Masons Helping Masons Succeed: A History of Deception and Corruption

reply to post by aching_knuckles


In my experience, trying to 'earn the trust' of non masons on ATS is like trying to get an Israeli to trust a Palestinian. There is no point.

It's been proven over, and over again, especially here, that no matter what kind of information we present about freemasonry it will still be chopped up and regurgitated as have truths and twisted lies to make our Order appear malevolent. Bottom line is and has always been that you can not convince the mind that has already been made up.

It seems to me that the OP is just making things up out of whole cloth.

Look around, genius, Masons hold no power in the halls of government.

Ford was the last president who was a Mason. Ford. Over 30 years ago.

In the last two weeks, you have produced a ton of threads lambasting Masons and Masonry without even the hint of any facts or research.

Did you fail to get into your local lodge or something?

At any rate you have provided the good people here at ATS with nothing but your own personal opinion, and presented it as fact.

Masons are held to higher expectations than those who are not Masons. We have a strict code of ethics and morality, an oath we take very seriously.

Honor and Integrity are extremely important to all Good Masons, and this attack is an affront to all of us who take the lessons we learn as Masons to heart.

Surely, you have no idea how many good and noble men you are slandering with your tirade.

We search for the best in ourselves, perhaps you would do well to follow our example.

Originally posted by aching_knuckles
Well thats what it always comes down to...the unforgivable crime is to steal from "the organization"...

You can drive drunk and hit a pregnant lady, but your mason brother judge will get you off the hook. But steal from the organization...EXILE!!

He was asking for examples of financial corruption.

I personally know of a man who was invloved in a hit and run in Clifton (where my lodge is located) and happened to be a Mason from Little Falls (which is a neighboring town). He came to our lodge and asked me who were the Clifton police officers in the lodge. He spoke with some of the police officers who, after hearing his incident, told him he should go down to the Municipal Building and turn himself in.

From what I heard after that he ended up having his license suspended and had to pay compensation to the two persons in the vehicle he hit.

Originally posted by aching_knuckles
Well thats what it always comes down to...the unforgivable crime is to steal from "the organization"...

You can drive drunk and hit a pregnant lady, but your mason brother judge will get you off the hook. But steal from the organization...EXILE!!

Um, no. All the judges I know who are Masons would be harder on any brother who committed a crime and ended up in their courtroom. We hold ourselves to a higher standard, and when a brother fails to live up to his end, you can bet a Masonic judge would be pissed and make an example of such a criminal. Furthermore, any Mason convicted of a felony is subject to being thrown out of Masonry as a result.

uh...what world are you living in? This happens every day. Anyone who has ever worked a job knows it happens.

I'm sure it happens every day to idiots who are going to go bankrupt. But in the 7 or 8 jobs I've held over the last 25 years, anyone who hired a buddy that couldn't actually do the job ended up regretting it pretty quickly.

Originally posted by aching_knuckles

uh...what world are you living in? This happens every day. Anyone who has ever worked a job knows it happens.
Listen, I know you like your organization, but a good way to earn my trust would be to expose the nepotism and favoritism, not deny that it exists.

edit on 22-3-2012 by aching_knuckles because: (no reason given)

I give every Mason on ATS a little blue star every time they post..... I guess that's favoritism too. I guess if you were a mason I would give you a star, ah hell you can have one any way.

Originally posted by JoshNorton
I'm sure it happens every day to idiots who are going to go bankrupt. But in the 7 or 8 jobs I've held over the last 25 years, anyone who hired a buddy that couldn't actually do the job ended up regretting it pretty quickly.

When I had my restaurant I hired a friend and a sister of a friend on two seperate occasions because they needed jobs 'badly'.

Both ended up being two of the crappiest workers I ever hired and lasted only a couple of weeks each. I promised myself to tell anyone that I knew who asked me for a job after this that my boss was a real hard-ass and it may be a good idea to look elsehwhere first.

Originally posted by Afterthought
For the record, I have yet to hear Masons tell stories about when "so and so" was caught putting his hand in the cookie jar.

Well, right after I joined the York Rite the Commander for my Templar Commandery was expelled from the Blue Lodge for embezzling funds from the Masonic Temple Board of Directors bank account. A Masonic trial was held and he was expelled. He appealed to the Grand Lodge, but they did not overturn the conviction of the Lodge trial. He was therefore expelled from all of Freemasonry (including every recognized appendant body) and was taken to court to get the funds back.

I have a News Reel on my blog and I have seen plenty of articles of a few Secretaries or Treasurers getting caught with their hand in the Lodge funds. There is also a current case out of the Kentucky Grand Lodge.

I also know a fairly inactive Mason was convicted for selling State contracts to his wife's company and was subsequently expelled for his dishonesty and corrupt behavior.

reply to post by KSigMason


Wait a minute, hold the phone! Your telling me the bad Masons were disciplined and expelled!!!!! Say it isnt so, Brother!

