As I said, Freemasonry isn't a religion, and has religious components. A Masonic Lodge has an altar, and on the altar are scriptures. Always a Bible; often others, as used by the majority of the brethren in the lodge. In my lodge (yes, I am a Freemason and a Mormon) I have known brethren to bring a Book of Mormon to the altar with them as well. I have known Jews to bring Torahs, and Muslims to bring Korans. I have seen the Bagavad Ghita on the altar, and I have seen four or five "Volumes of Sacred Law," on the same altar.
I have never heard an endowment mentioned in Freemasonry.
Freemasonry is not a path to salvation; that is to be worked out by the individual within his religious community.
All this said, no one, especially not me, speaks for Freemasonry or all Freemasons. Your understandings may vary.
I believe that I share with Bro. Joseph a special bond because of our mutual love of Freemasonry. Bro. Joseph was originally quite anti-Masonic, as were many from the area of New York that he came from. The "secret combinations" that are so often condemned were probably based on anti-Masonic sentiment. But you can judge a tree by its fruit, and Bro. Joseph saw that most of the men that formed the core of the leadership drawn to the Church were Masons, so he took a better look at it, and joined up. It took me fifty years to overcome my predjudices about Freemasonry, and today I love it.
SteveB
Washington DC & Maryland
