During the course of its history, Freemasonry has gone from explicitly Christian in its operative days to implicitly Christian, during the emergence from its operative to its speculative stages during the formative years of the first Grand Lodges, then through the era of schism and reconstitution, eventuating in the formation of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE). As the Craft spread to the European continent, thence to America and the far flung reaches of the British Empire, the whole question of admitting non-Christians, became increasingly problematic – more so for Hindus, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, and Confucianists, less so for Jews and Muslims, i.e., People of the Book. It was even suggested by some Masonic writers that there be separate Lodges for each faith tradition – some Jewish, some Muslim, some Hindu, etc. This was subsequently dealt with, in 1842, by the Duke of Sussex, Grand Master of the UGLE, who proclaimed that no man should be denied consideration for candidacy based solely on his religion, it being required that the aspirant simply affirm his belief in a Supreme Being. In diverse places and at some times, a further affirmation of belief in an afterlife or the immortality of the soul was also required, but with considerable variation. Read More→