Benefitting from Masonic Membership

reply to post by Zhenyghi


I have have gotten out of speeding tickets but it has never been because of being a Freemason . I do not have any markings on my truck that points me out as a Freemason , but what I do have is an official state "Marine Corps war veteran" tag . I have been pulled over twice , once by a state trooper and once by a city cop , both were Marines , both served in the same war as I and both let me off with a smile and a "slow it down Marine" .

But personally the only benefit out of being a Mason , beyond my own personal growth , was the great friends I have made .

As the wife and daughter of Mason's, the only benifit I have got is that my dad and husband are good friends and it gets my husband out of the house twice a month

The benefits I received:

- Learning more about God and myself

- Being motivated to start attending church

- Experiencing the joy of being with people who would literally give their life for mine

- FINALLY having the tools to understand (as a Christian) what Jesus was telling me

- Learning to subdue my political and judgmental passions


The biggest benefit was that it set me off on a journey I never would have taken had I not joined. It prompted me to question the nature of life, God, the universe. It challenged me to push past the hurt of the long night of the soul.

Monetarily? Nothing. Not a dime. That's not what masonry is about.

Now, the question becomes, "Could I have received those benefits without Freemasonry?"

ABSOLUTELY!

However, had I not been around men on the same quest I never would have started the journey.

Originally posted by Zhenyghi
My question to any Masons is whether or not they've benefitted from Freemasonry, where they might not have otherwise, had they not been Masons.

I'm not referring to the real or perceived intellectual or moral benefits from being involved in Freemasonry. What I'm talking about are things like getting a job after being identified by another Mason, or not getting a speeding ticket - things along those lines.

Not at all and as Rockpuck pointed out, such 'benefits' can actually taint life in a far greater manner should things not work out for whatever reason. And I'm definitely in a position where pulling on network connections would seem like a good idea; I'm 3 years+ out of my line of work and a couple of months away from maybe having to sell my house.

Hope this helps

Fitz

Originally posted by GardenParty
Hi there! I've heard that they can get favored for promotions and that if you show a police officer your dues card when he pulls you over and contest the ticket, he won't show up to court.

I don't really know that much about them honestly, but I know they're Illuminati so that's dangerous!!

I'm glad you've "heard". Actual evidence would be a pleasant change. And I'm glad you "know they're Illuminati". Again, actual evidence would be a pleasant change

Fitz

I bet the people in the higher steps of the pyramid who receive dues benefit! I also recently read about an area where the shriners were skimming money off of their charity donations. I know the shriners aren't masons but don't you have to be a mason to be a shriner?

reply to post by Stonesplitter


Ba dump dah tshhhhhh!

Fitz

Originally posted by GardenParty
I bet the people in the higher steps of the pyramid who receive dues benefit!

Why? Because you'd like to believe the worst about them? It seems you really have some issues about Masons for whatever reason. I'd love to know the genesis of it. Care to share?

reply to post by Fitzgibbon


I don't really have anything against masonry because it is just a fraternity. I think the actions of the people who control it may be a little subversive but I don't really know enough about it.

I first came to ATS because I was curious about masonry and was thinking about joining because it is in my family. And I sure am glad I came here first! I feel like I got a pretty good representation of what it is about here reading some of the masonic posts on this site and it rubs me the wrong way, personally.

They are always nice to people who agree with them but for those with actual conspiracy theories I've seen the insults (which I would never think about including in a post) stack up pretty high.

Have a good day, fitz and thank you for speaking with me, although I'm not sure how you could be a judge of my character after only 30 posts!

reply to post by GardenParty


Wow, what an amazing post! just super!
I hope you have enough knowledge about how masonry works now that you have spent less than 2 days here.
I hope we see you in other areas of the board, since masonry isn't your thing, I guess you won't be spending much time talking about it right? Anyway, welcome to ATS!

We are always happy to seen new folks come for the first time.

If you have any questions on how things work around here, ask a moderator. they are here to help!

reply to post by network dude


Hey! Nice to meet you Network Dude! The man in the iron mask! haha.

I actually am really interested in secret societies because I think that most of them are controlled by the illuminati or the council of 9. I've seen some pyramids which put lucifer right at the top. I see that this board covers topics other than masonry, and I even think I'm interested to learn more about what masons think ^_^

**CHEERS**

Originally posted by GardenParty
I bet the people in the higher steps of the pyramid who receive dues benefit! I also recently read about an area where the shriners were skimming money off of their charity donations. I know the shriners aren't masons but don't you have to be a mason to be a shriner?

My lodge took in $4,000 in dues last year. We spent more than that amount on charity. Our building rent alone is about $14,000 per year.

We gave away $95,000 to local 501(c)3 senior citizen charities this year.

If you know who this mofo at the top of the pyramid is who is skimming my dues please let me know so I can ask for them back.

Originally posted by GardenParty
reply to post by network dude

 

Hey! Nice to meet you Network Dude! The man in the iron mask! haha.

