-
October
-
Syrian civil war
-
Freemasonry
-
The Lion King
-
Print on demand
-
Andrea Camilleri
-
Asbestos
-
Slang
-
Rome
-
Huawei
-
Puppet state
-
Star system
-
Osho
-
Tarantella
-
Eschatology
-
Best practice
-
Homeopathy
-
Peerage
-
Muhammad (Maometto)
-
Guinness World Records
-
Brand ambassador
-
Giuseppe Verdi
-
Fish and chips
-
Tennis
-
Soundtrack
-
Golden Dawn
-
Memory of the World Programme
-
German federal election 2013
-
Spelling reform
-
1000 basic English words
-
None of the above
|
WIKIMAG n. 11 - Ottobre 2013
Freemasonry
Text is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional
terms may apply. See
Terms of
Use for details.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the
Wikimedia Foundation,
Inc., a non-profit organization.
Traduzione
interattiva on/off
- Togli il segno di spunta per disattivarla
Freemasonry
is a
fraternal organisation that traces its origins in the loose
organisation of late medieval
Stonemasonry.[1]
Early organisational forms included "lodges," incorporations, and craft
guilds.[2]
Early Freemasonry based on craft labour is known as Operative
Freemasonry, while the modern, more philosophical form of Freemasonry is
known as Speculative Freemasonry.
Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a
membership estimated by the
United Grand Lodge of England at around six million worldwide.[3]
The fraternity is administratively organised into independent
Grand Lodges (or sometimes Grand Orients), each of which governs its
own Masonic jurisdiction, which consists of subordinate (or
constituent) Lodges. The largest single jurisdiction, in terms of
membership, is the
United Grand Lodge of England (with a membership estimated at around
a quarter million). The
Grand Lodge of Scotland and
Grand Lodge of Ireland (taken together) have approximately 150,000
members.[3]
In the United States total membership is just under two million.[4]
Part of a
series on |
Freemasonry |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The various Grand Lodges recognise each other—or do not—based upon
adherence to
landmarks. A Grand Lodge will usually deem other Grand Lodges who
share common landmarks to be
regular, and those that do not to be "irregular" or "clandestine".
There are also numerous
appendant bodies, which are organisations related to the main branch
of Freemasonry, but with their own independent administration.
History
United Kingdom
The origins and early development of Freemasonry are a matter of some
debate and conjecture. A poem known as the "Regius
Manuscript" has been dated to approximately 1390 and is the oldest
known Masonic text.[5]
The poem begins with a history of the "Craft" of Masonry, describing
Euclid
as the inventor of
geometry and then tracing the spread of the art of geometry through
"divers lands", ending up in England. This is followed by fifteen
articles for the master concerning both moral behaviour (do not harbour
thieves, do not take bribes, attend church regularly, etc.) and the
operation of work on a building site (do not make your masons labour at
night, teach apprentices properly, do not take on jobs that you cannot
do, etc.). There are then fifteen points for craftsmen which follow a
similar pattern.
In his commentary on the poem, James Halliwell, who discovered it,
notes 'the recent use of the term freemason to those who practice
the actual trade. In the year 1506, John Hylmer and William Vertue,
freemasons were engaged to "vault or doo or bee vawlted with
free-stone the roof of the quere of the College Roiall of our Lady and
Saint George, within the castell of Wyndsore"'.[6]
There is evidence to suggest that there were Masonic lodges in
existence in Scotland as early as the late 16th century[7]
(for example the
Lodge at Kilwinning, Scotland, has records that date to the late
16th century, and is mentioned in the Second
Schaw Statutes (1599) which specified that "ye warden of ye lug of
Kilwynning [...] tak tryall of ye
airt of memorie and science yrof, of everie fellowe of craft and
everie prenteiss according to ayr of yr vocations").[8]
There are clear references to the existence of lodges in England by the
mid-17th century.[9]
View of room at the Masonic Hall,
Bury St Edmunds,
Suffolk, England, early 20th century, set up for a Holy
Royal Arch convocation
The first Grand Lodge, the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster
(later called the
Grand Lodge of England (GLE)), was founded on 24 June 1717, when
four existing London Lodges met for a joint dinner. Many English Lodges
joined.the new regulatory body, which itself entered a period of
self-publicity and expansion. However, many lodges could not endorse
changes which the GLE made to the ritual in the wake of printed
exposures, and formed a rival Grand Lodge on 17 July 1751, which they
called the "Most Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted
Masons according to the Old Institutions", better known as the "Antient
Grand Lodge of England." The two competing Grand Lodges vied for
supremacy – the "Moderns" (GLE) and the "Antients" (or "Ancients") –
until they united on 25 November 1813 to form the
United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).[10][11]
The Grand Lodge of Ireland and The Grand Lodge of Scotland were
formed in 1725 and 1736 respectively.
North America
Freemasonry was exported to the British Colonies in
North America by the 1730s – with both the "Antients" and the
"Moderns" (as well as the Grand Lodges of Ireland and Scotland)
chartering offspring, or "daughter," Lodges, and organising various
Provincial Grand Lodges.
The earliest known American lodges were in Pennsylvania. In December
1730,
Benjamin Franklin’s Gazzette states that “there were several Lodges
of Freemasons erected in this Province.”
[12]
After the
American Revolution, independent U.S. Grand Lodges formed themselves
within each state. Some thought was briefly given to organising an
overarching "Grand Lodge of the United States," with
George Washington (who was a member of a Virginian lodge) as the
first Grand Master, but the idea was short-lived. The various state
Grand Lodges did not wish to diminish their own authority by agreeing to
such a body.[13]
Grand Orient
de France
The
Grand Orient de France (GOdF) is often dated from 1728 or 1733.[14]
However, the early decades of Freemasonry in France were distinguished
by a lack of organisational structure, the lodges being united by a weak
allegiance to an acknowledged Grand Master who never interfered in their
running. Between 1755 and 1766 the masters of the Paris lodges attempted
to unite French Freemasonry under their own Grand Lodge, but this in
turn broke up over disputes about the higher degrees. The structure of
the current Grand Orient de France began to form in 1773, when lodges
from the whole of France met to agree a central body with a democratic
structure.[15]
Most English-speaking jurisdictions cut formal relations with the GOdF
around 1877, when (following the
Lausanne Congress of 1875) the GOdF removed the requirement that its
members have a belief in a Deity. The
Grande Loge Nationale Française (GLNF)[16]
was the last French Grand Lodge to be in regular amity with the
UGLE, until UGLE withdrew recognition on 12 September 2012.[17]
Prince Hall
Freemasonry
Prince Hall Freemasonry derives from historical events in the early
United States that led to a tradition of separate, predominantly
African-American Freemasonry in North America.
In 1775, an African-American named
Prince Hall[18]
was initiated into an Irish Constitution military Lodge then in
Boston,
Massachusetts, along with fourteen other African-Americans, all of
whom were free-born. When the military Lodge left North America, those
fifteen men were given the authority to meet as a Lodge, form
Processions on the days of the Saints John, and conduct Masonic
funerals, but not to confer degrees, nor to do other Masonic work. In
1784, these individuals applied for, and obtained, a Lodge Warrant from
the Premier Grand Lodge of England (GLE) and formed African Lodge,
Number 459. When the UGLE was formed in 1813, all U.S.-based Lodges were
stricken from their rolls – due largely to the
War of 1812. Thus, separated from both UGLE and any concordantly
recognised U.S. Grand Lodge, African Lodge re-titled itself as the
African Lodge, Number 1 – and became a de facto "Grand Lodge"
(this Lodge is not to be confused with the various Grand Lodges on the
Continent of
Africa).
As with the rest of U.S. Freemasonry, Prince Hall Freemasonry soon grew
and organised on a Grand Lodge system for each state.
Widespread
segregation in 19th- and early 20th-century North America made it
difficult for African-Americans to join Lodges outside of Prince Hall
jurisdictions – and impossible for inter-jurisdiction recognition
between the parallel U.S. Masonic authorities.
Prince Hall Masonry has always been regular in all respects
except constitutional separation, and this separation has diminished in
recent years. At present, Prince Hall Grand Lodges are recognised by
some UGLE Concordant Grand Lodges and not by others, but they appear to
be working toward full recognition, with UGLE granting at least some
degree of recognition.[19]
There are a growing number of both Prince Hall Lodges and non-Prince
Hall Lodges that have ethnically diverse membership.
Organisational structure
Anglo-American and Continental Freemasonry
Freemasonry is often said to consist of two branches not in mutual
regular amity:
The majority of Masonic jurisdictions around the world follow the
Anglo-American style. The
United Grand Lodge of England lists 194 Grand Lodges which it
considers to be Regular.[20]
The umbrella organisation for Liberal Freemasonry,
CLIPSAS, lists 72 members.[21]
The Anglo-American style is especially dominant in the United States and
the countries that once formed the
British Empire. It has a minority presence in France and most Latin
American countries. The Anglo-American branch has several noteworthy
sub-branches, most notably
Prince Hall Freemasonry (a legacy of past racial segregation in the
United States, and so predominantly found in that country).
