View source for Mormonism and Freemasonry

{{Short description|Overview of Masonic tendencies in Latter Day Saintism}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Unreliable sources|date=September 2023}}
{{Overly detailed|date=August 2024}}}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Freemasonry}}

The relationship between '''Mormonism and Freemasonry''' began early in the life of [[Joseph Smith]], founder of the [[Latter Day Saint movement]], and includes similarities [[Mormon]] and [[Masonic ritual and symbolism|Masonic rituals]], such as their similar [[washing and anointing]] ceremonies, elements of the [[Endowment (Mormonism)|endowment]] ceremony, and stories of recovered ancient records.<ref name=JosephsTemples/>{{rp|pp=1—4}} Smith stated that [[Mormonism]] had "true Masonry", and other top leaders like [[Brigham Young]] said Masonic rituals were an "[[Great Apostasy#Restorationist perspective|apostate]] endowment" corrupted from the rites given in [[Solomon's Temple]] that Smith had restored to its original form.<ref name=JosephsTemples/>{{rp|pp=3}} Smith's older brother, [[Hyrum Smith|Hyrum]] joined Masonry in the 1820s, and his father, [[Joseph Smith, Sr.|Joseph, Sr.]], may have been one as well while the family lived near [[Palmyra (village), New York|Palmyra, New York]].<ref name=JosephsTemples/>{{rp|pp=79}}<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Freemasonry and the Church of Latter-Day Saints Founders|url=https://freemasonry.bcy.ca/history/lds/founders.html|access-date=2022-01-25|website=freemasonry.bcy.ca}}</ref><ref name="NYK2019"/> In the late 1820s, the western New York region was swept with [[anti-Masonry|anti-Masonic]] fervor.

By the 1840s, Smith and most of the top leaders of the [[Latter Day Saint]]s had become Freemasons and joined the [[Masonic lodge]] in [[Nauvoo, Illinois]].<ref name=JosephsTemples/>{{rp|pp=3}} Soon after joining Freemasonry in March 1842, Smith introduced the [[Temple (Latter Day Saints)|temple]] ceremony referred to as the endowment which included a number of symbolic elements that were very similar to those in Freemasonry. Smith remained a Freemason until his death. For a time Mormons were forbidden by Freemasons from joining due to the Mormon practice of religious [[Mormonism and polygamy|polygamy]], and later due to accusations of Smith having stolen Masonic rituals to use in his religion.<ref name=JosephsTemples/>{{rp|pp=4}} In modern times, [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) has stated that its members may become Freemasons, and Freemasonry allows them to join.<ref name=JosephsTemples/>{{rp|pp=2,4}}<ref name="NYK2019">{{Citation|title=Joseph Smith and Masonry: Now You Know| date=18 December 2019 |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2019-12-0210-joseph-smith-and-masonry?lang=eng|publisher=[[LDS Church]]}}</ref>

== Historical connections ==
A significant number of leaders in the early Latter Day Saint movement were Masons prior to their involvement in the movement, including [[Heber C. Kimball]] and [[John C. Bennett]].

Joseph's brother, Hyrum, was a Freemason; their father, Joseph, Sr. has also been stated to have been a Freemason:<ref name=JosephsTemples/>{{rp|pp=79}}<ref name="NYK2019"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/history/lds/mormonism.html|title=Freemasonry and the Church of Latter-Day Saints|last=Chateau|first=Terry|date=2001|website=freemasonry.bcy.ca|access-date=2018-09-21|quote=[The Joseph Smith family] was a Masonic family which lived by and practiced the estimable and admirable tenets of Freemasonry. The father, Joseph Smith, Sr., was a documented member in upstate New York. He was raised to the degree of Master Mason on May 7, 1818 in Ontario Lodge No. 23 of Canandaigua, New York. An older son, Hyrum Smith, was a member of Mount Moriah Lodge No. 112, Palmyra New York.}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=September 2018}} That Joseph, Sr was a Freemason, however, is currently in dispute, as there were eight other men named "Joseph Smith" living in the same county ([[Ontario County, New York]]) as he was at the time that he supposedly joined the Lodge.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.ontariocountyny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/769/Census_Ontario-County_New-York_1820 |title=Index to the 1820 Census for Ontario County, NY |publisher=Ontario County, New York |location=Ontario County, New York |pages=142-143 |department=Historical Census Records for Ontario County}}</ref>

