>I've read the ritual in an exposé; what is all this strange stuff?<p>>Remember that Masons solemnly pledge to keep the ritual secret. An "exposé" is the product of someone who has broken a promise to his friends and neighbors and to God. Can you really trust that such a person is telling you the truth?<p>By this reasoning you should never trust whistleblowers.
I’m a mason. It’s a force for good in my life. Some like to emphasise the mystique around Freemasonry but, seriously, it’s like amateur dramatics meets a supper club. I enjoy the fellowship and the local connections that I have built as my work life is online, remote and global. If you think it may be something you’d enjoy you’ve got nothing to lose if you contact your local lodge to express interest, and contrary to popular belief it is a simple matter to disengage if it’s not for you after all.
I think that most (sensible) people do not fear that Masons are devil worshippers, but rather that malicious people can hijack these groups to advance their political agenda.<p>If you think this is far-fetched, you should keep in mind that one of the greatest political scandals in Italy involved a deranged masonic lodge: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_Due" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_Due</a>
Related: is anyone here part of any sort of secret societies in Silicon Valley that they want to write about? I've heard rumors about these sorts of things, but never read anything specific on the web.
I'll just throw out there that I've been interested in Masonry lately, during the pandemic I realized how lacking connections are in my life and the idea of a fraternity of men that have joined together to be better is something that I would want to be a part of.<p>I've been going to some of their open meetings lately and enjoyed them, but what I've found of masonry I've liked so far. It isn't some big secret it is more like an institution that helps builds connections amongst people.
You don't get career connections from masonry its very focused on volunteering however on the downside it often cares more about buildings than people it still exists within the context of a culture of hyper individualism and this colors to fraternity.
As for me the more interesting questions would be why and what. Without this the answers to the questions which I don't find that important (and difficult) sound kinda kafkaesque.
"Since Masonry's tenets are brotherly love, relief, and truth, if the Masons did run the world, it might be a better place. Many of the Founding Fathers who wrote the Constitution of the United States were Freemasons; the principles in that document have stood the test of over two centuries. Would a Masonic government be so bad? Look at the governments founded by anti-Masonic groups: Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Iran under totalitarian religious rule. Where is the real problem in the world?"<p>lol, so what they're saying is the world isn't run by Masons - but it should be!
But what about the Stonecutters?
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXtQMz1RGNw" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXtQMz1RGNw</a>
Freemasonry has been relatively accurately called "The Mafia of the Mediocre".<p>Certain type of people join it to make connections and get ahead in the life. This has lead to corruption when there was members in the business elite, politics, judges and the police who never acknowledged that they were members of the same club and had a rule of testifying against other freemasons.