Is Barack Obama a Freemason?

UPDATE- Thursday, January 22, 2009–According to the following story, Pres. Obama attended 10 Inaugural Balls, listed below in the story, but the Freemason Ball was not listed.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1125102/How-good-looking-wife-Suave-Obama-stunning-Michelle-dance-night-away-galaxy-stars.html

Sunday, January 4, 2009– Is President-Elect Barack Obama a Freemason? Here is a question I never thought to ask. Until today. Here is a news story about the First Ever Freemason Inaugural Ball.

http://aftermathnews.wordpress.com/2009/01/03/first-ever-masonic-inaugural-ball-to-be-held-for-obama/

Now the website that had this news item is, how shall I say it, somewhat of a bunker buddy, conspiracy geek, kind of website; but I guess I am kind of that way in some ways too, else I wouldn’t go there. In doing a little bit of google searching I have found some even more disreputable sites claiming Obama is a Mason.

For a long time the Masonic Lodge did not admit blacks, so blacks formed an irregualr lodge of their own. Anytime you start studying Masonry it gets a little complex and wacky, so I really don’t want to go down this rabbit hole too deep until I can see the story in a legit news source.

So what is the big deal? We have had other Presidents who were members of various secret societies. Pres. George W Bush is a member of the Skull & Bones society from Yale-

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/02/60minutes/main576332.shtml

Fourteen of our Presidents have been Freemasons including Washington, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Gerald Ford.

www.mastermason.com/wilmettepark/pres.html

So what is the big deal if Obama is a Mason? I have known several Masons, including my grandfather, and they are generally speaking great guys, very moral and religious. The Masons do some good deeds and the Shriners are noted for their hospitals.

However, my experience with Masons in my church was not a positive one. My studies about Freemasonry have led me to believe they are pretty strange in a lot of ways. They tend to have a world view that sees all religions as worshipping the same god. Not all masons believe that, but if you take masonry literally that is what is taught.

I think for most masons, it is just a fun fraternal organization that is kind of like a secret boys club that has grown ups in it. It is a means of making important friends and networking. But the rituals, vows, their view of history and religion, if taken seriously, is ghastly.

The bottom line for me is that I will never trust or respect any mason as much as I would if they repudiated their Craft and Lodge. That does not mean I think the masons and the Illuminati and the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bilderburghers are going to take over the world any time soon. Conspiracy geeks don’t understand that conspiracies like that are too complex to ever really work.

So what if Barack Obama is a Mason? 1) I don’t know if he is or not, this article simply brought the question up. 2) If he is a mason, I doubt that would have any serious impact on his liberal policies or decision making. 3) If he is a mason it is just one more thing that makes me suspicious of him.