TBL Staff

by Dr. Harri Heino, 1995

The purpose of this study is to examine the teachings of Finnish Freemasonry regarding values, ethics, religion, and the appropriate attitude to the Church and other religions communities. A further aim is to investigate the influence if Masonic doctrine on the views of individual Freemasons.

For the very first time, a non-member (Dr. Heino is NOT himself a Freemason) of the organization has had at his disposal the full ritual texts of even the highest additional degree systems.


Identification of original study
About the author

CONTENTS

1. FREEMASONRY IN FINLAND AND ITS INTERNATIONAL BACKGROUND
2. THE BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
3. ETHICAL VALUES AND IDEALS

• Basic ethical values
• Attitudes to society: ideals and morality

4. Friendship, morality, and spiritual growth important
5. THE RELIGIOSITY OF FREEMASONS

• Belief in God as a condition of membership
• Christianity

6. RELATIONSHIP TO THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
7. THE RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER RELIGIONS
8. MAIN FINDINGS
9. Bibliography



1. FREEMASONRY IN FINLAND AND ITS INTERNATIONAL BACKGROUND

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The roots of Freemasonry have sometimes been traced back to ancient Palestine, Egypt or some other cultural area of the Mediterranean, and there have been atempts to connect Masonic legends and symbols with these countries. Historical continuity has also been sought with the medieval orders of knights as well as with the secret societies of modern times. However, it seems that the oldest direct historical connections of Freemasonry go back to the medieval guilds of stonemasons and, at a later stage, especially to the guilds of architects and artists who acquired a unique position when building the magnificent cathedrals.

These 'free masons' were able to travel from one working place to another and from country to country. To preserve their professional skills and secrets they founded guilds and gathered in lodges which were closed to outsiders. They also demanded a promise of secrecy from their members and used secret passwords, signs and grips to recognize each other. Training to the degree of Master Mason was divided into three phases: Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason and these terms are applied also in modern Masonry.

By the end of the Middle Ages and especially during the 16th and 17th centuries these operative lodges began to accept members from other trades and professions. Gradually the new type of spiritual building work and logde activity, speculative Masonry, superseded the traditional guild function.

The first instructions and rituals for the activities of the Freemasons were created in the British Isles, especially in England. The first Grand Lodge was founded in London in 1717. The Book of Constitutions compiled by James Anderson, a Scottish Presbyterian minister (1684-1739), for the Grand Lodge in 1723, as well as the Old Charges, became the covenants of the laster Masonic fraternity.

In the early eighteenth century Finland was part of Sweden and Freemasonry first reached Finland at this time from Sweden where Masonry had arrived via France. The first lodge in Sweden was founded in Stockholm in 1735 and the first lodge for Finland, St. Augustin, was set up in 1756; it began its work two years later in Turku.

The Russo-Swedish war of 1808-09 saw Finland fall under Russian control and Freemasonry was henceforth suppressed. In 1822 Czar Alexander I issued a decree against all secret organizations, and Freemasonry ceased to exist in Finland until after independence in 1917. The first lodge, Suomi Lodge No. 1, stemmed from connections with the Finns who had emigrated to the United States and it was consecrated in 1922 in Helsinki. Later Finnish Freemasonry has received new impetus mainly from England.

The Grand Lodge of Finland was founded om 1924. During World War II Masonic activities were suspended for a few years by the Grand Lodge but work was continued after the war from 1945 onwards. At the end of 1993 there were 4 960 members under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Finland.

The part of Finnish Freemasonry which follows the Swedish Rite was revived in 1923. Nowadays there are over a thousand members under the jurisdiction of the Swedish Grand Lodge, most of them Finns who speak Swedish as their mother tongue.

The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in Finland with its member lodges is the largest union of Finnish Freemasons and forms the basis of Freemasonry in Finland. The membership is divided into three phases in the same way as in the old trade guilds. The degree of Master Mason (3o) can only be given to a Fellow Craft (2o), and to obtain the degree of Fellow Craft the candidate must have been accepted as an Entered Apprentice (1o). Only members who have been admitted to the third or Master Mason degree of the basic Craft Rite, or "Blue Lodges", can apply for membership in the so-called additional degree systems. Although all additional degree systems are independent of each other, both administratively and by their workings, one has to be a member of the preceding degree before one can apply for membership of the 'higher' additional degree system. Thus one gains the knowledge of Freemasonry step by step.

The degree systems or orders in Freemasonry form a rather loose and complex network in which every Grand Lodge, Grand Chapter and Great Priory, as well as every national Supreme Council, is able to make independent decisions about its internal and external relations to other Masonc bodies. The Grand Lodge of Finland enjoys mutual recognition, i.e. 'diplomatic relations', with over one hundred other Grand Lodges all over the world. There is no evidence of centralized international leadership in Freemasonry. There are great variations in the ritual texts from country to country, too.

