General Information about the Masonic Fraternity
This information was
extracted from the Grand Lodge of
S.C.
How did Masonry begin?
Masonry is ancient, having existed in some form for so long that many scholars have differed as to the time and place of its origin. There is evidence of a craft association which antedates the Christian era. It survived various transitions which took place during the Middle Ages. Freemasonry was "officially" established in England in 1717. Since then its lodges have spread to free countries throughout the world. When Freemasonry reached the shores of the New World in the early 18th Century, Masonic Lodges produced leaders who would make a lasting impact upon our emerging nation. Of the thirty-nine men who affixed their signatures to the United States Constitution, thirteen were Masons. George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were members of Masonic Lodges, as were thirteen of the American Presidents who would follow, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and Gerald Ford.
Is Masonry a Religion?
The answer to that question is simple. No.
We do use ritual in the meetings, and because there is always an altar with the Volume of Sacred Law open whenever a lodge is meeting, some people have categorized Masonry as a religion. That does not mean that religion plays no part in Masonry -- it plays a very important part. A person who wants to become a Mason must have a belief in God. No atheist can ever become a Mason. While Freemasonry is certainly a religious organization, it is not a religion.
Meetings open with prayer, and a Mason is taught, as one of the first lessons of Masonry, that one should pray for divine counsel and guidance before commencing any important undertaking. But that does not make Masonry a "religion."
Sometimes people confuse Masonry with a religion because we call some Masonic buildings "temples." But we use the word in the same sense that Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes called the Supreme Court a "Temple of Justice." A Masonic Lodge is a symbol of the Temple of Solomon. Neither Masonry nor the Supreme Court is a religion simply because its members meet in a "temple."
In some ways, the relationship between Masonry and religion is like the relationship between the Parent-Teacher Association (the P.T.A) and education. Members of the P.T.A. believe in the importance of education. They support it. They assert that no man or woman can be a complete and whole individual or live up to his or her full potential without education. They encourage students to stay in school and parents to be involved with the education of their children. They may give scholarships. They encourage their members to get involved with and support their individual schools.
But there are some things P.T.A.s do not do. They don't teach. They don't tell people which school to attend. They don't try to tell people what they should study or what their major should be.
In much the same way Masons believe in the importance of religion. Masonry encourages every Mason to be active in the religion and church of his own choice. Masonry teaches that, without religion, a man is alone and lost, and that without religion, he can never reach his full potential.
But Freemasonry does not tell a person which religion he should practice or how he should practice it. That is between the individual and God. That is the function of his house of worship, not his fraternity.
What is Freemasonry?
Freemasonry is dedicated to the "Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God." It uses the tools and implements of ancient architectural craftsmen symbolically in a system of instruction designed to build character and moral values in its members. Its singular purpose is to make good men better. Its bonds of friendship, compassion, and brotherly love have survived even the most divisive political, military, and religious conflicts through the centuries. Freemasonry is a fraternity which encourages its members to practice the faith of their personal acceptance. Masonry teaches that each person, through self-improvement and helping others, has an obligation to make a difference for good in the world.
What do Masons do?
The Masonic experience encourages members to become better men, better husbands, better fathers, and better citizens. The fraternal bonds formed in the Lodge help build lifelong friendships among men with similar goals and values.
Beyond its focus on individual development and growth, Masonry is deeply involved in helping people. The Freemasons of North America contribute over two million dollars a day to charitable causes. This philanthropy represents an unparalleled example of the humanitarian commitment of this great and honorable Fraternity. Much of that assistance goes to people who are not Masons. Some of these charities are vast projects. The Shrine Masons (Shriners) operate the largest network of hospitals for burned and orthopaedically impaired children in the country, and there is never a fee for treatment. The Scottish Rite Masons maintain a nationwide network of over 150 Childhood Language Disorder Clinics, Centers, and Programs.
Many other Masonic organizations sponsor a variety of philanthropies, including scholarship programs for students, and perform public service activities in their communities. Masons also enjoy the fellowship of each other and their families in social and recreational activities.
What are Masonic Principles?
Masonry Teaches some important principles. There's nothing very surprising in the list below. Masonry teaches that:
Since God is the Creator, all men and women are the children of God.
Hence, all men and women are brothers and sisters, and are entitled to dignity, respect for their opinions, and consideration of their feelings.
Each person must take responsibility for his/her own life and actions.
Neither wealth nor poverty, education nor ignorance, health nor sickness excuses any person from doing the best he or she can do or being the best person possible under the circumstances.
No one has the right to tell another person what he or she must think or believe.
Each man and woman has an absolute right to intellectual, spiritual, economic, and political freedom. This is the right given by God, not by man. All tyranny, in every form, is illegitimate.
Each person must learn and practice self-control.
Each person must make sure his spiritual nature triumphs over his animal nature. Another way to say the same thing is that even when we are tempted to anger, we must not be violent. Even when we are tempted to selfishness, we must be charitable. Even when we want to "write someone off," we must remember that he or she is a human and entitled to our respect. Even when we want to give up, we must go on. Even when we are hated, we must return love, or, at a minimum, we must not hate back. It isn't easy.
