So after 14 years together, 12 years married and 3 dcs he lobs this out of left field ...

[SimoneDeBeaver]

He'll be back late because he's going to a Freemason's dinner.

God I don't even know which bloody emoticon to put, as I don't know whether to laugh hysterically, cry or blow up.

This is a man who has always been fun, kind, thoughtful, supportive, dare I say it, a feminist. And he cannot seem to understand why this has left me feeling extremely unnerved. (mainly because I'm not sure what it is and why it is)

I mean, what do they DO? I know they do lots of charidee work, but we already give all we can afford, volunteer a lot, involved in church ... I mean, FTLOG why does he need to join what seems to me a misogynist, secretive, frankly rather silly old-boys club?

Aaaaargh!!

You do know everything is on their web page don't you? Google Freemasons and go to the UGLE page. You can even download their rule book if you like. Mentions nothing about ripping tongues out if you choose to leave. It's really not that secret.

Have been thinking on it to and from a meeting.

LtEve yes, DH being away for another night is a large part of why I don't like it, the fact that it is the Freemasons is also still a problem for me. Sorry not to be black and white for you.

Ginger DH could talk to our vicar, but as she's a gay woman in a civil partnership I can't imagine she'll be sympathetic

The signs that members make to other freemasons to denote membership are secret.

As are membership lists. Grand Lodge wouldn't even supply these to the Home Secretary when asked to do so.

It really is that secretive and even Grand Lodge themselves don't pretend that it isn't. As they at pains to point out to their detractors, they are not a 'secret society' but a society with secrets.

Bitdifferent if you believe everything is on their webpage, then so be it.

Voiceof actually that's patronising tosh.

Ok so anyone who has a different opinion can't be listened to. Was just trying to reassure you that you can find out loads of info if you look properly. Ofcourse you' re right they wouldn't state they cut out people's tongues on their website...oh yes and loads if different religions are represented. Hindus, Seihks, Muslims, Catholics, C of E.
Back to real life here. Sausage casserole won't make itself and Kumon and SATs practice won't get done without some supervision.

Disagreement and debate about points made isn't the same as 'not being listened to'. You are entitled to your opinion, as is anyone. But posters are equally entitled to disagree and even more helpfully, to say why.

I dislike freemasonry. But in the spirit of freemasonry, I am keeping my reasons secret.

Don't be fooled. Think coppers, journos, politicians, scrap dealers, butchers, bakers, councillors, estate agents, lawyers, developers - whatever you like...forget the charidee, it's all about networking and collusion and it's secret - so it can be as corrupt and nepotistic (let alone sexist) as you like. In some professions you'd be left out of 'the know' if you failed to join the lodge. Shocking number of Scotland Yard detectives were in the lodge a few years ago - it may be changing now, but getting out of a bad breathalyser test used merely to depend on giving the right handshake.

I would not be surprised if Freemasonry was not at the heart of the whole Police-Press-News of the World/Phone Hacking scandal vortex.

It deserves to be blown apart.

Bitdifferent I know I can find out loads, I've googled etc, but that's not the point. The fact that there is secrecy within this society is a problem for me.

I am not sure that his secret society full of clever men would be writing a web page with anything other than what they would want you to know.I also think that the number of times that we have heard these weird stories with no proper proof to denounce them would suggest more that a grain of truth, I am sure that there are freemasons who are not into the dark side but also think some are. It amuses me to hear that it has been disproved that Jack the ripper was a fm. How on earth has that happened ? and by whom?

For those of you making light of the fact that the fm are anti-catholic-would you find it acceptable if I said they refuse black/asian/whatever members? Someone very much further up the thread mentioned the klu klux klan-they werent far off-fm started it.

I wasn't going to post again but what ashoething just wrote is utter rubbish. My own Dh isn't white, the majority of his lodge is Indian or Pakistani origin. The Freemasons are huge in India too.

They are anti-Catholic. Fact.

Interesting perspective. I have a friend who is a judge, and a mason, and if anyone tries the old secret signals in court, he treats them more harshly for attempting to use masonics to their own advantage.

So it doesn't always work like that.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry#Ritual.2C_symbolism.2C_and_morality

not the best source but the handiest.

Candidates for regular Freemasonry are required to declare a belief in a Supreme Being.[34] However, the candidate is not asked to expand on, or explain, his interpretation of Supreme Being. The discussion of politics and religion is forbidden within a Masonic Lodge, in part so a Mason will not be placed in the situation of having to justify his personal interpretation.[35] Thus, a Christian Mason will interpret the term "Supreme Being" in a Christian context, while a Muslim Mason will interpret it in a Muslim context, and a Hindu Mason will interpret it in a Hindu context, (etc.). While most Freemasons would take the view that the term Supreme Being equates to God, others may hold a more complex or philosophical interpretation of the term.

In the ritual, the Supreme Being is referred to as the Great Architect of the Universe, which alludes to the use of architectural symbolism within Freemasonry.[36][37]

A Volume of the Sacred Law is always displayed in an open Lodge in those jurisdictions which require a belief in the Supreme Being. In English-speaking countries, this is frequently the King James Version of the Bible or another standard translation; there is no such thing as an exclusive "Masonic Bible".[38] Furthermore, a candidate is given his choice of religious text for his Obligation, according to his beliefs

The denomination with the longest history of objection to Freemasonry is the Roman Catholic Church. The objections raised by the Roman Catholic Church are based on the allegation that Masonry teaches a naturalistic deistic religion which is in conflict with Church doctrine.[77] A number of Papal pronouncements have been issued against Freemasonry. The first was Pope Clement XII's In Eminenti, 28 April 1738; the most recent was Pope Leo XIII's Ab Apostolici, 15 October 1890. The 1917 Code of Canon Law explicitly declared that joining Freemasonry entailed automatic excommunication.[78] The 1917 Code of Canon Law also forbade books friendly to Freemasonry.

Big different. You should read Ashoething's post again. She was saying the Freemason's are anti-Catholic which in my experience they absolutely are. If your DH is happy to be part of an organisation like that, that's a matter for him

The denomination with the longest history of objection to Freemasonry is the Roman Catholic Church. The objections raised by the Roman Catholic Church are based on the allegation that Masonry teaches a naturalistic deistic religion which is in conflict with Church doctrine

Doesn't that mean that actually it's the Catholics that are against the Freemasons, and not the other way around? Catholics don't agree with the teachings of FM?

I don't agree with the teachings of the Catholic Church, but that doesn't make me anti-catholic.

I'm in the Army, but that doesn't make me anti-pacifist.

The roots of the klu klux klan can be traced back to the masons. Yet there are wifeys on here trying to make it out its just an innocent old boys drinking club

thats the whole problem with the secrecy. Bet wifeys though KKK was just boys club at times as well.

Isn't that funny, I'd been told that the roots of the KKK were Scottish . Do you mean the original KKK or the modern one?

Sorry-apologies I meant to write the orange order-another deplorable organisation- but I was trying to make the analogy so that people see that it is not just some harmless group doing good works-if it were there would be no need for the secrecy.

The Orange Order as in the Orange Marches in NI?

OK, this is all too religious for me now. Religion of any kind pisses me off - too many rules, too many bad guys, too much persecution and violence.

All the best.

Why do posters keep referring to 'wifeys' all sounds very disparaging

The KKK and the Masons are one and the same and faked the moon landings to stop a Jewish plot to allow the Lizard people to take over the world.

It's true my uncle's friend told me, he was there, said it was out of this world.

I also read it on the Internet, so it must be true.