Freemasonry - good or bad?

[Fat Tone]

There seems to be a lot of negative stuff out there about it, mainly referring to the higher orders that most members never reach, and claiming it is rooted in the occult.

Fact, or fiction?

[Umfriend]

There is a lot of fiction about it. That does not nessecarily mean that all groups that call themselves freemasons are benevolent. Occult? Nah, not really, certainly not with the negative conotation it has.

[TransformX]

I've read quite a lot about them a few years ago out of curiosity. They have their mysticism just like any other religion, maybe even less, need to define what you mean by occult.
Meanwhile, check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry

[Brian Ellis]

A lot of childish mumbo-jumbo with secret handshakes, passwords and so on.

[Gurm]

Well, it's a fraternal order. Membership has some substantial benefits in the world of networking and social pecking order. I've contemplated joining. It used to mean a LOT more than it does now, at least at the lower levels. Nowadays, the lower levels probably have very little "secret" stuff going on except maybe handshakes and passwords.

So, my take on the Masons in general? Mostly harmless at the lower levels, potentially beneficial to members, extremely philanthropic... and if there's some weirdness and/or Illuminati-style world domination going on at the upper levels... well, I'd rather be on the GOOD side of the people taking over the world, wouldn't you?

[rylan]

At least they're not all wacked up crazy like Scientoligists!

[Gurm]

At least they're not all wacked up crazy like Scientoligists!

Well they might have their own whack-a-doo ceremonies, but they don't (at least we don't THINK so) believe that we're all infected with the ghosts of dead aliens who were crashed into Earth's volcanoes by the evil overlord Xenu.

[rylan]

That, and isn't Freemansonry just a group and not a religious thing?

[Dr Mordrid]

My father in law was a high degree Freemason and a Lutheran, so take it from there.

[Gurm]

My father in law was a high degree Freemason and a Lutheran, so take it from there.

I think that they're substantially more interested in your moral fiber than any specific religious affiliation. I know people who are Jewish Freemasons, Catholic Freemasons, and Secular Humanist Freemasons.

[Dr Mordrid]

My FiL did a lot of work involving the Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 free hospitals in the US, Canada and Mexico which is a great charitable work by the Freemasons.

[Jammrock]

Me Gramps was a 32nd order Mason in the Shriners and a good old Southern Baptist. Technically I could join if I chose.

From what I heard, most of the stink comes from a local Masonic order that whisked one its members away after being wanted for a murder. That and a lot of people relate them to groups like Skull and Bones, etc. There may be some of that high up in some orders, but overall it's just an old fraternal order for da' boys.

[Lizzard[MPE]]

I think most of the hearsay came from the clout around the jack the ripper story and so forth.

My father has been a Freemason since way before i was born. Every time theres a history channel show about it on i notice he laughs a lot about some of the stuff they come up with. But gets very irritated when they mention devil worshiping and so on. All the Freemasons i know are very spiritual people.

i say good.

[Kruzin]

DEVIL WORSHIPERS!
THEY ARE EVIL!!!

phhht.

Freemasons are just adult boyscouts. They do good deeds and contribute to worthy causes.
In the past, they had some political influence, not so much nowadays.
Yes, their symbolism still remains in prominent places like on American currency, but that's now more tradition than anything.

[Gurm]

Who can say how high up the influence goes? It's like when people start looking at any group of famous people and trying to draw connections. Are they famous because they went to "University of Such and Such"? Or because of the connections they made there? Or because they joined some fraternal order?

Who can say? Maybe it's true. Maybe not. But I'd say the good outweighs the bad. And honestly, if a group of people who do that many charitable works, and promote unity and brotherhood as well as personal achievement... really it DOES sound like Scientology only without the utter depraved craziness.