| A famous philosopher once said, "Bees will not work | | | | outward appearance of the group known as the |
| except in silence; neither will virtue work except in | | | | Masons has the goals of promoting a better |
| secrecy." The Masons (also known as the | | | | community and society through good works. Others |
| Freemasons) have been around almost since the | | | | should take note that there is an inward "elite" group of |
| beginning of time as their history will tell you. They | | | | brothers who toil unknown and attend to a higher path. |
| started out as members of the stonemason craft and, | | | | Sometimes that "higher path" might lead into dark |
| through the years, developed into an organization open | | | | places before their higher plane is seen and |
| to every man, regardless of his occupation. Their goal | | | | recognized. |
| is to come together to promote a better society and a | | | | 4. Are the Masons Christian-based or cult-based? |
| better world. Their stance is that works of good quality | | | | Masons want you to believe that God and the Bible |
| and high merit can only be accomplished in silence, or | | | | are important parts of Freemasonry. The Bible is laid |
| through secret acts. Because of this level of secrecy, | | | | open on every altar of every Masonic lodge and the |
| though, hundreds of myths and mysteries have | | | | oaths taken by new members are done so with the |
| appeared in popular culture. | | | | aid of the Bible to give their statements weight and |
| 1. What is the ritual of the entrance ceremony? The | | | | lend credulity to their words. The Masons believe in |
| first stage or degree of entering into Freemasonry is | | | | accepting men of all faiths, no matter by what name |
| that of "Entered Apprentice." Each jurisdiction, or | | | | they call God, or the Divine One. They know the "One" |
| branch, of Masonic lodge is free to set their own | | | | that is considered the supreme deity, called by another |
| ceremonial rituals within certain parameters. The | | | | name, is still the same God. |
| initiation, they say, is an experience you will never | | | | However, there are some acts believed to have been |
| forget. The beginning of the ceremony to become an | | | | perpetrated by Masons that would lead one to believe |
| Entered Apprentice includes a "hoodwink" covering, | | | | they are not all freewill and goodness. One such story, |
| which is meant to symbolize the secrecy and privacy | | | | detailed in "The Strange Disappearance of Captain |
| surrounding Freemasonry, and it also represents the | | | | William Morgan," tells the tale of how Mr. Morgan was |
| ignorance of the "un"-initiated until such time as they | | | | kidnapped by a group of Freemasons and then |
| begin their search for Truth within the boundaries of | | | | murdered because he was going to publish a book |
| the Freemasonry fraternity. To know "all" their secrets, | | | | revealing the secret workings of the "inner society" of |
| you will need to join and journey to the status of | | | | Freemasonry. |
| Master Mason. | | | | 5. Are Masons a "Secret Society," or do their actions |
| 2. What does the secret handshake mean? The | | | | and feelings just defy words to explain them? The |
| Mason's secret handshake was meant to identify | | | | Masonic Information Center will tell you that, if the |
| members among those who had not met before or | | | | Masons are supposed to be a "Secret Society," then it |
| who did not know each other. There was also a | | | | would be the "worst-kept secret in the world." In the |
| special hand "grip," and sometimes the use of a | | | | late 1800s and early 1900s, secret societies became |
| password. All these were done to say, "I am one with | | | | very popular and some of them were modeled after |
| you" in the beliefs of the fraternity known as the | | | | the Masons. The Masonic Information Center will go as |
| Masons. | | | | far as to tell you that didn't necessarily make the |
| 3. Is it a fraternity or a religion? Masonry has been | | | | Masons one of them. |
| described as a "fraternity within a fraternity." The | | | | |