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Member lists public?

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posted on Sep, 13 2006 @ 07:35 PM
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There is some website that lists famous freemasons and also alist of people who are not but have been believed to be. How does this knowledge surface? I imagine some people have made it public and/or pictures wearing a ring etc. However will any lodge allow the list of current lodge members and/or past members public? Is there a grand lodge rule on this? If there is a rule any differ from north/south?

If you are a mason and prefer it not to have your name on a public list, is it possible?



posted on Sep, 14 2006 @ 07:59 AM
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Originally posted by masonite
There is some website that lists famous freemasons and also alist of people who are not but have been believed to be. How does this knowledge surface? I imagine some people have made it public and/or pictures wearing a ring etc. However will any lodge allow the list of current lodge members and/or past members public? Is there a grand lodge rule on this? If there is a rule any differ from north/south?

If you are a mason and prefer it not to have your name on a public list, is it possible?


The Secretary of each Lodge keeps a roll book, with a sheet for each member. The roll sheet lists the member's name, address, contact information, the dates he received his degrees, and the dates he's paid his dues. Every year, the Lodge Secretary prepares an annual report to the Grand Lodge showing new members, members erased through death or other cause, etc. Therefore, both the local Lodge and the Grand Lodge have records on the membership.

There's no rule about membership lists. If one is a celebrity, it would be difficult to keep one's name off a public list, especially if he were active in the fraternity. For example, most of our famous members participate in public fundraisers for Masonic charities, walk in public parades as Masons and Shriners, etc.

Also, we appear in public as Masons when conducting Masonic funeral rites, laying the cornerstones of public buildings, and public installation of Lodge Officers.

Masons are proud of their fraternity, and consider it an honor to be publicly identified with it.



posted on Sep, 14 2006 @ 08:04 AM
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Originally posted by Masonic Light

Masons are proud of their fraternity, and consider it an honor to be publicly identified with it.


Agreed. We are also a somewhat quiet group that likes to do good without going to the top of a mountain and scream "look what I did"



posted on Sep, 14 2006 @ 08:14 AM
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Originally posted by corsig
We are also a somewhat quiet group that likes to do good without going to the top of a mountain and scream "look what I did"


Exactly, could not have said it better my self, brother.


[edit on 14-9-2006 by ADVISOR]



posted on Sep, 14 2006 @ 08:19 AM
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Originally posted by masonite
There is some website that lists famous freemasons and also alist of people who are not but have been believed to be. How does this knowledge surface? I imagine some people have made it public and/or pictures wearing a ring etc. However will any lodge allow the list of current lodge members and/or past members public? Is there a grand lodge rule on this? If there is a rule any differ from north/south?

If you are a mason and prefer it not to have your name on a public list, is it possible?

There are different national legislations to deal with across various constitutions, which means that there isn't a yes/no answer to this.

In England, in a process not dissimilar to that described above by ML, each masonic province produces a Year Book which lists lodges, where they meet, officers, members etc as well as background information for the province, events etc. This is similar to most similar organizations. The book is intended for private circulation amongst freemasons but many have made it into the public domain. Individual lodges also have websites which sometimes lists officers.

The Data Protection Act in the UK allows for individuals to know what data is held on them by organizations, and to a certain extent control how that data is used. Consequently a freemason can request his exclusion from a Year Book under this legislation. Although I've never known this to happen personally, I have heard many stories of freemasons who have 'gone underground' because they have been discriminated against at work, and I imagine this might be a good reason to remove names from lists and websites.

Do a search on masonic yearbooks on eBay and I imagine a few will come up.

So whilst Grand Lodge and provincial grand lodges do issue lists of members for private circulation, it is known that these lists can be accessed by the general public, and no attempt is made to stop this. In fact if a member of the general public had a legitimate reason to have one I am sure PGL would give/sell them one. However there are some people out there (and some of them may post on this forum) who would create mischief with such a list, so caution is always exhibited and you are unlikely to get such a list simply by asking.



posted on Sep, 15 2006 @ 01:53 AM
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So could anyone request and recieve a copy of current due paying members of a given lodge?

Thanks for the help



posted on Sep, 15 2006 @ 07:29 AM
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Originally posted by masonite
So could anyone request and recieve a copy of current due paying members of a given lodge?



No, that would not be ethical.



posted on Sep, 15 2006 @ 09:22 AM
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In my experience a Freemason will not reveal their membership until it is no longer deniable.
I have 3 members of my family who joined this cult at least 5 years ago, all of them are in hiding and will not even stand in the same room as me for over 3 years now since I found out about them.
They spent the best part of that time trying to convince everyone I knew that I had "flipped out" or suchlike and went to great lengths to prevent any face to face family meeting to resolve the issue.
Now they all realise how far into a corner they've painted themselves but this is the irony of it.
Confronted by the prospect of having to 'fess up[ to the whole family that they spent several years trying to screw over one of their own for no real reason at all is more than any of them can take I guess.
Wonder if they'll spend the rest of their lives cowering in the shadows?



posted on Sep, 15 2006 @ 09:32 AM
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Originally posted by MrNECROS
In my experience a Freemason will not reveal their membership until it is no longer deniable.


So I guess the 5 billion Masonic websites and books are all published by imposters. And I'm also sure that when the Shriners ride go-carts in the Christmas parade, they wear ski masks so nobody'll know who they are.





They spent the best part of that time trying to convince everyone I knew that I had "flipped out"


Wow, that must've been difficult.



posted on Sep, 15 2006 @ 01:37 PM
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Originally posted by Masonic Light

Originally posted by MrNECROS
In my experience a Freemason will not reveal their membership until it is no longer deniable.


So I guess the 5 billion Masonic websites and books are all published by imposters. And I'm also sure that when the Shriners ride go-carts in the Christmas parade, they wear ski masks so nobody'll know who they are.





They spent the best part of that time trying to convince everyone I knew that I had "flipped out"


Wow, that must've been difficult.



Well it is true that American Masons are much more open about their membership and European masons are less so. I have talked to many Non-U.S Brothers (Italy, Scotland for example) and they told me that they were surprised about how open we are.

I do believe I have heard the UK Masons are the same way but not cause they are hiding it but more to be not 'in your face" about it.



posted on Sep, 16 2006 @ 12:30 PM
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I don't know about the EU but I'd suggest Masonry could probably use a bit of a higher conventional profile to encourage new membership. In my neck of the woods in Canada, one of the things that got me when I was initiated was the apparent average age of the brethren present. Now that's not say that all present were geezers (and my profoundest apologies to the geezers on the board) but our reticence against publicising our existence in any given community is something of a millstone IMHO. Mind you, I've been pleased to see younger fellows than myself being initiated and maybe it's just a generational thing at work.



posted on Sep, 16 2006 @ 01:27 PM
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What is the big friggin deal if we talk in general about something masonic I hate it when they get on their little kicks. too much time on their hands I guess. I don't know about you, but the message boards I visit are all the better when someone isn't running around like an overzealous 8 year old on saftey patrol.

ok I feel better now.







 
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