Some Masons say, along with Masonic apologist Alphonse Cerza, "Freemasonry cannot be a religion because it has no creed; it has no confession of faith; it has no theology, no ritual of worship." Let us now examine the claim that Freemasonry cannot be a religion because it has no creed.
    Webster defines "creed" as: "a statement of belief, principles, or opinions on any subject." Now, according to Webster, how can any Mason really say that he has no creed? No man can become a Mason without confessing his faith in a Supreme Being. Every Mason must believe in the immortality of the soul, give honorable service to God by practicing the secrets arts of Masonry, say prayers to deity, and swear oaths of secrecy in God’s name. These practices prove Masons have a definite creed.
    In Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia we find:

"Does Freemasonry have a creed...or tenet...or dogma...to which all members must adhere? Does Freemasonry continually teach and insist upon a creed, tenet and dogma? Does it have meetings characterized by the practice of rites and ceremonies in, and by which, its creed, tenet and dogma are illustrated, by myth, symbols and allegories? If Freemasonry were not religion, what would have to be done to make it such? Nothing would be necessary, or at least nothing but to add more of the same.
    Coil goes on to point out that not only does Freemasonry have a creed, but that the Masonic Lodge actually functions in practice as a church. For example, he writes:
 

    In conclusion, Coil writes, "The fact that freemasonry is a mild religion does not mean that it is no religion. Every Mason should listen to Henry Wilson Coil and stop asserting that they have no creed in the lodge. If they do have their own creed, they should also admit as Coil does that they are practicing religion.

John Ankerberg & John Weldon