On Masonic Charity. The world's largest non religious charity scam. On the Shriners and Jesters.

More on Masonic Hazing Rituals.

www.scribd.com...

Then there are the optional degrees. Their initiation rituals take the form of short plays starring the candidate and other lodge members. The playlets deal with incidents from the mythic history of the Masons, such as the building of King Solomon's Temple and the murder of Temple architect Hiram Abiff. These initiations cost the candidate about $150 a pop, so any thirty-second-degree Mason has dropped over $4,000. Once a Mason has completed the twenty-nine optional degrees of the Scottish rite or the six optional degrees of the York rite, he is eligible to become a Shriner -- which means still another initiation.

Depending on the whim of the other lodge members, initiations may include a set of burlesque tests to prove a candidate's mettle. These blend sophomoric practical jokes, soft S&M, an an electric carpet (the latter "just the item for initiations," touts the Lauterer catalog, at $4.75 a square foot; jump spark battery extra). Lauterer's INITIATION STUNTS booklet describes over thirty tests judged suitable for fraternal orders, of which the following is a sample. In all cases, candidates are blindfolded.

Here's how the Masons keep out the wimps:

"Chewing the Rag"

A lodge member criticizes two candidates for speaking: "They both talk too much and I fear they will someday betray the secrets of our brotherhood." As a lesson, the candidates must "chew the rag." The member says that he has a six-foot length of string with a raisin tied in the middle. Each candidate gets an end of the string. The member instructs the candidates to chew the string from their respective ends: The one who gets the raisin will be excu sed from "The Test of the Drowning Man." They chew. The "raisin" is really a piece of candy coated with Epsom salts. There is no "Test of the Drowning Man."

"Oriental Dance"

Lodge members strip a candidate and put a skirt on him. As Oriental music is played, he is forced to dance on the electric carpet. This is one of several uses of the carpet, all of which are deemed more effective if the candidate does not know about the carpet. The electric-shock sensation is not immediately identifiable as such, or so the semiwarped reasoning goes. Members may warn the blindfolded candidate to "step high" to avoid
burning desert sands, barbed wire, or snakebites.

"A Trip to the Moon"

A member raps his gavel and orders all to be seated. A second member replies that there is no seat for himself and one of the candidates. They are told to sit on the floor. They sit on a spread blanket. As soon as the candidate is seated, the second member steps off the blanket. The candidate is told to sing a song. The lodge members protest his singing and demand that he be punished. All quietly grab the ends of the blanket and toss the candidate in the air.

"The Barber Shop"

A member feels a candidate's chin and calls for a barber. The "barber" lathers the candidate, getting foam in his mouth. He shaves him with what feels like a very, very rough blade. It's a shingle.

"Boxing Match"

Two candidates are selected for a boxing match. Belts are strapped around their waists. A six-foot rope connects the belts so that candidates do not wander blindly off. The boxers are given gloves. Unknown to the candidates, a member also puts on gloves and gives them occasional jabs from unexpected directions.

"Tu g-of-Wa r"

Two candidates or groups of candidates play tug-of-war. An unseen member sets the rope afire in the middle. It burns in two, and all fall down – on the electric carpet, if desired.

"The Thirst" "

This neophyte has asked for a drink of water," a member says. Another member replies that there is no water. "Then we must make water," says the first. Several members urinate in a bowl, making sure that the candidate hears. "It is ready," says a member. "Drink, and quench thy thirst." The candidate is handed a bowlful of warm water and forced to drink it.

"Punkin Pie"

This is just a forced pie-eating race, with the candidates' hands bound behind their backs. Other gustatory stunts involve making the blindfolded candidates eat various non- and quasi- edible materials: INITIATION STUNTS suggests ginger ale containing frankfurters and toilet-paper squares.

"The Shampoo"

A candidate is told that he must possess three essentials to be a member: keen vision, a sensitive touch, and an acute sense of smell. An egg is placed in his hand. "What is in your hand?" he is asked. The candidate replies, "An egg." "Correct. Now to test you r sense of smell – is it a good egg or a bad egg?" The candidate answers. "We'll see if you are correct," the member says. He crushes an empty eggshell on the candidate's head and pours some water on it. He rubs the "egg" in the candidate's hair. Another member evil- smelling substance under the candidate's nose.


