Shriners Children’s Hospital spokesperson talks to CBS Philadelphia foll...

Men in Obscene Red Fezzes!

Men in Obscene Red Fezzes!

http://www.ao.net/~jmo/john/personal/masons.html

I am going to tell you things here that you may have never heard, and some which will be hard to believe. If you have thought of Masons and the Shriners in a positive light because they do all those nice things for kiddies and old people, this will definitely burst your bubble. The Bible says that Satan walks to and fro on this earth masquerading as an 'angel of light' that many might be deceived. See if you don't agree.

Many people go into Freemasonry today believing that it is just a philanthropic organization that does a lot of good work. They see advertisements for the Shrine hospitals and the Masonic homes for the elderly; many view it as a fraternal organization, kind of an advanced boy scouts. One survey said that many men get into it out of social reasons; their friends are in it; or they think it is a good place to network and do business.

What Freemasonry is, claimed in their own books, is a revival of the ancient mystery religions of Egypt and Balbak, and from Persia and India. Albert Pike in his "Morals and Dogma" and Albert Mackey in his "Encyclopedia of Freemasonry" say that masonry is a religion and that every Masonic lodge is a temple of religion. It is interesting that many Christians have gotten into this religion not understanding how pagan it is.

For example, in a large church in Texas, the elders went to their pastor when they heard that a guest, who has written against Freemasonry, was to speak and asked that the booking be cancelled. It turned out that almost all of the elders were Masons of local lodges, the Sunday School superintendent was the Supreme Potentate of a Shrine, and many members of the congregation belonged to these organizations. They were given the facts, references to their own 'secret' documents and books, and cross references to Scripture on the subject. They held an emergency meeting which lasted unti 4 in the morning. After studying these discrepancies, they returned to the pastor and told him that every one of them had resigned from their lodges.

This is happening all over America and the world. The Masons, by their own statistics, have gone in the 1980's from 4 million members to under 2 million members in 1996 (according to the Dallas Morning News). As Masons examine their own writings, and look at what Freemasonry is teaching, they realize it is not compatible with being a Biblical follower of Jesus Christ.


Where Lodge Initiations and Rituals Originate

Everyone who joins the local lodge joins what is called the Blue Lodge, the meeting center, and has to go through an initiation ceremony. Every Mason, including those in our churches today, have gone through this initiation; it is the only way you can get into the lodge. The first thing that happens is that a blindfold is put on them, a noose (called a cabletoll) is hung on their neck, their shirt is opened to bare their chest, and they are brought to the outer door of the lodge. There, a sharp point (of a compass or a dagger) is placed on their chest. Someone then asks, "Who comes?" to which candidate states "A poor, blind beggar looking to move from darkness to the light of Freemasonry." They are then brought (pulled by the noose) into the Masonic lodge where they must bow at an altar. Behind the altar stands a man they call the Worshipful Master of the Lodge (the leader of the lodge). Again the candidate makes his plea for Freemasonry. After answering a series of questions, the mason to be takes a series of blood oaths and promises not to reveal the secrets of Freemasonry that he will learn -- upon having his throat cut from ear to ear.

These are some of the actual oaths a Mason must take: In the first degree of the Blue Lodge, "Binding myself under no less a penalty, than having my throat cut across, my tongue torn out from its roots and buried in the rough sands of the sea..." In the second degree, "Binding myself under no less a penalty, than that of having my left breast torn open, my heart plucked out and given as prey to the wild beasts of the field and the foul of the air..." In the third degree (Master Mason Degree), "Binding myself under no less a penalty, than that of having my body severed in twain, my bowels taken from thence and burned into ashes..."

For a Christian to go through this, you have to ask several questions: How can a follower of Jesus Christ, go to a Masonic Lodge, ask for membership, and say I am lost in darkness and I need the light of Freemasonry? If you read First John chapter One, it says, If you claim that you are lost in darkness the Light (of Jesus Christ) is not in you and you are living a lie.

Secondly: How can a Christian bow at an altar before a man that is called the Worshipful Master? Jesus said, You cannot serve two masters. There is only one Worshipful Master and that is Jesus Christ.

Lastly: How can a Christian take a pagan blood oath, swearing to have your throat cut from ear to ear, your heart given to the beasts of the field, your body cut in two and your bowels thrown into the sea? Those pagan blood oaths were forbidden by Jesus in Matthew chapter 5 and in the book of James.


Going Up?

