Order of the Eastern Star-Free Mason.. (behavior, Jesus Christ, religion, pope)
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okay so I was rambling I guess what I was trying to ask is what do you KNOW is true because I am not so sure that you truely know much of anything to be true.
well not sure i buy all the theories out there myself but i have to admit there are some things that i know of personally that do not sit well with me and i have to say some of what people say are true>>>i know that for a fact and that is all i will say here bout it too here to anyone in this post or otherwise here
Seaharbour, I do not consider myself a Christian, I am a native American and Celtic ancestry, I believe in a Supreme Creator, and I am also a Freemason, I am a 32nd degree KCCH Scottish Rite life member, Pass Wise Master of the Evangelist Chapter of Rose Croix, Past Master of four different lodges in Washington, DC. I took my oaths and obligations as a Freemason before my Creator. If you do not feel that this fraternity is right for you then you do not have to become a member of it. Understand, we do not go out and recruit people, if you wish to become a member of this fraternity, you have to ask us first, that is the only way that you can become a member. We don't care what your religion is, just so long as you have a belief in a Supreme Creator you can call him by whatever name you wish.
I think people fear what they don't know. The biggest secret surrounding Freemasonry is that there are no secrets. Sure, the rituals are not public but the work that is done is very public. Look at the Shrine Hospitals and circus(Shriners), the Reading Centers for Dyslexic Children (Scottish Rite), Dentistry for handicapped (Grotto) just to name a few. Millions of dollars are raised and donated by Masonic affiliates every year. Does it really matter what rites are done to open and close a lodge or a chapter? The "secret work" seems to be the biggest point of concern and yet that is just a small part of what these organizations do. These organizations are comprised of good, giving people and professing a belief in a supreme being is part of what is required. If you do not believe in a supreme being you would not petition to belong. It is a requirement for membership. It is a private association, does not take public money, and the rules are clear. It is a good organization that does good work. Those who say it is satanic truly do not know the organization at all.
I worked for some year on a biography of Masonic writer John Sebastian Marlow Ward MA.
The book never reached fruition because my co-author committed suicide and that somewhat blew my commitment to the task.
Whilst our research obviously centred on the man and his pursuits other than Freemasonry, I at least reached a few conclusions about the lodge as an outsider-looking-in. Conclusions which may be right or wrong.
Firstly, I believe that in the past, Masonry wielded enormous social, political, financial and even military power.
But that it is now facng a rapid international decline, both in numbers and in influence.
On a personal level, I find the rituals and the "theology" showy, shallow and historically baseless.
But each to his own.
I doubt whether, these days, they do any great harm.
Millions gain 'fellowship', business contacts and certain communication skills through their involvement.
Their charitable works appear (to me) to be mainly cosmetic and designed mainly to enhance their image - but they would not be alone in that.
I would feel like an utter goose going through the initiation processes but hey, that's me.
I was a Mason, and involved in several branches of it, for 30 years. It used to be a wonderful thing, but as with many other "fraternities", one or two people want to run the whole show. The deciding factor on quitting was my learning other history. Scenerio: You have a group of white men, and fear foreigners will want to join. How do you stop them? Have a secret word. Most immigrants then were Irish Catholics, and secret words just weren't tolerated. Kept them out of the club. All legal. I still hold my vows seriously, and will never repeat their secrets, but it's just not for me anymore.
So.. somehow I came across this thread and after reading through it, a few light bulbs went off in my head. I had to dismiss quite a bit of the hate and controversy, but luckily saw some of myself in some of the posts. First off, I am not into organized religion one bit and will refrain from saying anything more on that subject. I do believe there is good and bad in the world and that something out there is probably getting a good laugh at watching us. Too many things happen for me to dismiss there being something out there, but what it is has always bothered me because I cannot answer the question.
I consider myself more intelligent than the average bear and also easily recognize what should and should not be done in situations. I feel I am above average in my morals, but far from perfect. I am sincerely interested in finding out more about this Freemason thing, especially after the random events that happened to me tonight from watching a show on the History Channel to stumbling across this thread while looking at something completely different. I am a firm believer in destiny and when certain things all converge in one direction I take notice. I will check back here over time and hopefully someone can enlighten me a little more on this. I have a feeling researching it on my own is probably not going to be very fruitful..
53 FAQ ABOUT FREEMASONRY (http://www.gmwp.org/vision2013/53q.html - broken link)
This answers some questions. My 6th great grandfather was a freemason and went to meetings with other revolutionary war generals, colonels and famous people of the time. All the things I read about him and any references made about freemasons seemed to be more of a club and a way to escape ones religious practice and just a belief in God was sufficient. At the time of the founding of the country I don't think freemasons had a big influence in anything regarding world domination. If it has changed since early colonial America I don't know.
So.. somehow I came across this thread and after reading through it, a few light bulbs went off in my head. I had to dismiss quite a bit of the hate and controversy, but luckily saw some of myself in some of the posts. First off, I am not into organized religion one bit and will refrain from saying anything more on that subject. I do believe there is good and bad in the world and that something out there is probably getting a good laugh at watching us. Too many things happen for me to dismiss there being something out there, but what it is has always bothered me because I cannot answer the question.
I consider myself more intelligent than the average bear and also easily recognize what should and should not be done in situations. I feel I am above average in my morals, but far from perfect. I am sincerely interested in finding out more about this Freemason thing, especially after the random events that happened to me tonight from watching a show on the History Channel to stumbling across this thread while looking at something completely different. I am a firm believer in destiny and when certain things all converge in one direction I take notice. I will check back here over time and hopefully someone can enlighten me a little more on this. I have a feeling researching it on my own is probably not going to be very fruitful..
There are approximately 23 lodges in your area, if you are really interested, I suggest that you contact one of those lodges or if you know of any members in your area sit down with them and have a discussion and let them know that you're interested, as I have previously said, we do not go recruiting for membership, you have to ask us first and usually that first step is by you showing an interest and expressing that interest to a member of this fraternity.
So you can just walk into one of these places? Is there a particular day or time that is better or worse than others?
I think I need to talk to my dad about this first though, because I think his dad was a Shriner.
Thank you for the information and I think this could be interesting.
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