Freemasons - are you one?

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So what's it all about?

My mother had some very funny derogatory stories and the like about this group of jumped up nothings who tend to think they are very important. i accept some of them do some good in a charity sense but overall the sense of preferring your own is so corrupt and the vast majority do not have women in their groups so the sexism is also morally pernicious. It is not without reason that judges were (are?) required to disclose their membership but not member of other types of groups like choirs or churches.

Tends to be full of men who think they are more important than they are, who think they will get on, probably a bit lower class many of them, lots of police force people, local golfers, slightly fat men who eat out a lot and drink and think the ridiculous rituals are somehow valid ors ensible. Just a huge joke really if it weren't for the occasional corruption that flows from them.

I have personal experience of their existence, to my detriment too! I had a great boss, he left the company and two young men, one after the other, tried to take his place. They were both useless and had no idea how to contribute. I have to say I carried them! Turned out that the MD is a Freemason and was obliged to find these two numpties jobs because their fathers were both in his lodge. Not at all funny or fair IMO......unless of course you are one!

behoove
Years ago my mum and dad were due to go to a party which was being held at the Maaonic Hall. My dad got a phone call just before they were due to leave basically saying that because he was a RC he couldn't attend. I'm therefore surprised you are saying RC could join the Masons, not that they'd ever want to because all the ones I've met have been obnoxious little Englanders. The whole idea of a secret society is completely twattish.

They do take Roman Catholics- I am from a long line of Roman Catholics. My Great Grandfather- Grand Master...Grandfather- Grand Master...Father- Current Grand Master and my brother has now joined...They are all Roman Catholic. I want to join the Order of the Eastern Star, but I can't find a chapter here in the UK.

My ex was a freemason, I never fully understood it, but he was RC. He was always wanting to be higher up (whatever that means). He spoke about the all seeing eye? Which sounds rather odd to me, alot of his mates were freemasons and they all stick by each other, my ex caused no end of troblue for my friend when I dumped him, as did all his freemason friends.

I thought the RC issue was that the Church has said that Masonics are satanic in their practices and therefore they would ex-communicate anyone who joined the Masons. It's not that the Mason's won't allow RC to join.

That's probably more accurate Beryl than my original post but it seems the doctrines of the RC church and the Freemasons are mutually exclusive. Being a RC and a Freemason is a bit like a Glaswegian claiming to be a Celtic and Rangers fan!

There are the Knights of St Columbanus which is the RC equivalent of the Masons.

my dad was one, they do have rituals and initiation involved rolling up a trouser leg and baring chest but all had some plausible nonsense to explain it. he had a box of tricks (suitcase) with the tools of the trade that was a BID SECRET he had an apron and white gloves that he had to wear to meetings which is why my mum called it his 'mickey mouse' club. having said all that it did do lots of serious fundraising and members were meant to be loyal to each oter... hence the rumours truth of feloows giving lenience to other fellows and yes there was a handshake although hardly secret something to do with which knuckle you pressed when you shook hands to denote your rank in the organisation. To be fair whilst very secretive 'boys club' so engendering a raft of rumours of their dubious intent, they did look after each other and partners wives were invited to 'ladies nights' and when my dad died they offered support and financial help. actully when he became disabled they also offered to pay for his car to be converted too so not all bad. just the secret stuff that gets peoples backs up I think. saying that DB was invited to join and declined. used to be seen as a status thing amongst small business people as in ' I have arrived! the masons have recognised me' but not so much these days.

I was once invited to a 'charity ball' with an ex of mine (complete and utter idiot I might add) which was actually a signing in celebration of a new lodge head who was this blokes long standing friend. He said he also was not aware of the real nature of the 'charity ball'. Supposedly the chap who was to be the head of the lodge wasn't in to it much but felt obliged to as his father was involved. The funniest thing was he was single at the time but had to rope his ex in to pretend to be his partner for the occasion as presumably being single is not well thought of. The speech about him saying how incredibly happy and successful he was was nonsense as he was out of work at the time and a bit of a lonely drifter from what I could tell. The whole thing was a bit of a weird ceremony but not too different from a PTA dinner dance.

Southern Home Counties btw and plenty of police are members from what I could tell.

Father is one. God knows what goes on, never really asked. He does have a lot of sway with local councillors / businesspeople /movers and shakers.... stuff like planning permissions, parking tickets in the local towns and the like have never been a problem.

