The Real Truth: Freemasonry

My father in law died in October. He was a mason. My mother in law buried him with the mason apron on.
While she was digging out his apron, the club booklet and the Scottish rite booklet were in the top secret envelope. I was curious about the booklets because my grandfathers were masons. It was a church group social club is what everyone in the family says. I read the booklets and fell asleep! Boreing! 1960s boreing. The men were chauvanistic and elitist social clubbers. End of story, from what I saw. They were into tradition and ritualistic behaviour, as in stability. Some job promotions only happened if you were a mason member. Keep in mind these were all country masons.

reply to post by TedHodgson


please don't judge solely on the few. As with Pike, you have to understand the context.
But as with anything, I am know by the words I speak, and they are mine.

Originally posted by Unilluminist
I think this is because Masons take an oath to not reveal secrets and to lie if necessary to avoid gruesome penalties

Bzzt. Thanks for playing. There are plenty of ways to keep secrets without telling lies. To lie would be to dishonor ourselves and the fraternity. It's much easier to keep a secret by just keeping your mouth shut.

I know Masons will say there are no high ranking Masons and 3rd Degree Master Masons are equal, but we all know you need to join appendant bodies like Scottish Rite or York Rite to really be able to advance. A 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Mason is a high ranking mason, a 3rd degree MM is not.

A 33° Scottish Rite Mason has no power over a 3° Master Mason who isn't a member of the Scottish Rite. And a 32° Scottish Rite Mason and a 3° Master Mason might as well be the same thing, because there's really nothing to joining the Scottish Rite...

Now as for the true esoteric meanings behind some of the symbols, the Square and Compass, they represent the Genereative Principle…

Oh, you're one of those… Damn, I wish they hadn't taken away the ignore button…

Yes I am one of "those" somebody that won't be fooled by public displays and deceptive fronts that hide the activities and beliefs of a select few. Especially when I have books from far more credible authorities from within your organization that contradict what you say.

There definitely was a need for this thread
sandf
I remember the first time I heard Art Bell interview David Iche back 10 years ago.
Right off the bat Bell cornerd Iche on Iche's previous statements that Bell was a highly ranked Mason.
Iche was totally flustered and it definitly put a doubtfull connotation onto Iche...
Art acted like it wasn't true, and made it to be a major put down on Iche.
then years later what do you know...
turned out ol Art Bell was a highly ranked Mason...

I have been wondering about what Masons are and what they do ever since....

Art Bell was a Mason?? Wow- I've never heard that.Interesting...

reply to post by Skippy1138


They even says so in wikipedia that he is a Freemason. Kind of makes you suspicious when you add to the fact that he gains the trust of so many conspiracy theorists on his show, then does not question 9/11 at all and immediatley endorses Bush and the official story. It shows that there are gatekeepers who like to keep the people that do question and investigate things occupied, distracted, and confused, and that Freemasons have an interest in doing this.

reply to post by TedHodgson

Can you tell me why freemasonry came to india, we have enough charity organisations in india and we dont need anymore of them. Can you explain the meanings of any of the initiation ceremony of becoming a freemason.

reply to post by vinay86


Its spread everywhere, just like christianty really, except freemasonry excepts poeple of most relgions such as hindu and sikh and will be a vital part of local lodge communities there .
Also its not like they just came there theve been around since 1752 in india, and i didnt think it was possible to have "Too many charitys" surely anything that helps others must be a good thing

Originally posted by Skippy1138
Hi Ted-welcome to ATS!
Please believe me when I say I am NOT a "paranoid Mason-hater", but I wonder if you could address Albert Pike and his statements about Lucifer being God, and how initiates and lower degree Masons are intentionally misled as to what the organization is really about?

Albert Pike never, ever said anything about Lucifer being God. That was an anti-Masonic hoax invented and perpetuated by a Frenchman named Leo Taxil.

Pike did believe that the Blue degrees obscured and "intentionally misled" initiates as to the purpose of the organization. Pike believed that Masonry was really the Templar Order in disguise, and noted that the Blue degrees do not even mention the Templars.

We now know that Pike was in error in his thinking on that subject, so his comments about people being "intentionally misled" are no longer relevant.

Originally posted by Unilluminist
No openly non-Christian has been elected President of the US.

Not so. Most of the earlier presidents were religious skeptics. Jefferson, for example, was a Deist. Adams was a Unitarian. Lincoln was an agnostic, etc.

reply to post by TedHodgson


Welcome to ATS Brother. I am glad that you have already become aquainted with some of the Brethren here. You words hold true, however, I am afraid that we will always encounter some contrary thinking from the respected members here simply because they have not experienced Masonry.

If they want to find out, simply join. Our Lodge doors are always open for visitors.

S+F Brethren

reply to post by vinay86


Viney86. Please read some of the works by Kipling. He loved India with a passion (and rightly so) and he was also a Mason. His work may give you some insight regarding your question.

reply to post by TheLoneArcher


Its a pleasure to be here and meet Bro.

