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Freemasonry
- Thread starter cfer
- Start date
I have to admit that I really knew nothing about them before this post. Here are some interesting links I found:
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/Writings/LuciferandSatan.html
http://www.freemasonrywatch.org/pr.html
http://www.intuitivetimes.ca/Articles/Oct2003/artfreemasonoct03.htm
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/Writings/LuciferandSatan.html
http://www.freemasonrywatch.org/pr.html
http://www.intuitivetimes.ca/Articles/Oct2003/artfreemasonoct03.htm
robtex
Veteran Member
I have two friends that are masons. They both talked a lot about it but only when asked. I also read the book the hirtham key which was written by two masons.
From the two guys I learned:
It is open to men only and to quality as a member you must believe their is a higher power than man but is monotheistic in design (but including the Christian trilogy as mono). This makes it open to Jews and Muslims but neither guy knew any who were masons.
You have to ask to become a mason and not the other way around. They will not approach you with info on it. When you asked they come out to your home and interview --like interviewing for a job. They are making an assessment of your morals and values. They, if I remember correctly ask you directly, if you believe in God.
One is accepted into a lodge via a voting system. I am not sure how the voting system works. But once you are in you are in for life unless you renounce your theism or are kicked out for which is really really rare. If you don't attend your lodge anymore you are inactive but still a mason.
Once you are voted in you get things to study all of which can be found in the Bible both men told me. In ones studies one learns rituals that have symbolic meanings to the group and they are not premitted to tallk about the nature or meanings of the rituals...other than they are symbolic.
One attains rank in the lodge that is universally recognized by the other lodges based on preformance in rituals and knowledge gained from study. I do not know how the ranking system works.
The masons, as a whole, have a handshake or other symbols they use to signify to other masons that they are in fact masons. How the mason lodges are assmembled at any one time is symbolic too and the two (they didnt know each other by the way) told me that they could walk into a forgien lodge look at the arrangement and know what the approximate agenda for that meeting would be.
All the above info is personally attain and I am afraid I cannot prove any of it to be true.
In "The hirtham key" the authors, Knight and Lomas stated that their were rituals ranks and literature to gage preformance and that the rituals could not be revealed to non-members. Other than that (because they could not I suspect) they said litlle about being a mason.
When I lived in Sacremento Ca the masons built a lot of the legal buildings from court houses to state and county buildings. A signifigant percentage of the buildings were dedicated to master masons who founded lodges in the Sacremento area. I use to jog past a lodge eveyday that was about 50 years old and the lobby was kept open all the time during the day with the furniture re arranged many many times.
In Texas they are masons too but there lodges are not as prominant but lodges are in many cities and the shiners are the most prominant ones down here giving to charities year round.
The symbol of the masons is a capital letter G with a large upside down V and a slighly smaller v overlapping. The G is in the middle. Many masons wear this symbol on ties, jackets and rings. If you ask them about it and you know one you are likely to get similar info that I have.
The catholic church has a differnt version of the Masons called the Knights of Columbus
From the two guys I learned:
It is open to men only and to quality as a member you must believe their is a higher power than man but is monotheistic in design (but including the Christian trilogy as mono). This makes it open to Jews and Muslims but neither guy knew any who were masons.
You have to ask to become a mason and not the other way around. They will not approach you with info on it. When you asked they come out to your home and interview --like interviewing for a job. They are making an assessment of your morals and values. They, if I remember correctly ask you directly, if you believe in God.
One is accepted into a lodge via a voting system. I am not sure how the voting system works. But once you are in you are in for life unless you renounce your theism or are kicked out for which is really really rare. If you don't attend your lodge anymore you are inactive but still a mason.
Once you are voted in you get things to study all of which can be found in the Bible both men told me. In ones studies one learns rituals that have symbolic meanings to the group and they are not premitted to tallk about the nature or meanings of the rituals...other than they are symbolic.
One attains rank in the lodge that is universally recognized by the other lodges based on preformance in rituals and knowledge gained from study. I do not know how the ranking system works.
The masons, as a whole, have a handshake or other symbols they use to signify to other masons that they are in fact masons. How the mason lodges are assmembled at any one time is symbolic too and the two (they didnt know each other by the way) told me that they could walk into a forgien lodge look at the arrangement and know what the approximate agenda for that meeting would be.
All the above info is personally attain and I am afraid I cannot prove any of it to be true.
