Freemasonry's history, facts, and myths

For centuries, the Freemasons have kept their identity secret. But what exactly is the history of this mysterious group?

 

The Freemasons are the oldest fraternal organization in the world, and they are famous for their white aprons, mysterious symbols, and secret handshake. Freemasonry (or Masons, a shortened form) has been around for centuries, but its true nature has remained a mystery to the general public. The organization's rituals and customs may appear cultic, closed, and even dangerous to those on the outside.

 

According to TimeTime, this is partly because Freemasons are reluctant to discuss the rituals of their organization with non-members. It's also because media portrayals of the Order have contributed to widespread misunderstandings or painted it negatively, such as Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" (Doubleday, 2003).

 

However, Freemasonry is an international organization with a deep and convoluted past. Politicians, scientists, engineers, writers, inventors, and philosophers have all been represented in its ranks. Numerous individuals from this group have made significant contributions to historical and cultural phenomena all around the globe, including revolutions, wars, and intellectual movements.

 

For those who are unfamiliar, please explain what Freemasonry is.

 

According to a BBC story, Freemasonry is not only the oldest fraternal organization but also the largest, with an estimated global membership of almost 6 million people. As their name suggests, fraternity organizations are typically made up of males who have come together to help one another, most often in business and industry. But these days, women are just as welcome as men to join Freemasonry.

 

However, Freemasons, often known as Masons, have higher aspirations. According to Margaret Jacob (opens in a new tab), a professor emerita of European history from the University of California, Los Angeles and author of the book "The Origins of Freemasonry: Facts and Ficti," Freemasons are a group bound together by secret rites of initiation and ritual that ostensibly promote the "brotherhood of man."

 

That doesn't mean that Freemasonry has nothing to do with religion. Jacob elaborated that Masons are encouraged to have faith in a higher power or the "Grand Architect of the Universe" in Masonic terminology.

 

According to Jacob, this Grand Architect is more akin to a deistic creator than the personal God of Christian theism. The philosophy of Deism, which has its roots in the Enlightenment of the 17th century, advocates the belief that the supreme being is like the ultimate "watchmaker," a deity that created the cosmos but does not take an active role in the lives of its creations.

 

Additionally, members are expected to abide by a code of ethics. The most well-known source for this code is the "Old Charges" or "Constitutions" set of papers. According to the Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry (opens in new tab), an online magazine written by Freemasons, one of these documents, known as the "Regius Poem" or the "Halliwell Manuscript," is dated to sometime in the latter 14th or early 15th century and is reportedly the oldest document to mention Masonry. The Halliwell Manuscript is a poem that allegedly traces the history of Freemasonry and offers moral guidance to its members. Members are advised to be "steadfast, loyal, and true," as well as to "not take bribes" or "harbor thieves."

 

Even though many Masons identify as Christians, tensions between the two groups have historically been high. According to Pauline Chakmakjian, some orthodox Christians have objected to Freemasonry due to its Deism and its often believed ties to paganism and the occult.

 

But among its most vocal detractors is the Catholic Church. Jacob stated that Catholics were forbidden from joining Freemasonry due to a Papal mandate in 1738. Since Freemasonry is still seen as "irreconcilable with the theology of the Church," the Vatican's prohibition on the organization has not been lifted.

 

How long has Freemasonry been around?

 

The Initiation of a Master, as seen in an etching from around 1733 (Getty Images/Keith Lance).

There is much mystery and conjecture about Freemasonry's beginnings. According to Jacob, one of the more outlandish claims is that Freemasons are derived from the builders of Solomon's Temple (also known as the First Temple) in Jerusalem. According to Sky History, some believe the Freemasons originated as a breakaway group from the medieval Catholic military organization known as the Knights Templar.

 

Thomas Paine, the famed American revolutionary, looked to the ancient Egyptians and Celtic Druids for inspiration in his quest to situate the Order's beginnings. Even though the Illuminati originated in Germany in the 18th century, there has been a persistent myth that Freemasons are the same group. Even though most of these ideas have been disproven, some people still hold on to them.

