Objections remain to tenets and rituals of the Loyal Order of Moose, says a new evaluation of the lodge prepared by staff of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR).
“The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod recognizes that the Loyal Order of Moose, like other fraternal organizations of its kind, is engaged in many commendable humanitarian efforts … and social opportunities that contribute significantly to the common good of our society,” says the new evaluation.
“… Regrettably, however, the rituals and ceremonies of the lodge continue to require and assume acceptance of religious truths that conflict with our Synod’s understanding of what is taught in the Holy Scriptures, and they do so in ways that compromise the Christian’s confession of the biblical Gospel,” it adds.
The 2001 Synod convention gave the CTCR the functions of the former Commission on Organizations, which is no longer in operation. Among those is the responsibility to provide counsel to the Synod concerning the programs, tenets, and ceremonies of various societies, lodges, and other organizations.
Dr. Jerald Joersz, associate executive director of the CTCR, said that it has been “several years” since the evaluations of the lodges and other organizations have been updated. He said that as the CTCR’s workload permits, evaluations on other organizations will be updated as well.
The new evaluation of the Moose is the first updated report to be placed on the CTCR’s Web site — www.lcms.org/ctcr — under “Cults, Religion, Lodges and Movements.”
Posted Feb. 25, 2005
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