In "The hirtham key" the authors, Knight and Lomas stated that their were rituals ranks and literature to gage preformance and that the rituals could not be revealed to non-members. Other than that (because they could not I suspect) they said litlle about being a mason.
When I lived in Sacremento Ca the masons built a lot of the legal buildings from court houses to state and county buildings. A signifigant percentage of the buildings were dedicated to master masons who founded lodges in the Sacremento area. I use to jog past a lodge eveyday that was about 50 years old and the lobby was kept open all the time during the day with the furniture re arranged many many times.
In Texas they are masons too but there lodges are not as prominant but lodges are in many cities and the shiners are the most prominant ones down here giving to charities year round.
The symbol of the masons is a capital letter G with a large upside down V and a slighly smaller v overlapping. The G is in the middle. Many masons wear this symbol on ties, jackets and rings. If you ask them about it and you know one you are likely to get similar info that I have.
The catholic church has a differnt version of the Masons called the Knights of Columbus
cfer
Active Member
I never knew the KofC was supposed to be a version of Masonry. I just thought it was a charitable Catholic organization.robtex said:
I am a Mason myself. The reason I asked the question is because I've seen quite a few things, especially on the Internet, that seem to be anti-Masonry and I was curious how people of different religious backgrounds view it. We have talked in our lodge about this perception that people have about us as a group, and what we can do to improve it.
There are some out there that think the people who are most outspoken against Masonry are those who were either in it and have been expelled from the group or were not allowed to join, whatever the reasons for those may be. In other words, they have an axe to grind.
Ceridwen018
Well-Known Member
As for my opinion of the Masons, I think it's all very mysterious. It's very cool that you are a Mason, cfer. Could you tell us some about it?
robtex
Veteran Member
sorry poor phrasing i was trying to say parallel..both have male clubs on faith and do community service and have those exlusive clubhouses things going on......but yeah rivary from 1307 when grand inquisitor of France, a Catholic cruxified Jacques de Molay a Templar (believed to be connected with Masonary), for rejecting the trinity.SOGFPP said:OH MY GOODNESS....... NOT EVEN CLOSE.
The Freemasons are very anti-Catholic and no practical Catholic ( in Communion with the Church of Rome) may become a member.Scott
Runt
Well-Known Member
I have a Freemason ring... and probably shouldn't, since I'm female, but it looks cool. I guess I'm kind of hoping one day some Mason is going to see it and get pissed off at me... and then perhaps I can provoke a fun little fight!
Which brings me to another question... are there any similar groups that include women?
Which brings me to another question... are there any similar groups that include women?
cfer
Active Member
Actually, there is a group closely related to the Masons that admits women called the Eastern Star. But I think you have to be related to a Mason in order to join.Runt said:I have a Freemason ring... and probably shouldn't, since I'm female, but it looks cool. I guess I'm kind of hoping one day some Mason is going to see it and get pissed off at me... and then perhaps I can provoke a fun little fight!
Which brings me to another question... are there any similar groups that include women?
That's interesting that you wear a Masonic ring. But you're not going to provoke a fight about it with me. If you want to wear it, go right ahead. You still don't know our handshake.
Scott, I'm kind of curious about the anti-Catholic thing. Nothing that I have seen or heard in our meetings suggest that we are anti-Catholic. All that is needed to join is a firm belief in a higher power, whatever name you give to that higher power.
As for what I can tell you about the Masons, it's not much. I just joined a little over a year ago. Mostly we do stuff in and around the community. We donate money to different charities and shelters, help with fund raising for the other social groups (Kiwanis, Rotary, Toatsmasters, etc.) in our community, sponsor a city park, and other various civic things.
To be honest, it's all very rote and kind of stale, if you ask me. It's a lot of going through the motions at the meetings. It's not really at all what I had envisioned when I joined. But then again, I joined partly to meet new people and to help me network in a new community. And it's always nice to do good things in the community. I'm only 30 and I'm one of the younger members. There's a lot of older, retired members, men who have been members for decades, which is part of the problem, I think. But we've just elected a younger president, and we're trying to get younger members. But the problem is, it's against our bylaws to actually recruit. Robtex, you were right. You have to ask to become a Mason; we don't ask you to join.
But that's why I find it hard to believe that people have problems and think that Masonry is bad. All we do is drink coffee and hand out money to various local charities. How is that evil?
