Main article: Masonic appendant bodies Principles and activities Masons conduct their meetings using a ritualized format. There is no single Masonic ritual, and each Jurisdiction is free to set (or not set) its own ritual. However, there are similarities that exist between Jurisdictions. For example, all Masonic ritual makes use of the
architectural symbolism of the tools of the
medieval operative stonemason. Freemasons, as
speculative masons (meaning philosophical building rather than actual building), use this symbolism to teach moral and ethical lessons of the principles of "Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth" — or as related in France: "
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity".
Ritual, symbolism, and morality The three degrees of
Craft or
Blue Lodge Freemasonry are those of:
The degrees represent stages of personal development. No Freemason is told that there is only one meaning to the allegories; as a Freemason works through the degrees and studies their lessons, he interprets them for himself, his personal interpretation being bounded only by the Constitution within which he works. It is essential to be a Master Mason in order to qualify for these further degrees. They are administered on a parallel system to
Craft or
Blue Lodge Freemasonry; within each organization there is a system of offices, which confer rank within that degree or order alone.
In some jurisdictions, especially those in continental Europe, Freemasons working through the degrees may be asked to prepare papers on related philosophical topics, and present these papers in open Lodge. There is an enormous bibliography of Masonic papers, magazines and publications ranging from fanciful abstractions which construct spiritual and moral lessons of varying value, through practical handbooks on organisation, management and ritual performance, to serious historical and philosophical papers entitled to academic respect.
Entered Apprentice — the degree of an Initiate, which makes one a Mason;
Fellow Craft — an intermediate degree, involved with learning;
Master Mason — the "third degree", a necessity for participation in most aspects of Masonry.
Degrees Freemasons use
signs (gestures),
grips or
tokens (handshakes) and
words to gain admission to meetings and identify legitimate visitors.
From the early 18th century onwards, many exposés have been written claiming to reveal these signs, grips and passwords to the uninitiated. However, as Masonic scholar Christopher Hodapp states, since each Grand Lodge is free to create its own rituals, Therefore, any exposé is only valid for a particular jurisdiction at a particular time. Today, an unknown visitor is usually required to produce a dues card or other documentation of membership in addition to demonstrating knowledge of the signs, grips and passwords.
Signs, grips and words Obligations are those elements of ritual in which a candidate swears to abide by the rules of the fraternity and to keep the
"secrets of Freemasonry", which are the various signs, tokens and words associated with recognition in each degree,
Obligations Main article: Masonic Landmarks Landmarks The fraternity is widely involved in charity and community service activities. In contemporary times, money is collected
only from the membership, and is to be devoted to
charitable purposes. Freemasonry worldwide disburses substantial charitable amounts to non-Masonic charities, locally, nationally and internationally. In earlier centuries, however, charitable funds were collected more on the basis of a Provident or
Friendly Society, and there were elaborate regulations to determine a petitioner's eligibility for consideration for charity, according to strictly Masonic criteria.
Some examples of Masonic charities include:
Homes
Masonic Child Identification Programs (CHIP) Charitable effort A candidate for Freemasonry must apply to a lodge in his community, obtaining an introduction by asking an existing member, who then becomes the candidate's sponsor. In some jurisdictions, it is required that the petitioner ask three times, however this is becoming less prevalent. In other jurisdictions, more open advertising is utilized to inform potential candidates where to go for more information. Regardless of how a potential candidate receives his introduction to a Lodge, he must be freely elected by secret ballot in open Lodge. Members approving his candidacy will vote with "white balls" in the voting box. Adverse votes by "black balls" will exclude a candidate. The number of adverse votes necessary to reject a candidate, which in some jurisdictions is as few as one, is set out in the governing Constitution of the presiding Grand Lodge.
Membership requirements Generally, to be a regular Freemason, a candidate must: As with the previous, this is entirely an historical anachronism, and can be interpreted in the same manner as it is in the context of being entitled to write a
will. Some jurisdictions have removed this requirement.
Have character references, as well as one or two references from current Masons, depending on jurisdiction.
General requirements Freemasonry explicitly and openly states that it is neither a religion nor a substitute for one. "There is no separate Masonic God", nor a separate proper name for a deity in any branch of Freemasonry. Some of the appendant bodies (or portions thereof) in some jurisdictions also have religious requirements, but have no restrictions at the lodge level.
Membership and religion Main article: Anti-Masonry Opposition to and criticism of Freemasonry Freemasonry has attracted criticism from
theocratic states and organised religions for supposed competition with religion, or supposed
heterodoxy within the Fraternity itself, and has long been the target of
conspiracy theories, which see it as an
occult and evil power.
Religious opposition Main articles: Christianity and Freemasonry and Catholicism and Freemasonry Christian anti-Masonry Further information: The Covenant of Hamas Many
Islamic anti-Masonic arguments are closely tied with
Anti-Semitism and
Anti-Zionism, though other criticisms are made such as linking Freemasonry to
Dajjal. In its Covenant, in article 28, the
Palestinian Islamist organization
Hamas states that Freemasonry "work in the interest of Zionism and according to its instructions..."
Muslim anti-Masonry See also: Anti-Masonry, Freemasonry under totalitarian regimes, and Anti-Masonry#Iraqi Baathist Anti-Masonry Regular Freemasonry has in its core ritual a formal obligation: to be quiet and peaceable citizens, true to the lawful government of the country in which they live, and not to countenance disloyalty or rebellion.
Political opposition Main article: Holocaust The Holocaust Main articles: Women and Freemasonry and Co-Freemasonry See also
Organizational structure
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