In October we reported on a fundamentalist church in Elgin, Illinois that had petitioned their city council to allow them to remove Masonic emblems from their building, a former Masonic temple now held to be an historical landmark.On October 10, the Elgin City Council voted 5-2 to allow Family Life Church to remove the emblems.
Council members Mike Powers and John Steffen voted against overturning the heritage commission's ruling.
"I view this building as a landmark, architectural landmark for the city," Powers said. "I think that changing the facade would be a serious mistake."
"It's fundamentally part of the building," Steffen added. "[The compass and square] is the focal point of the front of the building."
City resident Jennifer Shroder, a local Christian and granddaughter of a Freemason, spoke up about her opposition to the decision in a letter to the editor of the Daily Herald on October 17: "It is this kind of prejudice that mars most of the history of Christianity.... As Christians, shouldn't we encourage tolerance, not try to erase all evidence of it from a prominent building?"
Masons | Masonic Architecture | Fundamentalist Christians | Freemasonry | Elgin, Illinois | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com
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