Do Masonic rituals have Pagan elements?
No. It has been stated in alt.freemasonry that Masonic ritual is laced with worship of Baal, Osiris, Thoth, the tooth fairy, and the Great Pumpkin. This is patently false. First, there is no worship of any God, Goddess, or supernatural creature in Masonry. Respect is certainly given to God, but his (her) nature is not defined, nor is a name given to God. Second, worship of any God except the God of their faith would be a serious sin in any Mason’s faith, be he Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or whatever. It should be noted that pagans who read alt.freemasonry do not consider Masonry to be pagan. Historians have noted that Gerald Gardner, considered to be the founder of modern Wicca, a pagan religion, was a Mason and borrowed from Masonic ritual. However, the direction of the transfer was from Masonry to Wicca, not from Wicca to Masonry. This does not indicate that Masonry has any pagan elements, as many other non-pagan groups (such as the Knights of Columbus) borrowed as Gardner did. One su
