Some Mason Material, page 1

Originally posted by Ozzie
To the Neo.

I assume that you think by having no marshall that Law and order are not important. wrong. the marshall in question does not refer to a Law officer. A marshall is an official who organises ceremonies and events, in the English constitution there is no rank of Marshall but instead called The Director of Ceremonies and is an optional officer, as for Chaplain, I do know of any Lodge that does not have a chaplain even though it is an optional Officer. the Chaplain is a rank and not an ordination and when chaplains are not present the prayers are said by another Senior Past Master or the Master of the Day.

first of all I am quoting the scan of a supposed masonic document, do you identify with this, yes or no?

secondly you said about a marshal: an official who organises ceremonies and events

sounds close enough to a legal entity to me?

thirdly you said about a Chaplain: when chaplains are not present the prayers are said by another Senior Past Master or the Master of the Day

so you admit that chaplains lead prayers? NO?

now for you from:

web.mit.edu...

Is Freemasonry a religion?
No, Freemasonry is not a religion. Masons who treat it as such are mistaken. Freemasonry strongly encourages its members to belong to an established religion, although that is not a requirement for membership (only that a candidate profess a belief in a Supreme Being). Masonry is a fraternal organization that encourages morality and charity and studies philosophy. It has no clergy, no sacraments, and does not promise salvation to its members.

But what about terms like "Temple," "Worshipful," and so on?
Labor unions meet in a Labor Temple. A museum may be called the Temple of Fine Arts. This does not mean that they are religious institutions. The same is true of Freemasonry. (Masonic buildings are also called Lodge Halls and Masonic Centers as well as Masonic Temples. Some Scottish Rite buildings are called "Cathedrals," but that is from a Greek word meaning "chair," and referring to the seat of authority of any sort.)

The term "worshipful" stems from 18th century English usage, when Freemasonry in its present form was being organized. The term has nothing to do with religious worship but is an old synonym for "honorable" or "respected." Check any good dictionary!

Similarly, Freemasons engage in group prayer and have a chaplain, just as do the armed services and the houses of Congress. That does not make Masonry into a religion.

- My point is this, what is Freemasonry then? It is some kind of religious experience you cannot deny that.
Is is a cult?