posted on Aug, 30 2008 @ 06:31 PM
OK, As a Freemason, I want to answer a couple of points.
1. Unless it is an "Open Lodge," (Which are held on certain occasions) anyone who is NOT initiated into and of the proper degree of Freemasonry can
not attend a meeting. However, the same is true of the Knights of Columbus, The Elks, the Moose, and the AOH. As a matter of fact, these organizations
have MORE secrets than in Freemasonry.
2. We are not a "secret Society," we are a society that has certain secrets.
3. There is no conspiracy of Freemasons to rule the World. If the world were run under the principles of Freemasonry, it would be a in a hell of a lot
better shape, as the Masons do not discriminate against anyone. Masons are all Brothers of all creeds and colors. The only exception is that you have
to be male, and believe in a Supreme Deity. (What Deity is up to you.) Religion and politics are subjects that are forbidden to be discussed in Lodge
because they can be divisive, disturbing the harmony of the Lodge.
4. The "Illuminati" is a fictional organization, and if it ever DID exist, it was never a Masonic organization. (That is not to say that some
members may not have also been Masons.)
5. At one time, Catholics were forbidden to join the Masons...by a Papal Bull issued by the Roman Catholic Church. The Masons have ALWAYS welcomed
Roman Catholics. (That Bull was rescinded at the Second Vatican Council.) As a matter of fact, the Knights of Columbus, Knights of Pythias, and the
AOH were all societies organized as an alternative to Masonry that was Church sanctioned, based on the Masonic Model. In many jurisdictions,
the K of C still will not allow Masons to join their organization, but Freemasonry is open to K of C members.
6. There are powerful business and government leaders who are Masons, but there are also people who work in offices, street sweepers, trash
collectors, and even a few Operative Masons. (Masons in the sense that they actually work in stone and brick.) There are much more "regular" folk
who are Masons that the rich and powerful. The average number of the Rich and Powerful who are Masons is no more that in the general population.
7. Contrary to popular belief, only 19 U. S. Presidents were Masons. George Washington DID take the Oath of Office on a Bible from a Masonic Lodge in
new York, (Now known as "The Washington Bible) but ONLY because no one thought to bring one, and it was the nearest one. (Remember, they were winging
it because it had never been done before!) All Presidents Elect are offered the use of The Washington Bible, and a number of Non-Masonic Presidents
(Including George H.W. Bush) have taken the Oath of Office on it.
8. There is NO Masonic symbology on the dollar bill. The images are the obverse and reverse of the Great Seal of the United States. Three separate
committees were formed before the Great Seal was finalized, and only one person, Benjamin Franklin, sat on any of them. He was a member of the first
committee, and his designs and ideas were soundly rejected. The same goes for the layout of Washington, D. C.
9. If it were not for Freemasonry, there would be no United States. George Washington instituted "Traveling lodges" as a way to get his officers,
who were from all walks of life and from all 13 colonies, to work together as a cohesive force. Also, may Masonic ideals found their way into the
Declaration of Independence (although Jefferson was NOT a Mason, and neither was John Adams, although Benjamin Franklin was.) only because these
ideals were the same ideals that the new country was striving for.