Question about Requirements

[Dilly]

I am understand that you have to be at least a Deist at minimum to be a Freemason, is this the case? I am an athiest and was curious to know if that would exclude me from joining. I respect the history of the Freemasons and know that without their courage and leadership we would not have the United States as we know it. Being part of an organization like this would be an honor but I am not sure if my beliefs would be a sticking point.

 

[Brother Liberty]

Your beliefs certainly will be a sticking point, and in MA would preclude you from membership. Potential brothers must profess a belief in a supreme being. It does no matter which supreme being you believe in, just that you believe. The reason is rather simple; If you do not hold yourself accountable to a higher power, then no oath or obligation you take will have any meaning.

 

[Dilly]

Would belief in aliens as our creator be considered a belief? If I were to believe in any supreme being it would be along the line of Raelian thinking, intelligent design by an alien race. It sounds weird off the bat but if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.

 

[Gary]

Well, sticking to the letter of the law, you must believe in a higher power or supreme being. What that is, is not distinctly spelled out. So, if I guess if you believed that aliens were Gods...Who am I to judge.

The Lodge to whom you ultimately petition to would have to make a determination I guess. Polytheism is not exclusionary to our order from my understanding. Keep in mind that I am no authority, so this is just my opinion.

The question would likely be; Would the theistic ritual and teachings be a good fit for you?

 

[PatrickWilliams]

Dilly - I am certainly not judging your beliefs (or lack thereof). In my jurisdiction I think that you would not be considered a deist. And being a deist (having a belief in diety) is one of the few prerequisites to joining our order. I know that belonging to an order such as ours is quite alluring, but think about this: there are lots of opportunities for a good man to do good things in this world. There are other organizations that might fit you better. Freemasonry is NOT for everyone.

In order for you to become a Mason, you would have to distort the truth and/or the organization would have to do the same. Is that the kind of fraternity you want to belong to?

 

[BG_TRBL]

Just my opinion of course, but it would definitely create a situation I am not sure you would overcome. The belief in a supreme being (deity) is core in not only the petition, but within the obligations as well. I would suggest, if you are serious about joining our fraternity, that you locate a local lodge, and talk to the members about it.

 

[Windrider]

Requirements

Would belief in aliens as our creator be considered a belief? If I were to believe in any supreme being it would be along the line of Raelian thinking, intelligent design by an alien race. It sounds weird off the bat but if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.

I can only tell you my own experience. The only religious question I was asked was "Do you believe in a Supreme Being?" Since I had to delay my Investigative Committee interview because I was going to Church at the original time, that wasn't much of an issue Nobody asked me what denomination I belong to or the details of my beliefs.

If you feel, as an honorable man, that your belief system makes you accountable to a higher power, I would be satisfied. Please note, I said "I would be satisfied" that doesn't mean whatever Lodge or district you would like to join would be. The only real answer to your question would be for you to make the effort to ask, in person, at a Lodge.

 

[Coxman]

You must believe in a Supreme Being.

 

[emarsh]

I do not believe in a supreme being of any particular ilk. However there are many unanswered questions about the universe where there is room for a "Grand Architect." Consequently when I petitioned to join our local lodge I described myself as a deist, which works for me. It's a pretty open category though. I also stated that I do not believe in any particular scripture being holy or supernatural in any way. Wasn't sure if that would prevent my acceptance but it did not.

 

[Dilly]

Thank you so much for all of your responses. Patrick, I wouldn't twist my beliefs or lie to become part of any organization nor would I want the organization to do that either. Why would you want to be part of a group like that? Do I believe in a "diety" no, do I believe that Aliens have had a part in our creation and evolution, yes. I also believe in science, people like Einstein and Oppenheimer and the like have shown the power of "gods". I have always been curious to Einstein's theory that there is an afterlife because of his theory of matter, matter can neither be created or destroyed and the matter that makes up our souls has to go somewhere after we are dead.

 

[Brother Liberty]

I gotta be honest. I chair investigation committees and while I would love to sit and discuss the things you are talking about over a beer or two, I certainly would not allow you to join our lodge. What you state as your beliefs is just too much of a gray area in what is the most important part of our order.

 

[thebrianmo]

I am understand that you have to be at least a Deist at minimum to be a Freemason, is this the case? I am an atheist and was curious to know if that would exclude me from joining. I respect the history of the Freemasons and know that without their courage and leadership we would not have the United States as we know it. Being part of an organization like this would be an honor but I am not sure if my beliefs would be a sticking point.

I would tend to say you would have difficulty joining a regular Lodge with your beliefs. Who do you trust in? What higher power?

I've never known of any self professed Atheist to be admitted to a Lodge.

 

[Winter]

I've had this same discussion with people. Being an atheist doesn't mean your a bad person, I know very upstanding individuals who are professed atheists, but it does mean that you do not meet one of the most important qualifications to petition for membership.

And while the alien-influenced origins are interesting, I can tell you honestly that I would not see that being accepted as a belief in a singular divine entitity. But this is just my opinion! I cannot, and would not try to, speak for Masonry in any other jurisdiction.

Doesn't mean I wouldn't love to see you stick around and have great discussions with us, or even debate the matter.