A Question
Chris Street
it is off topic, but could someone tell me what Freemasonry is all
about??
I have heard a little, and would be interested in knowing more.
Many thanks.
Chris
Mike Restivo
If you want to learn how to hate your fellow man, especially *me* go to
Edward L. King's Hate Web site:
If you want to know about Freemasonry from the authorized sources,
contact your local lodge. Making the initial contact may be difficult,
but keep trying. That is the source of your most reliable answers.
† Mike Restivo
http://www.pathcom.com/~mtronics/anticult/
(1. Anti-cult awareness essays, 2. Pro-Freemasonry Essays, 3. Pro-Jewish
and pro-Christian essays in the Judaica section. All essays and related
articles are from the Bible-believing Christian perspective.)
Eugene Goldman.·.
(Chris Street) wrote:
*This is possibly going to sound a little strange, and I apologise if
*it is off topic, but could someone tell me what Freemasonry is all
*about??
*
*I have heard a little, and would be interested in knowing more.
*
*Many thanks.
No problem, Chris.
The fraternity of Freemasonry is the oldest and largest fraternal
organization known to exist today, with Lodges in every free country,
and most Counties in the USA. San Diego County (Where I live) has at
least 35 Lodges.
The principle Teachings of the fraternity are Brotherly Love, Relief,
Truth, Faith, Hope, Charity, Tolerance, Temperance, Fortitude,
Prudence and Justice.
We are said to be a "society of Friends and Brothers" who cause true
friendships to exist among those who might otherwise have remained at
a perpetual distance.
Most Masons have their own reasons for joining, but chief among them,
a common thread (if you will) is:
Because we have formed a favorable opinion of the fraternity from the
good men we know who are members.
To be a part of a fraternity dedicated to promoting Brotherly Love,
Relief, Truth, Faith, Hope, Charity, Tolerance, Temprence, Fortitude,
Prudence and Justice.
To contribute, through participation, to a fraternity that causes true
friendships to exist among those who might otherwise have remained at
a perpetual distance.
To join with a wide range of similarly-minded, moral men in doing our
part to make this world a better place for all it's inhabitants.
To find new ways to grow and learn and apply the talents endowed us by
our Creator to the betterment of ourselves and our fellow human
beings, and work with others to do the same - WITHOUT reguard to their
ethnicity, religious or political opinions, or economic condition.
That's why most of us join. Others have other reasons.
***************************
Requirements for admission:
You have to make application for membership willingly and not because
of coersion or mercenary motives.
You have to be of lawful age in your jurisdiction, of sound mind, and
legally entitled to apply.
You have to believe in a Supreme Being as Creator of the Universe.
You have to be of good moral character.
You have to be willing to respect and protect the privacies of the
fraternity (our handshakes and passwords), of the Lodge (who is ill or
late with their dues), and of your Brethren (the fact that he HATES
spinnich, but eats it anyway when his wife cooks it because he loves
HER must remain between the two of you), so long as none of these
involve a crime such as Murder or Treason.
You have to be willing to respect the ceremonies of the fraternity and
not go changing them without permission of the governing body in your
jurisdiction.
You have to be willing to reguard the whole human species as one
family, Created by One Almighty Parent, and to treat others
accordingly.
You have to be willing to place your duty to G-d first and formost,
your duty to yourself and family next, your duty to your neighbor and
your country next and that to the fraternity last among these.
You have to be willing to help others in distress, so far as you can
without incurring harm to yourself or your family who depends on you.
You have to be willing to comport yourself with honor and dignity,
behaving as a gentleman should. A part of this is that you have to be
willing to recognise that someone else's beliefs and opinions in
matters apertaining to religion, politics and economics are as true
for, and as precious to, them as yours are to you. As you want them
to respect yours, you must be willing and able to respect theirs.
Finally, you have to be willing to obey the rules and regualtions of
the fraternity in matters apertaining to the fraternity.
