Unfortunately, whenever one comes across an article on Freemasonry, they are more often than not presented with grand stories of occult activities, devil worshipping, government subversion and a new world order ruled by 33° super-masons.  In spite of this, I recently came across an article published in the U.S. News & World Report which actually sheds some good light on the fraternity while providing a factual glimpse into the history of Masonry in America.

Inside the Masons
By Jay Tolson
Posted 8/28/05

The 1820s looked as though they would be the best of times for the special relationship between the fraternal order of Freemasonry and the young American nation. It wasn't just because so many prominent members of the founding generation--George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and indeed 13 of the 39 signers of the Constitution--had been members. It was also because the rapidly growing republic and the fraternal society still held so many ideals in common. American republican values looked like Masonic values writ large: honorable civic-mindedness, a high regard for learning and progress, and what might be called a broad and tolerant religiosity. Indeed, says Steven Bullock, a historian at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a leading scholar of the Masonic fraternity in America, Freemasons "helped to give the new nation a symbolic core."

Not for nothing were the compass, square, and other emblems associated with Freemasonry emblazoned everywhere, even on jewelry, furniture, and table settings belonging to Masons and many non-Masons as well. Nor was it insignificant that a goodly number of Americans thought--erroneously but justifiably--that the Great Seal of the United States itself contained Masonic symbols. It was both a tribute and a liability to the brotherhood that people saw the influence of Freemasonry even where it didn't exist.

Since the Revolution, Freemasons had become the semiofficial celebrants of American civic culture. Wearing their distinctive aprons and wielding the trowels of their craft--the original Masons were in fact stonemasons--they routinely laid the cornerstones of important government buildings and churches and participated prominently in parades and other public ceremonies. When the aging Lafayette made his return tour of the United States in 1824-25, members of the "craft" (as Masonry is called) conspicuously greeted their fellow Mason, often inviting him to stay at the local lodge. That tour further boosted Masonic membership, which had grown from 16,000 in 1800 to about 80,000 in 1822, or roughly 5 percent of America's eligible male population.

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During the course of my studies, I am frequently amazed at the amount of anti-Masonic materials I come across; all one needs to do is type in "anti Freemasonry" or "Freemasonry Secrets" into a Google search to be confronted with millions of web pages decrying the Craft.  In fact, a cursory Google search of "Freemasonry secrets" at the time of publishing yields 1,740,000 results.

Now seeing as I have not yet received my degrees, I have been cautious to visit any of these sites for fear of ruining my experiences.  In addition, I have been told that many of these sources do not present the true secrets of Masonry and instead substitute their own radically demented accounts of an entity they have never even been a part of.  Truth be told, if Freemasonry was in reality a secret society hellbent on world domination, they sure do a horrible job of keeping quiet about their existence and meeting places...

Perhaps it's my esoteric side speaking, but I believe no one should undertake anything without first learning the truth behind it - or at least trying their damnedest to.  For me this doctrine even extends to my religion; I don't believe in blindly following the Bible without first taking into account the fallibility of the men who transcribed it - a theme which I will touch on later.  We must never forget the true value of knowledge for through it we learn that all things are possible; even in the face of great evils or oppression, no matter how powerful the aggressor, they may never divest us of what we know - a fact alluded to by one of Freemasonry's most famous Brothers:

If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." 
Benjamin Franklin

 
 

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