Freemasonry & Secrecy

Hello all and greetings fellow masonic brethren

I hope this was okay to post here but after reading some of the stuff on masonry, I just wanted to voice a friendly opinion. First of all, I don't get offended about some of the lie I see spread about our great fraternity because I know they are lies and why argue with one who must be confused? LOL!

But I know the secret thing gets to people. But our secret (which is just tradition) are privacy of our organization, right? Is an organization not allowed to have privacy? I ask the people who wish to expose us this simple question, would it be right for us to stick a camera in your home and watch you? How about if your mail can be opened by others? You may say, that is stupid and a violation to my right to privacy! Well since you can have privacy, why cant our organization have it? Really???

One of the biggest secrets of masonry is we love to eat together LOL sorry brethren, I told it. We love attending lodge, doing good for people and EATing in fact I know of many brothers that would be very dissappointed it the lunching was cancelled in lodge, I sure would hahaha...

Just my thoughts on this who shabang...



BTW, interesting website this is...I enjoy reading about the paranormals and all of that interesting stuff!!!

Thank you for having me and I wish everyone a great life

Jesus, every mason that comes here, before long, starts talking about the food. Whats with you guys?

I know the secret in masonry, its some sort of super weight loss pills! Or a good beer that burns calories.

Originally posted by TornadoChaser
But I know the secret thing gets to people. But our secret (which is just tradition) are privacy of our organization, right? Is an organization not allowed to have privacy?

After revisiting the issue.

I have decided that the secrecy thing is nothing more, nothing less than just a privacy issue.

[edit on 17-11-2006 by In nothing we trust]

Originally posted by Nygdan

I know the secret in masonry, its some sort of super weight loss pills! Or a good beer that burns calories.

I WISH!!!!!! I have gained 10lbs in the last 6 months.
We (Masons) get it from the OES. They always have the best meals.


[edit on 18-11-2006 by Ajax35]

Originally posted by Nygdan
Jesus, every mason that comes here, before long, starts talking about the food. Whats with you guys?

There's sort of an inside joke among the more esoterically-oriented Masons that about 95% of our brethren are only there to become Grand Poobahs of the Knife and Fork Degree.

Go figure....

thats why i was always so interested... i eventually intend to join a lodge that i can attain a high enough degree to gain access to Master Pike's true opus, "Steak & potatoes: 1001 mason recipes"

well then please allow me to very respectfully pose a question to the masons of the board;

you guys know the conspiracies as well as those that hold them dear...but if they are just that, conspiracies, what are they grounded in?

rumor? misconception? paranoia?

like many legends and myths, is there not some core of truth? i mean ya'll been around longer than many countries, it cant be JUST the food lol.

ok that was many questions but i think you get the point. i look forward to your replies, and thanks for hte time

i dare say it is all 3, the early enemies of the order were paranoid that the free thinkers of the masons wanted to topple the church and the royal families of europe. so they used rumor and misconception to create fear and hate.

remember that over the past 400 years, the order has had no bigger enemy then the holy roman church, and while the modern church seems to be much more peacefull, the old church had a policy of "faith and salvation at the end of a pike" (no albert pike pun intended). belive what we tell you or we will hurt you. they did it to the jews, and the muslims.. they even did it to other christians simply because those christians didnt bow to the vatican... who cares that they belived in christ as the son of god.. they didnt belive in the vatican.. and thats a sin.. just ask the bishop.. he'll tell you.

But the masons dug-in and prepared for the long spiritual seige by the church, and when their secrecy made it impossible for the church to discover and imprison/kill/torture them, they turned to lies ofr evil and conspiracy to turn the people against them.

rofl you can imagine the scandal in my very catholic family (im in remission personally ) when my uncle died and the funeral director asked "where is his sheepskin?" "his what?" "yes, didnt you know your uncle was a mason?" (apologies if i got the sheepskin thing wrong, it was something like that, i was 10)

Originally posted by Nygdan
Jesus, every mason that comes here, before long, starts talking about the food. Whats with you guys?

I know the secret in masonry, its some sort of super weight loss pills! Or a good beer that burns calories.

Im not kidding, when I went in to be given the tour of the building (grand lodge) the first place they brought me to.... the kitchen.

The second place the game room where they have a big screen and card tables.

Of course when I went with them ( the most worshipful master and the Chaplin) I thought they would show me something out of this world freaky or something.. imagine my surprise when they began talking about dinners and lunches..

The rumors are a mix of fear and complete ignorance. if you don't understand something, instead of thinking they dominate the world... go ask a mason.. I did and now I am getting ready for my initiation.

