Where did Freemasonry begin?
Although there have been hundreds of theories put forth by learned scholars, both Masons and non-Masons, the question of origin has never been definitively answered. Some researchers note parallels with the Essenes, a Middle East sect at the time of Jesus. Others connect Masons with the Knights Templar at the time of the Crusades. Still others provide a convincing argument Masonry came from the great cathedral builders of Europe during the 13 and 1400’s. All agree it is of antiquity, hence the claim to being the oldest fraternal organization in the world.
Modern Masonry is well documented from 1717 when four Lodges in London, England, met to organize the first Grand Lodge. Obviously, Masonic Lodges were in existence before that. In fact, an entry in a diary owned by one Elias Ashmole stated he was made a Mason on October 16, 1646, in a Lodge in Warrington with 7 members present. Yet the first lodge in Warrington of which we have a record is 1775.
Is Freemasonry a Secret Society?
It is probably safe to say that Masonry has been around in one form or another for at least 600 years.
Is Freemasonry a Secret Society?
No. Freemasonry is a society which keeps certain matters private, such as the minutes of its meetings, but the organization, its membership, its officers, its purposes are not secret. Freemasonry meets in Lodges, sometimes referred to as Temples. Many of these are beautiful, prominent buildings in the cities and towns in which they are erected. Men enter and leave these buildings openly, not secretly.
A number of Grand Lodges publish the names of the members of the Order in their Proceedings. Many lodges issue directories of their membership. Men wear the square and compasses on their lapels. Who’s Who lists Masonic membership in many of its biographies. Masons appear as such in public at cornerstone laying and at funerals. These are not the characteristics of a “secret” society.
The vast majority of Masons are proud of being such. They boast of it, knowing that the general public conceives of Freemasonry as an honor; that not every one can be a Mason; that it is a character building organization of good men. But let us suppose for a moment that” Freemasonry IS a secret society.” Is belonging to a “secret society” criminal? Only if such a society has inhuman or unlawful purposes. There are “secret societies” which engage in conspiracies, or terrorism, or other illegal practices; membership in them is “secret” because their members do not admit publicly that they belong to such organizations.
On the other hand, a number of individuals form a “secret” Christmas club. They each make a contribution to buy gifts for poor children at Christmas. They keep the organization and their names secret because they know that otherwise they will be overwhelmed with publicity and with too many requests. They take pride in doing good without advertising. Is it harmful because it is secret? In this country the Masonic Fraternity whose only objectives are charity and the building of character, counts approximately four million men in its membership. It is difficult to conceive how such a number, proudly asserting their affiliation, can constitute a “secret” society.”
Well then, how do you respond to the claim Freemasonry works in secret for secret aims?
It would seem essential, to establish the truth of such an accusation, that somewhere, at some time, someone must have known of these “secret aims”. A secret, which no one knows and no one does anything about, seems harmless! What are these “secret aims”? No one has ever stated! Presumably, they are something too terrible to phrase. The destruction of government? The murder of opponents? The elimination of all religions?
In the United States, for example, thirteen Presidents have been Freemasons. At the present time five members of the Supreme Court are Masons. A majority of Congress is now and always has been composed of Masons, whose political beliefs have been as various as the nation itself! Thousands of ministers and hundreds of Rabbis are and have been Freemasons.
What “secret aim” can be imagined which would appeal to such men as these? Thousands of books have been written about Freemasonry, for Freemasons and for the general public. The enemies of Freemasonry have published many books. The most virulent of these have never been able to specify any “secret aim” to the completion or attainment of which the Fraternity is dedicated. They cannot find it, because it does not exist. A “secret aim”, of which there is no evidence and which no one has described factually, can exist only as fancy in a credulous mind. Freemasonry will continue to have its critics and detractors. Just criticism should always be welcomed; but ignorance and willful misrepresentations should be ignored. “By acting upon the square . . . and avoiding the intemperance” of a reply, the true Freemason will maintain “a zealous attachment to those duties which will insure private and public esteem.
If Freemasonry is a religion, doesn’t that detract from all other religions?
The statement is also untrue. Freemasonry is not a religion. The dictionary (Funk & Wagnall’s Standard) defines religion as “Any system of faith, doctrine and worship, as, the Christian religion.” Freemasonry has no “system of faith”, and its acknowledgment of a Grand Architect of the Universe is, in its own words (Old Charges, first printed in Anderson’s Constitutions of 1723) “that natural religion in which all men agree”–that is, the reverence for a supreme, single, creative Power. No Grand Lodge phrases a doctrine, and a religion without a doctrine is no religion. No Masonic Lodge uses any service of divine worship in its ritual or meetings. True it is that lodges have an Altar, use a Sacred Book upon it, open and close meetings with prayer, possess an officer called a Chaplain, and are dedicated to God and the Sts. John.
In almost every hotel room is to be found a Bible. Does that make the hotel either a religion or a church? The Army and Navy have Chaplains for every regiment, every ship. Does that make the Army and Navy religions or the ships churches? The American Legion and a hundred other organizations have Chaplains, but no one thinks of them as religions. Our symbols are not religious symbols. Our purposes, while virtuous, are not religious. We seek no converts; we profess no dogma; we gladly accept men of any and of every faith; indeed, we accept men of no particular faith who yet believe in one Supreme Being.
