What is a Supreme Being? Is that something like President Obama or Ortiz from S Am? Something from outer space maybe?

 

I think the thread was allowed to die peacefully for a reason.....but since you revived it, please feel free to tell us all again why YOUR religious beliefs are better than anyone else's.....

 

sorry but you are wrong. who said that if you become a mason you couldn't believe in christ?

 

Read Stephen Knight THE BROTHERHOOD, I will out it this way, Ine cannot be a true Christian and belong to Masons who require members to submit to the great architecht of the world. BAAAA!

 

Yep, I'm going to run right out an buy Mr. Swami Puja Deval's book...I think it could probably be found in the trash bin outside the nickel book store.

The goofball also wrote a book claiming the Jack the Ripper was a Mason......go figure.

 

To be a mason you have to believe in a supreme being of YOUR choice. not the Masons choice.

 

If you don't like them then don't join them. No need to bash them. They do more for the community than many churches in those same communities. Does your church match their charity work? I doubt any do. Does your church run hospitals that save children?

 

passin thru,
What do you think about the shriners?

 

I'm sorry you have had bad dealings with some people who might belong to Masonry. Just as in any organization, there are those that can portray a negative light on an entire group. I can assure you the good outway the bad though.

Growing up around Masonry and knowing Masons all my life - even though I never knew they were Masons or even what Masonry was - I knew that if these men were a representation of what could be part of Masonry, it was a group of people I would like to be associated with. My father has been a Mason since the 50's, and all of the people he called true friends were Masons. I have a lot of respect for each of them as I saw how they lived and how they treated their fellow man. I joined as soon as I turned 21 and have enjoyed all 13 years since. I also joined Scottish Rite and as far as I know, am still the youngest person to join the Yaarab Shrine Temple in Atlanta. I have held a seat in a Masonic Lodge and was also a member of the Director's Staff of Yaarab Shrine Temple. Holding these positions has introduced me to a lot of members and I am proud to be associated with each of them. Have I met Masons that I had different perspectives and beliefs from? Yes. But I do not know of any organization in existence that this would be any different from.

I can't say anything about what you have read because I do not know what your sources are, but from the negative appearance you have shown in your posts, I do know more of the reading is false than it is true. Masonry has nothing to do with 'Man seeking God'. A statement you will hear about Masonry is that Masonry 'tries to help a man become a better man', and I cannot think of a better way to describe it than that. It has nothing to do with trying to persuade a person to become better by means of religion - especially by trying to convert someone to a specific religion. As has been stated before, Masonry does not specify what religion you have to belong to in order to be a member. As others have said also, I too know members that are of all religious groups. Masonry does not condone anyone saying that one religion is better than another.

I, nor any other Mason, will try to convince you of the 'right or wrong' in Christianity over any other religion in relation to having to do with Masonry. If a person does so, they are not representing Masonry, but are rather representing their personal religious belief. Those are two separate categories.

Again, I don't know what has happened to give you such a negative perspective on Masonry or who contributed to it, but all I ask is that you not hold an entire organization to the standards of a few.



To the original poster:

I truely believe if you are interested in Masonry, you should contact your local lodge as others have recommended. If you would like assistance in getting in touch with someone from your area, please feel free to email or PM me and I will help you in any way I can. After that, you can decide for yourself whether you would like to follow through further.

 

Masonary requires a belief in a Supreme Being. As for the Great Architech, this is a reference to the Supreme Being. Simply put: God. Masonary is open to everyone, regardless of your faith. Christians, Jews, Catholics all are members of my Lodge. Ask yourself when you met a member of the Knights of Columbus who was a Methodist? I am, frankly, tired of all the bashing, negative comments, and falsehoods stated in this forum about Masons. You are talking about something you have no knowledge of; if you are really interested, then approach a Mason/Lodge for information. We have nothing to hide, something I cannot say about other organizations. As far as the tell-tale "books" about Masonary......somewhere between fact and fiction is the truth.

 

Passin Thru, your posts indicate that you know nothing about Masonary, nor are you open to learning anything about it. You have posted inaccurate information about Masons, their beliefs, and traditions, and have offended any Masons reading your posts. Ignorance is no excuse.

 

post of the year

 

Be careful when you compare based on actions. Just because a church does not run a hospital to save children, Masons may not bring millions to the Lord. Its has to fall into what we each believe in, what we choose to envelope ourselves in and the groups we desire to have faith in.

While Shriners helped me walk I have also seen them falling *** drunk during a parade and get in their (big) car and drive away, motel room bouncing in New Bern NC during a convention (or whatever y'all call it) and just doing bad things. But I still thank the ones who made a difference in my life They were from my standpoint good men, fantastic doctors and great providers of medical treatment at no cost.