On 15 October 1841, [[Abraham Jonas (politician)|Abraham Jonas]] (then the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge AF&AM of Illinois) issued a dispensation empowering a Lodge in Nauvoo and appointed LDS adherent [[George Miller (Latter Day Saints)|George Miller]] to the [[Masonic lodge officer|office]] of its first Worshipful Master. The Lodge met on 29 December 1841 and officers were elected and appointed and bylaws written and adopted.<ref name=FreemasonryAndNauvoo>{{Cite book|last=Carr|first=Robin|title=Freemasonry and Nauvoo|publisher=The Masonic Book Club and The Illinois Lodge of Research|year=1989|pages=1–38|language=English}}</ref> On 17 February 1842, the Lodge voted to hold off on installing its officers until 15 March; a request was also sent to Grand Master Jonas for him to preside over that Installation, which he accepted. Joseph Smith Jr (who was not yet a Mason) was appointed to serve in a [[Pro tempore|pro-tempore]] position as Grand Installing Chaplain for this Installation.<ref name=FreemasonryAndNauvoo/> He and [[Sidney Rigdon]] were initiated as Entered Apprentices in the evening after the Installation, thereby becoming members of the newly-formed Nauvoo lodge; Abraham Jonas presided over that degree ceremony.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Joseph|title=Journal, December 1841–December 1842, Page 91|url=https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-december-1841-december-1842/22|access-date=2018-09-21|website=www.josephsmithpapers.org}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/NauvooMasonicLodgeMinutes18411842 |title=Nauvoo Masonic Lodge Minutes, 1841-1842 |date=1842 |publisher=Nauvoo Lodge, U.D. |pages=28–29 |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=History of the Church|volume=4|pages=550–1|quote=Tuesday, [March] 15. — I officiated as grand chaplain at the installation of the Nauvoo Lodge of Free Masons, at the Grove near the Temple. Grand Master Jonas, of Columbus, being present, a large number of people assembled on the occasion. The day was exceedingly fine; all things were done in order, and universal satisfaction was manifested. In the evening I received the first degree in Freemasonry in the Nauvoo Lodge, assembled in my general business office.}}</ref>

It appears that John C. Bennett had a particularly strong influence in the spread of [[Freemasonry]] among the Mormons. Within the year, there were over 300 Masons in Nauvoo Lodge, which resulted in Meredith Helm (the then-Grand Master who had succeeded Jonas) to issue dispensations to form two other Lodges in the Spring of 1843. One was called Nye Lodge (named for Rev. Jonathan Nye, who had previously served as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Vermont from 1815 to 1817 and as Grand Master of the Grand Encampment of [[Knights Templar (Freemasonry)|Knights Templar]], USA from 1829 to 1835)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marshall, Jr |first=George L. |title=Reverend Jonathan Nye: 2nd Grand Master of the Grand Encampment, 1829-1835 |url=https://usagekt.org/jnye/ |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=Grand Encampment Knights Templar, USA |language=en-US}}</ref> and Helm Lodge (named for the Grand Master who issued this dispensation).

Soon after this, over 1,500 Mormon men in the city of Nauvoo were practicing Masons.

{{Citation needed|reason=These statements only come from hearsay and people not directly connected to Joseph Smith|date=July 2019}}

"By 1840, John Cook Bennett, a former active leader in Masonry had arrived in Commerce and rapidly exerted his persuasive leadership in all facets of the Church, including Mormon Masonry. ... Joseph and Sidney [Rigdon] were inducted into formal Masonry ... on the same day ..." being made "Masons on Sight" by the Illinois Grandmaster.<ref>"Is There No Help for the Widow's Son?" by Dr. Reed C. Durham, Jr., as printed in "Joseph Smith and Masonry: No Help for the Widow's Son", Martin Pub. Co., Nauvoo, Ill., 1980, p. 17.</ref> This freed Joseph from having to complete the ritual and memorization necessary to work one's way through the first three degrees.) Making one "A Mason on Sight" is generally reserved as an honor and is a rarity in occurrence.{{cn|date=June 2025}}

Smith and Rigdon were raised to the third degree of Master Mason "on sight" by Grand Master Jonas of the Grand Lodge of Illinois. At the time and in the jurisdiction of that Grand Lodge, this meant that Joseph and Sidney could go through the three degree ceremonies in a relatively short time without having to prove their respective proficiencies between each degree. They each were passed to the degree of Fellowcraft on the morning of 16 March 1842 and raised to the degree of Master Mason later that day.<ref name=":6" /> Smith wrote: "Wednesday, March 16. — I was with the Masonic Lodge and rose to the sublime degree.<ref>{{cite book|title=History of the Church|volume=4|p= 552}}</ref>

Note that Joseph Smith's journal does not mention the sublime degree on Mar 16, 1842, stating only "Continued with the Lodge".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-december-1841-december-1842/22|title=Journal, December 1841–December 1842, Page 91|last=Smith|first=Joseph|website=www.josephsmithpapers.org|access-date=2018-09-21}}</ref> However, minutes from the Nauvoo lodge on the same day do state, "Joseph Smith applied for the third and sublime degree...he was duly raised..."<ref>{{cite web|title=Church History Catalog {{!}} Asset viewernull|url=https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/dafc2c46-c417-41d2-a25f-fceb98ca2f09/0/34|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109193742/https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/dafc2c46-c417-41d2-a25f-fceb98ca2f09/0/34|archive-date=2021-11-09}}</ref>

On 17 March 1842, the [[Relief Society]] was established as an auxiliary group for the female members of the church. Its structure originally had similarities to that of the Masonic Lodge;{{cn|date=June 2025}} however, the Relief Society never had its own degree ceremonies nor did it ever purport to confer degrees of any kind on its members.

Hyrum Smith was not only one of Joseph's older brothers but also succeeded their father as [[Presiding Patriarch]] and Cowdery as [[Assistant President of the Church]].

