The Free and Accepted Masons are an ancient fraternal guild of like-minded men who's true origins are lost in time and shrouded in mystery, but who's basic beliefs have held true and are still continuing this very day in a world-wide organisation of over six-million men strong.
The origins of Freemasonry are said to lie with the operative stonemasons of the 11th century, who were the builders of the great cathedrals and gothic buildings of the era. The Freemasons were said to be those craftsmen of the highest order - ranked above other types of masons such as the hewers, setters and layers - and they guarded their tools and skills carefully. It took many years for an apprentice to learn the skills of the Freemasons from his mentor.
When the apprentice had completed a probationary training period, and his skills were deemed acceptable, he was initiated as an Entered Apprentice, and taught moral standards, rules of conduct and charity. After another length of training this Entered Apprentice was ordered to create a master's piece to prove he was skilled enough to become a Fellow of the Craft. When he attained this level, he was ranked equal to the other masons and was entitled to all the privileges and respect accorded to a Freemason. Any Fellow of the Craft could one day become a Master Mason, and be in control of a Lodge. This ancient system of rank is carried on by the speculative masons of today in a symbolic manner, that is, the man becomes an Entered Apprentice when the group deems him suitable for the role both physically and mentally, and his rise through the ranks is ritualised, using initiation.
When at work on a large project, the operative Freemasons would organise themselves into a Lodge in order to organise and control the project, under the supervision of the Master Mason. These operative Lodges flourished from the 11th to 15th centuries, but began to decline in the 16th century as the Reformation took hold in Europe, and there became less call for great stone structures. By the 17th century, to which Masonic historians refer to as the Transition Period, the number of operative lodges were so small that they began to accept non-masons - typically important citizens who had shown an interest in the masons' ideals - into the lodges, and these men were therefore called accepted masons. By the 18th century, these accepted, or speculative masons as they are now called, were the vast majority.
Because of this transition from operative to speculative Masonry, the men involved felt that some sort of synthesis was needed in order to bring all speculative masons together, a move which would enable the ratification of their beliefs. So on the 24th of June, 1717, the Lodges in London and Westminster met and came together to form the Grand Lodge, which over time took control of all the England Lodges. The old degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason were retained and adapted, and they are still used today to rank speculative masons within Masonry, or the Craft, as they tend to call it.
Masonry as it stands today is a purely speculative order, and it's members can be from any country and any profession. Any man of sound body and mind with the appropriate beliefs and morals can today become a Freemason. The order today has spiritually evolved to be dedicated to the betterment of man and servitude to the community. Freemasons raise money to help the less fortunate, funding hospitals, hostels and the like. In the past, they have kept these donations of time and money secret, out of a belief that it would be prideful to expect anything in return. However, the Freemasons are not, and never have been, a secret society, though there are parts of their ceremonies and means of recognition that are kept secret. They are allowed to make known the fact that they are a Freemason, and Masonic Lodges are clearly marked, and even listed in the telephone directory. The reason for keeping secret the things they do is said to stems from the desire of the operative masons to "protect their reputation for sound work and good conduct", to ensure no-one who was not one of them could claim to be.
The Freemasons actions are founded in a list of fundamental beliefs which are known as the Ancient Charges, Regulations and Landmarks of the Order, which cannot be changed by any Freemason, Lodge or Grand Lodge. True belief in and a strict adherence to these Ancient Charges and Regulations are what is required to become a Freemason.
The first requirement to be a Mason is undoubtedly the most well known and perhaps the most controversial of all the requirements and beliefs, it is the fact that a Mason must be male. This tradition no doubt began because all of the original operative Masons were men, and over time this requirement has been held because of that fact. The reasons to continue this tradition have also been expanded to include the psychological and esoteric reasons to continue to exclude women from their group and their secret rituals.
The second and fundamental spiritual requirement to become a Mason is a true and heartfelt belief in a singular Deity or Supreme Being. This is not necessarily the God of the Christian religion, (although of course it can be), a Mason can just as easily be a Jew or a Muslim, but their religion must hold a belief in one supreme deity. This is because the Masons believe "that at one time, long back in the world's past, there existed or was implanted in the minds of the whole human family... a Proto-Evangelium or Root-Doctrine in regard to the nature and destiny of the soul of man and its relation to the Deity"(1) , and therefore, all religions are valid, because they stem from the same place.
The Masons call this Being "The Great Architect of the Universe", and they believe that without their faith in this Great Architect, Freemasonry would degenerate into immorality and cease to exist. In order to illustrate and remind them of this belief, each Lodge Room holds, on a pedestal, a copy of the "Volume of the Sacred Law". This is most commonly the Holy Bible in Australia, but it can be the prime religious text of any monotheistic religion. This belief in a Supreme Being is the most important and basic of the Masons' beliefs, and it is the foundation upon which all their other beliefs are built.
The Masons hold three formal tenets, which stem from their foundational belief in the Great Architect. These tenets are Friendship (or Relief), Morality (or Truth) and Brotherly Love. Most of their beliefs are encapsulated within these three tenets.
The first tenet, Friendship, or Relief as it is sometimes called, springs from the belief that humans are social creatures, and therefore are not content to be alone. Therefore, we seek the companionship of others who are of a like mind in order to lead a fulfilling and happy life. They believe that it is very important "to be friends with all men, however they may differ from us in creed, colour, or condition; to fill every human relation with the spirit or friendship..."(2). The Masons state that the ingredients of true friendship are "sincerity, loyalty, tolerance, sympathy, interest, devotedness and unselfishness."(3), and that a great part of being a good man and a good Mason is the cultivation of these feelings towards others.
The second tenet, Morality, or Truth, is a fundamental - and essential - part of being a Freemason. To be a Freemason is to be an upstanding citizen, an upstanding man who adheres to good morals and good standards of behaviour. There is no specific Masonic morality, just what is accepted by the community at that time to be correct behaviour, and of course, one must adhere to the standards of the "Volume of Sacred Law".
The third tenet, Brotherly Love, is described as "impartial friendship", and stands for a mutual respect and understanding between men. The key feelings here are respect of another person, and pleasure at working with this person. Brotherhood and true fellowship are important parts of a Masonic relationship.
There are two more things which are not expressly stated in the tenets, but which are essential to Freemasonry. Freemasons are very adamant about tolerance, and for this reason, religion and politics are not discussed in the Lodge room in order to avoid any conflict and to preserve harmony. Also, Freemasonry never has been, and it claims it never will be a religion. As stated before, a Mason may belong to any religion he chooses, so long as that religion holds a belief is in a Supreme Being, but Masonry is never to take the place of a Freemasons religion or his church.
To a Mason, the Craft is not just something to which he belongs, it is a way of life. A Mason dwells in the "Spirit of Masonry" and they believe that "Life is a capacity for the highest things. Let us make it a pursuit of the highest - an eager, incessant quest of truth; a noble utility, a lofty honour, a wise freedom, a genuine service - that through us the Spirit of Masonry may grow and be glorified."(4)
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References
1. Wilmshurst, W.L. The Meaning of Masonry. (New York: Gramercy Books, 1995.), p. 172.
2. Newton, J. F. The Builders. (London: George Allen & Unwin LTD., 1918.), p.206.
3. First Steps in Freemasonry. 1st ed. (Queensland: United Grand Lodge of Queensland, 1995.), p.9.
4. Newton, J. F. The Builders. (London: George Allen & Unwin LTD., 1918.), p.214.