While living life as a full blown Atheist for most of my life I became a Christian when my last daughter was a year old. I saw my fellow brethren do so many great things but also saw them do more crappy things than I care to even be a part of which is why i backed away a lot from "church" as a whole. (I said church not God)

So it is all in how we wish to interpret them. I really haven't seen a lot of bashing here but a lot of seeing things through different points of views and eyes. I for one am not a mason fan.

Would I marry a mason? no because that is not the kind of relationship I want. Yes there are secrets. My ex freaked out when I cleaned the closet and he couldnt find his "apron" I have to be buried in/with it" (well that and his ring and bible which had stuff my bible doesnt) he screamed day after day after day until I finally understood what he was talking about and could tell him it was in the hall closet with the rest of the linens. I had to go look online and learn about it because OMG dare I find out. Some say it secret and others say it isnt. But no one tells. Would a mason come in here and tell me what happens during each level initiation? I think what makes people fear or question the Masons is the masons lack of being "out there" with the exceptions of the Shriners claim to fame with their good deeds.
So perhaps the Masons in here could enlighten us more on your organization. I am intrigued. Help those out who from what Masons say have been filled with bullsnot lies about the group come to see what it is really all about. Open the doors and let people see in. If something is not secret then there should be NO secrets. Makes people leery. My ears are open and ready. Help me understand what I am apparently lost on.

 

hoosierbaby,

I appreciate your willingness to at least try and understand what you have somewhat been a part of in your life. While there are parts of Masonry that you may never fully know, there are plenty of ideals about the organization that ‘we’ (Masons) are more than willing to discuss. That being said, we take an oath not to divulge certain things that do occur within our fraternity. The initiation process is one of these items. I can tell you that folklore is actually laughable about what it has made about Masonry and our 'secrets'.

First, you have to get rid of the stigmata that comes with Masonry as being a totally 'secretive society'. If it were that secret, would you really know about it? Would we actually have lodges that are publically seen within towns and signs on the buildings, or would we meet in secretive places? Most every lodge in the world participates in their community, but never receives the positive publicity they might actually deserve.

Each lodge has its own charitable ideals and groups it participates in. 99% of the time, they deal with things that affect the local community that the lodge is part of. In my case and the lodge I belong to, we work with the local homeless shelters in helping to supply food and labor. We work with the local middle school and high school as tutors for students that need additional help in their studies. We also supply two $5,000 student scholarships each year to help two students get into college for their first year. Masonry is about becoming a better person and helping your fellow man. We do this all through charitable means and do not profit in any way financially.

Masonry is also about helping your fellow Mason. Whether that be in physical form by things like acts of kindness, or whether it be in mental and inspirational form. It is a collective group with like goals and ideals.

Many people say it sounds too simple. Because the stigmatism of being a ‘secret society’ is there, people naturally assume there just has to be more to it than that and we are just hiding things. We are a group that sits around plotting against everyone else.

<O</OI keep going back to your line in your post about if it is not a secret, then there should be no secrets. I have to disagree with this and really in a simplistic way. An example of this would be that I am curious about you and want to know all the secrets about you and your family – no matter how big or how small. I am not a member of your family, but in your argument, I should have just as much of a right to know everything about you and your family – without ‘joining’ your family simply because I want to know. Masons look at our fraternity as a family and if you want to know about us and know the ‘secrets’, you must join. If I were to walk up to your front door, are you going to let me in to be able to go through all of your property, then take me to other members of your family and they do the same? Many will argue this is not the same scenario, but it is in elemental form.

There is also the underlining point that historically, Masonry has also been for men only, and for that, many women (stereotypically) see it in a different light. They feel left out of the ‘boys club’ and have held resentment towards Masonry. For those, I would recommend researching The Order of the Eastern Star. I am not saying you are this way, but many are. I was a Mason before getting married, and to this day, my wife knows there are many things about Masonry that she does not know and will never know because of the obligations I took. She understands this and has accepted it because she has seen the good that Masonry and the Shrine does in life. I know she has a curiosity and would love to know, but she respects me enough not to push.

The apron is a personal item for each man as it represents personal achievement for him in his journey. As you know with your ex-husband, many people take great pride in the symbolism of their apron and want to protect it. Many people I know have framed their aprons and display them proudly on their wall, while others might put them in safety deposit boxes to insure they are safe. When I finished my initiation, my father gave me his apron, his first Masonic ring, and some other items that have no worldly value other than sentimental. I now have his apron, my apron, and other items safely put away in hopes that maybe one day I might be able to pass them along to my son.

I know many people would just love to have a Mason just do a tell-all right here on the forum, but that just will not happen. We all have friends that we have entrusted thoughts to at one point or another in our lives, and we did this hoping they would never tell someone else. Please think of a Mason’s obligations in this light when pushing to know something. As you expect your friend to keep your secret, we do the same with our obligations. But if there are things we can talk about, most are willing to do it.




David

 

CobraXP, you have hit the nail on the head! As a Mason, I have felt that much of the thoughts posted by others dealt with false information and innuendo. You have done Freemasonary a great service by your post, and I, for one, appreciate it.