What is Rosicrucianism?

Answer

The true origin of Rosicrucianism is unknown. Currently, two groups claim to represent Rosicrucianism: the Rosicrucian Fellowship in Oceanside, California, and the rival organization, the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC) in San Jose, California. The latter group strongly asserts its status as the authentic Rosicrucian order.

The earliest authentic Rosicrucian writings date back to the 17th century. These anonymous works detail the journeys of the alleged founder of the order, Christian Rosenkreutz. According to the narrative, Rosenkreutz acquired knowledge about medicine and magic during a trip to the Near East. Upon returning to Europe, he established a clandestine fraternity whose members communicated through secret-coded writings.

The Rosicrucian Order is syncretistic, incorporating ideas and beliefs from various religions in an effort to unify them under a central theme: the wisdom concerning life after death, preserved through the ages and disclosed solely to the secret brotherhood (the Rosicrucians). Rosicrucianism includes occult teachings such as ESP, clairvoyance, and spiritism. These align with the secretive nature of Rosicrucianism, as these practices are considered the domain of Satan and his demons, who always avoid the light.

In terms of the fundamental Christian doctrines found in the Bible, the Rosicrucians hold the following beliefs:

Jesus Christ: Rosicrucianism asserts that He was born to Gentile parents, did not die on the cross, did not ascend to heaven, and instead withdrew to a monastery in Carmel to engage in secret missions with His apostles.

Salvation: Rosicrucianism rejects the notion that one must rely on Christ as the sole Savior. Their system emphasizes self-effort, encapsulated in their motto “TRY.”

The Bible: Rosicrucianism denies the divine authorship of the Bible and does not regard Scripture as uniquely significant.

As is the case with all false religions, Rosicrucianism is a deception from the father of lies, Satan, and therefore shares many similarities with other false belief systems. Firstly, it rejects the authority of Scripture. According to 2 Timothy 3:16, “all scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Every word in the Bible is inspired by God Himself (literally God-breathed), who guided the hands and minds of each writer. Secondly, none of the assertions about Jesus Christ align with the Bible. Matthew 1:1-18 and Luke 3:23-28 confirm Jesus’s extensive Jewish lineage, not Gentile. Paul emphasizes in 1 Corinthians 15:17 that “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” Acts 1:9-11 and Matthew 24:30 validate Christ’s ascension into heaven and His future return. The Jesus portrayed in Rosicrucianism is not the Jesus of the Bible.

Regarding the Rosicrucian doctrine of self-effort, the Bible teaches that man is inherently sinful “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) and incapable of performing enough good deeds to earn acceptance from a holy and perfectly righteous God. “For no human being will be justified in His sight by works of the law” “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20). In essence, man is in dire need of a Savior to accomplish this on his behalf. God has provided this Savior in His Son, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed Himself on the cross to atone for our sins and reconcile us with God. He traded His sinless life for our sinful ones: “For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us.”

For us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” «For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.», (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Finally, the secretive nature of Rosicrucianism is in direct contrast with the true faith, Christianity, which seeks to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ from the rooftops, as the Bible exhorts us: “What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light, and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops” «What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. », (Matthew 10:27).