Freemasonry

The Masonic Square and Compasses. (This is found with or without the "G")

Freemasonry is a worldwide network of fraternal organizations. Members are joined together by shared ideals of both a moral and metaphysical nature and, in most of its branches, by a constitutional declaration of belief in a Supreme Being. Organisationally, Freemasonry is governed on a geographic basis by independent, Sovereign Grand Lodges which may, or may not, be in a state of mutual recognition.

Freemasonry is an esoteric society, in that certain aspects of its internal work are not generally disclosed to the public, but it is not an occult system. In recent years, it has become less and less a secret society and more of a "society with secrets." In fact, most of the so-called "secrets" of Freemasonry were revealed and have been known to the public since as early as the eighteenth century. For this and other reasons, most modern freemasons regard the traditional concern over secrecy as a demonstration of their ability to keep a promise and as a surrogate for the organization's concern over the privacy of their own affairs. The private aspects of modern Freemasonry deal with elements of ritual and the modes of recognition amongst members within the ritual.

Organizational structure

Main article: Grand Lodge

Home of the United Grand Lodge of England.

There are many jurisdictions within Freemasonry, each sovereign and independent of the others, and usually defined according to a national or geographic territory. There is no central Masonic organizational structure or authority, and in any event many practices are determined by Lodge custom, so any general description will inevitably be inaccurate in respect of some places.

The authority in any Masonic jurisdiction is vested in a Grand Lodge, or sometimes a Grand Orient. Each jurisdiction maintains a list of other jurisdictions that it formally recognizes as meeting its requirements for regularity based on a number of Landmarks. If the other jurisdiction reciprocates the recognition, the two jurisdictions are said to be in amity. Being in amity means that the members are able to attend meetings bilaterally. In keeping with the decentralized and non-dogmatic nature of Freemasonry, there is no universally accepted list of landmarks, although a number of core principles exist. Jurisdictions in amity with each other may have very different ideas as to what those landmarks are, with some taking no official position at all.

Subject to the size of the Grand Lodge the geographic area of coverage may be sub-divided into Provinces, each governed by a Provincial, District or Metropolitan Grand Lodge.

The first Grand Lodge jurisdiction in Freemasonry was the Grand Lodge of England, founded in 1717 when four existing Lodges met to form the governing body. A competing Grand Lodge formed in York claiming that the Grand Lodge in London had broken with a number of traditions and was divergent from the principles of Freemasonry. The Grand Lodge became known as the Moderns and the York Grand Lodge became known as Antients. The two reunited in 1813, to become the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE). It is today the only regular Craft jurisdiction in England, and generally considered to be the oldest Grand Lodge jurisdiction in the world.

The oldest jurisdiction in the European Continental branch, and the largest jurisdiction in France, is the Grand Orient de France (GOdF), founded in 1728. At one time, the two branches bilaterally recognized each other, but most jurisdictions cut off formal relations with the GOdF around 1877. The Grande Loge Nationale Francaise (GLNF) is currently the only French Grand Lodge that is in regular amity with The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), and concordant jurisdictions. In most Latin countries, and in Belgium, the GOdF style of European Continental Freemasonry predominates. The rest of the world, accounting for the bulk of Freemasonry, tends to follow the lead of the English UGLE, and concordant juristictions.

So, Freemasonry is often said to consist of two different branches:

• the UGLE and concordant tradition of jurisdictions (termed Grand Lodges) in amity and,
• the GOdF European Continental tradition of jurisdictions (often termed Grand Orients) in amity.

In reality, there is no tidy way to split jurisdictions into distinct camps, as recognition is constitutional, not dogmatic. In addition, the geographical territory of one jurisdiction may overlap with another's, which may affect their relations, for purely territorial reasons. In other cases, one jurisdiction may overlook irregularities in another due simply to a desire to maintain friendly relations. Also, a jurisdiction may be formally affiliated with one tradition, while maintaining informal ties with the other. For all these reasons, labels must be taken only as rough indicators, not as clear designations.

See also: Regular Masonic jurisdictions

The Masonic Lodge

Main article: Masonic Lodge

A Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge in Constitutions, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry. Every new Lodge must be warranted by a Grand Lodge, but is subject to its direction only in enforcing the published Constitution of the jurisdiction. A Master Freemason is generally entitled to visit any Lodge in any jurisdiction in amity with his own. He is first usually required to check, and certify, the regularity of the relationship of the Lodge - and be able to satisfy that Lodge of his regularity of membership.

Freemasons meet as a Lodge not in a Lodge, although Masonic premises may be called Lodges, as well as Temples ("of Philosophy and the Arts"). In many countries Masonic Centre or Hall has now replaced these terms to avoid arousing prejudice and suspicion. Several different Lodges often use the same premises at different times.

According to Masonic myth (see below), the operative lodges (the Medieval lodges of actual stonemasons) constructed a lodge building adjacent to their work site where the masons could meet for shelter, instruction and social contact. Normally this was on the southern side of the site (in Europe, the side with the sun warming the stones during the day). Hence the social gathering, (the Festive or Social Board), of the lodge is sometimes also called the South.

An early Speculative Lodge, (including members not actually stonemasons), would meet in a tavern or other convenient meeting place with a private annex. The word Freemason may refer to these masons being "free" from work—as they met to talk about Masonic theory rather than practice—or it could relate to the liberal or "free" arts upon which much of freemasonry is based. It may simply refer to the superior grade of masons working in freestone, as used in early English statutes, or it could mean free to travel about the country from job to job. In the middle ages many craftsmen were bound to a lord of a specific region.

