Although William Miller was a Mason, few SDA’s have every heard this
historic fact. It is another example of how church history has not been
fully explained or honestly addressed by the Adventists. Here is a
long known source:
"It was here [Poultney, Vermont] that Miller became a member of the Masonic fraternity, in which his perseverance, if nothing else, was manifested; for he advanced to the highest degree which the lodges in the country, or in any in that region, could confer."
Sylvester Bliss, Memoirs of William Miller, pages 21-22 (1853)
"At the age of 23, in 1803, he married Lucy Smith and they set up housekeeping in Poultney, Vermont. There was a large library in this town and Miller spent much time there. His ability to write verse made him popular at public occasions. He joined the Literary Society and also became a Mason."
LeRoy Froom, The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4, page 456.
SDA’s Anti-Mason
By the time the SDA’s had become organized, most Christian denominations were anti-Mason, and so too were the Adventists. Their views were normative for that period.
In 1859, the Review and Herald published an article titled, “Is Freemasonry Compatible with present Truth?” The answer was no. Listen to the author, J H Waggoner, the father of EJ Waggoner of 1888 fame, make this point:
“The boasted universality of masonry makes it necessary to exclude the name of Christ from prayers, otherwise they would be fitted only for a class, and hence be local and not general. He who joins in a prayer where the name of Christ is intentionally omitted to gratify another who denies Christ, certainly compromises his christianity, and “has denied the faith.” This should lead every Christian to avoid such a connection.
J. H. W. Review and Herald, September 15, 1859.
Ellen White also makes it clear:
"Those who stand under the blood-stained banner of Prince Immanuel cannot be united with the Free Masons or with any secret organization. The seal of the living God will not be placed upon anyone who maintains such a connection after the light of truth has shone upon his pathway." Letter 21, 1893.
Conclusion
It is very unlikely that Froom would be a Mason. However, more research needs to be done before this issue can be fully resolved . The SDA’s were clearly anti-Mason, and Froom had to have known this fact. However, considering that William Miller, the Father of the Advent Movement, was a Mason, what would it matter if Froom has some association with the Masons? Perhaps someone, who was a Mason, gave him these grave sites?
The problem with Froom is not that he was a Mason, (if he was), but that he did not understand the Gospel. While Froom was one of the most published and dogmatic of the 20th century SDA theologians, his understanding of the Gospel was very poor. Moreover, his official history of 1888, entitled “Movement of Destiny,” is a very dishonest and harmful apologetic that helped pave the way for the tragedy of Glacier View.
So Froom is part of the problem and one reason why the SDA’s are so confused about both theology and church history. All Experts
"It was here [Poultney, Vermont] that Miller became a member of the Masonic fraternity, in which his perseverance, if nothing else, was manifested; for he advanced to the highest degree which the lodges in the country, or in any in that region, could confer."
Sylvester Bliss, Memoirs of William Miller, pages 21-22 (1853)
"At the age of 23, in 1803, he married Lucy Smith and they set up housekeeping in Poultney, Vermont. There was a large library in this town and Miller spent much time there. His ability to write verse made him popular at public occasions. He joined the Literary Society and also became a Mason."
LeRoy Froom, The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4, page 456.
SDA’s Anti-Mason
By the time the SDA’s had become organized, most Christian denominations were anti-Mason, and so too were the Adventists. Their views were normative for that period.
In 1859, the Review and Herald published an article titled, “Is Freemasonry Compatible with present Truth?” The answer was no. Listen to the author, J H Waggoner, the father of EJ Waggoner of 1888 fame, make this point:
“The boasted universality of masonry makes it necessary to exclude the name of Christ from prayers, otherwise they would be fitted only for a class, and hence be local and not general. He who joins in a prayer where the name of Christ is intentionally omitted to gratify another who denies Christ, certainly compromises his christianity, and “has denied the faith.” This should lead every Christian to avoid such a connection.
J. H. W. Review and Herald, September 15, 1859.
Ellen White also makes it clear:
"Those who stand under the blood-stained banner of Prince Immanuel cannot be united with the Free Masons or with any secret organization. The seal of the living God will not be placed upon anyone who maintains such a connection after the light of truth has shone upon his pathway." Letter 21, 1893.
Conclusion
It is very unlikely that Froom would be a Mason. However, more research needs to be done before this issue can be fully resolved . The SDA’s were clearly anti-Mason, and Froom had to have known this fact. However, considering that William Miller, the Father of the Advent Movement, was a Mason, what would it matter if Froom has some association with the Masons? Perhaps someone, who was a Mason, gave him these grave sites?
The problem with Froom is not that he was a Mason, (if he was), but that he did not understand the Gospel. While Froom was one of the most published and dogmatic of the 20th century SDA theologians, his understanding of the Gospel was very poor. Moreover, his official history of 1888, entitled “Movement of Destiny,” is a very dishonest and harmful apologetic that helped pave the way for the tragedy of Glacier View.
So Froom is part of the problem and one reason why the SDA’s are so confused about both theology and church history. All Experts
The question would be "did Miller disavow the masons?". It doesn't matter if he had become one at some point if he gave it up later. Froom was buried in a Freemason section, they obviously still considered him one.
ReplyDeleteHello,
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www.salvation1.com/articles/fully-restored-gospel-under-attack
Whether or not William Miller officially removed his name from membership in the Freemasons, he did abandon the 'Deism' associated with 'Humanist' Freemasonry. After all, it was the miraculous U.S. victory over the British at the Battle of Plattsburgh on Sept. 11, 1814 -- near the end of the War of 1812, in which Miller fought for the U.S.-- that convinced Miller that Deism is in error, and that God does involve Himself, personally, in even 'personal', human affairs. It was this miraculous victory against superior numbers and forces that led Miller to study his Bible meticulously, and to befriend Jesus a.k.a. 'Immanuel', 'God with us (humans)'.
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