Freemasonry For Non-Freemasons
To those who are not members of the fraternity, Freemasonry is somewhat of an enigma. In the extreme there are those who see it as a cult — a secret society of elitists who want to — or do — control the world. The entertainment world exacerbates the mysterious nature of the organization when it gives members supernatural powers, meeting in lodges with secret passageways and furnishings that open to reveal mysterious things. Freemasons, they would have us believe, know all the secrets… not just of Freemasonry but of life and the universe. Without much more to go on, outsiders’ views of Masons range from seeing them as the all-knowing Adept to the emissaries of Satan himself. The truth does not, in fact, lie somewhere in between. It lies elsewhere.
Freemasonry is a fraternal organization with roots going back to the medieval European stonemason guilds consisting of men — “operative Masons” — who built the great stone cathedrals of the era. (1) Gradually those guilds evolved into a social and charitable organization of men who did not necessarily work with stone — “speculative Masons.” That transformation took place over many years until the first Grand Lodge was founded in the year 1717 in England.
The tenets of Freemasonry are Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. It is a fraternal and social organization, committed to doing charitable work, and seeking — not defining — truth, through education, study, and discourse. Members are committed to personal growth and self-improvement, as well as the betterment of society.
Freemasonry uses symbols to convey moral and ethical lessons. Many of these allude to the fraternity’s origin as a group of men working in stone. For example a trowel, used to spread mortar which holds stone in place is seen as a symbol of that which spreads the cement of brotherly love and unites Freemasons into a society of friends and Brothers. Other Masonic symbols do not allude to stone Masonry, such as the beehive, which signifies industriousness and hard work.
It has been said many times and bears repeating: Freemasonry is not a secret organization; it is an organization with secrets. If Freemasonry were a secret society, it would not have signs advertising its presence hanging outside its buildings. Its lodges would not be making their phone numbers publicly available and its members would not be wearing jewelry announcing their membership. Members do, however, have certain aspects of their ritual and ceremonies they do not reveal, such as handshakes and passwords.
In their regular lodge meetings, Masons have an opening based on a ritual. While that ritual is not public, a pretty good representation of it can be found in your local libraries or on the all-knowing Internet. After opening the lodge, members conduct business and sometimes have an educational program or discussion. Afterward, there is a ritual-based closing. On certain occasions Masons initiate new members into the Masonic degrees. They also hold officer installations and other ceremonies which are open to the public.
Freemasonry is not a religion, but it requires its members to have a belief in God. Men of all faiths are welcome, and the fraternity is committed to religious tolerance and diversity.
The individual lodge is the bedrock unit of Freemasonry. It is in his local lodge that a Freemason receives the first three Masonic degrees in separate ceremonial initiations. (2) It has been said the Third Degree is the highest Masonic degree, even though those with higher numbers follow. In Masonry, no advancement to those degrees is mandatory.
Freemasonry includes other groups which are a part of its overall structure. The Scottish Rite is a Masonic organization that is focused on the continuation of the philosophical and educational aspects of the fraternity. It is composed of 29 additional degrees from the Fourth through the Thirty Second. The Scottish Rite awards the well-known Thirty-Third degree as an honorary degree to a select few members who have given exemplary service to the fraternity and community.
The York Rite is another Masonic organization that is also focused on continuing the philosophical and educational aspects of Masonry. It is composed of three bodies: the Royal Arch Chapter, the Cryptic Masons Council, and the Commandery of Knights Templar. The Chapter and Council, like all preceding degrees, are open to Masons of all faiths. The Commandery of Knights Templar, however, is reserved for Christian Freemasons, and is patterned after the order of the same name which was active during the Middle Ages.
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, known simply as The Shriners, is an American organization composed exclusively of Freemasons. It was established in 1870 “based on fun, fellowship, and Masonic principles.” Now known as Shriners International, it is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Members, wearing their trademark maroon fez headpieces, participate in parades and other fun activities all the while raising funds for charity. In 1920, the group founded the Shriners Hospitals for Children, opening the first hospital in 1922. Today the organization consists of a network of hospitals and clinics throughout the country offering a variety of services to children aged 18 and under.
In fact, one of the most important aspects of Freemasonry is its commitment to charity. Freemasons are involved in a wide range of charitable activities, from supporting local community organizations to providing disaster relief around the world. In addition to the Shriners Hospitals, other charities include the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, The Scottish Rite Clinics and others.
There is no worldwide head or governing body of Freemasonry. Each jurisdiction stands on its own and is connected to others simply by the mutual recognition of each. A jurisdiction usually consists of a country or, in the case of places like the Untied States, a state, province, or locality. The leader of each jurisdiction has the title of Grand Master. Grand Lodge members elect the Grand Master and, in most cases, he serves for only a year or two, with the final, almost dictatorial, word in all matters. In the United States there are 51 Grand Masters, separately governing each state plus the District of Columbia. The Grand Lodge is responsible for overseeing the operation of the lodges within its jurisdiction, setting standards for those lodges to adhere to, and promoting Masonic education.
In 1784, the Grand Lodge of England granted a charter to a group of free black men who were Freemasons but, due to prevailing racial segregation were not a part of existing lodges. Led by Prince Hall, the group founded African Lodge 1, becoming the first Masonic lodge for men of African descent. From there, Prince Hall Freemasonry spread quickly throughout the United States in the face of discrimination and segregation. Today, Grand Lodges throughout the United States as well as several other countries recognize the Prince Hall Grand Lodge as a legitimate part of Freemasonry. Apart from Prince Hall Freemasonry, regular Freemasonry also admits African Americans as well as men with all other ethnic and racial backgrounds.
Perhaps surprisingly, there are also women Freemasons. The Eastern Star is an appendant body of Freemasonry which includes women. The organization uses symbolism and rituals, is devoted to charitable work and community service, but its members are not Freemasons. There have been a few women who were what might be called “mainstream” Freemasons. In these cases Masons discovered the women had overheard the Masonic degrees. They decided the best way to deal with the situation was to initiate the women into the order and put them under obligation to keep secret what they had learned. Other women, most notably a group called Le Droit Humain, have formed their own Masonic organizations paralleling the rituals and practices of regular Freemasonry. To date, no women’s group of Freemasons has been recognized by any regular Masonic group.
Freemasonry, a fraternal organization with a commitment to charity and self-improvement, currently has a membership of about four million men around the world with about one million members in the US. Fifteen US Presidents have been members along with countless others who have been a part of Freemasonry’s unique role in American and world history. In spite of Freemasonry’s high standards, record of community service, and role in American History, it still remains a mystery to many outside the fraternity. (3)
(1) Roughly from the late 5th to late 15th centuries.
(2) The first degree is known as the Entered Apprentice degree, the second is the Fellowcraft Degree, and the third is the Master Mason degree.
(3) This brief overview cannot tell the full story of Freemasonry. For further information, there are a number of in-depth books available, not the least of which is Freemasonry For Dummies by Christopher Hodapp, available online and at most bookstores.