Many Lodges are formed by Masons living within a given town or neighborhood. Other Lodges, particularly in urban areas where there are many Lodges close together, are formed by persons who share a particular interest, particular profession or background - certain schools, universities or military units. There are also specialist lodges of "Research and Instruction" (R&I). Membership in these R&I lodges is typically open only to interested Master Masons of other lodges, as R&I lodges usually do not initiate new candidates to Freemasonry.

Prince Hall Freemasonry

Main article: Prince Hall Freemasonry

In 1775, an African American named Prince Hall was initiated into an Irish Constitution Military Lodge then in Boston, Massachusetts, along with fourteen other African Americans, all of whom were free born. When the Military Lodge left the North America, the African Americans were given the authority to meet as a lodge, form Processions on the days of the Saints John, and conduct Masonic funerals, but not to confer degrees, nor to do other Masonic Work. In 1784 these individuals applied for, and obtained, a Lodge Warrant from the Premier Grand Lodge of England and formed African Lodge, Number 459 (Premier Grand Lodge of England). When the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) was formed in 1813, all U.S. based lodges were stricken from their rolls – due largely to the U.S. and British War, 1812 to 1815. Thus, separated from both UGLE and any concordantly recognised U.S. Grand Lodge, African Lodge re-titled itself as the African Lodge, Number 1 - and became a de facto "Grand Lodge". (This Lodge is not to be confused with the various Grand Lodges on the Continent of Africa). These events led to a tradition of separate and predominantly African American Freemasonry in North America, known as Prince Hall Freemasonry. As with the rest of U.S. Freemasonry, Prince Hall Freemasonry soon grew, and organised on a Grand Lodge system for each State.

Prince Hall Masonry has always been regular in all respects except constitutional separation. Widespread racism and segregation, in the 19th and early 20th century North America, made it impossible for African Americans to join lodges outside of Prince Hall jurisdictions - and impossible for inter-jurisdiction recognition between the parallel U.S. Masonic authorities. Prince Hall Grand Lodges are, presently, recognized by some UGLE Concordant Grand Lodges and not by others, but appears to be working its way toward full recognition . It is now quite usual for non-Prince Hall lodges to have ethnically diverse membership. The majority of Masonic Grand Lodges in the United States now grant at least some degree of recognition to Prince Hall Grand Lodges.

In 2005, Prince Hall Lodge became formally recognized by the Grand Lodge of Maryland in Cockysville. All Prince Hall Lodge members are now recognized and allowed to attend all other recognized lodge's meetings.

See also: Regular Masonic jurisdictions

Other degrees, orders and bodies

There is no degree in Freemasonry higher than that of Master Mason.

A number of organisations exist which require one to be a Master Mason as a prerequisite for membership, none of which are considered to have any authority over the craft. These organisations are considered as additional or appendant, membership being discretionary in order to provide a different perspective on some of the allegorical, moral and philosophical content within Freemasonry. These appendant bodies are administered separately from Freemasonry and within each there is a system of offices which confer rank within that order alone, although frequently these bodies style themselves as Masonic due to the membership requirement that one hold the Master Mason degree.

Examples of these appendant orders include:

• Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (also known as Antient and Accepted Rite), a system of degrees developed in Continental Europe, particularly in France.
• York Rite, Predominantly in the United States of America; a system of degrees which includes three distinct sovereign rites: the Holy Royal Arch, Royal and Select Masters (Cryptic Masonry), and (Masonic) Knights Templar. These orders are wholly distinct elsewhere.
• Royal Order of Scotland
• Societas Rosicruciana
• Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, commonly known as (Shriners)
• Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm (Grotto)
• Tall Cedars of Lebanon.

The Shrine and Grotto, which are mostly located in North America, tend to emphasize fun and philanthropy.

Different Freemasonic jurisdictions vary in their relationships with such bodies, if at all. Some offer formal recognition, while others consider them wholly outside of Freemasonry. This leads to some such bodies not being universally considered as appendant bodies, some being simply as separate organizations that happen to require Masonic affiliation for membership. Some of these organizations have additional religious requirements, beyond "Craft Masonry", since they approach Masonic teachings from a particular, Christian, perspective.

A number of youth organizations exist, mainly North American, which are associated with Freemasonry, but are not Masonic in their content. These include:

• DeMolay International, for boys aged 12–21;
• Job's Daughters International, for girls aged 10-20 with a Masonic family relationship
• International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, for girls who have Masonic sponsorship.

There are some organisations which are commonly perceived as being related to Freemasonry; some of these benefiting from charitable support by Masonic or appendant bodies. In addition a number of organizations and fraternities such as the Orange Order style themselves along Masonic lines, using similar regalia and ritual. However they are not part of Freemasonry and are not accorded recognition as such.

Membership requirements

A candidate for Freemasonry must apply to a Private (or Constituent) Lodge in his community, obtaining an introduction by asking an existing member. After enquiries are made, he must be freely elected by secret ballot in open Lodge. Members approving his candidacy will vote with "white balls" in the voting box. Adverse votes by "black balls" will exclude a candidate. The number of adverse votes necessary to reject a candidate, which in some jurisdictions is as few as one, is set out in the governing Constitution. Lodges conduct these elections in a number of different ways; a wholly secret ballot where every member is given the means to vote either way, or semi public where members who choose to vote go to the ballot box and cast a secret vote.

