I have heard that being a Free Mason is cause for excommunication. But Joseph Smith was a FreeMason. So why was it ok for him then but not for members now? WTF?

I know several members who are masons, but my dad says it flies in the face of everything the church believes.

Known several Mormons that are Masons. I'm not sure the Church ever officially prohibited joining up with Masons but the discouraged it at one time.

The Masons, especially in Utah didn't want LDS joining way back when but I don't think it's an issue anymore.

It stemmed from temple issues.

I really don't know about the situation in Utah.

I remember them saying that whatever the problem was, tscc and the Masons in UT patched it up and they have Mo members.

Good point helemon. Makes sense.

Yeah mormons can definitely be masons, though that doesn't mean they aren't judged for it. I was talking about them with my mom the other day, and she was worried I was going to join or something (which I'm not.) I was like what if I did? They are good people. They do good things. Joseph Smith was a mason, his dad was a mason, his brother was a mason. Brigham Young, John Taylor, and tons of other mormon leaders were masons. The temples are full of masonic stuff. Even the Utah state flag has a beehive on it...thanks to masons.

Anyways, there is an interview on mormonstories.org with a mormon who is a mason who is an apologist about the masonic stuff in the temple. Somewhere in the interview he says that he has to spend so much time apologizing for the church's use of masonry and the other amount of time apologizing to the church members who think he is a bad person who is engaging in "secret combinations." ha typical...poor guy.

Mormons can be Masons, and I've found out from some Mason friends that if someone wanted to, they could use the Book of Mormon as their holy book if they didn't want to use the Bible for any reason. There might have been a time when the Freemasons didn't allow Mormons after Joe Smith came up with the temple ceremony, but that hasn't been an issue for many years.

My uncle in Florida died in '02 and at the gravesite they had a Masonic ceremony. It was so weird. Knowing what I do about Mormonism it freaked me out. Seemed out of place with the other religious aspects of his funeral. Guess some people are very proud of their Masonic ties. Maybe he had told his son he wanted them there. It turned my stomach. He was So. Baptist.

So all Mormons who regularly attend the temple participate in a bastardized Masonic Temple ritual anyway ...

The leaders are probably worried members would realize the similarities in the ceremony and realize that what Smith did. They can't have tithe paying members understanding the devious nature of their prophet and founder, Joseph Smith.

Thanks for clearing that up for me!! I guess I was misinformed.

One of Joe's polygamous wives was none other than the widow of William Morgan of Morgan Affair fame. I think the Morgan Affair inspired much of Joe's writing, especially lines like, "And Cain said: Truly I am Mahan, the master of this great secret, that I may murder and get gain. Wherefore Cain was called Master Mahan, and he gloried in his wickedness." Moses 5:31

Joe could hardly have been unaware of the Morgan Affair what with it having happened in his neighborhood and he later marrying Morgan's widow who, at the time, was married to one of Joe's followers.

Otremer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One of Joe's polygamous wives was none other than
> the widow of William Morgan of Morgan Affair fame.
> I think the Morgan Affair inspired much of Joe's
> writing, especially lines like, "And Cain said:
> Truly I am Mahan, the master of this great secret,
> that I may murder and get gain. Wherefore Cain was
> called Master Mahan, and he gloried in his
> wickedness." Moses 5:31
>
> Joe could hardly have been unaware of the Morgan
> Affair what with it having happened in his
> neighborhood and he later marrying Morgan's widow
> who, at the time, was married to one of Joe's
> followers.

no one seems to get the concept that lucinda had wm morgans manuscript for his expose on the secrets of masonry...then...she took several pages of joe smith's manuscript of the book of mormon and refused to return them because of money owed to her and her husband...then...she is involved in a relationship with joe...then...the book of mormon and temple ceremonies come out with content from the morgan expose. COME ON PEOPLE GET A CLUE.

My father -only recently departed was the first of his family a Mormon but came from generational Scottish rite Freemasons.
He was a High Councilman & went on 3 senior's temple missions.

He also was in his turn Grand Master of his lodge & had Masonic tributes at his funeral