There are some greater minds than I that can answer that question. Until they answer, here's my take on it.

Masonry stretches back to a time when being free was unusual. Most people were born into a relationship where they were bound by "fealty" to someone else.

Usually, this meant that they owed the lord of the manor a share of all their labor. In return, the manor owed them protection from bandits, and representation in court.

Because serfs were not free to buy and sell on their own account (since the lord owned a share of all they produced), they could not enter into contracts or make oaths without m'lord's permission. In feudal times this meant they could not marry, borrow money, join the priesthood, or go on pilgrimages without getting the contract approved by their lord.

Even serfs and slaves who purchased their own freedom could be re-infeudated (enslaved) if they failed to pay a special tax on their liberty. Such people had to wear a special cap to show that they owed the tax to their lord. The only way to avoid ever having to pay the tax, or risk being enslaved, was to be free from birth.

In masonry, the candidate makes a pledge and binds himself to a code of conduct. No person who was born to servitude could legally take such an oath. If a serf did, the master could legally compell the serf to divulge all secrets or other parties to the contract.

In other words, if a serf was made a mason, then his lord could legally compel him to divulge all the proceedings within the lodge, and the names of all the masons he knew.

Here is why this was important:

Masonry goes back to a time when there was no religious liberty. Men were not allowed to have an open Bible without a priest present, to interpret scripture correctly. So an open Bible was an afront to the church.
One of the great symbols in masonry is of course, the open Bible.

While political and religious division have no place within the lodge, it is also true that masons are honest about their personal beliefs in God while in the lodge. In a day when you could be executed for disagreeing with the church, it was a matter of life and death that your brother masons did not divulge what you said in the lodge.

This is the only sense in which masonry is a "secret" organization. It is also the reason that candidates must be freeborn: the candidate cannot owe to anyone an explanation of who he sits in lodge with, or the doctrines they profess.

I cannot prove it. But personally I am convinced that Masonry goes back to the time before the Reformation, when a Bible could only be opened by laymen in secret, when you could be killed for speaking freely about your faith. Brother masons will understand why I believe those things.

Anyone can see how masons would be accused of all kinds of horrible things if they were suspected of trying to approach God outside of the church hierarchy.

Maybe more knowledgeable men can correct my mistakes, or improve my explanations. Hope that helps, bastet.

dr_s

Your interpretation of freeborn vs free was interesting, and I understand your reference point.

I am not affiliated with Prince Hall but I've posted on him and the history of Prince Hall masonry here.

Much of my "career" has been outside the US and in my experience the term "freeborn" does not apply often.

I was quoting from my ritual, but the answer offered above by Dr. S is, in essence, correct. Today, it is an anachronism, but much (MOST) of masonry is historical and traditional... like the idea of keeping one's given word, deal's made with a handshake, the idea that a man would actually keep a fellow's secrets as his own, when given to him as such, that a man would seek to act in an upright manner before god and men etc etc...

These are the traditions that masonry keeps alive... the good and valuable traditions that make men serviceable to their fellow citizens, their families and their god.

You can imagine how the idea of self reliance might worry a church hierarchy...

Hey....
Just found this forum....
Yep I'm another Mason.........

Well, an argument can be made that these two groups are masons, but the problem is, masonry is a fraternity, and one of the landmarks of masonry is that it is composed of men of good repute.

Therefore, any group that claims to be masonic, but does not adhere to the landmarks, is, by definition, not masonry. It may look like masony, it may SOUND like masonry, but it is only a pale imitation... in my opinion. However, since no regular grand lodge acknowledges comasonic or female only "masonic" bodies, they are, by definition of those grand lodges, irregular and clandestine, and NOT masonry.

Eastern Star makes no pretense of being masonry. In fact, Eastern Star is a co masonic body, like Jobs daughters, Rainbow for Girls and Demolay for Boys.

Originally posted by MaskedAvatar

Originally posted by theron dunn
2. Can a woman be a mason?

Well, that is an interesting question. The answer is no... and yes.

I disagree mildly with this answer to DEEVAH's question.

In my view the answer is yes... and no.

well i guess u need to give more informations then yes and no....

our rituals and methods.... this quote is from theron reply. Rituals of what???

I guess im skeptical cuz you the thing is, i heard from a haitian person that where she is from masson means satanism, Massonics are actually highly ranked there. They do ceremonies and give people protections. I guess those are different massons....