Figure 1.
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The Craft and four additional degree systems in Finnish Freemasonry with their year of foundation and their membership at the end of 1993.

The very central position of the basic three-degree Craft Rite in Freemasonry is shown for example by the fact that if a member is expelled from his 'blue' lodge he is compelled to resign from the membership of the additional degrees as well.

Throughout the existence of an organized Masonic movement, Freemasonry has been the subject of controversy, particularly with regard to its ethics and its attitude to religion. A wide variety of opinions on the matter have been put forward by individual citizens and the press, by the Churches and the representatives of secular power. Masonic organizations have been banned in both Russia and the former Soviet Union. Masonic activity was similarly prohibited in Hitler's Germany, and as a precautionary measure also in countries that had become its allies, including Finland. At the same time in England and Sweden, members of the royal household have been high-ranking leaders and patrons of the Masonic movement. And while, for instance, ministerial conferences of the Finnish Lutheran Church have considered precluding Church employees from membership of Masonic organizations, in the Swedish sister church half the bishops have been Freemasons.

There are many factors behind such differences of opinion. One reason has undoubtedly been the tendency of the Masonic movement to withhold information about its rituals from members of the public. This has given rise to suspicions that the movement might have secret aims or international connections of a discreditable nature, or that its doctrines might be in conflict with national legislation, prevailing morality, or the teaching of the established churches. The official attitude to Freemasonry has been particularly negative in those states which have aimed to exert tight controls on their citizens' lives to safeguard the purity of official doctrine and ideology.

Further difficulties in the appraisal of Freemasonry have been caused by its diversity. During the course of its long history the movement has spread to different parts of the world and has given birth to hundreds of different degree systems which have been influenced by the ideas prevalent in each period and by different cultures and religions. The picture becomes even more variegated if one takes into account not only the so-called blue lodges (degrees 1 - 3), but also the various additional degree systems with their own special rituals (several of these are active in Finland as well).

Owing to the diversity of Freemasonry in the international context, almost any generalizing statement about the nature of Masonic activity is founded on erroneous assumptions. Before one can make any valid statements about the nature of Freemasonry, one must clearly specify the particular Masonic organization that one is referring to. It is even more incautious to make generalizations about what Freemasons think or what they are like as people. Masonic organizations, like all others, obviously have a wide variety of individuals among their members, with a range of different opinions about values, ethics, religion, and the Church, and indeed about Freemasonry itself. It is therefore important to draw a distinction between the official views of the Masonic organization and the private opinions of its members.


2. THE BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

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My research on this topic began in the context of discussions between the representatives of The Conference Centre of the Parish Institute of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church and the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in Finland during the years 1985-1986. My first research report on the topic was prepared in 1986 on the basis of these meetings.

The main sections of this study touch on the ethics religiosity of Finnish Freemasonry and its relations to the Christian Faith and the Lutheran Church.

I have concentrated on the Masonic degree systems of Finnish-language Freemasonry represented by the Grand Lodge of Finland and the additional degree system accepted by it. Besides that, some attention has been paid to the Scandinavian Freemasonry represented by the Grand Lodge of Sweden. This degree system occurs in Finland among the Swedish-speaking population only.

I have had at my disposal all the ritual texts used by the Finnish-speaking Masonic degree systems in Finland. As far as I know this was the first time anybody in Finland has been able to obtain such an amount of written Masonic source material without being a Freemason himself.

In the spring of 1993 I had, moreover, the opportunity to carry out an empirical survey of religiosity, ethics and values among Free- masons. The sample consisted of 1,200 Freemasons, and acceptable replies were received from 848, i.e. 71%.

The purpose of this study is first and foremost to provide answers to the following questions:

1. what teaching is offered by Finnish Freemasonry concerning values, ethics, religion, and the appropriate attitude to various religions and churches;
2. whether the values and religiosity of the members of the organization may be said to be consistent with this teaching;
3. in what ways the values, norms, and religiosity of Freemasons differ from those of Finnish men in general; and
4. to what extent such differences may be explained in terms of the membership criteria of Masonic organizations, and to what extent they may be attributed to a tendency for members to embrace the tenets of Masonic teaching.

It is obvious that the ideals and values of the members of a given organization can never fully correspond to the values and norms set by the organization: the point that one should focus on is the degree of correspondence or divergence. The treatment of each topic will therefore begin with a presentation of the ideals of the organization as they emerge from a content analysis of internal sources. These findings will then be compared with the results of an empirical analysis of the views held by the members of the organization.

To facilitate accurate comparisons between Freemasons and other Finnish men with regard to values, norms, and religiosity, the questions selected for the questionnaire were mainly ones that had been put to a representative sample of the whole population of Finland in 1993, or as recently as possible before that date.

