LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 295

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
teach a salvation by works, invoke a generic Supreme Being, and
deliberately omit any reference to the truth regarding the person
and work of God’s Son.
Membership in Other Fraternal Organizations
Other lodge-based organizations such as the Odd Fellows and
the “animal lodges”—Moose, Elks, Eagles—have over the years
reduced the use of religious ritual and ceremony. Nevertheless,
since such organizations have continued to include statements and
practices in their rituals, prayers, and special services that conflict
with Christian truth, it would be contradictory for a confessing
Christian to hold membership in such organizations. A sampling
of such statements and practices, as well as statements made by
officials of such organizations, follows.
Odd Fellows. Odd Fellowship is often referred to as “the poor
man’s Masonry.” Its ritual contains a rather heavy religious emphasis with frequent and lengthy quotations of Bible passages. The
following excerpts are taken from “The Religion of the Ritual” section of the evaluation of the Odd Fellows in the files of the CTCR.
“There appears to be little dispute among Odd Fellow authors as to
whether the Order is religious or not. At least two books entitled
‘The Religion of Odd Fellowship’ and ‘The Religion of Fraternity’
have been written by members. Both present the basic religious
tenets of the ritual: God is the Father of all men, His goodness dictates that He deals in mercy with all, and all men can look forward
to eternal life if they have the hope of such life within them. In Odd
Fellowship man can find that hope.” “The Order has no concept of
sin as it is described in the Bible. … Man is described as being in
darkness and chains and void of wisdom, yet is it not through faith
in Jesus Christ and the knowledge of the Scriptures that man is
brought to light and wisdom but rather through learning the lessons
of Odd Fellowship”20
Elks. Among the “animal” lodges, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in its rituals and ceremonies gives most obvious expression to religious universalism. A chaplain opens a lodge
meeting with a prayer addressed to a heavenly Father. However,
this prayer, along with all other prayers in the Elks’ ritual and special services, makes no reference to Jesus Christ as the only mediator between a holy God and sinful human beings. In the initiation
ceremony a prayer is offered that concludes with the words, “In
all our endeavors for good, lead us and all Elks into the green pastures of knowledge, and beside the still waters of peace.” Again,
no mention is made of Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd who laid
down His life for the sheep and through whom alone we are led
into God’s eternal peace. Wording in the ceremony that announces
the death of a brother Elk and in the funeral service ritual implies
that the deceased lodge member has “passed into the light which
is beyond the valley of the shadow of death” and that devotion to
fraternal duties offers the hope that all Elks will one day be united
in bonds of eternal peace.21
In response to a request for updated information regarding Elks
rituals, a letter from the Grand Lodge in the files of the CTCR indicates that since “our Jewish brethren” do not believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, and in order to avoid insulting an individual’s
sensitivities, the Elks rituals use the generic term Supreme Being
when referring to God. That same letter also includes the following
statements that identify the universalistic religious position of the
Elks based on salvation by works: “Adherence to these Ten Commandments with faith in God assures every individual person a
heavenly reward. … Elkdom is not a religion. It is an organization
of fraternal brothers who must … acknowledge a Supreme Being

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whom some may call ‘God,’ ‘Exalted Ruler of the Universe,’ … or
whatever they wish to call Him.”
Moose. The Loyal Order of Moose, in recent years, has significantly reduced the religious tone of its rituals. Yet it continues
to include in its prayers and services references to the concept of
the reward of an eternal life given to those who have lived a good
life here on earth. The prayer opening a meeting is offered to a
Supreme Being without any reference to Jesus Christ. That prayer
concludes with the words “Remind us each day that the greatest
good we can do is to serve you through service to our fellow man.”
However, the Bible teaches that the greatest “work” (good) that
God requires is “that you believe in him [Jesus] whom he [God]
has sent” in order to have eternal life (John 6:28–29; 40). In burial
services for a member of the Moose lodge, and in the annual memorial service to remember a deceased Moose of the past year,
statements are made professing that the “Circle of Moose” broken
by death will be renewed and restored in eternity. A burial service
prayer includes the following thought: “Give us the strength to bear
the burden Your wisdom has placed upon us, and make us strong to
battle with the temptations and struggles of this life, so, that when
our day has come, we too may be gathered into Your presence.”
In other words, it is an individual’s success in battling the temptations and struggles of this life that leads to his being gathered into
God’s presence. Significantly, no reference is made in this prayer
to the One [Jesus Christ] who has defeated Satan’s temptations and
conquered the greatest struggle—death itself—for us. The memorial service extols the virtues of the departed brother Moose and
then states: “Upon the faces of the great and good there shines a
light reflected from the golden hills of heaven, which death cannot
efface or dim, and for such for all eternity there waits a peer’s place
upon the Seats of the Mighty.”22
Eagles. Over the years the Fraternal Order of Eagles has also
made some changes in its rituals which have reduced somewhat
this lodge’s conflict with Christian teaching. However, the same
general concerns remain: prayers are offered apart from any reference to Jesus Christ; a kind of righteousness before God by works
is taught in prayers and various ritual statements; the teaching
concerning God is one that any person who believes in a Supreme
Being could accept. The prayer offered by the chaplain as part of
the opening ceremony of the lodge includes the following thought:
“If we believe all men equal in Thy eyes, we shall be the more
worthy of Thy loving care.” Once again, as with other lodge rituals,
a person’s worthiness before God is determined not by the saving
work of Christ, but by what one does—in this case believing all
men to be equal. The initiation ceremony reminds the candidate
for membership that death is the grand equalizer of all men and
that “you must go naked to the Throne of God.” Yet the ceremony
assures the candidate, “you shall enjoy eternal rest.” This assurance is given without any reference to the Savior of the world who
alone clothes us with His righteousness to make such eternal rest
possible. The memorial service includes this statement concerning
the deceased: “He believed in the existence of a Supreme Being,
the Father of us all, … and in this belief he died in the hope of
a blessed immortality beyond the grave. … For him eternal rest
remains.” This statement would imply that merely believing in a
Supreme Being brings one a blessed eternity and that such a belief
applies to all deceased members of the Eagles’ lodge regardless of
their relationship to Christ.23
Pastoral Approach
As noted at the outset, this document has been prepared as a
basic resource that pastors might use as they address issues that
exist in their situation regarding membership in fraternal organiza2010 Convention Workbook

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