what is free masonary?? (Jesus Christ, priest, rituals, Latter-Day Saints, beliefs)

[almifkhar]

hello all, i was wondering what is free masonary about? is it a religion and if so what is its belief system. this is something i have always wondered about and i was thinking this is the place i might would find an answer. thank you

[michel]

Originally Posted by almifkhar

hello all, i was wondering what is free masonary about? is it a religion and if so what is its belief system. this is something i have always wondered about and i was thinking this is the place i might would find an answer. thank you

Heh, strange you should ask - I saw a bit of a programme about freemasons on T.V on Sunday.

Perhaps the best thing I can do is to direct you to this site:- www.grandlodge-england.org/;
As I understood it, freemasons are not 'tied' to any religious group - they accept people from any Faith. I must admit the description of the initiaton ceremony sounded rather odd; the new members have to go through some sort of ritual which involves wearing only one shoe, wearing a rubber 'hose' around a bare leg (The one with no shoe on the foot) - I don't know, it sounded most strange to me.

[Shadow Wolf]

From what I've gathered, the free masonry started as a masons guild back in the 1700 hundreds I think it is. Its purpose was so that people would have a way of knowing if a foriegner was really a good mason (brick layer). Someone of the local Mason lodge would shake the foriegners hand, and if the foriegner shook the local Mason's hand right, the local Mason would know the foriegner is a true mason, and one of the best around. Basically a way to check for credibility in a mason, and a way to prevent fruad claims of being a good mason.
Over time, it evolved into the Free Masons. The large, very powerfull society it is today. I don't know what thier believes are, except the members are powerfull and have much influence on thier nieghbors, or state, or in many cases, nation. Also, there is a strong since of brotherhood. If what I've heard is true (and Ive little reason to doubt it), if you are in a foriegn country, you are mugged, all you money, passport, and plane ticket is stolen, and you are left without a car, you find the Local Mason lodge, shake the right persons hand just right, and the local masons will take care of you and make sure you get back home.

[michel]

Originally Posted by Luke Wolf

From what I've gathered, the free masonry started as a masons guild back in the 1700 hundreds I think it is. Its purpose was so that people would have a way of knowing if a foriegner was really a good mason (brick layer). Someone of the local Mason lodge would shake the foriegners hand, and if the foriegner shook the local Mason's hand right, the local Mason would know the foriegner is a true mason, and one of the best around. Basically a way to check for credibility in a mason, and a way to prevent fruad claims of being a good mason.
Over time, it evolved into the Free Masons. The large, very powerfull society it is today. I don't know what thier believes are, except the members are powerfull and have much influence on thier nieghbors, or state, or in many cases, nation. Also, there is a strong since of brotherhood. If what I've heard is true (and Ive little reason to doubt it), if you are in a foriegn country, you are mugged, all you money, passport, and plane ticket is stolen, and you are left without a car, you find the Local Mason lodge, shake the right persons hand just right, and the local masons will take care of you and make sure you get back home.

Yo are right, it is an intensly self supporting comunity - one of the problems though (of which I have heard here in England) is that a Mason Judge cannot preside over an accused who is also a Mason. As for the self support, one of my friends was a Mason (I never asked him about it in case it was the 'wrong thing to do) - but when he died, the Masons funded the private education of his kids...

[EnhancedSpirit]

Free masons are the oldest of the 'good ole boy' network. They were like the first form of 'labor unions'. They made sure that quality work got quality pay, and due respect. They help each other out, always, like a large brotherhood. My grandfather was the last free mason in my direct family. My grandfather had no sons, or grandsons until after he passed. Being the oldest of the oldest, I will inherit his masonic ring. He was the 5th generation to have it, I will be the 7th.

It may have changed recently but I do believe that women are not allowed to join the masonic lodge.