************************************
Should you decide to apply:
You will be obligated to protect the privacies of the fraternity (our
handshakes and passwords), of the Lodge (who is ill or late with their
dues), and of your Brethren (the fact that he HATES spinnich, but eats
it anyway when his wife cooks it because he loves HER must remain
between the two of you), so long as none of these involve a crime such
as Murder or Treason.
You will be obligated to respect the ceremonies of the fraternity and
not go changing them without permission of the governing body in your
jurisdiction.
You will be obligated to reguard the whole human species as one
family, Created by One Almighty Parent, and to treat others
accordingly.
You will be obligated to place your duty to G-d first and formost,
your duty to yourself and family next, your duty to your neighbor and
your country next and that to the fraternity last among these.
You will be obligated to help others in distress, so far as you can
without incurring harm to yourself or your family who depends on you.
You will be obligated to comport yourself with honor and dignity,
behaving as a gentleman should.
Finally, you will be obligated to obey the rules and regualtions of
the fraternity in matters apertaining to the fraternity.
That's it in brief. If I (or anyone here) can be of more help, let me
know.
|O| Be well. Travel with a light heart.
Who said that?
Brother Gene .*.
www.blackmountainlodge.net
www.freemason.org
MBBFMN #387
And in case I don't see ya' - Good Afternoon, Good Evening and Good Night!
Internet newsgroup posting. Copyright 1998. All rights reserved.
Sar Draconis
>
> Chris Street wrote:
> >
> > This is possibly going to sound a little strange, and I apologise if
> >
> > I have heard a little, and would be interested in knowing more.
> >
> >
> > Chris
>
> If you want to learn how to hate your fellow man, especially *me* go to
> Edward L. King's Hate Web site:
>
> http://www.masonicinfo.com
>
> If you want to know about Freemasonry from the authorized sources,
> contact your local lodge. Making the initial contact may be difficult,
> but keep trying. That is the source of your most reliable answers.
>
> † Mike Restivo
>
Mr. Restivo I fear that you are projecting a trip onto Bro. King which
is not his own, and in the process, creating an image of freemasonry
which is not true.
Ed King
> This is possibly going to sound a little strange, and I apologise if
> it is off topic, but could someone tell me what Freemasonry is all
> about??
>
> I have heard a little, and would be interested in knowing more.
>
> Many thanks.
>
> Chris
Doesn't sound strange at all, Chris, and is *very* on topic. I see
you've already met my publicity agent, Mike Restivo, who has suggested
a visit to my site but perhaps a brief explanation might be helpful.
Mr. Restivo is a *very* (VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY.... well,
you get the idea... <grin>) vocal (and we DO mean vocal!) opponent of
Freemasonry and he has an ego about the size of Mainland China. My web
site kinda points out his foibles and fallacies and right now, he seems
to be taking it *awfully* badly. Probably the holidays, his being alone
and unwanted, and all....
Anyway: this newsgroup is - like most on the internet - a place where
there's all sorts of craziness going on. Sorry that your first couple
of answers had to drag you so rapidly into it! <sigh>
What Gene Goldman has told you is a quick thumbnail but there's SO much
more. Feel free to ask anything you want - and welcome!
Regards,
Ed
http://www.masonicinfo.com -- Anti-Masonry: Points of View
Mike Restivo
> Mr. Restivo I fear that you are projecting a trip onto Bro. King which
> is not his own, and in the process, creating an image of freemasonry
> which is not true.
No one is forcing his hand against me. Furthermore the true image of the
Order can only be unveiled upon diligent research by those of open heart
and open mind.
My antagonists, the enforcer rogue Masons situate themselves in a cul de
sac of their own making. Considering an equilateral triangle, as it
were, on the one side, I refute their ad hominem attacks and on the
second side, am ever ready to discuss the issues on the level, which
sober and mature discussion with an antagonist has almost never
transpired.
