Religions of the World Essay

Rosicrucian

Although some people believe that the Rosicrucian following is relatively new considering other much older beliefs, Rosicrucians claim much earlier beginnings for themselves than can be documented. One group even claims ties to Thutmose III, about 1500 B.C. in Egypt (Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, 1915).

Their founder is generally claimed to be Christian Rosenkreuz, supposedly born in 1378 and died in 1484 (Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, 1915). However, the Encyclopedia Britannica, says, "Some regard the story as a statement of fact and hold Christian Rosenkreuz to have been the found of the order. More generally it is held to be a mythical explanation of the order and Christian Rosenkreuz is not a real person at all, but a symbolic character".

Rosicrucians are found world-wide as well as in North America. One faction in the U.S.A. known as AMORC (Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis) is located in Atlanta, Georgia where my uncle is an active Lodge member.

I became more curious about my uncle's involvement after the death of his aunt, (my great-aunt), Carrie, who also was Rosicrucian. Little to my knowledge, my uncle was greatly influenced by her beliefs in practicing this following.

When hearing about the Rosicrucian, one automatically images a picture of a cross and a rose. I asked my uncle, Nathan, what this symbol represented. He stated that the symbolism includes a Christian-looking cross, with either a rose in the middle, or a cross surrounded by roses (Benowitz, 2007). However, the cross of the Rosicrucians is not the cross of Christianity. The "Rosy Cross" does not represent any connection with the Christian crucifix. To them [the Rosicrucians], the cross represents, "the body of man" with the rose symbolizing "man's soul unfolding and evolving" (Benowitz, 2007). This unchristian concept is followed through into their doctrines. To the Rosicrucians, God is an impersonal being composed of seven spirits, manifesting themselves as a "triune godhead" (MacGregor, 2000).

"The Rosicrucian Cosmo Conception", reads, "...The seven spirits before the throne...collectively, they are God and make us the triune godhead...the Father is the highest initiate among the humanity of the Saturn..." (MacGregor, 2000). Truly, the Rosicrucian trinity is not the Christian Trinity. In the pages of the Bible, the One, True, Eternal God has revealed Himself in three ways, as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the Rosicrucian lessons, new members, called Neophytes, are taught to petition the "Forty-two principal gods...expressions of the principal god, the Sun-God, Amen-ra" (MacGregor, 2000). Christians could have no part in this idolatry, as their Holy God the Father is not some "highest initiate among the humanity of Saturn"(MacGregor, 2000). "God is Spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24).

The Bible is considered relatively different to the Rosicrucians than Christians. For example, the book of Genesis is dismissed as a "beautiful poem". Genesis 1:1, which really reads, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" has been rewritten to read, "Out of the ever-existing essence (of space) the two-fold energy formed the double heaven." Hardly similar!

The Genesis account of the fifth day details the creation of marine life, and birds. The Rosicrucian's description of the fifth day of creation differs greatly to include the creation of an Atlantis-like Lemurian epoch in which the differentiation of the sexes took place.

Before that, the Rosicrucians teach man had been hermaphrodite (both male and female), and previous to that he had been without sex (MacGregor, 2000). The combination of the theory of evolution with the Bible account of creation is very contradictory of the Christian faith.

To my uncle, Rosicrucian teachings were secretly taught throughout the ages. Almost everyone on the planet at the time of its creation believed in polytheism. After he spoke of the origin of Rosicrucian, I asked how this following has changed and shaped his life. He told me that he enjoys the study of mysticism as he is now considered a "practicing mystic", or "someone who formulates and seeks an intimate relationship with God which bridges the objective and cosmic consciousness" (Benowitz, 2007). I questioned of the challenges that he faces when following this teaching. He replied with the shocking answer that "everything is a challenge" (Benowitz, 2007). He detailed further by saying, "We are considered walking question marks; always questioning things. [When beginning], you forget everything that you are ever taught and begin to learn everything for yourself. We do not degrade anyone's belief, but we respect them. For example, Muslims beliefs are not disrespected. Matter of fact, Rosicrucian followers are from many different faiths including Judaism, Muslim, Buddhism,