General requirements

Generally to be a Freemason, one must:

1. Be a man who comes of his own free will. Traditionally Freemasons do not actively recruit new members.
2. Believe in a Supreme Being, or, in some jurisdictions, a Creative Principle.
3. Be at least the minimum age (18–25 years depending on the jurisdiction, but commonly 21),
4. Be of sound mind, body and of good morals, and of good repute.
5. Be free (or "born free", i.e. not born a slave or bondsman).
6. Have one or two references from current Masons (depending on jurisdiction).

One must approach an existing member for an application, so Freemasonry is open to all who otherwise fulfil the requirements.

A candidate is asked 'Do you believe in a Supreme Being?', there is no further investigation into the nature of that Supreme Being. Since an initiate is obligated on that sacred volume which is applicable to his faith, a sponsor will enquire as to an appropriate volume once a decision has been made on the applicants suitability for initiation.

A number of Grand Lodges allow a Lewis, the son of a Mason, to be initiated earlier than the normal minimum age for that Grand Lodge.

Being of "sound body" is thought to be derived from the operative origins of Freemasonry, an apprentice would be able to meet the demands of their profession. It is today generally taken to mean "physically capable of taking part in Lodge rituals"; Grand Lodges encourage the use of mechanisms within the ritual to mitigate for difficulty.

The "free born" requirement is moot in modern Lodges; it remains for purely historical reasons. Some jurisdictions have done away with it entirely.

Some Grand Lodges in the United States have a residence requirement, candidates being expected to have lived within the jurisdiction for certain period of time, typically six months. This requirement may be waived in certain jurisdictions for certain situations.

See also: List of famous Freemasons

Membership and religion

Freemasonry explicitly and openly states that it is not a religion, nor a substitute for religion. There is no separate "Masonic God," and there is no separate proper name for a deity in any branch of Freemasonry.

Freemasonry requires that its candidates believe in a Supreme Being, the nature of that being subject to the conscience of the candidate. As the interpretation of the term Supreme Being is left up to the individual members can be drawn from a wide range of faiths; the Abrahamic religions and other monotheistic religions. Some members of non-monotheistic religions are accepted subject to answering Yes to the question asked, these include, for example, Buddhists and Hindus.

In the irregular Continental European tradition, since the early 19th Century, a very broad interpretation has been given to a (non-dogmatic) Supreme Being — usually allowing Deism and naturalistic views in the tradition of Spinoza and Goethe (himself a Freemason), or views of The Ultimate or Cosmic Oneness, along with Western atheistic idealism and agnosticism. This leads some anti-Masonic pundits to suggest that even regular Freemasonry will, in practice, accept certain kinds of atheists — willing to adopt quasi-spiritual language.

In some jurisdictions (mostly English-speaking), Freemasonry is actually less tolerant of naturalism than it was in the 18th Century, and specific religious requirements with more theistic and orthodox overtones have been added since the early 19th Century (mostly in North America), including belief in the immortality of the soul.

The Freemasonry that predominates in Scandinavia, known as the Swedish Rite accepts only Christians..

US Roman Catholic View

Main article: Catholicism and Freemasonry

In the letter of April 19, 1985 to U.S. Bishops Concerning Masonry , by Cardinal Bernard Law, he states a Roman Catholic definition of (Craft, or Blue Lodge) Freemasonic Jurisdictions from an “American context”:

“We should understand that worldwide Freemasonry shares many beliefs and customs but is not a unified organization; it includes the United Grand Lodge of England; the 50 independent grand lodges in the United States; lodges in Canada, Australia and New Zealand; Prince Hall Masonry; the so-called Christian Masonry of Germany and three Scandinavian countries; the various Grand Orients of Europe and Latin America; co- Masonic bodies; irregular lodges such as the Italian P2 lodge; and others.”

It reiterated the view of the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in a clarification sent in 1981 that Catholics are forbidden to join any Masonic lodges.

Women and Freemasonry

Main article: Co-Freemasonry

The position of women and Freemasonry is complex, although traditionally, only men can be made Freemasons, in Regular Freemasonry.

A supposed exceptional, (very irregular and perhaps unique), account of a woman being admitted to Freemasonry in, 18th century, is the case of Elizabeth Aldworth (born St. Leger), who is reported to have viewed the proceedings of a lodge meeting held at Doneraile House - the private house of her father, first Viscount Doneraile - a resident of Cork, Ireland. In the early part of the 18th century, it was quite customary for lodges to be held in private houses. This lodge was duly warranted for use by Lodge number 150 on the register of the Grand Lodge of Ireland.

Apparently, she removed a brick and saw the ceremony in the room beyond. After being discovered, Elizabeth's situation was discussed by the lodge. It was decided that she should be initiated into Freemasonry. The story is supported by other accounts of her being a subscriber to the Irish Book of Constitutions of 1744. She frequently attended, wearing her Masonic regalia, and gave entertainments, under Masonic auspices, for the benefit of the poor and distressed. She married Mr. Richard Aldworth of Newmarket, and it is reported that when she died she was accorded the honour of a "Masonic" burial.

The systematic admission of women into International Co-Freemasonry began in France in 1882 with the initiation of Maria Deraismes into the Loge Libre Penseurs (Freethinkers Lodge), under the Grande Loge Symbolique de France. In 1893, along with activist Georges Martin, Maria Deraismes oversaw the initiation of sixteen women into the first lodge in the world to have both men and women as members, from inception, creating the jurisdiction Le Droit Humain (LDH). Again these are regarded as irregular bodies, by Regular Freemasonry.

In North America, women cannot become Freemasons per se, but rather join an associated separate body with its own traditions. Order of the Eastern Star (OES) was created in the United States in the mid-19th Century for female Masonic relatives and Master Masons. Its members are mainly the wives and daughters of Master Masons.