Now furthermore, I publish, under the rubric of "Freemasonic Idealism",
my conceptions of ideals conserved within Masonic symbols, acknowledging
that it is my projection into them, not an explicit Craft teaching. So
on the one side they cannot best me using fair methods, on the other
side they can't best me using foul methods, and on the third side of the
equilateral triangle (of manifestation, as it were) they cannot exceed
the loftiness and nobility of the Ideals of Freemasonry that I have
raised. This all goes over their heads. The effect is one of, for my
part, challenging my opponents to get out of the gutter and get into
grace. It is not easy to find something worthwhile in an organization
founded upon morality and which exemplifies moral inadequacy to such a
marked degree.
ri...@my-dejanews.com
chr...@mithrandir.demon.co.uk wrote:
> This is possibly going to sound a little strange, and I apologise if
> it is off topic, but could someone tell me what Freemasonry is all
> about??
>
> I have heard a little, and would be interested in knowing more.
>
> Many thanks.
>
> Chris
>
Chris,
This is not off subject at all. Indeed, it is what we should be discussing on
this ng.
Freemasonry is a fraternity. An organization of men who associate because
they have common interest. Depending on who you talk to, there are a couple
of different explanations of the origin of Freemasonry. The one which makes
the most sense to me is that modern Freemasonry evolved from the Stone Masons
guilds (we call them Operative Masons) of the Middle Ages.
These guilds were organized into Lodges of instruction whose purpose was to
teach the trade of the Operative Mason. There were three types of Masons in
the guilds: The Apprentice Masons, the Fellow ( or Journeyman), and the
Master Mason. Apprentices were indentured (usually for seven years) to
Master Masons to learn the Craft of Stonemasonry. They served to do the
heavy work in building while developing their skills. The Fellowcraft were
skilled Masons who were able to do detailed work in stone. The Masters were
the top of the order and not only were able to do the fine work, but to
design. In essence, they were architects.
At first, there were only stonemasons in the guilds. As time went on, there
were men who proved valuable to the guilds who were admitted to the guilds
and allowed to enjoy the Lodges of instruction and fellowship therein without
learning the skills of the Operative Mason. They were called Accepted
Masons. As more time passed, the demand for Stone Masons declined and many
guilds became made up mainly or totally of Accepted Masons. At that point,
the guilds became more Fraternal in nature.
In 1717 AD, the first Grand Lodge of England formed. This is considered the
beginning of modern Freemasonry. Assuredly, there were many Masonic Lodges in
existence prior to this time, but this is the first time they banded together
under one central authority in any one place. Today, there are Grand Lodge
jurisdictions in most places of the World, and over five million Freemasons.
As to the question of what Freemasonry is about. Freemasonry is a fraternity
which has values they, and all men and women of good character find
worthwhile. As a Fraternity, we meet to try to improve both ourselves and
the World around us. Perhaps the requirements to be made a Mason explain
better than anything else what we are.
To be made a Mason, there are only a few simple requirements. A man must
first ask to be made a Mason. We do not solicit membership. To be a member,
a man must be able to profess a belief in Diety. What you call that Diety,
and how you worship him is NOT asked, but you must believe. No aithiest can
be made a Mason. You must be of lawful age for the jurisdiction where you
live (usually 21 years of age, but it can be as young as eighteen). You must
be sound in mind, of good moral character, and you must be a man.
Your question deserves a much longer answer, but that is better left up to
those more qualified than I. Please feel free to ask questions as you wish.
There are many here who are well qualified to give you answers.
One word of warning. This is an unmoderated newsgroup. There is a good
possibility that those who are opposed to Freemasonry will also answer. I
suggest you read their answers and compare them with the answers of Masons.
Look at both side of this issue, including other web pages, and then make up
your own mind about the truth of Freemasonry.
--
Richard Jackson, PM
Corrigan Masonic Lodge #1103 AF&AM
Corrigan, Texas
newsgroup article copyright 1998, all rights reserved by Richard Jackson
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Michael B. Buck
having a serious logic error. Mind warp anyone? Well, I could toddle off
the the bus station in downtown L.A. or MacArthur Park and hear more, I guess.
> İ Mike Restivo