Freemasonry does, indeed, inculcate morality, believes in human dignity, encourages charity, practices relief. The family, schools, institutions of higher learning, organizations of a hundred characters, all are moral, charitable, and humanly helpful. But that does not make them religions.
One of the central teachings of Freemasonry is immortality. The answer to Job’s question, “If a man die, shall he live again?” and the central teaching of all religions is also immortality. Therefore, say our critics, Freemasonry must be a religion. But that is false reasoning. The central teaching of the land in which we live is patriotism–love of Canada and the Canadian way of life. Exactly the same thing is true of an American, or Englishman, of a German, a Frenchman. Each is taught patriotism, but that does not mean each loves OUR country best. Each loves best his own. Freemasonry insists on a belief in immortality, but it teaches no particular doctrine concerning survival after death. Freemasonry is reverent, charitable, and ethical in precept and practice. So are millions of people who are neither Masons nor church members. The only religious affirmation required of a Freemason is that he believe in one God.
Freemasonry accepts as members the Christian, the Jew, the Mohammedan, the Parsee, the Buddhist; a man may be a Unitarian or a Baptist, a Spiritualist, a Quaker or catholic. Freemasonry accepts him as a man, not as a member of a church. However, some will learn their particular church may be in opposition to being a Mason and a member of the church, which fact Masonic authorities will always explain to men who apply, but Masonry accepts them if they are good men and wish to join. Ministers of all faiths are Masons, just as Masons are members of all churches. A minister of one faith cannot profess doctrine other than his own; yet he can be a Mason. The Fraternity obviously is not a religion, but only a philosophy of life.
But some well-known ministers maintain Freemasonry is “anti-Christian” using the bible to support their arguments. Are they wrong?
The short answer is yes. But a man cannot be condemned for what he truly believes after weighing all the evidence. Those who close their mind to any other point of view, who refuse to consider the facts, are doing them a disfavor as well as those whom they seek to convince.
Freemasonry is not anti any faith. It is non-Christian, yes–it is also non-Jewish, non-Mohammedan, non-Buddhist, non-Republican, non-Democrat. Freemasonry makes no test of religion or of politics. Discussion of both is strictly forbidden in Masonic lodges. Freemasons, being good citizens, and teaching patriotism and love of country are individually anti-communist. Some Grand Lodges have passed anti-communistic resolutions, but most of them have not dignified that cruel system with any notice, preferring the positive teachings of patriotism to any “anti” expressions whatsoever. Public schools are non-sectarian. It teaches all children of parents of all faiths. It is “non-” – “not anti-” religious. Any bank will receive and care for the money of any well-recommended citizen without regard to his color, his race, his creed. The bank is not anti-Negro, anti-African, anti-Christian; it is merely non-Negro, non-African, non-Christian. Its concern is with money and credit. Freemasonry’s concern is with character and morality. Schools, bank, Masonry are all non; none are anti.
Why does Freemasonry deny Jesus by never mentioning him?
Freemasonry does nothing of the sort. It does not mention Isaiah. Does that connote denial? It does not mention hundreds of prominent individuals who have labored hard and long for the betterment of society. Does that mean that Freemasonry denies that they lived and worked and were great citizens? Freemasonry does not talk of Mohammed or Confucius, but that does not mean that the Order denies their greatness, or their importance to those to whom they are great and important. The Chaplain of a Masonic lodge who prays as the voice of the lodge does not pray in the name of the Carpenter of Nazareth or the name of Jehovah or the name of Allah. He prays to the Grand Artificer or the Great Architect of the Universe. Under that title men of all faiths may find each his own deity. Failure to mention any deity by name is not denial, but merely the practice of a gracious courtesy, so that each man for whom prayer is offered can hear the name of his own deity in the all inclusive title of Great Architect. Freemasonry demonstrates through practice the art of tolerance.
How do I become a member of the Fraternity, or where can I learn more?
As we previously mentioned, there are thousands of papers and books on Freemasonry available at your local library or on the World Wide Web with more information than you could cover in a lifetime. Search through the articles on this website for a large selection of topics on Masonry.
Better yet, talk to a Mason. In fact, the first step in becoming a member of the Masonic fraternity is to ask for a petition to join. You will never be approached and asked to join because every man who does become a Mason does so of his own free will.
I don’t know any Masons. How can I find one to talk to?
You may be surprised to learn of men within your circle of acquaintances who are Masons. As we said, you will not be approached to become a member who explains why none of them have ever mentioned it to you. Look for activity around the Lodge in your community for an opportunity to speak with one. Ask your friends if they know of any members of the local Masonic Lodge. Numerous Lodges have a website with contact information. Use your favorite search program to locate one nearest you. Here in New Brunswick, contact us and we will put you in touch with a Mason from your area.
Can a woman become a member of the Masonic Fraternity?
No. There are groups which proclaim themselves co-masons, that is male and female members, but they are not considered regular members by mainstream Grand Lodges. The Order of the Eastern Star, an organization for both men and women, is closely aligned with Masonry and provides an opportunity for husband and wife to enjoy the fraternal companionship of like minded people.
Do those men running around in little red hats on mini-cars have any connection to Masonry?
Indeed they do. All Shrine members are Masons first and foremost. Shriners are the most visible as they participate in public activities, such as parades, raising money for the several hospitals across North America they support. But to become a Shriner, you have to be a Mason first.