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Originally Posted by Lalwendë
But what a surprise, yet another Freemasons = Evil theory, when the masons are mostly just a bunch of men who meet up for drinks. I suppose someone never got invited to join...  I read an investigation by The New Statesman about ten years ago which revealed many of these types of theorists are involved with anti-semitic movements, so exercise some caution before ever being taken in!
Otherwise, very amusing indeed!  |
Well, the Masons aren't quite so innocent as a buncha guys just tossing back a few beer. While originally in the 18th they associated themselves heroically with the rising cult of reason/rationality and were declared hostile by organised religion (Catholics were not allowed to join), they had their own quirks about membership. At one point, Blacks could not join and women still are not allowed-- at least weren't about ten years ago.
American money is full of masonic iconographic images and many of the movers and shakers of the American Insurrection were Masons. While it is true that they do fundraising for charitable ventures, and while it does largely sound like Boy Scouts for Guys Who Be Grown Up, because it is a "Secret Society" it naturally raises the question of how they operate in a democracy. (The Shriners are high order Masons and look at their costumes and riding around in little toy bikes.)
There really are secret handshakes, secret aprons and clothes, secret oaths, and "ladders" of status where da guys learn more and more of their arcane rituals. Any guy who spills the beans is shunned--kicked out of the organisation.
Europe is rife with histories of secret societies which just can't resist letting the secrecy slip a little. Silly boys. But they make a hoot of a target.