 

Jacob said to Live Science, "Freemasonry has its origins in the stonemason guilds of medieval Europe." Several of Europe's most impressive buildings owe their existence to the efforts of these guilds, which flourished in the 14th century and produced masterpieces like the Gothic cathedrals of Notre Dame de Paris and Westminster Abbey.

 

Like other artisan craft guilds of the TimeTime, its members were protective of their trade secrets and picky about who they took under their wing as apprentices. New members had to undergo extensive training before they could be initiated. During this TimeTime, they learned the trade and were sometimes exposed to more complex subjects like mathematics and architecture. According to Jacob, skilled Freemasons were in such great demand that monarchs or high-ranking church leaders often sought them out.

 

She said the guilds were vital to their members' well-being because they allowed them to make valuable social ties and provide financial security and assurance of work quality. Lodges were the hubs of the Masonic community, where members met to socialize, eat, and discuss current events and issues.

 

The old guild structure, Jacob said, collapsed with the advent of capitalism and the market economy in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Masonic lodges, however, have persisted. The Stonemasons began actively courting non-masons for membership and financial support. At first, most new members were related to existing ones, but as TimeTime went on, they began to include more and more well-off people and men of high social standing.

 

Many recruits were "educated gentlemen" who shared an interest in the philosophical and intellectual movements—like rationalism, the scientific method, and Newtonian physics—reshaping the European academic landscape at the TimeTime. Each man had an equal appetite for discussions of ethics, particularly the development of moral virtue. This shift in emphasis gave rise to "speculative Freemasonry" in the 17th century. According to Jacob, with the advent of modern Masonry, stonework was de-emphasized, and lodges became gathering places for men committed to and connected with liberal Western principles.

 

She argued that the roots of modern Freemasonry could be traced back to the early 18th century in England and Scotland. In 1717, Freemasons from four different London lodges came together to form the Premier Grand Lodge of England, marking a significant turning point in the organization's history. This Grand Lodge served as the nerve center for British Masonry, aiding the growth and recognition of the fraternity as a whole. Due to the Order's rapid expansion across Europe, masonic lodges can be found from western Spain and Portugal to eastern Russia. According to Jessica Harland-Jacobs, it was also established in the North American colonies in the first part of the 18th century.

 

At the height of the Enlightenment in the late 18th century, Freemasonry had already gained enormous prestige. According to Jacob, "becoming a Mason meant you were at the vanguard of knowledge."

 

But there were times when Masons were met with hostility. As reported by the Washington Post, a political group called the Anti-Masonic Party emerged in the United States in the 1830s. Members of this initial third political party in the United States were committed to reducing what they saw as Freemasonry's disproportionate influence. William Seward, who later served as Secretary of State under President Abraham Lincoln, entered politics as an anti-Masonic contender.

 

Are there any restrictions on women and minorities joining Freemasonry?

 

Historically, and explicitly stated in the "Old Charges," women were not allowed to join Masonic lodges. This practice, based on the premise that it mirrored the prevailing social arrangements of the period, persisted for a considerable length of TimeTime, particularly in the United Kingdom.

 

Nonetheless, as TimeTime went on, women began taking on more leadership roles, particularly in the organization's mainland European branches. Jacob mentioned that in the 1740s, so-called "lodges of adoption" sprang up in France. Women were also welcome in these lodges, typically the spouses, daughters, and female relatives of male Masons. They were affiliated with and sanctioned by the conventional male lodges, but they lacked full autonomy. Like it, the United States and the Netherlands both have adoption lodges.

 

Masonic groups evolved from this custom and eventually included women as equal members. Among these was the Order of the Amaranth, the Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem, and the Order of the Eastern Star. Women can occupy leadership roles and participate fully in Masonic rituals in these groups.

 

For instance, the "Worthy Matron" is the title given to the Order of the Eastern Star's chief female commander. The Order of Job's Daughters and the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is an active Masonic organization for young women today. Masonic Today states that the Rainbow Girls are a subset of the Order of the Eastern Star that focuses on volunteerism and charitable giving.

 

A former member of the Rainbow Girls from California, who wishes to remain nameless, has fond memories of her TimeTime spent with the group in the 1970s. She claimed that being a part of a women's group never made her feel second-rate at school. She remarked to Live Science, "We were independent." The plans we made were always our own. In retrospect, I can say that the group's emphasis on democracy gave me hope for a better world. Every aspect of the organization ran smoothly.

