what I know

This is my first post,this is what I personnaly know about the free masons. Probably not a great revalation but this is what I know to be true.First off my uncle was,still is? envolved with the masons when he first joined, or was invited he began to act very strange. He could not tell his own wife what was going on at the lodge,he sleept with his little rule book? or what ever was in it.This caused alot of friction with her, he just refused to tell her anything or where he was even going.Next my brother inlaws father was a life long mason he died recently , at his funeral instead of a traditional ceramony it was very restricted.Only a hand full of his very close family were invited,the rest were masons.

Ok the reason I grew wary is what I saw with my own eyes.There is a lodge nearby where I live the windows are boarded up. Now look people can do what ever thay want but im sure if I boarded up the windows of my house and acted as strange as these jokers do folks would say this guy is trying to hide something.My point is this if they dont want people to think theres something creepy going on ,STOP ACTING CREEPY! I had no preconcieved beliefs about the masons heck till a few years ago I dident even know they existed.

Just from that time on my own observations have lead me to believe theres something a miss there.My uncle was raised in a very religous home and kept the faith for a long time. But a few years ago pronounced at a family gathering there is no god and he was a athiest.Ok there are alot of atheist and im not here to knock them but my brother inlaws father was too.And comeing from this family and this part of the country is pretty odd.Now at the funeral the masons all had hemlock branches and were chanting something, not your traditional funeral huh.

If this is some kind of religion why not share it,even if it is a belief there is no god whats the big deal there are atheist,pegans,wiccans,and a multitude of people out there.What is the big deal if its a club why do ya board up the windows, and act so secretive a reasonable person must reach the conclusion your trying to hide something what it is I have no idea. Im sorry if I have offended any masons but dang you fellows sure do act strange.I know your just looking out for the good of your fellow man and its just a feternity or something but come on what are ya hiding.

Your no different from any other organisation thats why ya ware little aprons with cult looking symbols and board up the windows at your little club house.Even if theres nothing going on your setting it up to look well lets see CREEPY

ARRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!



2 QUICK THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW


1) By saying effectively that you base your opinions on one lodge, you are saying that I can call your whole family ignorant because you have problems with sentence stucture. Now, I'm not, but that's silly.

2) Your uncle is a person.If he chose to sleep with his book and ignore his wife then he isn't doing this because he is masonic, he's doing it because he chooses to, big difference.


As Always,

Seek the Truth



Regards

The Wiz

1. Freemasons believe in a God or a supreme being.

2. Freemasonry is not a religion. Its members come from a myriad of religions.

3. People who want to pry into private ceremonies behind closed doors and who assume the worst are creepy - aren't they?

I'm a Mason and what you're describing is creepy. My lodge doesn't have boards on windows, and aside from our handshakes and passwords, I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Yes some Masons take the secrecy thing TOO far and wont say a thing one way or another, well that's them. If you are willing to listen with an open mind, aside from myself there are many Masons and people who at least pro-Mason who can give you plenty of info.

Or you could just go to the lodge and ask why they are so creepy, and what they do within those mysterious walls.

By the way, even though Masons wont tell you their secrets, if your brave enough to venture into anti-masonic territory, I'm sure all would be revealed somewhere online.

Originally posted by spearchucker
Now at the funeral the masons all had hemlock branches and were chanting something, not your traditional funeral huh.

Picture of hemlock, huh? And, you would know what hemlock looks like? What kind of hemlock was it?
By searching yahoo imageas, there apprear to be more than one type of plant referred to as hemlock.
yahoo image search for hemlock



[edit on 5-1-2005 by DontTreadOnMe]

I think he means "evergreen" instead of "hemlock". Masonic funeral rites include the officers placing evergreens on the coffin. In Masonry, the evergreen is a symbol of eternal life because the evergreen, of course, does not die in winter.

If a Mason becomes an atheist after he is already a Mason, he is required to either resign from the fraternity, or else will be expelled. This is one of the most ancient of all the laws of Freemasonry. Besides, there is nothing in Freemasonry that an atheist would find important anyway.

To the best of my knowledge, there are no windows in any Masonic Lodge room anywhere. If there were windows, there would no doubt be kids like the ones who've been flaming this forum recently, throwing rocks through them, and making a general nuisance. It is also to protect the privacy of the Fraternity.

Windows let the light into many Lodge rooms and allow air flow as well.

In times of distress a tracing board might be drawn on an open floor in an unconcealed location to form a Lodge with the requisite people present.

In many constitutions you may find a sprig of acacia rather than evergreen.

When I attended my grandfathers funeral who was a Mason only two old shriners attended. I sang a bone chilling rendition of farther along and we chunked him in the clay. Nothing was unusual or wierd about the ceremony at all.

yes masked avitar, we use a sprig of acasia as the story goes it came away unusually easy and aroused my suspicions. I find this post rather strange maybe the felows uncle became cult member in some group. This could have led his trust not to be in god, but as masonic light said you must believe in the supreme being or great architect of the universe as we say in scotland. But i will back up one of his claims i noticed strange changes in my dad especially with the size of his beer belly when he joined

From what ive read about masons- to become a member you have to believe in a supreme being (some sort of god) and a couple of famous masons i believe have had open funerals (or at least not exclusive) Maybe it was some sort of cult claiming to be masons

Originally posted by MaskedAvatar
In many constitutions you may find a sprig of acacia rather than evergreen.

