# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1896_S18
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

18 Proceedings of the sixteenth convention

are accustomed from childhood that a betrothal counts as a promise which one ought indeed to keep, but which, if one thinks one has reason to undo it, may also be undone; and reason for undoing it can become all kinds of things, whereas the only divinely recognized ground for undoing a betrothal is this, that one party has become one flesh with a third person. And to stand firm in practice here is often very, very hard, and it is very necessary that we have it fixed in our conscience: Here God's Word has governed practice. And if in all of Germany practice were different, and in all of America outside the Synodical Conference [*Synodalconferenz*], that would count for nothing with us, for this is a piece of divinely governed practice.

To church life as such belongs also the stand and the action of a congregation with regard to the lodge system of our day. A lodge is an association which is not founded in obedience to a divine commandment, still less an association in which only Christians have joined together in a free union, but it is everywhere a union of persons who are not of one faith and confession. Now if the members of such a union call themselves brothers and supposedly associate with one another as brothers, that is a lie; for brothers are those who have one father. We are indeed in a certain sense all brothers from Adam; but the lodge does not mean that when it uses the name of brother for its members; for it does not acknowledge all men as members. All the godless have one father: "You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do," says the Lord. But this brotherhood too the lodge surely does not mean when it uses the name of brother. All believers have one Father: "One God and Father of us all." This the lodge cannot truly mean, for it takes Jews and heathen into its union. In what other sense could these people then be brothers? Who is the father whom they have in common? It is an untruth, a lie, which they put forth when they give one another the name of brother. They are not brothers, and they misuse the beautiful name of brother in order to pretend a belonging together which in fact does not exist among them. They have come together not out of brotherly love but out of selfishness, no matter what they may be seeking in doing so. And now the eighth commandment says: "You shall not bear false witness." They ought not to call themselves brothers when they are not brothers. And many of these secret societies have, practice, carry on also so-called religious functions, pray, read in the Bible, sing odes together, which also have a religious veneer, have religious fellowship with one another, light with darkness, Christians with Jews, believers with unbelievers; and yet God's Word says: "What fellowship has light with darkness?