Craft

Welcome to my page on Freemasonry. This page, like my others, is just to give you ,the reader, some info about one of my hobbies. Links are provided at the bottom!

Freemasonry is one of the oldest worldwide fraternal organizations open to all men of good character. Freemasonry is a brotherhood that teaches its members to be good members of society using the symbolism of the tools of a mason such as those used in the background of this web site. Freemasonry is not a religion nor does it offer a means of salvation to its members. In fact religion and politics are never discussed in lodge. The only religious test that a Freemason must pass is that he must believe in a supreme being and as such no atheist may become mason. As a result in many parts of the world where associations with members of different religions would be impossible Muslims, Jews, Christians and others are able to meet together as friends and brothers.

The path I followed to Freemasonry may seem a little odd to some. History has always been a hobby of mine particularly late 18th century history surrounding the American Revolution. My veracious appetite for reading on this topic kept turning up interesting information about many of the key figures on both sides of the conflict. The one item that many of the leaders of both sides had in common was that they were Freemasons.

The only thing I knew about the Freemasons was they had a strange looking building down town. After leaving home for college my younger sisters had joined the International Order of the Rainbow for girls but I was unaware that it was a Masonic youth organization. My mother had been a member of Jobs daughters but once again I did not know this was a Masonic youth organization. You would think that with all these members of my family I would have known more about the craft but I was left to search on my own.

I continued reading about the American Revolution and began participating on an online email list for the Brigade of the American Revolution. One day the main topic being discussed was Freemasonry and the American Revolution. Several freemasons who were on-line wrote about the craft and freemasons who had served in the American Revolution. One particular figure that interested me was Chief Joseph Brant (Theyendega) who had been made a Mason in England. It puzzled me how at a time when most men considered Native Americans to be savage heathens that they would openly allow this man to join their ranks. At this point I still did not understand all the tenets of the fraternity but further research would explain what seemed to me to be an aberration for the time period I was interested in.

In April of 2000 I journeyed to Lexington, Massachusetts to participate in the 225th reenactment of the Lexington and Concord battles. While I was in Lexington, after the event, my family and I went to the museum of our National Heritage run by the Scottish Rite. In addition to some great exhibits on the Revolution there was a very nice exhibit on Fraternal organizations and in particular on Freemasonry.

I guess I am a little slower than some but my brain was still processing all of this. In August of 2000 I felt that spending my time just between work and home was not fulfilling enough for me. I wanted to get involved in my community but there were about 10+ different organizations in our community that rendered service. A friend of mine was a member of Kiwanis but he didn't seem all that enthused about the organization. I knew a gentleman who was a member of the local Masonic Lodge and I decided to ask him some questions. I soon asked for an application and began gathering information off of the internet. I turned in my application and the wait began.

While I was waiting for my application to be voted on I had the opportunity of attending my sisters installation as Worthy Advisor in her Rainbow Girls Assembly. At this event I talked with my Grandma a little bit about the beautiful building we were meeting in. I was shocked to find out that both my grandfather and great grandfather were Freemasons and that my grandmother was a member of Eastern Star. I didn't let her know at the time that I had submitted my application as I was afraid to tell someone and then not be voted in.

About a month later I received a phone call and my initiation was scheduled. A month after that I was passed to the Fellowcraft degree and was raised in January of 2001. I am now practicing for a part in the third degree ceremony and am on the committee for the Lodge's Child Id program which fingerprints children in the area in case they ever come up missing. I look forward to lodge meetings and find that meeting with my brothers (for that is what they truly have become) has been a release from the tensions of the day. I now have more friends world wide than I could ever possibly imagine and have enjoyed meeting with traveling brothers who are far from home. I met one such brother who had journeyed several thousand miles from Canada to deliver some tractor parts to my workplace. When I identified myself as a brother and tested him he seemed overjoyed to find a someone thousands of miles from home that he knew deep down because we were part of the same brotherhood.

Now that you have read my story you may be asking yourself a few questions. I will try and answer some of them here.

Question: Some friends of mine are Freemasons but they have never asked me to join? Why not?

Answer: The rules of Freemasonry in most parts of the world dictate that a man must seek out Freemasonry of their own free will. Thus the members of Freemasonry that you know may be prohibited from asking you to join. This does not mean they do not want you to join. Just ask. If you don't know a member of the lodge in your area call the number in the phone book for the lodge in your area. It is usually listed under Masons or Masonic. In recent years many lodges have started a campaign with 2B1ASK1. This means to be Mason just ask one. By asking you will generally open the floodgates of information.

Answer: Try some of the web links listed below. They will give you a good starting point. Also try contacting the lodge in your area. They usually have hand outs that can give you more info. The best way though is to ask a Mason.

Answer: Lots of things! The lodge is a place where men or good character can meet and socialize. But the real benefit of Freemasonry is providing service to others. Freemasons donate millions to different charities around the world everyday. One of the most visible charities in the U.S. are the Shriner's hospitals for burned and cripple children. Most people don't realize that the Shrine is a Masonic organization and that all Shriners are Masons! Freemasonry is a great way to get involved in your community!

Question: If it is a men's organization what about the families of Freemasons? What is there for them?

Answer: Under the Masonic family are a ton of organizations for all members of the family. For girls there is the International Order of the Rainbow and Jobs Daughters. For boys there is Demolay. For Masons, their wives, and adult daughters there is the Eastern Star. All those organizations in the Masonic family offer opportunities for serving others and developing leadership skills. Check out the Grand Lodge link at the bottom of this page for more information on these other great organizations.

Other misc. questions: Aren't you guys devil worshipers? Aren't you unchristian? Don't you ritualistically mutilate sheep, aren't you plotting to take over the world and set up a new world order? May preacher/minister says Etc. Etc. Etc.

Answer: If you really are confused on this subject and want the real scoop check out this well done web site at www.masonicinfo.com . If you are just a hillbilly wacked out, imbred, anti semitic, brain dead, moron who would rather believe rumors and falsehoods than the truth try this solution. Insert head into toilet and flush! You will do all of us a favor! If you have a question that is legitimate and you need an answer try emailing me the question at fusilier10@hotmail.com . That way I can block your email address if you are a moron who doesn't really have a question but just wants to fill my email box with obscenities.