who are the freemasons and what do they do?
365610
Freemasons are members of a Fraternal Organization founded on the principals of The Fatherhood of God (whatever you perceive him to be) the Brotherhood of Man and the Immortality of Man ... we believe in Faith Hope and Charity and are the driving force behind the Shrine and Scottish Rite Childrens Hospitals ... There are a number of appendant bodies (like the Shriners and Scottish Rite and York Rite) that extend from Freemasonry but you must be a Freemason before you may continue in the other bodies.
449079
Masons are a Secret Society originally developed in Europe in the late middle ages. They required secrecy and ritual in order to ensure their secrets were not divulged to the authorities (ie. The Roman Catholic Church) who would persecute them. They are also the foundation for most modern University Fraternities.
816909
Masons do not solicit for members.\n\nIf you are seeking Membership YOU MUST ASK a Mason or a Masonic Lodge for an application.\n\nYou must be a man at least 21 (18 in some jurisdictions).\n\nYou must be of good moral character\n\nYou must have a personal belief in a Supreme Being (the definition of a Supreme Being is up to you)\n\nYou must be a Resident of your state for 12 months\n\nYou must decide to become a Mason of "your own free will and accord"\n\nYou will need to express your personal interest in joining the Fraternity.\n\nYou must be loyal to your country.\n\nYou must be dedicated to providing for your own family\n\nYou must have a sincere determination to conduct yourself in a manner that will earn the respect and trust of others and possess a desire to help others through community service and universal benevolence.\n\nYou must sign a Petition, stating your age, occupation and place of residence.\n\nThere are NO religious, political or racial restrictions for Masonic membership other than the aforementioned belief in a Supreme Being. Any discussion of religion or politics is strictly forbidden in a Masonic Lodge.\n\nMembers of the Lodge vote by secret ballot. To be accepted, the ballot must be unanimous.\n\nIt varies state to state, but this is essentially how it happens.
999143
One of the mysteries of Freemasonry is that to be one you must ASK to be one.  Freemasons never ask anyone to join.  Every member is a member because he asked to be a member.\n\nThe Great Temple at 160 Great Queen Street is open 5 days a week.  Take a tour, research in the library meet a lot of Freemasons.  Or you may want to go to Mark Master Mason's Hall at 86 St James Street for further answers.\n\nThere are a great many books written about the membership of Freemasonry.  I hope you read several and compare your findings with those of authors throughout the ages.\n\nThe answers above allude to the error that Freemasonry is somehow a cult or a religion.  Nothing can be further from the truth.  While Freemasons only admit to their membership those who profess a belief in God; the discussion of religion is prohibited from its meetings.  Freemasons believe that everyone should worship God as their consciences require.
1187928
WOW.  Ahhh, just so you know, most Masons are NOT Mormons.  I  am a Mason and have been for years.  I have met many Masons, and none of them are Mormons.  I have met Christian Masons, Jewish Masons, and Muslim Masons.\n\nJoseph Smith WAS a Mason, and I believe he "borrowed" quite a bit of his "prophecy" from Masonic ritual.  We Masons do not adopt any religion as part of the fraternity, because each member is to worship in his own faith.  We are not a religious organization.\n\nIf you have any more questions about Freemasonry, and want the answer from a real Freemason, please feel free to contact me.
85706
Why not become a Knight of Columbus?\n\nThere is generally a cooperation between lodges of different fraternal organizations for social and civic events. As for the inner workings, each has its own mission statement and rituals.
651891
Hi, I am a Master Freemason,\n\nFreemasonry is still around and I think undergoing quite a renaissance. What may be reviving Freemasonry is the search for meaning and a little feeling of loss of identity. \n\nPlus, women are now finding out that some Freemasonry (American Co-Masonry) admits women fully to their rites and practices. I have been to quite a few Initiations, Passings and Raisings in the last year. New Lodges in Co-Masonry seem to be forming yearly. I think it speaks well for the youth of this world that they are searching so diligently.
192206
A secret society is an organization that requires its members to keep secrets from outsiders.\nThe term "secret society" is often used to describe fraternal organizations (e.g. Freemasonry) that may have secret ceremonies, and is applied also to organizations ranging from the common and innocuous  to mythical organizations described in conspiracy theories as immensely powerful, with self-serving financial or political agendas, global reach, and sometimes satanic beliefs.\nSee more infos in
838499
Do a Google search to find out more about the Masons, because there's just too much tell you in such a small space.\nAs to whether or not they have anything to do with JFK's assassination and the black helicopters (whatever the heck they are!!!!!!!), I have no idea, but it's doubtful.
600647
If you are referring to Freemasons, then I can answer that since I am one.  We do have retirement homes that are available to members and their wives, but they are not free.  They still cost money, although some of the cost may be subsidized by the fraternity.\n\nDepending on a lodge's location, there are also many family activities available such as theater and ballgame tickets, and many other activities to encourage family activity.\n\nIf you want to know more, you can email me or you can contact your local Masonic lodge, but remember that people do not join Freemasonry in order to get access to benefits.  People join because they are interested in community service, charity, history, and becomeing better men.
