Freemasons??

[Rosie]

Sorry I missed this post this morning. Was a bit groggy after the benadryl last night the wife forced me to take, got stung by a bee and the foot swelled up.

That is sad. Did he try another Lodge? Sadly I've seen some Lodges not approve someone on what I call stupid reasons. There is a Lodge near me, that is in a Greek part of town and its members are all of Greek decent. Sadly, a group of their membership decided to blackball anyone who is not of Greek decent from joining the Lodge. A very sad thing as they have missed out on a lot of great men, and their Lodge is slowly shrinking.

I've seen some Lodges that group themselves by professions. Some Lodges are made up completely of Firefighters/Police Officers, or I've seen Lawyers/Judge's Lodges. However, they are very up front about it, and will tell you to request membership from a neighboring Lodge. Most often these type of Lodges are in large cities where you will have several to choose from.

There is also a chance he may have applied to a clandestine Lodge, which is a Lodge that is not recognized by mainstream Freemasons. The best way to find a local Lodge is to google Grand Lodge <state> That should bring you to the Grand Lodge for your state and they typically have a list of recognized Lodges.

Thanks Jason, I initially suspected that it was because he has an Arab name but we knew Arabs in other parts of the country who were Masons. Knowing that each lodge acts independently makes more sense.

 

[jason]

I have been reading and researching and this is what I think I understand so far....
The big secret is "There is no big secret". Freemasons are not trying to take over the World, are not an alian-gubberment conspiracy (yup, no lizard people) but are just a mens fraturnity that strives to do what they say, "make good men better".
Membership allows one to network and socialise with other good men in the community. Together they do good charitable work for the community and fellow men.
Are there secrets? Well yeah, lotsa secret handshakes and ceremonies but if you do a quick Google search you can find out anything you want to know about them.
I just printed an application and will drop it off later this evening to my local lodge, we will see what happens.
DC

There truly is no big secret. There a ton of books that go over symbols we use like the square and compass, the level, the trowel and many others. This is a popular book for learning more about the symbols. Amazon.com: The Craft and Its Symbols (9780880530583): Allen Roberts: Books But if joining I would wait until after being raised to read it.

Usually you find that the words, grips, tokens and other methods of recognizing each other are "secret". I say secret because there are many websites and books dedicated to revealing them. But I often use Coke as an example. Their recipe is a closely guarded secret. Many have said to reproduced the recipe, but you will never see them admit to any of the clones being the recipe.

In truth our business meetings are rather boring to most, and would be like any general business meeting. We vote on bills, new petitions, give updates on happiness and distress of members, and other similar things.

Let me know how you make out on your petition. Is the Lodge listed here: The Grand Lodge of Texas A.F. & A.M.
I would ask lots of questions, start writing them down so you do not forget them.

 

[jason]

Thanks Jason, I initially suspected that it was because he has an Arab name but we knew Arabs in other parts of the country who were Masons. Knowing that each lodge acts independently makes more sense.

It should not make a difference. Lodges typically follow the rules set forth by their Grand Lodge, each state has their own Grand Lodge, and there is nothing above that. In some countries, there is a Grand Lodge for the country, but not for state/zone.

The only requirements really are:
You must be a man and have come to the Lodge of your own free will.
You must believe in a Supreme Being (the nature of that supreme being is left up to the petitioners interpretation)
Depending on the jurisdiction You must meet the minimum age requirement of 18-25
You must be found to be of good morals and character
You must meet the lodge requirement of sound mind and body
Must provide personal character references as well as references from two current Masons.
Now I went in not knowing anyone at the time, only the barber who I used to deliver packages to. He signed for me, and he had someone else sign. I've heard of some Lodges say you need to find someone to sign, and will give you a Lodge phone book, or tell you attend a public Lodge function.

 

[jason]

My dad is a recent recruit or whatever you call them. I honestly don't know much about it, and it is not something he discusses. I know that he and my mom had to be "interviewed" at their home which seems really weird to me.

Yup, we often interview people at their home. This allows us to get to know someone. The person also tends to feel safer, and more relaxed and more open to ask questions. Lodges are like people, they have different personalities. Some focus heavily on community work, some on personal growth, some do a little bit of everything. It also allows the wife and other family members ask questions.

You will find a lot of people do not talk about it. Often times members can be confused on what they can say and what they cannot, so they just keep quite.

 

[Theosus]

I once saw a book called "duncans ritual of freemasonry". Never read it. I was a little intrigued but not so much to get involved.

It would be interesting if someone would join, keep detailed notes, work their way up and finally publish a book about the experience and knowledge, etc. Etc. Now that would be something to read.
I heard a story of a sociologist that did this in the church of Satan. He worked his way up to the inner circle, and when he wrote his experiences, he finally went to LeVay and said, "look I don't believe any of this, I'm just a sociologist trying to understand it". LeVay replied, "it's okay. Besides, your deception was a very satanic thing to do."

 

[jason]

I once saw a book called "duncans ritual of freemasonry". Never read it. I was a little intrigued but not so much to get involved.

It would be interesting if someone would join, keep detailed notes, work their way up and finally publish a book about the experience and knowledge, etc. Etc. Now that would be something to read.
I heard a story of a sociologist that did this in the church of Satan. He worked his way up to the inner circle, and when he wrote his experiences, he finally went to LeVay and said, "look I don't believe any of this, I'm just a sociologist trying to understand it". LeVay replied, "it's okay. Besides, your deception was a very satanic thing to do."

I've read through Duncans ritual. At times I've said to myself Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

As with anything though, if you set yourself to find something, you will. Take a look at Washington DC. Some say they see a pentagram, saying it is a sign of the Freemasons, but others can point out a Dachshund in them. Is either one correct?

 

[DylanT]

Anyone know anything about Skull and Bones they have at Yale? G W Bush is a member.

 

[southerngal]

DylanT if you found someone who DID know about it they probably wouldn't tell you...at least not if they were an actual member. It's supposed to be a "secret" society.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


I've seen Bonesman's markings...in Charlottsville...for example. Yeah...very secret.

 

[ChadTower]

I'm with Groucho Marx... "I would never want to belong to any club that would accept me as a member."