p. 4 | Secret Societies by George I. Butler

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 17, 1872

Secret Societies.

By George I. Butler

It is surprising to a person who has given the subject but little investigation, to learn the number of secret societies existing in the country, and the amount of their membership, the wealth and influence which they possess. Not only in our large cities, but in our small villages and hamlets, scattered all over our broad land, are there representatives of these different secret organizations. As we go traveling from place to place in the towns, we have a very good chance to see the influence they possess. Often our meetings will be well attended night after night, when, all at once, from no perceptible cause, there is a wonderful falling off in the number of the audience. Anxious to know the cause, and learn the drift of public sentiment, inquiry is made, and it is ascertained that it was merely lodge night of the Masons or Odd Fellows, or some other secret society. It is not to say that a large proportion of the ministers, doctors, lawyers, and men of influence in every community, are members of secret societies. And people evidently think a connection with them a great assistance in getting on in the world. And no doubt this is so. In fact, this is the reason why individuals unite with them. They hope to make more money, gain a greater influence, or stand more respectably in the eyes of their fellow-men, by having the assistance of the membership of the lodge.

It is well known that the influence of our denomination is opposed to these secret societies. The two will not unite. And it becomes very soon evident when an individual joins himself to the S. D. Adventists who has affiliated with these secret societies, that he will soon give up his church or his lodge. And although we do not make this a test question directly, it may be questioned if we do not get more to leave these societies by the course we pursue than we should to follow the course of some other churches in refusing to receive any one who had any interest in them. The fact is, the spirit connected with these worldly societies is so antagonistic to the spirit of the present truth that the two will not work in harmony. Their secrecy and exclusiveness are contrary to the genius of the religion we profess. Their grips and passwords, gotten up for the accomplishment of the same purpose, which seem like a fragment of the dark ages of popery and monkish cunning, when it seemed necessary to cover up one's real sentiments and purposes—all are out of place in the religion of Him whose acts were ever plainly visible, and whose principle of action was ever to do the greatest good to the greatest number. Their oaths and penalties, which are either a tissue of unmeaning nonsense, designed to frighten the simple, and, as such, unworthy of sensible Christian men, or else containing threatenings which would be criminal alike against the laws of God or man to inflict, are, in either case, out of place and inconsistent for those to engage in who are looking for the coming of Jesus.

In these lodges, assemble from time to time all sorts of men to carry out the purposes of the organization. Here many a professed minister of the Prince of Peace may be found, who are supposed to be the special representatives of the Christian religion. In the same lodge, the leading infidel of the village also finds a home and a brotherhood; and it is a notorious fact, which I know to be a fact, that many a person of licentious character, and of no worth only the dollars and cents which he happens to possess, becomes a member also. Here, professed Christians, men of the world, unbelievers, profane persons, and in some cases, infidels and profligates, unite and form a close brotherhood, bound together by solemn oaths, and pledged to have a special care for each other, and each other's families. How can this be in harmony with the word which calls upon the followers of Christ to “come out from among them [the world] and be separate.” “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?” * 2 Cor. 6:11-17.

It would be difficult to find a “yoke together” more closely than persons are in these organizations. What sort of an influence religiously will be cast by these weekly meetings of the lodge, where persons meet for worldly objects alone, and the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ is a forbidden theme? Would it have a tendency to exalt one's spiritual aspirations, and make one love the appearing of the Lord more? It must have the contrary effect; and those who receive the present truth in the love of it, very soon find that the lodge is no place for them.

And, as I said, they either give up the lodge, or go with it and soon separate from the truth. The spirit of the two are opposite.

Of course, these societies profess to have very worthy and benevolent objects in view. They have a great interest, and care professedly, for the widows and orphans of their own members. But how about others? Does this distinction imply that they do not recognize the obligation to care for others in distress? If so, it is contrary to our holy religion; for that requires us to “do good to all men.” If they do also recognize this universal obligation, what is the use of all this lodge machinery to profess special care for its own members? We believe it may be easily demonstrated that the money spent in maintaining these institutions, would alleviate ten times the actual distress it does now, were it directly applied to purposes of charity, instead of going through all this lodge machinery, with its oaths, grips, passwords, and other paraphernalia. The noble principles of our religion embrace all the good there is in the professions of these societies, and infinitely more, and stand on a plane immensely higher. Why should the child of God come down to this low ground, connected as it is with so many undesirable concomitants?

