Weird Tract Number 110: "The Bible Versus The Evil in Freemasonry" by Evangelist Robert Lee Hampton

Troy Davis writes:

Opposition to Freemasonry has been deeply ingrained in various American political and religious subcultures.  Most people I know view the Freemasons as a fuddy-duddy fraternal organization that's been in steep membership decline over the past half century. However, in the first half of the 19th century, they were a salient political and cultural phenomenon. For awhile in the 1800s, there was an Anti-Masonic Party that had some limited electoral success. 

Protestant traditionalists have railed against the Freemasons. One big reason was a hoax put forth by 19th century anti-clerical prankster Léo Taxil (1854-1907) who wrote a series of books claiming Freemasonry was satanic. Jack Chick's long out-of-print tract "The Curse of Baphomet" is based on the Taxil hoax (The tract is not even available on Chick Publications' website but you can read it here). Although the tract is no longer available from Chick Publications, the museum has many copies in its collection. The currently in-print Chick tract that addresses Freemasonry using elements of the Taxil Hoax is "That's Baphomet?" which can be read here. I used Taxil's rendition of Baphomet as the basis of the cover art for the Chick tract parody titled "Donald Trump Is The Antichrist: Prepare for The Rapture!" (read it and other Chick tract parodies here).

Hampton's 4-page pamphlet is not based on the Taxil Hoax. Thompson, a former 32 degree Mason, bases his opposition to Freemasonry based on practices such as Masonic oaths (which he views as unbiblical) as well as supposed pagan rituals used in the organization. His critique is similar to those of another former Mason who appeared on John Ankerberg's TV show. This is a very boring tract full of Bible verses.

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