Many have attempted to work out whether or not Freemasonry is theologically and philosophically compatible with certain religions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. However, I shall attempt to step away from the complexities of modern day religion and try to answer what is at the very core of Freemasonry and what is at the very core of Religion.
My first task is to define what religion and freemasonry are about, but using a very generic terminology and based on my own interpretations. I believe that religion is a collection of people who believe the same thing, and that "same thing" is based on defined statements (creeds, articles of faith and tenets) about spirituality. Religion is (at least partly) derived from culture, which itself is derived from language, history and environment.
People create creeds and articles of faith because they want people to share faith in an harmonious and spiritual environment, which, in my mind, is a most excellent idea. However, there are down sides to it. By creating these lists of "I believe" and "I do not believe", we will always get people who are creating lists of "I do not believe" and "I believe" (i.e. the opposite). This can cause problems between communities, and in history this has led to arguments, schisms, conflict and sometimes even war.
Freemasonry, in my mind, is threefold thus; It is a continuation of the mediaeval guild plays which emphasised the historical good in the Bible; It is an exemplification of the charitable and societal good found within a social grouping; and finally, it highlights moral, philosophical and spiritual values.
There are two sayings which are in the Examination of an Entered Apprentice (using the Bristol words) which I would like to mention. The first is that Masonry is "A beautiful system of Morality, veiled in Allegory and illustrated by Symbols", here we see a combination of philosophy (morality and ethics), history (or story) and communication (including religion). The second saying is "... Masonry being universal ...", this is actually where we start to enter the territory of the core of Freemasonry.
Freemasonry has evolved with universality in mind. It attempts to reach universal beliefs. Those beliefs which are common to all cultures and faiths, and it then backs this up by reasoning with the mysteries and beauty of nature, and the understanding that man can interact with his environment by creation and innovation. This is universality, it ignores doctrine so to allow us to embrace each other in our most purest nature. This very reason is why we are not to judge a Mason by his faith or his political stance, we are all physical beings capable of doing good and also making mistakes. Therefore, it is no wonder that Freemasonry is often so attractive to its members while at the same time is misunderstood by those outside of it.
Religion too has spirituality at its very core, except that it attempts to understand it through collectively describing human-interpretations of the divine. When we are born we do not choose where we are born, or to which parents - we are all at our purest at birth, we are transparant with no religion but 100% spirituality. Spirituality is at the core of every single religion. Spirituality only comes in one flavour, and that is universal spirituality. Yes, indeed, I've just logically proved that there shouldn't be any religious intolerance because we all have the same spiritual foundation. But that is not what this article is about, and I'll now continue my answer to the question.
So the at the core of both Freemasonry and Religion is spirituality, which is emphasised through moral conduct and taught using allegory and symbols. These two do not sound very different do they? But they certainly are, and more will need to be researched. For now though, all I shall say is that Freemasonry is not a substitute for Religion; Freemasonry has no beliefs about salvation, and has no particular doctrine on the presence of God in the physical world. Freemasonry is about living and working in life in order to help improve society. Religion fulfils the theology behind salvation, and is also an assistant to our day to day moral lives.
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