My husbands new boss has been trying to get him to join the "Mason's" He said it was some sort of secret society and he would have to carry around a brick for a month. Whats weird to me though is they will do "favors" for you and the same will be expected of you. Whats the deal with this, why is it so secret and exactly what are the Mason's? Maybe ive seen the Skulls one too many times.

There is a video out that supposedly explains what they are, the name escapes me, it came out around the time The Da Vinci Code came out. It was interesting, but left me wiht many questions. You could go on down to the video store, or check out Discovery Channel, they have done some shows on the Masons also.

There are roughly 82 million different threads about this here: you may want to investigate the "search" function:

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum...c=88185&hl=

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum...c=89957&hl=

--Jaylemurph

Ugh.

To prevent any confusions, the freemasons are NOT satanists, they DON'T rule the world, and they're NOT that secret.

They're like the knights of Columbus.

It's mostly a bunch of guys who hang out together. Now some people will point out how several presidents were masons and such crap. That's like pointing out how several presidents were boy scouts.

Like I said, mostly a bunch of guys who hang out together.

My husband believes they are satanic in nature.He has talked about them at length. I don't know I haven't done enough searching. But doing Favors and expecting favors in return can be a risky business, including such favors as cover ups and crimes one wouldn't normally commit but now they belong to this group, see, and they feel like they have to, because of the bond they are forging and the favor that was done for them, ect. Sounds a little mafia-ish. Research them online. I would not want my husband to join any secret group. I guess from what i have heard the lower average man who is just a general member will see the group just as a group of good old boys hanging with each other and they do things for the community. But, supposedly the more you get involved, the deeper you are, that is where the satanic stuff is and the control and some feel they have influence on the government and stuff.

they carve stone.

Sorry, snappy, but your hubby is a bit askew.

There is nothing about Satan in any of the ritual or degree work that we do. I would think that what your hub is going on about is related to the fundamentalist Christian view that SOME hold about "oaths" where the Bible says to keep from making promises (Matthew 5.33-37)

This is directly before the part that says we should turn the other cheek and the like - where he is breaking away from the Laws of Moses and establishing His law. Unfortunately, in Mosaic Law, there was already a strong urging to try to not make oaths (if you make them, honor them, but try not to make any to begin with), so He isn't really breaking away from the tradition...

This is a section that is very rarely followed by modern Christians - as we have Oaths of Office for politicians, to join the military, and even an Vow to get married. We enter into contracts with employers and employees as well.

And the Obligation (oath) that is taken at the Altar in the degree work is something that even I (as a former Christian minister), can find fault in. "Do your best to be a good guy to everyone and don't tell people the secrets of our funky hand-jive or passwords, so help me God." Personally, I don't think there is anything objectionable in that.
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Another objection that many fundamentalist Christians have is that we are non-denominational, and in the prayers that open and close our meetings, we don't use the name of a deity. We don't care if a person is Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Jewish, Hindi, deist, animist or Buddhist or any other 'ist' out there... as long as they don't have a problem with the concept of a prayer being said that was addressed to, "Father of us all," or "Builder," or "Grand Architect of the Universe," and referred to as a "he" rather than a "she" or "it." There are some Christians that have a problem with a prayer that doesn't say "Jesus" in it. Problem is, the Lord's Prayer doesn't say who it is to either ("Our Father, who art in heaven...").
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The part about "favors" is bogus. If your cousin bought a store, would you consider shopping there to help keep him/her in business? You are doing favors - and those are the only "favors" we really encourage. In the degree work it says that we will help out a fellow Freemason if it causes no undue burden upon us or our families. Is that a bad thing? As a member of the VFW, if a fellow member needs help, is it bad to help them? Is it bad to think that I belong to a group that says if I get into a hard time, that they will TRY to help me (as long as it doesn't put them out)??

Here's a question for your hubby: Does he think it is bad to do favors for fellow Christians? I am betting that I know the answer to this one...

