Are there any Freemasons on ES?

[kuraitengai]

And other than that... that Nicolas Cage movie was just what it is... A MOVIE. That was fiction. Dan Brown is in fact writing a book on Freemasonry and I'll add that his books are found in the Fiction section of your local bookstore. He's a good writer and his stories are very convincing... but most of his so called research for his past books were just collections of alarmists books. I don't want to take anything away from Dan Brown, but one must question the source of his 'facts' before believing what he writes.

i wouldnt go so far as to say that just because a book is in the fiction section that it doesnt have elements of truth. all of my books, if i list a location or a group, that group exists and i portray them accurately. i know a lot of other authors that do the same. dan brown and his 'research' on the topics he delves into is actually an insult. he tries to portray it as real when its fiction.

but just cuz you might see a book in the fiction section doesnt mean that the stuff between the covers isnt true.

that said...i do object to dan brown portraying his content with the blurb at the beginning of the book saying everything inside was true and accurate.

[Xameil]

:cool:

yeah I'll be inheriting a ton of things like that when my grandfather passes away. The Freemasonry is very rich in my family. We've been in American since... well, when it wasn't America yet. heheh...

My grandfather has a scrap book of all of my ancestors who joined. It's huge. Very rich in history too. I find myself flipping through it when I cisit his house all the time.

yeah I already have in herited a bunch of stuff as well, and when my grandfather passes I am supposed to get his ring. My family hasn't been in America that long...I am the 3rd generation...but I am also the 3rd generation as a Freemason.

[kuraitengai]

:cool:

yeah I'll be inheriting a ton of things like that when my grandfather passes away. The Freemasonry is very rich in my family. We've been in American since... well, when it wasn't America yet. heheh...

My grandfather has a scrap book of all of my ancestors who joined. It's huge. Very rich in history too. I find myself flipping through it when I cisit his house all the time.

and if thats the case...im not sure how exactly my grandfather got the rings. cuz im only third generation american on my dads dads side. it was my dads moms side that went that far back to the GW masonic lodge. so i really dont know where it all came from. ill have to look into that sometime.

[Xameil]

and if thats the case...im not sure how exactly my grandfather got the rings. cuz im only third generation american on my dads dads side. it was my dads moms side that went that far back to the GW masonic lodge. so i really dont know where it all came from. ill have to look into that sometime.

Was your Dads mom part of the Eastern Star?

[Ellis]

I will say, the Vatican has called Freemasons heretics and has excommunicated them. For what no one is sure especially since when you become a Freemason you get a bible...:whoknows:

That's a fairly simple thing to answer. It was from a book over a hundred years ago written by a man named Polk. In his book he talked about the worship of Lucifier. Thing is... Lucifier is not the devil, like most people think. It is the name of a star in the sky. Catholics, as most people should know by now, took anything NOT catholic and demonized it. Like the Pagan imagry. Anything not Catholic was demonized so that people feared it. Thus, out of fear, many became catholic. I don't feel like rambling about it, but if you look it up, you'll see the history. The Spanish Inquisition is a good start on that. Catholics have never been about anything but Catholicism. Period. I guess there's nothing wrong with that, but in my opinion, it's kinda closed minded.

A few of my ancestors were killed by Catholics in 1800's for being Freemasons. Thankfully in modern times, we get along. But for awhile, if you were Catholic and joined freemasonry, you were kicked out of the church because they were against secret societies. Over time, more Catholics were joining and instead of kicking them out, The Catholic Church created the Knights of Columbus so that if Catholics were going to join fraternities, at least it was rooted in Catholcism. In my grandfathers Lodge, Catholics still join and it's no longer considered taboo to do so. The Church won't kick you out anymore.

Freemasonry does not care what religion you are... what they do care about is that you believe in God, a Supreme Being. That is all. Atheists are not welcome. That's just how it is. It is very rooted in tradition.