The Continental Style dominates in France, and has a majority
presence in several European countries and in most Latin American
countries.[citation
needed] It has a minority presence in other parts
of the world.
In addition to these two main branches, there are several smaller
ones. For example, the
Swedish Rite (which is exclusively open for confessors of the
Christian faith, and has a significant presence in Scandinavia), is
recognised by the Anglo-American branch, but is best viewed as a
separate branch on its own.[22]
There are three fundamental issues[citation
needed] that separate the Anglo-American Branch and
the Continental Branch of Freemasonry:
Issue |
Anglo-American |
Continental |
Belief in Supreme Being |
Requires its members to express a belief in God as a
condition of membership (although it does not specify what form
that belief should take). A regular lodge must have an open
volume of scripture when it is in session. |
Laïcité has been a guiding concept since 1905. Not only are
members free to believe or disbelieve in God, they are expected
to promote the strict separation of church and state.[23] |
Female membership |
No female membership. Female masons are not recognised. In
some jurisdictions (especially America) there are associated
organisations (for example the Order of the Eastern Star) which
are open to women, but members are not considered Masons. |
Views on female membership vary among Grand Lodges and
Orients. Mixed and female lodges are generally recognised.
Grand Orient of France allows initiation of women.[24] |
Political involvement |
Strict ban of the discussion of politics in a lodge setting,
and its Grand Lodges will not comment on political matters. |
Political discussion is allowed, and its Grand
Orients/Lodges often issue statements on political issues,
particularly civil rights and the separation of church and
state. |
Grand Lodge
Main article:
Grand Lodge
Grand Lodges and Grand Orients are independent and sovereign bodies
that govern Masonry in a given country, state, or geographical area
(termed a jurisdiction).[25]
There is no single overarching governing body that presides over
worldwide Freemasonry; connections between different jurisdictions
depend solely on mutual recognition.[26]
Regularity
Regularity is a constitutional mechanism whereby Grand Lodges
or Grand Orients give one another mutual recognition. This recognition
allows formal interaction at the Grand Lodge level, and gives individual
Freemasons the opportunity to attend Lodge meetings in other recognised
jurisdictions. Conversely, regularity
proscribes interaction with Lodges that are irregular. A
Mason who visits an irregular Lodge may have his membership suspended
for a time, or he may be
expelled. For this reason, all Grand Lodges maintain lists of other
jurisdictions and lodges they consider regular.[27]
Grand Lodges and Grand Orients that afford mutual recognition and
allow intervisitation are said to be
in amity. As far as the UGLE is concerned, regularity is
predicated upon adherence to a number of fundamental principals (known
as Landmarks), set down in the UGLE Constitution and the
Constitutions of those Grand Lodges with which they are in amity. Even
within this definition there are some variations with the quantity and
content of the Landmarks from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Other
Masonic groups organise differently.[28]
Each of the two major branches of Freemasonry considers the Lodges
within its branch to be "regular" and those in the other branch to be
"irregular."
Masonic Lodge
Main article:
Masonic Lodge
A Lodge (often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge
in Masonic constitutions) is the basic organisational unit of
Freemasonry. Every new Lodge must have a Warrant or Charter issued by a
Grand Lodge, authorising it to meet and work. Except for the very few
"time immemorial" Lodges pre-dating the formation of a Grand Lodge,
masons who meet as a Lodge without displaying this document (for
example, in prisoner-of-war camps) are deemed "Clandestine" and
irregular.
A Lodge must hold regular meetings at a fixed place and published
dates. It will elect, initiate and promote its members and officers; it
will build up and manage its property and assets, including its minutes
and records; and it may own, occupy or share its premises. Like any
organisation, it will have formal business to manage its meetings and
proceedings, annual general meetings and
committees,
charity funds, correspondence and reports, membership and
subscriptions, accounts and tax returns, special events and catering,
and so forth. The balance of activities is individual to each Lodge, and
under their common constitutions and forms of procedure, Lodges evolve
very distinctive traditions.
A man can only be initiated, or made a Mason, in a Lodge, of which he
may often remain a subscribing member for life. A Master Mason can
generally visit any Lodge meeting under any jurisdiction in amity with
his own, and as well as the formal meeting, a Lodge may well offer
hospitality. A visitor should first check the regularity of that Lodge,
and must be able to satisfy that Lodge of his own regularity; and he may
be refused admission if adjudged likely to disrupt the harmony of the
Lodge. If he wishes to visit the same Lodge repeatedly, he may be
expected to join it and pay a subscription.
This plaque commemorates a 'formal' fraternal visit by
NIRMAS, the Masonic association for members of the
Royal Australian Navy, that originally started at the
Apprentice Training Base,
HMAS Nirimba, hence the name. The plaque is styled after
the
ship's badge for the Navy. The visit was to Lodge
Gundagai United, No.25.
Most Lodges consist of Freemasons living or working within a given
town or neighbourhood. Other Lodges are composed of Masons with a
particular shared interest,
profession or background. Shared
schools,
universities,
military units, Masonic appointments or degrees, arts, professions
and hobbies
have all been the qualifications for such Lodges. In some Lodges, the
foundation and name may now be only of historic interest, as over time
the membership evolves beyond that envisaged by its "founding brethren";
in others, the membership remains exclusive.
There are also specialist Lodges of Research, with membership drawn
from Master Masons only, with interests in Masonic Research (of
history,
philosophy, etc.). Lodges of Research are fully warranted but,
generally, do not initiate new candidates. Lodges of Instruction in UGLE
may be warranted by any ordinary Lodge for the learning and rehearsal of
Masonic
Ritual.
Freemasons correctly meet as a Lodge, not in a Lodge,
the word "Lodge" referring more to the people assembled than the place
of assembly. However, in common usage, Masonic premises are often
referred to as "Lodges". Masonic buildings are also sometimes called
"Temples" ("of
Philosophy and
the
Arts"). In many countries, Masonic Centre or Hall has
replaced Temple to avoid arousing prejudice and suspicion.
Several different Lodges, as well as other Masonic or non-Masonic
organisations, often use the same premises at different times.
According to Masonic tradition, medieval
European stonemasons would meet, eat, and shelter outside working hours
in a Lodge on the southern side of a building site, where the sun warms
the stones during the day. The social Festive Board (or Social
Board)[29]
part of the meeting is thus sometimes called the South.[30]
Early Lodges often met in a
tavern
or any other convenient fixed place with a private room.
Lodge Officers
Every Masonic Lodge elects certain officers to execute the necessary
functions of the lodge's work. The Worshipful Master (essentially the
lodge President) is always an elected officer. Most jurisdictions will
also elect the Senior and Junior Wardens (Vice Presidents), the
Secretary and the Treasurer. All lodges will have a Tyler, or Tiler,
(who guards the door to the lodge room while the lodge is in session),
sometimes elected and sometimes appointed by the Master. In addition to
these elected officers, lodges will have various appointed officers –
such as Deacons, Stewards, and a Chaplain (appointed to lead a
non-denominational prayer at the convocation of meetings or activities –
often, but not necessarily, a clergyman). The specific offices and their
functions vary between jurisdictions.
Many offices are replicated at the Provincial and Grand Lodge levels
with the addition of the word 'Grand' somewhere in the title. For
example, where every lodge has a 'Junior Warden', Grand Lodges have a
'Grand Junior Warden' (or sometimes 'Junior Grand Warden').
Additionally, there are a number of offices that exist only at the Grand
Lodge level.[31]
Other degrees, orders and bodies
There is no degree in Freemasonry higher than that of Master Mason,
the Third Degree.[32]
There are, however, a number of organisations that require being a
Master Mason as a prerequisite for membership.[33]
These bodies have no authority over the Craft.[32]
These orders or degrees may be described as additional or appendant,
and often provide a further perspective on some of the allegorical,
moral and philosophical content of Freemasonry.
Appendant bodies are administered separately from Craft Grand Lodges
but are styled Masonic since every member must be a Mason.
However, Craft Masonic jurisdictions vary in their relationships with
such bodies, if a relationship exists at all. The Articles of Union of
the "Modern" and "Antient" craft Grand Lodges (into UGLE in 1813)
limited recognition to certain degrees, such as the
Royal Arch and the "chivalric degrees", but there were and are many
other degrees that have been worked since before the Union. Some bodies
are not universally considered to be appendant bodies, but rather
separate organisations that happen to require prior Masonic affiliation
for membership. Some of these organisations have additional
requirements, such as religious adherence (e.g., requiring members to
profess
Trinitarian Christian beliefs) or membership of other bodies.
