How is Christianity related to freemasonry?

Historical masonic practice originally required an invocation to the Trinity and a formal declaration of Christian belief, as recorded by Quatuor Coronati. The 1723 Constitutions replaced this requirement with an obligation to obey the moral law within "that Religion in which all Men agree" 3. Following the 1813 Union, specific Christian references were removed from most Craft rituals in 1816 to enable men of different faiths to participate without compromising their beliefs 3. This process left Craft Masonry requiring only a belief in a Supreme Being, with both the Craft and the Royal Arch drawing their symbolism primarily from the Old Testament, as noted by the United Grand Lodge of England.

Higher and side orders retain closer explicit ties to Christian tradition. The United Grand Lodge of England notes that the Rose Croix degree in the Ancient and Accepted Rite incorporates New Testament symbolism, while side orders such as the Knights Templar and the Red Cross of Constantine restrict membership exclusively to Christians.

Symbolic and philosophical commentators have argued for structural and moral alignment between the traditions. Mackey maintained that the fundamental principles of the fraternity agree with those of Christianity 1. Commenting on the Craft degrees, Wilmshurst argued that the three-degree system corresponds in purpose to early Christian initiation rites recorded by Patristic writers such as Dionysius, with both systems using a three-stage progression to teach spiritual purification, enlightenment, and regeneration 2.