[EnhancedSpirit]

An interesting find:

Masonic Symbols and the LDS Temple

by Sandra Tanner

In the Spring of 2002 the LDS Church completed its reconstruction of the Nauvoo Temple in Illinois. It was originally built in the 1840's but was destroyed after the Mormons abandoned the town. Due to the publicity and photos regarding this new temple many people have asked about the symbols on the building.

To understand the symbols one must first know something of Joseph Smith's involvement with Freemasonry. Joseph's brother, Hyrum, had been a Mason since the 1820's. Many other members of the LDS church, like Brigham Young, were Masons before they joined Mormonism. LDS historian Reed Durham observed:

"By 1840, John Cook Bennett, a former active leader in Masonry had arrived in Commerce [Nauvoo] and rapidly exerted his persuasive leadership in all facets of the Church, including Mormon Masonry. ... Joseph and Sidney [Rigdon] were inducted into formal Masonry...on the same day..." ("Is There No Help for the Widow's Son?" by Dr. Reed C. Durham, Jr., as printed in Joseph Smith and Masonry: No Help for the Widow's Son, Martin Pub. Co., Nauvoo, Ill., 1980, p. 17.)

Reed Durham further commented:

"I have attempted thus far to demonstrate that Masonic influences upon Joseph in the early Church history, preceding his formal membership in Masonry, were significant....In fact, I believe that there are few significant developments in the Church, that occurred after March 15, 1842, which did not have some Masonic interdependence." (Joseph Smith and Masonry: No Help for the Widow's Son, p.17)

The History of the Church records Smith's entrance into the Masonic lodge in 1842:

"Tuesday, 15.—I officiated as grand chaplain at the installation of the Nauvoo Lodge of Free Masons, at the Grove near the Temple. Grand Master Jonas, of Columbus, being present, a large number of people assembled on the occasion. The day was exceedingly fine; all things were done in order, and universal satisfaction was manifested. In the evening I received the first degree in Free Masonry in the Nauvoo Lodge, assembled in my general business office." (History of the Church, by Joseph Smith, Deseret Book, 1978, Vol.4, Ch.32, p.550-1)

The next day Smith recorded:

"Wednesday, March 16.—I was with the Masonic Lodge and rose to the sublime degree." (History of the Church, Vol.4, Ch.32, p.552)

The Mormon involvement in Freemasonry reached its heights during the early 1840's in Nauvoo. In the Encyclopedia of Mormonism we read:

"The introduction of Freemasonry in NAUVOO had both political and religious implications....Eventually nearly 1,500 LDS men became associated with Illinois Freemasonry, including many members of the Church's governing priesthood bodies—this at a time when the total number of non-LDS Masons in Illinois lodges barely reached 150." (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, vol.2, p.527)

The Salt Lake Tribune (May 4, 2002, p.C3) printed a picture of the original Nauvoo temple weather vane, which shows the Masonic symbol of the compass and square above the angel. Reporter Peggy Stack wrote:

"Every detail of the historic Nauvoo Temple was reconstructed [in the new Nauvoo temple] meticulously with one exception: the flying angel weather vane that graced the top of the 19th century Mormon edifice.

"In its place is the gold-leafed Angel Moroni, first used on the Salt Lake Temple,...

"Some speculate that the horizontal angel, with its compass and square, may be too closely associated with Masonic rituals for modern Mormons." (Salt Lake Tribune, May 4, 2002, p.C3)

LDS researcher Michael Homer discussed the Mormon use of Masonic symbols:
"Even after the turn of the century and the abandonment of polygamy, the same comparison [to Masonry] was made. The First Presidency stated in a message on October 15, 1911, that '[b]ecause of their Masonic characters, the ceremonies of the temple are sacred and not for the public.'

