Oleeta West Dade
Lodge No. 145
Free and Accepted Masons
|
Oleeta West Dade Lodge No. 145 Free and Accepted Masons
|
|
|
Freemasonry Truths and Myths What is the Purpose of Freemasonry? What is the Origin of Freemasonry? Is Freemasonry a Secret Society? What Does Freemasonry Practice? What are the Requirements for Becoming a Freemason? What are Some Other Masonic Organizations? What is a Thirty-Third Degree Mason? What is the purpose of Freemasonry? Freemasonry has been presented to us with many definitions of purpose but perhaps the best of these is "Masonry is the activity of closely united men who, employing symbolical forms borrowed principally from the Mason's trade and from architecture, work for the welfare of mankind, striving morally to ennoble themselves and others, and thereby to bring about a league of mankind." It has often been expressed as "The world's most purposeful fraternity." Back to top Its ranks are composed of free men from all walks of life and of many religious backgrounds who have of their own free will and accord petitioned for membership. Masonry asks no man to join - free will is a requisite - and a belief in a Supreme Being is a necessity as no atheist can be made a Mason. Back to top What is the origin of Freemasonry? Much has been written of the antiquity of the order and many of the principle legends do relate to early religious incidents. However, modern day Masonry dates from the year 1717 and was at that time organized to enlighten mankind and teach them to be better men. The symbols used were taken from the mason's trade and from architecture, and to each was assigned a meaning to instruct the members in an elevated moral code. Back to top Masonry is not a religion but it is highly religious. Meetings are opened and closed with prayer and the Book of the Law for the region concerned is open upon its Altar. It urges its members to support church activities but establishes no preference for any sectarian group. It does not endeavor to influence the right of individual freedom in the expression of religious thought. We repeat - it is not a religion neither is it an atheistic society. Back to top Is Freemasonry a Secret Society? Those who are antagonistic to the order frequently report it to be a Secret Society. This it is not. It does have secret modes of identification by which members are made known, however, no organization publicly displaying a meeting place and time can be classified secret. Back to top What Does Freemasonry Practice? The principle tenets of Freemasonry are the practice of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. It supports activities that are religious, charitable, educational, scientific and fraternal. Back to top Freemasonry is a course of moral instruction through the study of signs, emblems and allegorical figures. Responsibility for one's actions; tolerance and mutual respect of others, of religions, of ideas; self-control; good citizenship; honor and integrity; faith; and the desire to good works for the improvement of society - all of these principles and more are among the teachings of Freemasonry. Back to top Freemasonry teaches through the use of signs and rituals. The rituals of Masonry have developed over centuries and contain beautiful language and ideas expressed in symbols. Masons learn through a series of lessons. These "degrees" of insight move from basic to more complex concepts. This no more hides the nature of Freemasonry from novice members than does having a student understand fractions before calculus. Back to top What are the Requirements for Becoming a Freemason? Candidates must be male, at least 21 years of age (This age requirement varies from state to state), able to profess a belief in God, and must be a person of good character. Back to top Are New Members invited?Masons are prohibited from actively recruiting or asking non-Masons to join the fraternity, to insure that candidates come of their own free will. Back to top If you know a Mason, ask him about membership. He will be glad to tell you all about the Craft and the local lodge, and give you a petition if you wish to join. If you do not know a Mason, drop a letter to the local lodge, and one of the officers will call you (or call the lodge, though you may not get an answer unless someone is actually there). Typically, the process is as follows: (1) the applicant fills out a petition. The petition asks for two sponsors, though if you meet and talk with the officers, they can usually find sponsors or act as sponsors themselves if you do not know anyone in the lodge. (2) the petition is read at the lodge during the next business meeting, which for many lodges is during the first week of the month. A committee is formed to investigate the candidate. (3) the committee meets with the candidate to answer questions, ascertain that he meets the criteria for membership, and find out a little about him. This is not a "grilling session", but rather a friendly and casual chat to make certain that the candidate has been properly informed about Masonry and that was not improperly solicited. The committee also contacts the character references listed on the petition (typically asking if they know any reason why the candidate should not be accepted, etc.) (4) The committee reports back to the lodge during the next business meeting and the candidate is voted on. If accepted, someone from the lodge (often the Secretary) contacts the candidate and informs him that he has been accepted and schedules a date for the Entered Apprentice degree. Back to top Download a petition in Microsoft Word format Download a petition in Adobe Acrobat format There are some 321 Masonic Lodges in Florida, with approximately 76,000 Master Masons holding membership therein. There are more than 5 million Master Masons throughout the world, with some 2.6 million holding membership in Lodges in the United States. Freemasonry is, therefore, not only the oldest but also the largest fraternity in the world. Back to top The Scottish Rite is an appendant body of Masonry, meaning that it is not part of the Blue Lodge per se, but closely associated with Masonry. It requires that a man be a Master Mason before joining the Scottish Rite. The Scottish Rite confers the 4th through 32nd degrees. The degree work may be, but is not necessarily, completed at one time. Any Master Mason is eligible to join the Scottish Rite. The degrees of the Scottish Rite continue the symbolism of the first three Masonic degrees. Back to top The York Rite, like the Scottish
Rite, is an appendant body of Masonry, and confers degrees beyond the Blue
Lodge's three degrees. It consists of nine degrees additional degrees: Mark
Master, Past Master, Most Excellent Master, and Royal Arch Mason; the Cryptic
Degrees of the Royal Master, Select Master, and Super Excellent Master; and the
Chivalric Orders of the Order of the Red Cross, Order of the Knights of Malta
and the Order of Knights Templar. The Shrine is not an appendant
body of Masonry, though the distinction would escape many. The Shrine confers no
additional degrees. It was founded in 1872 (the Mecca Temple in New York City)
and an Arabic theme was chosen. Hence, the distinctive red fez that Shriners
wear at The Order of the Eastern Star is
an adoptive rite of Freemasonry with teachings based on the Bible and objectives
that are charitable and benevolent. The founder of OES was Dr. Robert Morris, a
lawyer and educator from Boston, Massachusetts, who was a Master Mason and Past
Grand Master of Kentucky. Dr. Morris intended his creation to become a female
branch of Freemasonry, but he failed to overcome the great opposition this idea
engendered. After his first published ritual in 1849-50, he became associated
with Robert Macoy who wrote and published a ritual based on Morris' in 1867. The
first Grand Chapter was organized in Michigan in the same year. (There is
evidence for an organization of the same name founded variously in 1788 or 1793,
but this group was defunct by 1867.) Subordinate (local) chapters operate under
charter from state level grand chapters which are responsible to the General
Grand Chapter at the International Eastern Star temple in Washington, D.C. The International Order of
DeMolay is the world's largest Rainbow is the complement to DeMolay, enrolling girls between the age of 13 and 20 if they are related to members of a Masonic Lodge or the Eastern Star. It confers two degrees, the Initiatory and the Grand Cross of Color. Back to top Other Masonic Related Organizations Acacia: A college fraternity for
Master Masons, the sons of Masons, and young men recommended by two Masons one
of whom is an Acacian himself. The national governing board is composed
exclusively of 32nd and 33rd degree Masons. What is a Thirty-Third Degree Mason? The Scottish Rite awards a
special honorary degree, the 33rd, to those it feels has made an outstanding
contribution to Masonry, the community as a whole, and to mankind. There is no
way to "achieve" this degree or "take" it, in the sense that one takes the 4th
through 32nd degrees in the Scottish Rite. It is a singular honor, rarely
bestowed, and greatly admired.
Back to top |
|
Send mail to
fiuprof@hotmail.com with questions or comments about
this web site.
|
