What is your opinion of felons in Freemasonry?

[Aaron Anderson]

Our 2008 Worshipful Master was recently discovered to be a three time convicted felon. He failed to disclose his lengthy criminal history on his membership petition and carried on the deceit for over a decade. I feel his actions are an affront to every Master Mason in good standing all across the globe.

Felon-free Masonry

 

[Custer148]

In our obligations (at least in Nebraska) there is a statement that a man will not "cheat, wrong or defraud a lodge (of whichever degree) or a brother(of whichever degree) knowingly or wittingly."
In Nebraska, the Grand Lodge, as of this past February, replaced the old petitions with new ones with as one of the questions "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?" They also recommend doing a background check on any petitioners to the Fraternity.
In my opinion, right or wrong, any man who knowingly defrauds a lodge needs to be removed from the Fraternity.

 

[Ashlar2006]

Agreed . If the investigating committee is like ours we make it a point to ask if they have been arrested and for what reasons . I do a check at our local court house , but seeing how we are no longer required to force petitioners to give us their SSIs' for privacy reasons/ID theft , it makes it hard to nail down if they have been arrested for any reason .

But if he defrauded the lodge , then this is an act of un-masonic conduct .

 

[rebelfman]

agree, we here in SC also ask if you have been convected of a felony and if you have you are turned down. If he has not been tell the truth he needs to be removed.

 

[Bob Franks]

Our 2008 Worshipful Master was recently discovered to be a three time convicted felon. He failed to disclose his lengthy criminal history on his membership petition and carried on the deceit for over a decade. I feel his actions are an affront to every Master Mason in good standing all across the globe.

Felon-free Masonry

In NC (AF&AM), a felon may petition for the degrees IF he has completed all conditions of sentencing and has been restored to citizenship. A Mason expelled for a felony may petition for restoration in similar circumstances, though in either situation, the petition is usually denied.
A felon who has lied on his petition has committed a Masonic offense, and would be expelled after Masonic Trial.

My personal opinion:
As a Christian, I believe in redemption and forgiveness. The felon who has turned his life to good should be encouraged. After a suitable interval of respectable life and work, I could consider such a petitioner, but never one who attempts to conceal his background!

S&F

 

[Duncan1574]

The petition and our obligations are clear.

 

[PatrickWilliams]

The petition and our obligations are clear.

Are they, now? Yes, we ask if a man has been convicted of a felony, but that is NOT necessarily a bar to membership. I have known Brothers who carried felony convictions on their records (tax felonies, mostly) who were entered, passed and raised and became exemplary Masons.

 

[Duncan1574]

Are they, now? Yes, we ask if a man has been convicted of a felony, but that is NOT necessarily a bar to membership. I have known Brothers who carried felony convictions on their records (tax felonies, mostly) who were entered, passed and raised and became exemplary Masons.

And there are masons(lower case intentional) with clean records and just pay thier dues.

The true is, that if the Blue Lodges did the background checks like the Prince Hall do, many might not be Masons.

 

[Bob Franks]

And there are masons(lower case intentional) with clean records and just pay thier dues.

The true is, that if the Blue Lodges did the background checks like the Prince Hall do, many might not be Masons.

In NC (AF&AM), we now have it in our official process of Petitioning to get a Criminal Background Check. The $15 fee charged by the company contracted to run them is added to the petition fee.

BTW, if your GL doesn't do background checks, and you have a law enforcement officer whom you have been asking to run them...unofficially... PLEASE STOP. It is no longer possible to do them without logging in, and they may find themselves subjected to disciplinary action, or even criminal charges. Don't do this to your Brother.

S&F

 

[DavisB]

And there are masons(lower case intentional) with clean records and just pay thier dues.

The true is, that if the Blue Lodges did the background checks like the Prince Hall do, many might not be Masons.

Upon petitioning I was asked to pay $20 so that the lodge could run a background check on me and make sure that I had not received any convictions...in the whole 3 days I had been an adult.

 

[PatrickWilliams]

And there are masons(lower case intentional) with clean records and just pay thier dues.

The true is, that if the Blue Lodges did the background checks like the Prince Hall do, many might not be Masons.

Well ... here in Wisconsin, we are REQUIRED by Grand Lodge to do a background investigation on all petitioners. And the State has CCAP set up, so that anyone can run a background investigation, all you need is a valid SSAN and name. So, at least at the moment, everyone who joins a Wisconsin Lodge has a background check. Now, this check only catches criminal history in the State of Wisconsin, but it's something.

My point, Russ, is that a criminal record may NOT necessarily be a bar to membership. Depends on what, when and where the crime was.

 

[Duncan1574]

And there are masons(lower case intentional) with clean records and just pay their dues.

The true is, that if the Blue Lodges did the background checks like the Prince Hall do, many might not be Masons.

PH do background checks, talk to your neighbors, your family, etc.

To the original question: a certain section of a certain OB states reasons for confer any degree on certain people, felon is not one of that list.

