Would you want to be a Freemason?, page 20

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ATS Members have flagged this thread 8 times

reply posted on 3-5-2012 @ 08:26 AM by artistpoet

Originally posted by KSigMason
reply to post by artistpoet

We have several deists in my Lodge.

Thank you for making that clear.
I am making a few assumptions here from what I have gathered but here goes:-

It would seem that the Craft of Masonry does not have a fixed conclusion as to the nature of God or Creator
But builds upon knowledge within the Crafts framework of learning.
Masonry it seems is Philosophical in nature - yet not armchair philosophy for it requires one to do good within the community.
It all seems very noble and has changed my view of Masonry
Though I realize people are people and each have different levels of understanding

reply posted on 3-5-2012 @ 10:14 AM by network dude

reply to post by artistpoet

I'd say you have a better understanding of our order than a lot of it's members.
It's very refreshing to see logical thought displayed like this.

reply posted on 3-5-2012 @ 10:32 AM by artistpoet

Originally posted by network dude
reply to post by artistpoet

I'd say you have a better understanding of our order than a lot of it's members.
It's very refreshing to see logical thought displayed like this.

Thank you - I take that as a great compliment however:-

Any understanding of Freemasonry I may have is only gleaned from inter changes with actual Masons or those who have studied Masonry with an open mind.
By open mind I mean to set aside aside one's own pre-set beliefs in the light of considering new information.

reply posted on 3-5-2012 @ 12:50 PM by AugustusMasonicus

Originally posted by artistpoet
By open mind I mean to set aside aside one's own pre-set beliefs in the light of considering new information.

Which is the path to understanding everything........

reply posted on 3-5-2012 @ 01:28 PM by Pinocchio

Are there any toilet bowls in the lodge... if so... do they come complete with Compasses and Squares and so forth? Is there a canopy over the toilet bowel? Are the toilet bowl room draped with black and white tiles???
Could there be any understanding developed from a toilet bowl???
I use to think that a Freemason crafted toilet bowls not to better society, but to put a spell on the people.
In NYC... all toilet bowls are white. Is that reference to white power???

Also... WHY IS THERE AN "EVIL EYE" RIGHT NEXT TO THE COMPASS AND SQUARE ON THE FORUMS PAGE?!? Is That A Conspiracy????

edit on 3-5-2012 by Pinocchio because: sidenote

reply posted on 9-5-2012 @ 11:22 PM by Murgatroid

Originally posted by LeonoraTenen
Why do black men have to join PHA then?
How is it that masons don't practice segregation when PHA is for black men only?

reply to post by HardToStarboard

Originally posted by HardToStarboard
Up until last week I was a 32nd degree Scottish Rite (SJ) Freemason.

...racism. The problem is rampant in many lodges; in some it is blatant and in others it's subtle. And being that there is no overall governing body for all lodges nationwide the problem will likely linger for many generations to come just as it has for many generations passed. It bothered me from the beginning and finally I could no longer personally ignore it. Certainly there are many organizations that have racist motives, but freemasonry espouses that all men are equal while allowing lodges to remain open that spit on this very ideal. Rationalize all you want, but I could no longer do that in good conscience.

"It was up until recently (?) a "whites only" organization. Some people get bent out of shape when they read this, namely, Freemasons, who don't want this fact mentioned, and sympathetic non-Freemasons, who are unaware of this fact. I recently emailed Scottish rite HQ in Washington D.C. and asked them the exact date blacks were allowed to join. THEY STILL HAVEN'T EMAILED ME BACK. Nor do i expect them to. Apparently a few token blacks here and there are admitted in a handful of lodges, but it's more common to find lodges with zero blacks. Even Masons who favor integration of lodges admit it's going very poorly.

If you don't believe me, just ask a Freemason. They will probably say, "Well, they have their own lodges". They mean African Americans have a separate branch of Freemasonry known as "Albert Hall" Masonry. Albert Hall is not connected to Scottish Rite or York Rite Masonry. If a white Freemason visited one of these Prince Albert lodges, and his lodge found out about it, they would risk being expelled from the Scottish or York Rite!

In the 1970's, the U.S. government threatened the Freemasons with the loss of their tax exempt status if they did not begin to admit blacks. So guess what? THE FREEMASONS GAVE UP THEIR TAX EXEMPT STATUS! They obviously don't want black people in the lodges. This is called "racism". SOURCE

reply posted on 10-5-2012 @ 12:24 AM by KSigMason

reply to post by Murgatroid

Bah, are you still here?

What is the time frame for "up until recently"? Is that a decade, two decades, three decades? A half century? Why is it anti-Masons have to speak so vaguely and in such generalities? Why can't you all give specifics and stand behind your words? Get some fortitude and speak plainly.

Luckily though in today's world, only a few Grand Lodges refuse to allow black men to join and I do find that sad.

Albert Hall?! Prince Albert?! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! It's Prince Hall. Fail. You'd be surprised to know that white men can join PHA just as black men can join most AF&AM and F&AM Lodges. And actually I have visited PHA Lodges before and thus I stand here still a Mason in good standing. In fact, I attended one of these PHA Lodges with the now Grand Master of my Grand Lodge. Hell, at my installation for my first time as Worshipful Master, I had several PHA Masons there to include the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Idaho, Oregon and Montana Inc.

Hey and guess what? My Grand Lodge does have tax exempt status.

The rest of your site is BS and you really do pick the "credible" ones.

reply posted on 10-5-2012 @ 05:37 AM by AugustusMasonicus