Of those who replied, 29% regarded Freemasonry as a very important element of their personal lives, with 50% regarding it as fairly important. For one in five (18%) it was of minor personal importance, and one or two percent characterized it as insigni- ficant. Thirty-nine percent felt that Freemasonry had met their expectations very well; forty-two percent felt that their expec- tations had been met fairly well. One in five (18%) felt that their expectations had been partly fulfilled, while the replies of two percent of the respondents suggested relative disappointment.

Figure 2.
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Freemasons survey (N=848): the respondents' assessments of how important Freemasonry is to them personally.

The proportion of those who felt that their expectations had been fulfilled was particularly high among those respondents who had been Freemasons for a relatively long period; and satisfaction levels rose with the number of additional degree systems to which the respondent belonged. Thus, 58% of the Knights Templar and Knights of Malta were very satisfied, while the corresponding figure for those who were not members of any additional degree system was only 20%.


3.ETHICAL VALUES AND IDEALS

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Basic ethical values

From the very start of Freemasonry people have suspected that Freemasonry seeks to secure benefits for its members at the expense of others and even aims at a universal political and economic revolution. These conjectures spring forth simply because of the secrecy of Freemasonry, its international nature and the higher social status of its members.

Figure 3.
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Percentage of Freemasons regarding certain personal qualities as very or fairly important goals in the upbringing of children (Freemason survey; N=848).

The basic values and ideals of Freemasons are very traditional and correspond closely to the value systems of Finnish men in general. Freemasons consider it particularly important that children should be taught to be responsible, well-behaved, and tolerant and respectful towards others. Independence, decisiveness, tenacity, and selflessness are also regarded as important goals in the upbringing of children. Those Freemasons for whom Freemasonry is of great personal importance placed a greater emphasis than other Freemasons on tolerance, respect for others, selflessness, religiosity, and obedience.

Attitudes to society: ideals and morality

Freemasons were substantially in agreement among themselves on the directions of social development that they would consider desirable. Virtually all the respondents hoped that family life would come to be regarded as more important (97%) and that greater emphasis would be placed on the inner development of each individual (96%); none of the respondents regarded such directions of development as undesirable. A large majority also agreed that people should try to adopt simpler and more natural lifestyles. Three out of four (74%) also felt that less importance should be attached to money and goods. Only a small minority were in favour of greater respect for authority or a diminution in the importance of work.

Figure 4.
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Percentage of Freemasons and of Finnish men in general regarding certain directions of social development as desirable. Freemasons survey, 1993 (N=848) and Gallup Fennica (N=407).

The directions of development regarded as desirable by Freemasons are similarly favoured by other Finnish men. However, Freemasons place an even stronger emphasis, if possible, on the importance of family life, the inner development of each individual, the need for a simpler way of life, and a diminution in the importance of money and goods.

The differences between Freemasons and the average population are not explained by the higher average age of the Freemasons, as the youngest age group among the respondents did not fall short of the average for all Freemasons in their emphasis on family life (96%), the inner development of individuals (96%), and attaching less importance to money and goods (76 %). A simpler and more natural way of life was supported by 83% of young Freemasons; this does not constitute a significant divergence from the average for all Freemasons.

The constitutions and rituals stress obedience towards the authorities and commitment to mutual care. Among the sources at my disposal and authorized by the Finnish fraternity I could not find any support for allegations that the organization has immoral purposes. The Ancient Landmarks of the Masonic movement state: "Every Mason is bound by his obligation to honour the laws and Masonic regulations of the jurisdiction in which he resides."

In the membership application form of the Finnish Masonic or- ganization a candidate agrees to obey the rules and regulations of the organization "on the condition that they do not contradict your moral or national duties or rights". A similar conception is repeated in the actual initiation ritual when it is emphasized to the candidate: "We want you to strive with us for good deeds, to act as an upright man and to serve our native land. We want you as a true brother who will give support to others and as a faithful man who offers his hand to those in need who are also outside our fraternity."

The respondents of the Freemason survey had a high degree of confidence (very or fairly high) not only in the family (99%), but also in institutions responsible for national security: the armed forces (96%) and the police (92%). These were followed by universities (86%), the individual citizen (86%), the judicial system (81%), and the Church (78%). Confidence was at its lowest in the case of political parties (4%), trade unions (11%), the press (21%), and environmentalists (23%).

Figure 5.
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Freemason survey (N=848): percentage of respondents placing a very or fairly high degree of confidence in certain social institutions, and of those with little confidence in these institutions.

By comparison with other Finnish men, Freemasons have a far higher degree of confidence in a number of social institutions, especially the Church (+47%), civil servants (+32%), the armed forces (+30%), the banks (+23%), and the judiciary (+19%). They had less confidence than the average population in trade unions (-23%), the press (-10%), the school system (-7%), and political parties (-6%).

