Why do Freemasons perform their rituals and what do they benefit from them?
I’m not a Mason but I attended a Masonic ceremony by virtue of having been hired to run sound for said ritual. It was a whole lot of solemn, over-the-top pomp and circumstance. As an outsider I gathered it was ritual for the sake of ritual.
I didn’t see any overtly religious or satanic meaning to the proceedings, tho it’s also possible that that the symbolism zoomed right past me. I recall that some folks were concerned at my presence being that I was an outsider, but there was nothing that I saw that merited any sort of secrecy.
My guess is that they derive some level of satisfaction and comfort from dressing up and performing a ritual, perhaps like going to church. It seemed like everybody had some sort of huge, impressive sounding title before their name. I gathered that conferred titles and subsequent status are real important, so there could be an ego thing involved.
And I know I didn’t really answer your question. It would take someone who is a Mason to do that. And I hope I didn’t offend any Masons who read this.
Not to be difficult but anyone who knows the answers re: symbolism and ritual, isn’t likely to provide an answer in a forum such as this.
The same as any ritual…it instills a sense of shared experience and purpose between the members of the group.
I am guessing that you’re talking about a Scottish Rite event. I’m not aware of any Blue Lodge ceremonies (the local Masonic Lodge in every town - degrees 1 through 3) needing someone actually running a soundboard, though some lodges in other states might do things differently. The “huge, impressive sounding titles” are a Scottish Rite thing. The regular Blue Lodge doesn’t really have anything like that. The officers of the lodge are:
Worshipful Master
Senior Warden
Junior Warden
Senior Deacon
Junior Deacon
Senior Steward
Junior Steward
Secretary, Treasurer, Chaplain, Tyler
But Scottish Rite has titles like:
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret
Prince of Jerusalem
Knights of the Rose Croix
&cet.
I am a member of the Scottish Rite, but I don’t know if I will continue participating in it. There is something very pompous about it, to me. I don’t think it’s bad, or that the people in it are bad, but there is a lot of over-the-top grandiosity that strikes me, personally, as being outside of the core values of Masonry. The heart of Masonry is the local Blue Lodge, in my opinion.
Indeed
Then perhaps this forum shouldn’t be referred to as a place where one can find “answers” for anything.
Ok, so in essence, what is your personal opinion regarding the purpose of the Blue Lodge Masonry Ritual?
It teaches you philosophical lessons about life, basically. The degrees give you the knowledge of Masonry that all the other Master Masons through history have received, making you (gradually) more and more a part of the group. You learn about the different items and positions in the lodge room, which often have allusions to other, more abstract concepts.
If you really want to know more, and you’re not a crackpot who thinks Freemasonry is evil, you should seek out your nearest lodge.
Let me suggest that much of the ritual and carrying on is an 18th Century a ruse to disguise the fundamental anti-monarchist and (small R) republican nature of the group. Some of this can be seen in War and Peace when Pierre is initiated into a Russian lodge. Many of the leaders of the American and French Revolution were Masons as were many English (British) liberal and Whig political figures. It was, back then, an expression of the Enlightenment and the general Deism that served as a substitute for State sponsored and mandated religious orthodoxy.
While the modern lodge has lost much of its political purpose, it keeps the old time rituals because, after all, everybody like a little play acting and it is an excuse to go out with the boys a couple times a month…
I’d like to see a similar discussion of what E Clampus Vitus is and what they are all about. I know they are into preserving odd-ball historical sites that more serious history buffs may have overlooked. (Hey, I’m all for that!)
I’d like to see a list of their fancy titles too.
This was quite a few years ago but as I recall it was a pretty big event. It wasn’t a local lodge, it was a regional, perhaps state wide meeting, held in a convention center. There were many wireless microphones and a pretty good sized sound system involved. The sound system well beyond the ability of an amateur sound guy to operate, which is why I was there.
They also had a singer for entertainment in the evening, and my company provided sound for that as well.
My reason for posting originally is that some folks seem to think that Masons are secretive and evil. My impression of the whole thing is that they are just normal folks who like to get dressed up and be part of a group.
Yes and no. Yes, Masons are just normal folks, they are not evil. But they don’t participate in Freemasonry just because they like to get dressed up and be part of a group. The social element is part of it - a big part - but the rituals are taken seriously, as are the ideas they represent. You get out of Masonry what you put into it; if you just want to come to the lodge for dinner and chat, that’s perfectly fine; if you are so inclined, you could spend countless hours researching the history and philosophy of Freemasonry, which is extremely extensive.
Obviously I have some ties to the organization, but I got the impression that they invite you, you don’t go to them if you want to be a member. Is that true?
Absolutely false, and yet seems to be the single most prevalent bit of misinformation about the Masons (aside from the “Masons are evil” bullshit.) Freemasons do not invite people to join. It’s not like the Yale Skull and Bones club. You have to approach the lodge yourself. Once you do, it will all be made very clear how you would go about joining. There’s really much less mystery to it than people think.
I doubt whether my nearest lodge would take me seriously. I live in a state that’s filled with so much ignorance, superstition and fear of anything non-religious. The lodge doesn’t even have a website. If I were to approach them without at least knowing one of them, they would probably think that I’m pulling a prank or that I’m just a spy/agent of some religious fundamentalists.
So you’ve already decided what they are like and how they would respond based on the fact that you know nothing about them?
Masons, Shriners, Knights of Columbus, Rotary, Elk, etc. all just make me think of Fred Flintstone’s Loyal Order of the Buffalo lodge or The Honeymooners - the guys just need an excuse to go out and get drunk without any women around to nag. Very 1950’s…
Drinking alcohol is prohibited in every Masonic lodge I’ve ever attended.
Hey, way to fight ignorance there, bud… :rolleyes:
Speaking as an officer in my local Elks lodge and a 20-year member, I can tell you that not only do we have women as members, but many have been instrumental in keeping our organization moving forward. My lodge, as an example, has had women in the officer ranks, including some holding the post of Exalted Ruler (head of a local lodge) in 9 of the last 10 years.
Correct. This has to be the third most common misconception about Freemasons. There is NO DRINKING in the Masonic Blue Lodge. Yes, there is drinking in the Shrine. The Scottish Rite sometimes has events where alcohol is served. But if you think guys go to their local lodge to “get drunk without any women around to nag”, you’re quite mistaken.
Don’t be so sure about that. If you’re really interested, you should at least find out when the next lodge event is, go there early, and feel the place out.
IANAM, but I can kinda second this from personal experience. The Masons had a display at the State Fair many years ago (I was in my 20s), and one of the guys manning the booth said “Why don’t you go to your local lodge and ask. We need new blood.”, but that, and handing me a brochure, was all he did in terms of recruitment. If it was by invitation, he presumably would have gotten my name and phone number/address, or something.
Also, one of my uncles is a Mason. I noticed his pin at a wedding or funeral or something, and commented on it. He said essentially the same thing. I wasn’t interested enough to bother then, and now, in the internet age when it’s trivial to learn about it online, I’ve seen enough to not really be interested at all.
If they were into issuing invitations, I expect that my uncle would have arranged for it to be done, after my asking him about it, and I might have joined, then. He didn’t, so I assume, as AT said, it’s not “by invitation”, like a college fraternity (I’m a member of one of those, so I do know how that’s done), but rather a case of “If you’re interested, come and ask.”