Pandit, a former Master Mason, was the first Indian initiate of the Lodge; back in the 80s, the members were mostly expats. No one can just walk in and be a mason; you have to be invited. To become a freemason, you have to be of mature age 21; 18 for sons of members , of sound mind and strict morals.
This year, the St George Lodge, for the first time in history, had a father and son initiated on same day and going through the degrees together. The society believes they make good men better, and that freemasonry is a character building process. This is why working tools — the square and the compass joined together — have become their most definable symbol.
Another set of symbols are the ashlar fine stone. Freemasonry, say its members, is not a secret order but an order with secrets. They had symbols to distinguish a member mason from the world at large. The open house is possibly their way of dispelling myths and sharing their secrets. Even children are allowed on certain days. The treasure, and the Templar tradition, were eventually passed down to the founders of Freemasonry, the story goes.
In fact, there was Templar treasure, Nicholson said, but it ended up in other hands long ago. The King of France was bankrupt, and the Templars had lots of ready cash. It's long been suggested that powerful Freemasons embedded Masonic symbols in the Washington, D. The Lost Symbol is expected to prominently feature "Masonic mapping," detecting pentagrams and other symbols by connecting the dots among landmarks.
But there's no Masonic message in the city's street plan, Tabbert said. For starters, Pierre L'Enfant wasn't a Mason. And, Tabbert asked, why would Masons go to the trouble of laying out a street grid to match their symbols? But there isn't one. Maybe it's the impressive list of prominent Freemasons—from Napoleon to F. But Kinney, the Masonic historian, paints a picture of a largely decentralized group that might have trouble running anything with much efficiency.
Kinney noted that the U. Each of these largely independent organizations oversees its many local blue or beginner lodges and has little real coordination with other grand lodges. Internationally, Masonic lodges not only don't speak with a single voice but sometimes refuse to even recognize each other's existence.
Also, many Masons are independent minded and tend to resist edicts from above, Kinney said. There is no such entity. But Masons stress that their organization is not a religion, that is it has no unique theology and does not represent a path for believers to salvation or other divine rewards. Even so, to be accepted into Freemasonry, initiates must believe in a god—any god. Christians may be in the majority, but Jews, Muslims, and others are well represented in Masonic circles.
At lodge meetings religious discussion is traditionally taboo, Kinney and Tabbert said. But some religious leaders believe that Masonic rituals and beliefs—with its temples, altars, and oaths—do constitute an opposing faith. Law enforcement officers loyal to the Freemasons arrested and jailed Morgan and Miller for outstanding debts. On September 8, a posse of drunken Masons tried to destroy his print shop, and it was damaged by a small fire two days later.
It seems he had borrowed a shirt and tie from the owner of the local tavern and never returned it. Late in the evening, he was bailed out by group of Masons led by Loton Lawson—the mastermind of the kidnapping, according to Light on Masonry , a 19th century compilation of documents about freemasonry.
He was escorted hurriedly into a carriage and taken away, never to be seen again. With each new county that heard the news, it seemed the brutality and drama of the kidnapping grew exponentially, while the desire to portray it accurately diminished at a similar rate. Although they had been involved in a potential murder, the four defendants—Loton Lawson, Eli Bruce, Col.
Edward Sawyer and Nicholas G. Citizens from all over New York state met and declared their intent to stop voting for candidates with Masonic ties. That sentiment extended to the media as well, as Mason-owned newspapers were boycotted. Simply put, it's the world's oldest and largest fraternity. If you want to be a Mason, you can petition a local lodge for membership. You'll need to demonstrate good character and belief in some sort of Supreme Being. Oh, and in almost all lodges, it's men only.
Once you earn "the third degree" and yes, that's where the phrase comes from , you can join any number of Masonic off-shoots. Take Brent Morris. It's that big building in Washington, D. Inside, the temple lodge room is a stunner.
And downstairs, you can see the flag that Buzz Aldrin took to the Moon with him. Now, if tiny hats and small cars are your thing, there are the party animals of Freemasonry, the Shriners.
You may know them better for their 22 childrens' hospitals, where patients don't have to pay a cent -- the Masons are philanthropic. Freemasonry began in medieval Europe as a guild for stonemasons, but lived on as a social organization. The first grand lodge was created in London in
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