It
is not a secret organization – but we have secrets to protect the
fraternity.
It is
not a Charity - Masonic Lodges by nature donate to charities.
It is
not a subversive Organization - a Mason must be a peaceful, law-abiding
citizen.
It is not a Political Party or
Action Group - although you will find prominent Masons in leadership roles
in our government.
Freemasonry is a system of
morality, veiled in allegory, and illustrated by symbols. I am sure that
you have heard something like that said in the past to describe what
Freemasonry is.
Freemasonry
is so much more than this.
The answer is
simple. A Mason (or Freemason) is a member of a fraternity known as
Masonry (or Freemasonry). A fraternity is a group of men (just as a
sorority is a group of women) who join together because:
-
There are things they want to do in the
world.
-
There are things they want to do "inside
their own minds."
-
They enjoy being together with men they
like and respect.
What is Freemasonry?
Masonry (or
Freemasonry) is the oldest fraternity in the world. No one knows just how
old it is because the actual origins have been lost in time.
According to Masonic historians, it’s
earliest beginnings in recorded history date back to 1376 (Mackey’s
Masonic Encyclopedia) the reference is to the Masons as stone masons or
skilled workers. They worked with rough stones for erecting structures and
special edifices. Those that worked on free stone or structures that stood
alone, would later be referred to as freemasons. Their craft was so
specialized that they developed trade guilds with secret passwords and
handshakes to prove membership and skill. This membership allowed them to
receive higher wages as they traveled around the world plying their trade.
It would seem
most probable that Freemasonry arose from these guilds of stonemasons who
built the castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages.
These trade guilds were sought after in
every country. There are many documented reports of the freemasons and
their contracts for building churches throughout Europe and great and
important structures. Some are still standing today, and Masonic symbols
are found etched in their construction.
Possibly, they
were influenced by the Knights Templar, a group of Christian warrior monks
formed in 1118 to help protect pilgrims making trips to the Holy Land.
Operative masonry
was the use
of knowledge and tool to create a structure or edifice. Speculative
masonry is when we took those same tools used for the construction and
used them as symbols to remind us of the moral lessons and obligations we
have to ourselves, one another, and to our creator.
Somewhere along the line, a
transition was made from operative to speculative masonry. Still a guild,
but it allowed those not skilled in the craft into their membership. It
became necessary to carry on the old traditions and knowledge of the
guilds. It was not until 1717 that the organization as we know it was
formed. There are no lodge records between 1700 and 1717 but we do know
that four lodges in 1717 formed the Grand Lodge of England with universal
signs and passwords. The evolution process had brought us to what we have
today.
Thus, in 1717,
Masonry created a formal organization in England when the first Grand
Lodge was formed. A Grand Lodge is the administrative body in charge of
Masonry in some geographical area.
Let us not forget that Freemasonry was alive
and well, in the forming of this great nation. Many of the signers of the
"Declaration of Independence" were Masons. The constitution had many
Masons in its conception. There are so many Masons important to what
America is today that it would take hours to cover who they were and what
they did. Here, we will touch upon this topic briefly.
In the United
States, there is a Grand Lodge in each state and the District of Columbia.
In Canada, there is a Grand Lodge in each province. Local organizations of
Masons are called lodges. There are lodges in most towns, and large cities
usually have several. There are about 13,200 lodges in the United States.
If Masonry started in
Great Britain, how did it get to America?
In a
time when travel was by horseback and sailing ship, Masonry spread with
amazing speed. By 1731, when Benjamin Franklin joined the fraternity,
there were already several lodges in the Colonies, and Masonry spread
rapidly as America expanded west. In addition to Franklin, many of the
Founding Fathers -- men such as George Washington, Paul Revere, Joseph
Warren, and John Hancock -- were Masons. Masons and Masonry played an
important part in the Revolutionary War and an even more important part in
the Constitutional Convention and the debates surrounding the ratification
of the Bill of Rights. Many of those debates were held in Masonic lodges.