Quite apart from these, there are organisations that are often
thought of as being related to Freemasonry, but which have no formal or
informal connections with Freemasonry. These include such organisations
as the
Orange Order, which originated in Ireland, the
Knights of Pythias, or the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows.[34]
In addition, many Masonic lodges and associated masonic bodies
sponsor various
youth groups. These groups are not part of Freemasonry.
Principles
and activities
While Freemasonry has often been called a "secret
society", Freemasons themselves argue that it is more correct to say
that it is an
esoteric society, in that certain aspects are private.[32]
The most common phrasing is that Freemasonry has, in the 21st century,
become less a secret society and more of a "society with secrets".[35]
The private aspects of modern Freemasonry are the modes of
recognition amongst members and particular elements within the
ritual.[36]
Despite the organisation's great diversity, Freemasonry's central
preoccupations remain charitable work within a local or wider community,
moral uprightness (in most cases requiring a belief in a supreme being)
as well as the development and maintenance of fraternal friendship, as
James Anderson's
Constitutions originally urged amongst brethren.
Ritual, symbolism, and morality
Masons conduct their meetings using a ritualised format. There is no
single Masonic ritual, and each jurisdiction is free to set (or not set)
its own ritual. However, there are similarities that exist among
jurisdictions. For example, all Masonic ritual makes use of the
architectural symbolism of the tools of the
medieval operative stonemason. Freemasons, as speculative
masons (meaning philosophical building rather than actual building), use
this symbolism to teach moral and ethical lessons of the principles of
"Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth;" or as related in France, "Liberty,
Equality, Fraternity."
The Square and Compasses carved into stone
Two of the principal symbolic tools always found in a Lodge are the
square and
compasses. Some Lodges and rituals explain these tools as
lessons in conduct: for example, that Masons should "square their
actions by the square of virtue" and to learn to "circumscribe their
desires and keep their passions within due bounds toward all mankind."
However, as Freemasonry is non-dogmatic, there is no general
interpretation for these tools (or any Masonic emblem) that is used by
Freemasonry as a whole.[37]
These moral lessons are communicated in performance of allegorical
ritual. A candidate progresses through degrees,[32]
gaining knowledge and understanding of himself, his relationship with
others, and his relationship with the Supreme Being (per his own
interpretation). The philosophical aspects of Freemasonry tend to be
discussed in Lodges of Instruction or Research, and sometimes informal
groups, although Freemasons and others frequently publish studies, with
varying degrees of competence, that are available to the public. Any
mason may speculate on the symbols and purpose of Freemasonry, and
indeed all masons are required to some extent to speculate on masonic
meaning as a condition of advancing through the
degrees.
There is no one accepted meaning, and no one person "speaks" for the
whole of Freemasonry.[38]
Some lodges make use of
tracing boards. These are painted or printed illustrations depicting
the various symbolic
emblems
of Freemasonry. They can be used as teaching aids during the lectures
that follow each of the three Degrees, when an experienced member
explains the various concepts of Freemasonry to new members. They can
also be used by experienced members as self-reminders of the concepts
they learned as they went through their
initiations.
Freemasonry uses the
metaphors of operative
stonemasons' tools and implements, against the
allegorical backdrop of the building of
King Solomon's Temple, to convey what has been described by both
Masons and critics as "a system of morality veiled in allegory and
illustrated by symbols."[39][40]
The Supreme Being and the Volume of Sacred Law
Candidates for
regular Freemasonry are required to declare a belief in a
Supreme Being.[41]
However, the candidate is not asked to expand on, or explain, his
interpretation of Supreme Being. The discussion of
politics and
religion is forbidden within a
Masonic Lodge, in part so a Mason will not be placed in the
situation of having to justify his personal interpretation.[42]
Thus, a Christian Mason will interpret the term "Supreme Being" in a
Christian context, while a Muslim Mason will interpret it in a Muslim
context, and a Hindu Mason will interpret it in a Hindu context, (etc.).
While most Freemasons would take the view that the term Supreme Being
equates to God,
others may hold a more complex or philosophical interpretation of the
term.
In the ritual, the Supreme Being is referred to as the
Great Architect of the Universe, which alludes to the use of
architectural symbolism within Freemasonry.[43][44]
A
Volume of the Sacred Law is always displayed in an open Lodge in
those jurisdictions which require a belief in the Supreme Being. In
English-speaking countries, this is frequently the
King James Version of the Bible or another standard translation;
there is no such thing as an exclusive "Masonic Bible".[45]
Furthermore, a candidate is given his choice of religious text for his
Obligation, according to his beliefs. UGLE alludes to similarities to
legal practice in the UK, and to a common source with other oath taking
processes.[46][47][48][49]
In Lodges with a membership of mixed religions it is common to find more
than one sacred text displayed. In lodges that follow the
Continental tradition other texts may be used, including texts that
are non-religious in nature.
Degrees
In the 19th century, certificates such as this were commonly
issued to Masons to show that they had taken the three
degrees of Craft Masonry in a regular lodge
The three degrees of Craft or Blue Lodge Freemasonry
are those of:
- Entered Apprentice – the degree of an Initiate, which
makes one a Freemason;
- Fellow Craft – an intermediate degree, involved with
learning; and
- Master Mason – the "third degree", a necessity for
participation in most aspects of Masonry.
The degrees represent stages of personal development. No Freemason is
told that there is only one meaning to the allegories; as a Freemason
works through the degrees and studies their lessons, he interprets them
for himself, his personal interpretation being bounded only by the
Constitution within which he works.[45]
A common symbolic structure and universal archetypes provide a means for
each Freemason to come to his own answers to life's important
philosophical questions.
There is no degree of Craft Freemasonry higher than that of Master
Mason.[32]
Although some Masonic bodies and orders have further degrees named with
higher numbers, these degrees may be considered to be supplements to the
Master Mason degree rather than promotions from it.[33]
An example is the
Scottish Rite, conferring degrees numbered from 4° up to 33°.[50]
It is essential to be a Master Mason in order to qualify for these
further degrees. They are administered on a parallel system to Craft
or Blue Lodge Freemasonry; within each organisation there is a
system of offices, which confer rank within that degree or order alone.
In some jurisdictions, especially those in continental Europe,
Freemasons working through the degrees may be asked to prepare papers on
related philosophical topics, and present these papers in open Lodge.
There is an enormous bibliography of Masonic papers, magazines and
publications ranging from fanciful abstractions which construct
spiritual and moral lessons of varying value, through practical
handbooks on organisation, management and ritual performance, to serious
historical and philosophical papers entitled to academic respect.
Signs,
grips, and words
Freemasons use signs (gestures), grips or tokens
(handshakes), and words to gain admission to meetings and
identify legitimate visitors.[51]
Many exposés revealing these signs grips and passwords to the
uninitiated have been written over the years (the earliest appeared in
the eighteenth century). The fraternity responded in different ways. One
response, made by many Masonic jurisdictions, was to deliberately
transpose certain words in the ritual, so as to catch out anyone relying
on an exposé. Other Grand Lodges simply chose new signs, grips, and
passwords. Since each Grand Lodge is free to create its own rituals, the
signs, grips, and passwords differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.[37]
Furthermore, Grand Lodges change their rituals periodically, updating
the language used, adding or omitting sections.[52]
Therefore, any exposé can only be valid for a particular jurisdiction at
a particular time, and is always difficult for an outsider to verify.
Today, an unknown visitor may be required to produce a certificate, dues
card, or other documentation of membership, in addition to demonstrating
knowledge of the signs, grips, and passwords.
Obligations
Obligations are those elements of ritual in which a candidate swears
to abide by the rules of the fraternity, to keep the "secrets of
Freemasonry" (which are the various signs, tokens and words associated
with recognition in each degree), and to act towards others in
accordance with Masonic tradition and law.[36]
In regular jurisdictions these obligations are sworn on the
aforementioned Volume of the Sacred Law and in the witness of the
Supreme Being and often with assurance that it is of the candidate's own
free will.
Details of the obligations vary; some versions are published[36]
while others are privately printed in books of coded text. Still other
jurisdictions rely on oral transmission of ritual, and thus have no
ritual books at all.[53]
Moreover, not all printed rituals are authentic –
Léo
Taxil's exposure, for example, is a proven hoax, while Duncan's
Masonic Monitor (created, in part, by merging elements of several
rituals then in use) was never adopted by any regular jurisdiction.
Whilst no single obligation is representative of Freemasonry as a
whole, a number of common themes appear when considering a range of
potential texts. Content which may appear in at least one of the three
obligations includes: the candidate promises to act in a manner
befitting a member of civilised society, promises to obey the law of his
Supreme Being, promises to obey the law of his sovereign state, promises
to attend his lodge if he is able, promises not to wrong, cheat nor
defraud the Lodge or the brethren, and promises aid or charity to a
member of the human family, brethren and their families in times of need
if it can be done without causing financial harm to himself or his
dependents.[36][54][55]
The obligations are historically known amongst various sources
critical of Freemasonry for their so-called "bloody penalties,"[56]
an allusion to the apparent physical penalties associated with each
degree. This leads to some descriptions of the Obligations as "Oaths".
