[juniordeacon85]

i need your help on this one
I know as masons when we someone tries to discount who we are and what we are about we should turn the other cheek and not get involved in any arguments with those who do not know.
so here is my problem: My sister is a baptist ministers wife (southren baptist at that)(i also am baptist) and they had a speaker come to thier church (an ex mason) and state that we are some huge cult. Now i know that we have all heard that before but i just get so upset when someone THINKS they KNOW what we are all about. her arguments... 1.we meet in secret, my answer we post all our meetings. 2.we are open to all religons. aren't all fraternities??? 3. We worship a sun god... yeah thats a new one to me too.4. our rituals. first of all if we are so secret then how whould she know about our rituals anyway. and i try and tell her that its about tradition but shes not hearing that. In a book I have written by S. Brent Morris Ph D. and 33 degree mason he states "Its not that you can't find out what the secrets are, it's that it is important to the mason himself no to tell them." I metion to her that there are many masons in our lodge that are deacons and even a preacher in their churches, and she even discredits them as true christians. Now how christian is that?? I tell her about the good we do for the orfins widows community, and needy. what the Shriners do with the hospitial AT NO CHARGE. And her answer to that is that all of that is just a big cover up to hide who we are. I try to direct her to websites where she can read on our wonderful history and then ofcorse she directs me to the anti ones. I try and tell her that all of the stuff she says i have not seen and she says thats because im not HIGH enough to be told. Now corect me if I am wrong but I am a 3rd degree MM and in the blue lodge there is noone higher and we are all equal. And if it dosen't go on in the blue lodge then where dose it!!??..
So brethen as you can see i am flustered what im am asking of you is two things 1. your imput. 2. if someone comes to you and tries to discredit who you are as a person b/c you are a mason. Hold your head high smile and turn away because they do not know and we have a proud history and promiseing future.

[BG_TRBL]

juniordeacon85,
The unfortunate truth as you are experiencing it, is that everyone is entitled to their own opinion (Even your sister). You can only offer the information to her that you have learned (and you know what you may and may not divulge per your oaths and obligations). Within Blue Lodge, the 3rd Degree Master Mason is the highest degree you will receive, The first 3 degrees in masonry are the most important, as these are the base of all future learnings. You must make the decision on your part if you choose to fight "ignorant" or not. I would suggest not fighting the individuals who have a preconceived notion of our venerable institution, rather to offer in retrospect any information to her as long as she is acceptable to it. The worst thing you could possibly do is to try to force information which she is reluctant to accept.
Information on freemasonry (good and bad) is probably the most written about topic, you can search for any aspect of freemasonry on the internet and get returns in the millions on that topic. The hardest part is to try to decipher what is true and what is not. You will see that regardless of which site you visit there is information about freemasonry (some excellent and correct in my perspective, some questionable and easily discounted by the tenets of freemasonry). I have found that a very common denominator in the "Anti-Freemasonry" websites is that it centers around religion. The Masonic institution is not a religious body, it accepts men from every religion, and the fraternity circumscribes the entire earth. These men meet, on the level, (each equal to the other, regardless of social or economic status) with the underlying premises that the fraternity is there and they meet for this overall purpose "TAKE GOOD MEN, AND MAKE THEM BETTER". This exists in a multitude of ways and I will not take the time here to address them.
If you truly wish to change the thinking of someone with a mindset against something, that in itself is a daunting task. I would suggest however, that you arm yourself with a multitude of knowledge, which you can attain from the internet or literature, and then ask if your sister would like to sit down and ask questions of you about the fraternity. You may answer them as honestly as possible without violating your vows. If you sit down with an open mind, and she is able to do the same, you both may come out of the discussion with a better understanding of why you each feel the way you do.


GOOD LUCK and I wish you the best in your pursuit.

