Masons in my little town???

Hey everyone,

I didn't even know anything about the Masons until I came to find ATS, and watched it on the simpsons . Now, however, I have read various posts about their "society" and some post by people asking how they could join. I thought to myself "I wonder if we have freemasonry in Yorkshire?" I doubted it..... Funilly enough, I got a new job in Barnsley near my town of Pontefract (England by the way) and on my way to work the first day, I glanced at a big mansion type building at my left, and im sure I saw a big sign with the word "masonic" on it. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but I just noticed it again today and it is indeed a masonic hall. I noticed that at 8:15 A.M. there where like 30 cars in the parking lot, all of them premium vehicles like mercedes and Beemers. Are all masons rich or something?!? Here is their website I googled, I still can't believe my town has a masonic hall, these guys are everywhere! pontefract masonic hall

*RAJ*

Freemasonry often atttracts men who are successful entrepreneurs. There are some conspiracy theorists who would speculate that this is because Freemasons fill each other's pockets. I'd hazard a guess and say Freemasonry is pretty popular and widespread in your Yorkshire (compared to the heavily declining numbers in the rest of the world), due to the longstanding Masonic history of the region.

we have many brothers in our lodge who are not rich by anyones standards however we do have a few who are rather weathly. One of the many points of masonry is that all men meet on the level rich or poor regardless of wealth, or social class. If you really want to know more about that lodge by the way, when there are alot of cars in the parkinglot again, just go on in. ask them what it's all about. i promise you'll be welcomed in with warm arms, even if you dont want to become a mason and just want to know what they are.

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This is the mansion? It doesn't look all that oppulent, especially considering that we're talking about england, where some old regal buildings from the old days are bound to be around.

I think I found the center of the cultus, the bar!
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I don't want to sound ignorant, but do some masons really wear certain robes?

How did you find this? I'm from England and I'm looking to find my local Freemason lodge

Thanks

Originally posted by Nventual
I don't want to sound ignorant, but do some masons really wear certain robes?

Some degree ceremonies are performed in costume, in which case some of the participants are robed.

Originally posted by DARKJEDIG
there where like 30 cars in the parking lot, all of them premium vehicles like mercedes and Beemers. Are all masons rich or something?!?

The cars don't look particularly "premium" either and if all masons are rich, I'm missing a whole lotta cash.

I wish my lodge had a bar like that, no fair! I'm never crossing the street to go to the bar again until we build a bar with the money for our childrens hospitals

Glad you like the website of the Pontefract Masonic Hall, if you would like to have a look inside we do have open days.

Webmaster

there's nothing strange about a masonic lodge in your town, most towns have them! My small little town has a population of just under 6500 and we have one too

en.wikipedia.org...

They do a lot of work for the community and raise thousands of pounds a year to help local charities. Incidentally wimborne is where jack the ripper is buried !!

Saying you have a masonic lodge in your town is like saying you have a boy scout troop or an Elks Lodge in your town. Its a fraternity. You can find lodges in the smallest of towns as well as the largest ones. I live near Cincinnati Ohio and for example, there is a town called "Batavia" in the middle of no where. (Lodge #104 I believe) Guess what! there is a lodge there. ITs really all depends on what the interests of the population demands.

Having a lodge in your town is harmless. I'll bet your town has more folks into wicca than those into masonry. They probably play softball against each other under the full moon.

Originally posted by DARKJEDIG
Hey everyone,

I didn't even know anything about the Masons until I came to find ATS, and watched it on the simpsons

. Now, however, I have read various posts about their "society" and some post by people asking how they could join. I thought to myself "I wonder if we have freemasonry in Yorkshire?" I doubted it..... Funilly enough, I got a new job in Barnsley near my town of Pontefract (England by the way) and on my way to work the first day, I glanced at a big mansion type building at my left, and im sure I saw a big sign with the word "masonic" on it. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but I just noticed it again today and it is indeed a masonic hall. I noticed that at 8:15 A.M. there where like 30 cars in the parking lot, all of them premium vehicles like mercedes and Beemers. Are all masons rich or something?!? Here is their website I googled, I still can't believe my town has a masonic hall, these guys are everywhere! pontefract masonic hall

*RAJ*

The thing is that there is a Masonic hall in just about every town in the U.s. and it is in a majority of other countries.

Im going to join one in my town. I always have extra time since im working for the city , and a lodge would be great. Besides, I think ill fit right in with the masons. My history is good...my friends call me a man of God. All I want to do is discover truths and better myself....

I just discovered a temple in my town. It's absolutly gorgeous. Old, Creepy..but nice !

