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Originally posted by Leveller
Originally posted by billyevil
Finally, taking the word of a mason on the subject is alot like asking a car salesman if his lot has the best deals in town. It's very hard to believe and trust them due to their reputation and it's hard to think of a good reason to trust them.
Surely you could have come up with a better analogy than that. A car salesman is trying to sell you something.
Freemasons aren't trying to sell you anything. They aren't trying to get you to join their Order. If you research properly, you will find that Freemasonry is honourable, but if your negative beliefs about us are based on lies, then it can only be natural that we should defend ourselves and our Fraternity.
This doesn't mean that Freemasonry is the total and utter be all and end all - Freemasons are human beings with all their flaws after all. We aren't superhumans or conceited fools. Just ordinary men. When you write that you don't like Freemasonry based on what we know are falsities, then what is better? That we tell you the truth or that we let you carry on believing and hating through a lie?
We aren't selling our Order - all we are doing is telling the Truth.
Originally posted by billyevil
I never said i hated you or any of the masons. If you want me to hate you i can do that, but i'd like to be the one who decides who i hate before it is decided for me. I will say that your comments irritated me, so you're partially there, but your rush to judgement about me was much like the behavior of those anti-masons that you desire so much to correct.
Originally posted by theron dunn
Billyevil;
First there is the name... its hard to treat someone seriously that calls themselves evil... but I do try.
Originally posted by theron dunn
Second, your approach has been somewhat confrontational, and yet you seem surprised when you are called on and challenged to defend your position(s). No one has called you evil, called you names, denigrated you or treated you in a manner that would be considered inconsistent with good social manners.
Originally posted by theron dunn
We HAVE called you on your statements, and asked you to defend them (you haven't yet) and called you on your analogies. What did you expect, that we would all just kick back and accept your posts as gospel or something? We know from your posts that you do not like or trust masons.. that's fine. Would you care to defend and explain WHY, or shall we just accept your bald assertions at face value and move on?
Originally posted by theron dunn
C'mon, this FORUM is designed to DENY IGNORANCE. If someone comes in here acting like they are ignorant about a subject, AND holding forth on it, does it not seem right, fit, mete and proper that those that DO know about the subject would reply?
In short, Anti-Masonry is a movement whose aim and mission is to exterminate the Masonic fraternity. As long as Freemasons have existed, there have been in opposition to the tolerance and sense of Democracy the Masonic order has always put forth
Originally posted by theron dunn
Your last analogy about being a member is a good one. However, do you not defend scouting against ignorant attacks? Do you try to understand where the attacker is coming from, or do you just let it roll off and move on? Whether YOU trust us or not isn't really important, we are not here to convert... what we ARE here for is to spread the truth, as contrasted against ignorance.
Originally posted by theron dunn
Now, you come attacking masonry and masons... would you care to try to defend your postion, offer examples to support your position, or are you satisfied with ignorance?
Originally posted by theron dunn
just curious... oh, and why would a former boy scout name himself as evil? As a former scout myself, I find the juxtaposition somewhat incongruous...
Originally posted by billyevil
The comment that surprised me was the one where i was accused of saying i hated, when i didn't and don't.
The empty rhetoric comments were a bit confusing as well since i thought i was just stating my opinions on how things were being presented, and didn't release my thoughts were someone else's rhetoric, while that could be possible.
Also the comment about Al Quaida being men without souls was a bit odd, since no matter what someone does i can't imagine that someone is without a soul.
Men and women are capable of both good and evil in this world, and i don't know why God created and let what happened happen, but i wouldn't say that a person is without a soul.
I won't demonise them because of what happened, because there's just enough hate going on and i don't see a need to continue it. Hate only leads to more hate and i try my best not to hold onto bad feelings. Other than that i think you were a bit overly defensive, but as you will read, i think i understand why now.
You don't have to accept anything anyone says, but you can if you want. I really don't think my opinions need defended, though i see that my wording may of put you on the defensive.
As to my personal feelings on masons you don't know those from my posts but i will tell you them now. I don't trust anyone that i don't know until i have reason to trust them, and that includes masons. I don't think there is reason for either of us to trust each other currently. My comments in the analogy was refering to what i think the general feeling is among those who don't like masons from what i've seen and heard.
My intention was to help you see why your truth wasn't getting through to some people due to them not being able to trust you as you are part of what they dislike and don't trust, so that you'd consider another approach in dealing with those people. I became irritated when i was accused of hating and the other things i've meantioned above, but i watched becker and had some dinner and let it go.
As for my not liking masons, i think my not disliking masons should be sufficient, as there are a large number of masons and i wouldn't want to commit myself to liking every one of them. If someone gives me a reason not to like them then i won't. Though my disliking someone isn't lasting, since i just can't justify wasting my memory remembering why i don't like someone.
Originally posted by theron dunn
C'mon, this FORUM is designed to DENY IGNORANCE. If someone comes in here acting like they are ignorant about a subject, AND holding forth on it, does it not seem right, fit, mete and proper that those that DO know about the subject would reply?
Originally posted by billyevil
You really give me too much credit. I have been around forums and subjects like this one in the past, but i've never talked in depth about the masons movement. Your reaction to my comments caught me by surprise because i honestly thought that i was going to enter a friendly discussion, but from the postings it looks as though you all are way too defensive. I did however look you up on google, and found a site that you are listed at:
www.freemasoninfo.ca...
I found the site to be useful in information and after seeing the section on anti-masons, i see now that you guys actually see that as being a threat to the masons.
