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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 18,215
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 18,215 |
Local Masonic Lodge was throwing a breakfast this morning for a local gent with medical bills. I've driven by this building for near 25 years and have never been in it, so this morning I went to the Mason breakfast... After talking with one of them that was being chatty, only thing I could get out of em was, "well, you'll just have to come to a meeting"... Was like trying to nail down a snake. Can I please get an answer as to what Masons are and what they do.? Does Masonry conflict with Christianity in any way.? PM me, I promise not to tell...  They did serve up a fine breakfast for $6.00 though...
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 96,121 |
"Dear Lord, save me from Your followers"
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 17,289
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 17,289 |
I'm sure different lodges and different people in different parts of the country have different values but ...
My dad was a Mason and he was a very honorable man and so were the members of his lodge. There were no conflicts with Christianity that I know of and and in fact it was the opposite. He was encouraged to go to church.
Of course I never attended meetings and had only been around the members in social settings (lodge family dinners, entertainment events, dinners at his fellow Greeter's homes, etc.) but all the people I met were fine upstanding folks.
If you didn't meet the standards they set (moral/ethical?) you'd be blackballed and couldn't join.
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 19,107
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 19,107 |
Don't know much about them but they do make some fine jars. miles
Look out for number 1, don't step in number 2.
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,004
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 39,004 |
I knew some Masons. Asked and was accepted. Did the first night initiation deal.
The more I spent time there with them and the things going on, the more I realized that in my case, I already had everything membership provided or seemed to provide.
Never returned.
Me
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683 |
my dad was a mason too, wore that ring purt near all his life IIRC
my dad was not a very honorable man at times
he talked to me a little about it when I got older, 'sposed to look out for one another do biz with fellow masons etc. and the death thing was IIRC a biggie, kinda like havin life insurance that your fellow lodge brothers would look out for your family if something happened to you. That's all I know of the subject.
my mom was a member of Eastern Star, kinda the chic version of Mason's from what I could glean, now mom she's a very honorable person
this was back when they were in their 30's or so, they weren't married and hadn't been for a long time
maybe active Mason members will have a different story to tell, but it doesn't seem as prevalent during my adult years as my parents
I'm not much of a joiner, but I've always been curious about the Shriners, they do some cool stuff, but I figure they must pay you big bucks to wear them lil monkey organ grinder hats!
any of you guys know what's up with that? where'd that tradition come from? Have always wondered since a lil kid, about all I see them do around here is sell vidalia sweet onions, but then I've not been to a Golden days parade in decades.
I'm pretty certain when we sing our anthem and mention the land of the free, the original intent didn't mean cell phones, food stamps and birth control.
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,182
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,182 |
Despite its purported "secrecy," the number of books on Freemasonry is almost incalculable, beginning with William Morgan's 1827 "Freemasonry Exposed." Morgan, an apostate Mason, was supposedly kidnapped and murdered by his angry former brethren because of the disclosures contained in Morgan's book.
An excellent book on Freemasonry for the neophyte is John J. Robinson's "Born in Blood."
To answer your question regarding conflicts between Masonry and Christianity, there is none.
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,115
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,115 |
There's a large number in the area I live. As a matter of fact, my father and brother are both members, as was my grandfather. I don't know a lot about it, just like anyone else that's not in the society. What I do know is that all the guys I know are good and upstanding men in the community. I'm sure there isn't a conflict with going to church or Christianity or most of the people I know that are members wouldn't be. If you're interested, go check out a meeting and see what you can gather. I can say that, at least around here, the Masons are know for making sure all of their members are taken care of during hard times, taking care of others that have trouble taking care of themselves, and donating A LOT of money to causes that need it and fit into what they feel should be promoted. What's funny is I don't recall ever seeing their name on anything they've donated.
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 13,941
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 13,941 |
Masons aren't required to be of a Christian religious denomination either. An old friend of mine is Jewish and he is a Mason as was his father.
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 131,601
Campfire Sage
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Campfire Sage
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 131,601 |
Does Masonry conflict with Christianity in any way.? Well, since they worship Satan, I'd say so, yes. There's a lodge just a few blocks from my home, and I pass it on my daily walks.
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 33,856
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 33,856 |
They are mostly good hard working American patriots and Christians, however, the swearing of an oath is required.
