is there a difference or just different lingo? What is the correct form?

Free and Accepted Masons, Ancient Free and Accepted Mason, Freemason and mason are, in this context, all pretty much the same thing. Just different ways of referring to the same group of great guys...

Stonemasons or operative masons are, however, not (necessarily) Freemasons. In other words, you can be a brick, stone and cement guy and have no connection whatsoever to the Freemasons,... and obviously vice versa. That can be a source of confusion for some people. But there are brick stone and cement guys who ARE Freemasons, just as there are lawyers, doctors, politicians, store owners, truck drivers, day laborers, electricians, salesmen, policemen, firemen, or any other profession.

So,... Be careful that when is talking about masons, that they are not talking about cement brick and mortar guys and not the Fraternity... or that they are confusing the two...

Yeah, the term mason threw me off for a long time until I had it clarified to me, lol.

One thing I don't like, however, is when people call it "Masonary" or "Masonery."

Either Mason or Freemason is fine.

You seem to run into a lot of masons in labor unions, and they help eachother out. My father and my grandfather (mother's side) are master masons. A mason in union hall helped my grandfather fake his way into the union as an Journeyman and got him onto the A-list by claiming he was already a member from another local. He was qualified, so it wasn't totally crooked, but it never could have worked without help from somebody important in the local.

I was going to join, partly out of curiousity and partly because it could have helped me find work in the union, but ultimately I didn't because I get the impression there is something my dad hasn't told me. He's the most paranoid person I know, myself excluded. He claims he left the lodge because of their attitude towards blacks, but he has never been particularly fond of them himself.

Originally posted by The Vagabond
He's the most paranoid person I know, myself excluded. He claims he left the lodge because of their attitude towards blacks, but he has never been particularly fond of them himself.

I didnt know they felt that way towards blacks. One of my coworkers has a Freemason symbol on his car, as well as a matching ring, and guess what..hes Black. I never wanted to ask him about it, until one day another man came in and asked whos owned the car with the symbol on it and my coworker anwered. They talked for a long time and I was trying to listen to their conversation. I couldnt understand very well, but they both seemed to enjoy each others company. The only real things I could hear perfect were, they kept calling each other "Brother" Untill this day I cant ask him anything about this subject. Maybe because i dont know how he will react, either he will be open about it, or will he feel ofended.

Can eanybody here give me some advice regarding to this??? Because I would really like to find out something about them.

What a match up... Freemasonry vs. Masonry

A bunch of old guys in funny constumes taking on a bit of good old brick wall...

Now thats entertainment!

This is another problem with developing a view of Freemasonry. In some areas of the world lodges do not permit coloured people to join.. Unfortunately there is no one single governing body that controls Freemasonry. And each lodge is run in accordance with their areas view on right and wrong.

I am aware of North Carolina as a particular area where there are lodges that do not permit blacks. I am lead to believe that in combat of this solely coloured lodges were set up, and to show they were in tune with the meaning of freemasonry they allowed white people to be initiated.

I am from the UK and this type of seclusion is not permitted and would not be tolerated. Many masons class this as an un-masonic act, and in some instances will find that they will actually argue against this “so called Freemasonry” treating it as a entirely different organisation..

To show another example of difference according to the UK constitutions no mason may progress from one degree to another in a shorter period of four weeks. In America they often have man to mason in a day, conferring all three degrees to multiple candidates in one day.

You will often find these differences discussed on Masonic forums.

Originally posted by Bondi
This is another problem with developing a view of Freemasonry. In some areas of the world lodges do not permit coloured people to join.. Unfortunately there is no one single governing body that controls Freemasonry. And each lodge is run in accordance with their areas view on right and wrong.

I am aware of North Carolina as a particular area where there are lodges that do not permit blacks. I am lead to believe that in combat of this solely coloured lodges were set up, and to show they were in tune with the meaning of freemasonry they allowed white people to be initiated.

Allow me to point out a common misconception. All Lodges admit blacks: the fraternity does not discriminate on the basis of color or creed. The Grand Lodge of North Carolina (and several other Grand Lodges) do not recognize Prince Hall Lodges (which is composed of mostly black members), but this has nothing to do with race. They just do not recognize any Lodges within their own jurisdiction that do not work under their authority.

