Freemasonry in a Nutshell, 217sec Video.

Originally posted by Fitzgibbon
I could've taken a pass on that and instead just done various pieces of the ritual work over the years and that would have been received just as well. I guess it all hinges on how much you care to take on. Everyone's different.

Excellent point that I'd just like to emphasize. I am NOT a ritual person - don't get me wrong - I love the ritual, but I just plain suck at performing ritual with the flair of drama that is required. I have no desire to serve in the chair line, and have had to tell people that to avoid me from being voted in. The lodge is more than happy to have me serve by helping on committees and doing very small parts of the ritual where I can.

In a few years when I'm done with my PhD, things will change and I might ask to be put in line..until then, the lodge is happy with me doing other things. We have some people who are perfectly happy to just help cook the dinners, others who are perfectly happy just doing the building upkeep, etc.

Originally posted by Fitzgibbon

a descaled perspective on life, more of a recognition that 'there but for the Grace of God go I'. Nothing unique to Masonry to be sure but another road to Rome, so to speak. Certainly, there's the fraternal camaraderie, again not unique to Masonry.

These two ideals seem to be; as far as I am aware. and from the little information that I have gathered; common perspectives of Freemasonry:

The descaled perspective on life: (If you can say) Is this just a self realisation of the need to conciously remove yourself from the unreal situations that are created by our fellow humans 'like controlled media' and 'the dumbing down effect' OR is there specific knowledge to aid this passed down through generations of Masons that is kept secret from the rest of us?

And; does the fraternal camaraderie ever, on your experience lead to anything supernatural or not seemingly of this world or conciousness/dimension? or should it one day?

Please dont laugh to hard, with respect these are puzzles that I would like to piece together, eventualy.

Thank you again

Regards

Originally posted by xSMOKING_GUNx

Originally posted by Fitzgibbon

a descaled perspective on life, more of a recognition that 'there but for the Grace of God go I'. Nothing unique to Masonry to be sure but another road to Rome, so to speak. Certainly, there's the fraternal camaraderie, again not unique to Masonry.

These two ideals seem to be; as far as I am aware. and from the little information that I have gathered; common perspectives of Freemasonry:

The descaled perspective on life: (If you can say) Is this just a self realisation of the need to conciously remove yourself from the unreal situations that are created by our fellow humans 'like controlled media' and 'the dumbing down effect' OR is there specific knowledge to aid this passed down through generations of Masons that is kept secret from the rest of us?

Not really. In my case (and I'd say most likely for Masons in general), the self-realisation was already there (especially since as part of the media whirlwind, I'm very aware of its effects). The Masonic ritual in and of itself really just serves as a reminder of the tenets that are central to the major religions of the world and encourages the membership to act accordingly in betterment of society as a whole rather than focussing one's self. To that end, there's no secret pathway unique or exclusive to Masonry.

Originally posted by xSMOKING_GUNx
And; does the fraternal camaraderie ever, on your experience lead to anything supernatural or not seemingly of this world or conciousness/dimension? or should it one day?

Depends how many beers I've had.

Seriously though, I think that more depends on the individual and their sensitivity in general. In and of itself, the Masonic ritual is meat-and-potatoish and isn't intended to be transcendent. That is the realm of houses of worship. Which is not to say that it hasn't happened. As to whether it should, having no experience in the side rites, I'd have to defer to ML or Trinityman or any of the other Masons here with Scottish or York rite experience. However, I'd venture that the side rites are as pragmatically based as blue Lodge is. Nature of the beast (so to speak).

reply to post by Fitzgibbon


Having done the Scottish Rite recently (a year ago or so), it is in my opinion meant to have a transcendent quality, more so than the blue lodge. This is not to say that the Rite is better, its just a different sort of experience.

I can remember one degree where there was an obvious attempt to mimic religious ceremony in CHARACTER (that word is important, before the anti-masons begin attacking), more so than what goes on the blue lodge. The ritual, lighting, use of silence, and actions required of all candidates was clearly an attempt to at least provoke some emotional thought.

For other degrees, much had to do with whether you are playing the surrogate candidate for that degree. I can think of one other one where - if you were playing the surrogate candidate - it would have taken on a somewhat more reflective and perhaps transcendent meaning.

reply to post by Fitzgibbon



Thank you for your open answers and guidance, I do realy appreciate your response.

You have taught me something today, which happens on ATS but not that frequently, something about 'wheat and chaff'.

I was never realy sure what to make of secretive Masons, but you have given me a feeling that there are some good guys out there in all walks of life and taken a little of the mysteriousness out of the rumours.

I am going to stop there with the questions for today, I have opend my eye's a little and I feel that if I progress I will venture towards some of the more unquestionable or unanswerable.