Bodley Lodge No. 1 in Quincy, IL presented concerns that the special dispensation granted to Nauvoo Lodge, U.D., was improper, and on August 11, 1842, the special dispensation was suspended by Grand Master Abraham Jonas until the annual Communication of the Illinois Grand Lodge.<ref name=Goodwin1920>{{Cite book | last=Goodwin | given=S.H. | year=1920 | title=Mormonism and Masonry: Origins, Connections and Coincidences Between Mason and Mormon Temple/Templar Rituals |url=https://archive.org/details/Mormonism_And_Masonry_-_S._H._Goodwin/mode/2up}}</ref>{{rp|p=22}} "During the short period covering its activities, this Lodge initiated 286 candidates and raised almost as many. John C. Bennett reports an instance in which 63 persons were elected on a single ballot."<ref name=Goodwin1920/> This suspension was later lifted and the Mormon Lodges resumed work although several irregularities in their practice were noted. The irregularities centered on mass balloting (voting on more than one candidate at a time) and not requiring proficiency in each degree before proceeding to the next degree (in many cases, initiates were being passed to the Fellowcraft degree and raised to the Master Mason degree within two days of being initiated as an Entered Apprentice).<ref name=Goodwin1920/>

There were 5 Masonic Lodges in Mormon communities by April 27, 1843:

* Nauvoo Lodge, U.D. (Nauvoo, IL)
* Helm Lodge, U.D. (Nauvoo, IL)
* Nye Lodge, U.D. (Nauvoo, IL)
* Rising Sun Lodge No.12 (Montrose, IA)
* Keokuk Lodge, U.D. (Keokuk, IA)

There were eventually 1,492 members of these lodges, but only a total of 414 Masons in all the other Illinois lodges. A resolution passed in the Grand Lodge of Illinois on October 3, 1843 to revoke the charter of Rising Sun Lodge, revoke the dispensations of and refuse to provide charters for the rest of these Lodges.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1843 Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons of Illinois |url=http://gwm.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/detail/GWM~46~46~5~283594 |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=George Washington Masonic Memorial Collections |pages=52, 58–59 |language=en}}</ref>

Following this resolution, Grand Master Alexander Dunlap later sent a representative of the Grand Lodge to Nauvoo Lodge to revoke its dispensation. According to the records of the Grand Lodge, its representative was "treated with contempt," the Lodge refused to part with its charger, and the Lodge stated that they would continue to do Masonic work. Because of this, a resolution in the Grand Lodge of Illinois passed on October 10, 1844 that withdrew all fellowship with Nauvoo Lodge, Helm Lodge, Nye Lodge, and all members thereof; that the Masons working in these Lodges be considered clandestine (or illegitimate), and that all members thereof be suspended from the privileges of Masonry in Illinois.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1844 Annual Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons of Illinois |url=http://gwm.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/detail/GWM~46~46~6~283598 |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=George Washington Masonic Memorial Collections |pages=73–74 |language=en}}</ref> The Lodge in Keokuk seems not to have been given the courtesy of being properly informed by the Grand Lodge of its charter being revoked or its members suspended following the 1843 resolution.<ref name=McGavinMormonismAndMasonry>{{Cite book |last=McGavin |first=E. Cecil |title=Mormonism and Masonry |publisher=[[Bookcraft]] |year=1957 |edition=Fourth Enlarged |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |chapter=Masonic Activity at Nauvoo}}</ref>{{rp|pp=95–98}}

It is theorized that, when Smith was in [[Carthage Jail]] in 1844, after he fired his last round in a small pepper-box pistol, he ran to the window and held up his arms in what may have been a Masonic call of distress, hoping Masons in the contingent would honor this call and not fire on him. It is recorded that he ran towards the open window with uplifted hands, and proclaimed, "O Lord my God."<ref>''[[Times and Seasons]]'', vol. 5 no. 13 [July 15, 1844], p. 585.</ref> ''The Warsaw Signal'' (the local newspaper based where those indicted for the conspiracy to murder Joseph and Hyrum resided), on the other hand, shortly afterwards wrote that Joseph's last words were "Oh my God!"{{cn|date=June 2025}} There is no evidence that any Masons participated in the attack on Carthage Jail (aside from the four victims of the attack; namely, Joseph Smith, Jr, Hyrum Smith, John Taylor, and Willard Richards). Three of the five men who were later indicted for conspiring to murder Smith were later initiated as Freemasons in Warsaw Lodge: [[Levi Williams]], [[Thomas C. Sharp|Thomas Sharp]], and [[Jacob C. Davis|Jacob Davis]].

Because Freemasonry requires its members to be law-abiding citizens, this resulted in the Grand Lodge of Illinois initiating an investigation into improper conduct of Warsaw Lodge. Warsaw Lodge later relinquished their charter (which allowed it to meet and work as a Masonic Lodge) to the Grand Lodge of Illinois, citing lack of space as the reason why they did not want to meet anymore; since their meeting space was never an issue prior to the investigation, many assume that Warsaw Lodge used this as a pretext to avoid investigation and save face. There are claims that [[Mark Aldrich]], another of the five men who were indicted for conspiracy to murder, was already a Mason of Warsaw Lodge. These five men were cleared of all wrongdoing by the courts.

The Lodge in Nauvoo continued its activities until April 10, 1845, when Brigham Young and [[George A. Smith]] advised Lucius Scovil to suspend the work of the Masons in Nauvoo.<ref name=McGavinMormonismAndMasonry/>{{rp|p=121}} Only a few additional meetings were held prior to departure of those who followed Young to the Great Basin in 1846 after the [[Succession crisis (Latter Day Saints)|succession crisis]].

[[File:Brigham Young.jpg|thumb|Brigham Young, 2nd president of the LDS Church, with a Masonic Square-and-Compasses stickpin in the middle of his shirt.]]

