Testimony of a Former Rainbow Girl

Lora Burton

At age 11, I first heard of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls from my friend who was a member. The Rainbow activities she described sounded fun, but she wouldn’t answer most of my questions about it. This didn’t deter my interest, and I asked to join. Six weeks later, I was initiated. At age 13, I was elected to the station of "Faith". I was installed as Worthy Advisor ("president") of my local Assembly at age 15, and the next summer, I was installed as a Grand Representative of Iowa Rainbow.

In all, there were only a handful of the 20 regular and five installing offices that I had not occupied in my Assembly during my nine-year membership. My Assembly bestowed an honor and several awards upon me. I excelled in Rainbow and was given special attention, instruction, and training by the adult sponsors. It was strongly "hinted" that my name was on the list to receive the second degree of Rainbow, the Grand Cross of Color.

At 18, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. However, I lacked spiritual guidance and maturity. Rainbow had Bible-like sayings that sounded "church-y", so I perceived Christianity and the teachings of Rainbow to be the same. How wrong I was. If a person fully understands Christianity and fully understands Masonry, they will realize that the two are like oil and water – they just don’t mix. They are NOT the same and they are NOT compatible. The god of Masonry is NOT the God of the Bible.

I wanted to know specifically what was wrong with Rainbow, but no one I knew had any answers. I was very confused. I had spent more than one-third of my life in Rainbow. Large investments of time, money, and effort were rewarded with the friendships, fun, leadership, direction and opportunities to excel that Rainbow seemed to provide. My confidence, both in Rainbow and in Christ, wavered. When I realized God wanted me to leave, I applied to my Assembly for a demit (discharge).

Later, I saw an ad in a magazine for a tape entitled "Christianity Versus Freemasonry". I received the tape with a letter urging me to ‘get out of Rainbow – fast!" It was the first informed refutation of the lodge I heard. He put me in touch with people who knew about masonry and were witnessing to masons. But I lacked information specifically on Rainbow. I couldn’t see a connection between the atrocities that Masons participated in with the rituals of Rainbow, which seemed so beautiful. Spiritually, the 16 oaths, vows, obligations and pledges I took at the Rainbow altar had desensitized me, numbed me and bound me. I had memorized Rainbow lectures and spewed them back out undigested. My attention had been focused on delivering the lectures word-perfect instead of scrutinizing the content of the lectures. When I asked the Mother Advisor of my Assembly specific questions about Rainbow, I received vague half-answers.

For nine years I fed on a watered-down and candy-coated version of Freemasonry’s ungodly doctrines. Matthew 7:17 says, "Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit." Therefore, Rainbow, being a product of the un-biblical Masonic body, could not possibly be wholesome. Spiritually, Rainbow left me starving, but I hadn’t realized how critical it was until I had fed on the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ (John 6:35).

The age of 21 is considered the age of majority when the Rainbow Girls are conducted through their final ceremony called the Majority Service. It is the graduation from girlhood into womanhood and from Rainbow into Eastern Star (they hope). It had been 22 months since I applied for a demit, but my Assembly wouldn’t grant it. I was physically out of Rainbow, but emotionally and spiritually, Rainbow was not out of me. My Assembly had pressured me to hold my Majority Service, and I was really tempted, if only to get them to leave me alone. In another two months, I’d be turning 22. One day I received a letter. Inside was my Majority Card – the equivalent of an honorable discharge. In its own insignificant way, Rainbow finally let me go. I prayed that my Assembly wouldn’t learn of my father’s new Masonic membership because I feared that this knowledge would fuel their desire for me to proceed in my Co-Masonic involvement.

In 1988 I graduated from Christ Unlimited Bible Institute, an intensive training program designed to firmly ground people in Teen Evangelism and the Bible. During my time there, God re-sensitized my heart. From the Bible, I could see where Rainbow (and Masonry) was in error. Ephesians 5:8-11 says, "For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord….Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." Matthew 10:26-27 says, "So do not be afraid of them (I thought of the Rainbow vows of secrecy I had made). There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the rooftops.

I felt called to specialize in cults. The CUBI training was immensely valuable in replacing the false teachings of Rainbow with the teachings of God. In Rainbow, I had held to a form of godliness but denied it’s power. I recognized my participation in Rainbow as sin. I repented of it and renounced my support of Rainbow. I rebuked the effects it had upon me. Then I received God’s forgiveness and was set free. I traded in my "religion" for a growing, intimate relationship with a living, loving and forgiving God.

I continued to research Masonry, but initially found very little pertaining to its junior orders including Job’s Daughters and De Molay. Eventually my collection grew, and I wanted to "pave the way" for others who were also searching by making the information I found readily available. Rooftop Ministries was formally founded in 1989. ROOFTOP is an acronym for Rescued Out Of Freemasonry: Testimony Of Prayer. I minister mainly to teenagers and women, especially those who are affected by the lodge or another cult. Rooftop acts as a type of clearing house that can provide, locate or recommend information and assistance to address almost any need on a continuum related to cults (ie: prevention, aspects and results of participation, counseling or witnessing to a cultist, exit counseling, follow up, etc.). I conduct research, teach, collect and distribute literature, consult with inquirers, make referrals, and network. I focus mainly on Freemasonry, which has at least 82 allied organizations and more than 833 additional degrees. I’m also interested in Masonic philanthropy. I’ve acquired rituals for about 20 of the 55+ women’s and children’s Co-Masonic groups that I’ve identified, including the Eastern Star, White Shrine, Job’s Daughters, De Molay, etc.

Numbers 30:3-5 says, "When a young woman still living in her father’s house makes a vow to the Lord or obligates herself by a pledge and her fathers hears about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all her vows and every pledge by which she obligated herself will stand. But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand; the Lord will release her because her father has forbidden her." Our Heavenly Father has forbidden us to make pledges. James 5:12 instructs us to "not swear – not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes and your "No," no, or you will be condemned."

God has blessed me with many teaching opportunities, local, national and international. Whether I’m assisting a professional, youth worker, clergy, teacher, cult member or their friends and relatives, I find the counter-cult ministry to be a great privilege and a tremendous responsibility. Each opportunity to minister is given special attention.

I am a member of Evangelical Ministries to New Religions and Ex-Masons For Jesus. I received my Bachelor of Religious Education from Covington Theological Seminary in 1997.

Soon after Masonry began, anti-Masonic groups formed to expose and extinguish Masonry. Today, there are many devoted people carrying on this task, leading Masons and Co-Masons to Jesus and away from the lodge. II Timothy 2:24-26 poses a major guideline for me, "And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will."

Contact Lora Burton by email.