The corresponding text, with regard to the penalties, does not appear in
authoritative, endorsed sources,[36]
following a decision "that all references to physical penalties be
omitted from the obligations taken by Candidates in the three Degrees
and by a Master Elect at his Installation but retained elsewhere in the
respective ceremonies."[57]
The penalties are interpreted symbolically, and are not applied in
actuality by a Lodge or by any other body of Masonry. The descriptive
nature of the penalties alludes to how the candidate should feel about
himself should he knowingly violate his obligation.[58]
Modern actual penalties may include suspension, expulsion or reprimand.
Landmarks
The Landmarks of Masonry are defined as ancient and unchangeable
principles; standards by which the regularity of Lodges and Grand Lodges
are judged. Each Grand Lodge is self-governing and no single authority
exists over the whole of Freemasonry. The interpretation of these
principles therefore can and does vary, leading to controversies of
recognition.
The concept of Masonic Landmarks appears in Masonic regulations as
early as 1723, and seems to be adopted from the regulations of operative
masonic guilds. In 1858,
Albert G. Mackey attempted to set down 25 Landmarks.[59]
In 1863, George Oliver published a Freemason's Treasury in which he
listed 40 Landmarks. A number of American Grand Lodges have attempted
the task of enumerating the Landmarks; numbers differing from West
Virginia (7) and New Jersey (10) to Nevada (39) and Kentucky (54).[60]
Charitable
activities
The fraternity is widely involved in charity and community service
activities. In contemporary times, money is collected only from
the membership, and is to be devoted to charitable purposes.
Freemasonry worldwide disburses substantial charitable amounts to
non-Masonic charities, locally, nationally and internationally.[61][62]
In earlier centuries, however, charitable funds were collected more on
the basis of a Provident or
Friendly Society, and there were elaborate regulations to determine
a petitioner's eligibility for consideration for charity, according to
strictly Masonic criteria.
Some examples of Masonic charities include:
In addition to these, there are thousands of philanthropic
organisations around the world created by Freemasons. The Masonic
Service Association,[67]
the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory,[68]
and the
Shriners Hospitals for Children[69]
are charitable activities that Masons have founded and continue to
support, both intellectually and monetarily.
Membership
requirements
Contrary to common misconception, joining Freemasonry is not by
invitation only. In fact, in many jurisdictions, the brothers of the
lodge are not allowed to ask potential candidates to join (in these
jurisdictions, the brethren must wait for the potential candidate to
inquire).[70]
Other jurisdictions allow for varying degrees of solicitation.
However the initial introduction is made, the official process of
becoming a Mason begins when a candidate for Freemasonry formally
petitions a lodge. The brethren will then investigate the candidate, to
assure themselves of his good character, and hold a secret ballot
election (often using an old fashioned
ballot box). The number of adverse votes needed to reject a
candidate varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction (in some, one "black
ball" is enough to reject, in others up to three are required).
General
requirements
Generally, to be accepted for initiation as a regular Freemason (in a
lodge following Anglo-American style), a candidate must:[32]
- Be a man
who comes of his own free will.
- Believe in a Supreme Being (the form of which is left to open
interpretation by the candidate).
- Be at least the minimum age (from 18–25 years old depending on
the jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions the son of a Mason, known as
a "Lewis," may join at an earlier age than others).
- Be of good morals, and of good reputation.
- Be of sound mind and body (lodges had in the past denied
membership to a man because of a physical disability; however, now,
if a potential candidate says a disability will not cause problems,
it will not be held against him).
- Be free-born (or "born free", i.e., not born a
slave
or
bondsman).[71]
As with the previous, this is entirely an historical holdover, and
can be interpreted in the same manner as it is in the context of
being entitled to write a
will. Some jurisdictions have removed this requirement.
- Be capable of furnishing character references, as well as one or
two references from current Masons, depending on jurisdiction.
Some Grand Lodges in the United States have an additional residence
requirement, candidates being expected to have lived within the
jurisdiction for a certain period of time, typically six months.[72]
Having been elected and initiated, a member may subsequently resign
from membership of his lodge if he so desires. Additionally, the
fraternity may either suspend or expel a member for cause. Where a
member has resigned in good standing, not excluded for
misdemeanour or non-payment of fees, he continues to be regarded as a
mason, albeit non-practising, may rejoin at any time, and may have
limited visiting rights.
Membership
and religion
Masonic Governing bodies insist that Freemasonry is neither a
religion nor a substitute for one. "There is no separate Masonic God",
nor a separate proper name for a deity in any branch of Freemasonry.[41][73]
Regular Freemasonry requires that its candidates believe in a
Supreme Being, but the interpretation of this term is subject to the
conscience of the candidate. Consequently, Freemasonry accepts men from
a range of faiths, including (but not limited to)
Buddhism,
Christianity,
Hinduism,
Islam,
Judaism,
and
Sikhism. As a result, Freemasonry uses Volume of the Sacred Law
(VSL) as a generic term for a religious book. As Anglo-American
Freemasonry also requires that a VSL be present on the Altar, many
Lodges have multiple VSLs available, and a candidate can be obligated on
his book of choice.
Since the early 19th century, in the Continental European tradition
(which is considered irregular by those Grand Lodges in amity with the
United Grand Lodge of England), a very broad interpretation has been
given to a non-dogmatic Supreme Being; in the tradition of
Baruch Spinoza and
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – or views of
The Ultimate Cosmic Oneness – along with Western
atheistic
idealism and
agnosticism.
The form of Freemasonry most common in
Scandinavia, known as the
Swedish Rite, accepts only Christians.[74]
Freemasonry and
women
The status of women in the old guilds and corporations of mediaeval
masons remains uncertain. The principle of "femme sole" allowed a widow
to continue the trade of her husband, but its application had wide local
variations, ranging from full membership of a trade body to limited
trade by deputation to approved members of that body.[75]
In masonry, the small available evidence points to the less empowered
end of the scale.[76]
At the dawn of the
Grand Lodge era, during the 1720s,
James Anderson composed the
first printed constitutions for Freemasons, the basis for most
subsequent constitutions, which specifically excluded women from
Freemasonry.[77]
As Freemasonry spread, continental masons began to include their ladies
in
Lodges of Adoption, which worked three degrees with the same names
as the men's but different content. The French officially abandoned the
experiment in the early 19th century.[78][79]
Later organisations with a similar aim emerged in the United States, but
distinguished the names of the degrees from those of male masonry.[80]
Maria Deraismes was initiated into Freemasonry in 1882, then
resigned to allow her lodge to rejoin their Grand Lodge. Having failed
to achieve acceptance from any masonic governing body, she and
Georges Martin started a mixed masonic lodge that actually worked
masonic ritual.[81]
Annie Besant spread the phenomenon to the English speaking world.[82]
Disagreements over ritual led to the formation of exclusively female
bodies of Freemasons in England, which spread to other countries.
Meanwhile, the French had re-invented Adoption as an all-female lodge in
1901, only to cast it aside again in 1935. The lodges, however,
continued to meet, which gave rise, in 1959, to a body of women
practising continental Freemasonry.[79]
In general, Continental Freemasonry is sympathetic to Freemasonry
amongst women, dating from the 1890s when French lodges assisted the
emergent co-masonic movement by promoting enough of their members to the
33rd degree of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite to allow them, in 1899, to form
their own grand council, recognised by the other Continental Grand
Councils of that Rite.[83]
The United Grand Lodge of England issued a statement in 1999 recognising
the two women's grand lodges there to be regular in all but the
participants. While they were not, therefore, recognised as regular,
they were part of Freemasonry "in general".[84][85]
The attitude of most regular Anglo-American grand lodges remains that
women cannot be made masons, and therefore, women Freemasons do not
exist.[86]
Opposition to and criticism of Freemasonry
Main article:
Anti-Masonry
Anti-Masonry (alternatively called Anti-Freemasonry)
has been defined as "opposition to Freemasonry."[87][88]
However, there is no homogeneous anti-Masonic movement. Anti-Masonry
consists of widely differing criticisms from diverse (and often
incompatible) groups who are hostile to Freemasonry in some form.
Critics have included religious groups, political groups, and
conspiracy theorists.
There have been many disclosures and exposés dating as far back as
the 18th century. These often lack context,[89]
may be outdated for various reasons,[52]
or could be outright
hoaxes on
the part of the author, as in the case of the
Taxil hoax.[90]
These hoaxes and exposés have often become the basis for criticism of
Masonry, often religious or political in nature (usually by totalitarian
dictatorial regimes,[91]
but also arising in the historical
Anti-Masonic Party in the United States), or are based on suspicion
of corrupt conspiracy of some form. The political opposition that arose
after the "Morgan
Affair" in 1826 gave rise to the term "Anti-Masonry,"
which is still in use today, both by Masons in referring to their
critics and as a self-descriptor by the critics themselves.[92]
Religious
opposition
Freemasonry has attracted criticism from
theocratic states and organised religions for supposed competition
with religion, or supposed
heterodoxy within the Fraternity itself, and has long been the
target of
conspiracy theories, which assert Freemasonry to be an
occult
and evil power.[93]
Christianity and Freemasonry
Although members of various faiths cite objections, certain
Christian
denominations have had high profile negative attitudes to Masonry,
banning or discouraging their members from being Freemasons.
