What is the purpose of Freemasonry?
83There is a lot of question surround what exactly is Freemasonry. I notice a lot of fear-mongering blogs, websites and other hogwash suggesting that Freemasonry is evil, or devil worshipping. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In order for the Masons to be demonic or evil, they would first have to be a religious sect. Freemasonry is NOT a religion. It is a fraternal society where men work together to become better people.
If only the ignorant would open their minds and endeavour to educate themselves to understand the purpose of Freemasonry, perhaps they might realise that their fears of the unknown were unfounded and unnecessary. In the December 2008 edition of the FREEMASON magazine, put out by the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales Australia, an interesting article explains its purpose:
What is the purpose of Freemasonry?
This is a question often posed by those seeking to know more about the Craft. We are not a secret society, as many believe, but a group that has secrets. Given the secrecy surrounding the Craft, it becomes hard to fathom from this why Freemasonry exists and what is our purpose for existing. Some consider that it is a fellowship of men. However this is limiting and does not fully explain why a lodge meets each month and what is the purpose of the work the lodge performs.
It is useful to re-examine exactly why we do what we do, both for those seeking to join, and for those who have been in Freemasonry for some time. It seems that many long termers have lost sight of the ultimate goal of Freemasonry.
In the second degree Freemasonry is defined as a "peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory, and illustrated by symbols". What does this mean?
In any pursuit there is a beingness in order to have something. The be, do and have process. Hence to be a mechanic you must do what a mechanic does. The end product of being a mechanic is fixed cars. The doingness is fixing cars.
In the case of Freemasonry the end product is a person of high morals who is a worthy member of society. How is this achieved? It is achieved by learning the various charges and partaking of the rituals associated with each degree. In this way it is hoped that some of the lessons associated with these activities will somehow rub off and form the fabric of the person. Education turns a person in their rough and unshaped state into a civilised and enlightened being, capable of appreciating, and performing, his duty to God and man: transforming rough shapeless matter into a thing of beauty to discover the latent qualities of the mind.
To understand the reason for Freemasonry, it is important to understand a further point about learning. That is the games philosophy. Everything we do in life has its root in this philosophy. A game is composed of three parts: freedom, barrier and purpose - the freedom to choose what to do, barriers in doing something and the end result of the activity. Hence in Freemasonry there is the freedom to first join, to take office and to be active in the lodge. The barriers are learning the charges and rituals. The goal is to make you a better person.
In the pursuit of this goal we play the game of Freemasonry.
Man in his natural state must have freedom. This is part of self-determinism. Freedom to choose. With this freedom comes the happiness. Happiness is the conquering of obstacles. The conquering of barriers. Those who have learned charges will know what this means. Learning a charge verbatim can be hard, but when delivered with clarity and precision a certain feeling of euphoria is achieved. This is happiness, the overcoming of not unknown obstacles towards a known goal. This is the definition of happiness.
So Freemasonry achieves happiness by pursuit of the game of learning. The end product, I believe, is to make you a better person. Along the way have fun. The fellowship and friends we make along the way are icing on the cake.
Bro Allan Mason MM, Lodge Central Coast 2001 (Australia) Magazine: FREEMASON, V40 N5 Dec 08
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Comments
No not a secret society, rather public actually. You see the buildings and Masonic logo most everywhere. If if were secret, this would be hidden. Also the Masons do lots of charity work too: http://www.masonicare.org.au
As for rituals, this is the learning of "how" something is done, such as memorising a verse verbatim. Including Bible verses. Charges are positions and duties within the lodge; such as how to open or close a lodge.
I presume from your handle and icon that you are female. For women there is the Order of the Eastern Star, very similar to that of the Freemasons. Perhaps you'd be interested to look up your local chapter and have a visit? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Eastern_
Jewels
No not a secret society, rather public actually. You see the buildings and Masonic logo most everywhere. If if were secret, this would be hidden.
