DO
MASONS PRAY IN THE LODGE?
The answer to question is yes, but it quite different that a worship service. Since Freemasonry is not a religion there is no need to have worship as one of its functions. There is nothing in the Lodge Room of any religious significance. There are no pictures of saints or Satan on the walls. There are no statues. There are no pews. There is not even a choir loft. The Lodge Room is rectangular is shape. There are seats on the North and South sides for the non-officers and visitors. There is a platform on the East side where the "chairman" sits. There are officer’s chairs on the South and West sides. The secretary and treasurers chairs are on the platform. Other than that there is only an altar with a KJV Bible (in most lodges) on top of it, placed in the center of the room.
One of the best known writers in the Scottish Rite answers this very serious accusation about whether or not Masons worship in the Lodge:
No. Except, perhaps, in the sense that, for a Christian, EVERY act is an act of worship. Our meetings open and closed with prayer, Masons are encouraged to remember that God sees and knows everything that we do, and the Bible is always open during a Masonic meeting. But it is not a worship service in the sense that a service in a church is. And that brings up one of the most ridiculous charges sometimes made against us -- that our members are "really" worshiping a demon, only they don't know it! But you cannot worship something without knowing it. The act of worship is an act of full concentration, knowledge, and devotion-- "with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind." We honor and venerate GOD, not the Adversary.
Some of the critics of Freemasonry like to make the accusation that Masons are praying to a false god, a lesser god, or a generic god. None of the recognized Masonic writers have ever said such a thing. In order to become a Freemason one must declare a belief in a Supreme Being. It is required that one be monotheistic in their belief about God. This is exactly what the Old Testament declares in Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear, 0 Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" No statement in Masonic writings suggests that Masons believe Yahweh is an inferior God.
The British-American type of Freemasonry admonishes all Masons to be diligent
in their own religions. It makes no statements on whether these religions are
equal or true. It does not propagate any form of syncretism, and neither
affirms or denies the teachings of any religion. It does not claim that
different religions are actually worshipping the same god. Freemasonry makes
only one religious statement: that there is a God who created the Universe. In
this, it draws a line between religious believers and godless people. It does
not concern itself with the lines between religions, because it is itself not a
religion, and the various temples and churches are better equipped to define
the various eternal verities.