Faith must be in the center of our lives.
We find that faith in our houses of worship, not in Freemasonry, but Masonry constantly teaches that a person's faith, whatever it may be, is central to a good life.
Each person has a responsibility to be a good citizen, obeying the law.
That doesn't mean we can't try to change things, but change must take place in legal ways.
It is important to work to make this world better for all who live in it.
Masonry teaches the importance of doing good, not because it assures a person's entrance into heaven -- that's a question for a religion, not a fraternity -- but because we have a duty to all other men and women to make their lives as fulfilling as they can be.
Honor and integrity are essential to life.
Life, without honor and integrity, is without meaning.
Why is Masonry so 'Secretive'?
It really isn't "secretive," although it sometimes has that reputation. Masons certainly don't make a secret of the fact that they are members of the fraternity. We wear rings, lapel pins and tie tacks with Masonic emblems like the Square and Compasses, the best known of Masonic signs which, logically, recalls the fraternity's roots in stonemasonry. Masonic buildings are clearly marked, and are usually listed in the phone book. Lodge activities are not secret -- picnics and other events are even listed in the newspapers, especially in smaller towns. Many lodges have answering machines which give the upcoming lodge activities. But there are some Masonic secrets, and they fall into two categories.
The first are the ways in which a man can identify himself as a Mason -- grips and passwords. We keep those private for obvious reasons. It is not at all unknown for unscrupulous people to try to pass themselves off as Masons in order to get assistance under false pretenses.
The second group is harder to describe, but they are the ones Masons usually mean if we talk about "Masonic secrets." They are the secrets because they literally can't be talked about, can't be put into words. They are the changes that happen to a man when he really accepts responsibility for his own life and, at the same time, truly decides that his real happiness is in helping others.
It's a wonderful feeling, but it's something you simply can't explain to another person. That's why we sometimes say that Masonic secrets cannot (rather than "may not") be told. Try telling someone exactly what you feel when you see a beautiful sunset, or when you hear music, like the national anthem, which suddenly stirs old memories, and you'll understand what we mean.
"Secret societies" became very popular in America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. There were literally hundreds of them, and most people belonged to two or three. Many of them were modeled on Masonry, and made a great point of having many "secrets." Masonry got ranked with them.
But if Masonry is a secret society, it's the worst-kept secret in town.
How did Masonry begin?
Masonry is ancient, having existed in some form for so long that many scholars have differed as to the time and place of its origin. There is evidence of a craft association which antedates the Christian era. It survived various transitions which took place during the Middle Ages. Freemasonry was "officially" established in England in 1717. Since then its lodges have spread to free countries throughout the world. When Freemasonry reached the shores of the New World in the early 18th Century, Masonic Lodges produced leaders who would make a lasting impact upon our emerging nation. Of the thirty-nine men who affixed their signatures to the United States Constitution, thirteen were Masons. George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were members of Masonic Lodges, as were thirteen of the American Presidents who would follow, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and Gerald Ford.
Is Masonry a Religion?
The answer to that question is simple. No.
We do use ritual in the meetings, and because there is always an altar with the Volume of Sacred Law open whenever a lodge is meeting, some people have categorized Masonry as a religion. That does not mean that religion plays no part in Masonry -- it plays a very important part. A person who wants to become a Mason must have a belief in God. No atheist can ever become a Mason. While Freemasonry is certainly a religious organization, it is not a religion.
Meetings open with prayer, and a Mason is taught, as one of the first lessons of Masonry, that one should pray for divine counsel and guidance before commencing any important undertaking. But that does not make Masonry a "religion."
Sometimes people confuse Masonry with a religion because we call some Masonic buildings "temples." But we use the word in the same sense that Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes called the Supreme Court a "Temple of Justice." A Masonic Lodge is a symbol of the Temple of Solomon. Neither Masonry nor the Supreme Court is a religion simply because its members meet in a "temple."
In some ways, the relationship between Masonry and religion is like the relationship between the Parent-Teacher Association (the P.T.A) and education. Members of the P.T.A. believe in the importance of education. They support it. They assert that no man or woman can be a complete and whole individual or live up to his or her full potential without education. They encourage students to stay in school and parents to be involved with the education of their children. They may give scholarships. They encourage their members to get involved with and support their individual schools.
But there are some things P.T.A.s do not do. They don't teach. They don't tell people which school to attend. They don't try to tell people what they should study or what their major should be.
In much the same way Masons believe in the importance of religion. Masonry encourages every Mason to be active in the religion and church of his own choice. Masonry teaches that, without religion, a man is alone and lost, and that without religion, he can never reach his full potential.
But Freemasonry does not tell a person which religion he should practice or how he should practice it. That is between the individual and God. That is the function of his house of worship, not his fraternity.
What is Freemasonry?