"Mormon use of Masonic symbols has also been publicly acknowledged. Mormons were hardly discreet in their depictions of symbols long associated with Freemasonry...including the square, the compass, the sun, moon, and stars, the beehive, the all-seeing eye, ritualistic hand grips, two interlaced triangles forming a six-pointed star...and a number of other Masonic symbols on endowment houses, temples, cooperatives, grave markers, tabernacles, church meetinghouses, newspaper mastheads, hotels, residences, money, logos, and seals." ("Similarity of Priesthood in Masonry": The Relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism, by Michael W. Homer, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, vol.27, no.3, Fall 1994, p.73)

[Shadow Wolf]

My grandfather was a mason, but I have no idea what happened to his mason ring. My guess is that my uncle got it, and when he died, his son, who takes care of nothing, got it.

[almifkhar]

hmmmmmmm intresting indeed. as far as the symbols goes, what is the purpose of them? thanks michael for the website. i will look at it later

[Crystal Red]

Originally Posted by EnhancedSpirit

Free masons are the oldest of the 'good ole boy' network. They were like the first form of 'labor unions'. They made sure that quality work got quality pay, and due respect. They help each other out, always, like a large brotherhood. My grandfather was the last free mason in my direct family. My grandfather had no sons, or grandsons until after he passed. Being the oldest of the oldest, I will inherit his masonic ring. He was the 5th generation to have it, I will be the 7th.

It may have changed recently but I do believe that women are not allowed to join the masonic lodge.

My dad's a mason. & no, women are not allowed to join.

It's just so the people with money & power can keep it all in one place, it's not the muscle it used to be, as in there's hardly any secrecy left, not that they were really hiding anything much, it's turned into a social club, for business men with similar interests to meet, increase the power. They've got a 'you scatch my back, I'll scratch your's' thing going on.

They have no specific beliefs, but from what little my dad has told me, they generally impose a monotheistic system, doesn't really matter what deity, as long as there is only one, no more, no less. They have become very lax about it, mostly because people with money & power are increasingly becoming atheist, agnostic, or other faithless religions.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by EnhancedSpirit

An interesting find:

Masonic Symbols and the LDS Temple

by Sandra Tanner

In the Spring of 2002 the LDS Church completed its reconstruction of the Nauvoo Temple in Illinois. It was originally built in the 1840's but was destroyed after the Mormons abandoned the town. Due to the publicity and photos regarding this new temple many people have asked about the symbols on the building....

As soon as I saw the topic of this thread, I knew I was going to see at least one post on the alleged ties between Freemasonry and Mormonism. Since this discussion is supposedly on "What is freemasonry?", I'm not going to address any of the specific details of this post. I will, however, make a couple of general comments:

1. Sandra Tanner, the author of the article, "Masonic Symbols and the LDS Temple," is what could be accurately described as a "career anti-Mormon." While she would undoubtedly like the reader to believe that she is an honest seeker of the truth and is simply providing an objective look at the doctrines and history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I can assure you that nothing could possibly be further from the truth.





A non-Mormon scholar (Lawrence Foster, associate professor of American history at the Georgia Institute of Technology) who has spent many years on intensive work on Mormonism and its history says of the Tanners:

"The Tanners (i.e. Jerald and Sandra) have repeatedly assumed a holier-than-thou stance, refusing to be fair in applying the same debate standard of absolute rectitude which they demand of Mormonism to their own actions, writing, and beliefs.... [They] seem to be playing a skillful shell game in which the premises for judgment are conveniently shifted so that the conclusion is always the same--negative."

2. There are, in fact, some parallels between Mormonism and Freemasonry, but they are not as Sandra Tanner has described. As anyone with any understanding of symbology knows, symbols do not -- in and of themselves -- have any inherent meaning. Thus, the same symbol may be used by several different groups of people and may have an entirely different meaning for each group. For instance, until the Nazis used the swastika, this symbol was used by many cultures (as far back as 2000 B.C.) represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck. Even in the early twentieth century, it was still a symbol with positive connotations. This use continued up through the early twentieth century.






We need to be very careful in drawing assumptions about the meaning of any symbol.

If anyone would like to discuss Mormonism and Freemasonry, please post your inquiries on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints forum. Otherwise, I can see this thread veering off course rather quickly.