Introduction
Many people see the Freemasons as a sinister secret society, but they are just misunderstood. The Masons are a fraternal organization with roots in medieval stonemasonry trade guilds. They hold regular meetings (lodges) and participate in community projects, charitable work, and social activities such as dinners and dances. Members of the Fraternal Order of Police wear patches showing their support for law enforcement officers who have died or been injured in the line of duty. Most police officers belong to Masonic lodges!
Masonic myths
- Freemasonry is not a secret society
- Freemasons are not involved in politics
- Freemasons are not a political organization
- Freemasons do not worship Satan or any other deity, as far as we know (and have been told)
- No hidden hand controls all decisions made by the world’s leaders, even if they were all Masons (they aren’t).
Freemasonry was accused of involvement in the assassination of JFK.
One of the most famous conspiracy theories about Freemasonry is that it was somehow involved in the assassination of JFK. The theory goes that since Kennedy opposed the Vietnam War, he had to be killed so Lyndon Johnson could escalate it (and make himself rich). According to this theory, Johnson hired members from secret societies like Skull and Bones and Freemasons to do the job. Numerous sources, including Snopes, have debunked this idea, which makes it onto their “top” list of false rumors about the president’s death; but that hasn’t stopped conspiracy theorists from continuing to peddle this myth.
The continued popularity of such theories points not only to a misunderstanding of what these organizations are all about but also to how powerful a tool fear can be — mainly when applied by those who aren’t well understood by society.
There is no connection between Freemasonry and Satanism.
There is no connection between Freemasonry and Satanism.
Freemasonry does not have a religious agenda and does not promote any particular religion. Freemasons are not Satanists and do not worship Satan or any other deity.
Freemasonry is not a religion but an ancient society that meets in lodges to learn moral lessons, practice self-improvement, and pursue community service projects. Freemasons are forbidden from discussing religion at lodge meetings—evidence suggests this principle led to the development of the American Constitution’s separation of church and state, as well as its prohibition against religious tests for holding office (also known as Article VI).
The Masons are not a secret society.
It’s important to understand that Freemasonry is not a secret society. The word “secret” has been used to describe the Masons for so long that we sometimes forget that it does not apply to them.
The truth is that Freemasons have private rituals and ceremonies, but they do not keep their activities hidden from public knowledge. If a Mason wants to tell you about his group or its activities, he can—and many do!
They have no political agenda or hidden agenda either; they meet together as friends who enjoy learning more about our world and ourselves through fellowship with others who share similar interests. They have no secret handshake or password either. Detractors make up these things as part of a conspiracy theory to scare people away from joining, so they won’t learn what we know: that being part of this group has made us better men than before.
Freemasons are not actively involved in politics.
Freemasons are not actively involved in politics. There is no Masonic candidate for the U.S. presidency, nor were there Freemason presidents before the 20th century (and even then, it was a non-issue). The Masons’ position on religion and politics is that each member should be loyal to his government and religion as he sees fit—it does not play a role in its activities or membership requirements. Most lodges require a belief in God as a qualification for membership!
The modern Masons do have local political action committees (PACs), which support candidates within their jurisdictions by giving them money and other resources such as volunteers and advertising space; however, these PACs are entirely separate from the Grand Lodge itself and do not reflect its views on any given issue or candidate.
Nuns did not write the rules of Freemasonry.
The first thing to know about the rules of Freemasonry is that nuns did not write them. They were written by Masons, most notably in the 1723 book Constitutions of the Free-Masons.
There are no secrets within Masonry, despite what you may have heard from your uncle. The real secret is that nothing is secret: everything is out in the open and easily searchable on Google (Google it!). And while some words seem strange to you—like “obligation” and “discretion”—the meaning behind these terms isn’t mysterious at all; they’re just words that describe how we operate as individuals and interact with others.
