# Ask the Freemason **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 18, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931 "2010-03-18T20:16:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![spankthecrumpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@spankthecrumpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spankthecrumpet)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/141 "2012-02-27T17:48:46Z")
Remind me… what were the names of the pillars on the porchway of king solomon’s temple again? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/142 "2012-02-27T19:23:41Z")
What’s the deal with Prince Hall Masons? ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/143 "2012-02-27T20:10:38Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > What do you make of the paranoia people seem to have around Masons/Masonry? About this, and the whole “Baal-worship” and “Masonic Satanism” (“Palladism”)-thing generally, here’s the straight dope: A LOT of that nonsense (because it is nonsense) comes from nothing less than the world’s greatest practical joke. Here goes: A French dude called Léo Taxil announced in 1885 that he had infilitrated a Masonic lodge and discovered some shocking secrets, to wit: “_Sacré bleu_, they’re all Satanists! They worship the Devil! No, really! And the Devil himself is present at their rituals! And they have a crocodile playing a piano! Blah blah! Yakitiyak!” The entire Catholic world soon got its knickers in a twist, Taxil even got an audience with the Pope in Rome, and it wasn’t long before the whole world had heard the shocking news. After somehow managing to keep his face straight for more than a decade (!), Taxil finally bursted out laughing in 1897, and blew the lid off his own hoax, announcing to the world in [the craziest press conference in history](http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/taxil_confessed.html) that the whole thing had been one big massive practical joke, basically for shits and giggles and maybe also to prove that Catholics can be pretty damn gullible sometimes. (But mostly for shits and giggles.) Even after Taxil admitted that it had all been a hoax, however, certain idiots kept repeating the “OMG Masons are totally Satanists you guys!!!11” meme, and lo and behold, even today, more than a hundred years later, the story just refuses to die. [True story](http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canular_de_Taxil). ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/144 "2012-02-27T20:16:43Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Welcome to the club Brother **Winston Smith!** The same welcome from me. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/145 "2012-02-27T20:48:44Z")
I didn’t realize this is an old thread so my congratulations were way past due. I did mean it, though. ---
**Author:** ![spankthecrumpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@spankthecrumpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spankthecrumpet)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/146 "2012-02-27T22:46:50Z")
What are the five points of fellowship? How hilarious is it that the j-word isn’t jahbulon, but it is actually another j-word that everyone knows? ---
**Author:** ![chowching](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@chowching](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowching)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/147 "2012-02-28T07:02:09Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > What do you make of the paranoia people seem to have around Masons/Masonry? Here in our country where religion (Roman Catholic) is a big part of the lives of majority of the people, I often hear some say that Freemasons are anti-Christ etc. I think it is because long ago during the Spanish regime here, when the Church and the State is one, most of the famous guys who fought for freedom are Freemasons. Just my theory though. And then there’s the verse from the Bible. Ephesians 5:11-12 I think. ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/148 "2013-03-18T17:25:34Z")
> [@luvrbcs](#): > > What are the home visits like? What are they looking for? How common is it to be turned down? > > I just started, literally, I just filled out the Membership Information Request Form to find out where I send my petition and I don’t know what to expect. My home visit was easy. They showed up, we sat down in the living room and BS’d for a while. There are certain things that they need to verify (belief in a deity, financial stability, freedom from coercion, etc - much like getting interviewed for a security clearance). Mostly, we just shot the breeze and had a few laughs. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/149 "2013-03-18T20:24:16Z")
> [@GiantRat](#): > > My home visit was easy. They showed up, we sat down in the living room and BS’d for a while. There are certain things that they need to verify (belief in a deity, financial stability, freedom from coercion, etc - much like getting interviewed for a security clearance). Mostly, we just shot the breeze and had a few laughs. > > No big deal. That’s o.k.-I’m pretty sure he already has this information on hand…considering he asked it three years ago. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Osiris\_the\_1st](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9de0a6/32.png) [@Osiris\_the\_1st](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osiris_the_1st)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/150 "2013-03-18T20:28:24Z")
> [@Winston\_Smith](#): > > My best friend is an athiest, and when I told him I was joining he said pretty much what has been expressed here - he’d like to join, but the whole requirement for belief in a higher power thing just didn’t work for him. While I consider myself an athiest, I certainly concede the existence of a higher power, just not a conscious higher power. Nature/the universe has laws which govern all of existence and led to the rise of life on Earth (and most likely elswhere) and it evolution to all of its myriad forms. Would this be acceptable or would the fact that I don’t believe in a deity per se be a disqualifier? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/151 "2013-03-18T22:53:41Z")
> [@GiantRat](#): > > My home visit was easy. They showed up, we sat down in the living room and BS’d for a while. There are certain things that they need to verify (belief in a deity, financial stability, freedom from coercion, etc - much like getting interviewed for a security clearance). Mostly, we just shot the breeze and had a few laughs. > > No big deal. How does someone verify belief in a deity? Are the looking for crosses on your walls? Altars in a side room? Do they ask you again and implore their god to strike you with lightning if you lie? ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/152 "2013-03-19T18:22:55Z")