And these aren't only in the initial initiations; as a Mason goes through the higher degrees o the Scottish and York rites, the oaths are more hideous. Once completing the three degrees of the Blue Lodge, a mason is then allowed to go into either the Scottish rite of Freemasonry which has 32 degrees or the York rite which has 13 degrees. These are advanced degrees where you learn the secrets of Freemasonry. As one progresses through the degree work of these rites, they tell you that you are on a quest to find the lost name of God.

The Masons have this story that somehow in the building of Solomon's Temple, the architect Hiram Abif lost the name of God. Masons claim that they have found this name and only very advanced Masons know the secret name of God. In a Masonic ceremony this name is whispered by three men in the lodge to one another. The name is "J-B-O", or "Jobulin"; three names put together -- Jehovah, Baal, and Osiris. Jehovah, the God of Israel, Isaac and Jacob; Baal, the fertility god of Balbak that Elijah fought against (and beat); and, Osiris, the Egyptian sun god of phallic worship. The Masons have combined this into a three headed monster which they say is the Trinity. Well, Jesus is not going to share His glory with any other; but the Masons attempt to do this. Is it a demotion of the Messiah or a promotion of the other two gods?


Who's Your God?

As a Mason goes through the 32 degrees of the Scottish rite, he ends up giving worship to every Egyptian pagan god, the gods of Persia, gods of India, Greek gods, Babylonian gods, and others. As you come to the 17th degree, the Masons claim that they will give you the password that will give him entrance at the judgment day to the Masonic deity, the great architect of the universe. It is very interesting that this secret password is "Abaddon".

Now I've heard that name before, so I looked it up in the Bible. Check it out for yourself, in Revelation chapter 9; it says, "The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss [the bottomless pit]...and smoke came out of the Abyss like that of a great furnace..." (It goes on to describe those in the abyss, then continues) They had a king over them, the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon..." The 'angel' of the Abyss (Hell) is really the chief demon whose name is Abaddon. Masons claim then, that the diety they worship is Abaddon! Not God. Not Jesus. But the number one servant of Lucifer (Satan).
Masons have mixed idolatry, paganism, the occult, fertility cults, demonology, and put it into a blender and come up with the Masonic religion. It is not of God; it is a false religion.


Can You Believe This ?

There are Christians, all over the world, who even today, suffer greatly and some have even give up their lives because they refuse to compromise their faith in Christ. And yet, professing Christians who are involved in the highest ranks of Freemasonry honor the persecution of Christians.

When a Mason gets to the highest degree of the Scottish rite or the York rite, he is then allowed to go into what is called the Shrine. You may have seen them in parades, wearing their red fezzes with the sword and crescent emblem on them. You hear about the Shrine circus and the burn centers for children run by the Shriners. People think isn't this a nice fun organization, they do so much good for crippled children and others. But . . .

In order for a person to become a Shriner, he must not only go through all the degrees of Masonry, make all those blood-curdling oaths, worship gods who are not gods except they are of Satan, but he must make a blood both of allegiance to Allah as his god and Mohammed as his prophet.

The Shriner is then given a red fez with an Islamic sword and cresent jeweled on the front of it. This originates from 7th century Arabia when the Moslems, under the leadership of Mohammed, slaughtered all Christians who would not bow down to Allah. Allah, by the way, was not another (generic) name given to God by Mohammed; Allah is the tribal deity --the moon god-- of Mohammed; it was the name of the god in the tribe that Mohammed was born into. That is why every mosque today has a crescent moon on the top of its spire.

Now when Mohammed's army of men, out to slaughter all the 'infidels', came to the city of Fez, in Morocco, they found a community of Christians. After killing all the Christians there with their Islamic-style swords, they took their hats (called a fez) and dipped them in the blood of the Christians, and wore the fezzes throughout the land glorying in their victory over Christianity. Today Shriners put on red fezzes (representing the hats dipped in the blood of Christians) with the Islamic sword and crescent showing their allegiance to Allah and Mohammed (and the defeat of Christianity). If you are a Christian, and you are a Mason or a Shriner reading this, you have no business being part of a lodge, no business being part of a Shrine. I encourage you, for your own eternal sake to repent of it and get out of it immediately!


Will Building Hospitals Get You Into Heaven?

Many men have gotten involved with Freemasonry and do not (did not) know what they were really getting into. Yet, you have to ask, how could they go through the first initiation, and if they truly are Christians, not know this is wrong and diametrically opposed to God's Word. Are your loyalties with Jesus Christ or are they with the lodge?

One Mason, when asked, "If you were to die tonight, and stand before God, and He were to ask you 'Why should I let you into my Heaven'" said that he guessed he would have to tell God that "I was a good Mason". You see, many Masons believe that Masonry is a system of morality. Masonry teaches that through one's good works Masons can obtain the 'celestial lodge' above, the 'heavenly kingdom'.