After arriving to the Great Basin, some Latter-day Saints who were Masons sent requests for dispensations to other Grand Lodge jurisdictions in the hopes of being able to meet regularly as a Lodge. Such requests were sent to the [[United Grand Lodge of England]] (UGLE) and to one of the Grand Lodges in Mexico; the UGLE never received the letter, and the Grand Lodge in Mexico denied the request.

From 1872 until 1925, the Grand Lodge of Utah had an informal ban against Latter-day Saints due to the question of polygamy. Polygamy was a federal crime and, although the LDS Church had issued a [[1890 Manifesto|prohibition]] against the practice in 1890, it was believed by many outside of the Church that it still practiced polygamy in secret.

In 1925, the Grand Lodge of Utah adopted a formal ban against members of the LDS Church (including church members who had already become Freemasons under other recognized grand lodge jurisdictions)—no reason was given except that the church was not compatible with Freemasonry; this ban was lifted in 1984.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Conflict between Freemasonry and the Church of Latter-Day Saints Founders|url=https://freemasonry.bcy.ca/history/lds/conflict.html|access-date=2022-01-25|website=freemasonry.bcy.ca}}</ref>{{bsn|date=June 2025}} In 2008, a Latter-day Saint served as the Grand Lodge's first LDS Grand Master; it was estimated that he was the first Latter-day Saint to serve as Grand Master of any jurisdiction in approximately 100 years.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|last=Moore|first=Carrie A.|date=2008-03-29|title=A Mormon Mason: New grand master is the first in a century who is LDS|url=https://www.deseret.com/2008/3/29/20079121/a-mormon-mason-new-grand-master-is-the-first-in-a-century-who-is-lds|access-date=2022-01-25|publisher=[[Deseret News]]}}</ref>

==Prophets who were Freemasons==
At least the first five presidents of the LDS Church are confirmed to have gone through the three degrees of Freemasonry. Below is a table of dates and sources for each of those five for each degree:
{| class="wikitable"
|+LDS Church Presidents' Masonic Ceremony Dates
!President
!Entered Apprentice (1°)
!Fellowcraft (2°)
!Master Mason (3°)
|-
|Joseph Smith Jr
|15 March 1842<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook>{{Cite book |url=https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/dafc2c46-c417-41d2-a25f-fceb98ca2f09/0/33 |title=Freemasons Minutebook |publisher=[[LDS Church]] |series=MS 3436 |date=1842}}</ref>{{rp|p=34}}
|16 March 1842<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|pp=34-35}}
|16 March 1842<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|pp=34-35}}
|-
|Brigham Young
|7 April 1842<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|pp=37-38}}
|8 April 1842<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|p=38}}
|9 April 1842<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|pp=39-40}}
|-
|[[John Taylor (Mormon)|John Taylor]]
|22 April 1842<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|p=47}}
|29 April 1842<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|pp=51-52}}
|30 April 1842<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|p=52}}
|-
|[[Wilford Woodruff]]
|26 April 1842<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|p=49}}
|28 April 1842<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|pp=50-51}}
|29 April 1842<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|pp=51-52}}
|-
|[[Lorenzo Snow]]
|5 June 1843<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|p=222}}
|7 June 1843<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|p=223}}
|11 November 1843<ref name=FreemasonsMinutebook/>{{rp|p=280}}
|}
They had all joined while living in Nauvoo, Illinois, bringing the practice westward when the Saints migrated to Utah.<ref name="source- LDS Living">{{cite news |last1=Armstrong |first1=Jamie |date=January 29, 2018 |title=Latter-day Saints and Masons: 5 fascinating connections |publisher=LDS Living Magazine |url=https://www.ldsliving.com/latter-day-saints-and-masons-5-fascinating-connections/s/80329 |access-date=October 12, 2023}}</ref>

Although Lorenzo Snow also went through the degree ceremonies in Nauvoo Lodge, his initiation occurred after Nauvoo Lodge's dispensation had been suspended by the Grand Lodge of Illinois in the spring of that year; in October of that year, the dispensation was revoked. He therefore would not have been considered a regular (legitimate) Mason by the mainstream Masonic community, as his initiation—as well as his passing and raising, for that matter—was done by a Lodge acting without a dispensation.

==Similarities in symbolism and ritual in the LDS Church==
{{Original research section|date=September 2023}}

[[File:LDS Endowment infographic at the veil.png|right|thumb|200px|A ritual part of the LDS temple endowment, featuring symbols similar to ones used in Freemasonry]]

