Freemasonry is not a religion

Faith... Hope... and Charity... are definitely religious in my opinion.
Plus.... a confession of belief in the supreme being is also a religious thing.
So...... I conclude that masonry is an ancient and accepted religion.

a reply to: Tangerine

I beg to differ. Not everyone believes in a Supreme Being of any kind nor a path toward nor relationship with said being.

I never said everyone believes in a Supreme Being... perhaps you misunderstood my point

My point is that I believe in a Supreme Being and am non religous yet am sometimes labelled as religious ...
I know what I am
I used the term Supreme Being to relate to how Masons are misbranded as a Religion ... Because "I get" what KSig and others are saying

Also perhaps there is a cultural difference when using One ... It means oneself in England ... Rather a quaint term I know

originally posted by: network dude
I guess I just am confused as to what the point is. The members of Freemasonry don't seem to consider it a religion. If all the courts in all the world declared Freemasonry a religion, what would change? Would we have to do anything different? Would there be better tax breaks? Would we get cooler hats? (Scottish Rite could use some help in the cool hat department)

Nah, you'd probably just get more aggravation. The discussion was purely theoretical and is certainly not going to be resolved in this forum. It's abundantly clear that most (maybe all) Freemasons don't consider Freemasonry to be a religion. It just seems to me that, technically, it is. As I said before, I am not anti-Freemasonry. I certainly don't buy into any of the anti-Masons conspiracy theories.

originally posted by: artistpoet
a reply to: Tangerine

I beg to differ. Not everyone believes in a Supreme Being of any kind nor a path toward nor relationship with said being.

I never said everyone believes in a Supreme Being... perhaps you misunderstood my point

My point is that I believe in a Supreme Being and am non religous yet am sometimes labelled as religious ...
I know what I am
I used the term Supreme Being to relate to how Masons are misbranded as a Religion ... Because "I get" what KSig and others are saying

Also perhaps there is a cultural difference when using One ... It means oneself in England ... Rather a quaint term I know

Thanks for the clarification.

a reply to: Tangerine

No probs Tangerine ... good questions btw

originally posted by: Pinocchio
Faith... Hope... and Charity... are definitely religious in my opinion.
Plus.... a confession of belief in the supreme being is also a religious thing.
So...... I conclude that masonry is an ancient and accepted religion.

Lol ... Faith Hope and Charity are human virtues and not a sole property of religion

I believe in a Supreme Being and have no religion or organization not even a pet dog

I fear you nose is growing longer

a reply to: artistpoet
Humans err..... it isn't until they encounter religious tenets... that they become aware.
So...... it IS religious.
A thing passed on from maternal instincts.
And... yes... my nose moves on its own.

a reply to: Pinocchio

Humans err..... it isn't until they encounter.tee religious tenets... that they become aware.
So...... it IS religious.
A thing passed on from maternal instincts.
And... yes... my nose moves on its own.

Just teasing you
Yes Humans err
But one can have faith, hope and charity without being religous
Faith hope and charity existed before they were taken up by religion is sorta what I am saying

But I realise you are referring to them in a different context

Is your nose "Bewitched"

a reply to: artistpoet
I get you Ol'Pal....

The tenets I refer to are present in the LOTR trilogy.

Galadriel, Arwen, and Eowyn... = faith, charity, and hope....
I can elaborate if you like......

a reply to: Pinocchio

Yes Tolkien drew in so many influences to create his own mythology
Great Art indeed ...

a reply to: Pinocchio
Being religious is not the same as being a religion.

a reply to: artistpoet
I'm actually reading "The Silmarillion" right now.

originally posted by: network dude
I guess I just am confused as to what the point is. The members of Freemasonry don't seem to consider it a religion.

Considering that they come to Masonry with a belief system of their own, I'm at a loss to know how appending another religion to your own makes any sense? Masonry is more accurately described as a non-denominational moral fraternity.

Fitz