Whats up with Rotary anyway?

I'd think it might not even qualify as a secret society, that it might not have any secret memeber lists or rites, closed meetings, modes of recognition, etc etc, but I would be interested in getting some people's opinions on it here. I've noticed that its sometimes associated with masonry and the KofC, which isn't saying much. And I also recall reading, shortly after the main battle phase of the Iraq War, that one of the first things to happen in Baghdad (or maybe it was just iraq in general, and of course 'first thing to happen' is rather relative) was that a Rotary was setup. I know its supposed to be a service group, and where I am there are signs up saying that they've been active for 100 years, 'A Century of Service' they alliteratively note.

Considering that its such a big group, I am surprised to not see it come up here more often.

Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 31,000 Rotary clubs located in 167 countries.

That's what it said in about Rotary. I would not call it a secrect society, just a humanitarian aid group, nothing more.

I know some people that belong to the rotary. They don't have anything secret or any kind of rituals. I've presence some meetings as a guest, and i can tell you it's just eat, drink, talk and play music.
Sometimes they give financial aid to research students.
I also know that they are helping erradicating polio from the former portuguese colonies in africa.

Crustas

[edit on 13-6-2005 by crustas]

I ahppen to have a few members of the Rotary in my family. I never actually been to a meeting before, though.

Nygdan, where did you hear that it was associated with the Masons and the Knights of Columbus?

Only that a person I know was both a mason and a member of Rotary and that, since masonry is heavily invovled in charity and the like and Rotary is a service/charitable group, that there's probably some confluence of membership.

I didn't mean to suggest that Rotatry is any kind of off-shoot of masonry or KofC or anything like that, just that the interests are alligned.

there are rotaries everywhere, question is what do they have to do with the masons?

i heard they do have connections with each other

If they only have connections with service for the community and charity then that doesn't mean that have rituals and the like

Originally posted by topsecretombomb
there are rotaries everywhere, question is what do they have to do with the masons?

i heard they do have connections with each other

Freemasonry has absolutely nothing to do with Rotary Int'l, except that maybe many masons are also members of Rotary Club. Many masons are businessmen, and Rotary is primarily a group for businessmen. There is a HUGE difference between Freemasonry and a typical Service Organization such as Rotary Int'l.

Freemasonry is not a service organization, most charity is done by individual masons and lodges. Freemasonry rarely gives out scholarships and the like. This is normal, and even required of service orgs such as Rotary, Moose, Elks, Lions, Eagles, etc etc. Unfortunately, many people see Freemasonry changing and heading in that direction, as each day masonic lodges are required to justify, more and more, their purpose of their existence in the community. Freemasonry is still a long way from it, but little changes here and there seem to be turning that way in some areas.

But aside from that, there is no connection between Freemasonry and Rotary Int'l.

Originally posted by Nygdan
Only that a person I know was both a mason and a member of Rotary and that, since masonry is heavily invovled in charity and the like and Rotary is a service/charitable group, that there's probably some confluence of membership.

I didn't mean to suggest that Rotatry is any kind of off-shoot of masonry or KofC or anything like that, just that the interests are alligned.

I think that is totally possible; probable, actually.

You could almost be certain (at least as far as my logic goes) that in almost any given town across america the Rotarians and the Masons could be found collaborating on philanthropic endeavors. But as far as official ties, I would have to guess no.

why does a city near my town have an inverted cross with hebrew like symbols at each point? sort of freaking me out? all its missing is the goats head lol. can anyone tell me which group this is? they also have each point of the star a different color, red, green, blue, yellow and i dont know what else.

is this star a part of the masons lodge there? because also found there is another sign with the g and the diamond around it. right next to it actually.

someone explain!

Originally posted by topsecretombomb
why does a city near my town have an inverted cross with hebrew like symbols at each point? sort of freaking me out? all its missing is the goats head lol. can anyone tell me which group this is? they also have each point of the star a different color, red, green, blue, yellow and i dont know what else.

is this star a part of the masons lodge there? because also found there is another sign with the g and the diamond around it. right next to it actually.

someone explain!

go take a picture and post it

Yeah, and what the hell are the Kawanas up to anyway?

Originally posted by topsecretombomb
all its missing is the goats head lol. can anyone tell me which group this is? they also have each point of the star a different color, red, green, blue, yellow and i dont know what else.

Originally posted by moonchild
go take a picture and post it

Should have been easy to recognize...



Order of the Eastern Star (OES).

www.easternstar.org...

Originally posted by Mirthful Me

Originally posted by topsecretombomb
all its missing is the goats head lol. can anyone tell me which group this is? they also have each point of the star a different color, red, green, blue, yellow and i dont know what else.