Differences between Freemasons and the average population with regard to the level of confidence placed in social institutions has hardly any connection with age structures, as the youngest age group among the Freemasons (those born after 1944) were just as well disposed as Freemasons on average to the family (99 %), the armed forces (95%), the police (91%), universities (86%), the individual citizen (86%), and the judiciary (79%). The only exception is the Church, supported by 66% of the young Freemasons as opposed to an average of 78% for all Freemasons. Even then the figure is far higher (+35%) than that for the average male population.

Figure 6.
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Percentage of Freemasons and of Finnish men in general placing a very or fairly high degree of confidence in various social institutions.Freemason survey (N=848) and Gallup Fennica (N=407).

In common with other Finns, Freemasons take the view that 'the country needs strong leaders, capable of restoring order, disci- pline, and respect for the right values in our society' (82%). Like the rest of the population they are prepared to lower their own standard of living in an effort to curb pollution and other threats to the environment (82%). Freemasons identify more strongly than the average population both with Finnish national values and the European ideal. A large majority (80%) are prepared to accept the statement that it is a privilege to be a Finn (66% of the average population); and 66% agreead with the statement 'I now increasingly identify myself not only as a Finn but also as a European' (as opposed to only 39% of the average population). Half of all Freemasons also feel that Finland is at present far too isolated from the rest of Europe (29% of the average population). The average population has greater fears than the Freemasons about the influence on Finnish society of 'blind market forces and the selfish pursuit of financial gain' (78%), and about immigration into Finland (43%).

Figure 7.
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Freemason survey, 1993 (N=848) and EVA survey, autumn 1992 (N=2367): percentage of respondents who fully on substantially agreed with statesments listed.

Friendship, morality, and spiritual growth important

Outsiders have frequently wondered why people become Freemasons and what the organization has to offer for its members. Suggested answers have included references to 'games for big boys', useful business contacts, access to secret information, and even the existence of international networks.

Figure 8.
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Freemason survey (N=848): the importance of certain aspects of Masonic activity in the personal lives of the respondents.

When Freemasons themselves had the opportunity to assess the importance to them personally of ten different factors connected with Freemasonry, the most important of these turned out to be that of friendship, considered very of fairly important by 96% of the respondents. Other important factors included moral ideals (91%), the opportunity to escape from the routines of everyday life (91%), and spiritual growth (88%). A good deal of importance was also attached to the opportunity to reflect on the meaning of the life (85%), brotherly support in moments of difficulty (79%), and humanitarian activity (79%). Only a small proportion of the respondents regarded international contacts (25%) or secret information (24%) as important to them personally; and the usefulness of membership in work and business relations was listed as important by a mere 7%.



4. THE RELIGIOSITY OF FREEMASONS

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Belief in God as a condition of membership

In basic Masonry one can feel the influence of religion in the Era of the Enlightenment. In this one tries to simplify religion as a faith in God as a Creator ('The Great Architect of the Universe'), faith in the immortality of the soul and in virtuous life.

The Ancient Landmarks state: 'To receive the benefits of Freemasonry every candidate has to confess his belief in one, eternal and true God, creator and ruler of the universe, and in the immortality of the soul'. 'No candidate for Masonry, however, is to be asked for the particular opinion of his religious belief.'

Fellow Craft Masons in Finland receive the following teaching about the basis of Freemasonry:
'The conception of Freemasonry is based on the confession of one God. To acknowledge God means receiving strength from prayer and living in the hope of eternal life. Masonry ... is not a competitor with any religion because there are no doctrines in its teachings. However, Masonic work, as well as the principles of Freemasonry, are religious in their nature. Masonry requires a man to have some form of religious belief before he can be admitted as a Mason.'

Ninety-five percent of the respondents of the Freemason survey stated that they believed in God, while the remainder felt unable to express an opinion. There were only three atheists in a sample of 848. The proportion of those believing in God exceeded 90% in all sub-groups; for example, 94% of both the oldest and the youngest age group stated that they believed in God. Forty-three per cent of the respondents said that they believed in a personal God, while more than half regarded God more as a spirit or a life force.

In recent surveys only half of all Finnish men have affirmed that they believe in God. In the 1993 Gallup Fennica 25% of men said that they believed in a personal God, with 22% believing in God as a spirit or life force. The difference between Freemasons and other Finnish men is unusually large, showing that the requirement whereby new members must have religious faith is taken seriously by the Masonic organization.

Figure 9.
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Freemasons survey (N=848) and Gallup Fennica (N=407): the percentage in 1993 of those believing in God in different ways.

The proportion of those believing in a personal God was higher than on average among Freemasons aged over 70 (51%), but also among those who were members of several additional degree systems (52%), those to whom Freemasonry was very important (52%), and those who felt that Freemasonry had answered very well to their expectations (50%).

The religiosity of Freemasons is also reflected in the fact that a far higher proportion of them (53%) pray at least a few times a week than is the case with Finnish men on average (21%). The proportion of those frequently reflecting on the meaning of life was 54% among Freemasons and 41% among all men. Nine out of ten Freemasons consider it important that children should be given a religious upbringing (54% of all men).

