The 30th Degree Scottish Rite - Assignment Example

 The 30th Degree Scottish Rite Topic: To what extent does the 30th Degree Scottish Rite reflect the intellectual/ philosophical Legacy of the Knights Templar ? “The Knights Templar were formed after the first crusade, in the late Middle Ages, to capture the Holy Land (Palestine and Israel) from the Infidel(This is what the Christians called the Muslim population)They received the foundations of the ancient Temple of Solomon(The Jewish shrine in Jerusalem which once housed numerous religious relics) upon Mount Moriah in Jerusalem where they established their headquarters.”(BBC....) The founder of the Crusades was Hugh de Payens. Along with his nine knights he vowed to protect the overland path from the sea to the city of Jerusalem. In the initial nine years, they dug beneath the ancient temple, and found an ancient network of tunnels. The ark of the Covenant( This is the box that contained the Ten Commandments.) was believed to be housed in this temple. The eastern invaders ransacked the city. During the excavation, it is believed that the Knights of Templar stumbled across some ancient knowledge and that presumably originated from Egypt. Amongst the many things, the important one was architecture. In result, Gothic cathedrals came up throughout Europe, in hitherto unseen designs, like the Charters which employed flying buttresses. This is a unique architectural design feature that allowed for additional space in the interior of churches and larger stained glass windows. The economic perspective of the Templar-Money: The Templar devised a system of banking comparable to the modern transaction procedures. Pilgrims deposited their funds with the Templar in Europe and on verification of the coded statements, could draw funds en-route from Templar strongholds. The path of pilgrimage was fraught with dangers and the risk was covered through this facility. Upon arrival at the specified destinations, the pilgrim paid for the lodgings, the relevant modification was made in the chit, showing the deductions. This worked like the modern pass-book system in the banks. Battles in the name of religion were common and the Templar served as the first line of defense or offense in such crusades. The rise and fall of the Latin Kingdoms in the east of Tripoli,Antioch(Syria) and Jerusalem was due to such crusades. The Church had high praise for for the Templar and rewarded them with gifts. Some of the fortresses built by them exist even now. (A Templar fortress which is shrouded in mystery can be found at Rennes-le-Château.) Templars occupied then holy land for about 200 years and they were ousted by the Saracens (Saracen was the name given, in the Middle Ages, to Syrian and Palestinian warriors.) and they were pushed back to Europe. The Templar earned great amount of revenue from their lands, and bore the cost to arm knights for crusades. Their wealth was more than that of any monarch of Europe. France was one such country that owed substantial amount to Templar and the King of France Philip le Bel was extremely jealous of the money power of the Templar. He was waiting for an opportunity to strike against the Templar and when Pope died, in 1307,he bought many false allegations against them and on Friday 13th, arrested simultaneously all the Templar in France in a meticulously preplanned operation. However, Templar were alerted well in time, and they left France with their biggest fleet in Europe, their wealth and precious possessions stowed on board, never to be seen again. Subsequently Pope disbanded the Knights Templar Organization officially. The Templar fled to Scotland and Portugal, the two nations that did not recognize the authority of the Pope at that time. Their wealth was confiscated and distributed to a religious order,the Hospitalliers of St John. Legacy of Knights of Templars: This order is shrouded in secrecy. Unverified records point out that the Knights Templar being in possession of holy artifacts such as the Holy Grail,( This is the cup that Jesus used at the last supper. Legend has it that Joseph of Arimathea collected the blood of Christ in it at the Crucifixion) and the Ark of the Covenant. “ Treasure hunters have tunneled 200 feet deep into the recesses of Oak Island in search of what may be the final resting place of the Templar legacy. Many questions remain unanswered - did they discover America before Columbus (who flew the Templar red cross on his sails) and take an instrumental part in the American independence? Did the Templar possess ancient knowledge, and did they find powerful sacred artifacts that caused their swift rise to power?”(BBC....) No answers have been found till today to many such intriguing questions. The 30th Degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry is the pioneer in anti-Christian secular humanism and totalitarian tolerance in the true sense of the word. The Knights of the Templars, though considered as a separate entity, were not against Christianity. By and large, in the initial stages Pope supported them, rewarded them for their bravery until at last he disbanded the Organization officially. They had to take shelter in countries that did not recognize Pope. Even their wealth was confiscated. The decorations and method of worship of the Thirtieth Degree: “In the initiatory ritual of the thirtieth degree there are four apartments or rooms with special decorations which symbolize different aspects of the occult. In this degree, there are four oaths that are recited.”(Description....) The aspect of secrecy in worship is common to both the Organizations. In the first apartment the following furnishings are present:"This apartment is hung with black tapestry. A sepulchral lamp is suspended from the vault. In the middle is a mausoleum, above which is a coffin. In the coffin lies a knight, wrapped up in a white shroud, his face veiled. On the platform of the mausoleum are three skulls...At the west end of the apartment is a large transparency on which are written in flame colored letters the following words: 'Whoever shall overcome the dread of death, shall emerge from the bosom of the earth, and have a right to be initiated into the greater mysteries.' Beneath are the initials J.B.M."