My Failed Attempt to Become a Freemason

reply to post by Witness2008


Forkandsppon is correct. If this was perpetrated under the guise of Masonry then it needs to be reported. What Grand Lodge were these alleged Masons a member of?

reply to post by AugustusMasonicus


I have not the slightest idea. And if your going to report any masons report the one that is on this thread.

I doubt very much that my son would report those he rubbed elbows with. There was certainly no harm done.

I find it odd how my curiosity concerning Mason protocol could stir such angst.

I think often times people can mistake Fraternity recruitment like the Skull & Bones with Freemasonry. There are 100's of Fraternities, and a lot of them do recruit. Some may even claim to have Masonic heritage.

But in any event, you are free to report any Mason for any reason to his/her Grand Lodge. We do take to heart how others feel about their interactions with Masons, either here online or in real life.

I think for most people, sitting down with a true Mason over a meal would clear up many misunderstandings or misgivings.

reply to post by Choronzon


I have met and spent time with only one Mason and I was not impressed with his condescending tone and attitude. I left a couple of critiques on his blog concerning his behavior toward others.

And after being on this thread my assumptions still stand.

In Scotland it is customary to be 'invited' to join the lodge. You need to have someone, an existing mason, to sponsor you, somebody who knows who you are and can vouch for you.

Following an initial interview, a bit like a job interview you will again be invited to attend to begin training. This requires a bit of effort from the apprentice and its possible to fail or have to do it again if so deemed.

Handshakes and other signs will be learned along the way. If a mason outside the lodge meets somebody else they can quickly establish if the other person is a fellow mason and can also work out how senior they are going by what signs each is aware of.

As mentioned already afaik freemasonary is about making better people. It is not based on any religion, it is open to any religion. Catholics however are treated with caution because I understand one of the Popes forbade any Catholic to become a mason. (reference required)

In Scotland Freemasonary is more 'working class' than say for instance in England where it is the preserve of the well to do. Perhaps other areas prefer a certain type of candidate.

I have visited lodges in Scotland, England and once in Florida and been recieved cordially wherever I go.

Regarding conspiracies and dark side, I have not witnessed anything. It's simply a 'club' where people get to know each other. If this means they help each other on occassion its becasue they know each other not because of anything else.

edit for something I just remebered:

One other stumbling block you may have encountered is that, and again I can only speak for Scotland, you need to be at least 21 years of age to join. It is possible to join as young as 18 but only if your father is already a mason

[edit on 16-11-2009 by bigyin]

Originally posted by Witness2008
I have met and spent time with only one Mason and I was not impressed with his condescending tone and attitude. I left a couple of critiques on his blog concerning his behavior toward others.

And after being on this thread my assumptions still stand.

By my count, at least 8 Masons have replied in this thread to date. Do you paint us all with the same brush?

reply to post by JoshNorton


Given the fact that the Non-Masonic public is required to police your own?

No...I do not paint with a broad brush...but given the couple of random experiences I have had with Masons the averages are not good.

Originally posted by Witness2008
Given the fact that the Non-Masonic public is required to police your own?

Several members have offered to help you with your concerns, which initially, seemed to trouble you. Once this was made you then said that it is not really an issue. If it was not that concerning then why mention it? If it is in fact a concern allow those who may be able to help to do so. Feel free to U2U me with any information regarding these persons and their Grand Lodge and I will do what I can to assist on my end.

I feel confident that your mind was made up about masonry before you posted here. I would love you to see us for who we are, and speak of us fairly, however, that was not the tone I heard.

If there was any angst it is because what you report is simply not DONE, and if it was done anywhere, would be a very serious issues within those lodges, and very much something that should b reported to the Grand Lodge of that state. The only "recruiting" we do is invite people to public activities, it is up to them to ask for a petition. To do what you said would be exactly the opposite of our philosophy.

If you told Christians you heard that Baptists were recruiting people with Strippers, and Booze they would show angst as well. Recruiting a mason with any sort of financial, or worldly gain is as offensive a thought to our ideals then the above would be to the Baptist.

That said, I have known a few WIVES to recruit lol, esp when it's a father son situation......and likely a few fathers look the otherway, secretly hoping it works. However amother hitning to a son that a father might like them to ask a question is a far cry from sports tickets airplane tickets hotels and some thousand dollar extranvaganza.

If you choose to be offended by me simply by me telingl you what can and can NOT happen within the rules and morality of our fraternity that is up to you.

last note.....many times I do hear from time to time, someone stating they once met a "Mason" and were not impressed with them. I will be the first to admit not all Masons live up to the ideals they promised....we call them "card" carrying masons, and I am always sad to hear someone basing their views of us on one. It can't be helped.....masons are human too.

reply to post by AugustusMasonicus


I posted a question and simply attempted to bring clarity to the small amount of information and suspicions I had when the encounters with these men happened.

I am not here to challenge anyone, to report anyone and I have found a couple of reply's to my post to be civil and unassuming.

My questions were answered...Masons do not recruit. Got it.

Its my understanding in talking with several masonic friends that you are never invited to join the Masons. The Masons want people that seak them out. Also, all lodge members must vote unanimously for you to become a memebr.

In my opinion, the OP never sought out any information, or for that matter did very little research before posting.