Acacia is an evergreen.

thanks again brother, it must be the different lingo in the states ive never heard of it being refered to as evergreen it just hope my restraint gets relaxed the less artificial light i need what state are u in and is your lodge in amity with the grand lodge of scotland?

Ok Children, the statement for today will be...




"lets flame the new guy cos wev'e been here longer and know better!!"

What has been stated may not be YOUR own conception of freemasons, you may be a free mason or know a free mason who could confirm that what has been stated otherwise.. what his uncle could be involved with is some kind of cult ( for example an extreme free masonic separist group...who knows eh?) he is only conveying what has been stated to him.. what he descibes is not my conventional definition of free masonry, but how is it different from the Holy Jihad Throat slashers claiming to be Muslim Freedom fighters when Many Muslims do not practise the same murderous brutality in this modern age...

(please don't take this as me saying that Spearchuckers relative is the same as those psycho's..)

Don't be so quick to shoot the new guy down!

You should know better than that.... I am dissapointed in you..

And so is MC Hammer!!



(you wait till he tells your mums about this.. oh you'll be for it!!)

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe

Originally posted by spearchucker
Now at the funeral the masons all had hemlock branches and were chanting something, not your traditional funeral huh.

Picture of hemlock, huh? And, you would know what hemlock looks like? What kind of hemlock was it?
By searching yahoo imageas, there apprear to be more than one type of plant referred to as hemlock.
yahoo image search for hemlock

Whoa. That first picture kind of reminds me of a girl I used to date... *cringing*

Didn't see anything in the posts that resembled flaming.

Unless showing some one that they may of misinterpreted an act, occassion, or phrase is classed as flaming.

No offense meant, maybe what is classed as flaming is different for me as it probably is to many.

yeah, but free-masonry : ATS :: sugar : candy.

the never ending discussion. nobody really flamed him, nor did he flame anybody else. -he will get used to the tension surrounding the subject after every mason on the internet comes crusading for justice... lol

As every conspiracy follower on the subject comes with his/her notebook with the same old arguments that have been answered time and time again.

A bit of a vicious circle scenario really, at least some people go away with a new outlook and a different understanding even if their views do not change.

Originally posted by Masonic Light
To the best of my knowledge, there are no windows in any Masonic Lodge room anywhere.

Must be a US thing ML.
Probably 90% of the Lodges that I've visited here in the UK have windows in their Temples. Maybe this is because most of our Lodge buildings weren't purpose built?

Architecturally, some of the best masonic temples that I've visited have had stained glass windows dating back hundreds of years. There are quite a few of these in my Province.

I tend to agree with you though. Who knows why this particualr Lodge has boarded up windows? Maybe they have suffered from the rock scenario that you suggest.
I do find the original poster's comments rather biased though. Doesn't everyone have curtains at home? One may comment that curtains may be drawn back during the day, but as Freemasons Lodges normally meet in the evening when it is dark, maybe these guys went for the economy angle?

"Joe. Go and draw the curtains."
"Not my turn Fred."
"Go on, I did it last time".
"Well my back is playing me up."
"Your back is always playing you up when it's your turn to draw them."
"Doctor said this pain could last for years."
"Ah bugger it. Let's just board 'em up."

This is alot of fun like pic hemlock creepy thing.Sorry I dont have proper sentence structure flame away baby! I can take it. I read these forums alot before becoming a member and knew what would happen. First off im a christian but I dont frequent the atheist boards alot, because I dont believe I could change a militant athiets mind about anything.

Why do you guys hang around and jump on everything that comes down the pike.Exept for 1 mason here all you did is pick what I said apart and attack now I my be ignorant but who cares what the definition of hemlock is unless your a woodchuck. I personnaly believe Jesus was the son of a living God and a sacrifice for my and all man kinds sins. But do I believe im going to go to the athiest boards and change there minds probably not. But I know if I go there and attack its just going to make them worse so why bother.

I came here thinking most not all of you people are creepy and after this I am convinced. I do take this away that all lodges are not the same and that all lodges are some what different. I am thankfull you people dont know were I live or I hope, wait you dont do ya.. Anyway im sorry I dont understand a group of grown men\women haveing secret hand shakes and club houses with tracing boards and little criptic symbols.But if that what floats your boat go for it I expressed what I have witnessed with my own eyes.Now if I think its a bit odd and think your hidding something who cares you just helped make my point.

Originally posted by spearchucker
I came here thinking most not all of you people are creepy and after this I am convinced.

And I find people who float about the internet trying to get people to believe in their god, even creepier.