I have made the foregoing remarks for the purpose of noticing some of these principles which seem plain and undeniable, not because I suppose the readers of the REVIEW are in special danger of joining the Masons or Odd Fellows. These great societies, especially the former, are the parents of many lesser ones which start up here and there with some professedly good object in view. These lesser bodies take their cue from these larger ones, so far as grips, passwords, and favoritism to members and secrecy are concerned. All over our broad land the different trades and professions are forming these secret combinations to help forward their supposed pecuniary interests. And it is well known that the great strikes in our large cities within the last few years have been caused by these societies, such as the Crispins among the shoemakers. The Trades Unions, and others, who combine together, and refuse to work, and hinder all others from work whom they can frighten or influence, unless they can get certain wages, or are permitted to call eight hours a day's work. This course, on their part, results in a combination of employers who unite to resist what they call exorbitant demands; and in many cases these causes have produced great distress among laborers, and unsettled some of the most important industries in the land. The tendency of society seems to be to thus combine, and contend, and engender passion, and in some cases mobs result, and lives are destroyed. Possibly this will continue till the tares are all bound in bundles, ready to burn. We do not believe those who are looking for the coming of Christ have any business in this work.

All through the West, a society called the “Grange, or Patrons of Husbandry,” is forming its lodges. Its professed object is to help the farming community, and protect its members from being obliged to pay such high prices for farming implements, and other things that farmers must have, and enable its members to sell its products higher than otherwise.

Its sole object, so far as discernible to the outside crowd, is a pecuniary one. It has its grips, passwords, and closed doors, where all kinds of men and women, such as form the agricultural community generally, meet to look out for the ways and means by which the members can make dollars and cents. Religion and politics are excluded themes, as these would have a tendency to mar the special union that is supposed to exist among this brotherhood and sisterhood, composed of professors of the religion of Christ, infidels, men of the world, profane persons, moralists, Republicans, Democrats, and Liberals. So far as I can see, then, there must be one place, at least, where Christians consent not to speak of that religion which should be higher than any other object in the world, for the sake of this brotherhood, composed of the above-mentioned classes, and for the sublime object of saving a few dollars in buying and selling. If this is not making the world first and Christ second, at least during the sitting of the “Grange,” I should hardly see how it could be done.

I think it would not be difficult to show that even in this one object of money-making, there is no certainty of the accomplishment of the object they have in view, any more than there is in the success of the Crispins among the shoemakers, or the Trades Unions, or the other societies in their peculiar vocations. All these classes are not going to get rich by banding together, seeing they are mutually dependent upon one another. If the shoemakers, for instance, should be enabled to command a high price for shoes and boots, and the farmers for their products, because of each class banding together, it would not be clear how this was going to benefit either class; and it is clear it would make it much harder for the poor who were not admitted to either society. It seems very certain to me that if the principle is carried out it must result in throwing immense power into the hands of a few leading spirits, who always control these secret bodies by means of the secret machinery placed in their hands. These rarely fail to line their own pockets, and use their power for their own aggrandizement.

But even if the hopes of the members of the “Grange” were to be realized, and they could make money faster, I still think that it is no place for those who are looking for the Lord. And I confess to some surprise, that so many of our old, experienced brethren, in different places, have felt clear to unite with this society. I feel certain they will meet with a spiritual loss in so doing. For my part, I should feel just as clear to join the Odd Fellows as the Grange. The nominal object of the one is even higher than the other. The former professes to have a special care for the widows and orphans of its members. The latter simply combine for dollars and cents. The former society is every way as respectable as the latter; and for aught I can see, its influence would be as favorable to religion as the latter. The influence of the Grange must be to increase the spirit of worldliness and money-making that exists now to such an alarming extent that I fear it will prove the eternal ruin of a large number of our members. It is this spirit alone that calls our people into it. And it should be a cause of great alarm with many that this spirit should lead them to associate together, under the protection of grips, passwords, and secrecy, merely for this purpose. Does any one believe a spirit of piety and devotion will be built up by such associations? Would not the influence and love of God in the heart, aroused by a good spiritual meeting, be chilled by the atmosphere of such an assemblage as I have previously mentioned, gathered for such a purpose? Have any of us so much spirituality that we can afford to run such risks? Let us remember that God's people are a separate and peculiar people; that they have renounced the hidden things of darkness, and are children of the light and the day. Being “yoked together” in bonds and oaths with all classes of worldly men for worldly purposes, does not look to me like the best course for those to pursue who are looking for the dawn of that day which must soon burst upon the world.

Geo. I. Butler.

Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, Dec. 3, 1872.