Freemasonry

Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a group of friendly organizations that started with medieval guilds of stonemasons. It is the oldest existing friendly group, with traditions from the 14th century. Today, Freemasonry has three main types: Anglo-American style, Continental style, and Women's Freemasonry. Each type has its own rules about religion, politics, and who can join.

The basic unit of Freemasonry is called a lodge. These private lodges are watched over by bigger groups called Grand Lodges or Grand Orients. There is no one worldwide group that oversees all of Freemasonry, so different Grand Lodges might not always recognize each other.

Members of Freemasonry go through three levels: Entered Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master Mason. In each level, they learn about Masonic symbols and special signals. After becoming a Master Mason, they can join other groups that offer more levels. Throughout history, Freemasonry has faced criticism and opposition from some religious groups and governments.

Masonic lodge

Main article: Masonic lodge

A Masonic lodge is the main group in Freemasonry. It is where members meet and do things together.

Lodge activities and meetings

Masonic Lodges meet regularly for different activities. They handle tasks like approving meeting notes, choosing new members, and planning events.

Meetings include special ceremonies and learning. These can include Masonic ceremonies, lectures on Masonic history, and sharing personal experiences. At the end, there is sometimes a formal dinner called an Agape or festive board. Meetings usually happen in a Masonic temple, but other places can be used too.

The main part of meetings is degree ceremonies. New members first become Entered Apprentice, then later Fellow Craft, and finally Master Mason. Each step includes taking new promises and learning special knowledge. There is also a ceremony each year to choose a new Master of the Lodge. Most Lodges have social events and collect money for charity.

Organisation

Grand Lodges

Main article: Grand Lodge

Grand Lodges are groups that manage Freemasonry in a certain country or area. Each Grand Lodge oversees its own local lodges. There isn’t one main group that controls all of Freemasonry worldwide; different areas only work together if they choose to.

In the early 2000s, Freemasonry had millions of members around the world. The biggest group is the United Grand Lodge of England. The Grand Lodge of Ireland has many members. In the United States, there are many Grand Lodges. The Grand Orient de France also has many members.

Other degrees, orders and bodies

See also: Masonic bodies and List of Masonic rites

Blue Lodges, also called Craft Lodges in the United Kingdom, offer three levels. Master Masons can join other groups for more levels.

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite has 33 levels, including the three Blue Lodge levels. It is managed by a Supreme Council and is popular in North America, South America, and Continental Europe. In America, the York Rite has three orders: the Royal Arch, Cryptic Masonry, and Knights Templar.

In Britain, different groups manage each order. Freemasons are encouraged to join the Holy Royal Arch. In England, the Royal Arch is closely connected to the Craft. The English Knights Templar and Cryptic Masonry share offices at Mark Masons' Hall, London. The Ancient and Accepted Rite requires belief in the Christian faith. The Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia is an independent esoteric group for United Grand Lodge of England Master Masons.

In the Nordic countries, the Swedish Rite is the main one.

Ritual and symbolism

Main article: Masonic ritual and symbolism

Freemasonry uses special symbols and rituals to teach important lessons. Many symbols come from tools used by stonemasons, like the square and compasses, the level, and the trowel. Each tool has a meaning that helps members learn about life and values.

All Freemasons start by going through three important steps called degrees: Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. During these steps, they learn symbols, special signs, and words that connect them with other members. The stories and ceremonies often talk about building a temple and a famous builder named Hiram Abiff.

In some places, special paintings called tracing boards show the symbols and stories for each degree, helping new members understand them better. Masons also promise to support and protect each other.

History

Origins

Since the 1800s, historians have looked for the beginnings of Freemasonry in old documents called the Old Charges. These documents tell stories about the history of stoneworkers' groups and their duties.

The first Grand Lodge, the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster, was started in 1717 when four London Lodges met for a dinner. Over the next ten years, most Lodges in England joined this new group.

During the 1700s, Freemasonry became popular across Europe and the American colonies.

Between 1730 and 1750, the Grand Lodge made some big changes. In 1751, a new Grand Lodge was formed called the Antient Grand Lodge of England. These two Grand Lodges joined in 1813 to form the United Grand Lodge of England.

The Grand Lodge of Ireland and the Grand Lodge of Scotland were started in 1725 and 1736.

18th-century Enlightenment

During the Age of the Enlightenment in the 1700s, Freemasons were a group of men who met in secret. They supported ideas like freedom and fairness. British Freemasonry had its own stories and values. Scottish soldiers brought these ideas to Europe.

Some say Masonic Lodges helped shape society. American leaders like Benjamin Franklin and George Washington were Masons.

