[Disciple]

Hello everyone. I'm John and I'm not really a member of the Freemasons but I'm always interested in their works. This is the reason why I joined this community to learn more about them.

First of all, I want to ask if Freemasons really originated from the Knight's Templar in the medieval times.

[Ashlar2006]

Hello and welcome to freemason Hall .

To answer your question , we do not know . But if you ask me , then I would say NO we did not originate from the Knight Templar and those who think we did is just wishful thinking on their part . The beginning of our Fraternity is shrouded in the haze of time , some believe we did originate from the KT , some from the operative Stonemason's guilds (which I do believe) , some believe we originate out of ancient Egypt and some actually believe we date back to the building of King Solomon's Temple . Anything you read on the beginnings of Speculative Freemasonry is pure speculation .

[Jason]

Greetings and salutations. Ashlar put it as best as I could. Sadly, for one reason or another, we may never know just exactly how things started up. I can tell you the first Grand Lodge was in 1717, but there were already anti-masonic literature out by then.

[Disciple]

I love history and this is why I asked that first question. I also heard about the group of masons who made the Temple of Solomon.

If you won't mind me asking again, why is it that there were anti-masonic literature in the first days of freemasons?

[Ashlar2006]

Like anything else , there are always those who oppose something they do not understand . It seems there is a group out against one thing or another , some want to see evil/wrong doings on one certain group and we make a perfect target because we are not to argue with those who speak out against us .

We have Baptists in my area who speak out against Catholics , We have Catholics in my area who speak out against all other religions . There is the followers of Fred Phelps (I don't know if you have heard of him) that pickets Fallen Marines and Soldiers funerals , who speak out against just about everything .

I think it makes some feel important to have an enemy , a group they can rail against gives their lives meaning .

[Jason]

Originally Posted by Disciple

I love history and this is why I asked that first question. I also heard about the group of masons who made the Temple of Solomon.

If you won't mind me asking again, why is it that there were anti-masonic literature in the first days of freemasons?

Oh boy, you will make me pull out my books. Ok, I found the reference in the book. It said a pamphlet was distributed in London in 1696 denouncing the Masons for their secret "Mischief's and Evils".

As far as why there are anti's back then. My theory. You will have people that were black balled. That means they were denied membership, for one reason or another. I had one Brother, who has a larger knowledge of Masonic history then me, explain to me that a lot of people in power got upset because they where treated the same as anyone else in the Lodge. As Masons we meet on the level, everyone in the Lodge is equal. I wish I could remember which president it was, but he was a Freemason, and the Lodge he attended while President, the gardener was the Master of the Lodge for one of the years.

Another reason, and I think more towards why some countries and organizations do not like Freemasonry, is we meet in closed doors. Back then you did not have many closed meetings. If you were a King or leader of a group, you would want to know what is going on, so if a group meets in private you do not know what they are doing. Paranoia may set in, and it snow balls from there.

Also something that gets overlooked. In the Lodge, you were taught things. How to read and write, literature, science. A lot of Masons started schools for the public. This was taboo back then. It went against the authority back then.

[Custer148]

Jason:

That President was Teddy Roosevelt. He attended his home lodge as President of the US and his gardener was Master of that Lodge.

[Jason]

Thank you. I have such a hard time remember that for some reason.

[Ashlar2006]

Originally Posted by Custer148

Jason:

That President was Teddy Roosevelt. He attended his home lodge as President of the US and his gardener was Master of that Lodge.

This is one of my favorite stories . It shows how , when in lodge , money nor power nor one's station in life places one Brother over/above another . We all meet upon the level .

[Disciple]

Thanks a lot guys for the explanation. I wish the country is like your brotherhood because everyone is equal whatever ranks or place they hold in the society.