[Xameil]

That's a fairly simple thing to answer. It was from a book over a hundred years ago written by a man named James Knox Polk. In his book he talked about the worship of Lucifier. Thing is... Lucifier is not the devil, like most people think. It is the name of a star in the sky. Catholics, as most people should know by now, took anything NOT catholic and demonized it. Like the Pagan imagry. Anything not Catholic was demonized so that people feared it. Thus, out of fear, many became catholic. I don't feel like rambling about it, but if you look it up, you'll see the history. The Spanish Inquisition is a good start on that. Catholics have never been about anything but Catholicism. Period. I guess there's nothing wrong with that, but in my opinion, it's kinda closed minded.

A few of my ancestors were killed by Catholics in 1800's for being Freemasons. Thankfully in modern times, we get along. But for awhile, if you were Catholic and joined freemasonry, you were kicked out of the church because they were against secret societies. Over time, more Catholics were joining and instead of kicking them out, The Catholic Church created the Knights of Columbus so that if Catholics were going to join fraternities, at least it was rooted in Catholcism. In my grandfathers Lodge, Catholics still join and it's no longer considered taboo to do so. The Church won't kick you out anymore.

Freemasonry does not care what religion you are... what they do care about is that you believe in God, a Supreme Being. That is all. Atheists are not welcome. That's just how it is. It is very rooted in tradition.

Actually they still don't get along...and I was just trying to get people to think. Lucifer is actually the Morningstar thats his other name. He is the light-bringer. His sin was pride he would not bow to man, but that is a different story. As for Catholics getting along, no, the last Pope back in 1984 I believe it was re-emphasized his disdain for Masonry and said no Catholic should join the Freemasons.

[Ellis]

Actually they still don't get along...and I was just trying to get people to think. Lucifer is actually the Morningstar thats his other name. He is the light-bringer. His sin was pride he would not bow to man, but that is a different story. As for Catholics getting along, no, the last Pope back in 1984 I believe it was re-emphasized his disdain for Masonry and said no Catholic should join the Freemasons.

Well, thankfully Freemason's are open-minded FREE thinkers.

I think that is looked upon as a threat to the Catholic Church.

But that's just my opinion.

[Xameil]

Well, thankfully Freemason's are open-minded FREE thinkers.

I think that is looked upon as a threat to the Catholic Church.

But that's just my opinion.

me thinks you are onto something

[DaRock]

Pfft, they got nothing on the Stonecutters.

My thoughts exactly. :laugh:

[Fergasun]

I've heard that Freemasonry is a cult. Now maybe it's not a cult in the typical sense of the word, as most people think of it like a fraternity, but to be a freemason you have to make certain oaths, bonds, and promises that go beyond what is acceptable, as well as certain rituals that aren't very Christian at all.

Now maybe freemasonry has evolved to the point where it is just a social network organization, and probably you and others who are mason's don't care. Just as long as we are talking about it.

[Xameil]

I've heard that Freemasonry is a cult. Now maybe it's not a cult in the typical sense of the word, as most people think of it like a fraternity, but to be a freemason you have to make certain oaths, bonds, and promises that go beyond what is acceptable, as well as certain rituals that aren't very Christian at all.

Now maybe freemasonry has evolved to the point where it is just a social network organization, and probably you and others who are mason's don't care. Just as long as we are talking about it.

Freemasonry has ALWAYS been an organization based on God.

[Zguy28]

That's a fairly simple thing to answer. It was from a book over a hundred years ago written by a man named James Knox Polk. In his book he talked about the worship of Lucifier. Thing is... Lucifier is not the devil, like most people think. It is the name of a star in the sky. Catholics, as most people should know by now, took anything NOT catholic and demonized it. Like the Pagan imagry. Anything not Catholic was demonized so that people feared it. Thus, out of fear, many became catholic. I don't feel like rambling about it, but if you look it up, you'll see the history. The Spanish Inquisition is a good start on that. Catholics have never been about anything but Catholicism. Period. I guess there's nothing wrong with that, but in my opinion, it's kinda closed minded.

