FREEMASONRY Q's AND A's

Freemasonry Q's and A's

Freemasonry is the oldest and largest Fraternity in the world. It's members included Kings, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Statesmen, Generals, Admirals, Supreme Court Chief Justices, corporate CEO's, opera stars, movie stars, and probably, your next door neighbor. Masonry is always ready to welcome good men into the Fraternity. It's ready to welcome YOU, if in your heart you can answer "yes" to a few questions.

Do you believe that there is such a thing as honor and that a man has a responsibility to act with honor in everything he does?

Masons teach that principle. We believe that a life not found on honor is hollow and empty-that a man who acts without honor is less than a man.

Do you believe in God?

No atheist can be a Mason. Masons do not care what your individual faith is, that is a question between you and your God, but we do require that a man believe in a Supreme Being.

Are you willing to allow others the same right to their beliefs that you insist on yourself?

Masonry insists on toleration - on the right of each person to think for himself in religious, social and political matters.

Do you believe that you have a responsibility to leave the world a better place that you found it?

Masonry teaches that each man has a duty not only to himself but to others. We must do what we can to make the world a better place. Whether that means cleaning up the environment, working on civic projects, or helping children to walk or read or see - the world should be a better place because we passed through it.

Do you believe that it is not only more blessed to give than to receive, it's also more fun?

Masons are involved with the problems and needs of others because we know it gives each of us a good feeling - unlike any other - to help. Much of our help is given anonymously. We're not after gratitude, we're more than rewarded by that feeling which comes from knowing we have helped another person overcome some adversity, so that their life can go on.

Are you willing to give help to your Brothers when they need it, and to accept their help when you need it?

Masonry is mutual help. Not just financial help (although that's there too) but help in the sense of being there when needed, giving support, lending a sympathetic ear.

Do you believe there is more to life than just financial success?

Masons know that self-development is more precious than money in the bank or social position or political power. Those things often accompany self- development. but they are no substitute for it. Masons work at building their lives and character, just a a carpenter works at building a house.

Do you believe that a person should strive to be a good citizen and that we have a moral duty to be true to the country in which we live?

Masons believe that a country is strong as long as freedom, equality, and the opportunity for human development is afforded to all. A Mason is true to his government and its ideals. He supports its laws and authority when both are just and equitably app ed. We uphold and maintain the principals of good government, and oppose every influence that would divide it in a degrading manner.

Do you agree that man should show compassion to others, that goodness of heart is among the most important of human values?

Masons do. We believe in a certain reverence for living things, a tenderness toward people who suffer. A loving kindness for our fellow man, and a desire to do right because it is right. Masonry teaches that although all men are fallible and capable of doing wrong, when they discover the goodness of heart, they have found the true essence of virtue. Masonry helps men see their potential for deep goodness and virtue.

Do you believe that men should strive to live a brotherly life?

Masons see brotherhood as a form of wisdom, a sort of bond that holds men together - a private friendship that tells us we owe it to each other to be just in our dealing and to refuse to speak evil of each other. Masons believe a man should maintain an titude of good will, and promote unity and harmony in his relations with one another, his family, and his community. Masons call this way of live believing in the Brotherhood of Man. It really means that every Mason makes it his duty to follow the golde rule. This is why Masonry has been called one of the greatest forces for good on the world.
If you answer "yes", you should consider becoming a Mason.

Freemasonry offers much to its members - the opportunity to grow, the chance to make a difference, to build a better world for our children. It offers a chance to be with and work with men who have the same values and ideals - men who have answered "YES to these questions.

It's easy to find out more. Just find a Mason and ask him about Masonry. You probably know several Masons. Perhaps you've seen the Square and Compasses like the one on this page or on a pin or tie tack or bumper sticker. If you know where the lodge is in your community, stop by or look up the number of your local Masonic lodge in the phone book and ask for the secretary of the lodge. He'll be happy to help you.

Have you ever considered becoming a Mason? We'd like a chance to talk with you.



