Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You'd think that lodge meetings are big worship services, based upon what the antis would lead you to believe. In all actuality, they're WAY more similar to school board meetings. If Masonry were meant to supplant a person's religious faith, it certainly would do a poor job of it.
My favorite logical fallacy is that "33rds know it all". 33rd degree in what? Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction? I guess all the guys who are involved in the York Rite and the Scottish Rite Northern Jurisdiction are out of the loop, not to mention all of the guys overseas who can't join the Scottish Rite (Southern Jurisdiction).
The problem with making assertions about something that you don't really know anything about is that you wind up looking foolish to those who do know about it. A similar thing would be for me to say something like "All Roman Catholics eat bat heads and use the game Yahtzee to communicate with the dead". If I said that to somebody with a straight face, they'd think I was deluded or insane.
Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma is full of esoteric writing, and it is online. There are ussualy two messages in Masonic writing. One for the lower class and another "hidden" message for the elite. Full text of MORALS AND DOGMA OF THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE OF MASONRY, by Albert Pike (1871) (broken link)
If anyone is interested on learning the secrets behind Masonry and how it controls your country, then I suggest this video. You may find it cheaper somewhere else on the net. The above clip is taken from it.
Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma is full of esoteric writing, and it is online. There are ussualy two messages in Masonic writing. One for the lower class and another "hidden" message for the elite. Full text of MORALS AND DOGMA OF THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE OF MASONRY, by Albert Pike (1871) (broken link)
If anyone is interested on learning the secrets behind Masonry and how it controls your country, then I suggest this video. You may find it cheaper somewhere else on the net. The above clip is taken from it.
You now Hiram, you just proved my point, if you can get all this information on Freemasonry on the Internet and a copy of Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike off the Internet, then that just proves that Freemasonry is not a secret society, stop and think about that, if we were a secret society you would never be able to get any of this information, so now you have just contradicted yourself and affirmed my point to begin with, Freemasonry is not a secret society....
Hoodwinked! Pity the poor, foolish man who becomes a Freemason! In the very first
degree ritual, that of Entered Apprentice, a blindfold is put over his eyes, and a cable-tow
is hung around his neck.
Symbolically, the dumb candidate is "HOODWINKED."
Little does he know that his superiors intentionally set out
to deceive the candidate and they contrive their deceit
through all the ritual degrees up to and including the 33rd.
Hoodwinked is a term that only the "higher degrees" of Freemasonry use. There are 360 total. This term pretains to the lower degree Masons.
Many people have spent their lifetime studying Freemasonry. Then they post their findings on the internet. Or write books exposing it.
Below is an exert from Manly p. Hall. He has been titled as 'Masonry's Greatest Philosopher'.
" Freemasonry is a fraternity within a fraternity -- an outer organization concealing an inner brotherhood of the elect ... it is necessary to establish the existence of these two separate and yet interdependent orders, the one visible and the other invisible. The visible society is a splendid camaraderie of 'free and accepted' men enjoined to devote themselves to ethical, educational, fraternal, patriotic, and humanitarian concerns. The invisible society is a secret and most August [defined as 'of majestic dignity, grandeur'] fraternity whose members are dedicated to the service of a mysterious arcannum arcandrum [defined as 'a secret, a mystery']." [Hall, Lectures on Ancient Philosophy, p. 433]
You now Hiram, Manly P. Hall was not a Freemason, so he knows not of what he speaks and I would love to know where you're getting your false information about the degrees, never have I ever read anything from somebody who knows nothing of what they are talking about, everything that you have spoken of is mere speculation. Understand what I am telling and what I am saying, you are not a member of this fraternity, you know nothing about it, your ramblings about it is mere speculation based on conspiracy theories from individuals who know nothing about the Freemasons, so why are you speaking about something of which you know nothing about.
Location: In the North Idaho woods, still surrounded by terriers
2,176 posts, read 3,696,347 times
Reputation: 823
he is speaking about something he knows nothing about because that's what Conspiracy Theororists do. They dwell on fear and rumor because it gives them a feeling of strength and power, when in fact they usually have no basis for their conjecture. It is unfortunate that other people listen to such nonsense without knowing what it is really all about...but much of the world runs that way: rumor, suspicion, fear-based ideas. It does make for great movies and adventure novels, though, eh?
I know a couple of Masons, Hiram,...there is NOTHING Satanic or secretive about them and they certainly do not control the country. In fact it amuses them that people believe such silliness. They are a service group, mainly. Their beginnings came in a time of turmoil and unrest in the world and thus their purpose has gradually morphed a bit over the years...but to attempt to frighten or intimidate people with such blatant, false accusations and theories is really just a matter of fear-speak.
I know little or nothing about Freemasonry. My grandmother was an Eastern Star and wanted all of her sons and grandsons to become Masons. When I inherited my house, I gave all of the Mason stuff to Masons. (I had no idea what all of the symbols meant and it kind of freaked me out.)
ptsum - There is a lot of disinformation/misinformation out there. How is any one supposed to know what is speculation and what is true. Many of the books seem plausible. I read one about "Hiram Abif" (I think that was the name). That book put me off of Masonry for myself. As for others - as you say, they have to ask.
I know little or nothing about Freemasonry. My grandmother was an Eastern Star and wanted all of her sons and grandsons to become Masons. When I inherited my house, I gave all of the Mason stuff to Masons. (I had no idea what all of the symbols meant and it kind of freaked me out.)
ptsum - There is a lot of disinformation/misinformation out there. How is any one supposed to know what is speculation and what is true. Many of the books seem plausible. I read one about "Hiram Abif" (I think that was the name). That book put me off of Masonry for myself. As for others - as you say, they have to ask.
john, if you really want to know more about Freemasonry I suggest that you go and talk to somebody who is a member of that fraternity, I see where you're located in Beaumont, Texas, there are at least four Masonic lodges in Beaumont, Texas, why don't you find out when they meet and stop by and have a discussion with some of the members, I'm sure they will be more than willing to talk to you about it, that way you're getting it straight from them, now you won't be able to attend the meeting because you're not a member, however maybe you could make arrangements with one of the members there to give you a tour of the lodge hall and explain some things to you, I'm sure they won't mind doing that and who knows you might learn something.
There IS one short paragraph that properly and concisely defines the heart and soul of the Invisible Fraternity of Freemasonry. Let us return to Manly P. Hall for this quote:
"When a Mason learns the key to the warrior on the block is the proper application of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the mystery of his Craft. The seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands and before he may step onward and upward, he must prove his ability to properly apply energy." [The Lost Keys To Freemasonry, Manly P. Hall, published by the Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company, Inc., Richmond, Virginia, 1976, p. 48; Emphasis added]
The Scottish Rite Journal praised Manly P. Hall in 1990 as "Masonry's Greatest Philosopher". One 32nd Degree Mason wrote back to me, stating that he had never, ever heard of Manly P. Hall; yet you can see his book was published by the Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company. The only reason this high-ranking Mason had never heard of Manly P. Hall is that Hall was a leader of the Invisible Fraternity, while this Mason was participating in the Visible Fraternity!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