We'll be watching you very closely from now on.

[Fergasun]

Freemasonry has ALWAYS been an organization based on God.

"God" as in Jesus Christ? Or "god" as in some "supreme being" way out there in the universe? Some Christians consider it a cult... that's all I'm saying.

Now, you didn't write, "You don't have to make certain oaths and bonds, and there aren't any strange ceremonies that might conflict with the beliefs of Christianity". I was just writing from a Christian perspective that I have heard it described as a cult due to what I mentioned...

[Zguy28]

"God" as in Jesus Christ? Or "god" as in some "supreme being" way out there in the universe? Some Christians consider it a cult... that's all I'm saying.

Now, you didn't write, "You don't have to make certain oaths and bonds, and there aren't any strange ceremonies that might conflict with the beliefs of Christianity". I was just writing from a Christian perspective that I have heard it described as a cult due to what I mentioned...

The Roman Catholic Church historically condemned Masonry on the basis that it fostered a belief in Deism.

[Ellis]

"God" as in Jesus Christ? Or "god" as in some "supreme being" way out there in the universe? Some Christians consider it a cult... that's all I'm saying.

Now, you didn't write, "You don't have to make certain oaths and bonds, and there aren't any strange ceremonies that might conflict with the beliefs of Christianity". I was just writing from a Christian perspective that I have heard it described as a cult due to what I mentioned...

The easiest answer to give you is to just encourage you to go talk to a Freemason about it face to face. IMO, it's not unusual to feel conflicted about your stance on the rituals looking from the outside in. Like Xameil said, Freemasonry is firmly rooted in the belief of God. Always has been. Always will.

Being that I'm not in Freemasonry yet, I don't know much. And if I was in, I wouldn't say much. Again, that is a tradition. Some people confuse 'tradition' with 'secrecy'. I guess it comes down to your perspective of the topic. If all you hear is evil things about Freemasonry, then you will associate everything with that belief. If all you hear are good things about Freemasonry, then you would associate that instead.

I have been around Freemasonry my whole life. My grandfather goes to a Christian church every sunday and believes in Jesus Christ. He ahs been like that his whole life. He gives 10% of his income to the church. He is very devoted.

As for your question... I can't really answer it because I don't know 100%. What I do know is that the rituals of each degree are symbolic to past events that have been around for many hundreds of years. The rituals are symbolism. Think of it as an act, more than anything else. I can't tell you what the rituals are. No one can. But I have read online about some rituals and what they mean and symbolize. They are so far from evil.

The word 'rituals' can sometimes carry with it a bad connotation. What I mean by that is... for some, when they hear the word 'ritual' they might get images of a bunch of guys in white robes surrounding a burning cross. In other words, the KKK. So by that, you think... 'rituals' are evil.

In the case of Freemasonry, the rituals are not evil at all. They are symbolic to your faith. To say that the rituals are evil is a gross distortion. People tend to be afraid of that which they do not understand. Secrecy can let a persons imagination get the best of them in situations like this and they assume that if it's secret, it most cetainly can't be good. But like I said about my grandfather, he's a very spiritual man. And to put it in perspective, there are 33 degrees in Freemasonry. My grandfather has acheived 32 of them. At that point, he could go further to the 33rd degree or join the Knights Templar. He chose to join the Knights Templar.

[WVUforREDSKINS]

Who controls the British Crown?

Who keeps the metric system down?

We do, we do.

Who keeps Atlantis off the maps?

Who keeps the Martians under wraps?

We do, we do.

Who holds back the electric car?

Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star?

We do, we do.

Who robs cave fish of their sight?

Who rigs every Oscar night?

We do, we do!

[Ellis]

The Roman Catholic Church historically condemned Masonry on the basis that it fostered a belief in Deism.