The denomination with the longest history of objection to Freemasonry
is the
Roman Catholic Church. The objections raised by the Roman Catholic
Church are based on the allegation that Masonry teaches a naturalistic
deistic religion which is in conflict with Church
doctrine.[94]
A number of Papal pronouncements have been issued against Freemasonry.
The first was
Pope Clement XII's
In Eminenti, 28 April 1738; the most recent was
Pope Leo XIII's
Ab Apostolici, 15 October 1890. The 1917
Code of Canon Law explicitly declared that joining Freemasonry
entailed automatic
excommunication.[95]
The 1917 Code of Canon Law also forbade books friendly to Freemasonry.
In 1983, the Church issued a new Code of
Canon Law. Unlike its predecessor, it did not explicitly name
Masonic orders among the
secret societies it condemns. It states in part: "A person who joins
an association which plots against the Church is to be punished with a
just penalty; one who promotes or takes office in such an association is
to be punished with an
interdict." This named omission of Masonic orders caused both
Catholics and Freemasons to believe that the ban on Catholics becoming
Freemasons may have been lifted, especially after the perceived
liberalisation of
Vatican II.[96]
However, the matter was clarified when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later
Pope Benedict XVI), as the Prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a
Declaration on Masonic Associations, which states: "... the Church’s
negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged
since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with
the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains
forbidden. The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a
state of grave sin and may not receive
Holy Communion." Thus, from a Catholic perspective, there is still a
ban on Catholics joining Masonic Lodges. For its part, Freemasonry has
never objected to Catholics joining their fraternity. Those Grand Lodges
in amity with UGLE deny the Church's claims and state that they
explicitly adhere to the principle that "Freemasonry is not a religion,
nor a substitute for religion."[41]
In contrast to Catholic allegations of rationalism and naturalism,
Protestant objections are more likely to be based on allegations of
mysticism,
occultism, and even
Satanism.[97]
Masonic scholar
Albert Pike is often quoted (in some cases misquoted) by Protestant
anti-Masons as an authority for the position of Masonry on these issues.[98]
However, Pike, although undoubtedly learned, was not a spokesman for
Freemasonry and was controversial among Freemasons in general,
representing his personal opinion only, and furthermore an opinion
grounded in the attitudes and understandings of late 19th century
Southern Freemasonry of the USA alone. Indeed his book carries in the
preface a form of disclaimer from his own Grand Lodge. No one voice has
ever spoken for the whole of Freemasonry.[99]
Free Methodist Church founder
B.T. Roberts was a vocal opponent of Freemasonry in the mid 19th
century. Roberts opposed the society on moral grounds and stated, "The
god of the lodge is not the God of the Bible." Roberts believed
Freemasonry was a "mystery"
or "alternate" religion and encouraged his church not to support
ministers who were Freemasons. Freedom from secret societies is one of
the "frees" the Free Methodist Church was founded upon.[100]
Since the founding of Freemasonry, many Bishops of the
Church of England have been Freemasons, such as
Archbishop
Geoffrey Fisher.[101]
In the past, few members of the Church of England would have seen any
incongruity in concurrently adhering to Anglican Christianity and
practicing Freemasonry. In recent decades, however, reservations about
Freemasonry have increased within Anglicanism, perhaps due to the
increasing prominence of the evangelical wing of the church. The former
Archbishop of Canterbury,
Dr Rowan Williams, appears to harbour some reservations about
Masonic ritual, whilst being anxious to avoid causing offence to
Freemasons inside and outside the Church of England. In 2003 he felt it
necessary to apologise to British Freemasons after he said that their
beliefs were incompatible with Christianity and that he had barred the
appointment of Freemasons to senior posts in his diocese when he was
Bishop of Monmouth.[102]
In 1933, the
Orthodox
Church of Greece officially declared that being a Freemason
constitutes an act of
apostasy and thus, until he repents, the person involved with
Freemasonry cannot partake of the
Eucharist. This has been generally affirmed throughout the whole
Orthodox Church. The Orthodox critique of Freemasonry agrees with both
the Roman Catholic and Protestant versions: "Freemasonry cannot be at
all compatible with Christianity as far as it is a secret organization,
acting and teaching in mystery and secret and deifying rationalism."[103]
Regular Freemasonry has traditionally not responded to these claims,
beyond the often repeated statement that those Grand Lodges in amity
with UGLE explicitly adhere to the principle that "Freemasonry is not a
religion, nor a substitute for religion. There is no separate 'Masonic
deity,' and there is no separate proper name for a deity in
Freemasonry."[41]
In recent years, however, this has begun to change. Many Masonic
websites and publications address these criticisms specifically.
Islam and
Freemasonry
Many
Islamic anti-Masonic arguments are closely tied to both
antisemitism and
Anti-Zionism, though other criticisms are made such as linking
Freemasonry to
Dajjal.[104][105]
Some Muslim anti-Masons argue that Freemasonry promotes the interests of
the Jews
around the world and that one of its aims is to rebuild the
Temple of Solomon in
Jerusalem after destroying the
Al-Aqsa Mosque.[106]
In article 28 of its Covenant,
Hamas
states that Freemasonry,
Rotary, and other similar groups "work in the interest of Zionism
and according to its instructions ..."[107]
Many countries with a significant Muslim population do not allow Masonic
establishments within their jurisdictions. However, countries such as
Turkey
and
Morocco have established Grand Lodges,[108]
while in countries such as
Malaysia[109]
and
Lebanon[110]
there are District Grand Lodges operating under a warrant from an
established Grand Lodge. In Pakistan in 1972
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, then
Prime Minister of Pakistan, placed a ban on Freemasonry and
confiscated all the literature. The lodges were then disbanded.[citation
needed] Masonic lodges existed in
Iraq as
early as 1919, when the first lodge under the UGLE was opened in Basra,[citation
needed] and later on when the country was under
British Mandate just after the First World War. However the position
changed in July 1958 following the Revolution, with the abolition of the
Monarchy and Iraq being declared a republic, under
General Qasim. The licences permitting lodges to meet were rescinded
and later laws were introduced banning any further meetings. This
position was later reinforced under
Saddam Hussein, the death penalty was "prescribed" for those who
"promote or acclaim Zionist principles, including freemasonry, or who
associate [themselves] with Zionist organisations."[104]
Political
opposition
Regular Freemasonry has in its core ritual a formal obligation: to be
quiet and peaceable citizens, true to the lawful government of the
country in which they live, and not to countenance disloyalty or
rebellion.[45]
A Freemason makes a further obligation, before being made Master of his
Lodge, to pay a proper respect to the civil
magistrates.[45]
The words may be varied across Grand Lodges, but the sense in the
obligation taken is always there. Nevertheless, much of the political
opposition to Freemasonry is based upon the idea that Masonry will
foment (or sometimes prevent) rebellion.
In 1799 English Freemasonry almost came to a halt due to
Parliamentary proclamation. In the wake of the
French Revolution, the Unlawful Societies Act, 1799 banned
any meetings of groups that required their members to take an
oath or
obligation.[111]
The Grand Masters of both the Moderns and the Antients Grand Lodges
called on the Prime Minister William Pitt (who was not a Freemason) and
explained to him that Freemasonry was a supporter of the law and
lawfully constituted authority and was much involved in charitable work.
As a result Freemasonry was specifically exempted from the terms of the
Act, provided that each Private Lodge's Secretary placed with the local
"Clerk of the Peace" a list of the members of his Lodge once a year.[111]
This continued until 1967 when the obligation of the provision was
rescinded by
Parliament.[111]
Freemasonry in the United States faced political pressure following
the 1826 kidnapping of
William Morgan by Freemasons and subsequent disappearance. Reports
of the "Morgan Affair", together with opposition to
Jacksonian democracy (Andrew Jackson was a prominent Mason) helped
fuel an Anti-Masonic movement, culminating in the formation of a short
lived
Anti-Masonic Party which fielded candidates for the Presidential
elections of 1828 and 1832.
Lodge in Erlangen, Germany. First meeting after World War II
with guests from USA, France and Czechoslovakia, 1948.
In Italy, Freemasonry has become linked to a scandal concerning the
Propaganda Due Lodge (aka P2). This lodge was chartered by the
Grande Oriente d'Italia in 1877, as a lodge for visiting Masons
unable to attend their own lodges. Under
Licio Gelli’s leadership, in the late 1970s, the P2 Lodge became
involved in the financial scandals that nearly bankrupted the
Vatican Bank. However, by this time the lodge was operating
independently and irregularly; as the Grand Orient had revoked its
charter in 1976.[112]
By 1982 the scandal became public knowledge and Gelli was formally
expelled from Freemasonry.
