What
is a Freemason? A man who has taken an obligation to make of himself
the best he can, for himself, his family, and his community.
What
is Freemasonry? A fraternity designed to teach morality and ethics, and
train good men to make themselves of service to themselves, their
families and their communities. Freemasonry is not a religion, but it
teaches its members to be active in their chosen faith. Freemasonry
subscribes to no partisan politics, but it teaches its members to be
active in civic concerns.
Freemasonry
is not a charity; although it promotes charity in its members — in
North America, freemasons contribute some two and a half million
dollars a day to operate children’s hospitals, cancer clinics, burn
wards, senior’s homes and other such facilities.
Membership, in North America, is restricted to men over the age of 21 [18 in the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of South Dakota]
who are prepared to profess a belief in God. The expression in some
rituals is "freeborn, of mature age and under the tongue of good
report". Some rituals include references to physical wholeness or
fitness but few if any jurisdictions enforce this exclusion in their
Constitutions. Some jurisdictions also have a language or literacy
requirement. Of a candidate’s beliefs, only three questions are
allowed: Do you believe in the existence of a Supreme Being? Do you
believe that the Supreme Being will punish vice and reward virtue? Do
you believe that Supreme Being has revealed His will to man? Of these
three, only the first must be answered in the affirmative, and in many
jurisdictions it is the only one asked.
First,
a bit of history. Records strongly suggest a lineage to operative
stonemasons' lodges or guilds of fourteenth century Scotland and an
inner fraternity of the London Company of Masons. The records of the
Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel) show lawyer and writer, John Boswell
of Auchinleck, signing the minutes of a meeting held in 1600, although
the first recorded admission of a non-operative doesn't occur until
1634. The oldest surviving Minute Book, dated 9 January 1598, is that
of the Lodge of Aitchison’s Haven.
It
has been theorized that their need to travel at a time when travel was
uncommon required the need to create a sense of community. This
included means of identifying themselves and proving their standing in
the group, and a culture of mutual support. Whether operative and
non-operative lodges existed concurrently or if operative lodges slowly
accepted non-operative members into their ranks is still debatable. By
the end of the seventeenth century most lodges were speculative, not
operative, and the ritual which involved the tools of stonemasonry as
symbols was all that remained. Other theories linking Freemasonry to
the Knights Templar or Rosicrucians are nothing more than that:
theories.
It
was also in this century that the first anti-masonic tracts appeared.
Most attacks on the Craft have taken the position that any society
claiming the right of privacy must be up to no good. Having evolved in
a Christian nation, its foundations would have out of necessity been
Christian but the masonic claim to equality, fraternity and liberty
quickly put the Craft at odds with the established churches when a
requirement of membership, a belief in Deity, did not require the
definition of that Deity. At a time when no group could meet without
permission of church or state, the claim that freedom of association
was a basic right was also dangerously controversial.
Masonry
has been labeled atheistic and pagan since it removed Christian
references in its ritual at the Union of the Grand Lodges of England in
1813, and dangerously radical because it would not support oppressive
regimes. History shows that Freemasonry has always been outlawed under
totalitarian governments. Studies of the Craft by the Church of England
and the Southern Baptist Church, in the late twentieth century,
concluded that it is eccentric but neither dangerous nor in conflict
with Christianity. Various Roman Catholic Popes have published
condemnations of Freemasonry, starting with Bull, In Eminenti, by Pope
Clement XII, on 28 April, 1738. Although Roman Catholic Canon Law does
not specifically mention Freemasonry, the Sacred Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith of the Roman Catholic Church still views
association as a serious sin.
Masonic
writers over the years have tried to claim a venerable lineage,
associating the Craft with the Knights Templar, the Roman Colleges of
Artificers, the Essenes, the Dionysian and Eleusinian mystery schools,
Mithraic mystery schools, King Solomon and, even more fantastical, Noah
and Adam. There are striking similarities between the rituals of
Freemasonry and many ancient mystery schools, at least those few parts
that have survived. The ritual can be interpreted, in part, as a
reaffirmation of the immortality of the soul. Bring to the ritual what
you may; a belief in reincarnation or a commitment to participation in
the progress of human endeavour, there is a simple understanding that
we are more than base clay — that we do not stand alone. The history
and philosophy of Freemasonry have been topics of much study, and more
information is available through this website and such publications as
the Ars Quatuor Coronatorum.
In
the eighteenth and nineteenth century, many societies and fraternities
were founded, claiming masonic association or authority. One in
particular, the Illuminati of Bavaria was founded by Adam Weishaupt in
1776. The Illuminati was not a masonic body and it was quickly
suppressed by the government. Weishaupt founded his Order a year before
he joined Freemasonry. Conspiracy theorists see Weishaupt as the
connection between Freemasonry and the Illuminati which they view as
the precursor of a powerful international elite bent on world
domination. In fact, Weishaupt had little or no influence on regular
Freemasonry. In the nineteenth century many masonic writers and
ritualists were also involved in theosophy and many occultists were
claiming masonic affiliation.
