This site gives the BEST description of Freemasonry. PERIOD.

masons and such
 

As a majority member of the international rainbow for girls.. (a girls service organization sponsered by the masons) and a member of eastern star I can so NO hazing goes on in either of those organziations. Rainbow is VERY similar to a GLO sorority in their ritual and beliefs that they try to instill.. (service to others... sisterhood... academics etc...) AND I have to say that anyone who doesn't belong shouldn't be speculating on their beliefs because You haven't been through their initiation. As far as I know they have the same beliefs as anyone else with strongs morals. They do philanthropy.. believe in honesty...helping children... Etc... I see nothing wrong with this. Also MANY MANY masons I know go to church every Sunday. THey also don't push their beliefs onto anyone.. you have to ask to become a member.. they can't ask you to join.

I am also a majority member - Rainbow Girl, and I am really enjoying this topic. Rainbow may very well be the least mystifying of the Masonic organizations. The Installation of officers ritual is open to all who are invited, and the rules regarding the Initiation ceremony were changed about 10 years ago, (which was previously closed to all but duly initiated members of Masonic organizations) to allow the non-masonic parents of the initiates to attend. We had 2 Catholic girls in our group--their parents were Masons/Eastern Stars.

Rainbow truly changed my life, and renewed my faith in God and people in general. My grandparents were members of the Masons/Eastern Stars but left long before they died. Which leads me to my biggest beef about the OES--because I am not related to a Mason in good standing, I could not become a member of the OES. I'm sure they have their reasons, but it seems to me that they are unnecessarily limiting themselves in this day and age (My father believes all Masons are members of the Klan...and used to rag me regularly when I had Rainbow functions).

Oh well--so I throw myself into DZ. Rainbow seems to be dying, which makes me sad b/c I know how wonderful it was to be a member.

BTW-The Achoth Sorority was founded in 1910--meant for women affiliated with the OES--their symbols were all OES related, so it's possible their ritual was OES related. Achoth became Phi Omega Pi--joined NPC and dropped the masonic affiliation in 1933. Phi Omega Pi later merged into Delta Zeta.

I think the reason some ppl have/had negative views about the Masons was because a man who had left the order wrote a supposedly tell-all book about the Masons and their ritual.
In one of my classes my Prof told us about the book, and how their oaths were described as being near satanic and that some oaths included crazy things like if you ever said anything, you would be physically harmed, the deeper you got into it the more horrible the oath....
anyway, that book is out there, I guess, and it was very controversial, so that's prolly why some ppl misunderstand the Masons....just like some ppl misunderstand us Greeks!
I too was a bit prejudiced against the Masons and Shriners but reading this thread has helped me realize that they really aren't too different from us (except they seem to give a lot more) and my friend keeps insisting that since her grandfather was a Shriner they must be great Men.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and info,

Wow! Interesting Topic
 

I'm a Rainbow Girl too... *not majority yet* I think it is truly one of the best organizations for young women and could be considered a sorority without the greek letters. As for being so secretive, every masonic organization's ritual is on file at the library of congress and while I am not sure if the "secret work," the various signs and responses are there, these secrets are not meant to harm anyone and are just a large part of the beauty of our ritual work.
As a daughter of parents who are very active in masonic groups and Catholics as well, I can say that these groups have brought us closer together as a family and I can only hope I can find such a group at college.. which brings me into my problems with sororities at my school.. but that's another story. Again, this topic is great!
:D

As a daughter of parents who are very active in masonic groups and Catholics as well, I can say that these groups have brought us closer together as a family...

That's not how it worked in my family. When my Uncle joined, my Grandfather disowned him. He was 89 when he cut him out of the will and it broke his heart.

thatgirl,

What high school did you attend?

How strange! My mom always talked about how she was a Rainbow Girl when she was little, because she was comparing it to my having been in Girl Scouts. I had no clue from the way my mom talked about it that Rainbow Girls had anything secretive involved in it. Girl Scouts certainly doesn't. Sure Girl Scouts has rituals, badges, etc, but none of it is secret in the least..

OKay... weird how you don't know some of this stuff about your family, but I just called my mom to ask her again about the Rainbow Girls thing and she said there WERE secret rituals & stuff, and that apparantly my grandfather was a Mason and my great grandmother was an Eastern Star, aside from lots of my relatives being in GLOs. Hmm... Strange how you find you find out stuff like this all of the sudden... weird...

33girl,

Your are right, that did go out with Vatican II. That used to be the case but not anymore.

Alphabebe-If you want some more info on Eastern Star which women are allowed to join www.easternstar.org

Actually as a rainbow girl I can say yes there are rituals involved. actually they are more involved than any ritual stuff involved with my sorority.... by that, (without giving away too much info) I mean the rainbow rituals take more time and generally involve more talking... and A LOT of walking... anyone who has been to an installation of any masonic org (which are all open rituals) knows how much walking is involved.. and although some of them are not open to the public... (initiation, meetings) all of the rainbow cermemonies are open to the parents of rainbow girls and the adult organizations that support rainbow. (Masons, Eastern Star) And as someone has said before, the rainbow ritual book is actually a published book and is in the library for any of you that are curious. If any one has any questions about rainbow or Eastern star... PLEASE PLEASE ask someone who knows... (IE has been directly involved in the org) because some of the stuff I've been hearing about rainbow and masons AREN"T true at all and I know we all know what it's like to be stereotyped by people who have no clue about what the organization we belong to is about. :D

Masonry
 

I have spent the last semester and a half researching Freemasonry and secret socities. I have found many parallels in Masonry and our ritual. Masonry gave birth to all fraternities, secret societies, and sororities(Order of the Easter Star). There currently is a bid on me to enter the lodge and I am looking forward to it. As far as hazing is concerned I am a former Veteran and believe in the ideals of war. I am prepared mentally and physically for anything.

masonic youth orders
 

Ok some have dispelled some turths and myths here. I am a Past member of the international order of Job's Daughters. Rainbow and Demolay are also groups listed as Masonic youth orders. They are related to masons. Job's Daughters has to be related to as master mason to be initated. Rainbow and demolay are sponsered by a mason.
I am a legacy gazillions of times over by Masons and Eastern stars in my family and i know many members of these youth groups who have gone ont to be greek in college.
The age range for the youth group is 11 to 20 yrs of age and the demolay are 21 if i believe.

masonic youth pt II
 

I have been reading more and more into this thread and i am amazed how many ppl don't realize there masonic heritage. Anyways. i have been fasicnated by this thread because i am seeing a lot of masonic youth postings here from GLO members.
A lot of the masoinic youth orders are very full and rich in heritage and ritual. Symbols is what our orders are based upon. I can also say coming from a line full of masons and Eastern stars i have never heard once of any hazing that happens in the youth or masoinc orders.
I am very proud of my heritage with Job's daughters and what this group has taught me in leadership , respect for my country and its flag, my civic cumminity work, as well as responsiblity and love of the order. this org has made me the person i am today...strong , confident, loyal and caring. Just as the GLO teach each and every member they nurture and care for.:D :D

I am an Easter Star and I was not hazed in any way. I am very active with my lodge. I love being an Eastern Star, it is one of the best choices I have ever made. My grandfather and two cousins are Mason and they too have no regrets!!!