The bad thing about the basic tenets of
Freemasonry is that they don’t change very much. And the good thing
about the basic tenets of Freemasonry is that they don’t change
very much.
The simple concepts and goals of
Freemasonry apply as much to today’s world as they did to our
grandparents’, and they’re certainly needed every bit as much now
as they ever were:
- Making good men better
ones: Freemasonry was never intended as a refuge for fallen men
in need of reformation. It doesn’t save souls, cure alcoholism,
reform straying husbands, or put chiseling CEOs back on the road to
honesty. In fact, its rules and customs are specifically designed to
keep such men out. Freemasonry has always had standards of conduct
for members and hopefuls.
- Building confidence: The lodge
lets you bond with a small group of men from all walks of life and
get to know them on an individual basis. Performing the ritual
ceremonies gives members confidence and experience speaking in
public, along with connecting them to traditions that go back a
thousand years.
- Fostering brotherly love: Freemasonry’s
ceremonies join men from diverse backgrounds and from all over the
world through common experiences shared in the lodge room.
Freemasonry brings together men who might otherwise never have met,
and it cuts across all social, economic, racial, religious, and
political lines.
- Offering relief: Freemasonry
encourages its members to take a greater part in the community. It
inspires Masons to volunteer, to donate, and to become engaged in
their neighborhoods, places of worship, and governments.
- Searching for truth: Lodges are
not places of worship and lodge meetings and rituals are not intended
as a substitute for going to church, temple, or mosque. Freemasonry
does encourage its members to take more-active roles in their
religious communities.
- Providing timeless principles: The
principles of Masonry are simple. Reduced to their most basic level,
Masonry provides its members with a place to go for a while to escape
the strife and struggle of the outside world, leaving the most
contentious topics between men outside its lodge-room doors.
Freemasonry has always changed to accommodate the needs of its members throughout its history, while retaining its character, forms, and overall philosophy.
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