..........so mote it be..............

Originally posted by DEEVAH
our rituals and methods.... this quote is from theron reply. Rituals of what???

There are three basic degrees in masonry, which are conferred on candidates using rituals. Part of the ritual is, of course, spoken, and a fragment on that is a declaration of the candidates qualification:

By what further right does he expect to gain admission into a lodge of Free and Accepted Masons?
By being a man, freeborn, under the tongue of good report and coming well recommended...

I guess I'm skeptical cuz you the thing is, i heard from a haitian person that where she is from masson means satanism, Massonics are actually highly ranked there. They do ceremonies and give people protections. I guess those are different massons....

Well, that would come under the classification of HEARSAY. Your friend thinks that masonry equals satanism, but knows nothing about it except that masons are well known.

The plain fact is that masonry is hundreds of years old, and there are MILLIONS of masons worldwide. Kings and princes, presidents, and gardeners, politicians and businessmen have all been masons, and NEVER has anyone shown that masons are other than honorable men that serve the community and their countries...

Now, I would be remiss if I did not note that there HAVE been a few bad masons, but they are a vanishingly small number, and when we find one, we kick them out of the fraternity quickly. We try to ensure up front by investigation that a man is a good man before we allow him into the fraternity. ALL real Masons will tell you the same as I am telling you now, so you are left with two choices: This is a grand conspiracy, involving over 5 million masons (current worldwide membership) that ensures we all say the same thing, OR, the more reasonable assumption, we are simply telling the truth.

Now, one last point. ANYONE can claim to be a mason. As I noted above regarding women's masonry and co masonry. Real masons have no way of stopping these folks from claiming to be masons. The fraternity is so old that there are no "copyrights" or "trademarks" on the rituals and name that can be enforced, and masonry is so distributed (there are over 100 Regular Grand Lodges in the United States alone(!) each independent and recognized by all the other grand lodges)) and no single one of them owns outright the name and logos and symbols. THAT is how we can have "masonic" organizations that we do not recognize and consider clandestine.

Is that what is going on in Haiti? No, I don't think so. I really suspect that what you friend knows about Masonry is nothing but rumors based on no information.

thanks theron, i really appreciate all of your clarification but now tell me something, coincidence or a weird situation.

My mom died last year and a week after her death, the pastor received a package at her church with a piece of clothes with the one eye symbol that the massonic uses.the package was for my father who is the preacher. Seems to me that it was a message sent to him, by the way she died in weird circumstances.unexplained actually....

Well, the plain fact is that Masonry does not practice magic. The all seeing eye to which you refer is an ancient symbol, found among American Indians, early Christians, pagans and other religious groups. It is just a symbol for the all seeing eye (presence) of God. You even see it on a dollar bill.

I am not sure about the cloth you refer to, but can assure you that since masonry does not practice magic, white, black, grey or otherwise, I am not sure of the origin of the cloth, its significance, if it has significance, or even if it is related to the problem you note.

Masonry is about good men becoming better men.

I'm also one of them...and active in Masonry for over 22 years.

I am a Freemason and have been since 1989. I think that there are many Freemasons who do not post on this board because of the many Trolls who post here and who have a secret agenda against Freemasonry. I am sure that some of them will say that Freemasons are not the problem it is the Freemasons who are at the 38 degree and above , lol.
Brother Gerard PM 1316 SC inter alia

Quote: "is masonic related to satanism"

Here we go again!!!

Guys can you clear this up once & for all -> Atheists are not allowed -

But self professed "Pagans" are!?!

the ghost is another...not lurking in the shadows, just arrived to this new destination.

Happy have we met, happy have we been, happy til we meet again!

hello brothers and may the craft continue

HOW GOOD AND PLEASANT, TO SEE BRETHREN DWELLING TOGETHER IN UNITY!

Greetings brethren. I am also a Mason. I have come to believe that you find in Masonry whatever you are looking for if you search long enough.

[edit on 10/27/2004 by tylerdjp]

[edit on 11/1/2004 by tylerdjp]

A woman cannot be a Freemason. There are other areas of Masonry where they can belong. But under no circumstance can a woman be a Freemason.



I am a Mason as well.

[edit on 15-10-2004 by 32nd_Degree_MM]

It is like the precious ointment that fall upon the beard, even Aaron's beard...