Most masons, especially those who are professing Christians, would point us to the fact of all the good works they do. They'd ask, 'How can you say that we are not Christians?' Look at the Shrine homes for the aged, look at the work we do with children, all the good things, don't they count? There's nothing wrong with all of these things, but they are not going to save you. What gives us eternal life is faith in Jesus by His Grace only. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: "For it is by grace [unmerited favor] you are saved, through faith -- and that, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no man can boast." Masons pride themselves in all their works, but St. Paul tells us in Romans 10:1-3 "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness."
Jesus said on the cross: "It is finished!" There is nothing more that Masons -- or anyone -- can do, to add to what is already done. All one has to do is receive this free gift that Christ purchased for us.


Source: http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/obscene_red_fezzies.htm

SHRINERS SPIN AWAY "BREAKDOWN OF SPRITUAL ORDER"?

May 13, 2008 at 11:42:47 Shriners Spin Away "Breakdown of Spiritual Order"? by Sandy Frost Page 1 of 2 page(s) http://www.opednews.com/

The Shriners seem to have launched a massive PR campaign, as well as settled a defamation lawsuit they filed against two whistleblowers, right before the ninth worldwide conference of Masonic Grand Lodges that is taking place from May 7 to 10 in Washington, DC. Over 800 Masonic leaders will be joining the Grand Masters from over 100 countries for three days of sessions, receptions and ceremonies for the first time in our nation's capitol.

Before getting into this analysis, let's look at how these groups are related.

First, a man applies for membership at a local Masonic lodge, also known as the Blue Lodge. Once accepted, he must pass tests and complete rituals to advance through three degrees to become a Master Mason. In North America, Masonic lodges are grouped by state and are governed by one Grand Lodge. There is no Grand Lodge of America; rather the Grand Master of each state's Masonic Grand Lodge has supreme authority over all Masons in that state. Some international grand lodges oversee a country or a region. There are about three million Masons in North America and about two million worldwide. In North America, a Master Mason can branch out and join other "appendant" groups such as the Scottish Rite, the Knights Templar or the Shriners. Once a Master Mason becomes a Shriner, he joins the Red-Fez wearing fraternity of 350,000 or so who meet in 191 North American temples. Though they are Master Masons, some seem to disconnect from and turn their back on Freemasonry to become "Shriners first," who then dedicate their lives to overseeing and supporting their $13 billion network of 22 hospitals that provides free medical care to burned or crippled children at tax payer expense.

Both the Shriner hospitals and fraternity are non profit groups that are overseen by their own board of directors, with some board members sitting on both boards at the same time for unlimited terms. This is more commonly called a "conflict of interest."

This joint board of directors calls the shots for both the Shriners hospitals and the fraternity. The Imperial Potentate is the leader of the fraternity, a Shriner who has risen up through the ranks, including the fraternities' governing body, the "Imperial Divan," to serve a one year term as he governs the 191 temples who, in turn, govern the 2,000 clubs under them. In February, 2008, the joint boards published their newsletter, "Between Sessions," that tells the world about the great job they are doing. The Shriners Hospitals for Children recently released "Biomedical Research Highlights, Volume 2:1, March 2008." In April, 2008, Imperial Potentate Bernard Lemieux issued a statement about the most recent joint board meeting, highlighting a consultant's plan to "more efficiently structure Shriners Headquarters" and how the board approved a new Strategic Action Plan (SAP). On May 1, 2008, court documents were recorded after the Shriners settled a lawsuit instead of pursuing two whistleblowers for "defamation." Why would the Shriners be working so hard on putting out the good word and getting rid of the defamation lawsuit before the world's Grand Masters meet in DC? Are they are trying to wave their hands like Obi-Wan Kenobi and tell the Grand Masters "These are not the headlines that you're looking for." Headlines? Who said anything about headlines? Before we go there, let's look at the Shriners' chain of command. The ambitious Shriner can work his way up until he may be invited to join a secret Shrine sub-group called the Royal Order of Jesters, another non profit group with both charitable and fraternal components. The Jesters claim that their fraternal exempt organization purpose is to "spread of the gospel of merriment and mirth." They also claim they deserve charitable status because they built a "museum" inside their new $1.2 million dollar head quarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. Recent articles about the Royal Order of Jesters began on February 15, 2008, when I published "Jesters Exposed." It asked: "Have the Jesters hustled the feds by convincing them that raising millions for partying is a legitimate exempt purpose because the IRS has had no problem classifying them as both a nonprofit fraternity and charity?"