LDS Church [[Temple (LDS Church)|temple worship]] shares a limited commonality of symbols, signs, and vocabulary with Freemasonry, including aprons, tokens, ritualistic raising of the arms, etc.<ref name="Goodwin1920" />{{rp|pp=54–59}} Many of these symbols have been adopted and adapted from Masonry to illustrate the principles taught in the movement. For example, whereas Masons exchange secret tokens to identify fellow Freemasons, the ceremonies of the church teach that these tokens must be given to sentinel angels so that disciples of Jesus Christ may be admitted into the [[celestial kingdom|highest kingdom of heaven]].{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} The LDS Church's [[temple garment]]s also bear the symbols adopted and adapted from Masonry: those of the [[Square and Compass]]; although the movement has imbued these symbols with religious meaning that wholly differs from the meaning of the symbols as used in Freemasonry. The Square and Compasses were a part of the first [[Angel Moroni]] statue, hanging above a horizontal Moroni (which doubled as a weather vane).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petersen |first=Sarah |date=April 2013 |title=Temple Facts, Stats, and Interesting Stories |url=https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2013/04/temple-facts-stats-and-interesting-stories?lang=eng |access-date=6 May 2022 |publisher=[[LDS Church]]}}</ref> Additionally, the symbols of the square and compasses exist in other ancient traditions far older than Masonry such as in Christian art and the Chinese legend [[Fuxi|Fuxi and Nüwa]]. According to historian [[Richard Lyman Bushman]], "Portions of the temple ritual resembled Masonic rites that Joseph had observed when a Nauvoo lodge was organized in March 1842 and that he may have heard about from Hyrum, a Mason from New York days. The Nauvoo endowment was first bestowed just six weeks after Joseph's induction. The similarities were marked enough for Heber Kimball to quote Joseph saying that Freemasonry 'was taken from the priesthood but has become degen[e]rated. but many things are perfect.'"<ref name=Stone>{{cite book |last1=Bushman |first1=Richard |author-link=Richard Bushman|title=Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling |date=2005 |publisher=[[Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group]] |location=New York City |isbn=9780307426482 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mz3tpz4eRBQC|url-access=limited|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>{{pn|date=June 2025}}

Brigham Young is quoted as describing the origin of the temple rituals in a fashion that directly relates to the story of [[Hiram Abiff]] from Masonic folklore. Although Young changed some of the key Masonic aspects about Abiff to fit better with the view of LDS Church temples, the story is the same.<ref>{{cite book|quote=It is true that Solomon built a temple for the purpose of giving endowments, but from what we can learn of the history of that time they have very few if any endowments and one of the high priests [Hiram Abiff] was murdered by wicked and corrupt men, who had already begun to apostatize, because he would not reveal those things appertaining to the priesthood that was forbidden him to reveal until he came to the proper place.|title=Discourses of Brigham Young"|editor-link=John A. Widtsoe|editor-first=John A.|editor-last=Widstoe|publisher=[[Deseret Book]]|date=1977}}</ref>

==Historical position of the LDS Church==
[[File:Wilford Woodruff 1889.jpg|left|thumb|upright=.7|Wilford Woodruff, fourth president of the LDS Church; former member of Nauvoo Lodge, U. D.]]

After the Saints' failed attempts to obtain charters from England and Mexico, Brigham Young decided not to pursue the goal any further.

Eventually, trade unions that were ritualistic and oath-bound started to come into the Utah Territory that were perceived by the leadership of the church to be destabilizing the territorial economy. We see an example of this in a letter written by church president [[Wilford Woodruff]] and his two counselors, [[George Q. Cannon]] and [[Joseph F. Smith]] on whether members of the [[Ancient Order of United Workmen]] could hold temple recommends in the church.<ref>{{cite book|title=Messages of the First Presidency|volume=3|date=2 October 1896|via=[[Church History Library]]|location= Salt Lake City, Utah}}</ref>

[[File:Lorenzo Snow.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|Lorenzo Snow, fifth President of the LDS Church; last known President to have been a member of Nauvoo Lodge, U. D.|left]]

In 1901, the following circular letter from church president [[Lorenzo Snow]] and his first counselor, Joseph F. Smith, to all [[stake presidencies]] on their opposition to church members' desires to join "secret orders".<ref>{{cite book|title=Messages of the First Presidency|volume=3|date=13 September 1901|via=[[Church History Library]]|location=Salt Lake City, Utah}}</ref>

Snow's outlook on secret societies in general may have been formed from:

* the tense relationships between Nauvoo Lodge, U. D. (in which he was initiated after the Lodge had been suspended) and the Grand Lodge of Illinois.
* the tense relationships between the members of the Church in Utah and the Grand Lodge of Utah.
* the [[Rock Springs massacre]] (which had happened only about 15 years prior, in which members of a secret society called the [[Knights of Labor]] had killed scores of Chinese immigrants and drove the rest out of Wyoming).
* the 1896 circular from the [[First Presidency]] concerning the A. O. U. W. quoted above.

[[File:Picture of Joseph F. Smith.jpg|left|thumb|upright=.7|Joseph F. Smith, sixth President of the LDS Church]]

Later policies in the church against joining secret societies in general had been formed more due to such trade unions and insurance benefit organizations as stated above; President Joseph F. Smith later split these into two policies regarding such trade unions (specified as "Secret Organizations") and fraternal societies (specified as "Secret Societies").<ref>{{cite book|chapter=8: The Church and Man|publisher=[[Deseret News]]|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|date=1919|pages=134-136 |last=Smith |first=Joseph F.|title=Gospel Doctrine: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Joseph F. Smith}}</ref>

These positions were combined and reiterated in Church's ''Handbook of Instructions'' in 1934 and in 1940.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/af674b30-18a7-4a74-b549-5a5095c77e67/0/0 |title=Handbook of Instructions for Stake Presidencies, Bishops and Counselors, Stake and Ward Clerks, No. 15 |date= |year=1934 |location=Salt Lake City |publisher=[[LDS Church]] |pages=97 |access-date=18 Feb 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/e7df3c77-4ec7-46db-ae8b-ab9f4766479f/0/0 |title=Handbook of Instructions for Stake Presidencies, Bishops and Counselors, Stake and Ward Clerks and Other Church Officers, No. 16 |year=1940 |location=Salt Lake City |publisher=[[LDS Church]] |pages=158-159 |access-date=18 Feb 2025}}</ref> Further explanation for this policy was given in 1934 by [[Anthony W. Ivins]] of the First Presidency of the LDS Church.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ivins |first=Anthony W. |url=http://www.cedarcitylodge.org/books/relationship_mormonism_masonry.pdf |title=The Relationship of "Mormonism" and Freemasonry |publisher=[[Deseret News]] |year=1934 |location=Salt Lake City |pages=9-10 |access-date=20 Feb 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Anthony W. Ivins2.jpg|left|thumb|upright=.7|Anthony W. Ivins, First Counselor in the First Presidency of the LDS Church, 1925—1934.]]

