Quest

I have several questions about Freemasonary.

1) My soul is the most precious thing I own. If I join will I be "eventually" told that I cant believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and the only way to enter Heavan is to accept him as my Lord & Savior?

2) What is the purpose of hoodwinking a man , having him kneel and say an oath at an altar? I really feel uneasy about this and how God will look upon me for doing this.

3) I read somewhere that what Jesus is to Christianity, Hiram is to Masonary. Mormens had Joseph Smith to correlate along with the Bible, if I become a brother will I have to accept someone along or other than Jesus for my teachings?

4) Rituals sound very paganistic to me. How are rituals made ok for Christianity?

5) Please explain this cutting myself in half, taering out my left breast, cutting me throat to throat etc.......if this is not true then why have it in the oath?

6) Also was told the committee does a credit report and a background check. Any truth to this one?

I have many other questions but these 5 are the ones stopping me from attending my 1st meeting. My 2 uncles were Masons for many many years but also upstanding Christian men. Yet the more I read on Freemasonary vs. Christianity the more confused I become. I dont really feel a Blue Lodge is for me but MAYBE a modern lodge. I live in Bossier city, Louisiana across the Red River from Shreveport,La. so can anyone tell me if there IS a modern lodge in my area ?
Really need some feedback about my confusion gentlemen.

David Herman

On the one hand, you have the lives of your uncles as testaments and examples.

On the other hand, you have claims you have read, which have likely been satisfactorily expounded upon at http://www.masonicinfo.com/ or http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/index.html

I have observed that intelligent discourse usually has little impact on decisions of the heart. In the end, only you can decide which to believe. I wish you well.

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http://morelight.org

Tom Accuosti

Eventually? Not by the Freemasons. We are not a religion, we are a fraternity. We encourage the study of moral virtues, and encourage you to become a better man, a better person according to your own idea of "better". For most men, that idea is based on what they gain from their own religion.

In other words, we certainly will not tell you what or who to beleive in. We beleive that it's up to each person to decide that for themselves.


We can't help you there. I have no idea what your God will tell you.
That said, like any initiation, you start off not knowing what is in store, and learn a little at a time. Please keep in mind that Freemasonry is based on symbols, and the moral lessons are not to be taken literally.



First, let's make this clear: We will not tell you who or what to beleive. That's religion, and that's up to you.

Second, the Hiram story is an allegory. Like the symbols of the Square and Compasses, it is teaching in the form of a story.



I don't know. How are Christian rituals made okay for Christianity?

Okay, I'm sorry. Rituals do not have any meaning beyong what we give them. Rituals, in that respect, are symbolic. The rituals that Masons use are meant to impart teachings in morality and self-reflection.



It sounds like you've been reading those websites put up by people who have an axe to grind. We don't have any "oath".

As to why there is something like that in the obligation that we take, the best analogy is this: When you were a child, didn't you ever make a promise with the caveat "Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a finger in my eye"?


I don't know if they do credit checks in your area. We do, however, like to have references because we only want men who are honest and upstanding members in their communities.


Well, that should speak for itself.


You are confused, because there is no "vs" at all. Again, we are a fraternity, and not a religion. We have members of all religions and spiritual beliefs who have managed to get something very positive from belonging. Apparently your uncles can attest to this.



I'm not sure what the difference would be. They all have the same format. Maybe someone else on this group can help you out.

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Tom Accuosti
The Tao of Masonry

LarryW

I'm sure your questions will be answered by several Masons and possibly some non-Masons, and each answer may differ slightly. I hope that their variety will show you the differences that exist from one jurisdiction to another, and that their paritywill show the similarities shared by most or all jurisdictions.
The short answer is no. Freemasonry is a fraternity first and foremost. Its members are religious and profess a belief in a Supreme Creator, but it does not interfere or attempt to alter your beliefs.
Hoodwinking is symbolic. It alludes to the candidate's condition as he enters Masonry, of being in the dark and seeking light. It also ensures that a candidate who chooses to stop his initiation before he has taken the obligation cannot see the form of a Lodge or cannot idenitfy the men in the Lodge. It is antiquated because there are many pictures online and in print that clearly display the form of a Lodge, and it's pretty difficult to conceal our affiliation when one can clearly see who comes and goes.

The oath spoken in my Lodge is "So help me God" (that is, unless the candidate prefers to use the name described by his faith). For me, there's not much about that with which to feel uneasy because I am asking for His help to keep the promises I make before Him and the men in the Lodge.

We kneel at the altar to take our obligations because that's where the Volume of Sacred Law (in our Lodge it is the Holy Bible) is placed, and we take our obligation on the VSL much like one would swear upon a VSL to tell the truth in a court of law. Every Lodge has a VSL opened during the meeting, but not every one has an altar.

