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Masonic tradition

nbs2

nbs2

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Mar 31, 2004
2,719
491
A geographical oddity
At the risk of opening a can of worms that will land this in the Angry Forum™, I was wondering if there are any Freemasons on MR who would care to share their "Why I'm a Mason" stories. Alternatively, if someone here has a solid background on them (and not via reading the Da Vinci Code, etc), can you share any "Interesting Facts about the Masons" stories?

Just hoping to (civilly) satisfy my curiosity.
 
I am very interested in the Freemasonry, and often contemplated becoming a Mason myself sometime in the future. My grandfather is a Mason of a fairly high rank. I don't know all that much about the Masons, but I can answer some basic questions.

The Masons go back to Biblical times. There's even mentions of the Masons in the Bible itself - Masons built King Solomon's palace, and King Solomon is probably a Mason himself.

The Masons went through a evolution recently from a practical, prestigious masonry group into a society that accepts non-Masons. Today it's a secret society that accepts men from all walks of life. Contrary to rumors, you do not have to have family members in the Freemasonry to become one yourself - though it does help sometimes. To join, simply go to a Mason Lodge and get a Petition form where you fill out and submit. They will bring your Petition up in the next meeting and the Masons will decide whether to invite you into the society or not. The meetings are not secret either - you can go in a Lodge and request a minutes for the latest meetings. There are less secrets in the Masonry than you might think.

Many people think the Masonry is for Christians only. That's not true. They're not a religion-based society. They are, however, "deity"- based society, meaning you must believe a god or another to become a member. The reason for this is that upon initiation, you make a promise upon your deity. They believe that if you don't believe in a being such as God, that you have no foundations to set your promises to, that you have no reason to oblige to your promises.

The structure of the Masons break down into three groups, I forget what the lowest group is called, but the middle one is Masters, and the top one is the Masons. At least I think so. The lowest group might be Apprentices, I'm not sure. There are degrees of Masons, ranking up to at least 33rd degree.

That's all that comes to mind right now. Any questions and I'll try to answer. Keep in mind that I'm no expert, and the above is related to me by my grandfather.
 
Who controls the British crown?
Who keeps the metric system down?
We do! We do!

Who leaves Atlantis off the maps?
Who keeps the Martians under wraps?
We do! We do!

Who holds back the electric car?
Who makes Steve Gutenberg a star?
We do! We do!

Who robs cavefish of their sight?
Who rigs every Oscar night?
We do! We do!​
;)
 
mactastic said:
Who controls the British crown?
Who keeps the metric system down?
We do! We do!

Who leaves Atlantis off the maps?
Who keeps the Martians under wraps?
We do! We do!

Who holds back the electric car?
Who makes Steve Gutenberg a star?
We do! We do!

Who robs cavefish of their sight?
Who rigs every Oscar night?
We do! We do!​
;)
Click to expand...
Put 'er there. *Shakes hands and presses thumb thrice* :D
Oh, and Raven VII, was that younger group the Demolays?
 
xsedrinam said:
Put 'er there. *Shakes hands and presses thumb thrice* :D
Oh, and Raven VII, was that younger group the Demolays?
Click to expand...

I think that sounds right. There's also supposed to be a corresponding group for girls/women. The girl organization is "Rainbow Girls." I can't remember what the woman's organization is called.

Apparently, the masons are heavily involved in community/charity work. The Elk lodge and the Shriners are also sects of the Masons.

Apparently, the meetings are open, but the ceremonies are not.

That's just info I gathered from briefly talking with a mason.
 
My two grandfathers were both Freemasons.

I've always had a fascination in this subject, regardless of all the negative press/stories/rumors about the organization.
 
Raven VII said:
The Masons go back to Biblical times. There's even mentions of the Masons in the Bible itself - Masons built King Solomon's palace, and King Solomon is probably a Mason himself.
Click to expand...
Really, a mason built a stone temple? You don't say. ;)

An old neighbor of mine is a Mason.