In the Netherlands, there is a completely separate, although masonically allied, sorority for women, the Order of Weavers (OOW), which uses symbols from weaving rather than stonemasonry.

The GOdF and other jurisdictions, in the Continental European tradition, give full formal recognition to Co-Freemasonry and women's Freemasonry. The UGLE, and other jurisdictions concordant in that regular tradition, do not formally recognize any Masonic body that accepts women. The UGLE, has stated - since 1998 - that two local women's jurisdictions are regular in practice, except for their inclusion of women, and has indicated that, while not formally recognized, these bodies may be regarded as part of Freemasonry, when describing Freemasonry in general.

Principles and activities

Both 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica and 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia agree that Freemasonry, according to the official English, Scottish, American, etc., Craft rituals, is most generally defined: A peculiar (some say particular or beautiful) system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. The continued use of this definition is illustrated in the example of the 1991 printing of the English Emulation Ritual

As such Freemasonry uses ritual to convey the principles of "Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth" - otherwise related, as in France: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"..

Moral lessons are communicated in a ritualised manner, the candidate progressing through degrees gaining in knowledge and understanding of himself, his relationship with others and his relationship with that Supreme Being to which he adheres.

Outside the ritual context the fraternity is widely involved in charity and community service activities, as well as providing a social outlet for the members.

The balance between ritual, philosophical and spiritual, charitable service and social interchange aspects varies subject to the cultures of the various Grand Lodges which govern Freemasonry around the world. Some Continental European Grand Lodges require the candidate to demonstrate philosophical competence as he advances through the degrees where this requirement is not overwhelmingly present in Britain, North America, and the anglophone parts of the world; charity tending to balance philosophy. There is a growing movement of lodges throughout the anglophone world tending towards the more philosophical and spiritual aspects of the craft.

Nevertheless, philosophy and esoteric knowledge remains a deep interest to many individuals. The philosophical aspects of the Craft tend to be discussed in Lodges of Instruction or Research, and sometimes informal groups. Freemasons themselves frequently reprint the scholarly studies that are available to the public.

Charitable effort

Freemasons collect money internally which is attributed to charitable purposes. A number of structures exist within Freemasonry to disburse this money, a proportion of which goes to non-Masonic charities either locally or on a provincial or national basis.

Masonic charities include

• Homes which provide sheltered housing or nursing care.
• Education with both educational grants or residential education which are open to all and not limited to the families of Freemasons.
• Medical assistance

Contemporary challenges

As with other fraternal organisations in the 21st Century, Freemasonry in some districts of the United States, the UK and other jurisdictions has been losing members, faster than it can replenish them. In contrast, the number of Masons is generally on the rise in South America and Continental Europe.

A number of theories exist as to the cause of this declining membership:

• A consequence of changing social mores and recognisable in other similar organisations.
• A return to a more natural level following an unsustainable increase in membership following WWII.

Many Grand Lodges in the U.S. have tried a variety of, often-controversial, measures to address declining membership. These have included "one-day ceremonies" of all the three degrees for large groups of candidates, (as opposed to individual degree conferrals taking months or years to complete); advertising on billboards, and even active recruitment of new candidates by members, (as opposed to the tradition of considering only those who actively seek membership for themselves). Some Masons object to the traditions and principles of Freemasonry being diluted by these changes, feeling that the Fraternity has survived centuries of social change without changing itself; others cite a need for Freemasonry to modernize and make itself relevant to new generations.

Ritual and symbolism

Freemasonic Ritual uses the architectural symbolism of the medieval operative Masons who actually worked in stone. Tools from operative masonry are used by Freemasons to teach moral and ethical lessons and to encourage the development of a relationship with the Supreme Being. Two of the principal symbols always found in a lodge are the square and compasses. However, as Freemasonry is non-dogmatic, there is no general interpretation for any of these symbols.

The square and compasses are displayed at all Masonic meetings, along with the open Volume of the Sacred Law (VSL). In English-speaking countries, this is frequently the King James Version of the Bible or another standard translation (there is no such thing as an exclusive "Masonic Bible"). It is otherwise whatever book a particular jurisdiction authorizes. In many French Lodges, the Masonic Constitutions are used.

A candidate for a degree will normally be given his choice of religious text for his Obligation, according to his beliefs. UGLE alludes to similarities to legal practice in the UK, and to a common source with other oath taking. Christian candiates will typically use the Lodge's Bible while those of other religions may choose another book that is holy to them, to be displayed alongside the Lodges' usual VSL. In lodges with a mixed religious membership it is common to find more than one sacred text displayed representing the beliefs of the individuals present.

In keeping with the geometrical and architectural theme of Freemasonry, the Supreme Being is referred to in Masonic ritual by the attributes of Great Architect of the Universe (G.A.O.T.U.), Grand Geometer or similar. Freemasons use a variety of forms of words in make clear that they are reference is generic, not about any one religion's particular God or God-like concept.

Degrees

The degrees of Craft or Blue Lodge Freemasonry are those of:

1. Entered Apprentice (EA)
2. Fellow Craft (FC)
3. Master Mason (MM)

As a Freemason works through the degrees, and studies the lessons they contain, he interprets them for himself. No Mason is dictated to as to the interpretation he personally gives, bounded only by the Constitution within which he works. A common structure of speaking symbolically, and universal human archetypes, provides for each Freemason a means to come to his own answers to life's important philosophical questions. Especially in Europe, Freemasons working through the degrees are asked to prepare papers on related philosophical topics, and present these papers in an open Lodge.