Christianity

The oldest sources of Freemasonry refer to the fact that basic Freemasonry was openly established on the Christian heritage during the times of its birth in England, but from the beginning of the 18th century onwards the basic Freemasonry was stripped of the direct Christian elements so that men practising other religions, mainly Jews at that time, could also participate in Masonic work. The additional degrees which most likely were developed in France in the midle of the 18th century were partly a reaction to basic Masonry turning towards non-denominational relgiousness. These additional degrees brought back direct quotations from the New Testament and their rituals also contain hymns and prayers.

In Finland the degree system called the Ancient and Accepted Rite shows a Christian nature openly and the candidate is expected to believe in the Trinity. The first question put to him is whether he professes "the triune Christian Faith and is willing to give his obligation in the name of the Sacred and Undivided Trinity". Among other things in this ritual the whole pericope of the Suffering Servant of Lord from the Book of Isaiah is read as well as the Hymn of Love from the First Epistle to the Corinthians.

In the ritual of the degree system Knights Templar and Knights of Malta the candidate who is acting as a pilgrim requests to be a member of the Order and to be accepted as "the Defender of Cross". In addition to women, widows and orphans he promises to defend the Christian Faith and he is especially assured that this order has been founded on a Christian basis. Before the opening of the Preceptory there are prayers (including the Lord's Prayer) and Preceptory is declaread open in the name of "Christ our Prophet, Christ our Priest, Christ our King". The Preceptory is closed the same way.

Although Freemasonry - with the exception of the highest additional degree systems - does not presuppose belief specifically in the Christian God, 60% of the respondents of the Freemason survey said that they believed in God 'as taught by Christianity', while 36% stated that they believed in God 'in a rather different way from that which the Church assumes'. Belief in the Christian God was twice as common as among Finnish men in general (29%).

Figure 10.
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Belief in God: differecies between the respondents of the Freemason survey (N=848) and men interviewed for the Monitor survey (N=913).

Belief in the Christian God was at its highest among the older age groups: 69% of Freemasons aged over 69 held this belief, as opposed to 52% of those aged under 49. Of those who regarded Freemasonry as very important to them personally, 66% said that they believed in the Christian God, as against 45% among those for whom Freemasonry was not important. Of those who felt that Freemasonry had answered very well to their expectations, 68% believed in the Christian God, while the corresponding figure among those whose expectations had not been met was only 42%.

The proportion of those believing in the Christian God increased with membership of several additional degree systems. It was at its highest among the Knights Templar and Knights of Malta (72%). Generally speaking, belief in the Christian God has a positive correlation with loyalty to the Masonic organization and satisfaction with its activities. The age of the respondents provides only a partial explanation for the differences in religious convictions.

Figure 11.
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The respondents' belief in God according to how important membership of the Masonic organization was to them personally. Freemason survey. N=848.

The majority of the respondents (61%) felt that Freemasonry and the Bible were entirely compatible with each other. One in three (34%) felt that they were substantially compatible, but difficult to reconcile in some respects. Only one respondent saw an irreconcilable conflict between them, while 1% regarded them as two mutually independent ways of coming to understand truth.

Age did not seem to have much impact on assessments of the relationship between Freemasonry and the Bible. Loyalty to Freemasonry is, however, significant. Of those for whom Freemasonry was very important, 78% felt that the two were entirely compatible, as opposed to no more than 37% of those for whom Freemasonry was unimportant.

Figure 12.
The figure itself will come soon...
Freemasons survey 1993 (N=848): the views of the respondents on the relationships between the Bible and Freemasonry.

Freemasonry and the Bible were regarded as fully compatible by 74% of the Knights Templar and Knights of Malta, whereas among those who did not belong to any of the additional degree systems this view was taken by no more than 52%. The two were believed to be compatible by 79% of those who felt that Freemasonry had answered very well to their expectations, as against 41% of those whose expectations had been partly or poorly fulfilled.

The proportion of those accepting various concepts related to Christianity is almost invariably higher among Freemasons than among Finnish men in general. While 55% of the men interviewed for Gallup Fennica in 1993 believed in God, the corresponding figure in the Freemason survey was 95%. There were also substantial differences in favour of the Freemasons regarding belief in the soul (+34%), sin (+28%), and life after death (+26%); and the same applied, albeit in smaller degree, to belief in the resurrection of the dead (+16%) and heaven (+10%). There was no significant difference between the groups regarding their belief in the devil, reincarnation, or hell. There was little difference between the various age groups in the Freemason survey.

In a survey carried out towards the end of 1993, six per cent of Finnish men claimed to read their Bibles at least a couple of times a month. The proportion of such relatively frequent Biblereaders was far higher among Freemasons, standing at 21%. Only 4% of Freemasons never read the Bible, as opposed to an average 38% of Finnish men.

