TBL Staff

by: Brother C. Martin McGibbon,


Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland.

Whilst Freemasonry as an institution is, and always has been, strictly non-political and non-religious, we always have had amongst our membership individuals who were active in political life and in the various religions of the world.

I would emphasise that our membership includes individuals from all the World’s faiths, including Christians of all denominations and we always have had, over the years, members of the various political parties active at the time.

I am delighted when members of our Order, including those in prominent public positions, such as MSP’s, voluntarily choose to acknowledge their membership of our Order. Freemasons are encouraged in terms of our own ‘Rules and Regulations’ to acknowledge their membership on all proper occasions but I do have difficulty with any form of compulsion being placed upon individuals to ‘force’ them to register or declare their Masonic Membership.

Democracy and Freemasonry are found together wherever governments believe in tolerance and the right of citizens to a private life, including Freedom of Association.

The first President of the United States, George Washington, was a Freemason. Indeed, it was Freemasons from Edinburgh, who were also stonemasons, who built The White House; a Scotsman, who was Grand Master of the Freemasons of New York, laid the foundation stone of the Statue of Liberty and many Scottish Freemasons have made a lasting contribution in other democracies, for example in Canada, New Zealand and India.

Many famous Scots were proud to have been Freemasons, for example, Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Adam Smith and very many more.

However, it should be borne in mind that for every famous individual who was, or is, a Freemason there were, and are, many, many more ‘ordinary’ members drawn from all walks of life.

Many old Scottish Lodges, such as George Washington’s, are still in existence and are cherished by the Freemasons in those countries.

Scottish Lodges exist in countries as diverse as; Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Botswana, Jamaica, Chile and India - to name but a few. Indeed there is not a single continent where Scottish Freemasonry does not exist. Scottish attitudes and culture are therefore disseminated across the democratic world and Freemasons in these countries are proud to be SCOTTISH Freemasons.

Freemasons (whether Scottish or otherwise) throughout the world look to Scotland as being the home of Freemasonry. Each year many thousands visit this country to attend meetings of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Masonic Lodges here ‘at home’, making a useful contribution to our national tourist industry.

However, in living memory, regimes which have suppressed Freemasonry have included, Hitler’s Germany, Franco’s Spain, Mussolini’s Italy and Stalin’s Soviet Union.

The suppression of Freemasonry in those countries began with a seemingly innocuous request from the ‘authorities’ for a list of Freemasons in public service – the police, judiciary, civil service, etc. and I hope your that your readers, therefore, can understand why Freemasons are gravely concerned that they may be, in this liberal democracy of ours, compelled to disclose their membership.

The German Gestapo had a special section to ‘deal’ with Freemasons just as it had sections to ‘deal’ with other groups and whilst, in comparison to some of those other groups, Freemasonry was numerically small, very many Freemasons were tortured and executed but, unlike other persecuted groups, the Freemasons are seldom mentioned.

All Freemasons are taught that their responsibilities to the organisation come a long way behind their duties to their family, their civic responsibilities, their faith, and their occupation. Thus a question posed to a Judge as to his impartiality because he is a Freemason is spurious, for it is clear that the duties and responsibilities of a Judge would, at all times, take precedence.

Freemasons’ Hall (including our Museum and Library) at 96 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3DH (telephone 0131 225 5304) is very much open to the public.

The Grand Lodge of Scotland website is: www.grandlodgescotland.com

These are hardly the trappings of a “secret” society.

The existence of Freemasonry is sometimes likened to a ‘litmus test’ of democracy, a test of ‘democratic health’ if you like, and I am sure that for Scotland to be placed in a position where it could be compared with countries with intolerant regimes, countries that have a poor human rights record and have persecuted or have suppressed Freemasonry, would be distasteful to the large majority of Scots. Across the world, Scottish Freemasons would be appalled and people throughout world would, in my view, consider Scotland to have failed, abysmally, this ‘test’ of democracy.

Freemasonry has been part of Scottish society and culture for well over 400 years. Indeed, the oldest Masonic record in existence is held within our building here in Edinburgh, and is dated 1598. It is an on going record, so to speak, and proves the existence of Freemasonry here, in Scotland, well before that date.

During all this time Freemasons have attended Masonic meetings, raised money for charity and encouraged one another to be better citizens.

All this has been done quietly and without fuss.

It is surely ironic that the tradition of quiet good works, liberty and Freedom of Association so valued by Scottish Freemasons is now being used to argue for the removal of that Freedom by some of those who ultimately are charged with protecting the rights of all citizens.

Voluntary acknowledgement of membership – No problem!


Compulsory lists – No thank you!



Holyrood Magazine.

12th February 2002