I actually am really interested in secret societies because I think that most of them are controlled by the illuminati or the council of 9. I've seen some pyramids which put lucifer right at the top. I see that this board covers topics other than masonry, and I even think I'm interested to learn more about what masons think ^_^

**CHEERS**

There is no modern "illuminati".

Never heard of the council of 9.

Freemasonry doesn't have anything to do with, or use, pyramids in any ceremony.

Lucifer isn't real. "Lucifer" is a mistranslation propagated by the Church to scare people. It appears once in the KJV in the book of Isaiah and referred to the king of Babylon's fall.

reply to post by GardenParty


Yea, we are all in on the NWO thing. We usually have satanic mass on Monday just before the Tuesday meeting where we open with a prayer in the bible. (we usually do that to confuse the lower tier masons)

Anyway, if you ever need a spell cast on anyone or a vodoo doll, just let us know. Share the love and alwasy use the correct protocol!

Originally posted by Fitzgibbon

Ba dump dah tshhhhhh!

Fitz

yeah, the boat was rockin', thought I'd give it a nudge!

reply to post by GardenParty

It can get pretty heated during some of the arguments, and what you as a new person can't see yet is that The Freemasons here deal with the same tired old accusations over and over, ad nauseum ad infinitum. some people come here with an open mind and innocently ask about what they've heard about us, but others come only to besmirch the character of our fraternity.

If you are curious about whether what you "heard" is true, why not ask the family members that you say are Masons as well as us?

reply to post by GardenParty


Each lodge gets the dues. And the ballance + bills + income is recited at every lodge meeting. Meaning it'd be pretty hard to steal from the lodge and not get caught. It happens occasionally, Masonry can't destroy greed, but they usually get caught pretty quickly. A tiny portion of the dues also goes to the Grand Lodge where it's divided between various charities and function expenses.

And Shriners are Masons, just their own body.. out of all the bodies in Masonry they have the worst reputation for being idiots.

reply to post by no1smootha


Hey there! I would just like to point out:

"This forum is for the discussion and speculation of conspiracy theories, scandals, secrets, cover-ups and related historical events involving secret societies and related groups. PARTICIPANTS MUST BE AWARE THIS FORUM IS UNDER RENEWED, VERY-CLOSE STAFF SCRUTINY. Discussion topics and follow-up responses in this forum will likely tend to lean in favor of conspiracies, scandals, and cover-ups. Members who would seek to refute such theories should be mindful of AboveTopSecret.com's tradition of focusing on conspiracy theory, cover-ups, and scandals."

I should say there might be a reason you guys keep seeing the same stories and theories over and over! I hope you will bear with me as I relate conspiracy theories and such on this board, no matter how banal they may seem to someone such as yourself.

Much love to you and the rest, I know that you are all honest men who help add to the ATS discussion pool. I may be able to contribute a relevant article from masonicworld.com The Benefits of Masonic Membership

There are actually some real gems in there:

A benefit may be considered as anything which is helpful, profitable, favorable, and advantageous to a person. A benefit may take many forms such as improving a person in some way, promoting his happiness, raising his status socially, increasing his personal contacts with others, or assisting him in any number of other ways. In a general way the benefits of Masonic membership are both tangible and intangible.

The word “charity” is used in the Craft in its broadest sense.

Non-members are aware of the spirit of friendship that exists between members of the Craft. The question is sometimes asked out of curiosity whether Masons are required to patronize other Masons in their business transactions. Every Mason knows that there is no such rule of the Craft. But we must recognize that when one is considering entering into a business or professional relationship he is more likely to select someone that he knows and trusts.

Undoubtfully an interesting article, no? I hope that this helped the OP determine the answer to his question from a reputable source.

There exist the theory that Freemason seeks to control our toilets...

They paint them in white to manifest their might in the world. For toilets, whether mason, non-mason and anti-mason, is the one thing we all keep coming back to. It's kinda like the ultimate last laugh on humanity wrought by Freemason. Grr....
Yet somewhere in there is a great mercy. How ironic!

Originally posted by Zhenyghi
My question to any Masons is whether or not they've benefitted from Freemasonry, where they might not have otherwise, had they not been Masons.

I'm not referring to the real or perceived intellectual or moral benefits from being involved in Freemasonry. What I'm talking about are things like getting a job after being identified by another Mason, or not getting a speeding ticket - things along those lines.

No.

I have gotten several speeding tickets, had a business fail, got divorced and remarried, and I'm about to fire my nanny and I don't know what I'm going to do for childcare the rest of the summer. I also got voluntold to work through Masonry at a breakneck pace and become the Worshipful Master of my Lodge during my second year as a Mason! Lots and lots of work, and the only benefits are esoteric ones. Brotherly love, camaraderie, experience and knowledge shared from other Masons, and the basic tenets of Freemasonry which have impacted my decision-making and made me a better person all around.

I've gotten enormous benefits from Masonry, but none that would interest most naysayers.