Your
average freemason has no interest in theosophy, the occult or world
domination. He does have an interest in helping others and in making
his community a better place; as a Scout leader, a Block Parent, a
Heart Fund volunteer or just a good neighbour.
What
attracts a man to Freemasonry? Every man comes, of his own free will
and accord, with his own individual needs and interests. One man may
join so that he can associate with other men who believe that only by
improving themselves can they hope to improve their society. Another
man may join because he is looking for a focus for his charitable
inclinations. And yet another may be attracted by a strong sense of
history and tradition. Many join simply because they knew a friend or
relative who was a freemason and they admired that man’s way of living
his life. All who join and become active discover a bond of brotherly
affection and a community of mutual support; a practical extension of
their own religious and philisophical beliefs.
Most
North American masonic lodges are composed of less than a hundred
members of which perhaps thirty are active and will come out regularly
to the one or two meetings a month. One meeting, run to a certain
ritual which is not much more than a form of Robert’s Rules of Order,
is a business meeting to keep the membership apprised of the workings
of the lodge: paying of accounts, charitable works in progress,
assistance to sick or distressed brethren, and the like. The second
monthly meeting is used for the conferring of degrees. Before an
initiate receives a degree, and takes an obligation of secrecy, he is
assured that the mysteries are founded on the purest principles of
piety and virtue and that any vows are not inconsistent with his civil,
moral or religious duties.
Most
lodges meet once or twice a month, others only four times a year. Many
lodges also organize socials, dances, outings, dinners and sporting
events for their members and families.
Each
lodge is warranted by a regional Grand Lodge. There are over 200
recognized masonic jurisdictions around the world and no central
authority, although all can trace their history from either the United
Grand Lodge of England (or its precurser Grand Lodges), the Grand Lodge
of Scotland or the Grand Lodge of Ireland. They operate under a system
of mutual recognition, working within a loose set of Landmarks defining
recognized Freemasonry.
Why
are the rituals and ceremonies secret? Tradition, more than anything —
there have been times and places where promoting equality, freedom of
thought or liberty of conscience was dangerous. Also, a lesson that
must be earned may have a greater impact. Most importantly though is a
question of perspective. Each aspect of the ritual has a meaning.
Freemasonry has been described as a system of morality, veiled in
allegory and illustrated by symbols. Such characteristics as virtue,
honour and mercy, such virtues as temperance, fortitude, prudence and
justice are empty clichés and hollow words unless presented within an
ordered framework. The lessons are not secret but the presentation is
kept private to promote a clearer understanding in good time.
It
is also possible to view masonic secrecy not as secrecy in and of
itself, but rather as a symbol of privacy and discretion. By not
revealing masonic secrets, or acknowledging the many published
exposures, freemasons demonstrate that they are men of discretion,
worthy of confidences, and that they place a high value on their word
and bond.
But
the true secrets of a freemason are not contained in the ritual. A
freemason who is true to his obligation will not reveal the modes of
recognition, but they are not truly secret; this is demonstrated by the
number of exposures that have been published over the centuries. The
secrets of a freemason are those personal, private, and lawful, aspects
of a man’s life that he may choose to share with a brother, a brother
who will keep those secrets. This is not secretiveness; this is
discretion. There is also that secret which is not kept secret but is
only revealed to those who realize the happiness that comes from living
a good life.
The
symbols have all been taken from stonemasons' tools and endowed with
certain meanings. The square "teaches us to regulate our lives and
actions by the masonic rule and line, and so to correct and harmonize
our conduct as to render us acceptable to the Divine Being, from Whom
all goodness emanates..." The compasses "remind us of the Divine
Being’s unerring and impartial justice..."
Women
are not allowed to join recognized masonic lodges. By contemporary
standards it may not appear easy to justify this exclusion and most
freemasons would simply claim tradition. One might justify this
exclusion, in contemporary terms, as a form of male bonding; meeting a
group of like minded men from a broad social, economic and cultural
background to practice a ritual derived from those practiced hundreds
of years ago. If Freemasonry is a power elite then women could and
should feel justifiable outrage at being excluded. Freemasonry’s goal,
though, is not the consolidation of power but rather the education of
good men. The only real justification is that Freemasonry actively
promotes and teaches certain social freedoms, one of them being the
freedom of association. If freemasons wish to associate in a male-only
environment, then that is their right and privilege as free citizens.
No other justification or explanation is required.