Our lodge dinners are also mainly prepared by our OES members as well and boy can they cook some good grub

Well after reading the responses, I see the ATS has people with a good head of their shoulders...other forums I have been to has either harassed me in PM and some even said us Masons had ET connections and our Main Grand Lodge was at Groom Lake LOLOLOLOL!!! I go along with that one

Great to see fellow brethren her as well and its great to see non-masons treating us with respect as we do in return

I plan on posting more often as I am into paranormal, i like reading about it Plus I am a security officer and an avid Coast to Coast AM fan and fellow listeners know a lot of us security listens in

Hope to make many great friends here

- Shawn

I would say that the brothers were proud of their lodge building cause to be honest some are just nicer then others. It's like showing off your nice new car if you know your neighbor's isn't as new or nice.

We have a large screen TV and a pool table in our lodge and someone else I know was telling me that all they have is a sterio from the 70's in their lodge.

So what I am saying is that by showing you their nice kitchen and TV, card tables is that you will be joining a lodge that has the members and funds to work on Masonry like it should be.

Consider yourself lucky.

Originally posted by Damocles
well then please allow me to very respectfully pose a question to the masons of the board;

you guys know the conspiracies as well as those that hold them dear...but if they are just that, conspiracies, what are they grounded in?

rumor? misconception? paranoia?

like many legends and myths, is there not some core of truth? i mean ya'll been around longer than many countries, it cant be JUST the food lol.

ok that was many questions but i think you get the point. i look forward to your replies, and thanks for hte time

I am not a mason, but I feel masons themselves have a lot to do with either fabricating the conspiracy theories or at least allowing them to spread unchecked. If people knew all masons did was sit around their lodge, eat, drink, play cards, and watch sports, it would make their club seem less interesting. On the other hand, if there is some sort of mystique attached to the club, it will pique outsiders curiosity, which in turn, will lead to increased membership.

Part of the root of mason conspiracy theories is that masons like to boast of all the important people that were one masons. (Although the number of really important people like Congressmen, CEO's, and cabinet members has decreased dramatically in the last couple decades.) Masons would like to think these important people discussed important world changing plans amongst themselves during lodge meetings, when most likely they did not.

Originally posted by Damocles
well then please allow me to very respectfully pose a question to the masons of the board;

you guys know the conspiracies as well as those that hold them dear...but if they are just that, conspiracies, what are they grounded in?

rumor? misconception? paranoia?

like many legends and myths, is there not some core of truth? i mean ya'll been around longer than many countries, it cant be JUST the food lol.

ok that was many questions but i think you get the point. i look forward to your replies, and thanks for hte time

mmmmm What a GREAT question.

I would have to say all the the above. rumor, of course. Misconception, DEFENATLY. Paranoia, yes (ever heard of this so called NWO?). and truth? yes some.

There are many stories that have truth in them to where masons have done something bad. Every orginization has it's bad seeds, just look at catholisism for example, if you cant find on there, then your blind. there have been masons who have commited atrocities and hanus crimes before. to deny that would be ignorance.

So there is truth in some, none in others. But how do we tell which is which? the answer is to use our brains. there have been bad masons, there have been good masons. There have been bad americans there have been good americans. Just because Ted Bundy killed 19 women doesnt mean that america is a horrible place to live.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint

I am not a mason, but I feel masons themselves have a lot to do with either fabricating the conspiracy theories or at least allowing them to spread unchecked. If people knew all masons did was sit around their lodge, eat, drink, play cards, and watch sports, it would make their club seem less interesting. On the other hand, if there is some sort of mystique attached to the club, it will pique outsiders curiosity, which in turn, will lead to increased membership.

i have heard and read more then one mason that would suggest this with a big boyish grin on his face.

masons, besides being big fans of good food also have big senses of humor. and it's not unncommon for them to play practical jokes on eash other.. so why wouldnt they play jokes on the world too :-p "Hahaha.. we made you think we run the world... and you fell for it!!"

I think a big part of whay makes others wonder may be some of the lodges we have, the way they look on the outside...

I know when I was a child, the lodge in the town I lived in had a very old and gothic look to it and It horrified me looking at it i thought maybe vampires lived in it...now that I am grown and a member, i love the way they look as I like some looks of catholic churches...they just stand out

Big screen? Card Tables? we dont have them but we do have a new lodge built

i think your absolutly right chaser, although i didnt understand what it was at the time, i was keenly aware of the masonic lodge in our town as a child.. it was acually the upstairs area of the public library.. (the masons owned the building and donated the space on the first floor to the town for the library), i was only 3 or 4, but i knew when i saw that symbol over the door (the compass and square), that it was something important, the building wasnt anything grand or gothic. but i knew that this symbol meant something, and that important things took place there.