> [@Claude\_Remains](#): > > Q. How many Masons does it take to change a light bulb? > A. After much research this tricky question can now be answered. It takes 20, as follows: > > 2 to complain that the light doesn’t work. > 1 to pass the problem to either another committee, the Temple Board or the Master of the Lodge. > 3 to do a study on light in the Lodge. > 2 to check out the types of lights the Knights of Columbus use. > 3 to argue about it. > 5 to plan a fund-raising dinner to raise money for the bulb. > 2 to complain that “that′s not the way we did it before.” > 1 to borrow a ladder, donate the bulb and install it. > 1 to order the brass memorial plate and have it inscribed. As the daughter of a Mason, Scottish Rite mason, and Shriner I have to heartily agree with this joke. My dad actually quit the executive of his local Shrine because and I quote “All the BS politics by old farts”. It is telling that only now at age 70 after 30+ years in Lodges of various kinds, he is not one of the Young Turks. To the OP, congratulations, and it makes me happy that people are still joining the Lodges. My hub is thinking vaugely of joining K of C, (its a catholic fraternity) and I’m kinda trying to kick his butt that direction. My time is not my own at the moment so Eastern Star, etc is out for me. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/153 "2013-03-19T18:30:40Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > How does someone verify belief in a deity? Are the looking for crosses on your walls? Altars in a side room? Do they ask you again and implore their god to strike you with lightning if you lie? Maybe they just asked him if he believed. Seems pretty straightforward. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/154 "2013-03-19T18:47:21Z")
> [@Osiris\_the\_1st](#): > > While I consider myself an athiest, I certainly concede the existence of a higher power, just not a conscious higher power. Nature/the universe has laws which govern all of existence and led to the rise of life on Earth (and most likely elswhere) and it evolution to all of its myriad forms. Would this be acceptable or would the fact that I don’t believe in a deity per se be a disqualifier? No, it wouldn’t necessarily disqualify you, but Masonry is interwoven with religion. We read passages from the Bible, say prayers, etc. If you find that sort of stuff offensive or something, you probably wouldn’t like Masonry. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/155 "2013-03-19T18:48:36Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > How does someone verify belief in a deity? Are the looking for crosses on your walls? Altars in a side room? Do they ask you again and implore their god to strike you with lightning if you lie? We press a cross, a star of david, and an ankh to your forehead. If any of them burst into flames, we know you’re an athiest. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/156 "2013-03-19T18:52:46Z")
> [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](#): > > As the daughter of a Mason, Scottish Rite mason, and Shriner I have to heartily agree with this joke. My dad actually quit the executive of his local Shrine because and I quote “All the BS politics by old farts”. It is telling that only now at age 70 after 30+ years in Lodges of various kinds, he is not one of the Young Turks. > > To the OP, congratulations, and it makes me happy that people are still joining the Lodges. My hub is thinking vaugely of joining K of C, (its a catholic fraternity) and I’m kinda trying to kick his butt that direction. > > My time is not my own at the moment so Eastern Star, etc is out for me. When I first expressed an interest in becoming a Mason, my Grandmother told me that, as a Catholic, becoming a Mason was forbidden and that I’d be excommunicated. That didn’t bother me all that much, as I was never a very good Catholic to begin with, but it did upset my Grandmother, so I joined the KofC instead. And I didn’t like it. Not one bit. I went through initiation, afterwards some guy tried to sell me life insurance (I was about 22 at the time) and I never set foot in the KofC again. I thought it was all a big scam to sell insurance. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/157 "2013-03-19T19:14:32Z")
As for the whole screening process when you apply, although I was a pre-teen when my Dad joined up, it seemed that everyone and anyone he knew that was already a Mason came to kind of say hi and kinda _wink wink nudge nudge_ a bit. People would come up to him in grocery stores and say things like “Oh I hear you want to go to that place on Red River road on Tuesday nights… Yeah I will see you there.” type things. To a twelve year old girl it all seemed very mysterious, but Lodge has been (still is) a big part of Dad’s life and I am glad he joined. Knowing Shriners from the mid west is a totally other thing… I get forwarded jokes that his Shriner friends send him that are vulgar and Republican (we’re Canadian! I don’t want to hear rants about American issues!) in slant. I used to ask him not to send them, now I just bite my tongue and hit delete. But I know a lot more kind-hearted community oriented Shriners than I know bigots, so I deal. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/158 "2013-03-19T22:27:51Z")
> [@Winston\_Smith](#): > > No, it wouldn’t necessarily disqualify you, but Masonry is interwoven with religion. We read passages from the Bible, say prayers, etc. If you find that sort of stuff offensive or something, you probably wouldn’t like Masonry. If a Muslim joined your lodge, would you alternate with readings from the Koran? You and others have said that Muslims may and have joined, I’m just curious how it works. **Damfino** said that in Indian lodges, they place scriptures from all the major Indian faiths on the alter, but in an American lodge, how would you decide which faiths to represent? ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/159 "2013-03-20T01:55:15Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > If a Muslim joined your lodge, would you alternate with readings from the Koran? You and others have said that Muslims may and have joined, I’m just curious how it works. **Damfino** said that in Indian lodges, they place scriptures from all the major Indian faiths on the alter, but in an American lodge, how would you decide which faiths to represent? In Australia its any holy book of choice normally the Bible, a bit irrelevant really what book is chosen as its all one God in the view of us silly Aussies. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931/160 "2013-03-20T12:51:49Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > If a Muslim joined your lodge, would you alternate with readings from the Koran? You and others have said that Muslims may and have joined, I’m just curious how it works. **Damfino** said that in Indian lodges, they place scriptures from all the major Indian faiths on the alter, but in an American lodge, how would you decide which faiths to represent? No, the ritual and prayers are Old Testament type stuff, but they would take their obligations on a Koran if they want to. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-freemason/532931.md?page=9)