Norman Davies argued that Freemasonry was a strong force in Europe from about 1700 to the 1900s. It grew quickly during the Age of Enlightenment. In the 1800s and later, it was closely linked with support for Liberalism. In Catholic areas, it opposed the Catholic Church. In the 1900s, it was stopped by Fascist and Communist governments. It was popular among kings, noble people, leaders, businessmen, thinkers, artists, and activists. Davies mentions members like Montesquieu, Voltaire, Sir Robert Walpole, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington. In the late 1700s, English Lodges were led by the Prince of Wales, Prussian Lodges by King Frederick the Great, and French Lodges by royal princes. Napoleon chose his brother to be the Grand Master of France.

Emergence of Continental or Liberal Freemasonry

English Freemasonry spread to France in the 1720s. From France and England, Freemasonry spread to most of Europe during the 1700s. The Grande Loge de France was formed under the leadership of the Duke of Clermont. His successor, Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, reorganized the group into the Grand Orient de France in 1773.

France

In the 1700s, French leaders who supported liberal ideas met in Masonic Lodges.

Russia

Freemasons were active in Russia in the 1700s. They faced increasing pressure from the government. Freemasonry was officially banned in Tsarist Russia but was later started again after the 1905 revolution. In Russia, the Freemasons supported constitutional liberalism. The group collapsed when the Bolsheviks took power.

Italy

In the early 1900s, Freemasonry was an influential but quiet force in Italian politics. It influenced leaders in parliament, government, and the army. The two main groups were the Grand Orient and the Grand Lodge of Italy. They supported Italian nationalism and reducing the power of the Catholic Church. In the early 1920s, many of Mussolini's supporters were Masons. Mussolini later made a deal with the Catholic Church and banned Freemasonry in the mid-1920s.

Germany

North America

The earliest known American Lodges were in Pennsylvania. In 1731, the Grand Lodge of England named a Provincial Grand Master for North America, based in Pennsylvania, leading to the creation of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.

In Canada, Erasmus James Philipps became a Freemason while working on boundary issues in New England and, in 1739, became Provincial Grand Master for Nova Scotia; he founded the first Masonic Lodge in Canada at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.

After the American Revolution, independent US Grand Lodges developed in each state. On April 30, 1789, Washington took his promise to become president at his first inauguration using a Bible from St. John's Lodge No. 1 of New York.

Prince Hall Freemasonry

Prince Hall Freemasonry started because early American Lodges wouldn't allow African Americans to join. In 1775, an African American named Prince Hall, along with 14 other African American men, joined a British military Lodge with permission from the Grand Lodge of Ireland. When the British military Lodge left North America after the Revolutionary War, these 15 men were allowed to meet as a Lodge but not to start new members. In 1784, these individuals got permission from the Grand Lodge of England and formed African Lodge, Number 459.

Unlike other groups, there was never a general rule against allowing men based on their race. Each Lodge and Grand Lodge had its own rules. Today, most US Grand Lodges recognize their Prince Hall counterparts.

Latin America and Caribbean

Jamaican Freemasonry

Freemasonry came to Jamaica with British settlers. During slavery, the Lodges were open to all "freeborn" men. After slavery ended in 1838, the Lodges were open to all Jamaican men of any race. Jamaica had close ties with Masons from other countries.

The Spanish government banned Freemasonry in its overseas empire in the mid-18th century. Still, many Freemasons were active in planning and plotting for independence. Leaders who were Masons included Simón Bolivar, Grand Master Francisco de Miranda, José de San Martin, Bernardo O'Higgins, and many others. The movement was important after independence in the 1820s. In Brazil, many important men were Freemasons, and they played a big role in ending slavery.

Mexico

Freemasons were leaders in support of liberalism and opposition to the Catholic Church in 19th and 20th-century Mexico. Members included many top leaders.

Freemasonry in the Middle East

After the failed 1830 Italian revolution, many Italian Freemasons had to flee. They secretly started an approved chapter of Scottish Rite in Alexandria. Meanwhile, French Freemasons publicly started a local chapter in Alexandria in 1845. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Masonic Lodges operated widely across the Ottoman Empire. Many Young Turks, who were part of the Bektashi Order, were members and supporters of Freemasonry. Many Ottoman intellectuals thought Sufism and Freemasonry had similar beliefs.

Asia-Pacific

China

The first Lodge in China was the Amity Lodge, formed in Canton in 1767. During World War II, all Masonic activity in Hong Kong stopped because of the Japanese invasion. After 1949, when the new Chinese government was established, some Lodges moved to Hong Kong or closed. Freemasonry is now banned by the Chinese Communist Party in mainland China. It is allowed in Hong Kong. Freemasonry survived on the island of Taiwan, and the Grand Lodge of China is based in Taipei. Royal Sussex Lodge No. 501 was the first Lodge established in Victoria City of Hong Kong on April 29, 1844. There are 20 Lodges under the District Grand Lodge of Hong Kong and Far East, United Grand Lodge of England that meet at Zetland Hall.