I am sure there was a reason my mind has dissmissed some of the rumours I have herad over the years.

Regards and good luck.

[edit on 2-1-2008 by xSMOKING_GUNx]

Originally posted by LightinDarkness

I can remember one degree where there was an obvious attempt to mimic religious ceremony in CHARACTER (that word is important, before the anti-masons begin attacking), more so than what goes on the blue lodge. The ritual, lighting, use of silence, and actions required of all candidates was clearly an attempt to at least provoke some emotional thought.

For other degrees, much had to do with whether you are playing the surrogate candidate for that degree. I can think of one other one where - if you were playing the surrogate candidate - it would have taken on a somewhat more reflective and perhaps transcendent meaning.

Does this mean; you feel there was an aid in this ceremony to help make the concious separation from the dumbed down lives we all seem to slip in to?

Originally posted by xSMOKING_GUNx
reply to post by Fitzgibbon

 

Thank you for your open answers and guidance, I do realy appreciate your response.

You have taught me something today, which happens on ATS but not that frequently, something about 'wheat and chaff'.

T'is nice but I think in actuality, you'll find more wheat here than chaff insofar as Masonry's concerned.

Originally posted by xSMOKING_GUNx
I was never realy sure what to make of secretive Masons, but you have given me a feeling that there are some good guys out there in all walks of life and taken a little of the mysteriousness out of the rumours.

Masonry's a microcosm of regular life. There are some princes and there's some paupers in all walks of life and every group, Masonry included. We all aspire to become a perfect ashlar but precious few accomplish it. It's the trying that tells the tale of the soul.

Originally posted by xSMOKING_GUNx
I am going to stop there with the questions for today, I have opend my eye's a little and I feel that if I progress I will venture towards some of the more unquestionable or unanswerable.

Insofar as I'm able to answer, I'll step into the gap (as will others if I'm short on an answer). Ultimately, the questions will only be answerable by yourself and perhaps not even then. Eventually, every human answer is defeated by one simple question: why?

Originally posted by xSMOKING_GUNx
I am sure there was a reason my mind has dissmissed some of the rumours I have herad over the years.

Regards and good luck.

And to you.

Originally posted by Fitzgibbon
reply to post by xSMOKING_GUNx

 

Fire away on open thread. There may be things I can't tell you or that I think one of the older hands (a la Masonic Light, Trinityman, et al) are better able to answer but I'm nothing if not a gamer

Don't believe a word. He's just being modest. If a little caustic

Having said that, my u2u box is always open, and I have been an English freemason for upwards of 14 years so I guess that would be more relevant to your particular situation.

As to what I have got out of freemasonry? Friendships, fellowship, personal growth and a deepening of my Christian faith.

Oh, and brown trousers

reply to post by Trinityman


Thank you too.

There are more questions I have, but seeing as you are also in the UK you will know it is 3.00am and my mind is not on form.

So to avoid too many more spelling and gramatical errors I will perhaps take you up on your kind offer tomorrow.

Regards and goodnight.

Originally posted by xSMOKING_GUNx
reply to post by Trinityman

 

...but seeing as you are also in the UK you will know it is 3.00am ...

Oooer. 3am and still posting? Get thee hence to bed, my fine fellow, and remember I have a 6-time-zone advantage on you

reply to post by xSMOKING_GUNx


I would say yes. The intended effect in my opinion was to withdraw us away from the mundane process that we often fall into in "life" and "draw back" and look on the big picture, which reminded me and others of how appreciative we should be of this gift of life.

I wanted to put this following post as my intro but it would not let me so I will post it in here.



Hello, I just wanted to stop by and say Hi. I am new to this site and I hear there are alot of Freemasons on the board. I would like to hear from them to how Freemasonry has been mis represented in the conspiracy community. I have only read anti-Freemason books and would like to hear it from the other side. Can anyone please tell me where the search function on this site is? I can't seem to find it anywhere. Anyway, I look forward to posting more and getting to know the people on here.

Originally posted by azrom
Hello, I just wanted to stop by and say Hi. I am new to this site and I hear there are alot of Freemasons on the board. I would like to hear from them to how Freemasonry has been mis represented in the conspiracy community. I have only read anti-Freemason books and would like to hear it from the other side. Can anyone please tell me where the search function on this site is? I can't seem to find it anywhere. Anyway, I look forward to posting more and getting to know the people on here.

Welcome aboard, azrom. There's a six-pack or so of posters here who're Masons, right up to the 32nd degree and I'm sure that most questions you might have can be answered. Like the search function? (was that smooth or what? You'll find it in the top-right corner of the page just below the log out button. Kinda small and maybe not the best layout I've seen.