Conspiracy theorists have long associated Freemasonry with the
New World Order and the
Illuminati, and state that Freemasonry as an organisation is either
bent on world domination or already secretly in control of world
politics. Historically, Freemasonry has attracted criticism—and
suppression—from both the politically
extreme right (e.g.,
Nazi Germany)[113][114]
and the
extreme left (e.g. the former
Communist states in
Eastern Europe).[91]
The fraternity has met with approval for supposedly founding, and
opposition for supposedly thwarting,
liberal democracy (such as in the United States).
Even in modern democracies, Freemasonry is sometimes viewed with
distrust.[115]
In the UK, Masons working in the justice system, such as judges and
police officers, were from 1999 to 2009 required to disclose their
membership.[116]
While a parliamentary inquiry found that there has been no evidence of
wrongdoing, it was felt that any potential loyalties Masons might have,
based on their vows to support fellow Masons, should be transparent to
the public.[115][116][117]
The policy of requiring a declaration of masonic membership of
applicants for judicial office (judges and magistrates) was ended in
2009 by
Justice Secretary
Jack Straw (who had initiated the requirement in the 1990s). Straw
stated that the rule was considered disproportionate, since no
impropriety or malpractice had been shown as a result of judges being
Freemasons.[118]
The rescinding of the rule did not change the disclosure requirements
for police officers.
Freemasonry is both successful and controversial in France;
membership is rising, but reporting in the popular media is often
negative.[115]
In some countries anti-Masonry is often related to
antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
For example, In 1980, the
Iraqi
legal and
penal code was changed by
Saddam Hussein's ruling
Ba'ath Party, making it a felony to "promote or acclaim Zionist
principles, including Freemasonry, or who associate [themselves] with
Zionist organisations".[104]
Professor Andrew Prescott of the
University of Sheffield writes: "Since at least the time of the
Protocols of the Elders of Zion, antisemitism has gone hand in hand
with anti-masonry, so it is not surprising that allegations that
11 September was a Zionist plot have been accompanied by suggestions
that the attacks were inspired by a masonic world order".[119]
The Holocaust
Main article:
The Holocaust
The preserved records of the
Reichssicherheitshauptamt (the Reich Security Main Office) show
the persecution of Freemasons.[120]
RSHA Amt VII (Written Records) was overseen by Professor
Franz
Six and was responsible for "ideological" tasks, by which was meant
the creation of antisemitic and anti-Masonic propaganda. While the
number is not accurately known, it is estimated that between 80,000 and
200,000 Freemasons were killed under the
Nazi regime.[121]
Masonic concentration camp inmates were graded as political prisoners
and wore an inverted
red triangle.[122]
The small blue
forget-me-not flower was first used by the Grand Lodge Zur Sonne,
in 1926, as a Masonic emblem at the annual convention in
Bremen, Germany. In 1938 a forget-me-not badge—made by the same
factory as the Masonic badge—was chosen for the annual Nazi Party
Winterhilfswerk, the annual charity drive of the
National Socialist People's Welfare, the welfare branch of the Nazi
party. This coincidence enabled Freemasons to wear the forget-me-not
badge as a secret sign of membership.[123][124][125]
After
World War II, the forget-me-not flower was again used as a Masonic
emblem at the first Annual Convention of the
United Grand Lodges of Germany in 1948.[126]
The badge is now worn in the coat lapel by Freemasons around the world
to remember all those that have suffered in the name of Freemasonry,
especially those during the Nazi era.[126][127]
See also
Notes
-
Jump up ^
Douglas Knoop, G.P. Jones, The
Genesis of Freemasonry: An Account of the Rise and Development
of Freemasonry in its Operative, Accepted, and Early Speculative
Phases. Manchester. Manchester University Press. 1947.
-
Jump up ^
Douglas Knoop, G.P. Jones, The
Genesis of Freemasonry: An Account of the Rise and Development
of Freemasonry in its Operative, Accepted, and Early Speculative
Phases. Manchester. Manchester University Press. 1947. pp.
42-44.
-
^
Jump up to:
a
b
"Frequently Asked Questions". United Grand Lodge of England.
Retrieved 2009-09-28.
-
Jump up ^
Hodapp, Christopher. Freemasons
for Dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley, 2005. p. 52.
-
Jump up ^
"The Regius Manuscript". Masonicsites.org.
-
Jump up ^
Halliwell,
James Orchard (1840),
The Early History of Freemasonry in England, Thomas
Rodd, London, p. 43,
retrieved 14 October 2012
-
Jump up ^
Stevenson, David (November 1988). The Origins of Freemasonry:
Scotland's Century 1590–1710. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
ISBN 978-0-521-35326-7.
OCLC 17546610.
-
Jump up ^
Second Schaw Statutes, 1599.
-
Jump up ^
Coil, Henry Wilson (1961).
William M. Brown, William L. Cummings, Harold Van Buren Voorhes,
ed. Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia (Revised and Updated by
Allen E. Roberts, 1995 ed.). Richmond, Va: Macoy Pub. & Masonic
Supply Co.
ISBN 978-0-88053-054-5.
-
Jump up ^
S. Brent Morris (2006). The Complete Idiot's Guide to
Freemasonry. Alpha/Penguin Books. p. 27.
ISBN 1-59257-490-4.
-
Jump up ^
Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon The Formation of
the Grand Lodge of the Antients, I. R. Clarke, Ars Quatuor
Coronatorum, vol 79 (1966), p. 270-73, retrieved 28 June 2012
-
Jump up ^
Morris, S Brent. The Complete
Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry. New York: Alpha Books, 2006, p.
31.
-
Jump up ^
Bullock, Steven C.; Institute of Early American History and
Culture (Williamsburg, Va.) (1996). Revolutionary
brotherhood: Freemasonry and the transformation of the American
social order, 1730–1840. Chapel Hill: University of North
Carolina Press.
ISBN 978-0-8078-4750-3.
OCLC 33334015.
-
Jump up ^
Achille Godefroy Jouaust,
Histoire du Grand Orient de France (Rennes and Paris, 1865).
Available from Google Books
[1]
-
Jump up ^
GOdF website History of Freemasonry, retrieved 5 June 2013
-
Jump up ^
"GLNF: Grande Loge Nationale Francaise" (in French). Grande
Loge Nationale Francaise (GLNF).
Retrieved 2006-02-06.
-
Jump up ^
"UGLE withdraws recognition from GLNF". United Grand Lodge
of England (UGLE). Retrieved
2013-03-14.
-
Jump up ^
Johnson,
Lawrence (1996).
"Who is Prince Hall? And other well known Prince Hall Masons".
Retrieved 2005-11-14.
-
Jump up ^
Bessel,
Paul M.
"Prince Hall Masonry Recognition details: Historical Maps".
Retrieved 2005-11-14.[dead
link]
-
Jump up ^
UGLE UGLE Foreign Grand Lodges Recognised by the United
Grand Lodge of England retrieved 10 June 2013
-
Jump up ^
CLIPSAS Members List, retrieved 10 June 2013
-
Jump up ^
The Swedish Constitution, Nordic Esotericism in Baroque
Splendour, "It would therefore be fair to describe it as a
major system, and one that differs greatly from the
Anglo-American forms we are accustomed to", retrieved on 10th
June 2013.
-
Jump up ^
Grand Masonic Orient of Ireland Secularity, retrieved 14th
August 2013
-
Jump up ^
L'Express News report, 3 September 2010, retrieved 1 August
2013
-
Jump up ^
"Constitution". Grand Lodge of North Carolina. 2007.
Archived from
the original on 22 February 2007.
Retrieved 2007-04-09.
See Preamble.
-
Jump up ^
"Form letter to request mutual recognition". Grand Lodge
FAAM (Free And Accepted Masons) of Washington, D.C. (the
District of Columbia), Committee on Masonic Recognition.
Retrieved 2007-04-09.[dead
link] Example letter to request
recognition.
-
Jump up ^
Campbell, Donald G.; Committee on Ritual.
"The Master Mason; Irregular and Clandestine Lodges"
(excerpt). Handbook for Candidate's Coaches. Grand Lodge
F.&A.M. of California.
Retrieved 2007-05-08. "The solution of the problem [of
irregular Masonry] lies in the publication furnished every
California lodge. Entitled "List of Regular Lodges Masonic," it
is issued by the Grand Lodge of California to its constituent
lodges, with the admonition that this book is to be kept in each
lodge for reference in receiving visitors and on applications
for affiliation. There may well be an old copy which you can
use, for it is re-issued every year."
