Whay is Masonry Labeled a "secret Spciety?"

I am not a mason, but I have copies of their blue lodge ritual book. I also have a masonic bible, as well as Morals and dogma, by albert pike. If masonry were a secret society why would thier books be available on amazon.com?

Originally posted by Eyeofhorus
I am not a mason, but I have copies of their blue lodge ritual book. I also have a masonic bible, as well as Morals and dogma, by albert pike. If masonry were a secret society why would thier books be available on amazon.com?

Is it really thier true bible or an interpretation?
What are the main reasons for joining the group?
And who are some of the members?
How difficult is it to join the group?

does the book acually answer these questions, because I'm bit skeptical about the origin of its writing.

Or maybe freemasonry is not the secret society we should be looking for.

Originally posted by balckartgraphic


Is it really thier true bible or an interpretation?

A "Masonic Bible" is simply a KJV with the Masonic emblem on the cover.

What are the main reasons for joining the group?

People join for different reasons. It may be because of the fraternity's rich history, or they have friends or family that are members, or they want to get involved with the fraternity's charitable works, or any number of things.

And who are some of the members?

George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Mozart, Goethe, Mark Twain, Duke Ellington, John Wayne, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kipling, Voltaire, Sir Winston Churchill, and Mel Tillis are among the more famous members of our fraternity.

How difficult is it to join the group?

Not very, if one meets the qualifications. Someone who wants to become a Mason submits an application for membership to his local Lodge. The application is then voted upon at a regular meeting. If elected, the applicant is then initiated into the fraternity.

Originally posted by Masonic Light

And who are some of the members?

George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Mozart...

from what i understand, Mozart, although a Freemason, was not exactly a good example of a Freemason, as he was poisoned (?) for writing the Magic Flute, and nobody showed up to his funeral due to the Masons.

Originally posted by balckartgraphic

Originally posted by Eyeofhorus
I am not a mason, but I have copies of their blue lodge ritual book. I also have a masonic bible, as well as Morals and dogma, by albert pike. If masonry were a secret society why would thier books be available on amazon.com?

Is it really thier true bible or an interpretation?
What are the main reasons for joining the group?
And who are some of the members?
How difficult is it to join the group?

does the book acually answer these questions, because I'm bit skeptical about the origin of its writing.

Or maybe freemasonry is not the secret society we should be looking for.

I am not a mason per se... I have just joined The A.M.O.R.C. The bible is a standard KJV bible. Inside the book it has a breif history and outline of some of masonry's history. It talks about some of thier symbols and the reason they are used. The ritual book is the blue lodge ritual book. It outlines the rituals for the first three degrees. It describes the masonic icons (square, compass, and bible) and why they are presented differently at each degree. It is rather similar to a college fraterinty ritual initiation. The reason the rituals are used is not to haze or test their brothers, it is merely to reinforce the purpose and message of the degree of intitiation. The rituals aren't even really required, they are presented because "symbols are more pregnant with meaning to the mind" than mere text.

Morals and Dogma was written in the late 1800's and early 1900's by Albert Pike. The supreme commander of the southern jurisdiction of scottich rite freemasonry (S.R.F.M). Published in 1923, i'm pretty sure, his work was accepted into the library of congress and became a supplement to the degrees of initiation in S.R.F.M. It was adopted by the order to teach the "morals and dogma" or lessons and teachings of each degree. It was like a study guide to live your life by, and to help one progress through the degrees, in order to gain maximum benefit for the individual. It is not satanic in nature, as far as I can tell. The reason it is associateed with satanism is because of a few different reasons. 1.) the book is written in arcane or old english. It is hard enough to read on its own (considering its length) but one also has to look up the 'true" meanings of certain words. Most of these satanic references are nothing more than ignorance of the uneducated reader. For example: the meanng of Lucifer-late 20th century means satan; in ancinet language, it refers to the planet venus, and its symbolism. This is just pike showing off his knowledge of history to his educated brothers. It is pretty much a slap in the face to your average idiot 2.) people read the book only through its 400 page digest. This is stupid because if you look up satanic references in the digest you can find tons, but most of them are read entirely out of context. This is the product of lazy morons. 3.) Pike's association with the KKK. Hmmm....He was a southerner, and a powerful man, probably a sign of the tumultous times. This statement hasn't really been proven, considering the secrecy and clasndestine nature of the KKK.