Such remained the policy of the Church through 1985.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/2a7655f0-ed97-4ce5-a388-403743f91795/0/0 |title=General Handbook of Instructions |publisher=[[LDS Church]] |year=1985 |location=Salt Lake City |page=11-3 |access-date=18 Feb 2025}}</ref> However, resultant of the Grand Lodge of Utah lifting its formal ban against members of the Church, the Church removed mention of secret societies and secret organizations from its policies in its 1989 edition of its General Handbook as well as all subsequent editions. Since that time, the LDS Church's First Presidency has not made an official statement as to whether Freemasonry in particular is compatible with its membership. Don LeFevre, a past church spokesman said that the LDS Church—in outdated reference to above-given policies—"strongly advises its members not to affiliate with organizations that are secret, oath-bound, or would cause them to lose interest in church activities."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Scarlet |first=Peter |date=17 February 1992 |title=Masons Use Service, Respect to Build Friendships |page=D1 |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]}}</ref> A more tolerant statement is found in the book ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'', written by church members, stating, "The philosophy and major tenets of Freemasonry are not fundamentally incompatible with the teaching, theology, and doctrines of the Latter-day Saints. Both emphasize morality, sacrifice, consecration, and service, and both condemn selfishness, sin, and greed. Furthermore, the aim of Masonic ritual is to instruct—to make truth available so that man can follow it."

==Recent Position of the LDS Church==
Since 1984, there have been many Masons in Utah who are Latter-day Saints and who serve and/or have served in various leadership positions, including Grand Masters, other Grand Officers, and Worshipful Masters; some of these have also served in and presided over various appendant, concordant, and/or affiliate side orders on a national and international basis. Outside of Utah, there have been many members of the LDS Church who have been Masons continuously since its early days.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

In 2019, the LDS Church produced a YouTube video in its ''Now You Know'' series entitled "Joseph Smith and Masonry." The video states that "the policy [of whether it is acceptable for members of the Church to become Freemasons] is simple: members of the Church […] are not prohibited from becoming Freemasons. Nor are Masons prohibited from becoming members of the Church. Latter-day Saints believe that good can be found in many places."<ref name="NYK2019" />

==Position on Membership by Masonic Lodges==
Today there is no formal obstacle in the Grand Lodge of Utah or in any other grand lodge preventing Latter-day Saints from becoming Freemasons. Exceptions have historically been those grand lodges that employ the [[Swedish Rite]] system, which requires a [[Trinity|Christian Trinitarian]] belief of its members; these are located in the Nordic/Scandinavian countries. However, the [[Danish Order of Freemasons]] (whose Lodges use the Swedish Rite) is affiliated with two Grand Lodges that do not require its members to subscribe to Christian Trinitarian beliefs: The Ancient Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Denmark and the Saint John's Lodge Association. In Sweden and Finland, one can choose between joining the [[Swedish Order of Freemasons]] (which uses the Swedish Rite) or the [[Freemasonry in Finland|Grand Lodge of Finland]] (which does not use the Swedish Rite and which does not have the requirement of Christian Trinitarian belief to join). So, even in some of the countries where the Swedish Rite is employed, there still exist alternate options for Latter-day Saints to become Masons.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