HTH
Fitz

reply to post by Fitzgibbon


Geez Fitz...

You must be getting soft in yr old age ??

You been far from caustic throughout this thread, which has been great...

We've had a poster or two genuinely wanting to know what Masonry is all about, with out posting all the BS that usually goes with that kind of thing...

And you and couple other guys have accommodated these folks and given them full and honest answers...

This thread really has been refreshing for a lot of reasons...Some folks who don't know a lot about Masonry initially post some silly video, but once they start engaging the Masons on the board, a real dialog ensues...

This is very cool

To the OP, and another guy also asked for some details about Masonry on this page...Also to Fitz and the other brothers who have done a great job answering questions asked...

Its great when we get some genuine people on here who truly want to know about Masonry, and end up having their questions answered fully, cos all concerned have left their attitude at the door...

Nice one

P.S --Shoutouts to LID AND RockPuck too Nice job gents

[edit on 3-1-2008 by Rilence]

New Year, guess I've gone soft over the holidays.

Seriously though, anybody asking reasonable questions in a reasonable manner can reasonably expect reasonable responses; likewise from the opposite end of the spectrum. The old 'more bees with honey than vinegar' thing.

reply to post by azrom


Most Masons consider Freemasonry as sort of a charitable dinner-and-cigar club, and this is why most are shocked and bewildered the first time they hear about anti-Masonic conspiracy theories. In fact, most Masons in the US are blissfully unaware that there is even such a thing as anti-Masonry.

I too have read a lot of anti-Masonic material. I've found the majority of it to be absurd, but one particular anti-Masonic book that I do like is Rev. Martin Wagner's "Freemasonry Interpreted". I do not agree with his conclusions, and he lest his bias shine through on the last chapter, but it is nevertheless one of the few thoughtful and scholarly anti-Masonic works, and it rejects conspiracy theory.

A good response to anti-Masonry is the book "Is It True What They Say About Freemasonry?" by Brothers Arturo DeHoyos, 33° and Dr. S. Brent Morris, 33° (Brent has appeared in several recent TV shows about Masonry). The book can be read in full online here.

Originally posted by Fitzgibbon

Originally posted by azrom
Hello, I just wanted to stop by and say Hi. I am new to this site and I hear there are alot of Freemasons on the board. I would like to hear from them to how Freemasonry has been mis represented in the conspiracy community. I have only read anti-Freemason books and would like to hear it from the other side. Can anyone please tell me where the search function on this site is? I can't seem to find it anywhere. Anyway, I look forward to posting more and getting to know the people on here.

Welcome aboard, azrom. There's a six-pack or so of posters here who're Masons, right up to the 32nd degree and I'm sure that most questions you might have can be answered. Like the search function? (was that smooth or what?

You'll find it in the top-right corner of the page just below the log out button. Kinda small and maybe not the best layout I've seen.

HTH
Fitz

Thanks for your reply. Lol, that is the search for this board? I saw it and thought it was a google search engine feature.

[edit on 3-1-2008 by azrom]

Originally posted by Masonic Light
reply to post by azrom

 

Most Masons consider Freemasonry as sort of a charitable dinner-and-cigar club, and this is why most are shocked and bewildered the first time they hear about anti-Masonic conspiracy theories. In fact, most Masons in the US are blissfully unaware that there is even such a thing as anti-Masonry.

I too have read a lot of anti-Masonic material. I've found the majority of it to be absurd, but one particular anti-Masonic book that I do like is Rev. Martin Wagner's "Freemasonry Interpreted". I do not agree with his conclusions, and he lest his bias shine through on the last chapter, but it is nevertheless one of the few thoughtful and scholarly anti-Masonic works, and it rejects conspiracy theory.

A good response to anti-Masonry is the book "Is It True What They Say About Freemasonry?" by Brothers Arturo DeHoyos, 33° and Dr. S. Brent Morris, 33° (Brent has appeared in several recent TV shows about Masonry). The book can be read in full online here.

Thanks for the link. I will print out the book and read it. I see some if it already mentions Manly Hall and says he was not a Freemason when he wrote some of his books. That is good to know, I was going to purchase some of them but I don't want any inaccurate works.

Freemasonry in a nutshell... man, that would be one giant nut.

Another interesting vid involving the FreeMasons.

I saw a TV programme a while back covering a lodge in the UK and was totally amazed to see how luxurious it was. And they dont get up to much. hmmm.

I have always wondered why people who join these organisations do so. What is the innitial interest. Perhaps someone here can enlighten me.

Having said that, im pretty convinced now that their days are numbered. There seems to be an awful lot of clubs within clubs, and of-course, if you exclude someone in one way or another, you seriouslly cannot expect their loyalty can you...

Nope, not for me i thinks!!!