Freemasonry started in Europe some time around the 16th century, and now is a network of at least six million "brothers" around the world.xii Many—if not all—American presidents have been involved in Masonry. Although some parts of Freemasonry are secret, this society is really a front organization controlled by the Society of Jesus—the Jesuits: If you trace up Masonry, through all its Orders, till you come to the grand tip-top, head Mason of the World, you will discover that the dread individual and the Chief of the Society of Jesus are one and the same person!xiii The truth is, the Jesuits of Rome have perfected Freemasonry to be their most magnificent and effective tool, accomplishing their purposes among Protestants.xiv Even members of the New Age movement recognize this connection. Theosophist Helena Blavatsky says this: It is curious to note too that most of the bodies which work these, such as the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, the Rite of Avignon, the Order of the Temple, Fessler's Rite, the "Grand Council of the Emperors of the East and West—"Sovereign Prince Masons," etc., etc., are nearly all the offspring of the sons of Ignatius Loyola. The Baron Hundt, Chevalier Ramsay, Tschoudy, Zinnendorf, and numerous others who founded the grades in these rites, worked under instructions from the General of the Jesuits. The nest where these high degrees were hatched, and no Masonic rite is free from their baleful influence more or less, was the Jesuit College of Clermont at Paris (emphasis added).xv Freemasonry carries on the legacy of the Knights Templar, a military order controlled by the Pope. Although the Knights Templar supposedly do not exist in the same form, a group associated with Freemasonry called the Knights Templar does still exist, and similar organizations such as the Knights of Malta also carry on the legacy. Secret Knowledge The highest levels of Freemasonry have the Gnostic "secret knowledge" that they hide from the rest of the world, and even lower-level Masons are kept in the dark. Read more about this double doctrine in our article Spirituality and Secret Societies There is a division between the inner circle and the outer, the freemen who have the knowledge, and the commoners who don't even know they are being controlled and enslaved: We must create a super rite, which will remain unknown, to which we will call those Masons of high degree (30th and above), whom we shall select. With regards to our brothers in Masonry, these men must be pledged to the strictest secrecy. Through this supreme rite, we will govern all Freemasonry which will become the one international center, the more powerful, because its direction will be unknown.xvi The Blue Degrees are but the outer court of portico of the Temple. Part of the symbols are displayed there to the Initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them; but it is intended that he shall imagine he understands them. Their true explication is reserved for the Adepts, the Princes of Masonry. The whole body of the Royal and Sacerdotal Art was hidden so carefully, centuries since, in the High Degrees (emphasis added).xvii The religion of Freemasonry is essentially the worship of Lucifer, or Satan. In Masonic thought, Satan is the light-bearer, and God is the dark one. This is typical Gnostic inversion of the truth—one of Satan's favorite deception....
http://storage.amazingdiscoveries.org/assets/files/ADDownloads/Section%20PDFs/Secret-Societies.pdf

I'm assuming that there's a part 2 coming as there's no connection with the Kabbalah in your first post.

This is an important history and I'm glad you brought it up.

"The mind of a man or woman does not come down in a moment from purity and holiness to depravity, corruption, and crime. It takes time to transform the human to the divine, or to degrade those formed in the image of God to the brutal or the satanic. By beholding we become changed. Though formed in the image of his Maker, man can so educate his mind that sin which he once loathed will become pleasant to him. As he ceases to watch and pray, he ceases to guard the citadel, the heart, and engages in sin and crime. The mind is debased, and it is impossible to elevate it from corruption while it is being educated to enslave the moral and intellectual powers and bring them in subjection to grosser passions. Constant war against the carnal mind must be maintained; and we must be aided by the refining influence of the grace of God, which will attract the mind upward and habituate it to meditate upon pure and holy things.12 {AH 330.2}

Why do men claiming the name of the Lord get excited in studying occultism? Is there nothing better to fill your minds with?