Many of our countries finest men were masons - George Washington, Sam Houston, Col William Travis, Monroe, Polk, Buchanan, Andrew Jackson, Eddie Arnold, Gene Autry, Stephen F Austin, Irving Berlin, D. Boone, Jim Bowie, Mark Twain, Admiral Byrd, Sam Colt, Ty Cobb, Davy Crockett, Buffalo Bill, Patrick Henry, John Hancock, John Paul Jones (father of the US navy), Andrew Jackson, Francis Scott Key, Rudyard Kipling, Charles Lindbergh, Arnold Palmer, Roy Rogers , Adm. Peary, Ringling Brothers, Will Rogers, both Roosevelt's, Peter Sellars, Red Skelton, Danny Thomas, Cy Young and John Wayne plus many others.
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time by the blood of patriots and tyrants.
If being stupid allows me to believe in Him, I'd wish to be a retard. Eisenhower and G Washington should be good company.
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 30
Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 30 |
My dad was a Mason. When he came to understand God`s grace, he left the organization.
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 30,959
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 30,959 |
It's my understanding that in order to become a Mason you must believe in God, but the religion and denomination through which you believe is no an issue.
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 131,601
Campfire Sage
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Campfire Sage
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 131,601 |
my dad was a mason too, wore that ring purt near all his life IIRC
my dad was not a very honorable man at times
he talked to me a little about it when I got older, 'sposed to look out for one another do biz with fellow masons etc. and the death thing was IIRC a biggie, kinda like havin life insurance that your fellow lodge brothers would look out for your family if something happened to you. That's all I know of the subject.
my mom was a member of Eastern Star, kinda the chic version of Mason's from what I could glean, now mom she's a very honorable person
this was back when they were in their 30's or so, they weren't married and hadn't been for a long time
maybe active Mason members will have a different story to tell, but it doesn't seem as prevalent during my adult years as my parents
I'm not much of a joiner, but I've always been curious about the Shriners, they do some cool stuff, but I figure they must pay you big bucks to wear them lil monkey organ grinder hats!
any of you guys know what's up with that? where'd that tradition come from? Have always wondered since a lil kid, about all I see them do around here is sell vidalia sweet onions, but then I've not been to a Golden days parade in decades. My uncle was both a 32nd Degree Mason and a Shriner. He got the full honors at his Shriner funeral. He was also an officer in the CIA when it first became the CIA (In the 1950s, he got my mother - his sister (sixteen years his junior) - a secretarial job in the Pentagon, where his office was located.) Prior to that, he was a big shot in military intelligence during WWII.
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,872
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,872 |
My brother is a mason and I kid him about his secret decoder ring all the time.
You'd have a hard time finding a nicer guy than my brother.
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 131,601
Campfire Sage
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Campfire Sage
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 131,601 |
It's my understanding that in order to become a Mason you must believe in God, but the religion and denomination through which you believe is no an issue. Satan believes in God, too.
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 17,289
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 17,289 |
Does Masonry conflict with Christianity in any way.? Well, since they worship Satan, I'd say so, yes. There's a lodge just few blocks from my home, and I pass it on my daily walks. I knew some kook here would come along and start throwing out BS. It offends me to no end to hear somebody accuse Masons of worshiping Satan because that implies that my father was a devil worshiper. If you were standing in front of me right now you wouldn't have any front teeth. You wouldn't be standing either. I'm dead [bleep] serious.
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 131,601
Campfire Sage
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Campfire Sage
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 131,601 |
If you were standing in front of me right now you wouldn't have any front teeth. You wouldn't be standing either.
I'm dead [bleep] serious. You mean you'd make your best effort at doing so. That's assuming I believed you. Meanwhile, I'll speak my mind.
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 7,617
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 7,617 |
Does Masonry conflict with Christianity in any way.? Well, since they worship Satan, I'd say so, yes. There's a lodge just few blocks from my home, and I pass it on my daily walks. I knew some kook here would come along and start throwing out BS. It offends me to no end to hear somebody accuse Masons of worshiping Satan because that implies that my father was a devil worshiper. If you were standing in front of me right now you wouldn't have any front teeth. You wouldn't be standing either. I'm dead [bleep] serious. Yup, what a [bleep].
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 33,856
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 33,856 |
I never saw any satan worship I was aware of, and neither has any other of many good and great men, or they wouldn't have been there.
Last edited by eyeball; 12/07/13.
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time by the blood of patriots and tyrants.
If being stupid allows me to believe in Him, I'd wish to be a retard. Eisenhower and G Washington should be good company.
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