== 20th-century explorations of the issue ==

* In 1924, S. H. Goodwin (who served as thirty-eighth Grand Master of the Grand Lodge F&AM of Utah in 1912<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Utah Masons Grand Lodge {{!}} Past Grand Masters|url=http://utahgrandlodge.org/gl-past-grand-masters.php|access-date=2022-01-27|website=utahgrandlodge.org}}</ref>) wrote ''Mormonism and Masonry'' (published by the Grand Lodge of Utah), a work defending the formal ban against members of the Church that was implemented the next year.<ref name=":2" />
* In 1934, Anthony W. Ivins (who served in the First Presidency of the LDS Church from 1921 until his death in 1934) wrote ''Relationship of Mormonism and Freemasonry'', a response to S. H. Goodwin's above-mentioned work; it was published by [[Deseret News Press]].
* In 1947, E. Cecil McGavin (who worked in the Church Historian's Office<ref>{{Cite web|title=Author - E. Cecil McGavin - Deseret Book|url=https://deseretbook.com/t/author/e-cecil-mcgavin|access-date=2022-01-27|website=deseretbook.com}}</ref>) wrote ''Mormonism and Masonry'', a response to S. H. Goodwin's above-mentioned work; it was published by [[Bookcraft|Bookcraft Publishers]].
* In 1989, Robin L. Carr (a Freemason but not a Mormon) wrote ''Freemasonry and Nauvoo'', which was published by The Masonic Book Club and The Illinois Lodge of Research; this work explores the history of the "Mormon Lodges" that were established in Nauvoo during the early period of the Church.
* In 1992, Michael W. Homer (a Mormon) wrote "'Similarity of Priesthood in Masonry': The Relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism" for ''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Homer |first=Michael W. |date=Fall 1992 |title="Similarity of Priesthood in Masonry": The Relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism |url=https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/issues/V27N03.pdf |journal=[[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought|Dialogue]] |publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]] |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=1–113 |doi=10.2307/45225960 |jstor=45225960 |s2cid=254317678 |access-date=24 June 2022}}</ref>
* In 1995, Glen A. Cook (a Mormon who later served as the 137th Grand Master of the Grand Lodge F&AM of Utah in 2008<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":3" />) wrote an article called “A Review of Factors Leading to Tension Between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Freemasonry,” which was published in Vol. XLVII, No. 4 of ''The Philalethes Magazine'', the official publication of the [[Philalethes Society]], a Masonic research society.
* In 1999, Sir Knight Joseph E. Bennett, KYCH, 33°, FPS wrote a three-part series entitled "Buck and the Mormons", which includes some Masonic history in Nauvoo; it was published in the October, November, and December issues of ''Knight Templar'', an official publication of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar, USA.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bennet |first1=Joseph E. |title=Buck and the Mormons - Part I |journal=Knight Templar |date=October 1999 |volume=XLV |issue=10 |pages=23–28 |url=https://www.knightstemplar.org/KnightTemplar/Magazine/1999/199910.pdf |access-date=28 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bennet |first1=Joseph E. |title=Buck and the Mormons - Part II |journal=Knight Templar |date=November 1999 |volume=XLV |issue=11 |pages=24–29 |url=https://www.knightstemplar.org/KnightTemplar/Magazine/1999/199911.pdf |access-date=28 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bennet |first1=Joseph E. |title=Buck and the Mormons - Part III |journal=Knight Templar |date=December 1999 |volume=XLV |issue=12 |pages=23–27 |url=https://www.knightstemplar.org/KnightTemplar/Magazine/1999/199912.pdf |access-date=28 January 2022}}</ref>

==21st-century explorations of the issue==

*In 2005, Sir Knight James A. Marples, 32°, wrote the article "A Tribute to Masonic Brother Hyrum Smith … A True Nauvoo Mason," which includes some history of Masonry in Nauvoo, in that year's September issue of ''Knight Templar'', an official publication of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar, USA.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Marples |first1=James A. |title=A Tribute to Masonic Brother Hyrum Smith ... A True Nauvoo Mason |journal=Knight Templar |date=September 2005 |volume=LI |issue=9 |pages=21–24 |url=https://www.knightstemplar.org/KnightTemplar/Magazine/2005/200509.pdf |access-date=28 January 2022}}</ref>
*In 2006, Gilbert W. Scharffs wrote ''Mormons and Masons: Setting the Record Straight'', which was published by Millennial Press.
*In 2014, the Joseph Smith Foundation produced the documentary ''Statesmen & Symbols: Prelude to the Restoration'' exploring Joseph Smith's involvement in Freemasonry. The DVD also details connections with Masonic symbols among the Chinese, Hopewell Indians, Early Christians, American Founding Fathers and the Egyptians.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Statesmen & Symbols: Prelude to the Restoration (DVD) |url=https://josephsmithfoundation.org/store/product/statesmen-symbols-prelude-to-the-restoration-dvd/ |access-date=2022-10-12 |website=Joseph Smith Foundation |date=12 April 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref>
*In 2014, Michael W. Homer published ''Joseph's Temples: The Dynamic Relationship Between Freemasonry and Mormonism'', a condensation of the last 40 years of scholarship on the issue.<ref name=JosephsTemples>{{Cite book |last=Homer |first=Michael W. |title=Joseph's Temples: The Dynamic Relationship Between Freemasonry and Mormonism |date=2014 |publisher=[[University of Utah Press]] |isbn=978-1-60781-344-6 |location=Salt Lake City|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/vG3T0AEACAAJ?hl=en}}</ref>
*Since at least 2017, the [[Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon|Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon AF&AM]] have had a section of their online library dedicated to the relationship between Freemasonry and the LDS Church.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Freemasonry and the Church of Latter-Day Saints|url=https://freemasonry.bcy.ca/history/lds/index.html|access-date=2022-02-11|website=freemasonry.bcy.ca}}</ref>
*In 2019, the LDS Church published an essay entitled "Masonry" as a part of its ''Church History Topics'' series.<ref>{{cite web |title=Masonry |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/masonry?lang=eng |publisher=[[LDS Church]] |access-date=28 January 2022}}</ref>
*In 2022, ''Method Infinite: Freemasonry and the Mormon Restoration'', authored by Cheryl L. Bruno (a member of the LDS Church), Joe Steve Swick III (a member of the LDS Church and a Freemason), and Nicholas S. Literski (a Freemason and a former member of the LDS Church), was made available by Greg Kofford Books after at least thirteen years of anticipated release.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mason-Mormon ties: What's fact, what's fiction |url=https://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/faith/ci_3401255 |access-date=2022-01-29 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Literski, Nicholas S. |title=An Introduction to Mormonism and Freemasonry |url=http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=418 |access-date=2009-12-31 |work=The Signature Books Library |publisher=[[Signature Books]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Stack, Peggy Fletcher |author-link=Peggy Fletcher Stack |date=September 10, 2009 |title=Mormon-Mason ties: What's fact, what's fiction |work=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |url=http://www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_3401255 |url-status=dead |access-date=2014-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211012409/http://www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_3401255 |archive-date=December 11, 2014 |orig-year=2006}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Latter Day Saint movement|Society}}
* [[Christian attitudes towards Freemasonry]]
* [[Walker Lewis]]<!-- alphabetized by surname -->
* [[Master Mahan]]
* [[Salt Lake Masonic Temple]]
* [[Secret combination (Latter Day Saints)]]