James - it would be good you put your quote in context.
Is Rich H. choosing a licentious life? No. Is he perverting the scripture? No. If you want to reach someone steeped in Kabbalah, might it be good to know where they are at? The same principles that form Kabbalism are the same in Catholicism, and in indeed, in all false religion. A physician needs to understand disease, in order to treat it.

A physician does not need to have cancer to treat it.

But he sure better understand the cancer in order to treat it effectively.

Jesus said to be as wise as the serpent but He did not say to go to the same school.

You will no doubt have some cunning excuse for advocating this study but with God as my witness you do not know what you are doing. What you just said is tantamount to advocating studying satanism so we will know how to argue against it.

james - consider: Ezekiel 8:14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

Please tell me who is Tammuz? And if you can, how is it you knew this?

Consider: Jeremiah 44:17-19 But we will certainly do whatever thing goes forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. (18) But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. (19) And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her, without our men?

Who is the Queen of Heaven? How do you know? Is she relevant today? How? Are the groups today the worship Tammuz and the Queen of Heaven? Who are they?

There is a complete difference from knowing historically that Tammuz is the sun god of Babylon, which you could read about through those few words in biblical record, than to immerse yourself in all the particulars of that pagan religion. As soon as a child of God reads that the vision was about weeping for the 'god' Tammuz, the warning has been given that it is not something you should let your guard down and get deep into, since it is listed as an ABOMINATION by the true GOD.

It is a test for men to see whether they truly worship the true king or become enamored with pursuing dark knowledge. Do you think it is a licence to get involved, to let your mind be filled with that evil yourself just because he is mentioned in scripture? Wouldn't that be counter productive since God is calling the act an abomination?

We have to guard the avenues of our hearts. Know that the act mentioned is not something God wants you to learn intimately. Be wise in knowing what He is warning us about, and LEAVE IT ALONE!!!!

God has given us all we need to know about Tammuz and Baal and Satan by His divine record, and through the Spirit of Prophecy. Do you think Jesus or the Apostles set their minds towards learning all they could about Tammuz? Are you seriously debating this issue?

Here is something to contemplate. Jesus said to "be wise as the serpent, yet gentle as the dove". Did He mean for us to get into a conversation with the devil to learn all his craft? This didn't work out too well for our first parents did it? It led them to accept the teaching of the devil and eat of the TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL!!!!

Is it not more effective, and exactly what He meant, for us to ask HIM, the creator of the angels about it? Jesus knows more about Satan than Satan, or any text book does. We need to go to the source of all wisdom, Elohim, to be as gentle as the dove.

"Our first parents chose to believe the words, as they thought, of a serpent; yet he had given them no tokens of his love. He had done nothing for their happiness and benefit; while God had given them everything that was good for food, and pleasant to the sight. Everywhere the eye might rest was abundance and beauty; yet Eve was deceived by the serpent, to think that there was something withheld which would make them wise, even as God. Instead of believing and confiding in their Creator, she basely distrusted his goodness, and cherished the words of Satan. {ST January 23, 1879, par. 4}

"But where did those men obtain their powers of intellect? Where did they get their sharpness? From the fountain of all knowledge. But they have prostituted their powers; they have given them as a contribution to the devil, and don’t you think the devil is smart? Many are traveling in the devil’s tracks by reading infidel authors. Satan is a sharp being, and they fall in love with his learning and smartness.—Manuscript 8b, 1891. {3SM 232.2}

"To many of our youth there is great danger in listening to the discourses that are given by those who in the world are called great men. These discourses are often of a highly intellectual nature, and prevailing errors of science falsely so-called and of popular religious doctrine are mingled with wise sayings and observations, but they undermine the statements of the Bible and give the impression that there is reason for questioning the truth of the inspired Word. In this way the seeds of skepticism are sown by great and professedly wise men, but their names are registered in the books of record in heaven as fools, and they are an offense to God. They repeat the falsehoods that Satan put into the mouth of the serpent, and educate the youth in delusions. {3SM 232.3}