Trust me, no Mason with any real power or connection would be here. A low level, non-multi-millionaire mason knowing the dirt from the top would be like a McDonalds shift manager being intimately familiar with the corporations off-shore bank account shuffling. Asking a mason if masons are pernicious is stupid and listening to a masonic apologist is even worse. If masons are benevolent, then the only secrets they hold are those of Higher Knowledge, the kind that the likes of Steiner and Meyrink are familiar with. This knowledge is attainable without the servile, obedience-to-secrecy basis of shrouded brotherhoods. Personally, in the pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment, the idea of allegiance to a suspect order unwilling to spread its wealth of knowledge to the world is a dead end path paved with gold. If power and monetary gain weren't part of being in a privileged fraternity, then why are there monumentally expensive temples, of dripping with elaborate symbols and gold filigree, in every major city center? Masons, I hope you think about the enlightenment a bit more when you are performing some arcane ritual underneath a hood or shaking hands with the mayor.
If all you do is get together at the lodges and get sauced after a plate of ribs, then I will admit to being wrong.

reply to post by theflyingscudman


I am sorry you feel this way, but i must say that Freemasonry and what it has to offer is not meant for everyone. Everyone get's something different out of the Craft. What are these high level masons getting out of the fraternity? Money?? Also to note that lodges are different in nature and that you can go to one lodge and all they do is Have their dinners, do their short stated meeting, and part, then that is so. You could go to a different lodge and they are interested in Masonic Education and have common round-table discussions were they talk about the philosophical, spiritual, or historical background of the fraternity.

Like i said though....Freemasonry is not for everyone and that is fine.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
This makes no sense what so ever. Your not a Mason until you have the Master Mason degree.. you pay for the paper work, but it's only for background checks etc..

Originally posted by Davidius
This was very shocking to me because we have always spoken about the subject in a negative fashion.

Maybe the background checks made them aware of this.

If they knew what you had previously said about them, especially if it was to another Mason, they might not have been too welcoming...

reply to post by Davidius


So have you made up your mind yet, Davidius? What are you going to do?

What did you say that upset the Masons so much that they don't like you? Are you just an obnoxious person that they can't stand?

Who are these Masons if not sensitive people getting their feelings hurt by hearsay?

Maybe you're beyond them. Perhaps your beneath them. You should just give up and start your own thing with the same tools. Create the Aprilsons. Make a bunch of relics out of platinum. Keep all your records on napkins.

It's going to take a lot of money. You need a lot of money. You need a lot of women also, and a lot of sons to carry on the family business. You have to have a fertility festival in July so all your sons will be born in April. It's easy!

Cabaret Voltaire what color is the sky in your world?

reply to post by NuclearPaul


No, background checks are limited to literally seeing if you have any Felony convictions. Then there is a personal interview where two members talk with you, ask why you're into Masonry and such. It's possible that they detected he was immature or otherwise not serious about Masonry and gave a negative suggestion. (if this story even happened)

reply to post by ForkandSpoon


Wow.. I want what that dudes smoke'n............

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Then there is a personal interview where two members talk with you, ask why you're into Masonry and such.

Over here in the Soprano State we have three people interview you and typically ask that your spouse or significant other is present as well because it is felt that it is important to have the support of your family as well.

Originally posted by Cabaret Voltaire
reply to post by Davidius

 

So have you made up your mind yet, Davidius? What are you going to do?

What did you say that upset the Masons so much that they don't like you? Are you just an obnoxious person that they can't stand?

Who are these Masons if not sensitive people getting their feelings hurt by hearsay?

Maybe you're beyond them. Perhaps your beneath them. You should just give up and start your own thing with the same tools. Create the Aprilsons. Make a bunch of relics out of platinum. Keep all your records on napkins.

It's going to take a lot of money. You need a lot of money. You need a lot of women also, and a lot of sons to carry on the family business. You have to have a fertility festival in July so all your sons will be born in April. It's easy!

Yes, I have made up my mind. I am not going to seek membership.

I never said anything that could upset them. I was very polite when conversing with them and never once made them raise an eyebrow. I am intelligent enough to understand how to communicate properly with people I do not know. Obnoxious? Nonsense.

As for your suggestion of creating my own brotherhood, I will have to get back to you on that, say, 2 months?

Originally posted by theflyingscudman
Trust me, no Mason with any real power or connection would be here. A low level, non-multi-millionaire mason knowing the dirt from the top would be like a McDonalds shift manager being intimately familiar with the corporations off-shore bank account shuffling. Asking a mason if masons are pernicious is stupid and listening to a masonic apologist is even worse. If masons are benevolent, then the only secrets they hold are those of Higher Knowledge, the kind that the likes of Steiner and Meyrink are familiar with. This knowledge is attainable without the servile, obedience-to-secrecy basis of shrouded brotherhoods. Personally, in the pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment, the idea of allegiance to a suspect order unwilling to spread its wealth of knowledge to the world is a dead end path paved with gold. If power and monetary gain weren't part of being in a privileged fraternity, then why are there monumentally expensive temples, of dripping with elaborate symbols and gold filigree, in every major city center? Masons, I hope you think about the enlightenment a bit more when you are performing some arcane ritual underneath a hood or shaking hands with the mayor.
If all you do is get together at the lodges and get sauced after a plate of ribs, then I will admit to being wrong.

Wrong about what?

About monetary gain and power being a focus or goal of Speculative Freemasonry?

Yeah, you are wrong but, as I've gleaned from your post above, no one here, apologist or Mason, is going to convince you otherwise.

You can find out for yourself, if you have the inclination. Start with the tenets: Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. You could further research the moral lessons imparted in the ritual (which is perfectly accessible), and then maybe progress onto the charitable works conducted by Freemasonry.

Charity is kinda the opposite of monetary gain, duder.

Truth and acting "on the square" in one's business dealings are similarly incongruous with nepotism and corruption.