There is no Masonic degree higher than that of Master Mason. Although some Masonic bodies and orders have degrees named with higher numbers, these degrees are considered to be supplements to the Master Mason degree rather than promotions from it . Nevertheless, it is essential for one to be a Master Mason in order to qualify for these further degree bodies, each of which is organized and administered more or less similarly to Freemasonry itself. In each organization there is a system of offices which confer rank within that degree or order alone.

Signs, grips and words

Freemasons use signs (hand gestures), grips (hand shakes) and passwords to gain admission to their meetings and identify that a visitor is legitimate. Over the years many exposés have been written claiming to reveal these signs grips and passwords for the uninitiated. However, as each Grand Lodge is free to create its own rituals, the signs, grips and passwords can and do differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, as noted clearly by Christopher Hodapp. Furthermore, according to historian John J. Robinson Grand Lodges can and do change their rituals frequently, updating the language used, adding or omitting sections.The logical conclusion of Hodapp's and Robinson's assertions is that any exposé is only valid for a particular jurisdiction at a particular time, and therefore may or may not be accurate with respect to modern ritual.

Landmarks

The Landmarks are the ancient and unchangeable precepts of Masonry, the standards by which the regularity of a Freemasonic Lodge and Grand Lodges are judged. Each Grand Lodge is self-governing and no single authority exists over the whole of Freemasonry. The interpretation of these principles can and do vary, leading to controversies of recognition.

The concept of Masonic Landmarks appears in Masonic regulations as early as 1723, and seems to have been adopted from the regulations of operative masonic guilds. Nowadays the term Landmark is generally understood by the definition of Dr. Albert Gallatin Mackey, who laid down three requisite characteristics, namely: (1) immemorial antiquity (2) universality (3) absolute irrevocability.

In 1856, Mackey attempted to set down the actual Landmarks as he saw them. He determined there were 25 in all. Seven years later, in 1863, George Oliver published Freemason's Treasury in which he listed 40 Landmarks. In the last century, a number of American Grand Lodges attempted the daunting task of enumerating the Landmarks, ranging from West Virginia (7) and New Jersey (10) to Nevada (39) and Kentucky (54).

History of Freemasonry

Main article: History of Freemasonry

Origin theories

Freemasonry is a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbol and in the ritual context employs an ellegorical foundation myth of foundation of the fraternity by the builders of King Solomon’s Temple.

Beyond myth, there is a distinct absence of documentation as to Freemasonry’s origins, which has led to a great deal of speculation among historians, both from within and from outside the fraternity. Hundreds of books have been written on the subject. Much of the content of these books is highly speculative, and the precise origins of Freemasonry may very well be permanently lost to history.

Freemasonry has variously been attributed to  :

• an institutional outgrowth of the medieval guilds of stonemasons,
• a direct descendant of the "Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem" (the Knights Templar)
• an offshoot of the ancient Mystery schools,
• an administrative arm of the Priory of Sion,
• the intellectual descendants of the Roman Collegia,
• the intellectual descendants of the Comacine masters,
• the intellectual descendants of Noah or Enoch,
• survivor of late 17th Century, enlightenment period, fashion for fraternal bodies with no real connections at all to earlier organizations.

It is thought by many that Freemasonry is unlikely to be a straightforward outgrowth of medieval guilds of stonemasons. Amongst the reasons given for this conclusion are the facts that stonemasons lived near their worksite and thus had no need for secret signs to identify themselves, and that the "Ancient Charges" of Freemasonry are nonsensical when thought of as being rules for a stonemasons' guild.

Especially amongst York Rite Freemasons, Freemasonry is said to have existed in the 10th century CE, at the time of King Athelstan of England. Athelstan is said to have been converted to Christianity in York, and to have issued the first Charter to the Masonic Lodges there. The story of his conversion is unsubstantiated, as that royal dynasty had been Christian for centuries.

Current theory suggests that the development of Freemasonry has two distinct growth periods.

Stage 1 Freemasonry being operative in nature and likely to have been associated with the craft guilds. Ritual elements are simple and there is no evidence of a sophisticated philosophical outlook.

Stage 2 emerges in the 18th Centry with a gentrification process and is evidenced by an increasing non-operative membership notable for their social position and position in English, particularly London based, society. The Prestonian ritual and lectures demonstrate an infusion of enlightenment philosophy and increasing use of ritual as a vehicle for the communication and exploration of that philosophy.

From foundation to 1717

A more historical source asserting the antiquity of Freemasonry is the Halliwell Manuscript, or Regius Poem - believed to date from ca. 1390. This makes reference to several concepts and phrases similar to those found in Freemasonry. The manuscript itself seems to be an elaboration to an earlier document, to which it refers.

There is also the Cooke Manuscript, dated 1430 - the Constitution of German stonemasons. The first appearance of the word 'Freemason' occurs in the Statutes of the Realm enacted in 1495 by Henry VII of England, however, most other documentary evidence prior to the 1500s appears to relate entirely to operative Masons.

By 1583, the date of the Grand Lodge manuscript, the documentary evidence begins to grow. The Schaw Statues of 1598-9(4) are the source used to declare the precedence of Lodge Mother Kilwinning in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland over Lodge Mary's Chapel in Edinburgh. These are described as Head and Principal respectively. As a side note, following a dispute over numbering at the formation of the Grand Lodge of Scotland (GLS) - Kilwinning is numbered as Lodge Mother Kilwinning Number 0 (pronounced 'Nothing'), GLS. Quite soon thereafter, a charter was granted to Sir William St. Clair (later Sinclair) of Roslin (Rosslyn), allowing him to purchase jurisdiction over a number of lodges in Edinburgh and environs. This may be the basis of the Templar myth surrounding Rosslyn Chapel.

