Free Masons: Why Men Need Societies Like Free Masonry: An Essay.

Originally posted by purplecoral
i suppose if there were a more reasonable voice for the anti-masons, i might have been more inclined to agree with them...

Good luck with that one!

You have voted purplecoral for the Way Above Top Secret award. You have one more vote left for this month.

Its good to see people like you around Purple..

Not that you "agree" with us.. but that you came to your own conclusion given the evidence..

Typically "anti-Masons" are such because of religious differences.. they believe Jesus only likes Baptist or something.. any one who is different, pshh.. Jesus don't care. We go to hell.

Not all Masons are "good guys"... like any organization there will be bad apples.. typically if its public knowledge there is actually an entire process to remove them from the lodge.. we care quite a bit about the morality of the members.. police record = no entry..

But, as you Purple stated, why argue about something you don't know.. people like Dock who are not Masons can claim they know more then actual Masons... how much sense does that honestly make?

Originally posted by purplecoral
.... i really can't see what all the fuss is about! .....

Thats kinda what Ive been thinking since I found this forum a few monts ago.


FWIW..... A few pages back I read about obligation to (basicly) lie, cheat, and defraud. Odd. It might well have been copied & pasted from another website, but it shure aint in my officers manual, code, bylaws, or ritual....

We also alow a man to join at age 19, because that is the end of a young mans journey thrugh DeMolay. Conveinient, huh?

As far as men only and no mention of christ, the ritual (read: story or dramma) revolves around laborers who built a temple (all men), at a time before christ existed. Of course, that applies to the first three degrees. Christ comes into play later in York rite, And there are several women's massonic affiliates.

Y'know, color me a curious monkey, but I'm compelled to ask, and yes, this is directed specifically to Dock6:

Why do you hate Masons so?

Were you rejected by the craft?

Or were you rejected by someone in the craft?

And no, I'm not trying to pick a fight, it's just that your words resound with such hurt, and I want to reach out and ask you why you hurt so bad.
And why you take your hurt out on others who have never wronged you?

You don't have to reply on the thread, if you wish, you're more than welcome to u2u me.

I'd like to be able to talk with you.
No jokes, no strings, no judgement.
Just talking.

Originally posted by purplecoral
women could start their own societies! there already are some

Plenty out there already

Originally posted by purplecoral
i am female and i really think its healthy for a man to have his own life.

It takes a certain degree of maturity in an individual to realise that a husband and wife or boyfriend & girlfriend don't have to be joined at thet hip 24/7. Truth be told, it brings something back to the relationship if you do something that's for you and is invigorating on whatever level

Originally posted by purplecorali would be pretty proud if i found a good man who was a mason, (anyone?? ;o)...)

Sorry. Wife might get a little pissy.

Originally posted by purplecoral
i guess the line is when, like my ex boyfriend, he says "i can't tell you what we do in the meetings, im not allowed..",

It depends on the person. I did the same thing to my wife initially because, as an Entered Apprentice, I really wasn't sure whether I could say anything at all. And boy, didn't it piss her off! However, once I'd been at it for a year, I became more at ease with things and would give her the overview of the meetings.

Originally posted by purplecoral
honestly, i dont see the point in criticising something you know nothing about.. i came here cos i was intrigued, and open minded. if you are too close minded to make even a decent discussion, whats the point!

I guess the best analogy that comes to mind is the yappy little dog that's all noise and aggression until you move towards it at which point it tucks tail and runs

Originally posted by purplecoral
...and i'm done. (sorry that was so pointless, i guess by writing it down i was just summing everything up in my head!)

No sweat. Keep at 'er. Most people don't have the character to 'fess up. Too few have it in them to say "I don't know".

Wow.. I think that is the longest post .. ever by mr. fitzgibbon lol.. I did not know you where a Mason, see.. you learn something new every day.

Sorry if I'm asking an obvious question, but if the Masons are as strikingly white -bread as they claim, why be secret?

"secret" .. what is "secret" .. this thread is proof we are not "secret" ... we keep traditions private, not to be flaunted about in public, disgraced, abused, mocked and disicrated.. which is what happens when tradition is common knowledge.. other then that it isnt secret.. aside from that.. if you want to "experience" the tradition.. just join, its rather easy, that is, if other explanations do not do it for you..

What kind of "secrets" do you think we keep?

Yeah, it's mainly tradition...

The modes of recognition were kept secret to prevent imposters from learning the arts of Freemasonry under false pretense.

The whole "secret" side of things is way overblown... It's just not very interesting. It does, however inconveniently, make us a target for people with vivid imaginations.

But wait!!! Maybe I'm just a disinfo agent for the glorious armies of Baphomet's Reptiloid Sydnicate!

Originally posted by uberarcanist
Sorry if I'm asking an obvious question, but if the Masons are as strikingly white -bread as they claim, why be secret?

Actually 'private' would probably be more apropos than "secret". Obviously, Masonry isn't particularly secret since much of it and about it is and has been available for some time (even....wait for it....before the coming of the Internet). So really, what people mistakenly refer to as secrecy on the part of Masons has more to do with their own lack of interest in actually researching from informed sources AND THEN coming to a conclusion about Masonry as opposed to cherry-picking information from here, there and elsewhere to buttress a pre-conceived notion.

I guess I'm kind of old-school and out-of-fashion when it comes to tolerance and understanding of people of other faiths. In my Lodge, our Senior Steward is Catholic, our Junior Deacon is Sikh, a recent Past Master is Jewish and the Brethren a mish-mash of upstanding men of various faiths who appreciate the societal good that their respective religions share as opposed to searching for differences to use like a cudgel. If the likes of Dock6 can't tolerate tolerance, then perhaps they should take a good look at all the wonderful experiences that intolerance in the past has visited on the world.

As for your point Rockpuck, well....let's just say I'm usually a man of few words and if someone's already made the point I'd have made, why waste the bandwidth? Usually, someone like yourself or ML or Trinityman has already made the point eloquently enough.

So, Dock6, the invitation to talk is still open.

Oh yeah, and to purplecoral, if you're ever stateside, drop me a line.
I love British girls

[edit on 3/27/2007 by wu kung]

Originally posted by Roark
But wait!!! Maybe I'm just a disinfo agent for the glorious armies of Baphomet's Reptiloid Sydnicate!

Shh Roark, you know people can't find out about the Syndicate until they are at least 33rd. The whole being cold blooded business is not endowed until they reach 66th. Lord there I go again, I've said to much. Now I'll have to go register another name under an equally silly nom de guerre. ::slithers tongue::

Whew Baphomet...it's a good thing you didn't tell them about the virgin sacrifices, the acid baths, the blood orgies (sigh...yeah...gotta love those blood orgies), the illicit drug use, over-indulgence in alcohol (especially absinthe), conspiratorial plotting and the republican voting....

Woops...did I say too much?

Yup.. sounds like my lodge... you left out what they made me do to that goat..... and my first day there, the greased pig... *cries*

except 1 thing. Republican voting. I think most are Liberal in my lodge, or, they appear so. IM JUST KIDDING .. neo-cons all the way baby!

Originally posted by uberarcanist
Sorry if I'm asking an obvious question, but if the Masons are as strikingly white -bread as they claim, why be secret?

So you have no secrets ? You keep nothing private ? You dont choose who you associate with and how ?

reply to post by Rockpuck


Everyone feels the need to belong to something.
Without groups, we can not achieve individual identity.
We learn about ourselves by watching others.
All behaviors are learned.