I recently finished reading Dan Brown's new book, The Lost Symbol, which deals mainly with Freemasonry and the ancient secrets it supposedly guards. So I was wondering, is anyone here a Freemason? Anyone thinking of joining? Does anyone see a direct conflict between their own beliefs and those of Freemasonry? And does anyone think that Freemasonry protects mystical secrets?
There are numerous conspiracy theories regarding Freemasonry, and a traditional Catholic friend of mine told me that most of the Catholic Church hierarchy are Freemasons. Hence the reason why the 1983 Code of Canon Law did not forbid a Catholic from being a Freemason. Whether that is true or not, I don't know.
Please, share your thoughts.
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Ekam Sat Vipra Bahuda Vadanti
Truth is one; the wise perceive it in different ways.
Rig Veda 1.164.43
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me [God]. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
- Bhagavad-Gita 18:66
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I don't think the Freemasons are guarding any mystical secrets, are involved in any conspiracies, or have any conflicts with my religion.
I used to be an officer with the Elks and it was basically a club where members could drink reduced-cost booze - and there was a meeting every month with really cheesey ceremonies. I'm sure the Masons are the same way.
(Random tidbit: Atheists and communists are not permitted to join the Elks. You must acknowledge the existence of a god, but it doesn't matter which one, and they don't ask you to specify)
__________________ "If I speak, I am condemned. If I stay silent, I am damned" -- Jean Val Jean
Not a mason (obviously), but I have a working knowledge of other magickal lodges, and I'm not seeing any great secrets or conspiracies being concealed.
One of by good friends is a Rosicrucian, and after sending him some of the conspiracy theories, he's wanting to know where his millions of dollars and own personal multinational corporation are.
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I am the microcosmic reflection of God Herself. I get to make up my own religion. I got my permission slip signed.
You laugh because I'm different, I laugh because...well, you're not laughing now, are you?
"Religion must remain an outlet for people who say to themselves, 'I am not the kind of person I want to be.' It must never sink into an assemblage of the self-satisfied." - Dune
My father was a freemason of the 32nd degree before he became a Christian. He also had a business that operated primarily in one county (kind of a local UPS type of business before they came on the scene.)
At one point, and after tremendous personal struggle, he renounced his membership citing it conflicted with a true Christian surrender to God. His decision came with great sacrifice as he eventually lost his business due to canceled contracts from many customers, themselves previously fellow freemasons.
He never looked back, though. He died, ten years later, believing he had made the right choice.
__________________ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
At one point, and after tremendous personal struggle, he renounced his membership citing it conflicted with a true Christian surrender to God.
"Freemasonry is the oldest and largest world wide fraternity dedicated to the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of a Supreme Being. Although of a religious nature, Freemasonry is not a religion. It urges its members, however, to be faithful and devoted to their own religious beliefs."
-- Freemasonry.org
The Elks also have a "We never knew you if you leave the group" clause also.
__________________ "If I speak, I am condemned. If I stay silent, I am damned" -- Jean Val Jean
The freemasons require belief in God for membership, but they don't specify which god (they're like the Boy Scouts - no atheists or agnostics allowed - but they don't require you to be Christian).
Just as most Boy Scouts (in America) are Christian, so are most American Freemasons.
Freemasonry probably does not conceal mystical knowledge. Initiatory lodges tend to do the opposite. I know a fairly knowledgeable mason from this forum that could probably give you much more in-depth answers. I'll PM him a link to this thread.
"Religion exalts mystery as an unknowable secret that must be sealed in glass like the corpse of an enchanted princess and fearfully worshipped from afar. Initiation, on the other hand, requires direct participation and demands each of us to smash the casket and press mad lips to mystery, wooing her as a lover who will offer up her treasurers in a succession of sweet surrenders. This she will do, but only in exact ratio to our evolving ability and worthiness to receive them." -- Lon Milo Duquette, Angels, Demons, & Gods of the New Millennium
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Last edited by morningstar2651; 25th September 2009 at 12:13 PM.
While I enjoy Dan Brown's books, I think we need to remember that they are fictional and not something that we are to take as truth. It would be kind of like believing Michael Moore's documentaries, IMO. They take the truth and then twist/mold it to fit the theme of their fictional creation.
Because of the mysteriousness of an organization like Freemasons, it's easy for anyone to sensationalize what they do.
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Wasn’t it that cult that wants to unite all men so they could fight and defeat the Supreme Being or something?
No.
I really don't know how to answer it other than that.
Maybe this:
NO.
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I am the microcosmic reflection of God Herself. I get to make up my own religion. I got my permission slip signed.
You laugh because I'm different, I laugh because...well, you're not laughing now, are you?
"Religion must remain an outlet for people who say to themselves, 'I am not the kind of person I want to be.' It must never sink into an assemblage of the self-satisfied." - Dune
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around 5 million, including just under two million in the United States and around 480,000 in England, Scotland and Ireland.[1][2] The various forms all share moral and metaphysical ideals, which include, in most cases, a constitutional declaration of belief in a Supreme Being.[3]
The fraternity is administratively organised into Grand Lodges (or sometimes Orients), each of which governs its own jurisdiction, which consists of subordinate (or constituent) Lodges. Grand Lodges recognise each other through a process of landmarks and regularity. There are also appendant bodies, which are organisations related to the main branch of Freemasonry, but with their own independent administration.
Freemasonry uses the metaphors of operative stonemasons' tools and implements, against the allegorical backdrop of the building of King Solomon's Temple, to convey what has been described by both Masons and critics as "a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols."[4][5]
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Mark 11:24-26 (New International Version)
24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
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