This article described how the Jesters' executive director, Alex Rogers, submitted an application for property exemption for the new headquarters and how it was initially denied by the Marion County Assessor because they were not convinced that the Jesters qualified as a charity, based on the museum claims, under Indiana law. The Jesters appealed to the state board of tax appeals and were granted the property tax exemption after convincing the state that they were an appendant body of Masonry.

My next article, "Jesters to Testify about Illegal Drugs, Illegal Child Prostitution," ran on March 6, 2008. This article described how 19 Jesters were called as witnesses in a federal libel/slander lawsuit to testify about "their first hand knowledge of prostitution, minor prostitution, use of illegal drugs and/or entry into Indian reservations by Schair (plaintiff) and/or his customers" while on a ROJ sanctioned fishing trip to Brazil. This article describes the testimony of underage girls provided to Brazilian authorities who are currently investigating the possibility that the girls were involved in child sex tourism. One of the girls claimed she was 13 at the time and was left pregnant. Three days later, on March 9, the Buffalo News ran: "Ex-judge target in interstate sex case"

Reporter Dan Herbeck wrote:

A retired State Supreme Court justice resigned his post as a hearing officer as federal agents investigate his alleged role in taking a local massage parlor worker across state lines for purposes of prostitution. FBI and U.S. Border Patrol agents are investigating allegations that retired Judge Ronald H. Tills, his former law clerk and a retired police captain took the female massage parlor employee in a motor home to a gathering of members of a nationwide group called the Royal Order of Jesters.

"Ex-officer admits facilitating prostitution" ran on March 21, 2008. Herbeck wrote:

A retired Lockport police captain pleaded guilty Thursday to transporting women over state lines on two occasions to work as prostitutes at gatherings of a fraternal club. John Trowbridge, 60, also admitted to a federal judge that he paid the women for sexual favors at a Wheatfield massage parlor. His felony guilty plea could result in as much as 18 months in prison for him as well as serious legal trouble for a former state judge and a former state law clerk who are under investigation.

"Judge Tills traveled with woman he jailed on prostitution charge, Former state justice is a central figure in probe of activities of Buffalo Jesters," ran on April 6, 2008. Herbeck wrote:

A woman who faced drug and prostitution charges in State Supreme Court Justice Ronald H. Tills' courtroom later accompanied him on an out-of-state trip for a fraternal organization called the Jesters. Investigators are trying to determine whether the woman offered her services as a prostitute at the convention or whether she was just a guest of the judge, who has since retired... Tills, 73, is a central figure in a federal probe into the activities of the Buffalo chapter of the Jesters, a nationwide club that says its goal is to spread "mirth and merriment."

My latest article, "Judge Central Figure in FBI Probe, the S.O.B.I.B. and the Jesters' Half Million Dollar Weekend Parties," ran on April 12, 2008. It reported how Judge Tills has become the focus of an investigation by the FBI, the US Attorney's office and a human trafficking task force and that he, along with Alex Rogers and Ralph Semb, chairman of the board of trustees for the Shriners Hospitals for Children, are members of a Jester's sub-group, the SOBIB. The acronym supposedly stands for "Secret/Sacred Order of Brothers in Blood." Tax returns show that the Jesters fail to report this sub-group on their tax returns and that in 2004, the International Royal Order of Jesters spent $545,806 on one of their weekend celebrations of "merriment and mirth," otherwise known as the "Book of the Play." So, you might be asking, have the Shriners denounced any of the Jesters involved in these prostitution/child sex tourism/felony scandals? No.

Have the Shriners tried to disassociate themselves from the Jesters? No. Have the Shriners made examples of those Jesters bringing disgrace upon the brotherhood by either trying them for "conduct unbecoming a Shriner" or throwing them out? No. Not a word. It's as if their silence condones it. Or maybe they are hoping that if they keep quiet, this whole Jesters' thing will just blow over. After all, seven out of twelve who currently sit on the Shriners Hospitals for Children Board of Trustees are also members of the Royal Order of Jesters, including current potentate Bernard LeMieux, chairman Ralph Semb, Charles Claypool, Timothy E. Morris, Raoul L. Frevel, Nicholas Thomas and Gene Bracewell. I mean, how could these guys blow the whistle on their own "boys gone wild" group while trying to tell everyone how good they are and what a great job they are doing? Instead of drawing a line in the sand, the joint boards are spinning the benefits of a major reorganization, selling themselves in a new "Between Sessions" newsletter and touting their "Biomedical Research Highlights." And what about the Shriners' defamation lawsuit? The last thing they wanted is for Shriner whistleblower Vernon Hill and/or current IRS agent Paul Dolnier to show up at the Grand Masters conference and hand out copies of the defamation complaint filed against them in retaliation for asking questions like "Where does all the money go?" and "What is wrong with your tax returns?" as well as for implying that the Shriners were being investigated after Dolnier met with Pennsylvania officials for half a day as he explained irregularities he'd found through his professional analysis of their tax returns. The last thing the Shriners wanted was for a jury to hear all about and for reporters to explain how they retaliate against those who want to report crimes instead of prosecuting those who commit the crimes.

