THE FUNDAMENTAL BAPTIST LODGE

The Fundamental Baptist Movement is very like the Masonic Lodge

By Steve Van Nattan

If the sinner claims to have believed in Jesus Christ somewhere else, or outside the lodge church, he is told he still must walk the aisle and bow before the Worshipful Master pastor to get it right and official.

All new initiates have been brought by another lodge church member. They are brought before the Worshipful Master Pastor at an altar call to "seek the light." At this time the Worshipful Master Pastor accepts them into the lodge church, and they then stand with the Worshipful Master pastor while all the members come by and shake their hand.

The Baptist pastor is the Worshipful Master of the local church. He rules with an iron fist, and anyone who takes the oath, and does not live up to it, is cast out of the Lodge by the Worshipful Master Pastor.

Under him are high degree deacons who have proved themselves by zeal at promoting Baptist Standards, that is, taking the oath of membership, tithing, and promotion of the standards of Baptistism. Their chief goal in life is nickels and noses and a butt every 24 inches at the church house lodge.

Under these high degree men are the lower degree Royal Arch and Adepts who have earned some degree of approval and are rising in the Baptist Lodge ranks. They are held at arm's length by the Deacons and Pastor while given the opportunity to prove themselves at street preaching, going on visitation, and giving heavily. Some drive vans and buses to pick up Sunday School kids. Some give up their wives to be the church secretary and pamper the Worshipful Master Pastor.

The lower degree people are not allowed to socialize with the higher degree people, and they especially never make a friend of the pastor. He never visits their home, seldom visits them when sick, and they learn to keep to themselves.

At the bottom of the pile are the Blue Lodge lowest degree people who barely get any notice. Their way of winning approval is to occasionally fling themselves before the Worshipful Master Pastor at "altar call" time, which is very much like the manner of Freemasons bowing before the Worshipful Master at each meeting.

This goes on forever, and one day the member dies, and a great fuss is made over them. The funeral home is full, and the Worshipful Master Pastor preaches the Gospel at their funeral, and the family feels so good that uncle Harry went out the right way.

But, uncle Harry never had one visit from the Pastor in his home in 30 years. Harry was there "every time the church doors were open," and he tithed faithfully. He was a good Blue Lodge Entered Apprentice, and the preacher shook his hand every Sunday and smiled big for uncle Harry.

Everyone wondered why uncle Harry was a member of the American Legion and the VFW. It was because uncle Harry had no friends from the church family who ever cared about him, but his VFW buddies were always there and demanded nothing of him except some good company.

It is rumored that uncle Harry also played a hand of poker in the back room occasionally. How tragic. He could have been working his way up to Prince Adept by changing the oil on the church van and putting new clichés up on the church sign every week.

What happens if you try to become part of such a Baptist Lodge without taking the oath of membership, or without giving according to the blessing instead of the legal tithe, or without falling before the Worshipful Master Pastor's altar call?

Answer: You are held at arm's length. You are attacked during sermons and alter calls, never quite being named, but everyone knows you are under attack. If you give in, everyone in the higher degrees breaths a sigh of relief, and you are given the sign by the Lodge and welcomed into the discipline of rising up the degrees.

If you try to demit from the Baptist lodge, that is, to leave, the Worshipful Master Pastor will call all the other Baptist Lodges in your town and "black ball" you just like the Freemasons. You will have to leave the area completely to have any fellowship with Bible believers. No pastor will allow you to enter any other Baptist Lodge in the area.

In fact, I have heard over and over from people around the deep south in the USA that people they knew in the church Lodge they recently attended will not even say Hello to them in WalMart. The punishment for not falling before the Worshipful Master Baptist Pastor is severe indeed.

I have one story from a reader in which their neighbor did not meet the approval of the Worshipful Master Pastor, and the pastor and deacons followed the family home in the dark with their headlights off and terrified them beyond measure. One Worshipful Master Pastor smashed a saint in the face for not pleasing him. Others will try to hustle the man's wife. The vow of holiness, as with the Freemasons, is only to not hustle the wives and daughters of members.

It is coming to the day when, if you demit from a Fundamental Baptist Lodge, you better get a "permit to carry."

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