Freemason

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==Criticism==
 
==Criticism==
  
Many religions, particularly [[Roman Catholicism]], condemn Freemasonry, believing its ideals to be irreligious (i.e., "unChristian" or the equivalent), or even that it actually constitutes an [[occult]] religion and keeps this secret from the public. Up until the early 19th century Catholics were prevalent in the Freemasons, and it even acted as a unifying force between Catholics and Protestants. <ref>The Irish Catholic [[Daniel O'Connell]] was famously a chapter leader in Dublin, before leaving the organisation when the Church outlawed it among Catholics.</ref>  Eventually the Catholics created their own "secret society" called the [[Knights of Columbus]].  Masonic symbolism is another cause for suspicion, as it includes some traditionally "occult" symbols such as pentagrams and hexagrams, as well as the many emblems which associate Freemasonry with its origins in stonemasons' guilds, such as trowels, aprons, set-squares and measuring compasses.
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Many religions, particularly [[Roman Catholicism]], condemn Freemasonry, believing its ideals to be irreligious (i.e., "unChristian" or the equivalent), or even that it actually constitutes an [[occult]] religion and keeps this secret from the public. Up until the early 19th century Catholics were prevalent in the Freemasons, and it even acted as a unifying force between Catholics and Protestants. <ref>The Irish Catholic Daniel O'Connell was famously a chapter leader in Dublin, before leaving the organisation when the Church outlawed it among Catholics.</ref>  Eventually the Catholics created their own "secret society" called the Knights of Columbus.  Masonic symbolism is another cause for suspicion, as it includes some traditionally "occult" symbols such as pentagrams and hexagrams, as well as the many emblems which associate Freemasonry with its origins in stonemasons' guilds, such as trowels, aprons, set-squares and measuring compasses.
  
 
Nepotism and elitism naturally attracts criticism in that it leads to unfair advantages to individuals regardless of personal merit.  Added to this, the nature of a secret society means that outsiders cannot be certain to what extent this nepotism is happening.  Some nations, especially those under [[communist]] governments, or staunchly Catholic ones, have gone as far as making Freemasonry illegal.
 
Nepotism and elitism naturally attracts criticism in that it leads to unfair advantages to individuals regardless of personal merit.  Added to this, the nature of a secret society means that outsiders cannot be certain to what extent this nepotism is happening.  Some nations, especially those under [[communist]] governments, or staunchly Catholic ones, have gone as far as making Freemasonry illegal.

Revision as of 00:28, 4 January 2010

The Freemasons (or just "Masons") are a secret society "society of secrets" ostensibly originating among craftsmen during the building of King Solomon's temple, but actually founded in its modern form during the eighteenth century with the Grand Lodge of England. The Masons currently boasts a worldwide membership of approximately 5 million.

Contents

Masonic virtues and beliefs

There are three (main) degrees of Freemasonry:

  • Entered Apprentice (1st degree)
  • Fellowcraft (2nd degree)
  • Master (3rd degree)

Each of the degrees teach the member about the history of the craft and the values that are learned by each of the degrees. By the third degree, the member has learned all the basic precepts of the craft: obey the law, take an intelligent interest in government, and conduct yourself as a good citizen; and if you do well enough, one day you can drive around in a little car and wear a fez.[1]

Initiation

To join the Freemasons, one must be a man (although some similar organisations, claiming to be loosely affiliated with the Masons, do accept women), must be at least 21 years' old, must be a theist, and must ask to join of their own accord. Before new members are accepted, they have to be approved by a vote of the local Lodge members, who express their approval or disaproval of the candidate by placing black balls or white cubes into a box (incidently, that's where the term "to get blackballed" comes from).

The initiation ceremony itself is notoriously peculiar, and involves the initiate being blindfolded, with his left trouser leg rolled up to the knee and his shirt partially unbuttoned to expose his left nipple, and a noose placed around his neck. All of this supposedly has some arcane symbolism. The new member must swear to uphold Masonic traditions and not divulge any of the society's secrets, on pain of various bloodthirsty punishments (not actually practiced anymore).

Nepotism

Freemasons are famous for their nepotism, often granting favours for fellow Masons (only if Mason is their last name), either for reasons of fellowship and reciprocity, or sometimes at the insistence of superior. Masons traditionally recognise each other by various "secret" signs, including wearing a ring with a Masonic emblem, or the famous Freemasons' handshake - when shaking hands, the thumb briefly strokes the other man's hand in a certain way (this handshake is only used by Masons in San Francisco and those that frequent Dupont Circle in DC). Of course these "secrets" all got leaked a long time ago, so modern Masons may well use different means of identifying each other (such as donating and raising millions of dollars per year to a network of 22 non-profit, free-of-charge children's hospitals).

