Freemasonry?
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BG_TRBL
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Freemasonry is not just about the charitable pursuits for the community. Free Masonry works under the pretense of taking a good man and making him better. This is achieved not only from education and fraternal bonds, but also by charitable activities in the community. As a freemason one would learn certain information, not only from the fraternity itself with its own rituals, but also from the membership in general, due to the varied occupations of its members. Charity to those in need is a high priority of the freemasons, for as the grand architect of the universe has said, he loves a cheerful giver. Hope this answers a part of your question.
One of the reasons, I feel, that the Free Masons don't get the recognition that they deserve and instead get labled bogeymen.
Freemasonry as it is to me
-Freemasonry is NOT a charitable or service organization. This being understood, you need to know, that in the USA, Freemasonry, and its appendant organizations (There are over 100), donate about $2.6 million (two point six million dollars) per day to various charitable causes. The majority of this charitable activity goes to individuals who have no connection at all to Freemasonry: Children, widows, handicapped people, college scholarships,etc.
Freemasonry has been described as "A peculiar (meaning "unique") system of morality, veiled in allegory, illustrated by symbols". This description is accuate, but somewhat incomplete.
Freemasonry is a fraternal organization (no women allowed), where certain moral and ethical truths are imparted to the participants. Freemasonry is a non-denominational, non-sectarian, inter-faith organization. Men of many different religious backgrounds, and ethnic groups, meet in private, and study ethical and philosophical topics. You may think of it, as a world wide society of friends and brothers, all mutually pledged to aid and assist each other, and their families.
Although a serious and somber organization, all men of good will share its support. Masonry does not teach that all religions are equal, only that all men are equal. We often have dinners and other avenues of fellowship, with fun and enjoyment. Some of our activities are open to the wives, like sweetheart dances, and chili suppers.
Once a man is a Master Mason, he is then free to participate in over 100 appendant and concordant bodies. Some of them are very open and public, like the Shriners. Some of them are very obscure, and operate under the "radar". Some of the appendant bodies are:
-The Shrine. A public organization, with celebrations, parades, parties. The Shrine runs a network of Orthopaedic and Burn hospitals for children, where all treatment is provided free.
-The Order of the Eastern Star. A Co-educational organization, which does certain charitable activity.
-The Order of DeMolay. For young men 13-21, which teaches respect for education, respect for parents, fidelity to country, etc.
-The Philalathes society. For Masons who enjoy writing and publishing articles.
Masonry is a huge subject, and there is a great deal to be examined. I have only scratched the surface. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to PM me.
Your question appears quite frequently. Answering it is difficult, because there are many answers. Here is my personal "take", after 25 years as a Freemason.
-Freemasonry is NOT a charitable or service organization. This being understood, you need to know, that in the USA, Freemasonry, and its appendant organizations (There are over 100), donate about $2.6 million (two point six million dollars) per day to various charitable causes. The majority of this charitable activity goes to individuals who have no connection at all to Freemasonry: Children, widows, handicapped people, college scholarships,etc.
Freemasonry has been described as "A peculiar (meaning "unique") system of morality, veiled in allegory, illustrated by symbols". This description is accuate, but somewhat incomplete.
Freemasonry is a fraternal organization (no women allowed), where certain moral and ethical truths are imparted to the participants. Freemasonry is a non-denominational, non-sectarian, inter-faith organization. Men of many different religious backgrounds, and ethnic groups, meet in private, and study ethical and philosophical topics. You may think of it, as a world wide society of friends and brothers, all mutually pledged to aid and assist each other, and their families.
Although a serious and somber organization, all men of good will share its support. Masonry does not teach that all religions are equal, only that all men are equal. We often have dinners and other avenues of fellowship, with fun and enjoyment. Some of our activities are open to the wives, like sweetheart dances, and chili suppers.
Once a man is a Master Mason, he is then free to participate in over 100 appendant and concordant bodies. Some of them are very open and public, like the Shriners. Some of them are very obscure, and operate under the "radar". Some of the appendant bodies are:
-The Shrine. A public organization, with celebrations, parades, parties. The Shrine runs a network of Orthopaedic and Burn hospitals for children, where all treatment is provided free.
-The Order of the Eastern Star. A Co-educational organization, which does certain charitable activity.
-The Order of DeMolay. For young men 13-21, which teaches respect for education, respect for parents, fidelity to country, etc.
-The Philalathes society. For Masons who enjoy writing and publishing articles.
Masonry is a huge subject, and there is a great deal to be examined. I have only scratched the surface. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to PM me.
We were at a dinner party the other night and the conversation turned to Masonry in History. Someone said that in the Mexican Civil War that took place in the early years of the last century, that Masons and Knights of Columbus fought on opposing sides. He said that the Masons fought with the Revolutionaries and the K of C fought for the government. I usually wouldn't check on his facts as he is a history professor, but he was a bit gone in the Gammay Beaujolais...has anyone else ever heard of this? 
BG_TRBL
Watcher of the posts
I'm sorry, I haven't heard of that, but if I may submit my 2-cents worth into that particular text. It is possible that it happened as stated, however, free-masonry is not a millitia or fighting force, free-masonry is a band of brothers through-out all walks of life. It is possible that some were free-masons and some were knights of columbus, however it would not have been an established fight between just the two bodies. It would also stand to reason that it would be possible for an individual to belong to both free-masonry and Knights of Columbus. If that was the case, that individual would have some soul-searching to do before he could fight. The notion of that would tear the individual apart.
Sorry I wasn't able to answer that statement directly, but often times free-masonry is thought of as a force that stands alone such as the army, navy, air force, marines etc.... when free-masonry is really part of a person, what that person does with the knowledge and membership would be totally up to them.
Sorry I wasn't able to answer that statement directly, but often times free-masonry is thought of as a force that stands alone such as the army, navy, air force, marines etc.... when free-masonry is really part of a person, what that person does with the knowledge and membership would be totally up to them.
You're absolutely right, Green. The labels certainly are there, and it's not fair. It is certainly clear that fame and recognition are not uppermost in the Mason's mind.