What's a Mason?

That's not a surprising question. Even though Masons (Freemasons) are
members of the largest and oldest fraternity in the world, and even though
almost everyone has a father or grandfather or uncle who was a Mason, many
people aren't quite certain just who Masons are.

The answer is simple. A Mason (or Freemason) is a member of a fraternity
known as Masonry (or Freemasonry). A fraternity is a group of men (just as a
sorority is a group of women) who join together because: There are things
they want to do in the world. There are things they want to do "inside their
own minds." They enjoy being together with men they like and respect. (We'll
look at some of these things later.)

What's Masonry?

Masonry (or Freemasonry) is the oldest fraternity in the world. No one knows
just how old it is because the actual origins have been lost in time.
Probably, it arose from the guilds of stonemasons who built the castles and
cathedrals of the Middle Ages. Possibly, they were influenced by the
Knights Templar, a group of Christian warrior monks formed in 1118 to help
protect pilgrims making trips to the Holy Land. In 1717, Masonry created a
formal organization in England when the first Grand Lodge was formed. A
Grand Lodge is the administrative body in charge of Masonry in some
geographical area. In the United States, there is a Grand Lodge in each
state. In Canada, there is a Grand Lodge in each province. Local
organizations of Masons are called lodges. There are lodges in most towns,
and large cities usually have several. There are about 13,200 lodges in the
United States.

If Masonry started in Great Britain, how did it get to America?

In a time when travel was by horseback and sailing ship, Masonry spread with
amazing speed. By 1731, when Benjamin Franklin joined the fraternity, there
were already several lodges in the Colonies, and Masonry spread rapidly as
America expanded west. In addition to Franklin, many of the Founding Fathers
-- men such as George Washington, Paul Revere, Joseph Warren, and John
Hancock -- were Masons. Masons and Masonry played an important part in the
Revolutionary War and an even more important part in the Constitutional
Convention and the debates surrounding the ratification of the Bill of
Rights. Many of those debates were held in Masonic lodges.

What's a lodge?

The word "lodge" means both a group of Masons meeting in some place and the
room or building in which they meet. Masonic buildings are also sometimes
called "temples" because much of the symbolism Masonry uses to teach its
lessons comes from the building of King Solomon's Temple in the Holy Land.
The term "lodge" itself comes from the structures which the stonemasons
built against the sides of the cathedrals during construction. In winter,
when building had to stop, they lived in these lodges and worked at carving
stone. Since Masonry came to America from England, we still use the English
floor plan and English titles for the officers. The Worshipful Master of the
Lodge sits in the East ("Worshipful" is an English term of respect which
means the same thing as "Honorable.") He is called the Master of the lodge
for the same reason that the leader of an orchestra is called the "Concert
Master." It's simply an older term for "Leader." In other organizations,
he would be called "President." The Senior and Junior Wardens are the First
and Second Vice-Presidents. The Deacons are messengers and the Stewards
have charge of refreshments. Every lodge has an altar holding a "Volume of
the Sacred Law." In the United States and Canada, that is almost always a
Bible.

What goes on in a lodge?

This is a good place to repeat what we said earlier about why men become
Masons: There are things they want to do in the world. There are things
they want to do "inside their own minds." They enjoy being together with
men they like and respect. The Lodge is the center of those activities.

Masonry Does Things in the World.

Masonry teaches that each person has a responsibility to make things better
in the world. Most individuals won't be the ones to find a cure for cancer,
or eliminate poverty, or help create world peace, but every man and woman
and child can do something to help others and to make things a little
better. Masonry is deeply involved with helping people -- it spends more
than $1.4 million dollars every day in the United States, just to make life
a little easier. And the great majority of that help goes to people who are
not Masons. Some of these charities are vast projects, like the Crippled
Children's Hospitals and Burns Institutes built by the Shriners. Also,
Scottish Rite Masons maintain a nationwide network of over 100 Childhood
Language Disorders Clinics, Centers, and Programs. Each helps children
afflicted by such conditions as aphasia, dyslexia, stuttering, and related
learning or speech disorders. Some services are less noticeable, like
helping a widow pay her electric bill or buying coats and shoes for
disadvantaged children. And there's just about anything you can think of
in-between. But with projects large or small, the Masons of a lodge try to
help make the world a better place. The lodge gives them a way to combine
with others to do even more good.

Masonry does things "inside" the individual Mason.

"Grow or die" is a great law of all nature. Most people feel a need for
continued growth and development as individuals. They feel they are not as
honest or as charitable or as compassionate or as loving or as trusting as
they ought to be. Masonry reminds its members over and over again of the
importance of these qualities. It lets men associate with other men of
honor and integrity who believe that things like honesty and compassion and
love and trust are important. In some ways, Masonry is a support group for
men who are trying to make the right decisions. It's easier to practice
these virtues when you know that those around you think they are important,
too, and won't laugh at you. That's a major reason that Masons enjoy being
together.