In all honesty the masons are the absolute least of our wories. It is a society based on the betterment of its members and of society. I think one would be hard pressed to find a conspiracy amongst a blue lodge. Remember "2 b 1 ask 1." if you are interested in joining A.M.O.R.C. you can do it online if you want. It is a society that encourages learning, and betterment of your soul. They send monthly "lessons' and notes on how to practice principles. From there you can go to thier lodges in your local area and experience the rituals yourself. People who don't understand these types of societies are just too lazy to go join them, they are afaid they might have fun, or actually learn something. Hope this helps you.

[edit on 11-5-2007 by Eyeofhorus]

Originally posted by scientist


from what i understand, Mozart, although a Freemason, was not exactly a good example of a Freemason, as he was poisoned (?) for writing the Magic Flute, and nobody showed up to his funeral due to the Masons.

Not at all. Mozart was an extremely loyal and active Mason, and The Magic Flute is generally considered the greatest piece of Masonic music of all time, and is still performed in Masonic Temples around the world. Mozart also wrote other Masonic music not so well known: the Little Masonic Cantata and pieces for degree work are still also used in Lodges.

Mozart was not poisoned, but died of typhoid fever. There were no Masons at his funeral because by the time his Lodge in Salzburg was notified of his death, he had already been buried in Vienna at St. Marx. Although the grave itself was unmarked, his Lodge erected a Masonic memorial to him in the cemetary.

There are sevearl popular conspiracy theories concerning his death, none of which have anything but rumor to substantiate them. The most popular is that he was poisoned by Salieri out of jeolousy. A second is that he was poisoned by Masons for revealing "Masonic secrets" in the Magic Flute...but of course, there aren't any Masonic secrets in the Magic Flute, and if there had been, he would have been expelled, not poisoned.

A third theory is that the Church had him poisoned because The Magic Flute praised Freemasonry, but cast the Church in the role of a wicked witch (in The Magic Flute, the character Queen of the Night supposedly represents the Roman Church). This theory has it that Mozart was murdered by local Jesuits, and quickly buried in an unmarked grave so that a Masonic funeral could not be performed.

you seemed to have contradicted yourself thoroughly.

Originally posted by Masonic Light
Mozart was an extremely loyal and active Mason, and The Magic Flute is generally considered the greatest piece of Masonic music of all time, and is still performed in Masonic Temples around the world.

A second is that he was poisoned by Masons for revealing "Masonic secrets" in the Magic Flute...but of course, there aren't any Masonic secrets in the Magic Flute, and if there had been, he would have been expelled, not poisoned.

now the difference between something that was made to Masonic standards, and something made that contains Masonic secrets is a thin line, but I could argue for days and days about the secrets contained within the Magic Flute. However I would not mention any of that on a public forum, plus theres plenty of websites dedicated to this topic, and i believe there was even a book written dedicated to explaining the Masonic significance of the entire performance.

Originally posted by scientist
you seemed to have contradicted yourself thoroughly.

How did I contradict myself? I said there was a conspiracy theory that claimed that Mozart "revealed Masonic secrets", but I also noted that, in reality, he did no such thing.

now the difference between something that was made to Masonic standards, and something made that contains Masonic secrets is a thin line, but I could argue for days and days about the secrets contained within the Magic Flute. However I would not mention any of that on a public forum, plus theres plenty of websites dedicated to this topic, and i believe there was even a book written dedicated to explaining the Masonic significance of the entire performance.

There is no doubt that the Magic Flute contains Masonic significance throughout. It was indeed meant to be that way. For this, Mozart's work is applauded by Masons.

I too have written a paper on the Masonic significance of the opera, which I presented to my Council of Allied Masonic Degrees years ago to great interest.