Originally posted by Unilluminist
I know Masons will say there are no high ranking Masons and 3rd Degree Master Masons are equal, but we all know you need to join appendant bodies like Scottish Rite or York Rite to really be able to advance. A 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Mason is a high ranking mason, a 3rd degree MM is not.

A 33rd Scottish Rite Mason does not "outrank" a 3rd degree Master Mason. If the Master of the Lodge is a Third Degree Master Mason, he outranks everybody else there, including 33rd degree Scottish Rite Masons. If the Grand Master is Third Degree, he outranks everybody in the entire jurisdiction, including all the 33rds.

Now as for the true esoteric meanings behind some of the symbols, the Square and Compass, they represent the Genereative Principle, that is what the G really means also. The Square is the Female and Earth getting impregnated by the compass which is the sun and the male. This is from Middle Eastern fertility cults.

Speaking of a generative principle, I'd say yes, your interpretation is quite "creative" indeed.

Solomon means Sol Om Mon 3 names for sun god in different languages and stands for Solar Man.

Actually, "Solomon" is from the Hebrew "Schlomo", meaning "peace".

reply to post by Masonic Light


Why else would they make a Scottish Rite and other appendant bodies if not to hide all their knowledge from what they consider lower Masons. If you were really all equal they would share it with the Blue Lodges.
I think when you have a group of older more prominent Masons that have more knowledge of Freemasonry, and have their own exclusive meetings, they will function as an elite regardless of what the rules say.

There are several different interpretations of Masonic symbols, I think the ones I read about are accurate since they come from Freemasons like Albert Mackey. He also described how Freemasonry is like Egyptian mysteries, deceptive to the masses, with only a few elite intended to know the truth. So I think what he described in his books is accurate. Henry C. Clausen also admitted that the Blue Lodge does not get the real explanation of Freemasonry they only imagine so, while the real explanation is for the more adept. He obviously thinks he is in a elite, a select group within Freemasonry, and he is a 33rd degree.

Originally posted by Unilluminist

Why else would they make a Scottish Rite and other appendant bodies if not to hide all their knowledge from what they consider lower Masons. If you were really all equal they would share it with the Blue Lodges.
I think when you have a group of older more prominent Masons that have more knowledge of Freemasonry, and have their own exclusive meetings, they will function as an elite regardless of what the rules say.

That sort of misses the point though. Any Master Mason who wants to join the Scottish Rite or any other appendant body may do so, and is usually invited to do so as soon as he qualifies. For example, on the very night I received the third degree, before I left, I was presented with applications for both the Scottish Rite and the York Rite. I joined the Scottish Rite immediately, and joined the York Rite a couple of years later.

That being the case, I was a 32° Scottish Rite Mason, after having been in Masonry for only a few months. I certainly didn't entertain any delusions about "outranking" members of my Lodge who never joined the Scottish Rite, but had been Masons longer than I'd been alive, and had probably forgotten more about Masonry than I myself would ever learn.

There are several different interpretations of Masonic symbols, I think the ones I read about are accurate since they come from Freemasons like Albert Mackey. He also described how Freemasonry is like Egyptian mysteries, deceptive to the masses, with only a few elite intended to know the truth. So I think what he described in his books is accurate.

Where exactly does Mackey write this?

Henry C. Clausen also admitted that the Blue Lodge does not get the real explanation of Freemasonry they only imagine so, while the real explanation is for the more adept. He obviously thinks he is in a elite, a select group within Freemasonry, and he is a 33rd degree.

Where exactly did Clausen write this?

reply to post by Unilluminist


I met a man once who read all the bible and decided neither god nor any diety was been portrayed as a better person than human kind, he said it was all about the lessons we learned from the words of wisdom it portrayed and should never ever be taken literally because if it was it would be impossible to make sense of it all.

Your reading ill give you that, but you sure as heck aint understanding anything more than your own bitter 1 track minded oppinion on the subject.

Its a shame maybe if there wasnt so many poeple like you, stuck in thier own inperfect reality then the world could move forwards with becoming a better place where everyone understands each other and get along.

reply to post by Unilluminist


each side order has it's own lessons, and methods of teaching them. They all only expand the lessons learned in the blue lodge. And as ML said, any master mason may join them. It's just not that big of a deal. The 33rd, is a big deal, but not because it lets you into any special part of hidden masonry, because it shows that you have put in a lot of time to the fraternity and that you are a very good example of masonry. The 33rd do receive respect for their position because they earned it, but they have no authority because of it.

George Washington was also not a christian. He was a Deist. Most of the Christian based tall tales like him leading soldiers in prayer, the Cherry tree story, and having a priest give him last rites were all propaganda added by a minister doing a biography on him. He made a specific point of not wanting any last rites. Just a masonic funeral.