A secret society behind some of the biggest tragedies and scandals the world has ever seen or a society of altruistic men with a loyalty to brotherhood and helping their fellow man which captures your imagination more let’s find out in our 15 things you didn’t know about the freemasons
Number one the shift from stonemason to freemasons considering the veil of secrecy that surrounds the freemasons how did they go from a guild for stonemasons and cathedral builders in the middle ages to the freemasons we all know today many cite the start of freemasonry as 1717 but it goes further back
Bbc.com reports evidence that associations of freemasons have been around since the 1500s and adds it wasn’t until the turn of the 16th century that those medieval guilds gained an institutional structure the point at which many consider to be the birth of modern freemasonry one theory is that stonemasons would
Often leave their home to work for months elsewhere and joining a society would guarantee there would be assistance and brotherhood wherever they worked others believe it was a society where trade secrets skills and new knowledge was taught or imparted this is thought to have extended to an organization that was open to exciting
Intellectual developments and so freemasonry was born number two the recent death of a famous freemason you might think he’d been around since the freemasons started he was almost 100 years old after all but that’s not the case the late prince philip began his freemasonry journey when he was 31 years
Old back in 1952 he was initiated into the navy lodge just a few months thereafter he progressed onto the second degree of freemasonry and then the third he was a member of the united grand lodge of england until his death he was patron or president for some 800 organizations
And had special interests in scientific and technological research and development the encouragement of sport the welfare of young people and conservation of the environment according to freemasonry today.com and he’s not the only famous freemason as you’ll hear next number three other freemasons and the role they played in freemasonry
In the navy lodge which prince philip was a part of there have been some high-profile names as past members they include king edward vii king edward viii king george vi and king george ii of the hellenis other notable names include george washington clark gable former u.s presidents andrew jackson and theodore roosevelt
Harry houdini wolfgang amadeus mozart mark twain nat king cole oliver hardy from laurel and hardy and plenty more we’re merely scratching the surface here theguardian.com confirms there are six million freemasons around the world with 200 000 of them residing in the uk the initiation process of becoming a
Freemason is quite involved which we’ll delve into shortly and alexers remember to subscribe to our channel for more daily informative videos just like this one number four initiation is par for the course each lodge has its own interpretation of the initiation process and according to the guardian candidates
Do have an unusual process to follow before becoming members there are three levels apprentice journeyman and master when inducted into a specific lodge members are initiated once the member has joined a lodge they’re automatically members for life but they can leave whenever they want candidates must roll up one trouser leg to
Prove they’re healthy and unshackled confirming they’re a free man they must expose the left breast to prove they’re not a woman which we’ll need to expand on later when we tell you more about women and freemasonry and a rope noose known as a cable toe is placed around his neck this is a
Representation of his ties to his fellow masons blindfolded the new member is led into the lodge meeting room where he is introduced to some secret signs including the handshake a word and a symbol number five what does religion have to do with it a little and a lot for starters masons
May not discuss religion or politics when in meetings freemasonry is not a religion which has been frustrating for many catholics wanting to join the society as the catholic church condemns freemasonry the church has been against the masons since 1738 due to their fears over masonic temples and the rituals that took
Place inside in the 19th century the vatican described the masons as the synagogue of satan going forward to 1983 the church said their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the church and therefore a membership in them remains forbidden the faithful who enroll in masonic associations are
In a state of grave sin and may not receive holy communion as cited by history.com number six what do freemasons believe in anyone wanting to become a freemason must believe in a higher deity or a supreme being this includes the gods of islam hinduism or any other
World religion this god is the grand architect of the universe however atheists are not welcome the reason is that freemasons take responsibility for their actions on earth so when they meet their maker one day they can attest to having lived a good life an atheist wouldn’t have this accountability and the obligation to
Freemasonry and its beliefs would mean nothing according to freemasonry so atheists are ruled out but what about women number seven women can become freemasons there are nearly 5 000 female freemasons the honorable fraternity of ancient freemasons was formed in 1913 and by 1958 they were called the order
Of women freemasons to make the single sex more noticeable the women dress in white robes during ceremonies with regalia worn around their necks they follow a similar initiation process as what we mentioned earlier and if you’re wondering about bearing the breast according to bbc.com who wrote about the initiation process of
Diala zaza nikhila she bared her right arm left breast and knee while a noose was placed around her neck during her first degree initiation number eight let’s dispel some freemasonry myths as the world’s oldest fraternal organization you can only imagine the tales that have been spun here’s a few freemasons are behind
