About Freemasonry
For 40 years after the Second World War, Freemasonry was over-protective of its privacy.
There was also a policy of not talking to the media or correcting any factual errors
which appeared there. As a result, many people developed strange perceptions of
what Freemasonry is and what Freemasons do. Since 1984, Freemasonry in England has
returned to being open in order to dispel the many myths that have grown over the
years. These days, Freemasons are encouraged to talk about Freemasonry to their
families, friends and colleagues. Spokesmen are available and have been interviewed
many times on television, radio and in the press. Anyone can go and look round Freemasons'
Hall in London and many other Masonic meeting places around the country have public
open days.
What is Freemasonry ?
Freemasonry is one of the world's oldest fraternal societies. The lessons Freemasonry
teaches in its ceremonies are to do with moral values (governing relations between
people) and its acknowledgement, without in any way crossing the boundaries of religion,
that everything depends on the providence of God. Freemasons feel that these lessons
apply just as much today as they did when it took its modern form at the turn of
the 17th century. Despite what many people claim, Freemasonry is not in any way
a secret society. Freemasonry's so-called secrets are solely used as a ceremonial
way of demonstrating that one is a Freemason when in Lodge meetings. In any case,
they have been exposed by the media for almost as long as Freemasonry has existed
and are not important information anyway. The real point of a Freemason promising
not to reveal them is basically a dramatic way of promising to keep one's promises
in general. Other reasons why Freemasonry cannot be called a secret society are
that Freemasons do not promise to keep their membership secret (they can tell anyone
they wish), where and when Freemasons meet are matters of public record (you can
look up Masonic centres in telephone directories) and our rule book, the Book of
Constitutions and our aims are readily available to anyone. It is ironic that because
Freemasons used to be reticent about their membership (because they were and still
are taught never to use it to advance their own interests), critics have taken this
the wrong way round and think that there is something secretive and nasty going on.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Masonic ceremonies are secular morality
plays which are learned by heart by members of the lodge for the benefit of the person
who is becoming a Freemason or who wishes to explore Freemasonry further. Each ceremony
has a message for the candidate, a further reason why Freemasons do not go around
broadcasting their contents is simply because it would spoil it for the candidate
- exactly as in the same way you would not tell someone the ending of a book or a
film. Under the English Constitution, basic Freemasonry is divided into two parts,
called the Craft and the Royal Arch.
For Freemasons who really want to explore the subject in more depth there is a host
of other ceremonies, which, for historical reasons, are not administered by the United
Grand Lodge of England. All English Freemasons experience the three Craft (or basic)
ceremonies unless they drop out from Freemasonry very early on. These three ceremonies
(or degrees as we call them) look at the relations between people, man's natural
equality and his dependence on others, the importance of education and the rewards
of labour, fidelity to a promise, contemplation of inevitable death, and one's duty
to others.