India

Schisms

Racial schism

The relationship between English and French Freemasonry changed a lot during the formation of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1813. In 1868, the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of the State of Louisiana formed within the Grand Lodge of Louisiana. This group was recognized by the Grand Orient de France but considered unofficial by the Grand Lodge of Louisiana.

Theological schism

A philosophical discussion in 1875 led the Grand Orient de France to look at its basic beliefs. They decided that Freemasonry shouldn't require belief in religious ideas. The United Grand Lodge of England then ended recognition of the Grand Orient de France.

Evolution of styles

This philosophical change led to different paths within French Freemasonry. In 1894, some Lodges formed the Grande Loge de France. By 1913, the United Grand Lodge of England started relations with the newly formed "Grande Loge Nationale Indépendante et Régulière pour la France et les Colonies Françaises."

This development allowed French Freemasonry to grow in many directions. The Grand Orient de France continued as a big intellectual and progressive force in French society.

Modern Freemasonry includes three main styles:

• Liberal – Focusing on freedom of belief and separation of Church and State.
• Traditional – Following established French practices while keeping the requirement for belief in a supreme being.
• Conservative – Following Anglo-American practices with a required belief in a supreme being.

The term Continental Freemasonry described the different Masonic traditions that developed in Europe.

Today, Liberal Freemasonry includes traditions like the Grand Orient de France. These groups have played big roles in developing democratic ideas and social change across Europe and Latin America.

Different views on how Masonic groups recognize each other appeared in the 20th century. In 1961, several Grand Lodges and Grand Orients formed the Centre de Liaison et d'Information des Puissances maçonniques Signataires de l'Appel de Strasbourg (CLIPSAS), creating an international forum for Masonic cooperation.

These different views on recognition have led to separate networks of Masonic interaction.

Changes in the late 20th and early 21st centuries show shifting views within Anglo-American Freemasonry about women's groups. In 1999, the United Grand Lodge of England officially recognized both The Order of Women Freemasons and the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons as legitimate Masonic groups. In 2018, UGLE released guidance clearly welcoming transgender members.

Freemasonry and women

The status of women in the old guilds and groups of medieval masons is unclear. At the start of the Grand Lodge era, in the 1720s, James Anderson wrote the first printed rules for Freemasons, which specifically excluded women from Freemasonry.

Maria Deraismes joined Freemasonry in 1882, then left to allow her Lodge to rejoin their Grand Lodge. She and Georges Martin started a mixed Masonic Lodge. Annie Besant spread this idea to the English-speaking world. Disagreements over ceremonies led to the formation of only women's Masonic groups in England.

In general, Continental Freemasonry supports Freemasonry for women. The United Grand Lodge of England issued a statement in 1999 recognizing the two women's grand lodges in England as regular in all but the participants. In 2018, guidance was released by the United Grand Lodge of England stating that, regarding transgender women, "A Freemason who after initiation ceases to be a man does not cease to be a Freemason."

Anti-Masonry

Main article: Anti-Masonry

Anti-Masonry means being against Freemasonry. It includes people or groups who criticize or question Masonic ideas. There is no single, organized group of Anti-Masons. Critics have included religious groups, political groups, and those who believe in conspiracy theories.

There have been many stories about Freemasonry since the 1700s. Some of these stories lack full information or could even be fake, like the well-known Taxil hoax.

These stories have often led to criticism of Freemasonry, usually for religious or political reasons. Political opposition grew after an event in the United States called the "Morgan Affair" in 1826.

Religious opposition

Freemasonry has faced criticism from some governments and religions that believe it competes with religious beliefs.

Christianity and Freemasonry

Main article: Christian attitudes towards Freemasonry

Catholicism

The Catholic Church has often objected to Freemasonry. The Church believes that Masonic teachings conflict with Catholic beliefs. The first statement against Freemasonry was in 1738 by Pope Clement XII, and more have followed.

In 1917, Catholic rules stated that joining Freemasonry led to being cut off from the Church. In 1983, the rules changed but still suggested that joining groups plotting against the Church was wrong. In 2023, Pope Francis again stated that being a Freemason goes against Catholic teaching.

Freemasonry itself has not objected to Catholics joining.

Protestant denominations

Protestant criticisms often focus on ideas about mystery or secret powers. A well-known Masonic writer named Albert Pike is sometimes quoted by those who criticize Freemasonry.

In 1993, a major Protestant group decided that some parts of Freemasonry do not fit with Christianity, while other parts do. They said it was a personal choice. The Free Methodist Church was founded partly in opposition to secret societies like Freemasonry.

Some leaders in the Church of England have been Freemasons, but in recent years, some have expressed concerns.

Islam and Freemasonry

In some Islamic countries, Freemasonry has been banned. Masonic groups existed in Iraq as early as 1917, but they were closed down in 1965.