From the early 1600s references are found to Freemasonry in personal diaries and journals. Elias Ashmole (1617-1692), was made a Mason in 1646, and notes attending several Masonic meetings. There appears to be a general spread of the Craft, between Ashmole's account and 1717, when four English Lodges meeting in London Taverns joined together and founded the Grand Lodge of England (GLE). They had held meetings, respectively, at the Apple-Tree Tavern, the Crown Ale-House near Drury Lane, the Goose and Gridiron in St. Paul's Churchyard, and the Rummer and Grapes Tavern in Westminster.

With the foundation of this first Grand Lodge, Freemasonry shifted from being an obscure, relatively private, institution into the public eye. The years following saw new Grand Lodges open throughout Europe. How much of this growth was the spreading of Freemasonry itself, and how much was due to the public organization of pre-existing private Lodges, is uncertain.

The first great schism - 1753

In 1723, James Anderson wrote and published The Constitutions of the Free-Masons, For the Use of the Lodges in London and Westminster. This work was reprinted in Philadelphia in 1734 by Benjamin Franklin, who was that year elected Grand Master of the Masons of Pennsylvania.

The Grand Lodge of England (GLE) expanded the degree system from two — Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craftsman — to three. This was done by adding the Master Mason degree, around the year 1725; and by reorganising, adding and dispersing ritual elements. The GLE along with those jurisdictions in amity with it, came to be known colloquially as the Moderns, (or the Premier Grand Lodge), to distinguish them from a newer, rival group within Freemasonry, known as the Antients, (or the Antient Grand Lodge). The Antients broke away in 1753, prompted by changes to the Ritual and a wish to have a fourth Holy Royal Arch (HRA) degree within Craft Masonry. Benjamin Franklin was a Modern, but by the time he died, his lodge had gone over to the Antients and would no longer recognize him as one of their own — declining to give him Masonic honours at his funeral.

The schism was healed in when the competing Grand Lodges were amalgamated into the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) in 1813, by virtue of a delicately worded compromise that returned the modes of recognition to their pre-1753 form, but kept Freemasonry per se as consisting of three degrees only, and while still allowing the Antients to view the HRA degree as the completion of the third degree. Both the Antients and the Moderns had daughter lodges throughout the world, and because many of those lodges still exist, there is a great deal of variability in the ritual used today, even between UGLE-recognized jurisdictions in amity. Most private lodges conduct themselves in accordance with an agreed-upon single Rite.

The second great schism - 1877

The second great schism in Freemasonry occurred in the years following 1877, when the Grand Orient de France (GOdF) started accepting atheists unreservedly. While the issue of atheism is probably the greatest single factor in the split with the GOdF, the English also point to the French recognition of women's Masonry and co-Masonry, as well as the tendency of French Masons to be more willing to discuss religion and politics in Lodge. While the French curtail such discussion, they do not ban it as outright as do the English. The schism between the two branches has occasionally been breached for short periods of time, especially during the First World War when American Masons overseas wanted to be able to visit French Lodges.

Concerning religious requirements, the oldest constitution found in Freemasonry — that of Anderson, 1723 — says that a Mason "will never be a stupid Atheist nor an irreligious Libertine" if he "rightly understands the Art". The only religious requirement was "that Religion in which all Men agree, leaving their particular Opinions to themselves". Masons debate as to whether "stupid" and "irreligious" are meant as necessary, or as accidental, modifiers of "atheist" and "libertine". It is possible the ambiguity is intentional.

In 1815, the newly amalgamated UGLE modified Anderson's constitutions to include: "Let a man's religion or mode of worship be what it may, he is not excluded from the Order, provided he believes in the glorious Architect of Heaven and Earth, and practices the sacred duties of morality."

In 1849, France (GOdF) followed the English (UGLE) lead by adopting the "Supreme Being" requirement, but pressure from Latin countries produced by 1875, the alternative phrase "Creative Principle". This was ultimately not enough for the GOdF, and in 1877 it re-adopted the original Anderson document of 1723. They also created an alternative ritual that made no direct reference to any deity, with the attribute of the Great Architect of the Universe. This new Rite did not replace the older ones, but was added as an alternative, as Continental European jurisdictions, generally, tend not to restrict themselves to a single Rite — offering a menu of Rites, from which their lodges may choose.

There is some controversy, originating in the Roman Catholic Church, over how divided the jurisdictions were, with some American Freemasons in the early twentieth century (before the partial reconciliation of Freemasonry in the First World War) stressing the unity of Freemasonry., which was viewed as evidence that the schism was only partial.

See also: Regular Masonic jurisdictions

Criticism, persecution, and prosecution

Main article: Anti-Masonry

Freemasonry has historically attracted criticism and suppression from the politically extreme right (i.e. Nazi Germany) and the extreme left (i.e. the former Communist states in Eastern Europe). The fraternity has encountered both applause for “founding” - and opposition for supposedly thwarting - liberal democracies (such as the United States of America). It has also attracted criticism and suppression from theocratic states and organised religions for supposed competition with religion, or heterodoxy within the Fraternity itself.

Case studies in politics and crime

Perhaps influenced by the assertion of Masons that many political figures in the past 300 years have been Masons, Freemasonry has long been the target of conspiracy theories, which see it as an occult and evil power. Often associated with the New World Order and other "agents", such as the Illuminati - the fraternity is seen, by conspiracy theorists, as either bent on world domination, or already secretly in control of world politics.