The fact that there are things like “rules” for Freemasonry should also be no surprise to anyone who has ever belonged to any group before: clubs often have rules too! And even if those rules aren’t written down somewhere (which doesn’t mean they aren’t followed), everyone knows what’s expected when it comes time for meetings or tournaments or whatever else happens during their time together.”
Various groups have falsely claimed to be the “real” Freemasons.
With so many false claims to be the “real” Freemasons, it’s easy to see why some people might question whether or not they are a force for good. Some critics claim that the Freemasons are a secret society and have a political agenda. However, this is not true.
The Knights Templar and the Rosicrucians are groups that falsely claimed to be Masonic organizations. Others accused them of being an underground network plotting against Christianity. These accusations have led some conspiracy theorists to believe that the Freemasons are a secret organization with far-reaching power and influence—but this is not true! If anything, these claims show how important it is for us all as citizens who care about our communities (and especially those who live in big cities) not only understand what makes up local government but also participate actively in it!
Masons did not build the pyramids or Stonehenge.
The fact is that Masons did not build the pyramids or Stonehenge. The Egyptians built the pyramids, and Stonehenge was made long before there were Freemasons.
The idea that Masonic symbols are all over these sites needs to be more accurate. There are symbols found in ancient structures around the world. Some may be related to Freemasonry, but most have no connection whatsoever with the fraternity.
For example, you might see a symbol called “the eye in a triangle.” It’s an important Masonic symbol representing God (it sits on top of an unfinished pyramid). But this same image also appears in ancient Egypt as part of their religious iconography and is incorporated into other cultures’ myths and religions worldwide!
Masons did not build the Washington Monument.
The Washington Monument is a 555-foot-tall obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It was built in 1884 and is a tribute to our first president, George Washington. It’s one of many monuments in our nation’s capital, but it’s unique because it was not built by Freemasons (or any other fraternal group). Instead, construction was overseen by the non-Masonic L’Enfant Society—a group of architects and engineers who helped design many buildings around D.C., including the White House itself!
So why does this matter? Well, one theory about why Washington D.C.’s landmarks are so weird is that they’re all built with hidden messages for those who know how to look for them—and since Freemasons supposedly know everything there is about symbolism and secret codes…well…you can see where this goes: that maybe everything from the layout of streets to design elements on buildings are part of an elaborate messaging system designed by Masons over centuries to manipulate people into thinking specific ways or getting certain things done (like building pyramids).
A Masonic conspiracy does not exist. The organization has no political agenda and does everything in full public view.
A Masonic conspiracy does not exist. The organization has no political agenda and does everything in full public view. Freemasons are not involved in politics and are not working behind the scenes to influence government policy, nor have they ever been accused of such things. There is no secret meeting place where Masons plot events. Instead, this happens openly on Facebook groups like “The Lodge.”
Much of what you think you know about masons is false, and some of it is dangerous.
Most of what you think you know about masons are false, and some are dangerous. The first thing to understand is that the Freemasons are not secret societies. They’re a fraternal organization with rules and rituals open to anyone who wishes to join, making them very easy to find if you want to look for them.
While conspiracy theorists believe that Masons were involved in JFK’s assassination because of their connections to politics and business, this has been proven wrong by researchers looking into the facts surrounding his death (and there have been many).
In addition, while some people have speculated about connections between Masonry and Satanism or other forms of worshiping evil due to symbols used during ceremonies like the compass/square symbol (which can also be interpreted as a symbol for the truth), nothing could be further from the truth—or more dangerous! Many Freemasons fight against these beliefs daily because they feel that spreading such ideas only hurts those who want nothing more than peace on earth through brotherly love.
Conclusion
If you think that Freemasonry is a shadowy organization in control of the world, then you should reconsider. The truth is that it’s just like any other fraternity or fraternal society: some good, some bad; some people have ulterior motives, and others don’t. Like any other group, this one has been used by people with power who want more power for themselves at the expense of others. But if there were a conspiracy behind it all? That would be something to worry about, indeed!
