Mason used to be secret

As far as I remember... My grandpa who was the head of 3 or 2nd Lodge in France was a Mason (which I recently learned means "Builder") and he even kept it secret from his own family. I guess it USED to be a secret society but now all the info seems to be public. At least the Mason handshake isn't out yet ;P or is it?

You didn't mention your grandfather's age, but if he was a French Mason under the Vichy government, he would almost certainly have kept it a secret.
Masonry was very prominent in France until the Nazis invaded, and set up their puppet Vichy regime in Paris. The Vichyists closed the French Lodges, and handed Masons over to the invading Germans for "re-education". Secrecy here was an absolute necessity.

Fiat Lvx.

[Edited on 18-4-2004 by Masonic Light]

sorry......what mean with "Lodge"???

He would have been 100 something if he was alive.

He got shot though in the end. Or suicided, that part is uncertain.

Originally posted by Alchemist
sorry......what mean with "Lodge"???

A lodge is like a house.

Freemasons run in degrees some think it only goes up to 33 degree. So those 33 and under are for show and appear to be good people and most probably are, but it goes beyond that.

Just a question... I hear about that Freemasonry goes beyond the 33rd degree. Well, actually only in America do they have the 33rd degree. Well. moving on... if there is above the 33rd degree and it is made up of these shady people that control the world or whatever, what is the purpose of the masons to front for them? to make them look honorable I have been told. But, if nobody know if they exist or not... if no masons know if they exist or not... if they go against the fundamentals of masonry... if they do othing in the masonic name... Then what good is it to use freemasonry as a front? Not trying to insult anyone, just curious as to the reasoning.

The volume of misinformation about the degree structure in Freemasonry at this site is overwhelming.

The 33 degrees refer to a specific rite in Freemasonry called the Ancient And Accepted Scottish Rite. There is no advancement beyond the 33rd degree. Where there is Freemasonry there is the Ancient And Accepted Scottish Rite.

There are several other rites and orders with different ceremonial and educational programs altogether.

The only bodies that operate exclusively in the US are special purpose 'clubs' like Shriners or DeMolay and orders with a specific history like Prince Hall.

Originally posted by JCMinJapan
Just a question... I hear about that Freemasonry goes beyond the 33rd degree. Well, actually only in America do they have the 33rd degree. Well. moving on... if there is above the 33rd degree and it is made up of these shady people that control the world or whatever, what is the purpose of the masons to front for them? to make them look honorable I have been told. But, if nobody know if they exist or not... if no masons know if they exist or not... if they go against the fundamentals of masonry... if they do othing in the masonic name... Then what good is it to use freemasonry as a front? Not trying to insult anyone, just curious as to the reasoning.

Masonry does not have 33 degrees. There are literally thousands of degrees, scattered throughout hundreds of Rites throughout the world, but only the first three degrees of Masonry are universally recognized by all Masons worldwide.
In the U.S., practically all members become Master Masons in Blue Lodges of the York Rite. After this, if a Mason wants, he is eligible to join the Scottish Rite, which confers the 4� - 33�, or he may proceed through the other York Rite organizations, which confer an additional 10 degrees.
In Scandinavia, the Lodges work the Swedish Rite, which consists of 11 degrees, including the first 3. Other countries also differ.

Fiat Lvx.


[Edited on 29-4-2004 by Masonic Light]

Originally posted by MaskedAvatar
The volume of misinformation about the degree structure in Freemasonry at this site is overwhelming.

I know MA & I haven't even been around that much! j/k