Criticism

Many religions, particularly Roman Catholicism, condemn Freemasonry, believing its ideals to be irreligious (i.e., "unChristian" or the equivalent), or even that it actually constitutes an occult religion and keeps this secret from the public. Up until the early 19th century Catholics were prevalent in the Freemasons, and it even acted as a unifying force between Catholics and Protestants. [2] Eventually the Catholics created their own "secret society" called the Knights of Columbus. Masonic symbolism is another cause for suspicion, as it includes some traditionally "occult" symbols such as pentagrams and hexagrams, as well as the many emblems which associate Freemasonry with its origins in stonemasons' guilds, such as trowels, aprons, set-squares and measuring compasses.

Nepotism and elitism naturally attracts criticism in that it leads to unfair advantages to individuals regardless of personal merit. Added to this, the nature of a secret society means that outsiders cannot be certain to what extent this nepotism is happening. Some nations, especially those under communist governments, or staunchly Catholic ones, have gone as far as making Freemasonry illegal.

Conspiracy theories

Given their secretive nature and tendency to nepotism, and the fact that Freemasons are widely believed to be prominent at high levels in many industries, financial sectors and some government departments, they have long been the target of conspiracy theories. Freemasons are often associated with the Illuminati and the "New World Order", and believed by some to be pulling the strings behind the United States government and others. Some of these conspiracy theories are explicitly or implicitly anti-Semitic, associating Freemasonry with an "international Jewish conspiracy".

One conspiracy that refuses to die is that Freemasons were behind the series of attacks attributed to Jack the Ripper. The Rippers' mutilation of his victims was supposed to represent the symbolic penalties imposed on a Brother who revealed the secrets of the Lodge. According to people like Stephen Knight and Walter Sickert, it was a plot devised by Sir William Gull to cover up the fact that Edward, Duke of Clarence and heir to the throne had secretly married a prostitute and fathered a child. Even the mysterious message left behind by the Ripper, "The Juwes Are The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing" was supposed to be masonic, with "the Juwes" referring to the 3 masons of masonic ritual who murdered Hiram Abif: Jubela, Jubelo and Jubelum.

A whole bunch of new Masonic myths were created by Dan Brown in The Lost Symbol.

List of notable Freemasons

  • George Washington (President)
  • Thomas Jefferson (President)
  • Benjamin Franklin (politician, scientist)
  • Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin (astronaut)
  • Benedict Arnold (Revolutionary War general who switched sides to the Limeys)
  • John Jacob Astor (millionaire)
  • Gene Autry (actor, singer)
  • Johann Christian Bach (composer)
  • Irving Berlin (composer)
  • General Omar Bradley (WWII US Army general)
  • James Buchanan (President)
  • Nat King Cole (singer, pianist)
  • Samuel Colt (firearms manufacturer)
  • Davy Crockett (politician, frontiersman)
  • Walt Disney (animator, entrepreneur)
  • Bob Dole (Senator)
  • James Doolittle (WWII US Army general)
  • Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (physician, creator of Sherlock Holmes)
  • Gerald Ford (President)
  • Henry Ford (entrepreneur)
  • James Garfield (President)
  • John Hancock (yes, that John Hancock)
  • Warren G. Harding (President)
  • J. Edgar Hoover (Director of the FBI)
  • Andrew Jackson (President)
  • Jesse Jackson (politician, activist, minister)
  • Charles Lindbergh (aviator)
  • William McKinley (President)
  • James Monroe (President)
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer)
  • Daniel O'Connell (Irish Parliamentarian, brought about Catholic Emancipation and struggled to repeal the Union between the Kingdom of Ireland and Britain.)
  • James K. Polk (President)
  • Roy Rogers (actor)
  • Franklin Delano Roosevelt (President)
  • Theodore Roosevelt (President)
  • William Taft (President)
  • Harry S. Truman (President)
  • Mark Twain (author)
  • John Wayne (actor)
  • Robert Jordan (author)
  • Adam Weisphaut (yes, he founded the Illuminati, now get over it)

Footnotes

  1. If you're in the Shriners - a subset of Freemasonry found in the U.S. and Canada.
  2. The Irish Catholic Daniel O'Connell was famously a chapter leader in Dublin, before leaving the organisation when the Church outlawed it among Catholics.

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