Chris
Scott1
Well-Known Member
Chris,
I must say that I misspoke.... the Masons might not be anti-Catholic, but the organization is incompatible with the Christian faith.
Freemasonry has a very formal religious system which includes a belief in God as the Grand Architect of the Universe, the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body. Masonry also believes that man can achieve salvation by his good works, independent of God's gift of grace. Notwithstanding its belief in God, resurrection of the body, and salvation by works, Masonry does not require its members to believe in Jesus Christ or His Church.
Freemasonry also reverences all religious writings and places these writings on par with Gods written Word found in the Bible. Thus, Masonry places all religious writings on its altar (Book of Mormon, the Vedas, Zend Avesta, the Sohar, the Kabalah, the Bhagavad-Gita, the Upanishads or any other religious writing). This is because, unlike Christianity, Freemasonry does not believe that the Bible is the revealed written Word of God. Instead, Freemasonry views all religions as equally plausible attempts to explain the truth about God which, in the end, cannot be known.
My Grandfather (may God have mercy on his soul) was a 32nd level Mason.... so I know a bit about what the group really stands for.
I hope you do too.
Scott
I must say that I misspoke.... the Masons might not be anti-Catholic, but the organization is incompatible with the Christian faith.
Freemasonry has a very formal religious system which includes a belief in God as the Grand Architect of the Universe, the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body. Masonry also believes that man can achieve salvation by his good works, independent of God's gift of grace. Notwithstanding its belief in God, resurrection of the body, and salvation by works, Masonry does not require its members to believe in Jesus Christ or His Church.
Freemasonry also reverences all religious writings and places these writings on par with Gods written Word found in the Bible. Thus, Masonry places all religious writings on its altar (Book of Mormon, the Vedas, Zend Avesta, the Sohar, the Kabalah, the Bhagavad-Gita, the Upanishads or any other religious writing). This is because, unlike Christianity, Freemasonry does not believe that the Bible is the revealed written Word of God. Instead, Freemasonry views all religions as equally plausible attempts to explain the truth about God which, in the end, cannot be known.
My Grandfather (may God have mercy on his soul) was a 32nd level Mason.... so I know a bit about what the group really stands for.
I hope you do too.
Scott
Scuba Pete
Le plongeur avec attitude...
I have seen rabid anti-FreeMason websites and the hate e-mails directed towards them.
Secrecy breeds misunderstanding and hatred.
Hatred breeds secrecy.
I appreciate hearing about the free Mason's side of these issues and hearing a bit more of what you guys believe in. Don't ever let anyone else tell you what YOU believe. Stick to your guns, beieve your beliefs and doubt your doubts, and keep moivng forward.
Secrecy breeds misunderstanding and hatred.
Hatred breeds secrecy.
I appreciate hearing about the free Mason's side of these issues and hearing a bit more of what you guys believe in. Don't ever let anyone else tell you what YOU believe. Stick to your guns, beieve your beliefs and doubt your doubts, and keep moivng forward.
Fluffy
A fool
Freemasonry seems to be in my family line but I dont know that much about it. My great-great-grandfather on my mothers side was the oldest mason in Britain at one point (101 I believe) and he had a statue built in some insignificant place. Personally I hate it. It is sexist and therefore not something I would support.
xander-
Member
The only thing i see as a problem with it, is its views on minority's. The part about females not being able to join, i didn't know. But that bothers me too. To be honest, i got really curious about them after reading "Angels and Deamons" by Dan Brown. You should read it, its really good!
-Xander
-Xander
cfer
Active Member
I've read all of Dan Brown's books. The one he's working on right now is on the Masons themselves, not the Illuminati or the Priory of Zion. You're right, they are all good books.
What are the views on minorities? Sure, women are not admitted, but they are not allowed in the Knights of Columbus, too, if I'm not mistaken. I've known a few minorities in the Masons, so I guess I don't know what you mean about their stance on minorities.
As for women, it is true that they cannot be Masons themselves. But they CAN join Eastern Star, which is an affiliate of the Masons that DOES accept women.
What are the views on minorities? Sure, women are not admitted, but they are not allowed in the Knights of Columbus, too, if I'm not mistaken. I've known a few minorities in the Masons, so I guess I don't know what you mean about their stance on minorities.
As for women, it is true that they cannot be Masons themselves. But they CAN join Eastern Star, which is an affiliate of the Masons that DOES accept women.
Scuba Pete
Le plongeur avec attitude...
Sort of like TVOR???