Negotiating Secularism: Freemasonry and Esoteric Secrecy as a Technique for Intertwining Faithful and Secular Commitments

• In Event: 2329 - Section on the Sociology of Religion Referred Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 11. Secularism and Religious Theory

Abstract

Biblical publicity activists, Buddhist mindfulness advocates, evangelical Christian social service providers, far-right nationalists who seek to infuse secular principles with civilizational Christian heritage, growing numbers of organizations from a wide range of faithful traditions seek to reconfigure secular-religious relationships. Freemasons, however, have been undertaking these kinds of faithful negotiations of secularism since the 18th Century. Freemasons have always been ardent defenders, even mythical organizational architects of secularism, but they have always experimented with the possibilities of simultaneously defending the freedom of individual conscience while also pursuing ritual initiation and spiritual rebirth. This paper explores Freemasons use of esoteric secrecy to intertwine their secular and faithful commitments.

Author

• Graham Wilson Hill, University of Bern