"The Trained Dog"

A candidate is told that he must meet Fido, the trained dog. An authentic dog is brought in. "Fido snarls at neophytes and sometimes bites them in the calf of the leg," a member warns. Another pinches the candidate's leg. The dog is placed in the candidate's lap. The initiation ceremony proceeds with another candidate so that the first believes that attention has shifted from him. A member sneaks up on the candidate with the dog and trickles some warm water in his lap. He may also hold a smell bottle under the
candidate's nose. "Naughty Fido!" all scold.

A variation is the "Bung Hole Test," a standard feature of Shriner initiations. No dog is required. Two blindfolded candidates are directed to opposite ends of a barrel or large metal cylinder lying on its side. They are told to crawl into the barrel or cylinder. The candidates bump heads in the middle. Outside, a lodge member yelps like a dog. Someone sprinkles warm water on the candidates' faces through a hole. A member yells, "Get that dog out of there! It just pissed in his face.!"

"The Sacred Stone"

The candidate is told that a "sacred stone" is near his feet. He must make a sign of deference by bending over and placing his forehead as close to the ground as possible. When the candidate bends over, a member paddles
him with a paddle containing an exploding cartridge. "The Little Rose" test is the same thing, only the candidate is told to pick a flower.

"The North Pole"

Candidates are forced to climb a greased pole while members paddle them. Afterward, a member hands a candidate a piece of ice: "Here is your share of the North Pole. Hold on to it as long as you can, and pass it on."

"Molten Lead Test"

A member warns the candidate that the next test may be dangerous if not performed carefully. Proof of a candidate's courage and faith in the order is required, the member explains. "Is the lead good and hot?" he asks
another member. "Yes, red hot," he replies. "If you are not a coward, you must plunge your hands into a caldron of red-hot molten lead," the member tells the candidate. A large pot is set before the candidate. It contains any reasonably humane substitution for molten lead. If the candidate refuses to put his hands in the pot, the others force him.

Images are from www.phoenixmasonry.org...

reply to post by Lucifer777

Yeah, this site is credible. [/sarc] "How to Crash the Freemasons". Yeah, these guys are going to be unbiased and tell the truth. Laughable. Still doesn't answer my request. This isn't from a ritual book. It's some anti-Masons opinion on Freemasonry. Not fact.

Actually in reference to the Lodge (meaning Craft Masonry) there are no optional degrees. Now I'm sure the man was meaning the appendant (or concordant) bodies such as the Scottish Rite, York Rite, or Shriners. Neither does each degree cost $150, its usually one price for all the degrees as it was when I joined the York Rite. Maybe with the money I've given for charitable purposes and dues over 5-years (to include purchasing a lifetime membership) I haven't even given $4,000 to Freemasonry.

There is more than 6-degrees in the York Rite, there are also 3 orders to be conferred. Also, you don't need to be in the York Rite or Scottish Rite anymore to join the Shriners, you just have to be a Master Mason in good standing. This source of yours is obviously outdated and incorrect. He can't even get the degrees correct nor matching the correct terms to the correct body of Masonry.

None of these hazing activities is done in Masonry. Catalogs and anti-Masonic sites are not evidence. I'm looking forward to you showing us where in the ritual book this occurs.

Lucifer, I recognise and respect the effort you put into your posts but I don't think you've achieved what you intended to do. I think you wanted to show the world how evil and corrupt the freemasons are, yet, to me you've just shown them to be a group of people who are close friends who are out for a laugh... In your efforts to discredit them all you've done is make their fraternity more appealing!
Ihave one or two really close friends, and yes one of them is a master mason. The idea of having a whole lodge full of good friends who will go out their way for me is, to me at the very least, a good thing!

Lucifer, please, just for me, reveal to us all what your true incentive is on these threads because the more you inult and throw insults at the masons the more I can't help but think that you aren't telling us the full story. You have had a bad experience with these guys, I think. Why not tell us the truth behind what powers these attacks?

I would really be interested to hear that story...