Oh, and the Obligation I took in the Master Mason (third) degree clearly said that I promised that if a Master Mason told me a secret, I was supposed to keep it a secret - unless it was a crime - and as a Master Mason, if I find out a Brother commits a crime, I am duty bound to report him for possible charges of Unmasonic conduct (where he could be kicked out!!). There isnt' a problem with that part!!
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The more you get involved with the Blue Lodge (standard Freemasonry) and all the "appendant bodies" (the associated groups, like the Shriners and Knights Templar), the less time you have for other things... like family and reading and LIFE... and I can see some people being upset by things like that.

Like ME!!!

In the Charge for the First Degree (where they give you specific orders about what you should or shouldn't do), they clearly say, "Your attendance at our meetings is most heartily encouraged, and your support in our endeavors is most deeply appreciated. However, keep it in mind that your involvement should not interfere with your God, your family, or your employment."

With all the groups and sub-groups and associated groups and positions within each, it is very, VERY easy to end up attending meetings five nights a week and having at least one function per weekend... every weekend. This is not conducive to ANYTHING - especially for a guy like me who happens to like his wife and kids (and his computer). I am involved in Blue Lodge, as well as the York Rite Chapter, and the Knights Templar, and am in the process of going through the offices of the various groups... I have seen or heard nothing about governmental influence or any flavors of secret cabals. Actually, politics is considered a forbidden topic at meetings... as we try to keep away from things that will rile up the members.
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Sorry, but I don't agree with your husband.

i was just wondering were you get the idea that the masons are anything like the
knights of St Columba.

The knights of St columba's initation cermonys are not secret anyone can go & watch
them getting inducted into the knights like parents, friends & partners.

Unlike the masons were everything is in secret & no-one in your family can go & see
the initiation cermony.

My fiancee father & grandfather are both masons & i was talking to my fiancee dad
who was the one that told me that i couldnt join the masons since i was a catholic

her dad is a master mason level 7
her grandad is a master level 19

Limerickboi, they said, "Knights of Columbus", not "St. Columba." The two orders are VERY different and are based upon two different people.

The Masonic initiations are, indeed, secret, and only members in good standing of that degree or higher may attend.

Your fiancee's dad is a bit off - the Freemasons don't care if you are Catholic. The Catholic Church however MAY have problems with it. There have been problems between the organizations for a couple centuries, based on nothing more than disagreements over how much Joe Average should be educated, and the opening of meetings (i.e.: baring all the secrets involved in the Rituals). Unfortunately, the Encyclical has been repeated two more times since then. As it stands right now, joining Freemasonry will earn a practicing Catholic instant excommunication - though so will supporting abortion and the death penalty - which many, MANY Catholics do as well... with no thought of the penalty. I have known many Freemasons that followed Catholicism.

No Freemason says, "I'm an 'Xth' Degree Freemason," as there are only five Degrees that really "count" for anything. First, second and third degrees are all core Masonry - but few would say, "I'm a Third Degree Mason." The huge majority would say, "I'm a Master Mason." The only two others that "count" are symbolic only... If a person goes through the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, it begins at 4th degree and ends at 32nd... which is why many Scottish Rite emblems have a big "32" in the body of the eagle... so 32nd Degree is occasionally mentioned, though most would say that they are, "In the Scottish Rite," as it goes without saying that it is 32nd Degree.

In all reality, outside of the 3rd Degree, is the honorary 33rd degree. There are very few recipients of this lofty honor, and usually it is granted for a lifetime of work with the organization. I've known four in my lifetime out of several hundred Freemasons that I've met over the years.

If Dad and Grand-dad say they are 7th and 19th degree, either you misheard, or they are members of a Masonic-LIKE group that does things differently than the Freemasons... or they are blowing smoke up your skirt just to give you bad info...

Since this is my first post ever i'll restrict myself into a more moderate tone (I swear I'll try) but these kind of statements deeply trouble me.
Do you people ever read an history book? Open one about the last 300 years. I bet my life if that 9 in every ten topics are directly related to freemasonry action.

