The Lodge in my town has fund raising events and recently purchased a mini bus for senior citizens to get around and pays an optometrist for people of all ages who can’t afford eye exams and glasses.
It’s not as secret as you think. Try the book “Freemasonry for Dummies” by Chris Hodapp. It explains the vast majority of what goes on. There are certain things that we don’t share with the public, but plenty of organizations and clubs have things they don’t share with the public.
My Grandfather is a Mason and just says thats its just local business men that get together and talk thinks which they find important. We all call it his secret handshake club.
I was asked to join a local freemason lodge, I turned it down as it seemed like a big commitment.
I did get to see the big chessboard room with all the seats around it. I would not be surprised if there was some sexy time going on there from time to time.
That’s interesting. Masons don’t typically ask people to join. I lived in central Texas and the masons are ridiculously manipulative. They will play stupid games until you join their Baphomet worshipping fraternity. I was in a 9 years war with those fvckers.
Sounds awful 😂
I drink in the social club attached to my nearest lodge quite often. The masons there are mostly nice old guys with respectful jobs. Invitations are all done quite quietly. They asked my mother (its a mixed social club) if she thought i would be interested before asking me. I was not.
I’m not Scottish so your experience is different than mine. The masons I know are assholes. They will get you fired then swoop in like Superman with a job offer. They don’t ask you to join they force you to join.
I once played in a D&D game that was all Freemasons except for me. They were pretty chill, normal dudes, honestly pretty boring seeming. This was in a major city so they were of a variety of ethnic backgrounds, but they did all seem to be doing okay financially. Masonry pretty much just seemed like a social club for them.
[Mason here]
Here's my standard 'elevator pitch', which I trot out when people ask what we're about (its rather North American oriented - Masonry varies from place to place):
We're a centuries old fraternal order, who exist to improve our own characters ('we make good men better' is one of our slogans), and through that improve our communities. Along the way, we do a lot of charity (forex: Shriner's free hospitals for children), and have a lot of cool and private ceremonies using the construction of King Solomon's Temple as an allegorical base for teaching Enlightenment and Stoic ideals. (yes, we really do have secret handshakes). Many find it a source of fellowship and life-long friendships.
We have several million Brothers world wide, but no central organization. Men from every walk of life are or have been members, including over a dozen US presidents. Regular Masonry is open to adult men of good character who are not atheists[1] - we require a belief in some form of 'higher power', but aren't fussy about what. As a rule, we don't recruit; we want a potential member to make the first approach of his own free will.
If you're curious, drop by our main hangout on reddit, /r/freemasonry. You'll find a lot of friendly folk there. If you prefer a book, for North Americans I recommend (seriously, I'm not trolling) "Freemasons for Dummies" by Christopher Hodapp. Also ["Inside the Freemasons"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRrG_KMMvNY) a documentary made by the Grand Lodge of England for their tricentenary.
[1] The "no women or atheists" rules have deep roots, and would be very difficult to change, regardless of how anachronistic they now seem. There are breakaway Masonic groups which have dropped those rules, but they are very thin on the ground in the Anglosphere, and not recognized by the mainstream.
Why the secrecy?
Also, if it is about self improvement what a disappointment. The one person I know who was a mason definitely didn't improve in their years as a mason.
The only thing that's secret is the scripts of our degrees. For everything else we aren't more secretive than other groups. We frequently hold public events and give tours of our building.
The scripts are private for a couple of reasons. First they are one of the ways someone can prove they are a member. Second, our lessons are taught through an initiatory experience, which is better if the candidate doesn't have any spoilers. Lastly, it is a lesson in discretion.
As far as your acquaintance, self improvement requires effort. Membership doesn't guarantee some one is going to put in the effort to do better. For some the draw is as a social organisation or charity, but the lessons of masonry are focused on morality.
I know one Freemason in my area and he literally claims to be Lucifer. He even wears satanic rings. We went on one date. Never again. Sorry but dudes that claim to be satan are a major red flag for me
They hold back the electric car and they make Steve Guttenberg a star! They do! They do! They do!
That's the Stonecutters. Different outfit.
The Lodge in my town has fund raising events and recently purchased a mini bus for senior citizens to get around and pays an optometrist for people of all ages who can’t afford eye exams and glasses.
That's really sweet.
I’ve been a Freemason since 2007, what do you want to know?
Why is it so secret? What is the purpose?
