Masonry

Masonry, also known as freemasonry, is not a religion, nor is it a substitute for religion. It requires a belief in God, but advocates no specific faith or practice. Masonic ceremonies include prayers, both traditional and spontaneous, to reaffirm each individual's dependence on God and to seek divine guidance. Freemasonry is open to men of any faith, but religion may not be discussed at Masonic meetings. Masons believe that there is one God and that people employ many different ways to seek, and to express what they know of God. Masonry believes in religious freedom and that the relationship between the individual and God is personal, private, and sacred.

The practice of freemasonry includes temples, altars, a moral code, worship services, vestments, feast days, a hierarchy of leadership, initiation and burial rites, and promises of eternal reward and punishment. The cross is merely a symbol of nature and eternal life, free of Christ's sacrifice for sin. During the initiation rite, the candidate expresses a desire to seek "light", and he is assured that he will receive the light of spiritual instruction that he could not receive in another Church. Moreover, he will gain eternal rest in the "celestial lodge" if he lives and dies according to Masonic principles. A candidate makes an oath to freemasonry and its secrets, under pain of death or self-mutiliation, by kneeling blindfolded in front of the altar, placing both hands on the book of sacred law, the square, and compass, and repeating after the "worshipful master." Throughout this ritual, the candidate is blind to all the "secrets" to which he is taking an oath.

The origins of the Masons are hard to pinpoint. With the decline of cathedral building in the aftermath of the Protestant movement, mason guilds began accepting non-masons as members to reinforce their dwindling membership. Eventually, the non-masons outnumbered the masons, and the guilds became places for the discussion of ethics and morality while retaining the secret signs, symbols and gestures of the original guild. Masons hold that God, "the Great Architect," founded freemasonry, and that it had as patrons, Adam and the Patriarchs. Even Jesus is listed as "the Grand Master" of the Christian Church. They credit themselves with the building of Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babel, the Pyramids and Solomon's Temple.

Brigham Young, the leader of the Mormons at that time, was a ruthless but respected leader who no one dared cross. Under his rule was Enoch Drebber, the man who married Lucy Ferrier. They both followed the rules of freemasonry and as leader, Young has control over his people, as his word is law. Both men have strong faith in God and believe that everything they do is in the name of God; even if what they do is morally wrong as humans. The rules of masonry are strict and non-negotiable as seen when Young threatens Ferrier if he does not follow up on the terms he agreed when they accepted him into their group. A short while after, Drebber as well as Stangerson, arrive at Ferrier's house to negotiate the terms of Lucy's marriage. After Ferrier refused to allow his daughter to marry any of them, Drebber and Stangerson show their ruthlessness in the killing of John Ferrier and abduction of Lucy Ferrier. All this is happening under the guidance of Brigham Young.

Whenever masonry was brought up around Sherlock Holmes, he shows great knowledge of the subject as seen when he is able to easily recognize Lucy's wedding ring as Masonic. This is mostly due to the fact that the author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was a mason. Doyle, born into a Catholic family, rejected his religion at age seventeen and accepted spiritualism instead. Later, he became more invested in spiritualism and was initiated into freemasonry.

http://www.msana.com/religion.asp
http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/what-are-the-masons.html
http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/beresiner10.html