Is Freemasonry a religion?

So... is Freemasonry a religion?  I can see where people may get the idea.  Some of the teachings are similar to religious stories and ideals.  Some of the symbolism looks like the symbols of other religious institutions.  I could go on all day as to why I think people claim Masonry IS a religion but I'd rather just talk about why I know it ISN'T one.

As a man who struggled with religion for most of his life, I can say that people who questioned me on my religious beliefs made me feel extremely uncomfortable.  I didn't like people telling me my beliefs on God and the afterlife were wrong... I didn't like people telling me that if I didn't believe in their God, I was going to hell... regardless of whether I was a good person or not.

That being said, I eventually found I was a man of faith.  I do believe in God.  I do believe in heaven.  It just may be different from your perception.  And honestly... that's ok.  We're free to follow a belief system that makes us happy, that we agree with... and I believe we should always be able to. 

I don't have a problem with others telling me about their religions if I'm interested.  I just don't like being pushed to believe something I don't agree with. 

This directly ties into what I love about the fraternity.

In a Masonic lodge, I can sit comfortably knowing I'm sharing a room with Catholics, Protestants, Hinduists, Buddhists, Deists, and Muslims.  This is due to the fact that religion is strictly off limits in lodge.  It's not an affront against personal freedoms.  It's to maintain harmony.  I could spend all night bickering back and forth with the faults I find in a particular religion... while the person I was debating with could fire right back with what he didn't like about my set of religious ideals.  The fact that a debate like that could never happen in lodge made me realize... this fraternity really is about promoting brotherhood.  That is also why politics is off limits.  Because like religion, the chances of people having different political beliefs are enormous... and it would be quite easy to debate pro life vs pro choice... Democrat vs Republican.... Barack vs George.  Again, taking discussions like these out of the equation eliminates the debate entirely.  It just won't happen.

The other thing is... when it comes to the teachings... we aren't told how to interpret them.  That's up to the individual mason to decide for himself.  As a Deist, I may take a moral lesson one way... while my Catholic bretheren may take it another way entirely... and still our Hindu brothers may find a completely different view on the lesson.  The important thing isn't how we interpret the lesson... the important thing is that we learn it... and how we apply it in our lives in the way that makes sense to us.

As I stated above... I become uncomfortable when people ask me to follow their religion.  I understand their reasoning, but that's neither here nor there.  The reason I point this out is because at no time during my initiation or my continued research into the fraternity have I become uncomfortable with the lessons due to the religious overtones.  I find it quite easy to take what I'm learning and adapt it to fit within my religious beliefs.  The lesson is not lost on me.

So finally... is Freemasonry a religion?  No.  You'll find most religions find a place comfortably within Masonry... and that truly is, in my opinion, one of the greatest parts of the fraternity.

Although the dinners before each meeting are pretty good too.