What Is Freemasonry Really About?

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

Does anyone here know anything about freemasonry? Do you know any adepts? Should I try joining?

Until I'm proven wrong, all I understand it to be is a social club who gets together and make themselves believe they are better, while making other people (like me) wonder what's going on. But I could be wrong. I just don't know.

 

[cronxeh]

I think joining something more productive like Civil Air Patrol or Coast Guard Auxiliary is a better use of time with far greater rewards and contribution to society.

 

[loseyourname]

Anyone I knew of that was a freemason had a family connection prior to initiation.

And from what they've admitted to me, they don't scheme to covertly control world affairs.

 

[zomgwtf]

Does anyone here know anything about freemasonry? Do you know any adepts? Should I try joining?

Until I'm proven wrong, all I understand it to be is a social club who gets together and make themselves believe they are better, while making other people (like me) wonder what's going on. But I could be wrong. I just don't know.

Nah... freemasonry is mostly about charities and stuff. I'd say there are good lessons to be learnt. It all depends where you join and what type it is as well... I mean some are no different than going to sunday church.

 

[mugaliens]

Does anyone here know anything about freemasonry? Do you know any adepts? Should I try joining?

Until I'm proven wrong, all I understand it to be is a social club who gets together and make themselves believe they are better, while making other people (like me) wonder what's going on. But I could be wrong. I just don't know.

No, I don't think you're wrong about their secretive ways making others feel lesser or left out. There's something not quite write about that.

I'm with cronhex. Help out your community by volunteering at the fire department, police department or one of the many outstanding and much needed community service activities available in your area (meals on wheels...). Tons of opportunities!

 

[Blenton]

I'd love to get some free masonry done to my house.

 

[leroyjenkens]

Join the illuminati instead.

 

[zomgwtf]

No, I don't think you're wrong about their secretive ways making others feel lesser or left out. There's something not quite write about that.

I'm with cronhex. Help out your community by volunteering at the fire department, police department or one of the many outstanding and much needed community service activities available in your area (meals on wheels...). Tons of opportunities!

There's really nothing secretive about Freemasonry. Anyone can join and if you wanted you could probably even arrange to go to a meeting to see what it's like. Perhaps people have read too many Dan Brown books?

To be a freemason all you have to do is ask one.

 

[Danger]

With no insult intended toward anyone who has posted, Freemasonry as originally established is a religious cult. Extrapolate that in any way that you care to.

 

[Andy]

Have a read of dans browns the lost symbol, talks about the freemasons and their beleives quite a lot in their.

 

[Insanity]

To be a freemason all you have to do is ask one.

This is my understanding as well, and that there is an interviewing process to be accepted.

 

[Norman]

With no insult intended toward anyone who has posted, Freemasonry as originally established is a religious cult. Extrapolate that in any way that you care to.

My understanding is that this has changed. A friend and myself considered joining. The sticking point to us is that membership requires one to believe in a higher being (some sort of god).

EDIT: Actually it appears that if you are Catholic, you will be excommunicated once you join the masons. The wikipedia entry is an interesting read (the usual disclaimer applies here).

 

[leroyjenkens]

So what are the perks of being a free mason?

My understanding is that this has changed. A friend and myself considered joining. The sticking point to us is that membership requires one to believe in a higher being (some sort of god).

EDIT: Actually it appears that if you are Catholic, you will be excommunicated once you join the masons. The wikipedia entry is an interesting read (the usual disclaimer applies here).

I want to be excommunicated. I want something interesting to talk about with people I meet, because right now I have nothing.

 

[cronxeh]

So what are the perks of being a free mason?


I want to be excommunicated. I want something interesting to talk about with people I meet, because right now I have nothing.

Hehe. Start off with a mosque being built around ground zero and casually shift the conversation to Catholic churches being built around playgrounds

 

[Danger]

I want something interesting to talk about with people I meet, because right now I have nothing.

So talk about PF. You'll find discussions of just about every topic here, with the benefit that they are moderated in such a way as to weed out ********. There are heated debates, of course, but when a topic reaches the point of losing civility, it is shut down. Why embrace something that you don't believe in just to have a point of conversation? There are too many real issues in the world to deal with.

edit: Damn, Cronxeh... how do you keep sneaking in on me like that? (By the way, for the playground reference.)

 

[Insanity]

The sticking point to us is that membership requires one to believe in a higher being (some sort of god).

