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WHO CAN BECOME A MASON
The answer to this question is very simple - ANY
MAN! But there are qualifications: Every applicant must profess such a
belief but Freemasonry does not define, or impose, a definition of a
Supreme Being. Each individual applicant must define that entity for
himself. Atheists and Agnostics cannot, therefore, become Freemasons. This
belief is absolute and admits of no exceptions. Of course individuals
might lie in this respect in order to gain admission and there is little
that Freemasons could do to identify such men. All is taken on the honour
of the individual concerned. In fact everything that a Freemason does in
his private and public life must be honourable and Freemasonry encourages
all members to behave in an upright and moral manner. Members are
encouraged to support their individual faith by attendance at their
Mosque, Church, Chapel etc. Each and every applicant must be able to fulfill his obligations (financial, moral, and in terms of his time) to his
family, his employment and his faith before he makes any commitment to
Freemasonry. For in excess of 400 years Scottish Lodges
have required an applicant to take a vow, or oath, on a holy book on his
admission to Freemasonry. Such an oath, or obligation, is necessary in
order to add sanctity to what is a serious undertaking and can be compared
to; 'swearing the whole truth and nothing but the truth' in a court of
law. Such oaths were common in many aspects of life 400 years ago when
Freemasonry began and the Grand Lodge of Scotland continues that practice
although many institutions have since done away with that necessity. As
all men, who profess a belief in a Supreme Being, are eligible for
membership the required oath may be taken on the Holy Book of each
individual's faith. In multi-cultural societies it is common, therefore,
to find Holy Books in Lodges, other than the Bible, on which candidates
take their obligation. Scottish Freemasonry does not recruit members. The
only way to become a member is to ask another Freemason. As existing
members do not walk about with a badge stating: 'I am a Freemason' this
might appear to be a paradox. The simple fact is that Freemasons do not
seek out members, it does not mount recruitment campaigns, nor does it ask
its existing members to seek out new recruits. The reason for this lies,
again, in the history of the Scottish Craft. The stone masons Lodges of
400 years ago where for stone masons only. Non-stone masons became aware
of the existence of Lodges and were curious as to what took place within
them. As they were not stone masons they were not automatically invited to
join a Lodge but had to ask to become a member. This practice continues
today - a man has to ask to become a Freemason. This means that a man who has been
convicted, in a court of law, of a serious criminal offence cannot become
a Freemason. Anyone who is a Freemason who is so convicted is subject to
Masonic discipline and will be expelled from the Craft. No man is permitted to use his membership to advance
his own political, religious or business aims. For this reason Lodges do
not allow members to discuss political, religious or business matters.
Anyone who persists in doing so is in danger of expulsion. There is no
doubt that one of the attractions of Masonic Lodges is the ability of all
faiths, creeds and cultures to mix freely knowing that no one is
interested in the individual's social position, faith, or politics. This
ability to meet with others, of various backgrounds has been one of the
mainstays of Freemasonry for centuries. This, unique situation has been
described as being: 'the ideal escape from the rat race'. Reproduced From The Grand Lodge Of Scotland Website |
What is Freemasonry | Who can become Freemasons | The Forget-Me-Knot | When is a man a mason | |