In 1799 English Freemasonry almost came to a halt. In the wake of the French Revolution the Unlawful Societies Act, 1799 banned any meetings of groups that required their members to take an oath or obligation. The Grand Masters of the Premier Grand Lodge and the Antients Grand Lodge called on the Prime Minister William Pitt, (not a Freemason) and explained to him how Freemasonry was a supporter of the law and lawfully constituted authority and was much involved in charitable work. As a result Freemasonry was specifically exempted from the terms of the Act, provided that each Private Lodge's Secretary placed with the local "Clerk of the Peace" a list of the members of his Lodge - once a year. This continued until 1967 when the obligation of the provision was rescinded by Parliament.

Due to the appearance of secrecy, and the possibility it might be implicated in rebellion, regular Freemasonry inserted into its core ritual a formal obligation; to be a quiet and peaceable citizens, true to their lawful government of the country in which they live and not to countenance disloyalty or rebellion. A Freemason makes a further obligation, before being made Master of his Lodge, to pay a proper respect to the civil Magistrates. The words may be varied across Grand Lodges, but the sense in the obligation taken is always there in regular Freemasonry. No one citation can be given, even historically, since the actual text is not specified, nor is the whole of Freemasonry given to such an undertaking. In fact this has historically been the cause of Grand Lodges calling others irregular.

In 1826, William Morgan disappeared in the U.S., after threatening to expose Freemasonry's secrets. His disappearence caused claims that he had been murdered by rogue Freemasons. No evidence was ever brought forward, however.

In Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler writes that Freemasonry has "succumbed" to the Jews and has become an "excellent instrument" to fight for their aims and to use their "strings" to pull the upper strata of society into their alleged designs. He continues, "The general pacifistic paralysis of the national instinct of self-preservation begun by Freemasonry" is then transmitted to the masses of society by the press.

The Enabling Act (Ermächtigungsgesetz in German) was passed by Germany's parliament (the Reichstag) on March 23, 1933. Using the "Act", on January 8, 1934 the German Ministry of the Interior ordered the disbandment of Freemasonry, and confiscation of the property of all Lodges; stating that those who had been members of Lodges when Hitler came to power, in January 1933, were prohibited from holding office in the Nazi party or its paramilitary arms, and were ineligible for appointment in public service. Consistently considered an ideological foe of Nazism in their world perception (Weltauffassung), special sections of the Security Service (SD) and later the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA) were established to deal with the Freemasonry. Freemasonic Concentration Camp inmates were graded as “Political” prisoners, and wore an inverted, (point down), red triangle.

On August 8, 1935, as Führer and Chancellor, Adolf Hitler announced in the Nazi Party newspaper, Voelkischer Beobachter, the final dissolution of all Masonic Lodges in Germany. The article accused a conspiracy of the Fraternity and “World Jewry” of seeking to create a “World Republic”.

In modern democracies, Freemasonry is still sometimes accused of being a network, where political influence and illegal business dealings take place. It is held that individuals become Freemasons through invitation, patrimony, or other non-democratic means. This is actually officially and explicitly deplored. An individual must ask freely and without persuasion to become a Freemason in order to join the fraternity.

In Italy, the illicit and irregular P2 lodge (aka Propaganda Due) has been investigated. In the wake of financial scandals that nearly bankrupted the Vatican Bank in the late 1970s, there is suspicion of involvement in murders, including the head of Banco Ambrosiano, Roberto Calvi. He was found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge in London, England. In Nice, France, the Head Prosecutor has accused some judges and other judicial personnel of deliberately stalling or refusing to elucidate cases involving Freemasons.

The UK Labour Government , in the late 1990s and early 2000s, attempted to require all members of fraternal organisations who are public officials to make their affiliation public. This was challenged under European Human Rights legislation, and the Government in enacting the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law, had to curtail the scope of their requirements. An unexpected result of the UK Holocaust Memorial Day is that the UK Government honours Freemasons amongst those who suffered and died (see Holocaust, below).

Christian religious opposition

Main article: Christianity and Freemasonry

Although sections of other faiths cite objections, in general, there are three doctrinal objections to Freemasonry cited in common by some Christian denominations:

• Syncretism; in that the religious aim of Freemasonry is the creation of a new 'super' or 'universal' religion created by combining various deities and teachings, many of which are pre-Christian.

• Non-dogmatism, being at odds with the claims of Christian exclusivity.

• Esoteric gloss put onto Masonic ritual, cited as being synonymous with Gnosticism.

Those Grand Lodges in amity with UGLE explicitly and adhere to the principle that Freemasonry is not a religion, nor a substitute for religion; There is no separate "Masonic god", and there is no separate proper name for a deity in Freemasonry.

While regular Masonry has always tended as much to rationalism as it does to mysticism, the very existence of the possibility of hermetic interpretations within Freemasonry has led Anti-Masonic activists to quote works such as Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma to try to show Freemasonry as Satanic.

However, since it is not a religion, Freemasonry is non-dogmatic and constitutionally governed. Pike's opinions are his own personal - and now somewhat outdated - interpretations. Most tellingly, Pike himself admits that his book is culled more from other sources than being his original work. Most importantly, Pike is but one commentator amongst many, and no one voice has ever spoken for the whole of Freemasonry.