 

[FamilyMan]

BTW, if your GL doesn't do background checks, and you have a law enforcement officer whom you have been asking to run them...unofficially... PLEASE STOP. It is no longer possible to do them without logging in, and they may find themselves subjected to disciplinary action, or even criminal charges. Don't do this to your Brother.

In addition, in most states, if you run someone through some state databases, it will mark that "Patrolman So-and-So, Somewhere Police Department, accessed on 01/02/2099" on the record.

If the candidate has a warrant, it's going to take some explaining on why Officer So-and-So didn't take that person in on the warrant.

If they are under an active investigation, the officer that ran the record might receive a phone call from the investigating officer asking why he ran the subject.

Also, even if the LEO runs the candidate and it comes up clean... the next officer to run that candidate through the system is going to see that Officer So-And-So ran him and will likely call and ask why.

And lastly, Bob is right, criminal charges AND departmental disciplinary action is not only possible, but highly likely.

 

[Winter]

You're right, felon is not mentioned in the list of prohibited candidates.

But the list of requirements does state that a man must be well recommended and of good report.

 

[FamilyMan]

You're right, felon is not mentioned in the list of prohibited candidates.

But the list of requirements does state that a man must be well recommended and of good report.

In Ohio, being convicted of a felony automatically results in a Masonic Trial for UnMasonic Conduct.

Ohio Masonic Code, Section 40.02. Felony A Brother who has been convicted of a felony or pleads guilty thereto in a court of competent jurisdiction shall be charged with UnMasonic Conduct by the Master of the Lodge in which he is a member.

 

[edwmax]

Not good. Remember 'felons' are criminals of crimes against individuals, or the public, almost always, involving morale turpitude. ... Felons have a demonstrated lack of morales and/or good judgment.

oh, some GL codes may not directly list 'felons', but may use the term "crimes of 'morale turpitude'" ..... All felony crimes and some misdemeanors are crimes involving 'morale turpitude'.

 

[mdonahue66]

People CAN change for the better. Some do, some don't. I've never seen a felon come to vote in lodge. We had one go to the investigation commitee, and do to the nature of his crime, he was encouraged to withdraw his petition, and did. It would be interesting to see how the brotherhood would vote. I don't think anyone in my lodge would blackball strictly because of a felony. I think they would weigh the report from the investigation commitee, the nature of the crime, the time since it occured, the candidate's age when it occured, and what the candidate has done since. If all of those events were favorable, particularly if he is well recommended, he might make it through in our lodge.

 

[Gary]

My understanding is that in my jurisdiction; it depends if their civil rights have been restored as to if a petition would even be entertained or not. And even then I think the GL gets involved in the decision.

A felony conviction as a Mason, would result in a Masonic trial.

 

[Bob Franks]

Felons in Masonry?

I've attended several lodge meetings recently, so without telling where, it's easy to just say that I recently saw a vote where a man several years ago committed a felony [it was a crime against property], but had shown no signs of continuing moral issues. He did his time, finished school, kept the same girlfriend for the last 4 years, has a job, plans for the future, and did not try to hide his past.
Even a former peace office who volunteered for the Committee of Investigation, spoke well of him, and recommended him for the Degrees, citing that most people who cannot turn their lives to be a 'good and peaceable citizen,' [my quote, not his] will continue in crimes and infractions, large or small.
I am sorely aware that if my past behaviors, fortunately before my Petition, were known to anyone in authority but our Almighty Creator, I would have criminal record, and it would be rare to find those who would not.

I believe in redemption and reformation, but as I worked a few years in corrections, I have seen false reformations.
In medicine, we often see conditions that are easily treated with Tincture of Time, and to see the worth of a man with a past, more time is needed than with others, but time usually tells.

In the South, in the West, and in the East, the ballot was clear.
I was relieved for the petitioner.

S&F

 

[Gary]

I've attended several lodge meetings recently, so without telling where, it's easy to just say that I recently saw a vote where a man several years ago committed a felony [it was a crime against property], but had shown no signs of continuing moral issues. He did his time, finished school, kept the same girlfriend for the last 4 years, has a job, plans for the future, and did not try to hide his past.
Even a former peace office who volunteered for the Committee of Investigation, spoke well of him, and recommended him for the Degrees, citing that most people who cannot turn their lives to be a 'good and peaceable citizen,' [my quote, not his] will continue in crimes and infractions, large or small.
I am sorely aware that if my past behaviors, fortunately before my Petition, were known to anyone in authority but our Almighty Creator, I would have criminal record, and it would be rare to find those who would not.

I believe in redemption and reformation, but as I worked a few years in corrections, I have seen false reformations.
In medicine, we often see conditions that are easily treated with Tincture of Time, and to see the worth of a man with a past, more time is needed than with others, but time usually tells.

In the South, in the West, and in the East, the ballot was clear.
I was relieved for the petitioner.

S&F

Those would be circumstances in which I could be in agreement. People change, and that is proof of that.