[Ashlar521]

Very good answer BG_TRBL . I've been through the same thing with one of my friends . He stumbled on the Ex-Masons For Jesus web site and likes to bash the fraternity by using their misinterpretations of our rituals and out right lies from other so called ex high ranking masons like Jim Shaw and Bill Schnoebelen . He also likes to bring me those Jack Chick booklets , which aren't worth the paper they're printed on . I've calmly answered some of his questions that I could but told him I wouldn't argue over Masonry . He found religion and was saved , which is great , but he is constantly trying to witness to me . He not only does not like me being a Mason , he doesn't like it that I think everyone can worship their own religion . Alas , it finally came to the point to were I told him that he is no longer welcome in my house , we've been friends for many years and this a shame , but I will not be preached at everytime I see him . Very sad !

Best of luck to you , and like you said , keep your head held high and be proud that you're a Freemason .

[mollyL]

As a non-Mason, I have to tell you that it is essential that you speak out forcefully to correct the spurious tales and untruths that float around out there. Whatever their motivation may be, ignorant people repeating the same old stories to other ignorant people simply perpetuates the falsehoods. There is no shortage of easily-persuaded folks who can be swayed by the sensational tales that are told, and I feel that they must be offered the truth to counter the lies. I'm not suggesting that you reveal your rightly-held traditions and secrets, but I fear that you make a mistake when you allow claptrap to go unanswered. Yours is a noble and honorable institution; stand up for yourselves.

[BG_TRBL]

Ashlar,
I am very sorry to hear that it had come to that with your friend. I luckily have not had that situation present itself to me. I applaud you for your strongly held conviction, however it doesn't make it any easier I am sure.

Molly, I appreciate the support and wholeheartedly agree with your principles, unfortunately I have found that, even when armed with the truth, and discussing the general tennets of freemasonry, they are ultimately my truths. I say this because regardless of the topic, if 2 or more individuals disagree with each other, they hold their own "truths" close to heart. No one wants to be told they are wrong, or proven wrong, Most will fight to the end even if the beliefs they are fighting for are filled with gaps. I calmly and intellectually try to offer the information that I am willing to give. It ultimately is up to the individual if they are open minded enough to accept it. I truly wish all individuals were as open to information as they should be. The world would be a much more intellectually advanced place.

Lastly, after that comment, don't forget about the Darwin awards which Jason has offered to you. They in effect do tend to limit the fish swimming out of the shallow end of the gene pool.

[juniordeacon85]

Ashlar, I too am sorry to here that about your friend. I hope it dose not come to that for me and my family. BG_TRBL, Thank you for your input and I am always trying to gain more knowledge about our fraternity. Molly as I agree with you I find that if you engage in verbal conflict with someone they hold their own beliefs true and their is no convincing otherwise. It seems like if someone tells another a good thing about masons, and another says something bad, people tend to believe the bad for some reason

[mollyL]

I think that the reason people will believe the sensationalized stuff is because they're inclined towards the concept that whatever they don't know must be wicked. When folks see a person on trial invoke their constitutional right against self-incrimination they assume the person is guilty, even though invoking that right means no such thing.

[juniordeacon85]

well said molly i couldn't agree more

[Green-Moo]

Originally Posted by mollyL

As a non-Mason, I have to tell you that it is essential that you speak out forcefully to correct the spurious tales and untruths that float around out there. Whatever their motivation may be, ignorant people repeating the same old stories to other ignorant people simply perpetuates the falsehoods. There is no shortage of easily-persuaded folks who can be swayed by the sensational tales that are told, and I feel that they must be offered the truth to counter the lies. I'm not suggesting that you reveal your rightly-held traditions and secrets, but I fear that you make a mistake when you allow claptrap to go unanswered. Yours is a noble and honorable institution; stand up for yourselves.

As another non-Mason, I'd add to MollyL's comments. Where there is not information easily available, ignorant people will make it up. Unfortunately the Mason's have made themselves an easy target in the past. Once incorrect information has passed into the public domain it is very difficult to correct.

[juniordeacon85]

I recently found out that the southern baptist spent over $100,000 to investigate freemasonry and concluded that it should be up to the individual to decide for themselves if they want to join