( Description....) Freemasons were antagonistic to revealed religion. The roots of secular humanism, are traced to the initiators of the French Revolution and their motto was “Liberty, Equality,Fraternity” was practiced and further propagated by the Freemasons. They adopted the motto of the French Revolution as their own. The architects of Public School education in America were Freemasons. Their stand on public education that 'public education is not intrinsically evil, but it is founded upon an evil premise i. e. man does not need God and there are no problems which education and reason cannot solve.' was unacceptable to the American christian ideologists. According to the Masons the teachings of the Lodge alone are truth and that is eternal. Masons assert that the teachings are superior even to the word of God. This seems contradictory to the professed faith of the Masons themselves; they were against the claim of any religion that it alone exclusively has the truth. How then they can claim that Freemasonry exclusively has the truth! The Knights of Templar were not against Christianity of their own. Rather, they took prominent parts in the crusades, and to that extent they defended Christians and Pope against the onslaught of the enemies of that religion. Their problem was, they were financially stronger than many Kings of the European countries and that created a peculiar situation. The Kings were jealous, especially the King of France was waiting for an opportunity to challenge them. Ultimately Pope disbanded their religion and they were banished from Christian countries. Not so with the Freemasons. They reject the unique name of Jesus Christ. Will not accept the uniqueness of Bible. It rejects the unique and narrow redemptive plan of Jehovah God. To them Bible is only a symbol of the will of God. Masonic believe in a continuing revelation, not the final revelation propagated by the Church. “The Bible, to the Mason,is a product of man's reason -- a product of the "struggle and sorrow of the race in its quest of God" -- not a product of God's revelation.” (Description....) Masonry does not mention the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, has eliminated it from the Lodge in prayer and Bible readings and proclaims that His Name is just one of the names whereby God can be known. Masonic Bible states,"...it (the Lodge) invites to its altar men of all faiths, knowing that if they use different names for the 'Nameless One of a hundred names,' they are yet praying to the one God and Father of all..."(Description....) The Bible says that there is "no other Name given among men whereby we must be saved." The Bible states that God has given Jesus Christ a "Name which is above every Name, at which Name every knee will bow." Either the Masons are right or the Bible is right. Both cannot be true. (Description....) The historic Order of the Knights Templar and the 30th degree Scottish Rite have many things in common and somethings diametrically opposed to each other. When it is said so, it is necessary to understand that the mind-level interpretations of the scriptural revelations by scholars of different faiths/cults, is bound to vary, for mind is incapable to grasp the ultimate truth. The ultimate truth can be experienced only when the mind-barrier is transcended. “ …..the mission of the degrees of the Scottish Rite is a fairly lofty undertaking. It is a philosophical system that journeys deeper than the other systems of Freemasonry. It has many parallels in the mythos of religion and ancient philosophy. It is not so easy to sit down and pen a simple answer to any inquiry regarding it’s overall themes. But it is important to understand these themes when one approaches it from the view of serious study.”(History....) People are initiated into mysteries by the religious preachers. The progress on the spiritual path depends on the intrinsic ability of the human being to rise to higher degrees. “Who are these people? They are the members of all the various secret societies and fraternal organizations such as the Freemasons, Rosicrucians, Knights of Malta, Knights Templar, the Vatican and many many more. It should be stressed that the majority of the members of these secret societies are absolutely unaware of the true nature of their society, church or lodge.” ( The New....) At the highest level all societies are the same. At the level true illumination, all differences cease to exist. In the 13th century, Knights Templar were financiers. Religious and financial power are a dangerous combinations and they create all-round jealousy amongst the less-privileged. That was the reason for the downfall of the Knights Templar. The Kings were envious of them. But even today, the International Financiers are Knights Templar. The fact that only a man who does not fear to die can truly live- is the main motto of the 30th Degree Rite. This was the virtue and belief of the Knights Templar as well and they defended the Church from many onslaughts of the enemies. They were brave warriors. This historical association of the 30th Degree Scottish Rites is the fall of the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar (between 1120 & 1128 -1312) The mass arrests of Templar on 13th October 1307 was their doomsday. The 22nd and last Grand Master Jacques de Molay, after being held and tortured for almost seven years was executed March 18, 1314. In Portugal, some of the Templar formed the Militia of Christ. But with the changing times, military orders were going out of public favor and secular knighthood took over. Freemasons caught the imagination and many Templar joined their orders. Some of the orders in which the Templar assimilated themselves were:The Order of the Garter formed in England in 1348; the Order of the Star in France in 1351, and later the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1429. ************** Works Cited: BBC - h2g2 - The Knights Templar – Retrieved on February 17, 2010 Description of the 30th Degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry ... (Knights Kadosh) Christianity and Christendom. – Retrieved on February 17, 2010 History_of_Scottish_Rite The historical association is the fall of the Templars. ... The Scottish Rite is clearly a school of ethical and philosophical instruction. ... – Cached Retrieved on February 17, 2010 The New World Order. The International Financiers of today are still Knights Templars. ... In Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, the 30th to 33rd degrees are degrees of ... – Retrieved on February 17, 2010. Read More