to be suspicious of freemasons?

[wheelsonthefeckingbus]

My brother is a member and wants DH to join. Dh isn't interested anyway, but I did have a bit of a debate with DB recently. The problem is that because it is a secretive society, it's very hard to get ammunition to argue.

Would it be true to say that they are

elistist? after all only certain people can join.
nepotistic? there is an element of "helping" each other - ie. members of that elite
patriarchal? although women can join a separate group
homophobic?
have some sort of mumbo jumbo religious element?

DB say that they "do a lot for charity" but he doesn't have to join a secret society and roll up his trouser leg to be charitable.

Any comments?

My working class grandad and his father (and if family stories are true, several generations before them), my uncle and my cousin are all freemasons, as are three of our friends.
Despite my gran and I being the nosiest creatures on earth, we were both quite content that the biggest secret of the masons was that there is no secret, or at least not in the way that the conspiracy theorists would like us to believe. It is about personal development as I understand it.
They are not homophobic. The religious element is simply a belief in a supreme being, as another poster has already said. They are certainly not elitist - I can testify to that, having spent a lot of time over the years sitting outside a lodge in the middle of a pretty poor part of Tyneside, waiting to pick up my grandad from his meeting with other merchant seamen, shopkeepers, carpenters, engineers etc.
And their charitable side is beyond dispute - they gave my widowed grandmother a cheque every Christmas and stated that they were prepared to pay my school fees if the assisted place scheme was abolished as I was being raised by my grandfather, a mason and a pensioner.

Oh, and Emmie, if you want to start a Secret 7 style gang, I'm in!

Only men can join. My grandad was one - very working class East Ender. Dad refused because he didn't like his dad and thought blokes parading about speaking in code was barmy. DH's dad was one - very upper middle professional class and was a lovely, very kind, earnest true gentleman - rather naive but always well intentioned. And a Quaker so the whole charity thing was the driving force for him. They do an enormous amount for charity and community - its the main reason for their exisistence.

A friend of mine is now one. He is black - professional class (arts admin bloke). They aren't the Ku Klux Klan, despite the outfits.

I couldn't be bothered with all the clubby stuff and DH thinks it's all a bit unnecessary but they aren't women hating racists. Not everything has to be unisex. Some people like to spend some time with their own sex. It's not a crime.

My dad is a mason and so are some of my colleagues.
As far as I can gather:

• They do tonnes of work for charidee . Always fundraising.
• They all look out for each other e.g. one of the brothers wives had cancer. They sent flowers, card and gave a gift of a night away for some respite
• Have lots of old school dinners at their meetings.

You have to believe in God but it doesn't matter which one (if you think Dawkins is a god then fair enough) My DH couldn't join as he is catholic but I wouldn't have any issue with it.

Kittyfoyle - if it was a crime then everyone on MN would be in a bit of a pickle. [ smile]

I did get a whiff of male once in a while on here. Not often though. They're all at their secret meetings.

PaulineCampbellJones why could your DH not join?

Secret societies are for dicks and wannabe dicks.

Agree with the posts before Heracles. Lots in my family and I think they just enjoy the ritual and the clubbiness of it. Don't think there's anything bad about it at all. There are far worse things DH's and DP's can get involved in. I have the impression that there is an element of faith involved and that it isn't as secret as it's made out if you ask. Anyone can join and therefore not elitist at all. My DH not interested but would have trouble fitting it in around football and rugby!!

wigglesrock The catholic church see freemasonry as a grave sin. You would be excommunicated. Not sure why really.

Probably a hang-up from the days when Catholic church got jealous of Templar knights' power & wealth and exterminated them in a two-year torture fest. Survivors went underground in Masonic lodges and transformed it from a builders' guild into an esoteric school of thought, apparently.

It is not a secret society. Look up the word "esoteric".

YANBU: Tell your husband to run from this, I know someone who joined, became a Christian and left, and apparently they take all sorts of Horrible oaths with their children's life if they reveal any stage secrets. And it is does have some weird god called Jah-Bul-On that they worship!!
Ask your brother what stage he is in, and if he had to swear an Oath with a curse on himself if he revealed the secrets of the stage? problem is that he can not tell you this!!

Saro
"Jah-Bul-On"?

Is that god related to "Tal-King-Boll-ocks"?

YANBU

My lovely Grandfather - who I loved soooo much, my brilliant uncle - who I love sooo much and my dad - who I love even more are/were freemasons.

Really don't get involved.

Sure at the lowest levels its all charity work and dinners. At its highest levels it is basically satanism.

Run Run Run!!

Can I just say I don't know why I wrote that I love my family at the start of the message!!

I guess I am just saying I know what I am talking about from experience and I have had family members in the freemasons. I can love my famiy and still dislike the freemasons as an organisation.

My Gramps was a freemason and his lodge still send money to my Nan even though he died many years ago.

However, I am so happy my Dad didn't join because something about it makes me feel uneasy.

Eh? How do you know if noone can say?

My DH was reading AIBU over my shoulder when we came across this. He is a mason and his word of choice when reading some of these responses was 'Bollocks!'

We both know of at least two gay brethren personally, and we are both Christian and being a member has never conflicted with his faith. Again we both know personally other devout Christians, Jews, and a Hindu that are members.

He assures me that he has never taken any oaths on our children's lives and it is pretty standard practice for masonic wives to do what I have done many a time and help him learn his ritual - so it can't be that secret.

He is now ranting about specific parts of the ritual that mean nothing to me but there is no mention of dead animals anywhere.

I agree with the previous post that says that the people being unkind about freemasons are the ones that would love to be members but aren't. . .

NerdyFace/ Theroseofwait
Jah:- is the Jewish God
Bul:- is some hindu/ Assyrian god
On:- is the Egyptian god (Osirus)
That way, they welcome Jews, Christians, Hindus, all saying they worship the same God.
From a born again Christian point of view, have a look at Rebecca Brown's book "Prepare for War" available on Amazon
www.amazon.co.uk/review/RFOKH3CCOXXF9/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#RFOKH3CCOXXF9