Masonry Does Things in the World
Masonry teaches that each person has a responsibility to make things
better in the world. Most individuals won't be the ones to find a cure for
cancer, or eliminate poverty, or help create world peace, but every man
and woman and child can do something to help others and to make things a
little better. Masonry is deeply involved with helping people -- it spends
almost $2 million dollars every day in the United States, just to
make life a little easier. And the great majority of that help goes to
people who are not Masons. Some of these charities are vast projects, like
the
Crippled Children's Hospitals
and
Burns Institutes built by the Shriners. Also, Scottish Rite Masons maintain a nationwide network of over
100 Childhood Language Disorders Clinics, Centers, and Programs. Each
helps children afflicted by such conditions as aphasia, dyslexia,
stuttering, and related learning or speech disorders.
Freemasonry is not an insurance
or benefit society. It is not organized for profit. However, the
charitable services rendered by Masons are beyond measure. We exist solely
to help children, improve our communities through philanthropic support
and to better ourselves by applying ethical and educational principles. We
teach good men to learn, grow and become better men through the principles
of Brotherly Love and the Golden Rule.
Masonry Does Things
"Inside" the Individual Mason
"Grow or die" is a great law
of all nature. Most people feel a need for continued growth as
individuals. They feel they are not as honest or as charitable or as
compassionate or as loving or as trusting or as well-informed as they
ought to be. Masonry reminds its members over and over again of the
importance of these qualities and education. It lets men associate with
other men of honor and integrity who believe that things like honesty,
compassion, love, trust, and knowledge are important. In some ways,
Masonry is a support group for men who are trying to make the right
decisions. It's easier to practice these virtues when you know that those
around you think they are important, too, and won't laugh at you. That's a
major reason that Masons enjoy being together.
What's a Degree?
A degree is a
stage or level of membership. It's also the ceremony by which a man
attains that level of membership. There are three, called Entered
Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. As you can see, the names are
taken from the craft guilds. In the Middle Ages, when a person wanted to
join a craft, such as the gold smiths or the carpenters or the
stonemasons, he was first apprenticed. As an apprentice, he learned the
tools and skills of the trade. When he had proved his skills, he became a
"Fellow of the Craft" (today we would say "Journeyman"), and when he had
exceptional ability, he was known as a Master of the Craft.
The degrees
are plays in which the candidate participates. Each degree uses symbols to
teach, just as plays did in the Middle Ages and as many theatrical
productions do today. (We'll talk about symbols a little later.)
The Masonic
degrees teach the great lessons of life -- the importance of honor and
integrity, of being a person on whom others can rely, of being both
trusting and trustworthy, of realizing that you have a spiritual nature as
well as a physical or animal nature, of the importance of self-control, of
knowing how to love and be loved, of knowing how to keep confidential what
others tell you so that they can "open up" without fear.
Why is Masonry so
"Secretive"?
It really
isn't "secretive," although it sometimes has that reputation. Masons
certainly don't make a secret of the fact that they are members of the
fraternity. We wear rings, lapel pins, and tie clasps with Masonic emblems
like the Square and Compasses, the best known of Masonic signs which,
logically, recall the fraternity's early symbolic roots in stonemasonry.
Masonic buildings are clearly marked, and are usually listed in the phone
book. Lodge activities are not secret -- picnics and other events are even
listed in the newspapers, especially in smaller towns. Many lodges have
answering machines which give the upcoming lodge activities. But there are
some Masonic secrets, and they fall into two categories.
The first are
the ways in which a man can identify himself as a Mason -- grips and
passwords. We keep those private for obvious reasons. It is not at all
unknown for unscrupulous people to try to pass themselves off as Masons in
order to get assistance under false pretenses.
The second group is harder to
describe, but they are the ones Masons usually mean if we talk about
"Masonic secrets." They are secrets because they literally can't be talked
about, can't be put into words. They are the changes that happen to a man
when he really accepts responsibility for his own life and, at the same
time, truly decides that his real happiness is in helping others.
It's
a
wonderful feeling, but it's something you simply can't explain to another
person. That's why we sometimes say that Masonic secrets cannot (rather
than "may not") be told. Try telling someone exactly what you feel when
you see a beautiful sunset, or when you hear music, like the national
anthem, which suddenly stirs old memories, when your son becomes a
Mason and you'll understand what we mean.
