Aproximações entre a maçonaria no Brasil e as religiões universais: abordagens através dos seus rituais, símbolos e mitos

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the connections between Freemasonry in Brazil and universal religions, focusing on its rituals, symbols, and myths. Recognized as an initiatory institution of a philosophical and symbolic nature, Freemasonry is analyzed in its cultural, spiritual, and ethical dimensions, highlighting its function as a space for interreligious dialogue and reflection on universal values. The study is based on bibliographic research and comparative analysis, with an interdisciplinary approach encompassing history, anthropology, and philosophy of religion. The phenomenology of religion, according to Filoramo and Prandi (1999), is used as a method to understand symbolic and ritual phenomena, allowing the identification of parallels and convergences between the Masonic tradition and universal religious practices. The investigation contextualizes the main schools of Masonic thought — Authentic, Anthropological, Mystical, and Occult — with an emphasis on the Anthropological School, which seeks to identify cultural and proto-Masonic elements in different traditions. The analysis shows that the symbols, myths, and rites of the Order, such as the Great Architect of the Universe and the legend of Hiram Abiff, constitute mediating devices between the initiatory experience and traditional forms of religiosity, configuring a universal symbolic language. The results demonstrate that Masonic ritual operates according to the logic of rites of passage, promoting experiences of symbolic death and rebirth, with lasting identity and ontological effects. The Masonic Temple is understood as a sacralized space and symbolic architecture that articulates cosmology, myth, and ritual practice. It is concluded that Freemasonry, in addition to being a historical institution, constitutes a cultural and symbolic phenomenon of academic relevance, capable of mediating between tradition and reinvention, preserving mythical repertoires and reconfiguring them into formative practices. Its symbolism, far from being mere ornament, plays an epistemological and pedagogical role, guiding ethical and spiritual trajectories. Thus, the Order reveals itself as a dynamic tradition, capable of promoting interreligious dialogue and contributing to the understanding of human experience in its deepest dimension.