 

While traditional Masons are still only open to men, numerous active female-led Masonic groups are doing good work in areas like philanthropy, education, and character development.

 

Freemasonry's connection with ethnic minorities, particularly black Americans, in the United States is as fraught as its history with women. According to Cécile Révauger's book "Black Freemasonry," when Freemasonry was formed in the American colonies but before the Revolutionary War, a few free black colonists, notably a man named Prince Hall, petitioned for membership in the Boston, Massachusetts Lodge.

 

Even after being turned down, Hall persisted and, in 1784, was granted a charter by the Grand Lodge of England. His Masonic lodge was the first of its kind for African Americans in the United States. It served as a model for the many other black lodges that followed. Named after their founder, "Prince Hall," these black fraternal organizations served only people of African descent.

 

Even though non-white ethnic minorities are not explicitly forbidden from joining Masonic lodges, it has been a challenge to integrate them into the more mainstream lodges. There has been mixed success in integrating more traditional lodges into the mainstream. Most lodges "simply go with whoever turns up," Jacob added, but "there are liberal lodges that make the extra effort."

 

Nonetheless, the New York Times reported that some white members of lodges in the southeastern United States resisted efforts to integrate the organization as recently as the first decade of this century.

 

Members of the Freemasons who are well-known

 

Freemasonry Matters claims that the great German poet and writer Goethe was a member, as well as the French philosopher Voltaire, author of numerous works on philosophy and politics, and the "liberator of South America," Simón Bolvar. The great composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart joined the Masons in 1784. NPR said that his famous opera "The Magic Flute" is a tribute to his Masonic beliefs and contains Freemasonic symbolism.

 

Several of the Founding Fathers and prominent American revolutionaries and presidents were Freemasons, including George Washington, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, and Andrew Jackson, as noted by historian Steven Bullock in his book "Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order, 1730-1840" (University of North Carolina Press, 1998). According to a 1906 article in The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Franklin was one of the first Freemasons in Colonial America, and he rose to the position of Grand Master of the Philadelphia Lodge in 1734.

 

Freemasonic Symbols

 

Most people who aren't Masons will never understand the secret meanings behind the signs and symbols used in Freemasonry. The compass and square are perhaps the most well-known icons associated with the group. Masonic symbols are commonly displayed on the lintels above lodge entrances and the aprons worn by members during ceremonies.

 

An online dictionary of Masonic symbols states that there is no one universally agreed upon meaning but that most Masons would likely argue that these two objects together are meant to represent how a Mason should conduct himself. The square symbolizes the importance of being honest and forthright in all of one's interactions with other people. The compass serves as a constant reminder to keep things in perspective and avoid getting carried away with the vices of life.

 

Generally speaking, Masonic symbols like the beehive, the acacia tree, and the all-seeing eye are supposed to evoke ideals, remind members of proper forms of conduct and behavior, and convey valuable lessons.

 

Former Rainbow Girl: "The emblems of freemasonry mostly have to do with ethics—how one should spend their life."

 

Is there a need for Freemasonry today?

 

Freemasonry is in decline now, according to a piece published in 2020.

 

It's pretty tricky for lodges to attract guys, Jacob remarked. "Most modern young men don't tolerate such distinctions as men-only and women-only areas."

 

As a result, there is less interest in joining lodges and less allure in being part of an elite fraternity of men. Many masonic lodges in every state in the United States are abandoned.

 

A contributing factor to this decline is the proliferation of other fraternal and service organizations like the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Columbus, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and E Clampus Vitus. However, this decline may also be attributed to the newer generations' radically different value systems, which are frequently at odds with those of the older generations.

 

According to Jacob, the fall stems from the lodges' existing make-up. She pointed out that most of the group's members are in their 50s and 60s, Caucasian, and politically conservative. She remarked that young people aren't interested in this. "Even the military forces are now racially and gender integrated, but the lodges are not."

Reference : https://www.livescience.com/freemasons.html

Image source : https://pixabay.com/id/photos/bannack-sekolah-dan-masonic-lodge-3799689/

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