The decline and eventual death of freemasonry...

Freemasonry is a refuge for the geriatric set

Why all the fuss over an organization that is dying out rapidly?

Another generation and it will be just a bad dream with old buildings
Are the freemasons here just scamming for new blood?

www.thepanamanews.com...

Membership is down nationwide. Participation in Masonic activities is in decline. Attendance is low or spotty in most Lodges. A shortage of worthy and well-qualified candidates has inhibited the orderly flow of succession from chair to chair, thus forcing the "recycling" of past masters to keep the chairs suitably warm. We've become a refuge for the geriatric set.

tracingboard.com...

From 1963 the fall in membership has been sadly just as consistent and steep. Our numbers have fallen by 14,061 or 30% in the last twenty two years.

The present 1.01 percentage of masons to the country's total population is the lowest ever in the history of the Constitution, to be compared with 2.1% in 1956. (Our Sister Constitutions' normal policy of non disclosure of membership prevents the coverage of the total craft in New Zealand but their experiences have been very similar.

Dual membership has not been eliminated from the figures in this paper, but, with the Grand Lodge estimate of 5% in the forties and 7% today, may not be of material significance.

www.freemason.org...

Membership statistics reported by the Grand Lodge of California reflect a continuing decline in total members, from over 116,000 in 1996 to less than 99,000 in 1999, an average loss per year of nearly 4400 members. One statistic, deaths, over which we have no control, averaged over 4200 per year during that same period. But death is not the only cause of loss. Voluntary withdrawals plus men dropped for non-payment of dues averaged 3375 per year and for the same period only about 80% of those initiated were passed to the degree of Master Mason. We lost these men too. All of them were already Masons, yet the vast majority will never return. Somehow we disappointed them.

www.geocities.com...

In English speaking lodges around the world there has been no change over the last fifty years in:

the average age of men joining freemasonry - about 40
the average time masters have been freemasons - about 10 years
the average resignation rate - about half the men who join resign (range 30% to 70%)
the average number of candidates in a lodge - about 10 every five years (range 5 to 15)

The number of men affiliated with freemasonry around the world is declining because the average number of years between joining and resignation has declined from 20 to 5.

sric-canada.org...

Several studies of the growth and decline of Freemasonry and related societies have been published in the United States. Similar studies have not been undertaken in Canada, but we know that the patterns are similar. In the state of Maryland, for example, Masonic membership increased from 8000 in 1900 to 48,000 in 1960, and then declined to 36,000 in 1985, a drop of 12,000 members. Correspondingly, the population of the state in the same time period has steadily increased. Membership in The Odd Fellows also grew to 23,000 in 1925 and declined to a low of 1200 in 1985; the Knights of Pythias membership is at a low of 1000.

A study of the records shows that the 1920s were the last year of significant growth for orders and fraternal societies.

[Edited on 7-7-2003 by Netchicken]

Interesting that their numbers are dwindling. Methinks the idea that the Freemasons are plotting world domination are a little offbase because of this.
Nice finds NetC.

One may say dying out.

Others would say a clear indication that the time is nigh and the move for world domination is near.

I'll agree membership is on the decline.

But are you forgetting masonry has survived through the ages, for as much maybe as 1000 years without anyone knowing it's full extent, and 400 years without anyone knowing it existed at all.

It wasn't until the public admitance of a Grand Lodge in England that people ever knew Masonry existed.

I doubt declining membership means anything.

It's not the quantity of a group's members, but the quality, the ones leaving were just guys along for the ride.

After WW2 many men met many masons, and became masons themselves, and became better men.

But that un-natural boost is now receeding back to original membership reality. Which is a more tight-nit society of more interested fellows.

In USA the standards are being lowered and in England they have "Public Relations", but these things will pass when it is realized that the strength comes in the men, not in the numbers.

Heck if need-be, I wouldn't be surprised if Masonry goes almost completely underground again...

I would have to say, if the freemason's tried to take the country over outright, (using crack teams of shriners and other senior citizens) it would be pretty funny.

tanks vs. those little shriner cars.

On a serious note,
I would actually join the masons just to see what happens.

Net Chook

Freemasonry describes itself as being 'universally spread across the earth's surface'.

The same trends you describe, about the ageing of the membership and dwindling numbers in the Craft, are present in other (but not all) countries.

The same trends are also present in other service organizations like Rotary, Lions, Apex and Kiwanis.

Freemasonry will go through ebbs and flows and be present in different regions and pockets of the world, in perpetuity.

My question is, why do so many young men of today take no interest in the affairs of their community? Why aren't they involved? Why do they sit and watch the world go by, as passive consumers, lining the pockets of their employers, never working out what difference they themselves could make?

Net Chook

Freemasonry describes itself as being 'universally spread across the earth's surface'.

The same trends you describe, about the ageing of the membership and dwindling numbers in the Craft, are present in other (but not all) countries.

The same trends are also present in other service organizations like Rotary, Lions, Apex and Kiwanis.

Freemasonry will go through ebbs and flows and be present in different regions and pockets of the world, in perpetuity.

My question is, why do so many young men of today take no interest in the affairs of their community? Why aren't they involved? Why do they sit and watch the world go by, as passive consumers, lining the pockets of their employers, never working out what difference they themselves could make?

Fury

"On a serious note,
I would actually join the masons just to see what happens."

