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About
Freemasonry
Voluntary associations of men
using builders' tools as symbols to teach basic moral truths, emphasizing the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of mankind.
Under the rules of freemasonry no one is invited to join, and each person seeking to enter must request a member to sponsor
him. Its chief aim is to create a universal fraternal association of people of goodwill. It teaches its members to study and
to improve their skills, to serve others and to be kind to everyone.
Although not a religion, it is religious in that its
percepts incorporate the fundamentals of many religions. Its meetings, moreover, are opened and closed with a prayer. It is
not a secret society, as it sometimes alleged, since it does not hide its existence, aims, or work. Thousands of books have
been published about its history, and philosophy.
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Freemasonry
refers to the principles, institutions, and practices of the fraternal order of the free and accepted masons. The largest
worldwide society, freemasonry is an organization of men based on the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, using
builders' tools as symbols to teach basic moral truths generally accepted by persons of good will.
It is religious in that
a belief in God is the prime requirement for membership, but it is nonsectarian in that no religious test is used. The purpose
of freemasonry is to enable men to meet in harmony, to promote friendship and to be charitable. Its basic ideals are that
all persons are children of one God, that all persons are related to each other, and that the best way to worship God is to
be of service to people.
Freemasons hold that the organization is religious but not a religion, and that is not a secret
organization since it works openly in the community. Freemasonry has always been suppressed in totalitarian states.
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