Among the Knights Templar and Knights of Malta, 34% achieved a Bible-reading frequency of at least once a month, but the cor- responding figure was no higher than 7% among those not belonging to any of the additional degree systems. Of those to whom Freemasonry was very important, 30% read their Bibles at least once a week, as opposed to 13% of those to whom Freemasonry was not important.


5.RELATIONSHIP TO THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

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Ninety-six per cent of the respondents of the Freemason survey were members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. One per cent were Orthodox, and three per cent were not members of any church or religious community. Given that 83% of all Finnish men are members of the Church, the corresponding figure for Freemasons may be regarded as high.

Freemasons also had stronger ties with the Church than the average member. Of those Freemasons who were members of the Church, 30%

Figure 13.
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Attitudes to withdrawal from the Church among those Freemasons to whom Freemasonry var very important/not very important. Freemason survey 1993. N=848.

felt that they could not leave the Church under any circumstances (male average 23%), while 43% had never considered withdrawing their membership (average 29%). Seventeen per cent had contemplated withdrawal (average 12%), and a further four per cent had done so frequently (average 10%); but only 1 % of Freemasons considered it likely that they would in fact leave the Church at some point (average 5%). When making comparisons with the average population, one should, however, bear in mind that the likelihood of withdrawal is at its highest among the younger generations, and it is also the case among Freemasons that loyalty to the Church appears to be at its lowest in the youngest age group (those under 49), where 8% had frequently considered withdrawal and 2% regarded it as a probable outcome for themselves.

Church loyalty is strongest among those Freemasons for whom Freemasonry is important, whose expectations of Freemasonry have been fulfilled very well, and who consider Freemasonry an important part of their lives.

The main reasons among Freemasons for continued membership of the Church were the fact that the Church teaches the right values to children and the young (89%), their desire to avail themselves of Church ceremonies (88%), and the position of the Church as part of the Finnish way of life (87%). The Church's role in helping the third-world poor was the only factor among those listed to which Freemasons attached less importance than men on average (48% as against 60%). By comparison with the average male respondent, Freemasons attached far greater importance to the position of the Church as part of the Finnish way of life and to their own desire to support the Church and Christian values. Other factors which were of noticeably greater importance to Freemasons than to other men were the Chuch's role in supporting the position of the family in society, the fact that the Christian faith answers questions concerning the purpose of human life, and the fact that Church membership offers one a feeling of security.

Those respondents who considered Freemasonry a very important part of their lives also attached greater importance to all the various reasons for Church membership than did those to whom Freemasonry was not important.

Figure 14.
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Freemason survey and Gallup Ecclesiastica: the proportion of those (male) respondents who were members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and regarded certain factors as very or fairly important grounds for continued membership.

Sixty-nine per cent of Freemasons felt that the Church provides competent answers to the spiritual problems of human life, and 67% also believed that the Church has valid answers to questions of morality. Both percentages were far higher than the corresponding average figures for Finnish men. Forty-four per cent of Freemasons felt that the Church provides competent answers to family problems (male average 22%), but only 13% commended the Church for its ability to deal with the social problems of today.


6.THE RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER RELIGIONS

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The roots of Freemasonry have sometimes been traced back to ancient Palestine, Egypt or some other cultural area of the Mediterranean and there have been attempts to connect Masonic legends and symbols with these countries. Historical continuity has also been sought with the medieval orders of knights as well as with the secret societies of modern times.

Since the end of 19th century the critics of Freemasonry have claimed that the abundant use of the Old Testament in the Masonic rituals and legends as well as the Cabbalistic elements found in some additional degrees prove that deep down Freemasonry is Judaism and forms a conspiracy with it. The strengthening of anti-Semitism that reached its peak in Nazism created favourable ground for these speculations.

The historically valid interpretation that modern speculative Freemasonry was born only in the latter half of the 17th century has become general among Freemasons. On the other hand there are frequent references in Masonic publications to the similarities between Freemasonry and ancient secret schools or orders like the Egyptian and Greek Mysteries, the Pythagoreans, Hermeticism, Alchemy and the Essenes or medieval Cabbalism, Rosicrucianism and Theosophy.

The majority of Freemasons in both Finland and England seem to think that no direct historical connections have been established between the birth of Freemasonry and the above-mentioned esoteric or occult collectives.

Religious tolerance and appreciation of different values typical of the Age of Enlightenment manifest themselves mainly as a general religious spirit. In the Old Charges we can read: "But though in ancient Times Masons were charg'd in every Country to be of the Religion of that Country or Nation, whatever it was, yet 'tis now thought more expedient to oblige them to that Religion in which all Men agree, leaving their particular Opinions to themselves: that is, to be good Men and true, or Men of Honour and Honesty, by whatever Denominations or Persuasions they may be distinguish'd; whereby Masonry becomes the Center of Union, and the Means of conciliating true Friendship among Persons that must have remain'd at a perpetual Distance."

