FREEMASON IMPACT

Freemason Impact



Freemason Impact

Introduction

Freemasonry is the world's oldest existing secret society. Its origins and history are not only confusing, but blurry and lost to the times. Freemasonry never claims to be a secret society, more of a society with secrets. The society never claims to be a religion, but strives to encompass all religious beliefs. In this paper, we will strive to uncover who the Freemasons actually are, what they do, and why they do it. By doing this, we will discover that Freemasons are nothing to be feared, and are in fact just men trying to make this world a little better.

Structure

The structure of Freemasonry is fairly simple, but still confusing. No two lodges are exactly alike, since no lodge is governed by another. There are Grand Lodges that smaller lodges report to in order to keep records, but there is no one right way to do Masonry. Each lodge does its own sort of thing. The meetings in the lodges are conducted ritualistically with a grand entrance and formal wear, but the meetings are hardly about anything extremely serious. They are often about what is happening in the Masonic world, voting on a new member or even just socializing to catch up with each other. In Saskatchewan, there are 63 lodges that report to the Grand Lodge of Saskatchewan, located in downtown Regina. In Regina, there are 6 different Masonic lodges (or groups).

Symbols

There are many symbols of and pertaining to Masonry. The most famous of which is the square and compass with a G inside. The connection to the past is clear, but there are symbolic meanings for them as well. With the rise of the speculative masons, there was a need to extend the meaning of these tools. The square instructs that we must square our actions with virtue. The compass asks us to circumscribe our passions. The G in the middle stands for Great Architect of the universe. It was changed from God to be more politically correct and to encourage the members who were not Christians. The G is also believed to stand for Geometry, which is used to create perfection. Geometry is also understood to be the all powerful road to God.

The mason tool of the level reminds Freemasons that all men are on the same level. Whether poor or rich all men address each other as 'brother.' Stars are a popular symbol, as long as they are 5 pointed stars. A 5 pointed star emphasizes God and everything that is pure, virtuous and good. The inverted 5 point star stands for everything evil, which is controversial because an inverted star is the symbol for the Order of the Eastern Star, an appendant body of Masonry, which will be explained later. A triangle is also a symbol of Freemasonry. Triangles are one of the most perfect geometrical shapes. Freemasonry has a particular fascination with the Pythagorem Theorem.

Impact on the communities

More modern versions or additions to this initial history date back to ...