Holocaust

Forget-me-nots

The majority of those who suffered during the Holocaust were the Jews (because of their religion) and the Poles (because of their nationality). Freemasons were selected for "special treatment" by the Nazis — tortured and executed simply because they were Freemasons. During that time, Freemasons are believed in some places to have worn blue Forget Me Not flowers as a secret badge of recognition. Estimates calculate that between 80,000 and 200,000 Freemasons died.. It is impossible to arrive at a total figure as no one knows the number of Freemasons from Nazi occupied countries who were murdered. The United Kingdom Government established Holocaust Memorial Day to recognise all groups who were targets of the Nazi regime.

The little blue Forget Me Not flower, or badge, is worn in the coat lapel to remember all those that have suffered in the name of Freemasonry, and specifically those during the Nazi era.

In 1948 this emblem was adopted as an official Masonic emblem at the first Annual Convention of the United Grand Lodges of Germany, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons. Two UGLE Lodges, with services connections to Germany, are named after the flower.

Cultural references

• Rudyard Kipling used Masonic symbols and characters in some of his writings, most notably The Man Who Would Be King, which was later made into a film. Two adventurers are taken to be Masonic representatives of Alexander the Great.

• One of the main characters in Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado is a Freemason.

• One of the main characters in Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace becomes a Freemason.

• The plot of the opera "Die Zauberflöte" ("The Magic Flute") contains several references to Masonic ideals and ceremonies. Mozart and his librettist Emanuel Schikaneder were both members of the Masonic lodge Lodge of the Nine Muses.

• Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon religion, was a Freemason, as were the first five presidents of the Church of Latter-day Saints: Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow.

• The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a society founded by at least one Mason who also was a member of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (a research and study group focusing on symbolic alchemy, the mystical kabbalah, tarot, and Christian Symbolism). The Golden Dawn was never a Masonic body, and was open to membership from non-Masons and women.

• The graphic novel From Hell by Alan Moore - and the movie based upon it - feature as their basic premise a conspiracy theory linking "certain Freemasons" to the Jack the Ripper murders. The story is that "Freemason" Sir William Gull, the then British Royal Household's physician, covered up a child of Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence born to a Catholic shop girl - "by killing her, and all the women who knew about the baby". The story depends on the assumption that such figures as the Marquess of Salisbury, Sir William Gull and Sir Robert Anderson were Freemasons - but there is no actual record of their initiation into Freemasonry in any Lodge.

• Freemasons feature heavily in Robert Shea's and Robert Anton Wilson's satire, The Illuminatus! Trilogy.

• John Cleese, and other cast members, portray spoof Freemasons in the How to recognise a Freemason sketch of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

• The Freemasons are spoofed in an episode of The Simpsons as The Ancient Society of Stonecutters, a secret organisation that controls everything from NASA to the Academy Awards (thereby securing Steve Guttenberg's stardom).

• Another episode of The Simpsons has a scene where Mr. Burns, obsessed with germs and having become a "Howard Hughes"-like recluse, sees germs on Smithers' face. The germs chant "Freemasons run the country."

• Dan Brown's novels, Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code and The Solomon Key draw heavily on supposed Masonic and Christian lore and symbolism.

• Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco also deals with Freemasonic themes.

• The Cremaster Cycle films by Matthew Barney use Masonic imagery.

• The plot of the 2004 movie National Treasure revolves heavily around the Freemasons and is somewhat unusual in that it depicts them in a benign light.

• In The Baron in the Trees Italian writer Italo Calvino includes Masonic lodges branching out into the lands of Ombrosa with the protagonist of the novel, Cosimo di Rondo, mysteriously and supposedly involved with them.

• Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris use Freemasonry in their series The Adept, most notably in The Adept Book Two: The Lodge of the Lynx, and in Kurtz's American Revolution historical novel Two Crowns for America, which links Freemasonry and Jacobitism.

• In John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden Adam Trask, the main character, is mentioned as becoming a Freemason later in life.

• In Robert A. Heinlein's short novel "If This Goes On--", the lead character becomes a Freemason and Freemasonry figures largely in the plot.

See also

• Anti-clericalism
• Anti-Freemasonry
• Anti-Masonic Party
• Catholicism and Freemasonry
• Co-Freemasonry
• Gnosticism
• List of Freemasons
• List of Masonic Grand Lodges
• Masonic Knights Templar
• Pigpen cipher
• Prince Hall Freemasonry
• Propaganda Due - The P2 Masonic Lodge Scandal
• Taxil hoax

Appendant bodies

• York Rite
• Royal Order of Scotland
• Scottish Rite
• Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Shriners)
• Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia in England
• Societas Rosicruciana in Scotia in Scotland
• Swedish Rite

Organizations with Masonic affiliations

• Ancient Egyptian Order of Sciots
• Daughters of the Nile
• DeMolay International
• International Order of Job's Daughters
• International Order of the Rainbow for Girls
• Ladies Oriental Shrine of North America
• National Sojourners
• Order of the Eastern Star
• Order of the Amaranth
• The Philalethes Society
• Tall Cedars of Lebanon

External links

Masonic Resources, Publications, & Education

• Web of Hiram
• A Page About Freemasonry
• PS Review of Freemasonry made by Freemasons for Free Masons

Masonic Texts, Art, & Symbolism

• Masonic Books On-Line
• Webb's Freemason's Monitor — including the first three degrees
• Masonic art & clip art
• Illustrations of Masonry

Masonic Responses to common criticisms of Freemasonry

• Is It True What They Say About Freemasonry?
• The Real Secret of Freemasonry
• Discussion of Anti-Masonry
• Anti-Masonry Frequently Asked Questions

Miscellanious

• Hiram's Oasis
• Harun Yahya: Global Freemasonry
• Phoenixmasonry.org web page