I'm a Freemason AMA

[FreemasonAMA]

I will not go into some details, but I will try to answer as many questions as I can.

I don’t think it’s the case now as so many are women, and most lodges are still men only I think from what I see online.

So if you say you are a Freemason on your job application you will have an advantage over non Freemasons

Hardly. As you can see from some of the comments above people can have negative prejudices against Freemasons in general, seemingly without knowing much about it at all.

I have never seen or heard of anyone who mentions Freemasonry in a job application, but you can of course give it a try.

I have met Australian Freemasons who told me they were Freemasons. In 50+ years I have never met a Freemason in Scotland who openly stated they were a Freemason.

Maybe there is a negative attitude towards Freemasonry in Scotland which does not exist in Australia? I don't know the answer to that question.

What are we supposed to do skulk around the meeting halls trying to identify them? So that when I or a member of the family are applying for a job we can give the nod to the right boss to imply we are Freemasons.

And then what? You come for the interview and the recruiter realises that you lied in your CV. I wouldn't call that a great start to the job interview.

So you would do funny handshakes with the applicants so you know which are FMs (as you said above you would employ them). I doubt you ask job applicants outright if they are FMs.

It’s all very well saying you are an open society

Those are not my words. I did not say open. I said that Freemasonry is esoteric rather than secret.

you restrict membership

Rotary Club restricts membership. Tennis clubs restrict membership. In fact, all members-only organisations restrict membership to friends-of-friends whom existing members vouch for. Freemasonry is no different.

don’t tell people you are Freemasons when you meet them, where I would happily discuss my past times and interests.

If your pastimes and interests were as difficult to explain to the uninitiated and as likely to draw criticism from those who know nothing about them but think they do, I think you would be a bit more reticent in talking about them.

Up until recently you were men only.

Only if you consider 1870s to be "recent".

And the fms were rife in the police.

I don't know the % of Masons in UK police, but I doubt that it could be significant. In any case, I object to your use of the word "rife", which implies the widespread nature of something undesirable.

Freemasonry secrecy was implied to be contributing to corruption in past decades, due to the secrecy surrounding it, we’ll never know if that was the case.

So, something was implied and you don't know if it's true. OK then.

We promise to help each other but not to thwart justice
That definitely smacks of favouritism. Which imv could roll over into bias in recruitment.
I am not against FMs, I am against secret societies and funny handshakes which gives a group of people, be it in a court of law, a board of directors meeting, a Staff room or whatever advantages over non members, you’ve sworn to help each other , the others are at a disadvantage. Also it is mainly men so is also sexist.
Am bowing out now.

Thanks for answering my 'woo' questions thoroughly.

Pleasure

The comparison with karate is useful. I know some people who feel that karate is 'too woo' and is at odds with their religious beliefs so won't let their children practice it and others of the same faith who have no issues with it. I think it is the same with the masons. And yoga!

I didn't know that some people think karate is "too woo". That's really odd.

Yoga can be a bit woo, depending on the teacher. Some like to talk about chakras and energies.

I have seen no such talk or practice in Freemasonry so far. Give what I know about the importance of knowledge, rational thought, and scientific approach in Freemasonry, I don't expect to see it in the higher degrees, either.

My dad was a Freemason and it wasn't until he became unwell that we realised how much you care for each other's families.

Do you like that aspect of support for your family as a friendship circle of anything we're to happen to you?

My estranged father is an a very high ranking Freemason and I’ve no wish to carry our personal differences into it. I’m convinced though that when I was about 10 years old, I’m 60 now, I found one of his books that spoke of someone being able to fit a curtain ring around his navel. I asked him about it about 10 years ago and he laughed and said I was imagining things. Was I?

How come there are two branches of Freemasons?

There are more branches but these two are the more important ones. Grand Orient broke away from Grand Lodge in 1870s, mainly over not requiring initiates to believe in God. There is also Droit Humain, which was started as a mixed obedience (of men and women together) in 1800s.

Does the Grand Lodge consider itself the ‘real’ masons?

Its management does but in my experience, most Freemasons consider each other equally Masonic, regardless of the obedience they were initiated in. Practices and rituals are also nearly identical.

very illuminating. Or very Illuminati

I don't know much about "Illuminati" except that it is a conspiracy theory that gets trotted out during elections, assassinations, and wars. National Geographic has interesting info on Illuminati.

Why are satanism and freemasonry so intertwined?

I don't think there is any relation whatsoever. Why do you think they are intertwined?

One side of Freemasonry requires religious belief in God, creator of the universe. The other side doesn't require any religious belief but leaves it to each individual what they want to believe or not. None expect candidates to shun God and believe in Satan, let alone worship Satan.

If it is a misconception, what is it about either one that you think would lead to that confusion would you say?

I have no idea why you would think this.

If you would explain why you think Freemasonry has anything to do with Satanism, we can talk about what led to that confusion.

The knights templars, skull n bones, illuminati- are these all branches of freemasonry?

Absolutely not. You can Google Masonic obediences ("branches") to see what they are.

Knights Templars were religious and military order that predate Freemasonry and was exterminated during the Templar trials of 1307-1310, if I recall correctly. There was probably an overlap around the Middle Ages, because some of the allegoric stories in Masonic rituals feature Knights Templar.

Da Vinci Code and Foucault's Pendulum have interesting theories on this subject, but as far as I know they are fiction.

When you say rituals, could you give an example of one.

I couldn't tell you about them in detail, but think of rituals like ceremonies - scripted words and actions for opening and closing ofa meeting, initiations, passing to each new degree, etc.

Also, do you understand the significance behind each and everyone?

Yes, I understand the meaning and significance of the rituals I have seen and performed so far.

