Masonic Frequently Asked Questions
A brief breakdown of some of the more commonly held misconceptions about Freemasonry, insight into its symbolism and allegories, and some trivia.
What is Freemasonry?
Freemasonry is the oldest continuously operating fraternal and charitable organization in the world which focuses on developing the morality, ethics, and integrity of its members. It does this by peer mentoring, direct guidance, education and the presentation of allegorical mini plays used to instruct members in the benefits of living by traditional values and how to be good and charitable citizens.
But isn’t it a Secret Organization?
Freemasonry is called a secret organization instead of an organization that has secrets because it sounds more nefarious than it actually is. Usually this term is used by conspiracy theorists and Anti-masons who like to lump it into other infamous groups like the Illuminati, the Bilderberg Group, and the Skull and Bones society when in fact almost everything about Freemasonry e.g. its organization, the rituals, its oaths, and even its modes of recognition between members has been readily available to the general public for at least 300 years in the form of various monitors, pamphlets and other publications. Some of these were even published by Masons themselves, so if you really wanna know one of our “secrets,” it’s not very difficult to find out.
Isn’t is just Satanism? My Pastor, Priest, Minister, Preacher, Rabbi, Uncle Bob said so…
No, but this myth has been going on for a very long time and has been one of the hardest to shake thanks to the perpetual animosity of conspiracy theorists, the uninformed, and Christian Fundamentalists. Most, if not all of Freemasonry’s allegorical degrees used for instruction borrow heavily on, and in some instances quote, entire passages from the Old Testament and even though Freemasonry is all inclusive with regards to a man’s religion, the primary mode of instruction is from a Christian viewpoint since those values are considered universal. Freemasons are Christians, they’re Jews, they’re Muslims, and even Buddhists and that has always been part of its lasting appeal. It’s the only organization whose primary requirement for membership is a belief in a Supreme Being we just don’t force you to pick a specific one. Unfortunately this type of universal religious acceptance is too forward thinking for many “true believers” who would argue that only their own personal religion is the correct one and everything else is heresy.
Yeah but what about Albert Pike? I heard he was a Satanist and this website even quotes him.
The more well-read opponents of Freemasonry also like to quote Albert Pike from a book he wrote about Freemasonry (Morals and Dogma) back in the later part of the 19th century when he was still head of the Southern Masonic Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite, an appendant body of Freemasonry, where he allegedly mentions Lucifer as the spiritual head of the fraternity. Unfortunately this myth is often used as a smoking gun proving Freemasonry’s Satanic dedication, but there’s just a few problems with it. First, the quote doesn’t appear anywhere in Morals and Dogma, the quote was actually a fabrication by Leo Taxil “speaking” through the character of Diana Vaughn in his own anti-masonic book titled the Devil in the Nineteenth Century which was supposed to be a 1st person account of Vaughn’s experience with Satanic Freemasonry.
Taxil would years later confess to the fabrication and had already been censured once before for a controversial book he wrote about the Pope, The Secret Loves of Pope Pius IX, that was also filled with fantastical claims. Secondly, because Pike was a follower of Western Esotericism, he had a habit of fanciful elaboration in his writings and Morals and Dogma is no exception as it explores various myths and legends from humanity’s past and their relevance to Freemasonry’s pursuit of knowledge. Many can misinterpret Pike’s more flowery language as something sinister or by taking everything he wrote literally, when in reality he was taking creative licence when discussing Lucifer and Satan from both the Jewish and Christian traditions. And finally, the Scottish Rite is only an appendant body of Freemasonry divided into two separate jurisdictional authorities (a Northern and Southern) and both with their own Sovereign General who do not control or speak for all of Freemasonry so nothing Pike wrote is anything more than his well informed and educated opinion.
Aren’t Freemasons the same as the Illuminati, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn or the O.T.O.?
No, the Illuminati was a Bavarian secret society of aristocrats, scientists, teachers and philosophers that was founded in 1776 on the beliefs of the Enlightenment who actively worked towards the Universality of the Science of Man over the superstitious practices and beliefs of religion. It ceased to exist in its original form by the end of the 18th century due to internal conflicts between the anti and pro-monarchy, anti and pro-clerical, and anarchist groups within its own membership. Esoteric and Mystical secret societies like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the Ordo Templi Orientis (The Order of the Temple of the East) were similar in organization to Freemasonry but only because many Masons with a more eclectic interest often had dual memberships with such groups. Freemasonry also believes in increasing the overall knowledge of mankind through science but does so in unison with religion not in opposition to it.
Wasn’t Jack the Ripper a Mason?
This is an oldie but a goodie. The movie From Hell starring Johnny Depp and Sir Ian Holmes was based upon a book with the same name which allegedly contained letters written by the White Chapel serial killer. Even though there were plenty of Freemasons in London and White Chapel during the era of Jack the Ripper, there is absolutely no evidence that he was in fact a member of the Craft. Alot of the “evidence” used by conspiracy theorists to prove his connection or membership are based upon a very loose interpretation of the writing left on the wall at the scene of one of the victims. “The Juwes are the Men who will not be blamed for nothing.” was washed off the wall by then Police Commissioner Charles Warren in order to not fan the fires of anti-semitism already present in White Chapel yet the alternative spelling of the word “juwes” is what conspiracists cite as a smoking gun since Warren was a Freemason.
What’s the difference between Operative and Speculative Freemasonry?
The terms operative and speculative are often used by Freemasons to distinguish chronologically when Freemasonry changed from a purely craft guild similar to the guilds present in the middle ages to one of aristocracy and enlightenment following the creation of the grand lodge of England in 1717.