Originally posted by CholmondleyWarner
Lucifer, I recognise and respect the effort you put into your posts but I don't think you've achieved what you intended to do. I think you wanted to show the world how evil and corrupt the freemasons are, yet, to me you've just shown them to be a group of people who are close friends who are out for a laugh... In your efforts to discredit them all you've done is make their fraternity more appealing!

Oh yes I am quite sure that many men will be attracted to the idea of joining a gang of Capitalists where they can engage in BDSM rituals with other men and can enjoy events with strippers and prostitutes paid for with charity funds. The Freemasons should really thank for me for assisting their recruitment of potential gang members. I really don't think that their schoolboy hazing rituals are the reason why men join however; as long as Capitalism exists there will always be Capitalist gangs.

Ihave one or two really close friends, and yes one of them is a master mason. The idea of having a whole lodge full of good friends who will go out their way for me is, to me at the very least, a good thing!

Lucifer, please, just for me, reveal to us all what your true incentive is on these threads because the more you inult and throw insults at the masons the more I can't help but think that you aren't telling us the full story. You have had a bad experience with these guys, I think. Why not tell us the truth behind what powers these attacks?

I would really be interested to hear that story...

Firstly I have not personally insulted anyone on this forum; though I have certainly been on the receiving end of a great deal of abuse by the Masons here. I have no personal animosity towards the Freemasons; it is simply a political and ideological matter as far as I am concerned; my impression of Freemasonry from a British perspective is that they are ultimately a leading Capitalist gang and an anti-Communist cult; in fact I believe that they are the most economically powerful of the world's Capitalist gangs and Messianic cults. I am not ultimately an anti-Mason; I am merely an anti-Capitalist and anti-religionist, I don't like large religious cults or Capitalist gangs; however the problem is not Freemasonry, but Capitalism, and there will always be Capitalist gangs and Messianic religious cults as long as Capitalism exists in it's present form.

There has been an attempt by American Neofascist conspiracy theorists of the Henry Makow variety to portray the Freemasons as a group of Jewish Communist Satanists and the inheritors of the political philosophy of the Bavarian Illuminati , and I seek to redress such idiotic claims; their hierarchy are certainly Kabbalists, however they are not Communists; they are anti-Communists and part of the International Dictatorship of Capitalism establishment.

There is an enormous amount of international interest in Freemasonry, and the World Wide Web is human history's greatest ever research library, and it is probably the main source of information on Freemasonry; unfortunately there are numerous bizarre conspiracy theories regarding them which are unhelpful. Thus I am simply attempting to portray them in a more truthful light; however "truthful" in Masonic doublespeak appears to include the suspension of criticism of Masons and a "by all means necessary" defence of Masonry which appears to include lying.

I have noticed that in the Islamic bookshops of London, there are also titles on Freemasonry declaring the Masons to be the cult of the "Antichrist" and there are a number of Islamic websites stating this position as well. Frankly both the Biblical Antichrist and the Christ are described as genocidal dictators; the invocation of either prophecy would have genocidal implications, however in a nuclear age, it is entirely possible for any wealthy Messianic religious cult to invoke such prophecies. Since the "king of kings" of Capitalism would most certainly have to be the king of the world's most economically powerful cult. It would seem to me that the Masonic king (the king of Capitalism) seems to be attempting to invoke that prophecy of a world where none can buy or sell without his permission or mark; the agenda of the International Dictatorship of Capitalism does appear to be total economic control of humankind.

Lux

____________

Originally posted by KSigMason
reply to post by Lucifer777

 

Yeah, this site is credible. [/sarc] "How to Crash the Freemasons". Yeah, these guys are going to be unbiased and tell the truth. Laughable. Still doesn't answer my request. This isn't from a ritual book. It's some anti-Masons opinion on Freemasonry. Not fact.

The descriptions of the various types of hazing rituals are allegedly lifted from a Lauterer's catalogue. Lauterer is still today a major supplier of Masonic regalia.

