Why masonry is a cult

Social network. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. For many, Freemasonry is a social network. Image source, United Grand Lodge of England. Secret ceremonies. Freemasons call for end to 'discrimination' of members Freemasons reject claims they blocked police reforms.

Freemasons meet in a temple, which they call a "lodge", as that is where ancient stonemasons met when working on a church or cathedral Lodges are grouped by region, roughly in line with the old county boundaries Freemasons wear aprons, because of the supposed evolution of freemasonry from the stonemasons The "third degree" is the final stage before becoming a fully fledged Mason.

Related Topics. Published 8 February Published 5 January Published 8 November These were lodges that admitted a mixture of men and women, the latter mostly the wives, daughters and female relatives of the male Masons.

They were not fully independent but were sanctioned by and attached to the traditional male lodges. Soon, similar lodges of adoption sprang up in the Netherlands and eventually in the United States. Out of this tradition, Masonic organizations were eventually formed that admitted both men and women as full members. In these organizations, both men and women partake in Masonic rites and women can hold positions of authority and leadership.

The highest ranking woman in the Order of the Eastern Star, for example, is known as the "Worthy Matron" and is the presiding officer of the organization. There are also several Masonic-related girls' and young women's organizations, such as the Order of Job's Daughters and the International Order of Rainbow for Girls, both of which are active today.

The Rainbow Girls are an offshoot of the Order of the Eastern Star and is largely dedicated to service and charity. A California native, who asked to remain anonymous, and who was a member of the Rainbow Girls in the s, remembers the organization fondly. As a young woman, she said, she was never made to feel lesser because she was a member of one of the female organizations.

The organization was well run and well organized. Today, traditional Masons are still exclusively men but the related organizations of female Masons are still active, many involved in charity, education and character-building. Similar to its relationship with women, Freemasonry in the United States has had a complicated history with ethnic minorities, especially Black Americans.

Hall was denied but he persevered, eventually receiving a charter in from the Grand Lodge in England. The Masonic lodge he established was the first African American lodge in the United States, and became the basis for the many other Black lodges that subsequently sprang up.

These Black lodges were named "Prince Hall Lodges" in the founder's honor, and were established exclusively for African Americans. Although the Masonic codes do not strictly prohibit the membership of non-white ethnic minorities, integrating the mainstream lodges has been an on-going struggle. Attempts to integrate the mainstream lodges have been met with varying success. However, even as late as the first decade of this century, attempts to integrate some lodges in the southeastern United States have met with opposition from some white members, the New York Times reported.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the famous composer, became a Mason in Franklin was one of the first Freemasons in what was then Colonial America, and in he became the Grand Master of the Philadelphia Lodge, according to a article published in The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. The world of Freemasonry is composed of esoteric signs and symbols that are baffling to most non-Masons. Perhaps the most common are the compass and square, which are the universally recognizable symbols of the organization.

They typically emblazon the lintels above lodge entrances and can be found on the aprons worn by Masons during rituals. Although there is not a single, universally agreed upon meaning, most Masons would probably contend that these two objects in conjunction are meant to represent how a Mason should conduct himself, according to an online dictionary of Masonic symbols.

The square signifies that a man should act "square" with his fellow man — that is, he should be honest and forthright in all his dealings. The compass is a reminder to engage in moderation, and not to get carried away by life's vices. In general, Masonic symbols — such as the beehive, the acacia tree and the all-seeing eye, to name a few — are meant to invoke ideals, remind members of correct modes of conduct and behavior, and impart important lessons.

No, said James Sullivan, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New York: "The reason we, I think in the past, wanted somebody that had a belief in a supreme being is because we take certain obligation to be a good man, to support the fraternity. And if you didn't have a belief in a supreme being, the obligation would mean nothing. Of the 56 figures who signed the Declaration of Independence, only nine were confirmed Masons, according to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania ; and of the 39 delegates of the Continental Congress who signed the draft of the new nation's Constitution in , only 13 one-third were Freemasons.

The back of the dollar bill features an incomplete pyramid with an eye on top of it. Many people -- including some Freemasons -- say it's a Masonic symbol, but that's not the case. UCLA's Margaret Jacob says these symbols have been used by many different groups, including Masons, throughout history. Brent Morris said there are two types of people who want to promote the idea that the symbols are Masonic: "The pro-Masons and the anti-Masons -- and that pretty well covers the universe.

But Morgan was more than the vagabond he appeared to be. After being held in prison on trumped up charges, Morgan was bailed out by a group of Masons and carried away, never to be seen again. Long before the Freemasons became a flashpoint in early 19th century politics, the order was a humble stoneworkers organization, believed to have been formed in England and Scotland in the s.

The organization soon took on a more philosophical air, using the principles of stonemasonry as a guiding metaphor in order to secretly assist its members in other areas of business and society.

The first Masonic lodges began showing up in the colonies in the early 18th century, and swiftly gained power and influence. Members of the Freemasons eventually played a pivotal role in the formation of the United States—13 of the 39 signatures on the U. Nowhere was this more true than in New York. To Morgan, and his friend David C. Miller, a local newspaper publisher struggling to keep his publication afloat, the successful Freemasons presented a daily reminder of wealth that seemed, for them, simply unattainable.

Once Morgan had these veiled details down on paper, Miller began teasing their very public release.