posted March 14, 2009 06:11 PM         

Are you really a mason GG?

posted March 16, 2009 08:14 AM         

Songwriter, what makes you say this?

posted March 16, 2009 01:22 PM         

Freemasonry is NOT a religion at all.

And snohawk, no, we are not like Jehovah's witnesses. We do not recruit.

posted March 16, 2009 03:00 PM         

Freemasons are no way Jehovah's freaks lmao
nor do they recruit!

posted March 16, 2009 03:54 PM         

Maybe you are not privy to what some levels do. All I know is that we have spoken to those at the 30 something level that wanted Bear the Leo (my DH and a member here) to join. Not just in Schweinfurt or Graf but also in AZ.

He also comes from a very prominent Mormon family and Joseph Smith built much of his religious heirarchy on the FM's.

posted March 16, 2009 03:58 PM         

Yes.. they do recruit. Then again, maybe those that were not recruited need to entice sponsers as they were not "special" enough to have the members "want" them in their fold.

Needless to say.. it is non sequitor as far as I, or my husband, is concerned. Should he ever join, I would divorce him and he knows it.

posted March 16, 2009 05:37 PM         

I will say that i know more about Freemasonry than most people and in the UK they so not recruit!

posted March 16, 2009 07:38 PM         

And this talk of "higher ups" is quite silly, though I won't at all blame you for thinking this way. There is so much misinformation on the internet when it comes to Masonry that it's not even funny. I will explain it to you very clearly. THERE IS NO DEGREE HIGHER THAN THAT OF THE 3rd DEGREE.

And yes Pidaua, before you ask, I AM a 32* Mason and also a Royal Arch Mason, so I am privy to what goes on in these "higher levels." I am also an officer of my lodge so when I speak on the subject, I am speaking from experience and knowledge.

I feel I need to reiterate this. We do NOT recruit because it is against the rules but some brothers do it anyway. Just because your husband was recruited means nothing more than they probably saw that he was a good man.

posted March 16, 2009 08:48 PM         

When one joins the York Rite, they get their Royal Arch degrees, Cryptic Lodge degrees, and Knights Templar degrees. Again, NONE of these degrees are higher than the 3rd degree.

It really makes me wonder what people think we do in our meetings. I can tell you for sure that it's nothing about politics, and everything about charitable events.

posted March 17, 2009 10:45 AM         

quote:

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Yes.. they do recruit. Then again, maybe those that were not recruited need to entice sponsers as they were not "special" enough to have the members "want" them in their fold.

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This is quite arrogant and couldn't be further from what we practice. Have you ever heard of the term "To Be One, Ask One?" Here is the Grand Lodge of Virginia's website:http://www.grandlodgeofvirginia.org/ you can clearly see it says to be one you must ask one. It does not say "we recruit you." You can find this echoed on MANY grand Lodge websites.

Furthermore, when a person petition's to join a lodge, a brother, usually a brother on the investigating committee vouches for him if he doesn't have a family member already in the fraternity. No one needs to "entice" a sponsor. That is ridiculous and any Mason will tell you the same. This practice you speak of is grossly incorrect and not typical of Masonry AT ALL.

quote:

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In Germany they are called by a different name as at one time they were outlawed and are still looked down on by conservative Lutheran and most Catholic churches.

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This doesn't really mean much. This is a matter of personal opinion between those involved. You can use that same logic and flip it the other way.

quote:

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Ummm Gemini.. there were very high FM's recruiting my husband not only here in Germany but also in the states. Many FM's are also a part of charitable organizations- We are members of the Elks Lodge where again, he was actively recruited. I was even spoken to by wives of "higher ups" and we both know what level I am speaking of.

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Again, this means nothing more than they probably saw he was a good man and would probably make a good Mason. Being spoken to by "the wives of the higher ups" also holds zero significance other than maybe the husbands asked them to speak with you. You do know that is how we investigate petitioners correct? We MUST speak to the wives and give her an understanding of what we do and get her consent. And the brothers that usually do this are usually Past Masters who coincidentally are usually 32˚ and 33˚ Masons.

quote:

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Many FM's are also a part of charitable organizations- We are members of the Elks Lodge where again

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Do you realize that Freemasonry IS a charitable organization?

Pidaua, you say you two are members of the ELKS. Do you realize that the ELKS borrow HEAVILY from Masonry?

I am in no way getting on you, I just wanted to try to correct your misconceptions about Freemasonry. 99.99999999999999999999999% of all the internet conspiracy theories on the internet about Freemasonry is FALSE.