This point actually allows members of different religious backgrounds to join. As opinion or belief about a Creator differ, the solution was not to speak of a Creator, and keep such opinions or beliefs private.

 

[Norman]

This point actually allows members of different religious backgrounds to join. As opinion or belief about a Creator differ, the solution was not to speak of a Creator, and keep such opinions or beliefs private.

That is more than a little disingenuous and fundamentally against my moral code. Why would I join an organization and pretend to be something that I am not?

 

[leroyjenkens]

Why embrace something that you don't believe in just to have a point of conversation? There are too many real issues in the world to deal with.

But tell me how cool it would be to be able to say to someone "So yeah, I was excommunicated because I joined the Free Masons."
Right now all I can say is I was kicked out of a gaming store because I was making fun of a short kid with a pituitary problem.

 

[ndnkyd]

Hehe. Start off with a mosque being built around ground zero and casually shift the conversation to Catholic churches being built around playgrounds

This is a degrading and very horrible joke. You should be ashamed of yourself.

 

[Insanity]

That is more than a little disingenuous and fundamentally against my moral code. Why would I join an organization and pretend to be something that I am not?

If you are Christian and a Freemason, you are still a Christian. or Catholic, or Jew, or a member of whatever religion you are of, you simply do not discuss the Creator among other members.

My understanding of it from speaking with a 32nd degree Mason.

 

[cronxeh]

You should be ashamed of yourself.

 

[Norman]

If you are Christian and a Freemason, you are still a Christian. or Catholic, or Jew, or a member of whatever religion you are of, you simply do not discuss the Creator among other members.

My understanding of it from speaking with a 32nd degree Mason.

I understand that point. You missed the point where I am agnostic and not a believer, I guess. That is the disingenuous part.

EDIT: LOL! Sorry I forgot I deleted that part where I discussed my religious views. So, yes you did miss it along with the rest of the world not inside my head.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

If you are not a believer, you should not join the Freemasons. That is the main reason that I haven't joined, myself.

However, if you are a believer, they are quite welcoming, regardless of which specific concept of God you believe in. They simply refer to God as the Grand Architect, and do not discuss specifics, in order to be more inclusive. The idea is that nearly all religions have the same basic moral principles, so the Freemasons believe that each religion believes in a different facet of the same higher power. Sort of like the blind men and the elephant.

They are mainly a group of people who come together to reinforce each others' moral character. They do a lot of charity work. It's also a social club where you meet people of a similar mind to yourself. And it has some aspects of a fraternity, in that you can make connections which you can later exercise...members are supposed to look out for each other and help each other.

A few of my family are high-ranking Freemasons, including one 33rd degree.

 

[zomgwtf]

I can speak from personal experience that everything that Ben has stated is correct. Some even allow atheist etc. to join, you can even believe in a philosophical type of 'god' etc. you just don't talk about it. They ask you the question during your interview and you respond yes or no, that's it.

 

[zomgwtf]

I understand that point. You missed the point where I am agnostic and not a believer, I guess. That is the disingenuous part.

EDIT: LOL! Sorry I forgot I deleted that part where I discussed my religious views. So, yes you did miss it along with the rest of the world not inside my head.

If this is the case and you are uncomfortable joining up with a bunch of men who do hold beliefs in various forms of God then maybe you should consider joining other 'societies'? likeee... Rotary? Or Lions?

 

[Insanity]

If you are not a believer, you should not join the Freemasons. That is the main reason that I haven't joined, myself.

However, if you are a believer, they are quite welcoming, regardless of which specific concept of God you believe in. They simply refer to God as the Grand Architect, and do not discuss specifics, in order to be more inclusive. The idea is that nearly all religions have the same basic moral principles, so the Freemasons believe that each religion believes in a different facet of the same higher power. Sort of like the blind men and the elephant.

They are mainly a group of people who come together to reinforce each others' moral character. They do a lot of charity work. It's also a social club where you meet people of a similar mind to yourself. And it has some aspects of a fraternity, in that you can make connections which you can later exercise...members are supposed to look out for each other and help each other.

A few of my family are high-ranking Freemasons, including one 33rd degree.

Yes, my understanding as well.

 

[Insanity]

EDIT: LOL! Sorry I forgot I deleted that part where I discussed my religious views. So, yes you did miss it along with the rest of the world not inside my head.

and I'm the one with Insanity as an username. :)