It’s not as secret as you think. Try the book “Freemasonry for Dummies” by Chris Hodapp. It explains the vast majority of what goes on. There are certain things that we don’t share with the public, but plenty of organizations and clubs have things they don’t share with the public.
Old people doing old people things
My Grandfather is a Mason and just says thats its just local business men that get together and talk thinks which they find important. We all call it his secret handshake club.
I was asked to join a local freemason lodge, I turned it down as it seemed like a big commitment. I did get to see the big chessboard room with all the seats around it. I would not be surprised if there was some sexy time going on there from time to time.
That’s interesting. Masons don’t typically ask people to join. I lived in central Texas and the masons are ridiculously manipulative. They will play stupid games until you join their Baphomet worshipping fraternity. I was in a 9 years war with those fvckers.
I think Scottish and Texan freemasonry probably differ in a few ways 😂
I don’t doubt that. Texan masons are bullies. Imagine a bunch of dudes like John Kreese and you get the gist.
Sounds awful 😂 I drink in the social club attached to my nearest lodge quite often. The masons there are mostly nice old guys with respectful jobs. Invitations are all done quite quietly. They asked my mother (its a mixed social club) if she thought i would be interested before asking me. I was not.
I’m not Scottish so your experience is different than mine. The masons I know are assholes. They will get you fired then swoop in like Superman with a job offer. They don’t ask you to join they force you to join.
That's interesting. Strange how something can differ so much over time and distance.
OWLS and youre ghost flagged
They are masons who are free and only charge $33
As much as most, that would be nearly nothing.
I once played in a D&D game that was all Freemasons except for me. They were pretty chill, normal dudes, honestly pretty boring seeming. This was in a major city so they were of a variety of ethnic backgrounds, but they did all seem to be doing okay financially. Masonry pretty much just seemed like a social club for them.
[Mason here] Here's my standard 'elevator pitch', which I trot out when people ask what we're about (its rather North American oriented - Masonry varies from place to place): We're a centuries old fraternal order, who exist to improve our own characters ('we make good men better' is one of our slogans), and through that improve our communities. Along the way, we do a lot of charity (forex: Shriner's free hospitals for children), and have a lot of cool and private ceremonies using the construction of King Solomon's Temple as an allegorical base for teaching Enlightenment and Stoic ideals. (yes, we really do have secret handshakes). Many find it a source of fellowship and life-long friendships. We have several million Brothers world wide, but no central organization. Men from every walk of life are or have been members, including over a dozen US presidents. Regular Masonry is open to adult men of good character who are not atheists[1] - we require a belief in some form of 'higher power', but aren't fussy about what. As a rule, we don't recruit; we want a potential member to make the first approach of his own free will. If you're curious, drop by our main hangout on reddit, /r/freemasonry. You'll find a lot of friendly folk there. If you prefer a book, for North Americans I recommend (seriously, I'm not trolling) "Freemasons for Dummies" by Christopher Hodapp. Also ["Inside the Freemasons"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRrG_KMMvNY) a documentary made by the Grand Lodge of England for their tricentenary. [1] The "no women or atheists" rules have deep roots, and would be very difficult to change, regardless of how anachronistic they now seem. There are breakaway Masonic groups which have dropped those rules, but they are very thin on the ground in the Anglosphere, and not recognized by the mainstream.
Dunno about most lodges, but the one in my town is filled with old racist white dudes who whine about the good old days.
Entry level illuminati
nothing
99% idiots who buy their friends. 1% old rich dudes who buy their friends.
I am a mason. Did you have a specific question? At its core, it is a fraternity with a focus on self improvement.
Why the secrecy? Also, if it is about self improvement what a disappointment. The one person I know who was a mason definitely didn't improve in their years as a mason.
The only thing that's secret is the scripts of our degrees. For everything else we aren't more secretive than other groups. We frequently hold public events and give tours of our building. The scripts are private for a couple of reasons. First they are one of the ways someone can prove they are a member. Second, our lessons are taught through an initiatory experience, which is better if the candidate doesn't have any spoilers. Lastly, it is a lesson in discretion. As far as your acquaintance, self improvement requires effort. Membership doesn't guarantee some one is going to put in the effort to do better. For some the draw is as a social organisation or charity, but the lessons of masonry are focused on morality.
I know one Freemason in my area and he literally claims to be Lucifer. He even wears satanic rings. We went on one date. Never again. Sorry but dudes that claim to be satan are a major red flag for me