Actually in reference to the Lodge (meaning Craft Masonry) there are no optional degrees. Now I'm sure the man was meaning the appendant (or concordant) bodies such as the Scottish Rite, York Rite, or Shriners. Neither does each degree cost $150, its usually one price for all the degrees as it was when I joined the York Rite. Maybe with the money I've given for charitable purposes and dues over 5-years (to include purchasing a lifetime membership) I haven't even given $4,000 to Freemasonry.

The price of $150 per degree has been confirmed by one of your fellow Freemasons on this site.

..there is also a fee for each degree that you do. This fee can be $150+ again depending on your Lodge.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Since there are numerous Masonic lodge franchises, side degrees and irregular lodges, I would assume that they all charge different prices for their degrees. Having had a look around the Masonic regalia shops in London and on the Internet, it does seem to me that the Masonic regalia is also a major part of the cost of joining the cult.

None of these hazing activities is done in Masonry. Catalogs and anti-Masonic sites are not evidence. I'm looking forward to you showing us where in the ritual book this occurs.

The testimonials presented on this thread indicates that such hazing rituals do occur in Masonry, and have done so for many decades as the 1930's Demoulin catalogue indicates. Obviously part of the problem in researching a "secret society" is that, to state the obvious, it is a society with secrets which are protected by the oaths of members; thus one has to rely on the testimonials of ex members and the rare testimonials of Masons thesmelves. The absence of such rituals in Masonic ritual books does not establish that such rituals do not occur. However the responses from Freemasons on this thread certainly indicates that they seek to keep such rituals from being known to the public. The huge amount text on this thread, keywords and images with embedded keywords have pushed this thread to the front page of Google for many related searches, so I consider it to be an ideal place for Freemasons to be open and honest about such matters, since they apparently wish for humankind to have a greater public understanding about their cult.

Lux

Do you wish to separate the jolly good fellows from the dour sour pusses from those who seek to ASCEND TO THEIR SIDE DEGREES — but you suffer from lack of imagination when it comes to constructing elaborate hazing rituals and DEVICES? Does fake vomit, joy buzzers and a party pack of fake moustaches only produce yawns, rather than giggles, among your once-merry members? Well, look no further than Catalog No. 439: Burlesque Paraphernalia and Side Degree Specialties and Costumes, in which the manufacturers De Moulin Bros. & Co. from Greenville, Ill. feature the finest electro-dropo benches, goat-shaped tricycles, electric branding irons (and much much more)!
Not only does this 1930 catalog, reproduced with marvelous 21st century machinery, provide tightly rendered pen-and-ink period illustrations and detailed product descriptions, it also has helpful how-tos and scripts to aid in the pulling of these pranks on initiates!

(WARNING: Fantagraphics Books is in no way responsible for any resultant maiming, crippling, immolation, or disfigurement resulting from the construction and/or use of devices pictured in this catalogue. At least, we don’t think so.)

Today, DeMoulin Bros. & Co. is one of the largest suppliers of costumes for marching bands in the United States. But in 1930 the company produced an amazing array of props and devices created specifically to be used in minor “hazing” of candidates in the side degrees of various fraternal organizations. The great 1930 DeMoulin Bros. & Company Fraternal Supply Catalog No. 439 is truly a holy grail for the prankster, arm-chair sadist and those interested in the some of the zanier historic arcana lurking behind that neighborhood odd-fellows lodge.

This is the ultimate desert-island book for pranksters looking for something edgy and new to dream about, Rube Goldberg-like devices created to instill terror and bemused respect, before the candidate ascends to receive a more sublime form of illumination. All in good fun, it is — or was — the American way!

boingboing.net...

reply to post by Lucifer777

I'm more or less agreeing with you. I am against the do as I say not as I do religions and capitalism, but then you wrote this and I nearly fell off my couch.

"it would seem to me that the Masonic king seems to be attempting to invoke that prophecy of a world where none can buy or sell without his permission or mark; " quote.

Are you now saying that the masonic king you mention is the antichrist, the beast 666?

Originally posted by CholmondleyWarner

"it would seem to me that the Masonic king seems to be attempting to invoke that prophecy of a world where none can buy or sell without his permission or mark; " quote.

Are you now saying that the masonic king you mention is the antichrist, the beast 666?