Tolerance has always had an important place in the Masonic value system as part of its Enlightenment heritage. In the Freemason survey, 89% of the respondents considered tolerance and respect for others very important. One manifestation of this has been religious tolerance. As many as 85% of the respondents at least substantially agreed with the statement that 'although there are many religions in the world, most of them lead to the same God'. An average 58% of Finnish men agreed with this view in a survey carried out in 1991: such an attitude may therefore be considered typical of Freemasons.

By comparison with other men, Freemasons are generally well disposed to almost all religious denominations. They take a particularly

Figure 15.
The figure itself will come soon...
Percentage of Freemasons and of Finnish men in general taking a very favourable or relatively favourable attitude to various religions and denominations. Freemason survey, 1993 (N=848) and Monitor survey, 1993 (N=913).

favourable view of the established churches: the Evangelical Lutheran (93% very favourable or reasonably favourable), and the Orthodox (86%).

The same denominations are favoured by Finnish men in general, but in absolute terms the figures are substantially higher among Freemasons, who are also more favourable than the average population in their attitude to the Salvation Army (85%) and the Roman Catholic Church (64%). It is interesting to note that attitudes to the Catholic Church are so relatively favourable, given that the Church itself has traditionally taken a rather negative view of Freemasonry.

Attitudes to non-Christian religions are similar to those of the average male population (comparative data are not available in the case of Judaism). Those Freemasons to whom Freemasonry is very important are somewhat more favourable towards nearly all religions than those to whom Freemasonry is not important.

Figure 16.
The figure itself will come soon...
Percentage of those firmly believing in certain religious and paranormal phenomena, or at least regarding their existence/validity as probable.

Freemasons are somewhat more sceptical than Finnish men on average in their attitude to paranormal phenomena. The proportion of those believing in UFOs is 26% among Freemasons (37% among Finnish men on average), while 21% belive in spiritual healing (average 26%), 12% in mediums (average 14%), 8% in horoscopes (average 12%), 4% in witchcraft (average 12%), and 3% in ghosts (average 8%). However, the proportion of those who believed in healing by prayer, connected with Christian tradition, was significantly higher among Freemasons than among the male population in general (56% as opposed to 34%).


7.MAIN FINDINGS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The purpose of this study has been to chart the values, ethics, and religiosity of the Grand Lodge of Finland, of the additional degree systems approved by it, and of the members of these organizations. Four questions were formulated as a basis for this task:

1. What are the teachings of Finnish Freemasonry concerning values, ethics, religiosity, and the appropriate attitude to different churches and religious communities?
2. How far do the values and religiosity of the members of the organization correspond to the principles advocated by the organization?
3. How do the values, norms, religiosity, and church allegiance of Freemasons differ from those of Finnish men in general? How far can such differences be ascribed to the membership criteria of Masonic organizations on the one hand, and to Masonic doctrine on the other?
4. How far do the values, norms, and religiosity of Freemasons correlate with their level of commitment to the Masonic organization?

The material which has formed the basis for the present study has included not only the basic rules, ritual texts, and inaugural rituals of the Grand Lodge of Finland, but also the complete ritual texts of all five additional degree systems with their explications.

The teachings of Finnish Freemasonry concerning values, morality, and religion are founded on the ideals of humanism, Christianity, and the Enlightenment. Masonic doctrine is coloured by a striving towards a virtuous life and self-improvement. The values that are most frequently emphasized include brotherly love; helping one's neighbour and helping the needy; sincerity and love of truth; frankness, honesty, and righteousness. Ethical ideals are justified by reference to individual conscience, the Golden Rule, and eternal life, but above all to the fact that God is everyone's Creator and Father, and that all human beings are of equal value as his children.

In a survey of 1,200 Freemasons, the central values of the members of the Masonic organization turned out to be a sense of responsibility, good manners, and a tolerant and respectful attitude to other people. They had complete confidence in the majority of social institutions. Freemasons had particularly strong confidence in the family, the armed forces, the police, the universities, the individual citizen, the judiciary, the Church, and the school system. They were more critical of political parties, trade unions, the press, employers' organizations, and environmentalists.

According to the findings of this study, Freemasons are broadly in agreement with Finnish men in general on the type of social developments that should be regarded as desirable. However, Freemasons place an even stronger emphasis on the importance of family life, the inner development of each individual, and the necessity of moving towards a simpler lifestyle. They had significantly greater confidence than Finnish men on average in many of the basic institutions of society: especially the Church, the civil service, the armed forces, the banks, and the judiciary.

The teachings of Freemasonry do not contain any `Secret' susceptible of a conceptual formulation; the main emphasis is simply on constant self-improvement. The main justification for not disclosing the nature of Masonic rituals to outsiders is derived from pedagogical arguments based on the notion of learning through experience. Besides, at every stage of the basic Masonic degree system, the Master of the Lodge assures the candidate in advance that the solemn declaration which he is about to make does not conflict in any way with and individual's moral, societal, or civic rights or responsibilities, and that Masonic declarations are only morally binding and can never take precedence over any oath that an individual is required to take by society.