TEN REASONS TO BECOME A MASON

1. Masonry is a place where you can confidently trust every person, entrust your family with them.	6. Masonry is a place you can go to give support as well as seek it.
2. Masonry is a place where, within moral and civil guidelines; free thought, free speaking and the spiritual growth of man can grow into its fullest potential.	7. Masonry is a place where moral virtues are taught and through these teachings a regular reinforcement of the moral virtues is experienced.
3. Masonry is a place, which provides the opportunity to meet, know, and call brother, outstanding individuals from all walks of life that, I would not otherwise have met.	8. Masonry is a place to spend time with a group of brothers, who by acting as good men make me want to become a better man. Not better than others, but better than I would have otherwise been.
4. Masonry is a place to be a part of an organization that has for its principle tenets- Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth.	9. Masonry is a place to become better prepared to serve church and community.
5. Masonry is a place that provides self-development opportunities, leadership training and experience, and to improve public speaking skills.	10. Masonry is a place to meet with established members of the community and to become a part of the community.



A MASONIC CREED

Freemasonry teaches the universal principle of unselfish friendship and promotes those moral precepts which are in keeping with all great faiths. In pursuing this doctrine, the following, though not exclusive, is considered to be basic.



MASONIC BELIEFS

Mankind was created by one God. This one God is the author of all life. God's existence is revealed to man through faith and the Book of Holy Scriptures. The Book of Holy Scriptures is the Ultimate Authority or Great Light of Freemasonry. The soul of man is immortal. Man's commitment to Divine Providence determines his destiny. Man's reverence for God is best exemplified by his actions toward his fellow man. Considering the universality of Freemasonry, its teachings cannot be defined in any single statement or established profile. The following is considered to be representative of its fundamental precepts and constitutes basic:



MASONIC TEACHINGS

Man's first duty is to love and revere God, implore His aid in all laudable undertakings, and seek His guidance through prayer, embrace and practice the tenets of religion, extend charity and sympathy to all mankind, shield and support the widow and orphan, defend virtue, respect the aged, honor the bonds of friendship, protect the helpless, lift up the oppressed, comfort the downcast, restore dignity to the rejected, respect the laws of government, promote morality, and add to the common stock of knowledge and understanding. E. Dean Osborn, P.G.M. Grand Lodge of Kansas A. F. & A.M.



T.G.A.O.T.U.

FREEMASONRY offers no doctrine as to the nature and attributes of God. It has no theory to propound, no philosophy to promulgate, as to His relations to men and to the universe. The Craft assumes that God is a reality, a sacred and unquestioned reality, in the mind of every man who proposes himself for membership in a lodge, and it leaves to that man the prerogative of fashioning his own theological and philosophical theories. A man may believe in the Trinity or deny the same; he may believe in the deity of Jesus or not; he may hold that God created the universe out of nothing or he may prefer to think that the universe is co-existent with God; and he may, whether he be of one persuasion or another, remain a good Mason. But this does not mean that to Freemasonry God is unreal; far from it. Many of the things and persons most real to us, friendship, truth, father, mother, friend, are none the less real for not being defined, or even capable of being defined. There is no desire herein to preach to the reader, for that is not the function of these columns, but even at the risk of so doing, there is something to be said about God which it is well for all to ponder. That something is this: Masonry does not demand that we define, or accept any definitions of Him, but it does demand that He be real in every Masonic life. During the solemn moments of initiation the candidate, of his own free will, confesses that his faith is in God, and this confession is accepted by the Master with instant and cordial approval. He assumes his obligations as in the presence and name of God, and acknowledges his inability to fulfill the same except that God help him. His various journeys in search of light, wherein he is confronted by many dangers and conflicts, are undertaken in prayer, both by himself and the Master. If, with a free mind and a clear consciousness, the man does all this as if it were only so much meaningless show, and if he goes away from so solemn an experience to think of it all as merely an interesting piece of acting in which he himself has been a participant, the man is a hypocrite who, by such trifling with the things that are the most solemn to every soul, endangers the very integrity of his spiritual nature. If his initiation is to be real to him, then must he ever feel that it has been a genuine pact between him and his Creator. Unless the man is genuinely sincere while accepting such a rite as Masonic initiation, it is far better for his character and his happiness as a man that he never seek it at all. By the same token God must be real to the lodge, else its very existence must become a mockery. Its center is an altar; its great light is a Book that symbolizes the revelation of the Divine Will; God is the center of the ritual as the sun is in the midst of its planets; He is the guarantor of its principles; and all its teachings are made in His name. Unless He be real the whole thing falls to pieces as a sham, and Masonry itself were better out of existence. At the present moment a wave of new life is sweeping across American Masonry which is best compared to eras of spiritual awakening wherein new religions are born, and new epochs of culture are initiated. Never before have so many men thronged the gates of the Fraternity, or so many able men gladly volunteered to accept the burdens of management and leadership. A new dawn is upon the great Order, and mighty things are destined to be done. In all its branches Masons are working at Masonry to strengthen and to renew it, to understand, and to promulgate it. In this revival of interest, when lodges vie with each other in efforts to make Masonry become all that it can become to state and individual those leaders will be wisest and their work will be most enduring who ever remember that the cornerstone of it all, in all its senses, is T.G.A.O.T.U. The Builder June 1921