You make it all sound very benign OP but as a child of DF who worked in the city in the 1980s, I saw on on almost daily basis his utter frustration at being passed over on big financial deals, promotions etc all because he was not a FM. He was approached countless times to join and refused to on moral grounds as the FM only have morals when they are applied to themselves. there are countless journalists and others who have done great work to expose their utter ruthlessness and I am quite shocked at how naive you sound.

Try www.amazon.co.uk/Inside-Brotherhood-Explosive-Secrets-Freemasons/dp/0007334141?tag=mumsnetforum-21

or /www.goodreads.com/book/show/325367.The_Brotherhood

Christian literature sites are full of books on how it is linked to Satanism eg
www.eden.co.uk/shop/search.php?q=freemasonry

Thank you for this thread OP, my dad is a Freemason and it frustrates me when they all get tarred with the same brush. “Oh I know a Freemason who’s an arse, ergo all Freemasons are arses”.

It is frustrating but people can't help but fear what they don't know. There are many books and websites on Freemasonry now, some of it official materials of Masonic obediences, but I suppose conspiracy theories are more interesting for people.

Also people think that Freemasons are a secretive group, well, not very good at being secret are they!

The difference between secret and esoteric can be elusive. Not many people know what the latter word even means. I didn't either before I became a Freemason.

Our local Freemasons just donated two Blood Bikes. Their charity work is outstanding.

Yes, charity and giving to the community is very important in Freemasonry although it is not the goal.

DH’s grandfather was a mason and DH was left all his regalia when he died together with the story from the family that it gave him a ‘right’ to become a mason if he wanted. DH has never wanted to investigate that. From what you have said it probably just means that GF’s lodge would probably be warm to allowing DH to join out of knowing that GF was a good man. We now live on the other side of the world so that’s unlikely. Is there a hereditary ‘right’ and would it work in another country?

Thank you very much for answering my questions, I realise they were quite blunt.

Pleasure. That's not a problem

Please read the thread before you ask your questions. I get the impression that some have not.

Can you join if you don't believe in a god?

I’m struggling to understand what it is that you do. People meet together to discuss different topics? Like a club?

I've JUST read the whole thread and have a new question!

Is there any way to join if you don't know any one in he organisation?

Has the organisation changed, say, in the last 50 years, greatly? I know women weren't allowed back then, but I wonder how much it has evolved?

I wasn't around 50 years ago, but what I hear from the older generation suggests that it has not. Yes, some branches have started accepting women and mixed lodges as well as women's lodges have increased in number, but I believe that the traditions and rituals have stayed the same.

I ask because my father was one. He was obsessed with it, from what he let slip. I remember finding his brown briefcase under the bed and going through all the sashes, medals, bumf in there and he was absolutely furious. Because of the secrecy I suppose.

I wouldn't react like that if DC see my Masonic stuff or read the rituals. I don't know if that means Freemasonry has changed or parenting styles have changed in the last couple of decades.

Is it right that Freemasonry influences Police enormously? I heard about this decades ago... people getting off of charges, officers being passed over for promotion because they weren't a mason, etc.

I don't think so. I remember those news and remember that it became a bit of a witch hunt. It is probable that the actions of some individuals were attributed to Freemasonry as an organisation. What I can say is that I have never seen Masons in higher degrees order those in lower orders around, or tell them what to do at work whether they work as police, corporate employees, or government officials.

Why would you want to join an organisation which is, in effect, just paying lip service to females?

I wouldn't. That is not what our Masonic obedience does. I am a Freemason, at a degree above Master Mason, from a women's Masonic lodge.

Please read the thread.

What are you views on the ever growing conspiracy theories on you tube about the illuminati and freemasonary connections

I have no idea what videos you have seen on YouTube, but don't think they are as informative or factual as Masonic websites and books.

with regards to human sacrifice, sex slavery

You don't really believe that

So you would do funny handshakes with the applicants so you know which are FMs

@GeorgeIII If you are so interested in Freemasonry, it would be a good idea for you to read the entire thread. If you had, you would not have asked this question.

(as you said above you would employ them). I doubt you ask job applicants outright if they are FMs.

I have never tried to find out if a potential employee is a Freemason. That comment was about IF I knew a candidate is a Mason and IF all other factors were equal between candidates. As I said above "that is because it shows certain personal and intellectual qualities in a person, not blind favouritism".

All other factors being equal, I would also favour a marathon runner or a sports team coach when hiring because those also attest to the presence of certain physical, psychological, and interpersonal traits.

I am against secret societies and funny handshakes

I have never used a handshake to identify someone, funny or otherwise, and Freemasonry is esoteric, not secret. Please read the thread.

which gives a group of people, be it in a court of law, a board of directors meeting, a Staff room or whatever advantages over non members, you’ve sworn to help each other , the others are at a disadvantage

I don't think the "disadvantage" is any more marked than if those people knew each other from the Rotary Club or Cambridge University.

Also it is mainly men so is also sexist.

You can argue that Grand Lodge side of Freemasonry is sexist because they don't accept women. You can't say that all Freemasonry is sexist because that simply shows your lack of knowledge and understanding about the different branches of Freemasonry.

Am bowing out now.

You don't have to go but please read the thread before you post any further accusations.

My dad was a Freemason and it wasn't until he became unwell that we realised how much you care for each other's families. Do you like that aspect of support for your family as a friendship circle of anything we're to happen to you?

I'm happy to hear that your dad's lodge helped and comforted you when he was no longer there with you Yes, that is big in Freemasonry and it is a comfort that they will be around to support my children if I were to suddenly pass away.

Do you watch line of duty, OP? my only knowledge of Freemasonry was Ted Hastings involvement, and the illuminati. Does freemasonry mention in popular culture ever get brought up in your meetings? Have you ever had a giggle about the lizard thing?