-
Jump up ^
"Report From The United Grand Lodge of England: Prince Hall
Masonry and the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts"
(Annex A: Regularity). Joseph A. Walkes Jr. Commission on Bogus
Masonic Practices, Phylaxis Society. 3 October 2006. Archived
from
the original on 8 October 2007.
Retrieved 2007-04-07.
-
Jump up ^
Bourne,
W.J. (1997).
"The Festive Board" (abridged portion). Godolphin Lodge No.
7790. Archived from
the original on 6 May 2006.
Retrieved 2007-04-09.
-
Jump up ^
Mackey, Albert Gallatin (2004). "South". Lexicon of
Freemasonry. New York: Barnes & Noble. p. 445.
ISBN 0-7607-6003-9.
OCLC 58654158.
"...but when [the sun] reaches the south, the hour is high
twelve, and we are summoned to refreshment."
-
Jump up ^
Hodapp, Christopher. Freemasons
for Dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley, 2005. pp. 97–104.
-
^
Jump up to:
a
b
c
d
e
f
United
Grand Lodge of England (2005) [1815].
"Aims and Relationships of the Craft" (pdf).
Constitutions of the Antient Fraternity of Free and Accepted
Masons. London: Freemason's Hall. pp. x–xii.
OCLC 18976592.
Archived from
the original on 15 January 2007.
Retrieved 2007-05-08.[dead
link]
- ^
Jump up to:
a
b
Jackson, Keith B. (1980). Beyond the Craft. London: Lewis
Masonic.
ISBN 978-0-85318-118-7.
OCLC 16542250.
-
Jump up ^
Q&A: Other organisations[dead
link] on the UGLE webpage.
-
Jump up ^
"Freemasonry Revealed: The Secrets of Freemasonry". Grand
Lodge of North Carolina. 1997.
Retrieved 2006-06-12.
- ^
Jump up to:
a
b
c
d
e
Freemasons. Emulation Lodge of Improvement (London, England)
(1991). Emulation Ritual. London: Lewis Masonic.
ISBN 978-0-85318-187-3.
OCLC 40357899.
- ^
Jump up to:
a
b
Gilkes, Peter (July 2004).
"Masonic ritual: Spoilt for choice". Masonic Quarterly
Magazine (10). Retrieved
2007-05-07.
-
Jump up ^
Hodapp, Christopher; Freemasons
for Dummies p. 15.
-
Jump up ^
Gruber, Hermann (1910).
"Masonry (Freemasonry)". The Catholic Encyclopedia
IX. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
OCLC 1017058.
Retrieved 2011-05-11.
-
Jump up ^
Masonic Service Association – Short Talk Bulletin as
reprinted on the website of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana.
-
^
Jump up to:
a
b
c
d
"Freemasonry and Religion". United Grand Lodge of England.
Retrieved 2012-02-23.
-
Jump up ^
Becoming a Mason – To become one, ask one: What is Freemasonry?.
Retrieved 10 June 2007.
-
Jump up ^
William
K. Bissey (Spring 1997).
"G.A.O.T.U.". The Indiana Freemason.
-
Jump up ^
S.
Brent Morris (2006). The Complete Idiot's Guide to
Freemasonry. Alpha/Penguin Books. p. 212.
ISBN 1-59257-490-4.
- ^
Jump up to:
a
b
c
d
"The United Grand Lodge of England — Home Page". United
Grand Lodge of England. 2013.
Retrieved 2013-03-14.
-
Jump up ^
"UK Government information on Courts system". Criminal
Justice System for England and Wales. Archived from
the original on 13 October 2006.
Retrieved 2006-03-08.
-
Jump up ^
"FAQs - Why do Freemasons take oaths?". United Grand Lodge
of England. 2013. Retrieved
2013-03-14.
-
Jump up ^
Jacob,
Margaret C. (2005). The origins of freemasonry: facts &
fictions. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
ISBN 978-0-8122-3901-0.
OCLC 61478025.
-
Jump up ^
Trueman,
Chris.
"Feudalism". Archived from
the original on 21 April 2006.
Retrieved 2006-03-08. "They had to swear an oath of
loyalty to William... a sworn oath on the Bible was a very
important thing and one which few men would dare to break as it
would condemn them to Hell."
-
Jump up ^
"Scottish Rite Freemasonry — Ritual and Degrees.". Scottish
Rite Freemasonry, Northern Jurisdiction – United States of
America. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
-
Jump up ^
Hodapp, Christopher. Freemasons
for Dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley, 2005. p. 18 and p. 25.
- ^
Jump up to:
a
b
John J. Robinson, A Pilgrim's
Path. M. Evans and Co., Inc. New York, p.129
-
Jump up ^
Bessel,
Paul M. (29 November 2006).
"Printed Rituals".
Retrieved 2012-09-14.
-
Jump up ^
Cohoughlyn-Burroughs, Charles E. (2004) [1996]. Bristol
Masonic Ritual: The Oldest and Most Unique Craft Ritual Used in
England. Kila, Mont.: Kessinger.
ISBN 978-1-4179-1566-8.
OCLC 78368255.
-
Jump up ^
Craft Ritual. Privately published. 1990.
-
Jump up ^
"One is made to swear secrecy to
the point that bloody penalties of death are involved."
Testimony of Duane Washum, Past Worshipful Master,
ephesians5-11
-
Jump up ^
Freemasons. Emulation Lodge of Improvement.
Emulation Ritual (8th ed.). London, England: Lewis
Masonic. Preface. Retrieved
2007-07-08.
-
Jump up ^
Firestone, Roger (1 December 2001).
"Difficult Questions About Freemasonry".
Retrieved 2007-07-08.
-
Jump up ^
Mackey, Albert G. (October 1858).
"Landmarks of Freemasonry". American Quarterly Review of
Freemasonry and its kindred sciences ii: 230.
ISSN 0741-790X.
OCLC 1480641.
Retrieved 2007-04-09.
(Transcribed by Eugene Goldman, 10 September 1998.)
-
Jump up ^
Botelho, Michael A. (February 2002).
"Masonic Landmarks". The Scottish Rite Journal.
ISSN 1076-8572.
OCLC 21360724.
Archived from
the original on 2 May 2007.
Retrieved 2007-05-08.
-
Jump up ^
UGLE Charitable Work
-
Jump up ^
"Masonic Charity". Freemasons-freemasonry.com.
Retrieved 2011-01-15.
-
Jump up ^
"Royal Masonic Benevolent Institute".
Retrieved 2007-05-08.
-
Jump up ^
"Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys".
Retrieved 2007-05-08.
-
Jump up ^
"Royal Masonic School for Girls". Archived from
the original on 27 April 2007.
Retrieved 2007-05-08.
-
Jump up ^
"New Masonic Samaritan Fund".
Retrieved 2007-05-08.
-
Jump up ^
Masonic Service Association.
-
Jump up ^
Welcome to the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory.
-
Jump up ^
Shriners – Welcome.
-
Jump up ^
"Application Enquiry". Grand Lodge of British Columbia and
Yukon. Retrieved 26 December
2011.
-
Jump up ^
Robinson, John J. (1989). Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of
Freemasonry. New York: Evans. p. 56.
ISBN 978-0-87131-602-8.
OCLC 20419501.
"... by the late fifteenth century virtually every man in
England was free."
Robinson also states that the presence of the requirement meant
that Freemasonry was organisationally much older than the 1717
founding of the Premier Grand Lodge of England.
-
Jump up ^
"Become a Mason: Requirements". Grand Lodge of Illinois,
Ancient Free & Accepted Masons. Archived from
the original on 6 August 2007.
Retrieved 2007-05-08.
-
Jump up ^
Smart, Earnest (April 2005).
"Faith and Freemasonry". Masonic Quarterly Magazine
(13). Retrieved 2007-05-07.
-
Jump up ^
Grand Lodge of British Columbia &
Yukon.
Swedish Rite FAQ. Accessed 23 July 2011.
-
Jump up ^
Antonia Frazer, The Weaker Vessel,
Mandarin paperbacks, 1989, pp108-109
-
Jump up ^
for example, see David Murray Lyon,
History of the lodge of Edinburgh, Blackwood, Edinburgh, 1873,
pp 121-123
-
Jump up ^
Anderson, James (1734) [1723]. Paul Royster, ed.
The Constitutions of the Free-Masons (Philadelphia
ed.).
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
Benjamin Franklin. p. 49.
Retrieved 12 August 2013. "The Persons admitted Members
of a Lodge must be good and true Men, free-born, and of mature
and discreet Age, no Bondmen, no Women, no immoral or scandalous
Men, but of good Report."