To illustrate, a black member of a mainstream Lodge would be welcomed at any Lodge in North Carolina, whereas a white member of a Prince Hall Lodge would not be allowed to attend. Thus, it has nothing to do with race, only Lodge recognition.

Fiat Lvx.

Originally posted by Masonic Light
Allow me to point out a common misconception. All Lodges admit blacks: the fraternity does not discriminate on the basis of color or creed. The Grand Lodge of North Carolina (and several other Grand Lodges) do not recognize Prince Hall Lodges (which is composed of mostly black members), but this has nothing to do with race. They just do not recognize any Lodges within their own jurisdiction that do not work under their authority.

To illustrate, a black member of a mainstream Lodge would be welcomed at any Lodge in North Carolina, whereas a white member of a Prince Hall Lodge would not be allowed to attend. Thus, it has nothing to do with race, only Lodge recognition.

Fiat Lvx.

My apologies for the incorrect statement of information. I attained it from another forum site, and admittedly I have gone back and re-read the original post, and it it as you say. I have just completely read it back to front, upside down, and basically wrong.

I prefer to be the first to say I am wrong, and the last to say I am right.

I should clarify that it was never my intent to paint the Masons as a racist organization. I see in my father many of the values which are claimed by other Masons I have spoken to and I generally believe the Masons to be a mostly benign fraternity of thinking men. I say MOSTLY benign because any organization which enjoys the loyalty of a large number necessarily holds a certain amount of power, which theoretically opens the door for some shenanigans at the higher levels.

The one thing I will stick to is what I've been told by my father- he stopped interacting with the Masons because they were not accepting black members. He explained it to me that one Rite accepted them and the other didn't. I THINK he said the York Rite didn't take them and the Scottich did, but I could be backwards. Anybody want to clear me up on that? Perhaps that is outdated- I dont think my father has been active in the masons for at least the last 20 years.

I should also clarify that I don't consider my father a true racist. He just has certain prejudices from growing up in a rough part of Chicago.

Originally posted by The Vagabond

The one thing I will stick to is what I've been told by my father- he stopped interacting with the Masons because they were not accepting black members. He explained it to me that one Rite accepted them and the other didn't. I THINK he said the York Rite didn't take them and the Scottich did, but I could be backwards. Anybody want to clear me up on that? Perhaps that is outdated- I dont think my father has been active in the masons for at least the last 20 years.

Both Rites accept black members; however, Prince Hall recognition is relative to the individual state.

The Supreme Council 33° of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States allows intervisitation with Prince Hall Scottish Rite Masons in those states where the mainstream Grand Lodges recognize their Prince Hall counterparts. This is also true for the Grand Chapters of Royal Arch Masons, Grand Councils of Cryptic Masons, and Grand Encampment of Knights Templar, which are the York Rite organizations.

If a black Brother is a member of a mainstream Lodge instead of Prince Hall, he may join either or both Rites in the mainstream. Currently, there are many African-American Brothers active in both Rites.

I should also point out that this hasn't always been the case. Even an organization such as Masonry, founded on the principles of universal brotherhood and tolerance, has eventually fell victim to circumstances and admitted some men who entertain unmasonic opinions. Thankfully, this era of ignorance which has contaminated even Masonry and our houses of worship for a short while, is rapidly drawing to a close, and within another generation I believe that racism is most spheres of American life will exist only in the history books. Just consider how far we've come since 1965, and how much easier it will be in the next 40 years when a younger generation, not even born during segregation, are running the scene, while those who harbored prejudice instilled in them in childhood are resting peacefully in their graves, unable to do any more harm.

Fiat Lvx.

Yup, America will no longer be divided by colour but by rich vs poor , look at the current u.s. government, a mexican and a black female at important positions, one would allmost say it's a l"liberal" government if it werent those yay-sayers rubberstamping what the big shareholders behind the scenss want them to do...

[edit on 25-11-2004 by Countermeasures]