I cannot answer to how you will be judged by Deity, however I am confident that I have not disobeyed His Word by taking my obligation.
Nope, not in the least. Hiram Abiff is said to be the Grand Master and, according to legend, was principally in charge of the construction at the Tempe of Solomon. I can't discuss the legend because my jurisdiction says it is private; I can say that the story of Hiram teaches us a lesson, but he is still no more than a brother Mason.
Hmm. Their origin could be pagan, but then Easter and Christmas were pagan rituals.

The rituals are, for the most part, nondenominational, though they may have originated at a time and in a place where Christianity was predominant. But, then, if you had the opportunity to see the rituals, there's little guaranty that they were faithfully reproduced; many anti-Masonic sources will alter the rituals to substantiate their claims against Masonry.
It's kind of like saying, "if I'm lying, I'm dying," or "may I be struck by lightning." The penalties suggest that the promises made in the obligation (I spoke of oaths above) are important and not to be taken lightly. No one has ever been so punished for violating their obligations.
There may be jurisdictions that do credit checks, and I can only imagine that it is to determine whether you are expecting to benefit financially from becoming a Mason. Masonry has no financial benefits; in fact it will gladly accept your donations and put them to good use.

A background check is not the same as that done by law enforcement or prospective employers. What we will do is make sure you meet all the requirements for membership and answer any questions you or your family may have. We will contact the personal references you list on your petition so we can get their impression of you. In essence, we try our best to determine if you and Masonry are a good match.
Well, you won't attend your first meeting for several months anyway. You would first make a decision to become a Mason, then you would petition a nearby Lodge, then you would be interviewed, then you would be initiated as an Entered Apprentice. After that, which might be two months later, you could attend your first meeting if your Lodge allows Entered Apprentices to attend (some in the U.S. still don't, but their number is dwindling).
It could be that you're reading information from those who are ignorant of Masonry or have some hatred of the fraternity. Since before the first Grand Lodge was formed in 1717, we have had detractors and naysayers.

If you respected your uncles for the men they were, for their character and morals, then you have a good iead what a Mason really is.
[I dont really feel a Blue Lodge is for me but MAYBE a modern lodge.[/quote]I'm not sure there is a difference between a Modern Lodge and Blue Lodge. As I use the terms, they may be one and the same. But if they refer to two different kinds of Lodge, you may find that there are many more similarities than there are differences, and the differences may not apply to the concerns you have about Masonry.

I invite you to pose as many questions as you like, and I suggest that you contact a nearby Lodge and speak with one or more of the Masons. They'll be happy to talk to you and answer your questions as best they can, and you'll get a better idea of the kind of men that make up the fraternity in your area (which should be indicative of Masons round the world).

Whether you choose to petition or not, I wish you happiness in your journey and peace at your destination.

Larry
Holbrook #30, AF&AM
Forest Grove, Oregon

Tom Accuosti

Gosh, Larry, looks like we answered all of his questions. I hope he makes out alright.

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Tom Accuosti
The Tao of Masonry

joseph

Why you need to be a member in Masonry?

D. W. Brown

You don't "need" to be at all, that is a personal choice and no mason will try and persuade you either way. The only thing I can tell you is every jurisdiction is different, so you should do your research before joining. I caution you though not to read too much into these web sites that try and prove freemasonry is anti-religious as, in my opinion sometimes it is maybe to far to the opposite end of that pendulum.

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Dale Brown, 3°
TBL Staff
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Must Reads for Every Mason:

A Peculiar System of Morality | Laudable Pursuit | The Ancient Landmarks
The Truth About the Antients and the Moderns | It's About Time
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Must Visit Links for Masons:

Grand Orient de France | Grand Orient of the United States of America
The Burning Taper | Halcyon Lodge | The Philalethes Society

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Something Every Freemason Should Fight For:

Pickens Plan

vikingdl

Hello Quest....I was just raised to Master Mason last week....I spent several months pondering / praying / researching Masonry before starting the adventure...I'm not an overly religious person but have had an absolute belief in God all my life...as such, I did ask a few friends that I trust and who are open minded about becoming a Mason...they asked me many questions and I answered them as best I could....what they all ended up telling me is that, in the end, what did my heart, the little voice inside me, have to say....several of these people I trust do have Doctor of Divinity after their name....I have found so far that Masonry complements my life...by that I mean that when I make decisions on a daily basis I ask the question "what would a Mason do?"....this is the same as asking "what would a christian / catholic / elk / American / etc do?".....it's a tough world out there and it is NOT getting any better.....a smart man will leverage every legitimate tool available for him and his family to have a good life, one that does not have him live without ethics......all the "secrets" and "rituals" of becoming a Mason will not affect your afterlife in a negative manner......I have watched more rituals and learned more secrets as a catholic active in my church than I ever witnessed becoming a Mason....you come into this world by yourself and you leave by yourself, what happens in the middle is completely up to you.....I for one have chosen to have a group of trusted men with me in the middle......

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David Laskowski
Ray Lodge #223
Camden, Missouri USA

Member of the Missouri Lodge of Research

Raised to MM on Oct 19, 2006
Really enjoying the journey!!!!!!

jpeffer27

To find out about a "Modern" Lodge go to UGLofA.org.