I don't want to misunderstood about this; I am personally an evangelical Antichristian. I don't believe in the Biblical faith and I consider the New Testament to be an entirely fabricated document. However......

The Armageddon Script



"The point of prophecy is not to predict the future; it is to change the future."

I don't believe that the fictional Jesus is going to resurrect from the grave; obviously that is scientifically impossible; however that is not the point; there are numerous apocalyptic anti-Communist Messianic religious cults which seek to invoke such prophecies. I am not suggesting that Freemasons believe that their secret "king of kings" is the Antichrist; neither do the Moon cultists believe that their Korean Messiah is the Antichrist; these are dangerous and potentially genocidal Messianic cults; it makes no difference to me whether a cultist refers to their cult leader as the Christ or the Antichrist.

The reason why Moon has seven stars on his pointy hat is simply because in the Book of Revelations, the Christ in depicted this way; had the author of the Book of Revelations written that Christ would have eight and a half stars around his head, Moon's crown would similarly have eight and a half stars. It is not a matter of such prophecies having to occur by the predestination of some transcendental deity; it is a matter of such prophecies being self fulfilled by financially powerful religious schizophrenics.

It is quite one thing entirely when some crazy lone evangelist with a megaphone on a street predicts that America will be judged by fire, and it is quite another thing entirely when a schizophrenic, multi-billionaire, anti-Communist, Korean Messiah who is a major arm's manufacturer who reportedly owns a fleet of 40 ex-Russian military submarines, and who has economic links with North Korea, predicts that American will be judged by fire for not accepting him as Christ.

Similarly Freemasonry is also a Messianic cult. It is not a matter of the Biblical prophecies being fullfilled in some superstitious, supernatural way; it is a matter of the enemies of religious fanaticism identifying who has the power to bring such prophecies to fulfillment, and drawing attention to them, and in a nuclear age, this could have genocidal consequences.

I am not waiting for any Messiah (a theocratic tyrant) to appear to welcome him; on the contrary, such political and religious Messiahs of the 21st century are the enemies of humankind; if there ever was a Jewish Messiah for the modern world it was probably Karl Marx, and his legacy is that of political philosophy, not religion. As far as I am concerned all religious cult Messiahs are threats to world revolution. If the Christians need a Jewish Messiah so badly, they can have Marx; not that the Christians would anyway accept a Jewish Messiah if he was Jewish; they would be more likely to reject a Jewish Messiah for being Jewish; such is thier distorted logic.

".the criticism of religion is the prerequisite of all criticism." Marx

Lux
The End of Religion.
Blasphemy, Heresy, War, Revolution.

The foundation of irreligious criticism is: Man makes religion, religion does not make man. Religion is, indeed, the self-consciousness and self-esteem of man who has either not yet won through to himself, or has already lost himself again. But man is no abstract being squatting outside the world. Man is the world of man – state, society. This state and this society produce religion, which is an inverted consciousness of the world, because they are an inverted world. Religion is the general theory of this world, its encyclopaedic compendium, its logic in popular form, its spiritual point d’honneur, its enthusiasm, its moral sanction, its solemn complement, and its universal basis of consolation and justification. It is the fantastic realization of the human essence since the human essence has not acquired any true reality. The struggle against religion is, therefore, indirectly the struggle against that world whose spiritual aroma is religion.

Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.

The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo.

Criticism has plucked the imaginary flowers on the chain not in order that man shall continue to bear that chain without fantasy or consolation, but so that he shall throw off the chain and pluck the living flower. The criticism of religion disillusions man, so that he will think, act, and fashion his reality like a man who has discarded his illusions and regained his senses, so that he will move around himself as his own true Sun. Religion is only the illusory Sun which revolves around man as long as he does not revolve around himself.

It is, therefore, the task of history, once the other-world of truth has vanished, to establish the truth of this world. It is the immediate task of philosophy, which is in the service of history, to unmask self-estrangement in its unholy forms once the holy form of human self-estrangement has been unmasked. Thus, the criticism of Heaven turns into the criticism of Earth, the criticism of religion into the criticism of law, and the criticism of theology into the criticism of politics.


www.marxists.org...

reply to post by Lucifer777


I usually don't get involved in these threads because they just turn into useless back and forth banter, and I'm not much of a fan of arguing or debate. People can have their opinions, I really could care less. But I was a ph mason at a lodge in the bay area, ca for almost 2 years (i demited couple months ago and am currently trying to join a regular lodge). I went through all three degrees, the degree ceremonies are for the most part EXACTLY the same as they are in regular lodges and nowhere in any of the 3 degrees is there any beating of the buttocks with a paddle, lol.

