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Why not? There are more than a dozen of us who post here regularly. The only secrets are passwords and handshakes... "modes of recognition", but those, along with every other part of the ritual, were made public more than 200 years ago. If you read a ritual online, and ask a Mason here, "Is the password of this degree X?", even though the ritual has been exposed, a Mason is on his honor not to divulge that word. So you probably won't get a yes or a no. Instead you'll hear "I can't tell you that." (Note, I've never seen a Mason here lie and intentionally tell someone they were wrong when they were in fact right. We consider ourselves men of principle, and such lies are beneath us, regardless of how often we may be accused of them.)
Originally posted by heineken
still dont expect any mason to post here since they vow for serecy
Originally posted by heineken
i think all these stories though come from the past, like for example we all know how the church used to operate in mediavel times, torturing kiling etc etc...maybe freemasons used to be bad in the past...still dont expect any mason to post here since they vow for serecy
Originally posted by tempest501
Wonder if they allow people to join who are not really sure on the whole God thing. I would imagine there are many (I myself am one) that dont really believe in the Bible stories but want to believe in God if that makes sense. I mean for example I want there to be a higher power in my heart but my brain tell me it makes no sense.
...a friend of mine said they have to wear a noose for initiation and stuff.
Originally posted by kingswillquiver
For example, if someone asked a Mason about
a secret ritual, and they were correct, the Mason
would have to lie to fulfill the oath.
Originally posted by kingswillquiver
I don't know. Taking an oath can be dangerous.
It sets one up to have to lie later.
For example, if someone asked a Mason about
a secret ritual, and they were correct, the Mason
would have to lie to fulfill the oath.
After all, it's a society with secrets, right?
Once a lie is told to protect an oath, one should
expect darkness ahead.
Originally posted by AugustusMasonicus
Originally posted by tempest501
Wonder if they allow people to join who are not really sure on the whole God thing. I would imagine there are many (I myself am one) that dont really believe in the Bible stories but want to believe in God if that makes sense. I mean for example I want there to be a higher power in my heart but my brain tell me it makes no sense.
I for one do not take the Bibel stories as literal but believe in God. This is not an issue if you wanted to join. The Bible teaches moral and spiritual lessons, just as many other sacred volumes, it is whether you apply those lessons which is important.
...a friend of mine said they have to wear a noose for initiation and stuff.
It is called a cable-tow and it has a very symbolic meaning.
Originally posted by kingswillquiver
Diverting the truth is still a lie.
You might start here... it's a nice collection of many of the historical texts.
Originally posted by tempest501
Lets hope google and fix my curiousity, the history and the symbology is just so fascinating.
I personally find it better to learn among other people, as we each interpret things our own ways, through the lenses of our own lives & experiences. You could try to understand it all as a solitary researcher, but ultimately, you'd have nothing against with to measure its accuracy.
The opportunity to learn about that kind of subject along side the betterment of people seem like a good path to take.
You can live your whole life thinking the best of people, or the worst of people, each without proof. But why would you want to go through life filled with hatred or mistrust when it is unfounded? I don't begrudge people who have personal beefs based on their own experiences, but if you take some of the crap that's out on the internet and just accept it as truth without questioning the motives of those who spew it, then you'd just be coming to the matter with your mind already made up. There's no teaching such people, because they're already set with their opinions and no amount of truth can persuade them otherwise.
Its the horror stories that dont seem to fit with that image which is what is so confusing.
It's a rope, a cable-tow, as Augustus mentioned. It's not tied, and yes, it has a symbolic meaning in the ritual. There are a LOT of symbols in Masonry. It's small minded to think of any of them as singularly evil.
On one hand you hear about the charity work etc but on the other a friend of mine said they have to wear a noose for initiation and stuff.
Originally posted by heineken
i think all these stories though come from the past, like for example we all know how the church used to operate in mediavel times, torturing kiling etc etc...maybe freemasons used to be bad in the past...still dont expect any mason to post here since they vow for serecy
And yet AA members don't use their last names in meetings... membership rosters or records of attendance are secret and protected by law (I believe)... etc. (There was actually a "Is AA a secret society?" thread here a few years back.)
Originally posted by kingswillquiver
Mankind's goodness is perpetuated with truth.
That's why people meet in groups like AA to
solve their personal problems.
Once the truth is out, then all minds can
work on solving the problem.
Originally posted by heineken
i think all these stories though come from the past,..[snip]