Originally posted by moonchild
go take a picture and post it

Should have been easy to recognize...



Order of the Eastern Star (OES).

www.easternstar.org...

topsecretombomb said: "an inverted cross with hebrew like symbols at each point?"

The symbol you have on display is an inverted pentagram.

Is cross and pentagram the same?

Interesting how the Eastern Star is very very similiar to this:






Oh my, will you look at this, straight from the church of satan:

www.churchofsatan.com...

more on that inverted cross:

www.jesus-is-lord.com...


No connection, right?

[edit on 19-8-2005 by eudaimonia]

Originally posted by Mirthful Me

Should have been easy to recognize...

i wanted to see the inverted cross he was referring to....... ... .. . .. . . . . . .. . .. .

see i can use dots too.

I don't think Rotary is a secret society as such but they do intertwine at times because of a social set. Many Rotarians are also Masons or vice versa, as I said its a social set. Someone mentions at a lodge to one about rotary and they get curious and may join their friend there.

A mason is taught to help his fellow man and rotary is a good outlet for that.





[edit on 19-8-2005 by Mayet]

Originally posted by eudaimonia

topsecretombomb said: "an inverted cross with hebrew like symbols at each point?"

The symbol you have on display is an inverted pentagram.

Is cross and pentagram the same?

I see your reading skills aren't improving. I thought I told you to start small with Dr. Seuss...

Originally posted by topsecretombomb
...they also have each point of the star a different color, red, green, blue, yellow and i dont know what else.

is this star a part of the masons lodge there? because also found there is another sign with the g and the diamond around it. right next to it actually.

someone explain!

Hmmmm... Interesting...

Interesting how the Eastern Star is very very similiar to this:

[snipped images]

Oh my, will you look at this, straight from the church of satan:

www.churchofsatan.com...


No connection, right?

Are you that gullible? No, you just have your little agenda to worry about, eh?

from: www.easternstar.org...
The history of the Eastern Star is divided into three Eras:
1. The First Era extended from 1850 to 1866, under the leadership of Dr. Rob Morris, Poet Laureate of Masonry.
2. The Second Era extended from 1860 to 1876, under the leadership of Robert Macoy of New York.
3. The Third Era extends from 1876, when the General Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, was established to the present time.

from: www.churchofsatan.com...
Founded on April 30, 1966 c.e. by Anton Szandor LaVey...

Hmmmm... Funny how the Star was around 116 years (90 in its current form) before LaVey’s nonsense started... But then again, if you had actually done some research instead of spouting off at the mouth trying to vilify anything to do with Freemasonry, you’d know that, now wouldn’t you.

A page on the history of the pentagram

from: www.religioustolerance.org...
During the 20th century [that means 1900’s, eudaimonia], Satanists inverted the upright pentacle and adopted it as their own symbol.

So you see, the star was using that symbol looooong before the Satanists came along and adopted it for their own use. The whole thing with pentagrams being an evil symbol (whether upright or inverted) didn't come about until the mid-late 1900's. Better luck next time.

more on that inverted cross:

www.jesus-is-lord.com...

from: www.jesus-is-lord.com...
A self-professed Satanist says-- The Baphomet is the official symbol of the Church Of Satan, but many Satanists use the inverted cross to symbolize their dislike of Christianity. It's modern meaning has came to mean "anti-Christian" and it is used and recognized as such in today's world...

To me, that says that perhaps it had an alternate meaning before the Satanists got hold of it. I dunno what it was though, if anything.

Again, even the site you linked to only references this in connection with Satanism a la LaVey (1966, remember?). On top of that, I have never come across an inverted cross in all my reading/researching about Masonry and its affiliated groups, and I've done alot.

Research. It’s not overrated. You should try it sometime.

[edit on 8/19/05 by The Axeman]

Naah. There's no particular connection, other than some overlap of membership. I know a lot of American Legion members that are also Masons. Some guys just like to join organizations. [Not that there's anything wrong with that]. There's certainly no shortage of organizations, service and otherwise, that are available to join. And if one has a particular affinity for association, it's only natural that you'll see the same guys in multiple organizations.

It's exactly the same thing as with Lions, there are a lot who are also Masons, but that is simply coincidence. The major service clubs do not allow cross-membership with each other, but membership in a fraternal organization is ok.

I've heard the rumor that the Lions, Rotary etc... are just recruiting grounds for the masons, but I'll say it right now: That is a myth.

If rotary had anything secret about it there would be a lot of conspiricy theorys.