That's all I got.


Lethal
 
I find it interesting that so far the masons that have been mentioned (i.e, ones that people here know) so far are all grandfathers and older people. Are younger people these days less likely to want to join the organization?
 
floriflee said:
I think that sounds right. There's also supposed to be a corresponding group for girls/women. The girl organization is "Rainbow Girls." I can't remember what the woman's organization is called.

Apparently, the masons are heavily involved in community/charity work. The Elk lodge and the Shriners are also sects of the Masons.

Apparently, the meetings are open, but the ceremonies are not.

That's just info I gathered from briefly talking with a mason.
Click to expand...

The woman's organization is called the Eastern Star.
 
floriflee said:
I find it interesting that so far the masons that have been mentioned (i.e, ones that people here know) so far are all grandfathers and older people. Are younger people these days less likely to want to join the organization?
Click to expand...
Probably.
 
floriflee said:
I find it interesting that so far the masons that have been mentioned (i.e, ones that people here know) so far are all grandfathers and older people. Are younger people these days less likely to want to join the organization?
Click to expand...

My best friend's dad is a Mason, and he's in his 40s, and I believe that there are several other members around here who are about that same age, but most of the Masons that I know of are generally older.
 
Saluki Alex said:
The woman's organization is called the Eastern Star.
Click to expand...
Didn't there used to be a young girls order called Jobs Daughters? No pun intended (this time). I don't know if it is/was affiliated with Eastern Star or not.
 
xsedrinam said:
Didn't there used to be a young girls order called Jobs Daughters? No pun intended (this time). I don't know if it is/was affiliated with Eastern Star or not.
Click to expand...

Yes, Job's Daughters is for girls aged 10 to 20 who are related to a Master Mason, but I don't believe they're associated with the Eastern Star. And just to clarify, the Eastern Star isn't only for women (daughter, widow, wife, sister, niece, sister-in-law or mother of a master Mason) but is also for Master Masons as well.
 
are US freemasons and UK freemasons different things?

in the UK the smart people get asked to join. my mates dad was asked, he was a headmaster. apparently they donate to charity and try and do good. a la modern day, yet anonymous, knights.



... I'm wrong aren't I?
 
raggedjimmi said:
are US freemasons and UK freemasons different things?

in the UK the smart people get asked to join. my mates dad was asked, he was a headmaster. apparently they donate to charity and try and do good. a la modern day, yet anonymous, knights.



... I'm wrong aren't I?
Click to expand...

Well, I believe US and UK freemasons have the same background, but in the US, no one is recruited to be a mason. For you to become a member, you must ask a freemason about joining, and then the lodge will decide if you can join or not, and if you can join, you'll go through the whole induction process.
 
BakedBeans said:
I'm from a long line of free masons.
Click to expand...

same here. my grandfather even founded a Lodge here in our town, my dad and uncles are all into it. My greatgrandfather and great grand uncles were some of the earliest members from where I come from. as for any interesting facts, read up on Hiram Key or the Templar Revelation.
 
I am a Mason. :)

To answer/clarify some of the comments already posted;

There are only 3 levels (degrees) in Freemasonry;
1st Apprentice
2nd Fellowcraft
3rd Master

All other degrees come from constituent groups like the Scottish Right and York Right, they go as high as 33°.

The Women's organization is the Order of Eastern Star. There are two organizations for girls; Job's Daughters and Rainbow Girls. One for boys, Demolay.

The US/Canadian Grand Lodges are offshoots of the Grand Lodge of England. There is also a Grand Lodge based in France that has offshoot lodges around the world, but their rules vary greatly from the US/UK, and many US Lodges do not recognize French based Lodges.

Also, 2B1, Ask 1. To join, all need to do is ask a member for a petition, and after a short investigation, it'll be voted on.

To clarify, the Freemasons are not a secret society, they are a Fraternity with secrets.

I need to get ready for class, but feel free to ask me questions. I'll be happy to answer anything I can.

TEG
 
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