-
Jump up ^
ADOPTIVE FREEMASONRY Entry from Mackey's Lexicon of
Freemasonry
- ^
Jump up to:
a
b
Phoenix Masonry Barbara L. Thames, A History of Women’s
Masonry, retrieved 5 March 2013
-
Jump up ^
J Abron History of the Eastern Star, retrieved 12 August
2013
-
Jump up ^
Droit Humain Maria Deraismes (1828 - 1894), retrieved 5
March 2013. (French Language)
-
Jump up ^
Phoenix Masonry Jeanne Heaslewood, A Brief History of the
Founding of Co-Freemasonry, 1999, retrieved 12 August 2013
-
Jump up ^
Droit Humain Histoire du Droit Humain, retrieved 12 August
2013
-
Jump up ^
UGLE FAQ retrieved 12 August 2013
-
Jump up ^
Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons Text of UGLE
statement, retrieved 12th August 2012
-
Jump up ^
Karen Kidd, Haunted Chambers: the
Lives of Early Women Freemasons, Cornerstone, 2009, pp204-205
-
Jump up ^
Anti-Masonry – Oxford
English Dictionary (Compact Edition), Oxford University Press,
1979, p.369
-
Jump up ^
"Antimasonry – Definition of Antimasonry by Webster Dictionary".
Webster-dictionary.net.
Retrieved 2011-09-08.
-
Jump up ^
Morris,
S. Brent (2006). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry.
New York: Alpha Books. pp. 85 (also discussed in chapters 13 and
16).
ISBN 978-1-59257-490-2.
OCLC 68042376.
-
Jump up ^
de
Hoyos, Arturo; S. Brent Morris (18 August 2002).
"Leo Taxil Hoax — Bibliography". Grand Lodge of British
Columbia and Yukon. Retrieved
2007-07-07.
Lists many books which perpetuate Masonic ritual hoaxes.
- ^
Jump up to:
a
b
" The New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967) Soviet Russia
outlawed Masonry in 1922. Freemasonry does not exist today in
the Soviet Union, China, or other Communist states. Postwar
revivals of Freemasonry in Czechoslovakia and Hungary were
suppressed in 1950.
-
Jump up ^
infoplease.com definition of "anti-mason."
-
Jump up ^
Morris, S. Brent; The Complete
Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry, Alpha books, 2006, p,204.
-
Jump up ^
Cardinal Law, Bernard (19 April 1985).
"Letter of 19 April 1985 to U.S. Bishops Concerning Masonry".
CatholicCulture.org.
Retrieved 2007-07-09.
-
Jump up ^
Canon 2335, 1917 Code of Canon Law
from
"Canon Law regarding Freemasonry, 1917–1983". Grand Lodge of
British Columbia and Yukon.
-
Jump up ^
McInvale, Reid (1991).
"Roman Catholic Church Law Regarding Freemasonry".
Transactions of Texas Lodge of Research 27: 86–97.
OCLC 47204246.
-
Jump up ^
Jack
Chick.
"The Curse of Baphomet".
Retrieved 2007-09-29.
-
Jump up ^
Arturo de Hoyos and S. Brent
Morris, Is it True What They Say About Freemasonry,
M.Evans & Company, 2nd edition (revised), Chapter 1, 2004 (On
line copy available here
[2])
-
Jump up ^
Pike, Albert; T. W. Hugo; Scottish Rite (Masonic order).
Supreme Council of the Thirty-Third Degree for the Southern
Jurisdiction (1950) [1871]. Morals and Dogma of the Ancient
and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Washington, DC:
House of the Temple.
OCLC 12870276.
"In preparing this work [Pike] has been about equally Author and
Compiler. (p. iii.) ... The teachings of these Readings are not
sacramental, so far as they go beyond the realm of Morality into
those of other domains of Thought and Truth. The Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite uses the word "Dogma" in its true sense
of doctrine, or teaching; and is not dogmatic in the odious
sense of that term. Everyone is entirely free to reject and
dissent from whatsoever herein may seem to him to be untrue or
unsound (p. iv)"
-
Jump up ^
Snyder,
Howard (2006). Populist Saints.
Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company. p. 727.
-
Jump up ^
Beresiner, Yasha (July 2006).
"Archbishop Fisher – A Godly man and a Brother". Masonic
Quarterly Magazine (18).
Retrieved 2007-05-07.
-
Jump up ^
Hastings, Chris; Elizabeth Day (20 April 2003).
"Rowan Williams apologises to Freemasons".
The Daily Telegraph. Archived from
the original on 23 November 2007.
Retrieved 2007-07-09.
-
Jump up ^
"Freemasonry: Official Statement of the Church of Greece (1933)".
Orthodoxinfo.com. 12 October 1933.
Retrieved 2011-01-15.
-
^
Jump up to:
a
b
c
Sands,
David R (1 July 2004).
"Saddam to be formally charged".
The Washington Times.
Retrieved 2006-06-18.
-
Jump up ^
Prescott, Andrew.
The Study of Freemasonry as a New Academic Discipline.
pp. 13–14. Retrieved
2008-12-18.
-
Jump up ^
"Can a Muslim be a freemason?" (asp). Islamonline.com.
Retrieved 2007-05-08.[dead
link]
-
Jump up ^
"Hamas Covenant 1988". Avalon.law.yale.edu. 18 August 1988.
Retrieved 2011-01-15.
-
Jump up ^
Leyiktez, Celil.
"Freemasonry in the Islamic World". Retrieved 2 October
2007.
-
Jump up ^
Lodge Emerald in the East Kuala Lumpur lodge linked to Grand
Lodge of Ireland, retrieved 22 August 2013
-
Jump up ^
Freemasonry in Lebanon Lodges linked to the Grand Lodge of
Scotland, retrieved 22nd August 2013
-
^
Jump up to:
a
b
c
"The United Grand Lodge of England — Two Grand Lodges".
United Grand Lodge of England. 2002.
Retrieved 2006-03-08.
-
Jump up ^
King,
Edward L. (2007).
"P2 Lodge". Retrieved
2006-10-31.
-
Jump up ^
Wilkenson, James; H. Stuart Hughes (1995). Contemporary
Europe: A History. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
p. 237.
ISBN 978-0-13-291840-4.
OCLC 31009810.
-
Jump up ^
Zierer,
Otto (1976). Concise History of Great Nations: History of
Germany. New York: Leon Amiel Publisher. p. 104.
ISBN 978-0-8148-0673-9.
OCLC 3250405.
- ^
Jump up to:
a
b
c
Hodapp, Christopher. Freemasons
for Dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley, 2005. p. 86.
-
^
Jump up to:
a
b
Bright, Martin (12 June 2005). "MPs
told to declare links to Masons",
The Guardian
-
Jump up ^
Cusick, James (27 December 1996).
Police want judges and MPs to reveal Masonic links too,
The Independent
-
Jump up ^
Sparrow, Andrew (5 November 2009).
"Jack Straw scraps rule saying judges must declare if they are
masons". guardian.co.uk.
Retrieved 7 November 2009.
-
Jump up ^
Prescott, pp. 13–14, 30, 33.
-
Jump up ^
"World War II Documents showing the persecution of Freemasonry".
Mill Valley Lodge #356.
Retrieved 2006-05-21.
-
Jump up ^
Freemasons for Dummies, by
Christopher Hodapp, Wiley Publishing Inc., Indianapolis,
2005, p. 85, sec. Hitler and the Nazi
-
Jump up ^
Katz. "Jews and Freemasons
in Europe". In Israel Gutman. The Encyclopedia of the
Holocaust. p. vol. 2, p. 531.
ISBN 978-0-02-897166-7.
OCLC 20594356.
-
Jump up ^
"Das Vergißmeinnicht-Abzeichen und die Freimaurerei, Die wahre
Geschichte" (in German). Internetloge.de.
Retrieved 2006-07-08.
-
Jump up ^
Bernheim, Alain (10 September 2004).
"The Blue Forget-Me-Not": Another Side Of The Story".
Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry.
Retrieved 2006-07-08.
-
Jump up ^
Francke, Karl Heinz; Ernst-Günther Geppert (1974). Die
Freimaurer-Logen Deutschlands und deren Grosslogen 1737–1972
(in German) (Second rev. ed.). Bayreuth: Quatuor Coronati.Also
in: Francke, Karl Heinz;
Ernst-Günther Geppert (1988). Die Freimaurer-Logen
Deutschlands und deren Grosslogen 1737 – 1985 : Matrikel und
Stammbuch; Nachschlagewerk über 248 Jahre Geschichte der
Freimaurerei in Deutschland (in German). Bayreuth: Quatuor
Coronati.
ISBN 978-3-925749-05-6.
OCLC 75446479.
-
^
Jump up to:
a
b
"The Story Behind Forget Me Not Emblem!". Masonic Network.
11 December 2009.
-
Jump up ^
"About the... Forget-Me-Not". Monitor Lousbury Lodge, No.
522. Archived from
the original on 9 February 2006.
Retrieved 2006-03-04.
External links
|
|
DA INGLESE A ITALIANO
Inserire
nella casella Traduci la parola
INGLESE e cliccare
Go.
DA ITALIANO A INGLESE
Impostare INGLESE anziché italiano e
ripetere la procedura descritta.
|
|