FAQs
The following questons and answers are from past and future issues of The Hempstead Masonic Lodge #749 A F and A M Newsletter (United States). They were written for new Masons, Masonic wives and children, and Non-Masons. However, it wouldn’t hurt any of us to read them again.
A: In China the implements of architecture were used in a
system of moral philosophy at a very early date. Mencius, who wrote about 300
B.C., said: "A master Mason, in teaching his apprentices, makes use of
the compasses and the square.Ye who are engaged in the pursuit of Wisdom, must also make
use of the compasses and the square."In a book called Great Learning, 500 B.C., we find that
"A man should abstain from doing unto others what he would not they
should do unto him; and this is called the principle of acting on the
square."
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Q: Why do we use the term
Worshipful Master?A: The title "worshipful" has absolutely nothing
to do with any person being "worshipped". It is from an ancient
title long in use in England, and it was always clearly understood to mean
"respected" or "honourable". As all of us were taught in
the military, you are not saluting the man when you salute an officer, you are
saluting the man’s rank. If your understanding was that the word meant
"someone deserving of religious worship", then rest assured that was
never the meaning of the word. It’s like a Judge. He may not be an honourable
man, but you still use the term "Your Honour" in addressing him
(Another ancient English title).
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.A: No. Masonry is not anti any religion. This charge
is raised by some anti-Masonic writers. Quoting Matthew 12:30 ("He that
is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth
abroad."), they claim that, since Masonry does not require its members to
be Christian, we are actively anti-Christian.First of all, a reading of the entire passage makes it quite
clear that Jesus was answering the Pharisees who were criticizing Him; it is
not a passage which relates to the present discussion at all. Most people
wouldn’t agree that there are only two positions in the world-Christian and
anti-Christian. The government of the Australia, the city library, even the
natural gas company, all serve and employ non-Christians and Christians
alike-but no reasonable person would say that they were, therefore,
"anti-Christian". Masonry encourages its members in their individual
faiths. Masons do not oppose, or impose, any faith
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Q: Why Is Freemasonry A Secret
Organisation?A: The honest answer, one that every Mason discovers and
Non-Masons don’t want to hear, is that Freemasonry is absolutely 100% NOT
a secret organisation.If the Masonic Lodge was really a secret organisation, no
one but the Masons would know that it even existed. Every Masonic Lodge has a
sign on the outside of the building that states the time and day of the
meetings. Many Lodges also have a sign at the city limits advertising the time
and location of the meetings. Many Lodges also have the meetings advertised in
the newspapers. So much for being a "Secret Organisation".Do Masonic Lodges have secrets? NO they do not. Do
Masons tell what goes on during their their meetings and ceremonies? NO,
they do not Don’t those last 2 statements form a contradiction? NO they
do not, because descriptions, words, grips and signs have been published in
various books for the past 250 years. They can be repeated by anyone who takes
the trouble to do some research. How can something be a secret when anyone may
know it.Reading a cook book reveals all of the "secrets"
of cooking, but you have to actually cook the recipe to taste the food. By the
same token, a person has to be prepared in order to grasp their meaning, to
see their significance, to hear their message.Much is made, by Non-Masons, of "Secret Oaths"
to keep the secrets of Masonry when a man is initiated. Silence, not secret is
what the Entered Apprentice actually promises to observe. What secrets does he
know ? …. none ! So it is not keeping secrets that matters, but only being
able to keep silent.Almost any man who desires to "Learn the teachings of
Masonry" is welcomed. If he is of good moral character and believes in
God, all he has to do is ask a mason for a petition to become a Mason. No one
asks you to go any further then you want to go.The real, so called "Secret" teachings of
Masonry should have been learned from your mother’s knee when you were a small
child.
A: There have been several stories and theories relating to
the connection between Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist
and the Masonic Fraternity. There is no question that the two are patron
saints of Masonry, but some of the stories concerning them are as frivolous as
those claiming that Noah, Moses and King Solomon were Freemasons and those
claiming that the first Masonic lodge was located in Jerusalem.In 1737, the Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge of France,
Chevalier Ramsey, made a speech ascribing origin of Freemasonry to an order of
crusading knights who had fought so valiantly for possession the Holy Land,
saying that, "Some times after, this Order was united with that of the
Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, for which reason in all countries our
lodges are called lodges of Saint John." Many Masons believed Ramsey, but
no evidence has ever been found to substantiate his claim.What is felt to be closest to the truth is this. Centuries
ago, the early Christian churches adopted pagan customs of celebrating
the summer and winter solstices. These celebrations were dedicated Saint John
the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist and took place on June 24 and
December 27, respectively. In later years, as building guilds and other
associations were formed, the civil and religious authorities required each
chartered body to name one or more patron saints and to observe that saint’s
day as a holiday. By the sixteenth century, the Masonic guilds, like the
churches, were associating themselves with both Saints John. This probably
explains where the idea got started that both had been members of the
fraternity.The bottom line is this. The two saints are eminent patrons
of Masonry because we have preserved and continued the ancient customs of
observing the summer and winter solstices and the naming of patron saints. An
interesting question is why don’t we dedicate our lodges to Saint Thomas, the
patron saint of Architecture? In England, lodges are dedicated to King
Solomon.Finally, modern Masons should keep in mind that the
connection with the Saints John is entirely symbolic and not meant to be
historic.