Income taxes in the u.s freemasons get lighter sentences when tried in court freemasons faked the moon landings freemasons managed to keep the flat earth a secret humanoid reptiles are responsible for societies like the freemasons and the illuminati and freemasons are devil worshipers and enjoy homosexual orgies and speaking of homosexual orgies what’s
The freemason stance on gay men number nine do the masons allow gay men to join overall it’s not unmasonic to be gay therefore gay people can become a freemason however just like the initiation process can be tweaked to suit a certain lodge so can this outlook this came to light
In 2016 when gay farmers from tennessee tied the knot both freemasons the men received a letter from the grand lodge of tennessee detailing their marriage as unmasonic according to npr.org lodges from california to belgium are urging tennessee to lift the ban they say it harms the future of the
Organization which is looking to stay relevant and attract younger members in 2018 the freemasons placed adverts in several national newspapers in england calling for discrimination against their members to stop the united grand lodge of england confirmed that members from all walks of life were welcomed but some were undeservedly stigmatized according to bbc.com
Number 10 do freemasons make money through freemasonry the answer is no and it’s a question that has freemasons exacerbated as nigel brown former grand secretary of the united grand lodge of england tells bbc networking within freemasonry and trying to use it for personal gain is completely forbidden the job of
Freemasons is to assist when someone is in trouble not create wealth in fact what they do well is to give wealth away the freemasons are big on fundraising and donations any quick online search reveals headlines like masonic lodge prepares for chilean gumbo fundraiser how the freemasons of cary grove help the community
Cambridge shear freemasons pandemic donations reach 1 million pounds and freemasons and 2 000 pound donation to the 32nd scouts in greenock what do you think aluxers sounds like a group that likes to give back number 11. which countries are opposed to freemasonry and why throughout the history of freemasonry
Countries have banned people from joining it’s called anti-masonry meaning avowed opposition to masonry according to wiki the earliest recorded anti-masonic document was from 1698 a leaflet printed by a london presbyterian minister named winter in 1922 the soviet union banned all secret societies nazi germany did not take kindly to freemasons
Nazi-occupied countries are believed to have killed between 80 to 200 000 freemasons benito mussolini dissolved freemasonry in italy in 1925 claiming it was a political organization egypt banned freemasonry in 1964 and syria banned all lodges in 1965. while many of the bans have been lifted it’s allegedly still illegal in arab countries
Except for lebanon and morocco number 12 what’s the appeal of becoming a freemason for starters you’re joining the world’s oldest fraternal organization but as you already know there’s no financial social or even judiciary gain from being a freemason and alexers we recommend you head over to audible and listen to
The craft how freemasons made the modern world by john dickey it’s packed with insight on freemasonry and you can claim your free book at alux.com free book number 13 what symbols are important to masonry as we mentioned earlier the stone masons where freemasons came from had freedom to travel as suggested by dr
Matthias pullman for dw.com handshakes were introduced to prevent betrayal and preserve professional secrecy with that came passwords and handshakes which freemasons still use today symbols associated with freemasonry include the square encompass the compass is the circle of fraternity and the square represents the proper conduct from each member the water level implies
That everyone is equal and the three pillars in the center of the masonic temple represent beauty strength and wisdom it’s up to each member to continually work on their own personal development number 14 is there still a need for a secret society the freemasons have often said they’re not a secret society
They’re a society that has secrets npr.org published an article claiming the freemasons believe they’re needed now more than ever numbers are dwindling and many freemasons had hoped that when the community saw the massive difference the masons were making in the lives of others they might get an influx of new members number 15.
What other secret societies are still going today right not so secret if we’re talking about them here but let’s go the illuminati many claim to be direct descendants of the original bavarian illuminati next not really a secret but an invite-only society the bilderberg group made up mainly of north american and european elites
Then there’s the order of the skull and bones from yale university and scaribian senior society founded in 1915 at the university of tennessee so alexers what’s your thought on secret societies and do you believe they have any relevance today let us know your thoughts in the
Comments and of course you stuck with us until the end here’s your bonus if you’re keen on freemasonry here’s how you join in the past you needed to join through a sponsor who would vouch for your integrity today it’s done online thanks kovid or you’re invited to seminars
The requirements are you’re free from addictions and dependencies and you have a good reputation it’s simple not secretive and definitely not scary as benjamin franklin once said masonic labor is purely a labor of love he who seeks to draw masonic wages in gold and silver will be disappointed
The wages of a mason are in the dealings with one another sympathy begets sympathy kindness begets kindness helpfulness begets helpfulness and these are the wages of a mason thanks for watching alexers we hope you enjoyed today’s video we always appreciate your likes and don’t forget to subscribe for more you
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