Freemasons - I have a few questions.

reply to post by RufusDriftwood


I think that problem is that anti-masons pick anybody they don't like and call the a mason having done not research into the matter. Our past district grand lecturer spent a good bit of time amassing a DVD collection of famous masons to use as a backdrop to some of his speeches. There are lots of them there, but most of them are not what the anti's are looking for. Audie Murphy for example. He did some amazing things and was a mason. But since there isn't much room for mud slinging with his past, he doesn't get brought up much outside of masonic circles. Blair, Obama, Queen Elizabeth, Bush, and any other prominent figure in government gets tagged as "Mason" and then we are called liars when we claim otherwise. Fact is, that for a person to be a mason, somewhere, they had to go through a lodge and have a coach, and attend meetings with at the very least 7,5, and 3 other masons respectively. Their attendance would be logged in lodge records and could easily be viewed by most anyone. All one needs to do for proof is to seek the lodges close to their homes at various times and look for evidence. But seeing your point, the "Higher up's" probably erased those pages.

Got a question to all brethren -

Are the secret service allowed to be in the lodge room if a president is present and there are degrees / business meetings going on? Perhaps they stand outside with the Tyler? Or maybe the secret service members they take during that time are Masons themselves? What if the president is a new member and has to go through the degrees?

Originally posted by network dude
reply to post by RufusDriftwood

 

I believe most have. Who has hid their affiliation?

Those that are sworn to the secret oath. School of the 'ancient mysteries' remain hidden (esoteric) for a reason. The worlds largest and oldest fraternity remains private.

reply to post by fordrew


No one is allowed inside a tyled Lodge unless he has attained the degree the Lodge is opened on, except for the candidate.

Originally posted by fordrew
Got a question to all brethren -

Are the secret service allowed to be in the lodge room if a president is present and there are degrees / business meetings going on? Perhaps they stand outside with the Tyler? Or maybe the secret service members they take during that time are Masons themselves? What if the president is a new member and has to go through the degrees?

Awesome question!!

I think a President is probably a little too preoccupied to decide to join Masonry while he is in office.

Otherwise, I think a Mason/President would probably be able to come up with some Secret Service members of the proper degree.

Originally posted by jrstock

Originally posted by network dude
reply to post by RufusDriftwood

 

I believe most have. Who has hid their affiliation?

Those that are sworn to the secret oath. School of the 'ancient mysteries' remain hidden (esoteric) for a reason. The worlds largest and oldest fraternity remains private.

There is no "secret oath" that says you have to hide your affiliation. Likewise, there is nothing that says you have to disclose it either. It is a personal decision, but every Mason that I know is proud of their affiliation, and we wear it openly through our rings, or emblems on our cars, or we bring it up openly during conversation. I haven't met any Masons that would want to hide their affiliation.

reply to post by getreadyalready


I had a similar question a number of years back— When I was going through the degrees, I left before a tiled stated meeting, since I wasn't a Master Mason yet, and as I was leaving I got hassled by some cops because there was a big, diplomatic international event happening at a nearby building and they weren't sure what to make of a guy wearing a coat in the middle of a Texas summer.

While nothing came of it, at the time I was wondering what would happen if the cops had to interrupt a tiled meeting to verify my identity. I'm guessing the actual sequence of events would have been:

Tiler knocks on the door and annonces non-members wishing to gain entrance.
WM calls down the meeting from labor to refreshment, then allows the cops to enter.

I've never actually seen it happen.

(Other alternative would have been, after the knocking on the door, a retired sheriff or judge in my lodge would have quietly excused himself from the meeting to sort things out outside the door...)

reply to post by JoshNorton


I think you are exactly right. We have had a couple of interruptions during meetings. Usually they place the Lodge "Quietly at ease" and make sure someone is occupying the 3 chairs while things are sorted out outside.

If it was going to be lengthy, require entrance, or involve many of the members, I would expect them to go from labor to refreshment, and handle whatever was necessary.

I know this post has been discussed in length by other members, but while reading it the same questions keep coming up. To start off The Masons are not a secret society, but a society with secrets. Mason lodges around the world are clearly marked, not hidden, in fact most lodges post meetings times and dates in the news paper. So with this said, how can a "secret society" meet in a building with a giant sign and logo out front, at a time and date published in news papers and online and still be considered a secret society?.In reference to the "secrets" Masons keep look at it this way, if you drove to a coca cola plant, knocked on the door and asked for the recipie for coke what do you think would happen? They wouldn't give it to you, you would have to work there many years and prove you were ready for the recipe and could be trusted with it, same thought with Masons. I hope this might help a few out

Pike! Wikipedia list's 'Satanist' as part of your bio. Lucifer, 'The Morning Star', was he the driving force from which your source of inspiration came forth? In times of yore, was the unseen hand, guiding your pen, your very thought's? Quote not ye book.

reply to post by jrstock

…there is no rebellious demon of Evil, or Principle of Darkness co-existent and in eternal controversy with God…

Morals & Dogma, Ch. XXXII, p859

Originally posted by jrstock
Pike! Wikipedia list's 'Satanist' as part of your bio.

No, it doesn't.

Quote not ye book.

Since Pike is dead, the guy posting under his name is quoting Pike's works in answer to people's questions. Therefore, it is as if Pike himself is answering.

Originally posted by Masonic Light

Originally posted by jrstock
Pike! Wikipedia list's 'Satanist' as part of your bio.

No, it doesn't. YES it did at the time my question was asked. I am addressing 'Pike' in this re-guard.

Quote not ye book.

Since Pike is dead, the guy posting under his name is quoting Pike's works in answer to people's questions. Therefore, it is as if Pike himself is answering.

Is he therefore a mason as well?

reply to post by jrstock


If he is quoting from a published literary piece, why would it matter if he was a Mason?

The words come from Pike.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by jrstock

 

If he is quoting from a published literary piece, why would it matter if he was a Mason?

The words come from Pike.

Yes, the quotes come from Pike. I am asking if 'Pike' the spokesman is a mason. AlbertPike, are you a mason?

Originally posted by jrstock
No, it doesn't. YES it did at the time my question was asked. I am addressing 'Pike' in this re-guard.

Actually, the April 15th revision of the page (the current one, and the revision in place at the time your question was asked) contains no reference to Satanism.

reply to post by jrstock


I understand what you are saying, but the ATS member AlbertPike is responding with Pike's own words from Pike's published literary works. Therefore, the only answer to your question is, Yes, Albert Pike was a Mason.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

I don't think you are going to get a response from anyone except the great and powerful Oz.

Originally posted by OnTheLevel213

Originally posted by jrstock
No, it doesn't. YES it did at the time my question was asked. I am addressing 'Pike' in this re-guard.

Actually, the April 15th revision of the page (the current one, and the revision in place at the time your question was asked) contains no reference to Satanism.

I saw 'satanist'. Do not imply else wise.

Originally posted by AlbertPike
reply to post by jrstock

 

…there is no rebellious demon of Evil, or Principle of Darkness co-existent and in eternal controversy with God…

Morals & Dogma, Ch. XXXII, p859

You sir, 'AlbertPike' are you a mason?

Originally posted by jrstock

Actually, the April 15th revision of the page (the current one, and the revision in place at the time your question was asked) contains no reference to Satanism.

I saw 'satanist'. Do not imply else wise.

If you saw "satanist", it was because one of the anti-Masons temporarily trolled the entry. Pike was an Episcopalian, not a "satanist".