There are no obstacles to withdrawal from membership, and a few members do in fact leave the Masonic organization each year. Masonic declarations do contain age-old threats regarding the consequences of divulging the secrets of the organization, but for a long time now these have been interpreted symbolically.

Mainstream Freemasonry since the early eighteenth century has expected its members to have faith in God as the creator of the universe. Members have also been expected to believe in the immortality of the soul and in leading a virtuous life. More precise doctrinal definitions of God have been left to individual Freemasons and their religious communities. In Christian Free- masonry - a term which encompasses, in the context of Finnish Freemasonry, the additional degree systems of the Ancient and Accepted Rite and the Knights Templar and Knights of Malta - those admitted to membership are required from the start to believe in the Triune Christian God.

Among the respondents, 93% regarded the Lutheran Church in a favourable light, while for the Orthodox Church the equivalent rating was 86%, and for the Roman Catholic Church 64%. However, only 5% approved of Jehovah's Witnesses, while other low ratings included those for the Mormons (7%), Islam (10%), and Hinduism (11%). Freemasons were also relatively unenthusiastic about paranormal phenomena.

The Masonic organization seems to stand firm on the principle that the men admitted to membership must believe in God. In an empirical survey, 95% of Finnish Freemasons expressed a clear belief in God, and only three of those interviewed stated that they did not believe in God. Although Freemasonry - apart from the highest additional degree systems - does not require a specifically Christian faith in God, a clear majority (62%) of the respondents were in complete agreement with the statement `Jesus is the son of God'. Only 3% wholly or partially disagreed with this statement.

While 60% of Freemasons said that they believed in the Christian God, the equivalent proportion for all Finnish men was only 29%.

By comparison with Finnish men in general, a significantly higher proportion of Freemasons believed not only in God, but also in the existence of the soul and of sin, in life after death and in resurrection from the dead, and in Jesus being the son of God.

Both the Orthodox and escpecially the Catholic Church have long regarded Freemasonry with disfavour. The Catholic view has undoubtedly been influenced by the anticlericalism, and even the anti-religious nature, of French Freemasonry, which would appear to have resulted from factors specific to the French cultural setting - in particular, a power struggle between the Catholic Church and the secular authorities. However, English Freemasonry and its Finnish offshoots have always been characterized by a positive attitude towards the Church; the Church has not been criticized even when there have been anti-Masonic tendencies within it.

The high value placed by Freemasons on the teachings of the Bible was evident in the fact that 85% of the respondents regarded the values advocated by Jesus as being, at least for the most part, suitable ideals for modern human beings to aspire to. The majority of the respondents (61%) also took the view that Freemasonry and the Bible were fully compatible with each other. A further one-third (34%) felt that they were substantially compatible, though difficult to reconcile on certain issues. Only one respondent saw an irreconcilable conflict between them.

Right up to the past few years it has sometimes been suggested in the writings of individual Freemasons that modern Freemasonry has connections with various ancient legends and with the brotherhoods of antiquity and of the Middle Ages. The ritual and doctrinal texts of the Grand Lodge of Finland and of the additional degree systems connected with it are devoid of such speculations.

Freemasons were somewhat more sceptical than other Finnish men in their attitude to paranormal phenomena. In particular, a low proportion of Freemasons said that they believed in UFOs, horoscopes, witchcraft, and ghosts.

The strength of the influence exerted by the Masonic organization on the values, norms, and religiosity of its members had a positive correlation with a strong commitment to Freemasonry, as manifested in such factors as the number of years that they had been members, the perceived importance of membership in their personal lives, satisfaction with the organization, active participation, and membership of additional degree systems.

Of those Freemasons who felt that their expectations had been satisfied to a very high degree by the nature of Masonic activity, 68% said that they believed in the Christian God. The corresponding figure was only 42% among those whose expectations had been fulfilled only in part, or to a low degree. Freemasons of long standing were more likely than recent entrants to believe in God in accordance with Christian doctrine, as opposed to `in a different way from that propagated by the Church'. Among those who claimed to be relatively active members of their lodges, the proportion of those believing in the Christian God was 64%, as opposed to only 49% among those who considered themselves relatively passive. The proportion of those believing in the Christian God also increased with the number of additional degree systems that respondents belonged to. Similarly, the proportion of those fully agreeing with the statement `Jesus is the son of God' was at its highest among those whose expectations had been well met by Freemasonry, those for whom Freemasonry was of great personal importance, and those who were active members of their lodges.

A strong commitment to Freemasonry was also reflected in particularly frequent Bible-reading and churchgoing. Ties with the Church were strongest among those who considered Freemasonry very important in their personal lives, were satisfied with Masonic activity, and were members of a number of additional degree systems.


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