Would You Join a Masonic Lodge?

[risingstar]

Speaking my opinion is not getting bent out of shape. If that is the case, then you guys are bent out of shape all day every day.

[firecracker08]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Put your big girl panties on and welcome to the internet.

Oh please can I have this quote!

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by firecracker08

Oh please can I have this quote!

Take and enjoy

[JWithers]

My father is a York Rite Mason. He has been for 40+ years. He is also a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church USA. It never seemed to be a conflict with our church.

But I did know girls in college who wouldn't pledge sororities because of the ritualistic aspect of the ceremonies. I guess it just depends on what church you belong to and what their tenets of faith are.

To each their own.

[AlexMack]

Originally Posted by risingstar

Speaking my opinion is not getting bent out of shape. If that is the case, then you guys are bent out of shape all day every day.

I read all your responses. You are indeed bent out of shape whether you like it or not.

[pirate00]

Originally Posted by Sister Havana

I'm female, so I can't anyway.

Are there Jewish Masons? I can never remember.

of course there are!!

[catiebug]

My grandfather was a 32nd degree Mason, and a member of Scottish Rite. He joined his Blue Lodge while in the Philippines in the 1930s - he said it kept him on the "straight and narrow" and "out of the bars." When he died in 1991, he was buried in his apron and had the Masonic funeral rites at graveside.

In his honor, I joined the Order of the Eastern Star last year. It is my privilege to sit as Adah this year.

My grandmother never joined OES - she said it was full of little old ladies (of which she was certainly not one ). That said, I do bring the average in my chapter down to about 60...

[pirate00]

Originally Posted by catiebug

In his honor, I joined the Order of the Eastern Star last year. It is my privilege to sit as Adah this year.

You grandfather is surely smiling down on you, sweetheart. Welcome to the family! *hugs*

[DeltAlum]

My grandfather and my uncle were Masons. My grandmother and step mother were Eastern Stars. My dad is a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason. He has been a Mason for sixty years.

He asked me recently if I would like to become a Mason. I have nothing against the Masons, but one fraternal order is enough for me.

[PhiGam]

Upon graduation I plan to, I come from a long line of masons.

Originally Posted by catiebug

My grandfather was a 32nd degree Mason, and a member of Scottish Rite. He joined his Blue Lodge while in the Philippines in the 1930s - he said it kept him on the "straight and narrow" and "out of the bars." When he died in 1991, he was buried in his apron and had the Masonic funeral rites at graveside.
My granddad was a 32 degree mason and a shriner ( and belong to scottish rite and york rite as well) and he too was buried with his apron and fez with full masonic ceremony...... it is a beatuiful ceremony that they do

In his honor, I joined the Order of the Eastern Star last year. It is my privilege to sit as Adah this year.
i have been a Job's daughter and rainbow girl (more jobie if anything) and i joined Eastern star at 18 in 1988 and this yr i am serving as Associate Matron here in California....with my yr next yr dedicated to my grand dad for my masonic heritage...BTW my mom is adah this yr too. My dad is my associate patron

My grandmother never joined OES - she said it was full of little old ladies (of which she was certainly not one ). That said, I do bring the average in my chapter down to about 60...

You bring the age down???? i am 38 and they are all over the age of 75 in my chapter hehehe

Originally Posted by pirate00

You grandfather is surely smiling down on you, sweetheart. Welcome to the family! *hugs*

Definitely welcome to the family!!!!!! i love to find other masonic relationships on here as we as sharing our fraternity / sorority affliations too.

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

My grandfather and my uncle were Masons. My grandmother and step mother were Eastern Stars. My dad is a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason. He has been a Mason for sixty years.

He asked me recently if I would like to become a Mason. I have nothing against the Masons, but one fraternal order is enough for me.

My dad is a past master belonging to york and scottish rite and commandry for well over 40 yrs.