1102239
The Freemasons have a lot of power politically, as do members of organizations affiliated with them under the same umbrella.  They might all be lumped together as groups that are part of the Illuminati.  Examples are George W. Bush, John Kerry, DickChesney and others.\n\nThe following web sites and pages might give you some oof the answers you are seeking:\n\nhttp://www.savethemales.ca/000594.html\n\nhttp://www.savethemales.ca/141002.html\n\nhttp://savethemales.ca/archives/\n\nhttp://www.freemasonrywatch.org\nFollow the links.\n\nhttp://thebiggestsecretpict.online.fr/nwo.htm\n\nhttp://www.conspiracyarchive.com\n\nThe goal of the Freemasons, like that of other Illuminati seems to be that of one world government, under their control e.g. by giant corporations, who squeeze out small businesses.  They seem to proceed thrugh theft, while giving, usually on the system of liquid assets, in a tokenistic manner.
1174040
Our symbols are everywhere, and we make no attempt to hide them.  The Illuminati, however, have nothing to do with us.  They don't even exist anymore.  Their organization barely lasted a decade, and they disbanded.  They are nothing like the Freemasons, a fraternity that publicly admits membership, and who does charitable work to help others.
1173062
No, the last Freemason president of the United States was Gerald Ford. Before that Harry S Truman and Franklin Roosevelt.
332469
I think they are more important than people realize.  The freemasons made up about 20% of the population of the US before the Antimasonic party was formed.  There are many smaller very influential groups like the Skulls and Bones.  I think it is pretty scary that such a high level of cronyism runs our country.  I know that I probably sound like a conspiracy theorist but I am not.
554859
What I tell you about Freemasonry will only be MY truth, not some other people's quotations, not something you can google. I will link you to MY Order of Freemasonry and let you read more (but only if you wish to.) Points? If you wish to. The important truth here is that you asked. OK?\n\nFirst, no one knows how far back Freemasonry goes. Many of us believe it is a descendant from the Ancient Mystery Schools of the Middle East. Certainly numbers and geometry play great parts in our work. There are those who say we have roots in the Knights Templar. There are, after all, in many Orders of Freemasonry a degree or more designated to correspond with those men. Some say that all of that is just convenient legends made up to add mystery and to sucker folks in. \n\nSecond, there are many different Orders of Freemasonry. The Order I belong to, American Co-Masonry, is very esoteric and places a great deal of emphasis on the slower alchemy of personal transformation. We also are different from most other Orders in that we admit women and men into Lodge. I am not talking Eastern Star, but fully into the Brotherhood. We admit all races, all religions but you must believe in a Supreme Being in our particular Order. There are even Orders of Freemasonry where that is NOT a requirement. In ours it is a requirement. \n\nWe are more than just a social club, more than just a club that does good for charities; although, both are part of Freemasonry. We are a way of helping make the world better by helping humans make themselves better. We study morality and try to practice it in our own lives. Simply put, we try to live by the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you."\n\nWe use the working tools of real stone masons as allegorical symbols to remind ourselves of principles. Thus you see those tools as symbols everywhere after you become a Freemason and see their application too. Funny thing, when you join and ask what a certain symbol means, you are asked, "What does it mean to you?" The others are not mocking you; they want you to find answers within yourself and to help them find answers, too.\n\nWe work together because stones are smoothed (big analogy here) best by rubbing together. We work in Lodge and out of Lodge. Not the conspiracy business. I do not have a Ferrari. I did get to sit in one owned by a non-Mason the other day and it was too small. *sigh* We talk and email each other with encouragement and insight. \n\nWe are not for everyone. You have to be of legal age (21 in most places, sometimes 18 for children of Freemasons). You have to be free. You have to be of good moral character. \n\nI belong to two Lodges: one in Santa Cruz, CA and one in Los Angeles. I drive 360 miles round trip to each one each month. That is 720 miles. Lots of gas. We have very little time for socializing. We get our Lodge set up, do our ceremony, put away the Lodge furniture, have a quick potluck, and drive home. I am an officer of both Lodges. I do work outside the Lodge for both. \n\nWhat do I get from it? My daughter (23 years old and pretty cynical Libra, IQ at least 10 pts higher than mine) says that she sees a change in me. That I am more capable, less stressed, kinder to myself, more at peace, a lot more honest, even better to my ex-wife. \n\nOh, guess I should address the business of secrets. There are some. We have handshakes, certain words, etc that are traditional means of recognition. I suppose you could google around and find most of those. Cannot guarantee they would get you very far into a Lodge. There is a great deal of memorization work. I had to work pretty hard to learn all that took to get proficient in the first degree and second in order eventually to become a Master Mason (3rd degree). That is not so much a secret as it is a tough part of Masonry. \n\nOh, the real secret? Want to know that? I could put it in words all day but it really would not mean anything to you. Let us leave it wit
866709
It is actually quite simple.  Just call them and ask to speak to someone about becoming a Freemason.  I don't personally know any of the brothers at that lodge, but almost all lodges are very welcoming for people who are interested in joining.  Just give them a call and arrange to meet with some of the officers.\n\nYou can get the phone number from the website for that lodge at:\nhttp://www.cedarbayoulodge.org/contact_us.htm
242807
The only thing I know is this:\n\n"Many of [the freemasons] secret signs of recognition, for example, are borrowed from the system of words, signs, and touches that Hiram of Tyre, the master mason of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, was said to have used in order to communicate with the vast army of workers under his command."\n\nJust happened to read it yesterday.