Translation... Freemasonry didn't 100% foster a belief in Catholicism and therfore was considered evil. Freemasonry is one of hundreds of organizations that the Catholic Church condemned.

[Xameil]

"God" as in Jesus Christ? Or "god" as in some "supreme being" way out there in the universe? Some Christians consider it a cult... that's all I'm saying.

Now, you didn't write, "You don't have to make certain oaths and bonds, and there aren't any strange ceremonies that might conflict with the beliefs of Christianity". I was just writing from a Christian perspective that I have heard it described as a cult due to what I mentioned...

Freemasons have always believed in God, and most of them are Christians. I do know some Jewish Fremasons, thats why I didn't say they were all Christian. Freemasonry as was stated is open to all religions.

And keep in mind, some people see Christianity as a cult :2cents:

[Ellis]

The Roman Catholic Church historically condemned Masonry on the basis that it fostered a belief in Deism.

And also... Islam has publically condemned Freemasonry calling it evil.

They think Freemasons are devil worshipping atheists and homosexuals.

How much validity can you take from that?

Rediculous.

It's easy to condemn something when one knows nothing about it.

[Forehead]

Who controls the British Crown?

Who keeps the metric system down?

We do, we do.

Who keeps Atlantis off the maps?

Who keeps the Martians under wraps?

We do, we do.

Who holds back the electric car?

Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star?

We do, we do.

Who robs cave fish of their sight?

Who rigs every Oscar night?

We do, we do!

This first ritual is called "Crossing the Desert."

The next ritual, we call "The Unseeing Eye."

Hey, have you ever noticed how "Crossing the Desert" feels just like "The Unseeing Eye?"

Now for our last ritual, the "Paddling of the swollen ass........with paddles."

[The Fox]

[Yes, there are some. My Dad raised me up when I was 21 and you will find some very loyal friends and companians with your new adventure. Good luck on your journey. :point2sky UOTE=Ellis]Just curious to see if there are any Freemasons on ES.

I'm turning in my application to my grandfather tomorrow.

Freemasonry has been in my family for hundreds of years.

Now it's time for me to participate and I'm anxiously excited to get started.

Happy Early Thanksgiving everyone.

[Stew]

Ok, so what are the Knights of Columbus? When my Grandfather died, five guys dressed like the three muskateers (sword and feathered cap... the whole shebang) stood at either side of his casket, standing at attention for the viewing and the wake, and then were the paul bearers at his funeral the following day. He also had a military 21 gun salute at the funeral, but that was because of his military service... So What are the KoC?

[Koolblue13]

And also... Islam has publically condemned Freemasonry calling it evil.

They think Freemasons are devil worshipping atheists and homosexuals.

How much validity can you take from that?

Rediculous.

It's easy to condemn something when one knows nothing about it.

It's even easier when one might. 33 degree Mason= Bilderberg

[redskinsbandnerd]

Has anyone seen the freemason skit on Monty Python?

"Do you want to be a freemason? Think carefully...think...think...

"No."

"NO?! *giant hammer comes out of nowhere* WRONG, WRONG WRONG! BAD DOG! BAAAAAAAAAD DOG!"

[Ellis]

Ok, so what are the Knights of Columbus? When my Grandfather died, five guys dressed like the three muskateers (sword and feathered cap... the whole shebang) stood at either side of his casket, standing at attention for the viewing and the wake, and then were the paul bearers at his funeral the following day. He also had a military 21 gun salute at the funeral, but that was because of his military service... So What are the KoC?

http://www.kofc.org/about/history/index.cfm

As far as everything that happened at your grandfathers funeral, that's a ritual the KofC perform for all of their members. It's tradition of theirs.

I attended a friend of mine's grandfathers funeral and it was the same as what you described. Someone explained to me what it meant at the funeral but I can't remember any of it. With all due respect, it's basically an honrable thing to do for your friends and family. I guess you could always just go ask a Knight about it. It's not really a secret or anything.