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Are Amway Corporation and its founders tied in with the Masonic Order? Many people have written me expressing their concerns about Amway. Evidently, whether deliberate or not, there does appear to be some type of connection between the organization and Freemasonry. The first Amway building had a Masonic square and compass symbol on the front facade. The luxurious Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan_where Amway has its international conventions for its distrib-utors_was built right onto a huge Masonic temple. The architecture of this hotel is integrated so that many Masonic symbols carved in stone are visible at the river side of the structure.
In 1988 I was the keynote speaker at a national Sunday School leaders conference held at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Strangely, when I checked in, the desk clerk inexplicably assigned me to room 666!
Was this just coincidental, or did someone at the hotel know that the topic of my talk was to be "The Coming New Age Antichrist, 666?"
It felt odd and eerie entering a hotel room on the sixth floor with the number 666 prominently displayed on the door. But I had Jesus with me in my heart, and prayer as my weapon. I figured the devil had a lot more to worry about than me, and I certainly wasn't going to let him intimidate me.
Protected by the Holy Spirit from intimidation, I slept like a baby. So did Wanda, my precious wife. The next morning, we arose early, and Wanda and I went for a brief and invigorating walk outside along the river front of this mammoth and impressive hotel. There, I observed the pagan Masonic symbols, architecture, and Egyptian statues.
Back inside the hotel, in the grand lobby, I saw a shiny, brass metal plaque on a pillar. It had inscribed on it the names of dignitaries who had previously stayed at the hotel. I studied the names carefully and noticed that among them were England's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip; the Netherlands' Queen Julianna and Prince Bernard; and former U.S. President Gerald Ford.
Then, a surprise: Amidst all these well-known VIP names was the name of another, lesser-known personage. Right there on the list was a "Chief Holy Eagle." I immediately recognized the potential New Age and Masonic meaning of the name of this so-called dignitary, Chief Holy Eagle.
Regardless of its Masonic connections, certainly the promotional emphasis within Amway is ungodly. There is nothing wrong with making money, but to combine the things of God with an all-out hunger and campaign for mammon is unbecoming.
Amway's spiritual philosophy is, in my opinion, perfectly in tune with the
| Rich DeVos, a
founder of Amway, is one of America's richest men. This is the cover
of DeVos' Inspirational audiotape, Selling America. Notice
the blatantly Masonic signal DeVos appears to be sending with his
hands. |
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so-called prosperity gospel. Advocates of this false gospel claim that if you consistently think positive and speak positive, God will make you fabulously rich. This is a horrendously false teaching and must be rejected by true Christians. Bible believers well know and accept that any true child of God must be willing to accept hardship, persecution and deprivation if that be God's will.
The pep rallies of Amway and similar commercial groups whip up emotions of a greedy nature and cause listeners to focus first and almost exclusively on money and success. But the Bible tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Yes, the "positive" crowd may add in a little spirituality and may occasionally sprinkle in some Christian lingo, but it's too often an afterthought, an aside. How sad and pitiful—and how devoid of true riches and prosperity—is their message.
Perhaps this is why I am now so often besieged by folks telling me of New Age visualization and meditation, nature worship, and other New Age practices taught and encouraged by their Amway distributors. Whether this (officially) comes from the top down I do not know, but it does exist.
I am sure that Amway has its good points. Certainly, its supporters will respond to this article and vigorously defend the company. Recently, I received a letter from Amway's headquarters in which the company denies that its head, Rich DeVos, is a 33rd degree Mason. Perhaps Amway has an explanation for its retaining the Masonic symbols and architecture on its Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. My comments here should, therefore, be read with caution and without making a hasty judgment.
Moreover, I realize that there are many fine, sincere people involved in distributing and selling Amway products. I make no rash judgments about their motives, nor do I question the depth of their faith. My purpose is to simply cause Christians to reflect on the true meaning of the Gospel and compare that with the principles of mammon which I believe are strongly espoused by Amway and other multilevel marketing organizations.
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