This is the kind of education the enemy delights in. It is sorcery. The great apostle inquired, “Who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth?” Those who receive and admire the sentiments of these so-called great men are in danger, for through the subtlety of the enemy the sophistical reasoning of these false teachers takes root in the heart of our youth, and almost imperceptibly they are converted from truth to error. But the conversion should be just the other way. Our young men who have seen the evidences of the verity of truth should be firmly established and able to win souls to Christ from the darkness of error. {3SM 232.4}

(marks of this are all over what you two and many more here write about on this website, I can just imagine your influence in your churches)

It was not the will of God that this sinless pair should have any knowledge of evil. He had freely given them the good but withheld the evil. Eve thought the words of the serpent wise, and she received the broad assertion, “Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil”—making God a liar. Satan boldly insinuated that God had deceived them to keep them from being exalted in knowledge equal with Himself. God said: If ye eat ye shall surely die. The serpent said, If ye eat, “ye shall not surely die.” {SR 34.1}

Should I go on?

And you bring this sophistry to the church to teach others like Eve did to Adam?

Every time you get into this mess you exalt Satan in the presence of God's true children and bring shame, but YOU DEFEND THIS!

A recent very prominent Adventist Theologian was defrocked for sexual immorality. He wanted to be re-baptized. Yet it turned out his moral fall was not once, but a string of them, which no one knew about. He has an on-line "ministry". All the tell-tail signs of the occult are there on his website, the images and even the name. It is subtle. But if you know what you are looking for, it is as bright as day. I doubt you would see it.

The occult is about sun worship, sex worship, the creature rather that the creator. Yet, it is occult, it can be very subtle. Matthew 24:24 KJV For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

You JT, accuse me for defending Rick H. I don't see Rick being steeped in the occult. He is becoming informed of how it has infiltrated ALL of society. He now more aware of the signs which are ALL around us.

A physician does not need to become infected with a venereal disease in order to be able to understand it and treat it, and to inform her patient of the perils of the activity he has engaged in. But I would suppose that you would want to remain ignorant.

You want a plain statement? Read them JT. They are sobering. Well, they should be...

"And the Saviour has plainly said, "With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." Who can stand before God and plead a faultless character, a blameless life? And how, then, dare any criticise and condemn their brethren? Those who themselves can hope for salvation only through the merits of Christ, who must seek forgiveness by virtue of his blood, are under the strongest obligation to exercise love, pity, and forgiveness toward their fellow-sinners. {RH, November 30, 1886 par. 13} "

How much harm has been done because men have lifted up themselves in condemning others, when before God they were guilty of far greater mistakes and sins. They say to their brethren, "Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye," when there is a beam in their own eye. {RH, August 20, 1895 par. 4}

When you see supposed defects in the brethren who are preaching the Word of God, you talk of their mistakes and seek to uproot the confidence that others have in them, simply because they do not meet your ideas; but are your ideas without a flaw? Are your ways perfect before God? Has He placed you on the judgment seat to discover defects in others, to denounce and condemn them? I tell you, He has not; it is a work you have taken upon yourself. In place of humbling your own heart before God, you have watched for something to accuse in your ministering brethren. Elder [E. P.] Daniels has helped you, and you have helped him in this work which is condemned of God, for it is most cruel work. {20MR 96.3}
To accuse others is to work in harmony with the great adversary of souls; to bring deception upon others. Satan is an accuser of the brethren, and all this accusation on your part will not make right one of your own errors, will not make less grievous one of your own wrongs. The spirit of criticism fastens you in the snare of Satan, for he desires you to think yourself better and wiser than your brethren. When you closely examine your own case, when you are sure that you are a doer of the words of Christ, that you are walking in His footsteps, you will not have time or desire to weaken your brethren. You will know how displeasing to God it is. {20MR 96.4}