The Secrets of Freemasons - Is Freemasonry a Religion?

It’s interesting to ponder on the possibility that many individuals have had relatives that were Masons at some point of time and didn’t even realize it. Was it because those relatives were so secretive about their involvement?, or it just went unnoticed.

It would seem that Masons, non-Masons and anti masons all have their own detailed explanation as to what Freemasonry really is. The problem is that no two explanations ever seem to agree in their entirety. In fact one Mason will give his version as to what the organization is all about, and then you can ask the next Mason that comes along the same question and you will get an entirely different explanation. You will be hard pressed to believe that they are of the same organization.

There is no definite date as to when Freemasonry became a reality. It is believed it dates back to the 1700’s during the time of the stonemasons and perhaps dealt with the influence of the Knights Templar. These were Christian warrior monks who were responsible for aiding pilgrims cross the Holly Land. They ended up forming a Grand Lodge in England and they are the administrative sector of the Grand Lodges according to sectors. In the USA it seems there is a Grand Lodge in every state and in Canada one in every province. Therefore, you can see they are not a small organization by any means. It is speculated that in the USA alone there are over 1300 Lodges.

Freemasonry spread from England to the United States and boasted of many Political figures as part of their membership such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin for example. It is said that the Freemasons played an important part in the revolutionary war. Plus it is said that many of the debates around the ratification of the bill of rights and the constitutional convention took place in Masonic Lodges.

The Lodge is the meeting place of the local chapter of Masons. The symbolic teachings that take place amongst the Mason sfocuses on the lessons that were learned during the construction of King Solomon’s temple during the biblical days. This is where the term Lodge originated. It would seem that during the winter months when the Masons were unable, to work, they would build Lodges for shelter and this is where the Lodge concept is taken from.

It’s interesting to note that the House of Commons in London depicts the layout of the Lodge. England was the founding father of the Freemasons and that which was known to spread to the USA so the English titles remained. In organizations that would refer to their leaders as president this fraternity refers to theirs as the The worshipful Master of the Lodge.

It is reported that every Lodge has their own alter that is required to hold the Volume of the Sacred Law. It is stated that in the USA and Canada that is mostly the Bible.

The backbone belief of the Freemasons is that every individual is designated to make the world a better place to live. No matter how small, one individual should strive to make the life of another individual better. Financial figures state that the Masons spend 1.4 million dollars on a daily basis for charity purpose. Donating money to Children’s Hospitals often sphere headed by the Shriners. Then there is the Scottish Rite Mason who supports a vast amount of charities. Then there are many acts of kindness that goes unnoticed, as the Freemasons reportedly do not boast of their good works.

The Masons feel it is their duty to encourage their members to be constantly striving towards the betterment of their already good qualities. They almost consider themselves a support group for the morals they believe in and stand by. It would appear they favor each other’s company because of their common beliefs.

In addition to all their charitable works, the members of the Freemasons enjoy the time they spend at their Lodges. Aside from it being an only male membership, they are family orientated and plan many family events such as picnics and outings.

There are two types of meeting that take place at the Lodges. One is the usual business meeting. These always start and end with a ceremony dedicated to the living values that the Mason stands for. There is the reading of the minutes such as would take place at any organized gathering and the voting of any applicants. There is the planning of charitable functions and personal events. The members are referred to as Brothers in this fraternity. The next type of meeting would be the initiation meeting. Here is where new members are welcomed into the Freemasonry. This done by way of ritual or formally known as degrees.

It is said that every Lodge has functions at the Lodge outside of their membership for example there are Ladies nights or bring a friend, which constitutes an open to the public scenario.