Your application would be likely be rejected if you expressed that motive.

I suppose that a substantial majority of the Masonic population, joined for the very reason that fury has so pointed out.

I always saw these secret fraternities as formal excuses for married men to get together for a decent binge drinking party, and a bit of gambling. Never did it cross my mind that the local Masonic Lodge in Maungaturoto (pop >1000) was involved in a international plot to take over the world. They were also known as the oddfellows in NZ.

Originally posted by MaskedAvatar
Fury

"On a serious note,
I would actually join the masons just to see what happens."

Your application would be likely be rejected if you expressed that motive.

Probably, but i think if i were really wanting to do it, i'd find a better motive to express.

infiltration and all that...

I know a good man and mason, who joined just to "check it out".

He like so many others who do, got very enthralled by masonry and its teachings.

I think it is VERY rare indeed, for someone to join JUST to see what is going on in there, and then finding nothing or finding something, and leaving out of "boredom" or leaving to go and tattle.

Most find it rewarding to be a mason. Just like that good man I know

Maddas

Freeasonry and Oddfellows are two separate organizations with no financial or structural ties whatsoever, and different histories and purposes. Just to clarify. Throw in the Druids as yet another one. You will recall the Druids went belly-up in NZ a few years ago.

The ATS "Insect Repellent" seems to be having mixed results. Occasionally (still) a RobertBurns post will surface in the index, but not be visible here. That must be very frustrating to all!

Sorry I retract my misleading statement that affiliates the Oddfellow fraternity with the Freemasons. I made this comment because I have been told by many people that they are indeed affiliated. But you learn something everyday.

I think there is more to worry about with other exclusive organizations such as the Bilderbergs, the CFR, Bohemian Club, and possibly Illuminati (if it truly exists). The members of these groups hold far more sway in politics, the economy, and the mass media.

Freemasonry is very watered down. Nearly every moderately sized town in USA has a masonic lodge. The members of the groups mentioned above are picked from the elite and the powerbrokers from around the world.

It could however be possible that the higher degrees of masonry could be involved in suspicious activities.

A large contributing factor in the decline in the states, I would think, is no one has jobs, to pay the dues LOL LOL LOL

It's not hard to pay dues.

Just save a quarter every day and you can more than pay it lol.

Sincerely,
no signature

I think there is more to worry about with other exclusive organizations such as the Bilderbergs, the CFR, Bohemian Club, and possibly Illuminati (if it truly exists). The members of these groups hold far more sway in politics, the economy, and the mass media.

I agree. I think it would be next to impossible to monitor all of the Freemasonry lodges located around the world. Plus, there would be way too many men to keep track!

Besides, Freemasonry is only one possible entry point of MANY, into the Cabal/illuminati ("C/I").

I think that in examining the history of a political candidate (or other potential C/I member), Freemasonry involvement, S&B involvement, Bohemian Grove membership, Bilderberg membership, they all serve to provide us confirmation of our theory about that individual.

This was my take on Freemasons in another thread...

My personal take on Freemasons is that they are essentially a diversion/camoflage for the Cabal.

The Cabal is alive and well, and has been so for over 400 years. However, the Cabal is very well concealed and away from the public eye. How do they achieve this, while still holding such sway over the direction of the world, over hundreds of years?

Very simply, the best camoflage is to hide things in plain site. How is this accomplished? By making what you wish to hide seem unimportant and non threatening, while providing a diversion that draws all the attention of those seeking what is percieved as a potential threat.

Thus was born the Freemasons.

There are no other shadow societies with such a long history of shady origins than the Masons, and more interesting than that, none other that are so well known.

By deffinition, a secret society should be secret. However, the Masons are an open, public secret. As such, it acts as a diversion, a magnet for those seeking such secret societies.

In order to propogate this illusion, the Masons themselves tend to believe that they are indeed some semi-historical secret society where some imagined code or geneology separate thier membership from joe smith on the street.

The truth is the Masons, and thier entire code of conduct and belief system exists simply as a cover for the Cabal to continue on with thier plans completely out of view of the public.


I believe the Masons to be a completely separate organization from the Cabal, but set up as a front to operate independently of the Cabal. Because there is no direct links, there is no way to trace the Masons to the Cabal, and therefore endanger the Cabals agenda. However, all major investigations looking for a "secret society" will likely stall out on the Masons, and not go snooping towards the Cabal.

I would agree that there is a penetration the US gov of Masons, however, because this is so well known, it is unlikely that this is an overt act of the Cabal. To this end, as I mentioned, the higher the level the Masons, the greater thier individual belief that they are indeed an independent society.

The Masons may have indeed created thier own independent agenda with respect to influencing the internal activity of the gov, however, it is a forgone conclusion that in the event that this agenda ever conflicted with that of the Cabal, it would be "redirected" in one way or another.

The reason I keep referring to the Masons themselves actually believing they are a self contained society is likely because as investigations continue into the Masons, it becomes apparent that the Masons actually believe this, with no reference to a "higher organization" (the Cabal), and therefore no one goes looking for the Cabal.

As I said, hiding things in plain site is the most effective way.

Enjoyed that just as much the second time around dr.

I haven't seen FreeMason's take on it yet.

Not exactly Dragonrider.

You have much to learn about the "political structure" of masonry.

There are...no "Cabal" and "Illuminati" in Masonry, and probably not even in existance anymore.