Masons enjoy each other's company.

It's good to spend time with people you can trust completely, and most
Masons find that in their lodge. While much of lodge activity is spent in
works of charity or in lessons in self-development, much is also spent in
fellowship. Lodges have picnics, camping trips, and many events for the
whole family. Simply put, a lodge is a place to spend time with friends. For
members only, two basic kinds of meetings take place in a lodge. The most
common is a simple business meeting. To open and close the meeting, there
is a ceremony whose purpose is to remind us of the virtues by which we are
supposed to live. Then there is a reading of the minutes; voting on
petitions (applications of men who want to join the fraternity); planning
for charitable functions, family events, and other lodge activities; and
sharing information about members (called "Brothers," as in most
fraternities) who are ill or have some sort of need. The other kind of
meeting is one in which people join the fraternity -- one at which the
"degrees" are performed.
But every lodge serves more than its own members. Frequently, there are
meetings open to the public. Examples are Ladies' Nights, public
installations of officers, Cornerstone Laying ceremonies, and other special
meetings supporting community events and dealing with topics of local
interest.

What's a degree?

A degree is a stage or level of membership. It's also the ceremony by which
a man attains that level of membership. There are three, called Entered
Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. As you can see, the names are
taken from the craft guilds. In the Middle Ages, when a person wanted to
join a craft, such as the gold smiths or the carpenters or the stonemasons,
he was first apprenticed. As an apprentice, he learned the tools and skills
of the trade. When he had proved his skills, he became a "Fellow of the
Craft" (today we would say "Journeyman"), and when he had exceptional
ability, he was known as a Master of the Craft.

The degrees are plays in which the candidate participates. Each degree uses
symbols to teach, just as plays did in the Middle Ages and as many
theatrical productions do today. (We'll talk about symbols a little later.)

The Masonic degrees teach the great lessons of life -- the importance of
honor and integrity, of being a person on whom others can rely, of being
both trusting and trustworthy, of realizing that you have a spiritual nature
as well as a physical or animal nature, of the importance of self-control,
of knowing how to love and be loved, of knowing how to keep confidential
what others tell you so that they can "open up" without fear.

Why is Masonry so "secretive"?

It really isn't "secretive," although it sometimes has that reputation.
Masons certainly don't make a secret of the fact that they are members of
the fraternity. We wear rings, lapel pins and tie tacks with Masonic
emblems like the Square and Compasses, the best known of Masonic signs
which, logically, recalls the fraternity's roots in stonemasonry. Masonic
buildings are clearly marked, and are usually listed in the phone book.
Lodge activities are not secret; picnics and other events are even listed in
the newspapers, especially in smaller towns. Many lodges have answering
machines which give the upcoming lodge activities. But there are some
Masonic secrets, and they fall into two categories.

The first are the ways in which a man can identify himself as a Mason--grips
and passwords. We keep those private for obvious reasons. It is not at all
unknown for unscrupulous people to try to pass themselves off as Masons in
order to get assistance under false pretenses.

The second group is harder to describe, but they are the ones Masons usually
mean if we talk about "Masonic secrets." They are secrets because they
literally can't be talked about, can't be put into words. They are the
changes that happen to a man when he really accepts responsibility for his
own life and, at the same time, truly decides that his real happiness is in
helping others.

It's a wonderful feeling, but it's something you simply can't explain to
another person. That's why we sometimes say that Masonic secrets cannot (
rather than "may not") be told. Try telling someone exactly what you feel
when you see a beautiful sunset, or when you hear music, like the national
anthem, which suddenly stirs old memories, and you'll understand what we
mean.

"Secret societies" became very popular in America in the late 1800s and
early 1900s. There were literally hundreds of them, and most people
belonged to two or three. Many of them were modeled on Masonry, and made a
great point of having many "secrets." And Masonry got ranked with them.
But if Masonry is a secret society, it's the worst-kept secret in town.

Is Masonry a religion?

The answer to that question is simple. No. We do use ritual in the
meetings, and because there is always an altar or table with the Volume of
the Sacred Law open if a lodge is meeting, some people have confused Masonry
with a religion, but it is not. That does not mean that religion plays no
part in Masonry -- it plays a very important part. A person who wants to
become a Mason must have a belief in God. No atheist can ever become a
Mason. Meetings open with prayer, and a Mason is taught, as one of the
first lessons of Masonry, that one should pray for divine counsel and
guidance before starting an important undertaking. But that does not make
Masonry a "religion."