I used to have all these theories about the Masons but I think that the conspiracies involving them have gotten streched a little. I'm sure that high up theres lots of money involvled, but as far as Satanists and other weird stuff like that I don't buy. I think they are more along the lines of One God, One Creator, minus religious Dogma, which I believe tends to be the biggest firestarter among small town bible belt areas (like I'm from). In a nustshell I think they have some power and pull as far as Economics go, but in charge fo a new world order or something to that effect, I don't quite buy. I think most of your small town brotherhoods are more or less Good ole boy's who help out the neighborhood through various charities and enjoy the comradere, and have no true connections to the higher ups. Just my opinion.

Originally posted by kleverone
Just my opinion.

Your opinion, like your signature, is pretty accurate. You're quite new, so, welcome to the forum...

Originally posted by kleverone
I'm sure that high up theres lots of money involvled

It's curious that people think this. Freemasonry is a non-profit fraternal and charitable organization. It's only income comes from dues-paying members, and charitable contributions, both from the membership and the public at large.

What revenues Masonry take in are used to cover operating expenses, while the remainder goes to charity. Freemasonry has never been a business or a for-profit organization.

Originally posted by Masonic Light
What revenues Masonry take in are used to cover operating expenses, while the remainder goes to charity. Freemasonry has never been a business or a for-profit organization.

Seems that there are some allegations that the shriners organization, which is part of masonry at least, hasn't been exactly compliant with the law in regards to fundraising.

sandyfrost.newsvine.com...

It appears that Hill was removed from both committees for asking about the group’s financial accountability as well as for asking “Where does all the money go?” [...]
This ties into an issue cited in an April, 2005 report on the Shriners provided by Give.org, the nonprofit watchdog group that is part of the Better Business Bureau. The report states:

“Shriners Hospitals for Children (Shriners) does not meet the following Standard for Charity Accountability. 10: Avoid accumulating funds that could be used for current program activities

Originally posted by Nygdan
Seems that there are some allegations that the shriners organization, which is part of masonry at least, hasn't been exactly compliant with the law in regards to fundraising.

sandyfrost.newsvine.com...

It appears that Hill was removed from both committees for asking about the group’s financial accountability as well as for asking “Where does all the money go?” [...]
This ties into an issue cited in an April, 2005 report on the Shriners provided by Give.org, the nonprofit watchdog group that is part of the Better Business Bureau. The report states:

“Shriners Hospitals for Children (Shriners) does not meet the following Standard for Charity Accountability. 10: Avoid accumulating funds that could be used for current program activities

An abbreviation of an abbreviation... Let's look at the Give.org Shriner's page in it's entirety:

www.give.org...

10: Avoid accumulating funds that could be used for current program activities. To meet this standard, the charitys unrestricted net assets available for use should not be more than three times the size of the past years expenses or three times the size of the current years budget, whichever is higher.

Shriners does not meet this standard because according to its 2003 audited financial statements, total unrestricted net assets (after excluding $757,707,000 of land, buildings and equipment) are $6,266,520,000. This amount is greater than 11 times the total expenses ($535,834,000) for 2003. As a result, Shriners does not meet this standard.




Charity Response: In response to the above evaluation conclusion, Shriners stated, in part, that: "Because Shriners Hospitals for Children do not charge their patients for services, nor do they accept payment from insurance companies nor governmental agencies, they believe that continued growth of their [board designated] endowment fund is the only assurance of continuing support for the programs. The Hospitals, at their 22 separate locations, employ over 6,000 employees who are for the most part highly trained health care professionals. Shriners Hospitals for Children must maintain financial stability and must provide the resources necessary to keep their physical plants and medical equipment up to date in order to render the best patient services. Shriners Hospitals for Children's major source of income is from bequests, the timing of which cannot be predicted. The organization cannot maintain its level of support and growth if it budgets its operation and capital expenditures based upon contributions in a given year or period. If the organization is to continue its programs or expand services to meet the future needs of its potential patient population, those purposes must be assured through the continued growth of the [board designated] endowment fund, which will provide the revenues necessary to support the hospitals."

Shriners Hospitals for Children meets the remaining 15 Standards for Charity Accountability Please note that as of the date of this report four out of the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability are not currently effective. As a result, these four Standards have not been applied in this evaluation. For additional information, please see the Implementation Guide to the Standards available on the www.give.org website.

Nor does it detail where the vast majority of those assets come from (endowments from the membership, not the public), an awkward detail no doubt for Sandy.

On further note, events such as the Shrine Circus ARE NOT tax deductible, nor do the proceeds go to the hospitals themselves, nor are the hospitals even mentioned in conjunction with such events... This would be illegal, and is under constant scrutiny by the IRS! The purpose of such fund raisers (Vidalia onion sales being another), is to provide support to the individual Shrine Center (formerly Mosque and then Temple), for the day to day operation, and other community services.

All in all, what you have here is a rather sloppy attempt at a slam piece... I wonder why?

p.s. Give.org needs to hire someone to write their "charitable standards;" grammatical errors are an embarrassment for such an esteemed organization.

Edit: Grammatical errors.





[edit on 6/7/2006 by Mirthful Me]