"Secret
societies" became very popular in America in the late 1800s and early
1900s. There were literally hundreds of them, and most people belonged to
two or three. Many of them were modeled on Masonry, and made a great point
of having many "secrets." Freemasonry got ranked with them. But if Masonry
is a secret society, it's the worst-kept secret in the world.
Why does Masonry use symbols?
Everyone uses
symbols every day, just as we do ritual. We use them because they
communicate quickly. When you see a stop sign , you know what it means,
even if you can't read the word "stop." The circle and line mean "don't"
or "not allowed." In fact, using symbols is probably the oldest way of
communication and the oldest way of teaching.
Masonry uses
symbols for the same reason. Some form of the "Square and Compasses" is
the most widely used and known symbol of Masonry. In one way, this symbol
is a kind of trademark for the fraternity, as the "golden arches" are for
McDonald's. When you see the Square and Compasses on a building, you know
that Masons meet there. And like all symbols, they have a meaning.
The Square
symbolizes things of the earth, and it also symbolizes honor, integrity,
truthfulness, and the other ways we should relate to this world and the
people in it. The Compasses symbolize things of the spirit, and the
importance of a well-developed spiritual life, and also the importance of
self-control -- of keeping ourselves within bounds. The G stands for
Geometry, the science which the ancients believed most revealed the glory
of God and His works in the heavens, and it also stands for God, Who must
be at the center of all our thoughts and of all our efforts.
The meanings
of most of the other Masonic symbols are obvious. For example, the gavel
teaches the importance of self-control and self-discipline. The hour-glass
teaches us that time is always passing, and we should not put off
important decisions.
Is Masonry Education?
Yes. In a very real sense, education is at
the center of Masonry. We have stressed its importance for a very long
time. Back in the Middle Ages, schools were held in the lodges of
stonemasons. You have to know a lot to build a cathedral -- geometry, and
structural engineering, and mathematics, just for a start. And that
education was not very widely available. All the formal schools and
colleges trained people for careers in the church, or in law or medicine.
And you had to be a member of the social upper classes to go to those
schools. Stonemasons did not come from the aristocracy. And so the lodges
had to teach the necessary skills and information. Freemasonry's
dedication to education started there.
It has
continued. Masons started some of the first public schools in both Europe
and America. We supported legislation to make education universal. In the
1800s Masons as a group lobbied for the establishment of state-supported
education and federal land-grant colleges. Today we give millions of
dollars in scholarships each year. We encourage our members to give
volunteer time to their local schools, buy classroom supplies for
teachers, help with literacy programs, and do everything they can to help
assure that each person, adult or child, has the best educational
opportunities possible.
And Masonry supports
continuing education and intellectual growth for its members, insisting
that learning more about many things is important for anyone who wants to
keep mentally alert and young.
Masonry
teaches some important principles. There's nothing very surprising in the
list. Masonry teaches that:
Since God is
the Creator, all men and women are the children of God. Because of that,
all men and women are brothers and sisters, entitled to dignity, respect
for their opinions, and consideration of their feelings.
Each person
must take responsibility for his/her own life and actions. Neither
wealth nor poverty, education nor ignorance, health nor sickness excuses
any person from doing the best he or she can do or being the best person
possible under the circumstances.
No one has
the right to tell another person what he or she must think or believe.
Each man and woman has an absolute right to intellectual, spiritual,
economic, and political freedom. This is a right given by God, not by
man. All tyranny, in every form, is illegitimate.
Each person must learn and
practice self-control. Each person must make sure his spiritual nature
triumphs over his animal nature. Another way to say the same thing is
that even when we are tempted to anger, we must not be violent. Even
when we are tempted to selfishness, we must be charitable. Even when we
want to "write someone off," we must remember that he or she is a human
and entitled to our respect. Even when we want to give up, we must go
on. Even when we are hated, we must return love, or, at a minimum, we
must not hate back. It isn't easy!
Faith must
be in the center of our lives. We find that faith in our houses of
worship, not in Freemasonry, but Masonry constantly teaches that a
person's faith, whatever it may be, is central to a good life.
Each person
has a responsibly to be a good citizen, obeying the law. That doesn't
mean we can't try to change things, but change must take place in legal
ways.
It is
important to work to make this world better for all who live in it.
