Why a Bible Search in GoMasonry? For many reasons.
The Bible, generally including the Old and the New Testament has been, for a couple of centuries and in most of the world, an essential part of the makeup of a Masonic lodge. Part of its "furniture", as it is not at all irreverentiously called, even if it happens to be a relatively late development in an Order which often states that "no one may innovate in the body of Freemasonry".

To quote the well-known Masonic researcher Paul M. Bessel:

"The great principle of Freemasonry in the 1700s was that it allowed men much greater freedom of conscience than most institutions had until that time, and this included tolerance of all religious attitudes within Masonry. It was not until 1760 (forty-three years after the premier Grand Lodge was formed) that the Grand Lodge of England changed its rules to require the Bible on lodge altars (until then Anderson's Constitutions were acceptable)."

That was in England. Other Grand Lodges waited for as long as another eighty-five years, until 1845, to follow suit, although practically all did in the end. It remains that the Bible is not placed in lodge as the sacred book of any one religion, or two, or three. This would be contrary to the basic principle that Masonry, clearly not a religion itself, does not promote any specific faith. What are then the reasons for its presence? They are mainly three:

1. The principal elements of Masonic ritual, that is, its legends, its secret - and sacred - words, its passwords, are in their greatest part drawn from the Bible and particularly the Old Testament. The words and passwords (often the names of Biblical places and persons) were mostly preserved in their original language, Hebrew, and sometimes Aramaic.
2. Freemasonry is first and foremost a moral society, the purpose of which is to make good men better. The Bible is the major moral text of a large part of mankind, particularly of the western world, cradle of Freemasonry and home to a majority of its members. Thus most of the moral teachings of Freemasonry are drawn from it.
3. Freemasonry believes that, above and beyond the material, earthly world there is a spiritual world. The exact nature and definition of this spiritual world is left to the individual Freemasons and contained within the symbol of the Great Architect of the Universe. The Bible is probably the oldest text still in use which describes one, or maybe two, views of such a possible spiritual world.

It has thus seemed important to the builders of GoMasonry to include a Bible Search among its offerings, so that visitors might have it as a handy reference, to consult on matters pertaining to legend, tradition and terminology.

Michaël L. Segall

Michaël Segall is an internationally known and respected Masonic author, historian and researcher. He is one of only a handful of Masons in the world whose name is immediately recognized regardless of where he travels. Among the many Masonic bodies of which he enjoys membership and the many titles he holds, he is a Past Master of the Lodge of Research John Scot Eriga #1000 of the Grand Lodge of France, a honorary Past Grand Master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the Caribbean, a Life Member of both the Philalethes Society and member of the Scottish Rite Research Society. Write to him at michaelsegall@compuserve.com