A MASON

A Mason is a man who professes a faith in God. As a man of faith, he uses the tools of moral and ethical truths to serve mankind. A Mason binds himself to like-minded men in a Brotherhood that transcends all religious, ethnic, social, cultural, and educational differences. In fellowship with his Brothers, a Mason finds ways in which to serve his God, his family, his fellowman, and his country. A Mason is dedicated. He recognizes his responsibility for justice, truth, charity, enlightenment, freedom and liberty, honesty and integrity in all aspects of human endeavor. A Mason is such a man.



"I See You've Traveled Some"

Wherever you may chance to be--Wherever you may roam, Far away in foreign lands; Or just at Home Sweet Home; It always gives you pleasure, it makes your heart strings hum Just to hear the words of cheer, "I see you've traveled some." When you get a brother's greeting, And he takes you by the hand, It thrills you with a feeling that you cannot understand, You feel that bond of brotherhood that tie that's sure to come When you hear him say in a friendly way "I see you've traveled some." And if you are a stranger, In strange lands all alone If fate has left you stranded--Dead broke and far from home, It thrills you--makes you numb, When he says with a grip of fellowship, "I see you've traveled some." And when your final summons comes, To take a last long trip, Adorned with Lambskins Apron White and gems of fellowship-- The Tiler at the Golden Gate, With Square and Level and Plumb Will size up your pin and say "Walk In", "I see you've traveled some."



My Masonic Membership Card

I hold in my hand a little scrap of paper 2 ½ X 3 ½ inches in size. It is on no intrinsic worth, not a bond and not a check or receipt for valuables, yet it is my most priceless possession. It is my membership in a Masonic Lodge. It tells me that I have entered into a spiritual kinship with my fellow Masons to practice charity in word and deed: to forgive and forget the faults of my brethren, to hush the tongues of scandal and innuendo, to care for the crippled, the hungry, and the sick, and to be fair and just to all mankind. It tells me that no matter where I may travel in the world, I am welcome to visit a place where good fellowship prevails among brothers and friends. It tells me that my loved ones, my home, and my household are under the protection of every member of this great Fraternity who have sworn to protect and defend mine, as I have sworn to protect and defend theirs. It tells me that should I ever be overtaken by adversity or misfortune through no fault of my own, the hands of every Mason on the face of the earth will be stretched forth to assist me in my necessities. And finally it tells me that when my final exit from the stage of life has been made, there will be gathered around my lifeless body friends and brothers who will recall to mind my virtues, though they be but few, and will forget my faults, though they may be many. It tells me that, and a great deal more, this little card, and makes me proud, yet humble, that I can posses this passport into a society of friends and brothers that are numbered in the millions.