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Q: Why the Secrecy in Masonry?
A: Can you think of anything said in a lodge room recently
that could not have been said in public without doing harm to Masonry? Is
there any need for secrecy today?When the concepts that have become Masonic concepts first
emerged, the people were uneducated and lived in a society in which order was
necessary to preserve life. The Mysteries which we have inherited were clothed
in ceremony and ritual, and their deep meanings were restricted to the
intellectual class. Secrecy was needed so that the ignorant would not pervert
the lessons and knowledge of these Mysteries to the detriment of society. Such
knowledge in the hands of men motivated by false and petty reasons would have
been dangerous to order and therefore to life. Such organizations as the
Essene Order, the Dionysian Mysteries, the Delphic Mysteries, the
Pythagoreans, early Christians, Knights Templar, Rosicrucians and finally
Masonry, were meant to be places of learning and investigation into the
philosophical and scientific vanguard so that society could progress. Their
secrecy was never for the purpose of evil.When our Order was organized into a public institution, it
was hoped that three things would occur: (1) greater access could be made of
the intellectuals of that day; (2) the general good of society could be
improved; and (3) men of calibre and integrity could oversee the dispersal of
the knowledge for the good of all. Free thought and discussion can occur in an
organization where no revelation is made of its discussions to the public.
Peace and harmony does not mean an absence of disagreement; it merely means a
willingness to continue to love in disagreement. It was in such a careful
atmosphere that the American Boston Tea Party was planned and where Madison
forged the U.S. Bill of Rights. In such an atmosphere, Benjamin Franklin
developed his concepts, and his brilliance was recognized.Consider the value of such an atmosphere. Both radical and
conservative decisions could be arrived at without fear of preliminary
discussion leaking out. The brethren could agree and disagree without lasting
bitterness. The Master, acting as moderator, could insure that all is done in
a gentlemanly way, without rancour. The Brethren could find even higher truths
together that would aid all of society, and those truths could be released in
the most beneficial of ways.Unfortunately, little like that occurs today. The business
of most lodges could be revealed without threat to the lodge or to society.
And, in light of today’s intense anti-Masonic criticism, many feel that this
is the way it should be. But, perhaps we should preserve at least a modicum of
secrecy in order to maintain an atmosphere of freedom of discussion in our
lodge meetings and never completely open them to the profane. That kind of
secrecy is one of the many things that makes Masonry unique.
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A: Why do we teach in symbols? Why can’t we put things into
plain words instead of using one thing to stand for another? Well, the answer
is a bit complicated, so let’s talk about it. First, we must understand that
man is a complex character. He has a body and brain which help him understand
the physical world around him and help him to reason things out. And, he also
has a heart and a spirit and a soul which help him comprehend a language which
his brain cannot. As an example, it isn’t with your brain or your body that
you love your God, your family and your country; it is with your heart and
soul. Another way of putting it is that the language of love is not the same
as the language of the tongue.That same principle is present in Masonry. If everything in
Masonry was written, there would be no spirit in it. Masonry expresses truths
that are universal and can be understood without the use of words. This is
symbolic language and is the means we use to communicate with the spirits,
souls and hearts of other Masons. If you met with a Mason in a foreign land
and couldn’t speak his language, you could use signs and grips, draw a square
and compasses, or draw a trowel, and he would understand. When a Mason sees
the square and compasses, he knows immediately that it always stands for good
and never stands for evil. And, when he sees the trowel symbol he knows that
it not only is used to spread regular cement; it is also used to spread the
cement of brotherly love.To sum up, the reason we use symbolism is because only by
symbols can we speak the language of the spirit, and because symbols form an
elastic language which each man reads for himself according to his ability.
symbolism is the only language by which the heart, spirit and soul can be
touched. To suggest that Masonry use any other language would be just as
revolutionary as removing our altars or meeting in public square instead of a
Lodge room. Masonry without symbols would not be Masonry.
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Q: Is Masonry "guilty" of
teaching toleration?A: Yes. And proud of it! It seems a strange accusation, but anti-Masonic
writers often charge that we accept people with many different religious
viewpoints as Brothers. They are correct.Jesus did not say to us, "A new commandment I give unto
you, that you love one another – as long as he goes to the same church you do,
or if he belongs to the same political party."In Romans 13: 8 -10 Jesus said "Owe no man any thing, but to love one
another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the lawIn John 13: 34, 35 Jesus said "A new commandment I give unto you, that
you love one another as I have loved you.”Does “love one another” mean we should only love Protestants, or
Catholics, or Muslims or some self appointed splinter preacher who makes a
living by selling hatred literature.Yet one anti-Masonic writer claims that this toleration is the blackest sin
of Masonry. Toleration, he says, "springs from the pits of hell and from
the father of lies, Lucifer."When you consider what intolerance has produced in this world,
the Inquisition, the massacre of the inhabitants of Jerusalem by the
Crusaders, the burning of Protestants at the stake, the horrors of Hitler, the
mass murders of Stalin, the "killing fields" of Cambodia — it is
hard to believe that Tolerance is Evil.
