 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
° What is a Mason
»FAQ
° Famous Masons
° Masonic Teachings
»Symbolism
»Voice
of Masonry
»Masonry & Women
Husband,
Father, Wage Earner, Jogger, Church Member --
You try to be your best in all your roles:
Being a Mason can make you a better man.
Take a look through these questions and then ask yourself:
" Can joining the Masons of Texas help me better myself through service
to others?"
What is a Mason?
A Mason is a member of the world's oldest and largest fraternity. Masons
join together because:
• They want to do good in the world.
• They want to do good inside
their own minds.
• They enjoy being together with other men they like
and respect.
What is Masonry?
Masonry is a worldwide fraternity with the singular purpose of making
good men better. It is neither a forum nor a place for worship. Instead,
it is a friend to all religions which are based on the belief in one
God.
Masonry, or Freemasonry, is a fraternity so old that its origins
have been lost in time. It probably started with the guilds of stonemasons
who built the great castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages and might
have been influenced by the Knights Templar, a group of Christian warrior
monks formed in 1118 to help protect pilgrims making trips to the Holy
Land.
Masonry was formalized in 1717 when the first "Grand Lodge" was
formed in England. Today, there are about 13,200 Masonic lodges in the
U.S.
What is a Masonic Lodge?
The word "lodge" refers to two things: a group of Masons meeting
in a particular place and the place in which they meet. The term, "lodge," comes
from the structures which the medieval stonemasons built against the
sides of the cathedrals during construction. During the winter, when
construction work was stopped, they lived in their lodges and worked
at carving stone.
Masonic buildings are sometimes called "temples," because
much of the symbolism Masonry uses to teach its lessons comes from the
building of King Solomon's Temple in the Holy Land.
What do Masons believe
in?
All Masons believe in one God and in respect for each other.
What do Masons
do?
Masons are men of charity and good works. In fact, Masonry is the world's
leading charitable organization, contributing nearly $2 million a day
to charitable causes which they have established themselves. Our hospitals
for burned and crippled children are known worldwide and are just part
of the work we do.
What are the qualifications to become a Mason?
We're proud of our philosophy and practice of "making good men better." Therefore,
only men of high character are considered for membership. Every applicant
must state his belief in the existence of a Supreme Being. Atheists are
not accepted into our fraternity.
How do I become a member of the Masons?
You must ask a Masonic friend to recommend you. You must then sign a
petition, stating your age, occupation and place of residence. Members
of the Lodge will then vote on your admissions after careful consideration
of your character and reputation.
Why is Masonry so secretive?
Actually, Masonry isn't very secretive at all, although it sometimes
seems to have that reputation. We make no secret of our membership
--- we wear rings, lapel pins and tie tacks with Masonic emblems. Our
buildings are clearly marked and are listed in phone books. Lodge activities
are even listed in newspapers in smaller
towns!
Like most fraternities, however, we do have some secrets, and these
fall into two categories:
Ways to identify ourselves to each other as
Masons.
We have special grips and passwords (like many other fraternal organizations)
which we keep secret so that unscrupulous people can't pass themselves
off as Masons to obtain assistance under false pretenses.
Masonic secrets.
When you truly accept responsibility for your own life and realize that
real happiness comes from helping others, you experience certain changes.
It's almost impossible to put these changes into words, to describe
them to others. (It's like trying to describe a sunset or the feeling
you get when you hear our National Anthem.) It's not that these "secrets" may
not be told, but that they simply cannot be put into words.
Frankly,
if we're a "secret society," then we're the worst-kept
secret in town!
Is Masonry a religion?
No. Religion plays an important part in Masonry, but Masonry itself is
most definitely not a religion.
As we've already mentioned, our members
must have a belief in God. No atheist can ever become a Mason.
We open
our meetings with prayer. And one of the first lessons we teach is that
one should pray for divine
counsel and guidance before starting an important undertaking. But we
are not a religion. We believe strongly in the importance of religion
and encourage our members to be active in the religion and church of
their choice. We teach that without religion, a man is alone and lost
and cannot reach his full potential.
If Masonry isn't a religion, why does
it use ritual?
We all use ritual every day. Shaking hands when you meet a friend is
a ritual. Standing for the National Anthem before a baseball game is
a ritual. Our lives are filled with ritual.
Masonry uses ritual because it's an effective way to teach the important
values we talked about earlier. Masonry's ritual is very rich because
it's so very old. It has developed over centuries to contain some beautiful
language and ideas. But when you think about it, there's nothing unusual
about ritual. It's part of everyday life!
What is a degree?
A degree is a stage or level of membership in the Masons. It is also
the ceremony by which you attain the three levels of membership:
• Entered Apprentice
• Fellowcraft
• Master Mason
During the Middle Ages, when a man
joined a craft, such as the stonemasons, he was first apprenticed. As he
learned the skills of the craft, he became
a "Fellow of the Craft." (What we call a "Journeyman" today.)
And finally, he attained the level called "Master of the Craft."
Our
degrees teach the great lessons of life-the importance of honor and integrity,
of being a person on whom others can rely, of being both
trusting and trustworthy, of realizing that you have a spiritual nature,
the importance of self-control, of knowing how to love and be loved and
of knowing how to keep confidences so that others may open up to you
without fear.
As a candidate, you'll attend three meetings to receive the
three Masonic Degrees. The Degrees are solemn, enlightening lessons and
are an enjoyable
experience with absolutely no uncomfortable or embarrassing moments.
It
is through the Degrees that the principles of Masonry are taught and where
you'll learn that your family and your own necessary vocations
are to be considered above Masonry.
Once you become a Master Mason, you
will be welcomed as a "Brother" in
any of the thousands of Masonic Lodges throughout the world.
Do you think
the Masons of Texas might have something special to offer you?
We all have many roles to fill in our lives. We're husbands, fathers,
employees, neighbors and friends. We're all trying our best to be better
men. What better way to live a life of service to others while making
yourself a better man than in the company of your fellow Masons of Texas?
Ask a Mason.
If you would like to know more about the Masons of Texas, call 214-748-4582; write to:
Sam P. Cochran Lodge, 507 S. Harwood St.
Dallas, Texas 75201; or email and
someone at the Sam P. Cochran Lodge will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.