A lot of back scratching seems to go on.

I live opposite a Masonic lodge. My kitchen looks onto the changing room where they put their special robes on. From my bedroom I can look into the dining hall where they hold their events, I can see into their store room too, as they always leave the lights on I know what the equipment looks like. I can hear them when they do their special clapping applause too.
It's frequented by old men, it's essentially just scouts for old men.
Do I know too much?! Should I be fearful of the repercussions of knowing too much??

People that tend to think they are more important than they are? Bit like an awful lot of lawyers.

blimey, old thread just realise I already said this way back in 2012 why has this been resurected and many others

My DH was a Mason. I've grilled him for 9 years and he won't tell of any "secrets".

He says there are none to tell - it is a society to promote good works in the Community.

He is a "was" Mason because he was convicted of a criminal act (ABH to a 17 year old thug who was threatening his 13 year old daughter - he broke the boys' nose). So - no preferential treatment. First rule of Masonry - obey the Law, or you are out. (I know this is true - I found his book of Masonry rules and read it)

There's a Masonic hall in Surbiton. They do Sunday carvery. That about sums it up for me.

It's makey uppey nonsense with a few quid behind it, a treehouse club for 'grown ups'. I find it embarrassing.

Friend of mine used to get roped in to testing her DH on the rituals when he had to learn them. She reckoned they were a right load of rubbish and she thought it was utterly daft to make them try to learn it all - because they tended to change roles from week to week they never had any rehearsal and inevitably never seemed to remember very accurately, and apparently the Grand Master would get quite shirty about it. I must say, I can't see why they wouldn't just read the ceremony out like vicars do.

My step Dad is one. I've been to Ladies' Nights and danced the night away in a posh frock and eaten reasonable food. The whole family would go and make a good party of it.

The masons run old people's homes at a much better rate than the usual private enterprises. The one my nana was in looked after her beautifully until she died. I am sure their care gave her another 2 years of comfortable, entertained life.

I'm a children's nurse and our local branch provide us with teddy bears for the children that come in. I like them for this reason :)

I'm very intrigued about them I have to say. I LOVE all the secrecy stuff, that's the best bit! How dull if it really is all open and honest nowadays. I prefer to think there's a high up lodge which remains all cloak and dagger where real issues get played out.

Mmm. Might be expensive to be one but there are enough cheap 'mason only' lunch deals opposite the grand lodge in Holborn!

As I said above judges had to delcare if they were masosn as there is so much concern that that membership above that of many others people might be in could be a problem. Our most senior female judge Hale has said shei s very concerned that so many of the tiny number of senior judges are from one single gentleman's club in London (I forget which one) =- a different "club" but the same kind of thing. However Jack Straw abolished the requirement to declare membership of the masons for judges:

" The United Grand Lodge of England made representations in May [ 2009]. They drew attention to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in Grande Oriente d'Italia di Palazzo Guistiniani v Italy (no 1) and Grande Oriente d'Italia di Palazzo Guistiniani v Italy (no 2) and indicated that they might seek judicially to review the application of the policy to the judiciary. In the light of my consideration of those representations I decided to review the policy.
As a result of this review we have decided to end the current policy of requiring applicants for judicial office to declare membership of the freemasons.
The review of the policy operating since 1998 has shown no evidence of impropriety or malpractice within the judiciary as a result of a judge being a freemason and in my judgment, therefore, it would be disproportionate to continue the collection or retention of this information.

According to the Ministry of Justice, there are 3,808 judges in England and Wales and 5.4% of them (205) are masons. There are also 29,702 magistrates, of whom 6.4% (1,900) are masons."

It has been the police where people have been most concerned. It may not matter if your local bar gives cheaper meals to fellow masons but it will matter if a police investigation is affected by bias. Not all masons will show bias and many of them do good charity work but we do need to be very vigilant about groups which prefer their own. There still remains a lot more general male networking for work/jobs goes on than for women in the UK.

My father was very anti masons for the corruption risks (his own father was one in about 1920) and my mother thought they were laughable and silly.

Greengrow, most police forces require officers to declare membership of the Masons. However if they don't declare, it is hard to do anything about it. It isn't as if there is a central list of members that can be cross referenced.