The way i see it is this hazing probably took place in certin lodges a long time ago, the books Lucy is showing seem to be old in nature and have probably been stopped and altho i agree with certin points Lucy makes i don't on all of them...

First i agree that at the top of the food chain in masonry it's of a Kabbalistic nature, the fact more then a few masons on here are so intrested in esoteric studys and the fact some admit to practicing magik makes this seem likely...


Where i disagree is the notion that if Christians wanted to look for a saviour they should look to Karl Marx that made me laugh, forget about religion it's not even about that with the point i'm about to make, it's about freedom I DON'T FEEL... I KNOW that Socialism and Communism are flat out wrong, maybe you want to end up like a country like Libya and Nazi Germany but i don't you can keep your dictators to your self because with both brands that's what you end up with....

reply to post by King Seesar


Yeah man, I agree. That catalog he keeps posting looks like it was produced in the early 1900's or something. I don't get why he keeps posting these same catalog pictures in every single freemason thread on here, over and over and over. lol. Of course theres bad/corrupt freemasons, I freely admit to that and I've noticed other masons on here admit to that. Any organization or gorup or whatever ist gonna have its bad apples, that is unavoidable. Also keeps posting articles and stuff of bad or illegal things individual masons have done as if that is proof the entire fraternity is up to these things. And the way I look at it is the shrine and jesters aren't freemasonry, shriners require you to be a mason to join them but its not freemasonry. And from what I've heard from shriners is that yes the initiation is like some jokes and pranks and stuff, but I highly doudt they are connecting electrodes to genitals and putting whip cream on peoples nuts and all that, lol. The shrine does A LOT of good helping people with childrens hospitals and such, i've heard quite a few stories of people who where helped by these hospitals or had family members helped by them and all free of charge, even on this forum I've seen tons of people come into these threads saying these things. And the freemasons help tons of people and donate a lot which I have witnessed first hand.

And all this talk from him about freemasons and christianity/catholicism acting as if all freemaons are christians or its a christian organization and freemasons are protectors of the christian faith or whatever....etc doesnt really make sense to me. I personally have a lot of problems with christianity and especially catholicism and think it has done a lot of bad in this world, but I don't go around condeming people or talking # to them just because they are christian. People can believe whatever they want. There are a lot of freemasons who are christians of follow an abrahamic fath but there are also MANY freemasons who don't even really follow a religion but do believe in a higher power though. I count myself as one of these types, I am heavily into hermeticism/occultism... etc, my wife is a thelemite and member of oto.

And the whole communism thing I don't get either, in my opinion some of the ideas of communism look good on paper but when put into action in government... etc they NEVER work from what I've seen in all the communist countries around the world, they are all completely #ed up countries.I like my freedom, and I know tons of people are always saying stuff like "america isnt a free country" and # like that, but I feel pretty damn free I can for the most part live my life however the hell I want for the most part as long as I'm not murdering people...etc lol.

But whatever he can believe whatever he wants, I don't care. To be honest I actually quite a few of the same beliefs as lucifer does about certain things, but I don't try to push these things on anyone. I don't know why he has to try to push it on people and talk # about people for their believes, in a way hes doing the same thing the people hes talking # about do,. lol.

Anyways, I'm just rambling, its friday night and I'm a lil wasted

peace!

reply to post by Lucifer777

No BDSM occurs in Freemasonry. I know I wouldn't have gone through the degrees if this occurred. Plus, you cannot say what a small, rogue group did is mainstream. People who abuse the funds are usually expelled from that body.

You insult all of us Masons with your allegations. You defaming our good name with a broad brush of lies. You do to have animosity towards the Freemasons. It is seen in every word you write, specifically those words that speak of committing genocide against the Freemasons.

