FreemasonryFrom TinWiki.org(Redirected from Freemasons)
Freemasonry is a secret society with global reach. 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. Organizationally, Freemasonry is governed on a geographic basis by independent, Sovereign Grand Lodge (pdf) 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." Most of the so-called "secrets" of Craft Freemasonry were revealed in various exposures in the eighteenth century, the earliest being a Masonic catechism printed in the Flying Post newspaper in 1723. 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.[1]
[edit] Organizational structureThere are many "jurisdictions" within "regular" Freemasonry, usually defined according to a national or geographic territory. There is no central Masonic authority. The authority in any Masonic jurisdiction is vested in a Grand Lodge, or sometimes a Grand Orient. The major, separate jurisdictions, which have no fraternal relationships are::
Each jurisdiction maintains a list of other jurisdictions that it formally recognizes as meeting its requirements for regularity. 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 Annuitants. 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), accessed February 6 2006. 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 jurisdictions. [edit] LodgesA Lodge is any recognized meeting of Freemasons. Usually the only widely recognized requirements for such a meeting to be considered a "Lodge" meeting are that a square and compass be present, along with a copy of the organization's "Constitution." Therefore a Lodge is not merely a building in which such meetings occur. Any assembly of Masons meeting those requirements is 'a lodge.' The Lodge is the basic organizational unit 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. The buildings in which Lodges of Masons occur are variously known as Lodges, Temples, Masonic Centres or Halls. Lodge Buildings usually have a set of prescribed symbols and items within it that are used in the instruction of initiates in the Masonic system, such as the tesselated carpet, which looks like a black and white chessboard, or architectural pillars. The Lodge building itself is usually divided in sections, with special reference to astrological and natural phenomena, such as the rising of the Sun. Many Lodges are formed by Masons living within a given town or neighborhood. Persons who share particular interests, professions or backgrounds - certain schools, universities or military units - form other Lodges, particularly in urban areas where there are many Lodges close together. There are also specialist lodges of "Research and Instruction" (R&I). Membership in these R&I lodges is typically open to interested Master Masons of other lodges, as R&I lodges usually do not initiate new candidates to Freemasonry. [edit] Other degrees, orders and bodiesIn English-speaking countries, the highest Degree is generally regared to be that of Master Mason. A number of organizations exist which require one to be a Master Mason as a prerequisite for membership,[2] such as the Scottish Rite, but, here, nthese are not considered to have any authority over the craft, but are considered as additional or appendant. These appendant bodies are administered separately from Craft 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. In France, however, the Scottish Rite Degrees are regarded as superior to the Craft Degrees, while other jurisdictions (such as the Rite of Memphis and Mizram) exist as independent (and "irregular") high degree systems. Examples of these appendant orders include:
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:
A number of bodies style themselves along Masonic lines, using similar regalia and ritual; however, they are not accorded recognition. Because Masonry is such an old and popular secret society, there have been many organizations that are separate from masonry but modeled after them. For example, the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes is not associated within Masonry, but the costumes of members and the rituals are exceedingly similar. [edit] Membership and religionFreemasonry is a fraternity, and thus Regular Freemasonry is only open to men, with the above mentioned exceptions, and the further exception of some Irregular Masonic groups. 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 accessed January 21 2006. Regular Freemasonry requires that its candidates believe in a Supreme Being; in practice only strict atheists are rejected. Some irregular Freemasonic groups permit atheists to join. Of special note, the Freemasonry that predominates in Scandinavia, known as the Swedish Rite, accepts only Christians.[3] [edit] Ritual and symbolismFreemasonic 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. 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. It is otherwise whatever books 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. This is historically related to legal practice in the UK. Christian candidates 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 their references are generic, not about any one religion's particular God or God-like concept. [edit] DegreesThe degrees of Craft or Blue Lodge Freemasonry are those of:
As a Freemason works through the degrees and studies the lessons they contain, he interprets them for himself. Although degrees include set lectures and catechisms giving the basic meaning of its particular symbols, no Mason is dictated to as to the interpretation he personally gives, bounded only by the Constitution within which he works. UGLE Freemasons Accessed February 23 2006. A common structure of speaking symbolically and universal human archetypes provide 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. [edit] Signs, grips and wordsFreemasons use signs (hand gestures), grips (handshakes) 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. He further points out that these differences can cause difficulties for Masons who visit other Jurisdictions. Grand Lodges have had to issue "Masonic Passports" and dues cards to prove membership and ease this confusion. 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. [edit] History[edit] Origin theoriesFreemasonry is a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbol and in the ritual context employs an allegorical 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 A History of Freemasonry by H.L. Haywood and James E. Craig. ca 1927:
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 worksites 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 stonemasons' guilds. 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 English Speculative Freemasonry: Some possible Origins, Themes and Developments. The Prestonian Lecture for 2004 in Ars Quatuor Coronatum 2004 by Trevor Stewart, pub London 2005 suggests that the development of Freemasonry has two distinct growth periods.
[edit] From foundation to 1717A 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. Ibid 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. [edit] Two great schisms (1753 and 1877)In 1723, James Anderson wrote and published The Constitutions of the FreeMasons, For the Use of the Lodges in London and Westminster. Benjamin Franklin, who was that year elected Grand Master of the Masons of Pennsylvania, reprinted this work in Philadelphia in 1734. 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 reorganizing, 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. Revolutionary Brotherhood, by Steven C. Bullock, Univ. N. Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1996 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. A Pragmatic Masonic History, by Leo Zanelli, 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-recognised jurisdictions in amity. Most private lodges conduct themselves in accordance with an agreed-upon single Rite. The second great schism in Freemasonry occurred in the years following 1877, when the 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. [edit] Criticism, persecution, and prosecutionFreemasonry has historically attracted criticism and suppression from the politically far right (i.e. Nazi_Germany James Wilkenson and H. Stuart Hughes, Contemporary Europe: A History, Prentice Hall: 1995 p.237 Otto Zierer, Concise History of Great Nations: History of Germany, Leon Amiel Publisher:1976 p. 104 ) and the far 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 organized religions for supposed competition with religion, or heterodoxy within the Fraternity itself. [edit] Case studies in politics and crimeIn 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 US after threatening to expose Freemasonry's secrets. His disappearance caused claims that rogue Freemasons had murdered him. 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. A. Hitler, Mein Kampf, pages 315 and 320. The Enabling Act 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. 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”. Bro. E Howe, Freemasonry in Germany, Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No 2076 (UGLE), 1984 Yearbook. In modern democracies, Freemasonry is still sometimes accused of being a network, where political influence and business dealings take place. An individual must ask freely and without persuasion to become a Freemason in order to join the fraternity. In Italy, the P2 Lodge 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 organizations 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 honors Freemasons amongst those who suffered and died. [edit] Christian religious oppositionAlthough sections of other faiths cite objections, in general, there are three doctrinal objections to Freemasonry cited in common by Christian denominations:
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. [edit] HolocaustThe majority of those who suffered during the Holocaust conspiracy 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 recognize all groups who were targets of the Nazi regime. In 1948 the flower 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 service connections to Germany, are named after the flower.
[edit] Contemporary challengesAs with other fraternal organizations 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:
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. [edit] Cultural references
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