WHAT IS FREEMASONRY?

THE MENTION of the word Freemasonry, brings to mind images of rolled up trouser legs and secret handshakes. Well publicised scandals involving Freemasons have not exactly placed the Craft in the best possible light as far as the public is concerned.

Barbara' s book, This Time Next Week, while not an attempt to endorse Freemasonry, provides a unique insight into a little known aspect of Masonic history. It illustrates how one of the important principles of Freemasonry, helping those less fortunate than ourselves, has been put into practice.

Freemasonry is one of the oldest secular fraternal societies, concerned with moral and spiritual values. These are taught through the use of moral precepts and ritual dramas, that draw on the stonemasons' customs and tools as allegorical references.

However, Freemasonry is not a religion, and neither does it seek to become a substitute for one. It is open to men and women of any religious persuasion, so long as they believe in a Supreme Being. Freemasonry is strictly non-political and just as the discussion of religion is banned at all meetings, so is politics.

For a very long time, Freemasons have practised three overriding principles:

Brotherly Love: Freemasons show tolerance and respect for other people's opinions and behave with kindness and understanding towards others.

Truth: Freemasons strive for truth and demand high moral standards, with the aim of achieving them in their own lives.

Relief: Freemasons are taught to practice charity and to care not only for their own relatives and friends, but also other members of the community.

From its earliest days, Freemasonry has been involved in caring for orphans, the sick and elderly. Today this work continues, both directly through Masonic charities and indirectly through donations to national and local charities.

Despite a popularly held view, Freemasonry is not a secret society. All members are free to acknowledge their membership, and Masonic rules and constitutions are open for inspection by the general public.

So far as there are any secrets, these relate to the internal functioning of the society and traditional modes by which members recognised each other in an earlier age.

Freemasonry is practised under many independent Grand Lodges with the same standards similar to the ones set by the United Grand Lodge of England.

There are however other bodies, which do not meet these standards. For example, they may encourage the participation in political matters, or not require members to acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.

Such Lodges are not recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England .Traditionally, Freemasonry has been restricted to men. This was because in the past stonemasons were all male, and the position of women in the eighteenth century, when Freemasonry first became established in England, was very different from today. Fortunately times have changed. If women wish to join Freemasonry they can become members of exclusively female Grand Lodges.