At least in my neck of the woods we don't use Lauterer's catalog. We use JP Luther Company, the London Regalia Company, and Simpson Jewelry. As I've said many times before, catalogs are not evidence of ritual work. You have yet to show us where in the ritual this occurs. All you have is empty allegations. They have no substance whatsoever.

Well, my Valley only charged $250 for 4th-32nd degree. You are also pulling from amike555:

Originally posted by amike555
It totally depends. My Lodge is $100 per year, I know that there are two other Lodges in my city that are about the same, yet a third Lodge I know is $250 per year. Then if you want to go into side degrees like Scotich Rite, York Rite, the Shrine, etc. or even if you want to be affiliated with another Blue Lodge it will cost $x per year, called dues. I know that once you are in a few side degrees and affiliated with a few other Lodges the money can add up quite quick.

Edited

I forgot to add that there is also a fee for each degree that you do. This fee can be $150+ again depending on your Lodge.

[edit on 5-12-2004 by amike555]

He is talking about the Blue Lodge not the appendant bodies. Some Lodges due charge per degree or just make it one lump sum. Why am I not surprised that an anti-Mason took a quote out of context.

Each body does charge differently, plus each lodge, chapter, valley, orient, council, commandery, and so forth charges a different amount of dues, but staying within a certain boundary set down by the Grand body.

Testimonies are not always true and some have joined the Freemasons just to defame them. Has hazing occurred, probably, but not anymore as most Grand Lodge's have cracked down on it. Also, catalogs that are 80-years old are not evidence.

reply to post by KSigMason


Lauterer's catalog of Fraternal supplies is also a good source for Masonic regalia and other needs of the Lodge. They don't sell supplies for hazing rituals as alleged by the OP, in fact a search for using keywords "Lauterer's Initiation Stunts" only hits on "How to Crash the Freemasons". I personally would love to see someone try to infiltrate my Lodge using the information this article provides, they would quickly be escorted out by the Tyler. It seems likely that whoever wrote this is referring again to the DeMoulin catalog of 1930.

reply to post by no1smootha

I had not heard of them before the OP. My Masonic bodies uses primarily JP Luther, but will also use Simpson Jewelry and maybe London Regalia.

The more that this debate deepens the more I can't help but think that freemasonry is just an excuse to take money from members who, in some cases, can barely afford to spend such fees. I've reached that point now, as a non mason, and some of you will undoubtedly point out, maybe rightly, that my views don't therefore matter, that it doesn't matter whether what Lucifer says is true or not; you are, as freemasons, having your passion and strength of character used against you by your lodges to extract money from you.
It seems to be a money raising fraternity? Is that right..?

With my hand on my heart I can't accept that anymason I've conversed with on here is evil or part of the NWO, but at the same time, I have to acknowledge that what Lucifer has posted does discedit the freemasons ( if it's true?) Butt slapping, branding, oh come on!

I think masons believe they are trying to make the world a better place, and that is to be commended, but I also think they are having their good intentions used against them by those who would charge them for their good intentions! Maybe the ordinary masons biggest enemies are those who charge them extortionate fees to be a brother!?

reply to post by CholmondleyWarner


The fact of the matter is, buildings cost money. Electricity costs money. Phone bills. Internet connection. Postage. Property tax. Food.

You simply can't have an organization with an office and a meeting place and not pay for these things.

If you're so destitute that you'd never be able to pay dues, then you're probably better off focusing your time and efforts getting a job than going to Masonic meetings.

If you hit a temporary bump in the road that makes dues for one year prohibitive, or if you are injured and no longer able to work, or a variety of other reasons, the lodge members can vote to waive your dues, either on a case by case basis or in perpetuity.

There's no profit being made here, but we do have to pay our own way.

reply to post by CholmondleyWarner


Yes there are dues involved, and as my Brother said much of the money from the dues go to paying for the expense of a building. However the fees for degrees also purchase things that are given to the new member. I suppose that we could save ourselves money if we met at a private home but there is much to be said for having a private building that can also be used by appendent bodies and the youth organizations. Especially, having all that is needed on site w/o having to set up and take down each time. If possible, call your local Lodge and arrange for a tour of their Temple or Lodge room, you'll see what I mean.

