Council has done that, but has taken good care not to name the secret societies, and has rejected only the "unchristian" societies. — So a preacher may thunder from the pulpit against the "unchristian" societies, and the members of the secret societies think meanwhile: our pious lodges, which have a chaplain, prayers and so on, are not meant by that. From such synods and preachers we dissociate ourselves in our thesis.

Thereupon Thesis 9 was adopted unanimously, and with this the doctrinal proceedings were closed for this time.

[Handwritten marginal strokes (ink or pencil) in the right margin beside the first lines: one vertical stroke curving inward at the bottom and one diagonal stroke.]