The last thing the Shriners wanted was for the world to know how they demanded all communications between Vernon Hill, Paul Dolnier and me in an effort to circumvent federal and state reporter shield laws that have recognized a journalists' privilege to protect:

...the identity of sources and unpublished information collected or prepared during newsgathering.

All we know is that the case has been dismissed since the clerk of the Hillsborough County circuit court posted the settlement notice online on May 1, 2008, six days before the Grand Masters conference. Back to the reorganization announcement. It seems really out of whack. Why would a non profit group hire a company that "provides innovative solutions in the areas of human capital strategy, program design and management, and in the areas of risk and capital management, reinsurance intermediary services and actuarial consulting" instead of turning to non profit consultants, the IRS or their parent group, the Masons, for guidance? According to the announcement, the consultants recommended a 7% spending cap that was accepted when the joint boards unanimously approved a strategic action plan. Why did the Shriners spend charitable donations on another expensive study when, according to the minutes of their February 27 – March 1, 2005 Shrine Treasurers Association seminar, the treasurers heard about a Price Waterhouse study that also recommended a similiar 7% spending cap to support hospitals that were operating at only 1/3 capacity? The treasurers also heard about an option combining both a 7% spending cap and the acceptance of third party pay. It was rejected because "if we take third party pay under NIH funding for our research program we're going to have to jump through the hoops of all the federal regulations pertaining to affirmative action. And we're going to have to comply with state laws that you wouldn't believe." What type of a "culture" would be adversely affected by following federal regulations pertaining to affirmative action and by complying with state laws? And why would the joint board spend only one day reviewing something as important as reorganization, though the consultants worked for over a year on it? What was it that needed reorganization? In other words, what was so broken that it needed fixing? The announcement failed to mention any inclusionary activities such as focus groups or surveys of either the families served by the hospitals or the Shriner membership. Did the Imperial Divan consult the members for their input on the reorganization or did they just decide to keep the consultants secret and decide what was best for everyone without asking them? The joint board published their most recent newsletter "Between Sessions" in February, 2008, that tried to describe all their good deeds but instead painted a confusing picture of how they are spending millions on facilities, new construction and IT projects that look good on paper but may be a huge waste if the fraternity becomes extinct due to plummeting membership. Articles also described how:

•Consultants were hired to figure out how to recruit and retain 16 physicians needed at 12 Shriners hospitals;

•The Research Advisory Board needed to be reorganized;

•The medical research department needed to be streamlined;

•The grant management review process needed to become more efficient;

•Each scientist's performance would be evaluated to see if they were spending their funding productively; and

•The PR department was being reorganized.

And what about the 46 page Biomedcial Research Highlight publication?

The information presented in this document should be part of Part III of the exempt organization tax return, the 990. The tax return states:

All organizations must describe their exempt purpose achievements in a clear and concise manner. State the number of clients served, publications issued, etc. Discuss achievements that are not measurable.

The Shriners use the same boiler plate answer year after year, while plugging in different numbers. They usually sum up their activities as:

a. Treatment of pediatric burn victims admissions: 2,779, outpatient clinic visits: 213,277 at 2 burns hospitals.

b. Treatment of orthopedic patients admissions: 19,462 outpatient clinic visits: 213,257 at 16 orthopedic hospitals (including one dual use hospital).

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http://sandyfrost.newsvine.com

Investigative reporter, author and researcher into that which would rather remain hidden. U.S. Navy vet, original shareholder of Ahtna, Inc, an Alaska Native corporation, Board of directors, Western Washington Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, member of Investigative Reporters and Editors, Society of Professional Journalists, Native American Journalists Association and Mohican Veterans. Three time Society of Professional Journalists award winner. Peer nominated and presented with Newsvine.com's top honor, "Random Act of Vineness." Publisher/Editor/Reporter of the first exclusively online investigation to be featured in Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. "Extra, Extra" section.

Source: http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_sandy_fr_080509_shriners_spin_away__22.htm