What a stilted piece. I don’t really want to comment on the ritual but he was asked to remove the cross and the wedding ring not because they represented the church but because they are considered jewelry. He is using some sort of paranoid fantasy to ascribe anti-christian reasons for things that have nothing to do with christianity. If you walk into a hall you will meet decent hardworking Americans who all believe in God and most would feel at home amongst Freepers!
I have serious doubts this person was raised and then went on the Scottish Rite.
He would understand very well why the request is made to remove any metal object and his story seems uninformed.
Moreover, he would have sat through many initiations and heard the lectures as to why metal is removed for initiates.