== Citations ==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |editor1-last = Anderson |editor1-first = Devery S. |editor2-last = Bergera |editor2-first = James |year = 2005 |title = Joseph Smith's Quorum of the Anointed, 1842-1845: A Documentary History |place = Salt Lake City |publisher = [[Signature Books]] |isbn = 978-1-56085-186-8 |oclc = 57965858 |url = http://signaturebooks.com/2010/02/quorum-of-the-anointed/ |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130202091515/http://signaturebooks.com/2010/02/quorum-of-the-anointed/ |archive-date = 2013-02-02 }}.
*{{Citation | last = Brodie | first = Fawn M. | author-link = Fawn M. Brodie | title = No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith | publisher = [[Alfred A. Knopf|Knopf]] | location = New York | edition=2nd | year = 1971 | isbn=978-0-394-46967-6 | title-link = No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith }}.
*{{Citation |last = Buerger |first = David John |title = The Development of the Mormon Temple Endowment Ceremony |journal = Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought |volume = 20 |issue = 4 |pages = 33&ndash;76 |year = 1987 |doi = 10.2307/45228107 |jstor = 45228107 |doi-access= free }}.
*{{Citation | last=Buerger | first=David John | title=The Mysteries of Godliness: A History of Mormon Temple Worship | edition=2nd | place=Salt Lake City | publisher=Signature Books | year=2002 | isbn=978-1-56085-176-9 }}.
*{{Citation | last=Bullock | first=Steven C. | title=Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order, 1730-1840 | location=Chapel Hill, NC | publisher=University of North Carolina Press | year=1996 }}.
*{{Citation | last=Compton | first=Todd | author-link=Todd Compton | title=In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith | publisher = [[Signature Books]] | year = 1997 | isbn = 978-1-56085-085-4 }}.
*{{Citation | last=Forsberg | first=Clyde R. | title=Equal rites: the Book of Mormon, Masonry, gender, and American culture | year=2004 | publisher=Columbia University Press | location=New York | isbn=978-0-231-12640-3 }}.
*{{Citation | last=Homer | first=Michael W. | title=Masonry and Mormonism in Utah, 1847–1984 | pages=57–96 | url=http://content.lib.utah.edu/u?/jmh,16644 | journal=[[Journal of Mormon History]] | volume=18 | issue=2 | year=1992 }}.
*{{Citation |last = Homer |first = Michael W. |year = 1994 |title = Similarity of Priesthood in Masonry: The Relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism. |journal = [[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought]] |volume = 27 |issue = 3 |pages = 1–113 |doi = 10.2307/45225960 |jstor = 45225960 |s2cid = 254317678 |doi-access= free }}.
*{{Citation | last1 = Homer | first1 = Michael W. | title = Joseph's Temples: The Dynamic Relationship Between Freemasonry and Mormonism | location = Salt Lake City | publisher = University of Utah Press | year = 2014 | isbn = 9781607813446 }}.
*{{Citation | last=Hogan | first=Mervin B. | title=Mormonism and Free Masonry under Covert Masonic Influences | journal=The Royal Arch Mason | volume=9 | year=1967 | issue=Spring | pages=3–11 }}.
*{{Citation | last1=Hoyos | first1=Arturo | last2=Morris | first2=S. Brent | title=Freemasonry in Context: History, Ritual, Controversy | location=Lanham, Md. | publisher=Lexington Books | year=2004 }}.
*{{Citation | last = Morgan | first = William | author-link = William Morgan (anti-Mason) | title = Illustrations of Masonry by One of the Fraternity Who has devoted Thirty Years to the Subject: "God said, Let there be Light, and there was light" | publisher = David C. Miller | place = Batavia, N.Y. | year = 1826 | lccn = 01005502 | oclc = 22186577 | url = https://archive.org/details/illustrationsofm00morg }}.
*{{Citation | last=Walgren | first=Kent L. | title=James Adams: Early Springfield Mormon and Freemason | journal=Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society | volume=75 | issue=Summer | year=1982 | pages=121–36 }}.
*{{citation | last = Ivins | first = Anthony W. | author-link = Anthony W. Ivins | title = The Relationship of "Mormonism" and Freemasonry | location = Salt Lake City, UT | publisher = Deseret News Press | year = 1934 | oclc = 9638443 }}. [http://www.shields-research.org/General/LDS_Leaders/1stPres/Ivins-Anthony_W/Relationship_Mormonism_Masonry/Relationship_Mormonism_Masonry.htm Online reprint] at shields-research.org.
* {{Cite journal|last=Murdock|first=Miriam|date=2000|title="Stepping Stones" of Understanding: Patterns of the Priesthood in Universalism, Freemasonry, and Mormonism|url=https://byustudies.byu.edu/content/summer-fellows-papers-1997-1999-archive-restoration-culture|journal=Summer Fellows' Papers 1997–1999: Archive of Restoration Culture|pages=51–58|via=Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History}}

[[Category:Mormonism and Freemasonry| ]]
[[Category:Freemasonry-related controversies]]
[[Category:Latter Day Saint movement in the United States]]