What Freemasonry is... and what is it not...
There are many myths and rumours about Freemasonry, and many sites pertaining to this very question.
It is the author's hope that this page, and indeed the whole site may go some way to addressing this issue and
clearing up some of the misinformation, or possibly even disinformation, relating to this very subject.
Whilst it may seem that the 'arguments against', put forward by the dissenters far out way the 'arguments for', is it
not often the case that when something is untrue, it has a louder voice than the true? But that does not in anyway reduce the
power of the truth...
Firstly let us deal with the myths, rumours and allegations...
What Freemasonry is not
A religion...
There are many claims that Masonry is a religion. Whilst the Fraternity does require a belief in a Supreme Being, it
does not dictate what that being is. There are members of the Brotherhood who are Muslims, Jews, Sikhs. No matter whether
your Supreme Being is Jehovah, Yahweh, God or Allah, which is the only religious requirement.
Yes, the Bible or VSL (Verse of Sacred Law) is a text to be found in all Temples, often along with a copy of such
texts as the Talmud or Koran, it is used for the swearing of oaths. Whilst there are some who would say that the swearing of
oaths is against the Christian tenets, this is no different to the swearing of oaths in a Court of Law.
You may as well say that joining the Scouts is joining a religion, as Scouts renew their Oath every year in front of
the flagstaff and renewing their vow to do good deeds etc., in the name of their God. And the Scout Association does accept
non-Christian members...
Prayers are said as part of Lodge meetings, but these are directed to the generic, non-specific 'Supreme Being'. So
for a Christian, this would indeed be God, a Jew would interpret this in his prayers as Yahweh, a Muslim as Allah, etc.
Whilst all this does indeed make Freemasonry a polytheistic Fraternity, it does NOT make it a
pantheistic religion.
A 'secret society'...
At periods during History, it was 'not the done thing' to be a member of an exclusive fellowship, and so due to
persecution many associations did not openly advertise themselves and because of this they became the targets of mud
slinging, unwarranted finger pointing, unsupported allegations by either 'rival' organisations or merely the
uninformed/ignorant masses.
The means of recognition used by the Fraternity, the handshakes and greetings, were originally used by the foremen of
construction sites to establish the credentials of masons working on the great architecture of the day. By the mode of
recognition the foreman would know whether the itinerant mason who was asking for work on the temple or building was merely
an apprentice who would only be permitted to do rough carving such as squaring off blocks for the construction, or a master
who was skilled at carving expensive marble for frescos to adorn the entrance to a grand temple.
As there were no such things as trade unions or union cards, this was the only way to prove the veracity of a persons
claims without wasting precious materials, some of which may have been brought from a great distance!
A society of devil worshippers...
There are allegations that Freemasonry actively partakes of devil worship relating to the 'god' Baphomet.
This goat-headed, hermaphroditic 'god' was a creation of one Alphonse Louis Constant, a 19th century Occultist, other
wise know as 'Eliphas Levi'. Levi wrote many books relating to hermetic magic and claims to have seen the 'god' depicted as a
gargoyle on a building owned by the Knights Templar.
The supposed god is said, by Levi, to represent the duality of man and woman, good and evil, and represents many
elements associated with hermetic 'magic' and alchemy, both subjects of study to the heretical Levi and on which he wrote
numerous books.
It was also alleged by Levi that 'Baphomet' was a coded message, which should read 'TEM OHP AB', the full inscription
would read "Templi omnivm hominum pacis abbas" or in English "The Father Of The Temple Of Peace Of All Men". This he felt to
be a reference to King Solomon's Temple, which Levi believed had the sole purpose of bringing peace to the world.
An 'Old Boys' club...
Many believe that the sole purpose of Freemasonry is exclusively benefit the members of the society, for their own
ends for such purposes as achieving fast track to promotion, obtain finance at vastly reduced rates, evade justice, and many
other selfish acts.
Nothing could be further from the truth! Indeed, one of the founding principles of Freemasonry is that the
prospective initiate should not expect any such preferential treatment, nor to expect any reward, save the satisfaction of
having helped his fellow man.
And so on to...
What Freemasonry is...
Freemasonry, in its many variants, is a benevolent brotherhood of like-minded men, around the world, with no
consideration of class, colour or creed, who:
Seek to improve themselves as human beings;
Do charitable works to aid those less fortunate than themselves;
Inspire others to live worthwhile and moral lives;
Help their fellow man, within their means;
Uphold the values of family life;
Serve their local community, without expectation of praise or distinction;
Obey the laws and rules wherever they may reside.
The three main principles of Freemasonry are:
Brotherly Love - Every true Freemason will show tolerance and respect for the opinions of others
and behave with kindness and understanding to his fellow creatures.
Relief - Freemasons are taught to practise charity and to care, not only for their own, but also
for the community as a whole, both by charitable giving, and by voluntary efforts and works as individuals. From its earliest days, Freemasonry has been concerned with the care of orphans, the sick and the aged. This work continues today. In addition, large sums are given to national and local charities.
Truth - Freemasons strive for truth, requiring high moral standards and aiming to achieve them in
their own lives. Freemasons believe that these principles represent a way of achieving higher standards in life.
Basically, what Freemasonry does is:
Encourage a men to do his duty first to his God (by whatever name he is known) through his faith and religious practice;
And then, without detriment to his family and those dependent on him, to his fellow man through charity and service.
As you should be able to see, none of these ideas is exclusively Masonic, but should be universally acceptable to any person, no matter who they are. Freemasons are merely expected to follow them, to enable themselves to become better men, in and of themselves.