Saying that masons are nothing but a club of old guys who like to hang together and drink a old scotch is painfully eufemistic.

Let's see, what happened in the last 300 years? Well, you had the French Revolution, the Iluminism, the independece of the USA, the independece of Brazil, the independece of Argentina, the independece of Mexico, the independece of Venezuela, the unification of Germany, the unification of Italy, the liberal revolution in Spain, the end of the Habsburg dinasty, the republican revolution in Brazil, the end of the Romanov dinasty, the secularization of the states, the advent of democracy, the proliferation of the liberal values, the rise of tolerance and ecumenism, several other liberal revolutions and then you had the two World Wars and the Fascist and Comunist regimes.

Besides the events in bold, every other ocurrence is the direct result of the action of masonic fraternity throughout the world.

The question isn't whether these things happened, but whether you can come up with one iota of proof that the Masons were involved with them.

--Jaylemurph

...and I believe the word you were looking for was euphemism.

Let's see, when a group of people says they are going to make a revolution, that group promotes certain ideals, said revolution in the name of such ideals happens, the leaders of the revolution belong to that group, that group boasts being the ones in front of the revolution and the revolution implants a governative systemn and the defence of ideals long proposed by that same group of people you kind of get the idea that this group of people wields indeed the merit for such transformation.

I mean, is like saying the comunists had nothing to do with the implantation of several comunist regimes in different countries, no one in his right mind would say that's remotely untrue. In the same way, during the 19th century and up untill the 70's of the last century (at least in some countries were dictatorial regimes were still in vigor) freemasonry was synonym of republicanism, democracy, equalitarism, liberalism and secularism.

The initial politically focused objective of the freemasonry was to create the Novus Ordo Seclorum. In order to achieve this they had to primary targets: non-constitutional monarchies and Rome. Once they set up liberal monarchies they moved on to prepare the ground for the implantation of republican ones, which they did, creating today's democratic world. Once they destroyed the catholicism throughout the world they moved on to estabilish themselves as the cultural and ideological sheppards of the world, thus creating todays ecumenic, tolerant, equalitarian, democratic world.


Euphemistic. Thanks. I'm not a native speaker.

Isnt a mason a cross between a bricklayer and a satan worshipper?....something like that....

Very funny, limited. (not)

Hamheret, I'd love to see some cites for your assertion in the following paragraph:

Where, in any Masonic writing, have we EVER said "we" were going to "make a revolution"?? Yes, we do promote the ideals of equality and fair play, but how is this a bad thing? When there are examples out there of something worthwhile, does it seem that strange that a repressed people might attempt to stage a spontaneous revolution on their own - just to try to attain these ideals? When have the Freemasons boasted of being the ones in the front of a revolution and we have implanted ANY flavor of government??

I know that the Oath that _I_ took specifically had me swear that I would not take part in any flavor of sedition or attempts to overthrow a government.

Please, where do you find support for your claims?

You've asked a simple question, but I'm afraid that you aren't really going to get a simple answer. Any Masons will give a positive spin answer, where many non-Masons will give a negative spin answer. My advice is to go out on the internet and review the evidence, both pro and con. Go to a few Masonic websites, a few anti-Masonic websites, and a few neutral websites (like maybe Wikipedia). Weigh everything you see, and then make the most imformed decision you can based on the facts, the opinions, and how you feel about what you have read.

So, that would be a "no, I don't have any actual evidence but I Really Believe It and It Should Be True"?

--Jaylemurph

lol, that was good

The oath thing, uh no that has nothing to do with what he believes, that was my stuff. And it has nothing to do with the oath thing either. I said I need to take a look at it, but that was just my opinion on the issue. Yes I do favors for fellow christians, those who aren't, possibly for a satan worshipper unknown. But there isn't all that much secrecy involved ( well maybe with the satanist ). I was just presenting my husbands opinion to open more discussion. We do take oaths.