Sometimes people confuse Masonry with a religion because we call some
Masonic buildings "temples." But we use the word in the same sense that
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes called the Supreme Court a "Temple of Justice"
and because a Masonic lodge is a symbol of the Temple of Solomon. Neither
Masonry nor the Supreme Court is a religion just because its members meet in
a "temple."

In some ways, the relationship between Masonry and religion is like the
relationship between the Parent-Teacher Association (the P.T.A.) and
education. Members of the P.T.A. believe in the importance of education.
They support it. They assert that no man or woman can be a complete and
whole individual or live up to his or her full potential without education.
They encourage students to stay in school and parents to be involved with
the education of their children. They may give scholarships. They
encourage their members to get involved with and support their individual
schools.

But there are some things P.T.A.s do not do. They don't teach. They don't
tell people which school to attend. They don't try to tell people what they
should study or what their major should be.

In much the same way, Masons believe in the importance of religion. Masonry
encourages every Mason to be active in the religion and church of his own
choice. Masonry teaches that, without religion, a man is alone and lost,
and that without religion, he can never reach his full potential.

But Freemasonry does not tell a person which religion he should practice or
how he should practice it. That is between the individual and God. That is
the function of his house of worship, not his fraternity. And Masonry is a
fraternity, not a religion.

What is a Masonic Bible?

Bibles are popular gifts among Masons, frequently given to a man when he
joins the lodge or at other special events. A Masonic Bible is the same
book anyone thinks of as a Bible (it's usually the King James translation)
with a special page in the front on which to write the name of the person
who is receiving it and the occasion on which it is given. Sometimes there
is a special index or information section which shows the person where in
the Bible to find the passages which are quoted in the Masonic ritual.

If Masonry isn't a religion, why does it use rituals?

Many of us may think of religion when we think of ritual, but ritual is used
in every aspect of life. It's so much a part of us that we just don't
notice it. Ritual simply means that some things are done more or less the
same way each time.

Almost all school assemblies, for example, start with the principal or some
other official calling for the attention of the group. Then the group is
led in the Pledge of Allegiance. A school choir or the entire group may sing
the school song. That's a ritual.

Almost all business meetings of every sort call the group to order, have a
reading of the minutes of the last meeting, deal with old business, then
with new business. That's a ritual. Most groups use Robert's Rules of Order
to conduct a meeting. That's probably the best-known book of ritual in the
world.

There are social rituals which tell us how to meet people (we shake hands),
how to join a conversation (we wait for a pause, and then speak), how to buy
tickets to a concert (we wait in line and don't push in ahead of those who
were there first). There are literally hundreds of examples, and they are
all rituals.

Masonry uses a ritual because it's an effective way to teach important
ideas-- the values we've talked about earlier. And it reminds us where we
are, just as the ritual of a business meeting reminds people where they are
and what they are supposed to be doing.

Masonry's ritual is very rich because it is so old. It has developed over
centuries to contain some beautiful language and ideas expressed in symbols.
But there's nothing unusual in using ritual. All of us do it every day.

Why does Masonry use symbols?

Everyone uses symbols every day, just as we do ritual. We use them because
they communicate quickly. When you see a stop sign, you know what it means,
even if you can't read the word "stop." The circle and line mean "don't" or
"not allowed." In fact, using symbols is probably the oldest way of
communication and the oldest way of teaching.

Masonry uses symbols for the same reason. Some form of the "Square and
Compasses" is the most widely used and known symbol of Masonry. In one way,
this symbol is a kind of trademark for the fraternity, as the "golden
arches" are for McDonald's. When you see the Square and Compasses on a
building, you know that Masons meet there.

And like all symbols, they have a meaning.

The Square symbolizes things of the earth, and it also symbolizes honor,
integrity, truthfulness, and the other ways we should relate to this world
and the people in it. The Compasses symbolize things of the spirit, and the
importance of a well-developed spiritual life, and also the importance of
self-control -- of keeping ourselves within bounds. The G stands for
Geometry, the science which the ancients believed most revealed the glory of
God and His works in the heavens, and it also stands for God, Who must be at
the center of all our thoughts and of all our efforts.

The meanings of most of the other Masonic symbols are obvious. The gavel
teaches the importance of self-control and self-discipline. The hourglass
teaches us that time is always passing, and we should not put off important
decisions.

So, is Masonry education?

Yes. In a very real sense, education is at the center of Masonry. We have
stressed its importance for a very long time. Back in the Middle Ages,
schools were held in the lodges of stonemasons. You have to know a lot to
build a cathedral -- geometry, and structural engineering, and mathematics,
just for a start. And that education was not very widely available. All
the formal schools and colleges trained people for careers in the church, or
in law or medicine. And you had to be a member of the social upper classes
to go to those schools. Stonemasons did not come from the aristocracy. And
so the lodges had to teach the necessary skills and information.
Freemasonry's dedication to education started there.