Masonry teaches the importance of doing good, not because it assures a
person's entrance into heaven -- that's a question for a religion, not a
fraternity -- but because we have a duty to all other men and women to
make their lives as fulfilling as they can be.
Honor and
integrity are essential to life. Life without honor and integrity is
without meaning.
What are the Requirements for
Membership?
The person who
wants to join Masonry must be a man (it's a fraternity), sound in body and
mind, who believes in God, is at least the minimum age required by Masonry
in his state, and has a good reputation. (Incidentally, the "sound in
body" requirement -- which comes from the stonemasons of the Middle Ages
-- doesn't mean that a physically challenged man cannot be a Mason; many
are).
Those are the
only "formal" requirements. But there are others, not so formal. He should
believe in helping others. He should believe there is more to life than
pleasure and money. He should be willing to respect the opinions of
others. And he should want to grow and develop as a human being.
How Does a
Man Become a Mason?
Some men are surprised that no
one has ever asked them to become a Mason. They may even feel that the
Masons in their town don't think they are "good enough" to join. But it
doesn't work that way. For hundreds of years, Masons have been forbidden
to ask others to join the fraternity. We can talk to friends about
Masonry. We can tell them about what Masonry does. We can tell them why we
enjoy it. But we can't ask, much less pressure, anyone to join.
This is
slowly changing in some Jurisdictions.
There's a good
reason for that. It isn't that we're trying to be exclusive. But becoming
a Mason is a very serious thing. Joining Masonry is making a permanent
life commitment to live in certain ways. We've listed most of them above
-- to live with honor and integrity, to be willing to share with and care
about others, to trust each other, and to place ultimate trust in God. No
one should be "talked into" making such a decision.
So, when a man
decides he wants to be a Mason, he asks a Mason for a petition or
application. He fills it out and gives it to the Mason, and that Mason
takes it to the local lodge. The Master of the lodge will appoint a
committee to visit with the man and his family, find out a little about
him and why he wants to be a Mason, tell him and his family about Masonry,
and answer their questions. The committee reports to the lodge, and the
lodge votes on the petition. If the vote is affirmative -- and it usually
is -- the lodge will contact the man to set the date for the Entered
Apprentice Degree. When the person has completed all three degrees, he is
a Master Mason and a full member of the fraternity.
So, What's A Mason?
A Mason is a man who has decided that he likes to feel good about himself
and others. He cares about the future as well as the past, and does what
he can, both alone and with others, to make the future good for everyone.
Many men over
many generations have answered the question, "What is a Mason?" One of the
most eloquent was written by the Reverend Joseph Fort Newton, an
internationally honored minister of the first half of the 20th Century and
Grand Chaplain, Grand Lodge of Iowa, 1911-1913.
When is a man a Mason?
When he can
look out over the rivers, the hills, and the far horizon with a profound
sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of things, and yet have
faith, hope, and courage -- which is the root of every virtue.
When he knows
that down in his heart every man is as noble, as vile, as divine, as
diabolic, and as lonely as himself, and seeks to know, to forgive, and to
love his fellowman.
When he knows
how to sympathize with men in their sorrows, yea, even in their sins --
knowing that each man fights a hard fight against many odds.
When he has
learned how to make friends and to keep them, and above all how to keep
friends with himself.
When he can be
happy and high-minded amid the meaner drudgeries of life.
When
star-crowned trees and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters subdue him
like the thought of one much loved and long dead.
When no voice
of distress reaches his ears in vain, and no hand seeks his aid without
response.
When he finds
good in every faith that helps any man to lay hold of divine things and
sees majestic meanings in life, whatever the name of that faith may be.
When he can
look into a wayside puddle and see something beyond mud, and into the face
of the most forlorn fellow mortal and see something beyond sin.
When he knows
how to pray, how to love, how to hope.
When he has
kept faith with himself, with his fellowman, and with his God; in his hand
a sword for evil, in his heart a bit of a song -- glad to live, but not
afraid to die!
Such a man has found the only
real secret of Masonry, and the one which it is trying to give to all the
world.
You
will find much information within this website to enlighten you, the
reader, in what it means to become a Mason and a member of the world’s
greatest fraternity.