I am very proud to come from a long line of Masons, shriners, eastern stars, amaranth, and daughters of the nile....as well as my masonic youth roots ( demolay, jobs daughters and rainbow)

It is funny someone asked me do you live at the lodge....some days i feel like it....I should have my mail forwarded there LOL

[4est]

I think interest in the masons is slowly dieing, my father is a mason but i have no real interest... the reason religion looks down on the masons is because they hide certain things from the public through rituals and what-not... officially religion also generally looks down on fraternities for the same reason... my dad was a pastor for around 35 years and has a masters in biblical theology and when he retired the first thing he did was become a mason... i was sponsored by the mason to go to all state band camp and i got to take part in some of their meetings and they just don't seem to have anything to offer other than connections which is great but its not offering enough for me to really look into it...

[4est]

Originally Posted by ISUKappa

It is discouraged by our church (the entire Synod of the church, not just my sigular church) to join fraternal organizations such as Masons or Shriners but other charitable orgs such as Lions Club or Kiwanis are okay (I think it has to do with the ritual/heirarchy of the Masons). No one I know personally is a member of a masonic organization. But if it's what you want to do, then, hey, more power to you.

woops sorry forgot to quote this =D my bad...

[pirate00]

Alas, Freemasonry also gets a bad rep not just for being elitist, but also racist. In the beginning of Masonry as we know it here in the United States, African Americans were forbidden to join lodges, and not just because most were slaves or former slaves (because one requirement for an applicant to become a Mason is having to have been "free-born"). All that changed when a man named Prince Hall and 14 other black men became Masons through a British Masonic military lodge stationed in Boston in 1775.

The next year these men petitoned the UGLE (United Grand Lodge of England) for a charter so the could become their own lodge. In 1784 their request was granted and Prince Hall Freemasonry was born. In 1827 Prince Hall Masons declared independence from the UGLE just as the Most Worshipful Massachusetts Grand Lodge A.F.&A.M did 45 years earlier.A problem quickly arose for black men wishing to become Masons in the newly formed United States: the members of a Lodge must agree unanimously in an anonymous vote to accept a petitioner to receive the degrees. As a consequence of the unanimity requirement, if just one member of a lodge did not want black men in his Lodge, his vote was enough to cause the petitioner's rejection. Thus, although exceptions did exist, Masonic Lodges and Grand Lodges in the United States generally excluded African Americans. And since the vote is conducted anonymously, this created a second problem: since no one knew who had voted against the applicant, it was impossible to identify a member as pursuing a policy of racism. This allowed even a tiny number of prejudiced members to effectively deny membership to black petitioners, and in some cases even exclude black men who had legitimately been made Masons in integrated jurisdictions. Thus there arose a system of racial segregation in American Masonry, which remained in place until the 1960s and which persists in some jurisdictions even to this day.

Today, predominantly black Prince Hall Grand Lodges exist in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Liberia, governing Prince Hall Lodges throughout the world. After nearly two centuries of controversy, the Grand Lodge of England was asked to decide the matter of Prince Hall Masonic legitimacy. Carefully studying the records, the Grand Lodge of England concluded that the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts was indeed entitled to Masonic recognition, and this against the tradition that, per state, only one recognized Masonic body should exist. As a result, most (though not all) "mainstream" (i.e. predominantly white) Grand Lodges in the United States and elsewhere have extended full fraternal recognition to their Prince Hall counterparts.

I am a PROUD Prince Hall Freemason and I embrace both A F & A M, and Prince Hall Freemasons as my Brothers.

[cantwait08]

I am a member of both rainbow and eastern star they both have found a true place in my heart and cannot imagine what i would do with myself without them. as to the churches not approving one church my family and i attended told us we either had to quit any masonic affiliated organization or we were not welcomed back. lets just say we never went back to that church.
Rainbow Grand Offices:
Grand Page to Grand Love
Grand Page to the State Dad
Grand Representative to Mississippi and Montana
Grand Representative to Texas and California
Grand Nature
Grand Hope
Grand Drill Leader
have been worthy advisor 3 times (so far)
I am also a member of Eastern Star serving as Adah this year and my dad is currently serving as our worthy patron.
Every male member of my family is a mason and every female member of my family was in rainbow and eastern star.
My mom served as Grand Editor for Rainbow and my dad was the west district governor for Demolay.