Na, I'm kidding dude. I know we keep our houses clean when it comes to the dishonorable. All there're reason that my trust in Masonry, and it's members has not been misplaced!

I will, however, continue to give stars blatantly to all masons, just to annoy everyone who is not a mason. HAHA take that society!

Originally posted by W3RLIED2
I give every Mason on ATS a little blue star every time they post..... I guess that's favoritism too. I guess if you were a mason I would give you a star, ah hell you can have one any way.

It's nice to see a mason admit favoritism for once.

I always knew this was true because I often see irrelevant mason posts get stars, especially when it's to bash on an non-mason ATS member. I guess it's also part human nature to respond this way since masons are bashed on a lot here.

Originally posted by User8911
I guess it's also part human nature to respond this way since masons are bashed on a lot here.

edit on 23-3-2012 by User8911 because: (no reason given)

you got a star from me on that one.

Originally posted by W3RLIED2
I will, however, continue to give stars blatantly to all masons, just to annoy everyone who is not a mason. HAHA take that society!

That's how you damn left coasters are. Giving out stars like they were an unlimited supply.

Look here sport, when we run out of stars, everyone is going to be looking at you!

Californians!

Originally posted by fordrew

Masons Helping Masons Succeed: A History of Deception and Corruption

I am graduating in college in a respectful scientific field and I am a mason. How come none of my potential employers are responding back to me? ( Yes I did choose some big companies.)

edit: and yes in my resume under activities I did list Freemasonry as an activity

Because someone has to be the sacrificial lamb when such matters come up. It may be scant consolation but your sacrifice will help others avoid non-Masonic scrutiny

HTH
Fitz

[/sarcasm]

Originally posted by JoshNorton

Originally posted by mr-lizard
It's also very cruel that talented workers are excluded from jobs because their masonic foreman has hired a friend of the lodge and such.

These are not uncommon occurrences in the UK.

Only a fool would hire an unqualified applicant over someone who could actually do the job that was required of them. If Masons actually acted the way you described, their businesses would fail very quickly.

But Masons are fools.

Rich fools.

All-powerful fools.

Myopic fools.

How it is we somehow maintain this supposed all-encompassing, world-dominating power while being such fools, I have no idea.

Maybe a non-Mason could be so kind as top enlighten me.

Fitz

reply to post by network dude


We have an ample supply of stars out here..... I think Springer just re upped my supply.

We also have this new fangled drink called alcohol....

Damn east coasters.

Originally posted by Afterthought
reply to post by W3RLIED2

 

For the record, I have yet to hear Masons tell stories about when "so and so" was caught putting his hand in the cookie jar.
All I ever hear are fuzzy stories.
[snip]
So, masons, I'd like to hear some blood and guts stories about when and why a member got thrown out of your said lodge. Someone out there has to have a story like this. Anyone? After all, not all masons are upstanding citizens. It's impossible. The odds are against this and reasoning that even the majority of the masons are quality citizens can't be true 100 percent of the time.

Is it against your oaths to repeat stories where a mason disgraced himself by being greedy and dishonest?

Masons are men and among any group, there will be occasional issues. Ministers, rabbis, priests and religious leaders of all sorts have a long history of individuals failing badly at upholding the ethics they're charged with imbuing in their respective flocks. You've already heard some stories, experiences that far exceed anything in my circumstance. Quite honestly most stories are pretty mundane ones of personality clashes and bruised feelings; not the sort of juicy, ripped-from-the-front-page class of story you seem to be wanting to backstop your perspective. Sorry to disappoint.

Fitz

Originally posted by W3RLIED2
reply to post by Afterthought

 

edit on 22-3-2012 by W3RLIED2 because: I HATE IPADS KEYBOARD

Get a CrackBerry and save your senses. iWhatsIts aren't meant for anyone with fingers larger than an 8-year-old (says the equally-frustrated iPhone user )

Fitz

Originally posted by W3RLIED2
reply to post by network dude

 

We have an ample supply of stars out here..... I think Springer just re upped my supply.

We also have this new fangled drink called alcohol....

Damn east coasters.

Oh no you didn't!

I'll be kicking rocks over here in the corner all alone with a glass of tea.

reply to post by network dude




I'll come kick rocks with you, brother. You can't have my beer though....... Maybe one more star.

reply to post by W3RLIED2


I thought I was the only Mason that drank beer! Swing by and pick up Network Dude and head on over here. I have plenty of beer and sweet tea...

As I stated in another, now deleted, thread, if the Masons were a little less mysterious in their dealings, people probably wouldn't harbor such negative attitudes about them.

Humans don't like to be on the outside looking in. I think it's instinctive to distrust what is hidden from the masses with arcane rituals, etc.