Freemasonry is dedicated to the "Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God." It uses the tools and implements of ancient architectural craftsmen symbolically in a system of instruction designed to build character and moral values in its members. Its singular purpose is to make good men better. Its bonds of friendship, compassion, and brotherly love have survived even the most divisive political, military, and religious conflicts through the centuries. Freemasonry is a fraternity which encourages its members to practice the faith of their personal acceptance. Masonry teaches that each person, through self-improvement and helping others, has an obligation to make a difference for good in the world.
What do Masons do?
The Masonic experience encourages members to become better men, better husbands, better fathers, and better citizens. The fraternal bonds formed in the Lodge help build lifelong friendships among men with similar goals and values.
Beyond its focus on individual development and growth, Masonry is deeply involved in helping people. The Freemasons of North America contribute over two million dollars a day to charitable causes. This philanthropy represents an unparalleled example of the humanitarian commitment of this great and honorable Fraternity. Much of that assistance goes to people who are not Masons. Some of these charities are vast projects. The Shrine Masons (Shriners) operate the largest network of hospitals for burned and orthopaedically impaired children in the country, and there is never a fee for treatment. The Scottish Rite Masons maintain a nationwide network of over 150 Childhood Language Disorder Clinics, Centers, and Programs.
Many other Masonic organizations sponsor a variety of philanthropies, including scholarship programs for students, and perform public service activities in their communities. Masons also enjoy the fellowship of each other and their families in social and recreational activities.
What are Masonic Principles?
Masonry Teaches some important principles. There's nothing very surprising in the list below. Masonry teaches that:
Since God is the Creator, all men and women are the children of God.
Hence, all men and women are brothers and sisters, and are entitled to dignity, respect for their opinions, and consideration of their feelings.
Each person must take responsibility for his/her own life and actions.
Neither wealth nor poverty, education nor ignorance, health nor sickness excuses any person from doing the best he or she can do or being the best person possible under the circumstances.
No one has the right to tell another person what he or she must think or believe.
Each man and woman has an absolute right to intellectual, spiritual, economic, and political freedom. This is the right given by God, not by man. All tyranny, in every form, is illegitimate.
Each person must learn and practice self-control.
Each person must make sure his spiritual nature triumphs over his animal nature. Another way to say the same thing is that even when we are tempted to anger, we must not be violent. Even when we are tempted to selfishness, we must be charitable. Even when we want to "write someone off," we must remember that he or she is a human and entitled to our respect. Even when we want to give up, we must go on. Even when we are hated, we must return love, or, at a minimum, we must not hate back. It isn't easy.
Faith must be in the center of our lives.
We find that faith in our houses of worship, not in Freemasonry, but Masonry constantly teaches that a person's faith, whatever it may be, is central to a good life.
Each person has a responsibility to be a good citizen, obeying the law.
That doesn't mean we can't try to change things, but change must take place in legal ways.
It is important to work to make this world better for all who live in it.
Masonry teaches the importance of doing good, not because it assures a person's entrance into heaven -- that's a question for a religion, not a fraternity -- but because we have a duty to all other men and women to make their lives as fulfilling as they can be.
Honor and integrity are essential to life.
Life, without honor and integrity, is without meaning.
Why is Masonry so 'Secretive'?
It really isn't "secretive," although it sometimes has that reputation. Masons certainly don't make a secret of the fact that they are members of the fraternity. We wear rings, lapel pins and tie tacks with Masonic emblems like the Square and Compasses, the best known of Masonic signs which, logically, recalls the fraternity's roots in stonemasonry. Masonic buildings are clearly marked, and are usually listed in the phone book. Lodge activities are not secret -- picnics and other events are even listed in the newspapers, especially in smaller towns. Many lodges have answering machines which give the upcoming lodge activities. But there are some Masonic secrets, and they fall into two categories.
The first are the ways in which a man can identify himself as a Mason -- grips and passwords. We keep those private for obvious reasons. It is not at all unknown for unscrupulous people to try to pass themselves off as Masons in order to get assistance under false pretenses.
The second group is harder to describe, but they are the ones Masons usually mean if we talk about "Masonic secrets." They are the secrets because they literally can't be talked about, can't be put into words. They are the changes that happen to a man when he really accepts responsibility for his own life and, at the same time, truly decides that his real happiness is in helping others.
It's a wonderful feeling, but it's something you simply can't explain to another person. That's why we sometimes say that Masonic secrets cannot (rather than "may not") be told. Try telling someone exactly what you feel when you see a beautiful sunset, or when you hear music, like the national anthem, which suddenly stirs old memories, and you'll understand what we mean.
"Secret societies" became very popular in America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. There were literally hundreds of them, and most people belonged to two or three. Many of them were modeled on Masonry, and made a great point of having many "secrets." Masonry got ranked with them.
But if Masonry is a secret society, it's the worst-kept secret in town.
This site is owned and maintained by Fort Jackson Lodge No. 374, AFM a subordinate Lodge under the Masonic jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina.
This website approved by the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina; MWB Michael D. Smith, Grand Master
This website approved by the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina; MWB Michael D. Smith, Grand Master