It has continued. Masons started some of the first public schools in both
Europe and America. We supported legislation to make education universal.
In the 1800s Masons as a group lobbied for the establishment of state
supported education and federal land grant colleges. Today we give millions
of dollars in scholarships each year. We encourage our members to give
volunteer time to their local schools, buy classroom supplies for teachers,
help with literacy programs, and do everything they can to help assure that
each person, adult or child, has the best educational opportunities
possible. And Masonry supports continuing education and intellectual growth
for its members, insisting that learning more about many things is important
for anyone who wants to keep mentally alert and young.

What does Masonry teach?

Masonry teaches some important principles. There's nothing very surprising
in the list. Masonry teaches that:

Since God is the Creator, all men and women are the children of God.
Because of that, all men and women are brothers and sisters, entitled to
dignity, respect for their opinions, and consideration of their feelings.

Each person must take responsibility for his/her own life and actions.
Neither wealth, nor poverty, education, nor ignorance, health, nor sickness
excuses any person from doing the best he or she can do or being the best
person possible under the circumstances.

No one has the right to tell another person what he or she must think or
believe. Each man and woman has an absolute right to intellectual,
spiritual, economic, and political freedom. This is a right given by God,
not by man. All tyranny, in every form, is illegitimate.

Each person must learn and practice self-control. Each person must make
sure his spiritual nature triumphs over his animal nature. Another way to
say the same thing is that even when we are tempted to anger, we must not be
violent. Even when we are tempted to selfishness, we must be charitable.
Even when we want to "write someone off," we must remember that he or she is
a human and entitled to our respect. Even when we want to give up, we must
go on. Even when we are hated, we must return love, or, at a minimum, we
must not hate back. It isn't easy!

Faith must be in the center of our lives. We find that faith in our houses
of worship, not in Freemasonry, but Masonry constantly teaches that a
person's faith, whatever it may be, is central to a good life.

Each person has a responsibly to be a good citizen, obeying the law. That
doesn't mean we can't try to change things, but change must take place in
legal ways.

It is important to work to make this world better for all who live in it.
Masonry teaches the importance of doing good - not because it assures a
person's entrance into heaven -- that's a question for a religion, not a
fraternity -- but because we have a duty to all other men and women to make
their lives as fulfilling as they can be.

Honor and integrity are essential to life. Life, without honor and
integrity, is without meaning.

What are the requirements for membership?

The person who wants to join Masonry must be a man (it's a fraternity),
sound in body and mind, who believes in God, is at least the minimum age
required by Masonry in his state, and has a good reputation. (Incidentally,
the "sound in body" requirement -- which comes from the stonemasons of the
Middle Ages -- doesn't mean that a physically challenged man cannot be a
Mason; many are).

Those are the only "formal" requirements. But there are others, not so
formal. He should believe in helping others. He should believe there is
more to life than pleasure and money. He should be willing to respect the
opinions of others. And he should want to grow and develop as a human
being.

How does a man become a Mason?

Some men are surprised that no one has ever asked them to become a Mason.
They may even feel that the Masons in their town don't think they are "good
enough" to join. But it doesn't work that way. For hundreds of years,
Masons have been forbidden to ask others to join the fraternity. We can
talk to friends about Masonry, we can tell them about what Masonry does. We
can tell them why we enjoy it. But we can't ask, much less pressure anyone
to join.

There's a good reason for that. It isn't that we're trying to be exclusive.
But becoming a Mason is a very serious thing. Joining Masonry is making a
permanent life commitment to live in certain ways. We've listed most of
them above -- to live with honor and integrity, to be willing to share and
care about others, to trust each other, and to place ultimate trust in God.
No one should be "talked into" making such a decision.

So, when a man decides he wants to be a Mason, he asks a Mason for a
petition or application. He fills it out and gives it to the Mason, and
that Mason takes it to the local lodge. The Master of the lodge will
appoint a committee to visit with the man and his family, find out a little
about him and why he wants to be a Mason, tell him and his family about
Masonry, and answer their questions. The committee reports to the lodge,
and the lodge votes on the petition. If the vote is affirmative -- and it
usually is -- the lodge will contact the man to set the date for the Entered
Apprentice Degree. When the person has completed all three degrees, he is a
Master Mason and a full member of the fraternity.

(Adapted from an on-line version of a pamphlet "What's a Mason?", by the
Masonic Service Association)

http://www.masonic-renewal.org/freemasonry_explained.htm