Originally posted by CholmondleyWarner
The more that this debate deepens the more I can't help but think that freemasonry is just an excuse to take money from members who, in some cases, can barely afford to spend such fees.

Dues in my lodge are now $96 dollars a year, if someone can not afford that then they should not really be thinking about joining anything. For members who can no longer afford the dues we typically pay their assessment for them. The dues money we raise goes to the lodge building upkeep and utilities. The remainder goes into the charity fund which is disbursed to charities that solicit the lodge for donations.

Being that we are a non-profit orginazation we must submit accurate records of monies taken in and payed out and submit them to Grand Lodge which subsequently forwards them to the Internal Revenue Service. By law we must make a certain percentage of donations based on overall monetary intake or risk losing tax-exempt status.

reply to post by CholmondleyWarner

The only thing mandatory for members is the annual dues and in America at least the dues are fairly low. My Lodge, and some others, try to hold off expelling for NPD (non payment of dues), and my fellow Past Masters ofs my Lodge try to raise money (usually from our wallets) to assist those who are down on their funds.

I'm not going to criticize you for what you said. You were not rude about it.

The local Lodge sets the amount of dues they pay. My Lodge did pay $60, but the Brothers voted on a resolution to up them to $100. There are some Lodges with low dues. Our Grand Lodge does set a limit on the minimum of lifetime lifetime memberships. No matter how low the dues, no Lodge can have a lifetime membership lower than $700.

Before the new dues took effect with the New Year I paid for a lifetime membership for $1260 (21-times the annual dues) instead of the $2100. So technically with the news dues, after 12-years I will basically be paying nothing to be a Blue Lodge Masons although I did donate my payment as Worshipful Master to my Lifetime Membership fund (a whole whopping $600).

Now every appendant body you join has their dues and most have a lifetime membership with similar provisions as the Blue Lodge.

Some Lodges have their own building, but quite a few share a single building and pay monthly rent to a Board of Directors (composed of a representative of each Masonic body that uses the building) to upkeep the building and pay the bills. Usually Lodge dues are enough to pay the Grand Lodge per capita and then some to save up for such things as charitable donations and Lodge activities/operations.

I could go on and on about where dues do and can go, but it would be boring.

Originally posted by CholmondleyWarner
The more that this debate deepens the more I can't help but think that freemasonry is just an excuse to take money from members who, in some cases, can barely afford to spend such fees. I've reached that point now, as a non mason, and some of you will undoubtedly point out, maybe rightly, that my views don't therefore matter, that it doesn't matter whether what Lucifer says is true or not; you are, as freemasons, having your passion and strength of character used against you by your lodges to extract money from you.
It seems to be a money raising fraternity? Is that right..?

No, it is not a "money-raising fraternity". As far as membership-based organizations go, Freemasonry (at least in the USA) is probably the most inexpensive to belong to. If someone can't afford 50 - 100 per year, they probably shouldn't join.

With my hand on my heart I can't accept that anymason I've conversed with on here is evil or part of the NWO, but at the same time, I have to acknowledge that what Lucifer has posted does discedit the freemasons ( if it's true?) Butt slapping, branding, oh come on!

As has been noted, what he has been desribing are not Masonic ceremonies.

I think masons believe they are trying to make the world a better place, and that is to be commended, but I also think they are having their good intentions used against them by those who would charge them for their good intentions! Maybe the ordinary masons biggest enemies are those who charge them extortionate fees to be a brother!?

Again, Freemasonry is not an expensive organization to be part of. It is of course a non-profit organization: membership dues pay the Lodge expenses.

reply to post by Lucifer777


I have a friend who is a freemason. He goes to the lodge I think once a month. How would they have time to do all these silly things? I would think that is a conspiracy in itself. He has never mentioned playing jokes on people. Kind of a serious guy. I would think you might want to show a bit more proof than a company who sells stuff to masons, also sells practical jokes. Bit of a stretch there.

reply to post by epicfail

With some anti-Masons irrational hatred, I do sometimes think its a conspiracy to tear us down, and to spread fear and lies.