As for rituals, this is the learning of "how" something is done, such as memorising a verse verbatim. Including Bible verses. Charges are positions and duties within the lodge; such as how to open or close a lodge.
I presume from your handle and icon that you are female. For women there is the Order of the Eastern Star, very similar to that of the Freemasons. Perhaps you'd be interested to look up your local chapter and have a visit?
I appreciate your efforts to set the record straight about Freemasonry. I am a Mason and have a hub which is trying to do the same. Keep up the good work.
As a freemason of 25 years standing, people ask me me to explain what it's all about. Folks asking are generally divided into two camps. Those who have had contact with Freemasons in their family or circle of friends, and who have a favourable impression, and those who appear hostile because of something they have read.
I have to gauge my answer depending on who is asking. There are many folks who believe that the masons are behind a global conspiracy, and every job opportunity favours members of the Brotherhood before them. They also know that there's an elaborate system in place to cancel parking or speeding tickets just by giving the officer a nod or a wink.
I've been told that masons signal each-other in order to avoid any kind of penalty, including prison terms and even tolls on motorways and bridges. They of course have been reliably told this by a nameless friend of a friend. No matter how much I explain that it isn't the case, and that “the freemasons” is simply a social club for men (and women) where charity giving is done quietly, they simply don't believe it.
In England freemasonry is a little more "underground", but this was not always the case. Around the time of the Great War, parades and public showings were commonplace. We do have rules forbidding boasting about membership, and the wearing of bling items such as masonic rings. These rules are designed so that freemasons cannot solicit fraternal advantage in business life. This approach has been mistaken for secrecy. You are much more likely to see the membership badges of Round Table, Lions Club, Rotary, or even Public School ties displayed in public. We are not allowed to advertise our membership for gain.
However masons are free to tell anyone about their interest. Most members would love the opportunity to sing the praises of something they are very proud of. We can also explain just about everything there is about ceremonies, apart from traditional forms of recognition. These are only used to prove strangers visiting meetings away from their home lodge and almost nowhere else. However, all of the handshakes and secret words are widely known. (Just put the term into Google to see)
The fact is that you can buy all of the regalia and all of the rituals from shops online or in person. No one is going to test your membership if you have cash to spend. If you are in London or any other Capital you can visit the Grand Lodge HQ and have a good look around. There is a wonderful library and museum at Freemasons Hall in Great Queen Street, London. It's open to everyone. Just over the road are suppliers of Masonic regalia, where you can browse or buy to your heart’s content.
The quarterly freemasons magazine in England is available free in full online too, as are all of the back issues. You can also call the National or Provincial Grand Lodges to ask questions or get printed information.
Here are seven things you probably didn’t know about Freemasonry
• George Washington was a member
• You have to ask a mason start the process of joining. You are not invited
• You must believe in God
• There are Lodges for men, women, and men and women, under various Constitutions.
• No animals of any kind are used in Initiation or other ceremonies
• Any kind of criminal record excludes membership
• The son of a mason is called a Lewis
I found an informative website a few weeks ago called www.masonic-secrets.com It delves into interesting detail about both male and female freemasons, and gives an account of what happens behind closed doors. Yes, I did say female freemasons, there are thousands of them around the world. I know that most people have heard that freemasonry is just for men.
The real secrets are not at all what you would think, and you can find out as much as you wish just by asking or looking.
Jewels says:
12 months ago
Ahhh, this is interesting. So when a person is in the process of learning a charge, they are likely to come up against obstacles, it could be different obstacles for different people. In overcoming challenges and obstacles we become better. Is the format in Freemasonry the same now as it was say 100 years ago? I have no idea what that format is and am not likely to witness it. I'm starting to read between the lines, cause it does sound like a secret society. Rituals amd charges, are they the same thing, or is a charge used in a ritual? If not, what is a charge? I can see how the learning of verses is a discipline that when accomplished is good for the soul - so to speak.