Masonry is not a religion. Although a Mason must believe in God, Masonry teaches no way to obtain salvation and offers no worship. Masons do begin and end each lodge meeting with prayer, but Masons believe a man's relationship between God and himself is a matter for each individual to decide. Masons are encouraged to attend their church, synagogue, or other place of worship, but that choice is left to the individual. Masonry is not a secret organization. Many Masons proudly wear a square and compass emblem; the locations of lodges are easily obtainable (on this web site, for example); and Masonry's aims and purposes are freely published. Masons do keep secret their modes of recognition--yes, there is a secret handshake--but determined scholars can and have found this information outside of a lodge. The reason for this limited secrecy is not to hide something from the public but to prevent someone from pretending to be a Mason when he has not been regularly initiated. Just as you would not ruin someone's enjoyment of a mystery novel by telling 'whodunit,' the details of the initiation ceremonies are kept secret to preserve their impact on the new member. Masonry is not a political institution. Although Masons are encouraged to be peaceable citizens of their country, Masonry does not endorse any political party or candidate. Masonry does instill a strong belief in the dignity of the individual. Masonry is not a business organization. It is not an "old boy network," keeping out competition. Naturally, Masons do business with each other; working with someone we know is how we all operate, but good workmanship at a reasonable price is far more important than lodge membership when making a business decision. Masonry does not have frivolous initiations. Nothing is done to embarrass the initiate or subject him to ridicule. There is no hazing. We may laugh at a television depiction of the "Royal and Sublime Order of Water Buffaloes," but Masons consider the lessons taught during an initiation as too important to be disrupted by jokes or horseplay. Masonry does not operate bars or offer insurance. Other fine organizations may do these things, but offering those services would be inconsistent with the goals of the fraternity. Masonry is not a conspiracy. There are web pages and other publications claiming that Masons are working towards world domination. Some authors claim that Masons, working either alone or in collaboration with other secret organizations, are behind every major world tragedy. Of course, some of the same authors claim that aliens from outer space are helping to carry out these nefarious designs.
| 
Freemasonry Truth 
