The absolute requirements for becoming a Mason are:
- Be a man, [Note: there are other branches of Masonry that accept both men and women, or
women only].
- In Oklahoma, you must be at least 19 years old; in many other jurisdictions
the minimum age is 21.
- Have belief in a Supreme Being (of any faith. No particular religion or faith is
required or excluded. All are welcome.).
Also:
- you should be someone who does, or wants to learn to, enjoy the company of other men
from all different social classes, faiths, backgrounds, races, countries, etc. Masonry is
universal in its ideals.
- if you are a family man, Masonry considers that your family obligations come FIRST, so
you must be sure that:
- you have the time to participate (usually two or three evenings/month at first for
meetings and instruction, and then at least one evening per month for meetings
from then on -- often more if you get involved in lodge activities.)
- you can afford the initiation fees and the annual dues without hardship to yourself or
your family.
- you should be coming to Masonry "of your own free will and accord", to learn
to improve yourself and to enjoy the company of other good people, not because someone
keeps pestering you to join or because you think it will help you "get ahead" in
business.
To join, all you have to do is ask a Mason:
- Preferably someone you know or at least who lives or works nearby, or...
- If you think that don't know any Masons in your area, you could post to the netnews
group alt.freemasonry and ask that anyone who lives in your general area reply to you,
or...
- You can probably find nearby lodges listed in your phonebook. (White-pages listings for
lodges may be under "Masons", "Freemasons", "Masonic
Apartments", or "Masonic Temple", and the Grand Lodge would probably be
under "Grand Lodge of Masons"), or...
- Find your state's Grand Lodge in this list
of U.S.A. Grand Lodges. Call them and ask to speak to someone in the office of the
Grand Secretary.
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