Originally posted bybillyevil
My initial intention was to just point out that i didn't like the methods being used, and bringing up hitler and the holocaust is a strong emotional defense to use, which i felt was being used as a defense or attempt to gain pity for the masons and i didn't like seeing it used in a forum as it was being presented, and i was trying to tell you why i thought people would react badly to the masons, since it seemed to be a confrontation more than a discussion, which i apologise for adding to, as i'm seeing now that i could of presented myself and ideas better.
I do see by your comments that you finally understood my analogy explaining why i feel people won't trust someone inside a group when they say they are telling the truth.
Originally posted by theron dunn
Your last analogy about being a member is a good one. However, do you not defend scouting against ignorant attacks? Do you try to understand where the attacker is coming from, or do you just let it roll off and move on? Whether YOU trust us or not isn't really important, we are not here to convert... what we ARE here for is to spread the truth, as contrasted against ignorance.
Originally posted bybillyevil
When i've talked to people who've had a bad experience with scouts i've never been on the defensive. I never felt the need to be, simply because i had a good time with it, and my only concern when talking to people is that i feel badly that they didn't. I listened to them and tried to see myself in their shoes. I told them what my experience was like and said i was sorry that they didn't.
I'm sure that the people i've talked to probably still don't like scouts, but i like to think that after talking to me that they got out the bad experiences by talking about them. I don't feel i'm on a mission to defend scouting to people, just let them vent and hopefully they at least got over the bad feelings, which i think could work for those that had bad experiences with masons. But it's your fraternity, and not mine, and this is just a suggestion.
Originally posted by theron dunn
Now, you come attacking masonry and masons... would you care to try to defend your postion, offer examples to support your position, or are you satisfied with ignorance?
Originally posted by billyevil
My position was i didn't like how things were being conducted and i offered my opinions. Putting you on the defensive is something i'm sorry about, because it wasn't my intention to be seen as a threat, though i understand why i would be seen as one. I don't see a need to attack you or defend myself, though i hope i've explained myself. I don't consider myself your enemy, but if you consider yourself mine then you're wasting your time, since i'm not interested in fighting. There's enough of that in the world.
I certainly don't consider you my enemy. I simply asked you to defend your statements. That is hardly defensive. You made statements about masons that show a definite lack of understanding. I asked what you base your opinions on, as that is the best way to understand someone. I do the same with necros, but he is crazy, and reading his posts proves it, but you seemed to be interested in truth, despite the manner you approached us, so I asked for more information.
Originally posted by theron dunn
just curious... oh, and why would a former boy scout name himself as evil? As a former scout myself, I find the juxtaposition somewhat incongruous...
Originally posted bybillyevil
Here's the ten cent explaination..
billyevil is a nickname i picked up when i was younger from some friends when i used to repair computers for people. What would happen is that they'd say they'd spent hours working on a machine without being able to repair it, and i'd come along and do exactly what they'd initially done, but then things would suddenly work. A similiar thing would happen with women, where they'd get upset because i was able to get dates easily, and they couldn't or wouldn't feel they did as well.
At which times my friends would call me evil billy, jokingly making it sound as though i had some kind of power over the machines and women, and they also felt that things in general came easy to me for some reason, over time the nickname became billyevil. The nickname just stuck with me and i've used it ever since. It doesn't seem to bother most people, and i know you didn't need to hear the whole longwinded story, but i wanted to be clear. If you want to know my real name it is billy holland and i'm from erie,pennsylvania.
I hope i answered all your questions and beyond. Feel free to email me if i've confused you again.
Naw, you didn't confuse me. Having been an IT manager for the past quarter century, I know EXACTLY what you mean about walking up to a computer and suddenly it works... people call me a Mac Wizard or simply a computer Wizard, and I too have taken that and used it... my company logo was a Gandalf type Wizard with a magic wand.
thanks for taking the time to explain... sorry if I appeared defensive, that is not MY intention, either.
Theron Dunn
Junior Warden
Evergreen Lodge #259 F&AM
Riverside, Ca
Originally posted by MrNECROS
As far as the passage from Mien Kampf, it basically says that Jews have overrun the lodges of Freemasonry to such an extent that they are now their unwitting lackeys.
The action was not to shut them down permanently. it was to "cleanse" them, which duly happened, all foreign lodges were closed and all the Prussian Lodges removed any Hebrew or Jewish symbols and then reopened under their new title "The Frederick The Great Society."
After the war they just changed the name back to "The Freemasons."
First there is the name... its hard to treat someone seriously that calls themselves evil
Originally posted by MrNECROS
Oh hang I forgot - Hitler orchestrated a huge plot involving the creation of a completely false branch of Freemasonry consisting of nearly half a million members just so he could persecute Freemasonry and spread terrible lies about it.
There were many Christians active in the nazi party, is Christianity also a part of it?
Originally posted by mwm1331
Genuineninja do you have Real Ultmate Power?
www.realultimatepower.net...
[/quote
I havent had such a laugh in years, and freemasons on this board think they have to put up with unfounded nonsense?!?!?!? I think me and my ninpo practicing brethren get it far worse.
Apart from the hilarious "And when some dude dropped a spoon the ninja killed the whole town." the sword isnt even a ninja-to (a real ninja-to is straight), the 13 year-old boy who created this website has watched too many badly dubbed ninja movies (i'm surprised he didnt mention our ability to conceal ourselves by drilling our bodies into the ground simply by spinning fast on the spot, or our "special ninja fireball attack" lmao)
Google "masaaki hatsumi" (ninja royalty) if you want to know the real deal on all things ninja.
Originally posted by genuineninja
BTW. As my name suggests I am a member of a very exclusive, very secret society, however we do no harm to others, are we to be rumoured about and feared, just because we are secret?