When i started going to school, i didnt give much thought to it. i had developed my interests and it just wasnt one of them. then in 11th grade we read "The Cask of Amantiado) by Poe, and anyone who has read it will know that one of the characters was a freemason. the question was asked by one of the other students as to what a freemason was, my teachers answer was short and he tried not to sound baised (He was catholic, and naturually was raised to distrust the order) he simply mentioned that they were a group of men, not unlike the lions club, mentioned that the library was where their lodge was (this brought back alot of memories on my childhood contemplations on the compass and square over the door) and that they are some what secretive, and that some people think they are kind of shady because of it.

Then 10 years ago i found my penny, it was a lincoln head penny with a compass and square stamped into it.. you can see it in the post on this forum entitled "Can anyone identify the following, Pt 2". I found it in a cash register at the show i was working in, and it to brought back a flood of memories. for the next 4 years i contemplated why a mason would stamp a penny with their most cherished symbol. I finally broke down and called the local lodge and found the answer to be quite simple... "It's just a lil welcome gift for first time visitors to the lodge" was the answer i was given by the local lodge warden.

This answer was one of the reasons i came to understand that the order was not as hokey or mysterious as people would have you belive. I thought this penny would have some deep hidden meaning, but in truth.. it was just a way of saying "Welcome and hello"

Originally posted by Masonic Light

Originally posted by Nygdan
Jesus, every mason that comes here, before long, starts talking about the food. Whats with you guys?

There's sort of an inside joke among the more esoterically-oriented Masons that about 95% of our brethren are only there to become Grand Poobahs of the Knife and Fork Degree.

Go figure....

So to break it down in the Nation of Gods and Earths' terminology; "the Grand Poobahs of the Knife and Fork Degree" are the 85%(common swine eaters) and 10%(awakened Black Magicians), while only the 5%(Awakened Magi) sincerely serve the Gods?





[edit on 19-11-2006 by Tamahu]

I enjoy this thread, and have one a question or two....just enlighten me on this one...

Can't wait to hear some answers I get on this one....

What are the penelties for divulging secrets in the second or third degrees of Masonry?

2nd Degree (Fellow Craft Mason) - breast laid open, heart torn out, and given to the birds of the air, or devouring beasts

3rd Degree (Master Mason) - severed in two, bowels burnt to ashes, and ashes scattered over the face of the Earth, that no trace of remembrance may be found

Originally posted by texaspike
I enjoy this thread, and have one a question or two....just enlighten me on this one...

Can't wait to hear some answers I get on this one....

What are the penelties for divulging secrets in the second or third degrees of Masonry?

While this post appears to be 'baiting' here is some information on the SYMBOLIC penalties of Freemasonry for your edification texaspike.

From:
www.pagrandlodge.org...

54. What Masonic penalties are actually enforced?

Censure, suspension and expulsion. Other penalties mentioned in the Ritual are only symbolic.

---------------------------------------
From:

www.freemason.org...

The penalties by which every Mason symbolically binds himself to fulfill his obligations are ancient in Masonry. No man is certain of their origins. But they were probably added to the ritual at a time of great persecution, when the very lives of Masons depended upon the secrecy of their Brothers.

Our enemies believe that Masonic metaphors mean exactly what they say and nothing else. In other words, they believe that Masonry is composed of "signs" like "stop" and "yield traffic signs or the "exit" sign over a door.

To them signs mean exactly what they say and are not liable to interpretation. But the fact is that Freemasonry is made up of metaphors and symbols which allow multiple interpretation. When a man comes into Masonry, his life changes from the dead letter of "sign" to the living letter of metaphor.

The metaphoric content of Freemasonry is signaled to the proto-Mason exactly where it should be - at the obligation, the most solemn, emotional, and impressive part of the initiation, not at some other "explanation" part where only the intellect is concerned. The candidate has already been told that the obligation contains nothing contrary to moral, civil and religious duties.

The only penalties Masonry inflicts are reprimand, suspension and expulsion. We retain the ancient penalties, not to frighten or disgust, but because they are important symbols in the tradition and in the study of the fraternity.

At the very least, they make plain the torture and agony of conscience any good man should feel at the thought that he had violated his sworn word - for the good and honest man is ever his own most severe judge, censor and critic. We may escape the judgment of others for our misdeeds, but never the condemnation of our own conscience.

In the symbolism of the penalties, as in all things Masonic, let wise man seek for further enlightenment.
-------------------------------------

There is a LOT more info available on-line and TONS of things have been written about the SYMBOLIC penalties of the Lodge. Which, by the way, MANY jurisdictions have dropped entirely. In other words the SYMBOLIC penalties aren't EVEN mentioned in the Obligation.

You see, there's not a single, uniform "Masonic Ritual" but rather there are NUMEROUS versions of the Masonic Ritual...they're different from State to State and from Country to Country. (Sometimes VASTLY) Pennsylvania comes to mind. There's not a Masonic ritual like it in the U.S.A.

By the way is that "texaspike" as in Pi Kappa Alpha?

If so, I have a question for you.