Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a group of fraternal organizations that began with medieval guilds of stonemasons. It is the oldest existing secular fraternal organization, with traditions going back to the 14th century. Today, Freemasonry has three main traditions: Anglo-American style, Continental style, and Women's Freemasonry. Each tradition has its own rules about religion, politics, and who can join.

The basic unit of Freemasonry is called a lodge. These private lodges are supervised by larger groups called Grand Lodges or Grand Orients. There is no single worldwide group that oversees all of Freemasonry, so different Grand Lodges may not always recognize each other.

Members of Freemasonry go through three degrees or levels: Entered Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master Mason. In each degree, they learn the meanings of Masonic symbols and special signals. After becoming a Master Mason, they can join other organizations that offer more degrees. 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 carry out their activities together.

Lodge activities and meetings

Masonic Lodges meet regularly to do different activities. In many places, Lodges handle regular organization tasks like approving meeting notes, choosing new members, and planning events.

All Masonic meetings include special ceremonies and learning. These can include performing Masonic ceremonies, giving lectures on Masonic history, and sharing personal experiences. At the end of the meeting, 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 Masonic 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 also have social events and collect money for charity.

Organisation

Grand Lodges

Main article: Grand Lodge

Grand Lodges are independent 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 between two million and six million members around the world. The biggest group is the United Grand Lodge of England, with about 175,000 members. The Grand Lodge of Ireland has around 19,000 members. In the United States, there are 51 Grand Lodges, with a total of about 875,000 members. The Grand Orient de France has over 50,000 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 only the three traditional levels. In most places, the rank of past or installed master is also given in Blue/Craft Lodges. Master Masons can deepen their Masonic experience by taking more levels in other groups, whether or not approved by their own Grand Lodge.

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is a system of 33 levels, including the three Blue Lodge levels, managed by a local or national Supreme Council. This system is popular in North America, South America, and Continental Europe. In America the York Rite, with a similar range, manages three orders of Masonry: the Royal Arch, Cryptic Masonry, and Knights Templar.

In Britain, different groups manage each order. Freemasons are encouraged to join the Holy Royal Arch, which is linked to Mark Masonry in Scotland and Ireland, but is completely separate in England. In England, the Royal Arch is closely connected to the Craft, sharing many Grand Officers, including Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who is both Grand Master of the Craft and First Grand Principal of the Royal Arch. The English Knights Templar and Cryptic Masonry share the Mark Grand Lodge offices and staff at Mark Masons' Hall, London. The Ancient and Accepted Rite (similar to the Scottish Rite) requires a member to state belief in the Trinitarian Christian faith and is managed from Duke Street in London. On the other hand, the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia is a fully independent esoteric group that requires members to be United Grand Lodge of England Master Masons.

In the Nordic countries, the Swedish Rite is the main one; a variation of it is also used in parts of Germany.

Ritual and symbolism

Main article: Masonic ritual and symbolism

Freemasonry uses special symbols and rituals to teach important lessons. Many of these 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, often making this promise while holding a special book that is important to their beliefs.

History

Origins

Since the 1800s, historians have looked for the beginnings of Freemasonry in old documents called the Old Charges, dating from around 1425 to the early 1700s. These documents, given to members of stoneworkers' groups, tell stories about the history of their work, the duties of different roles, and how members should promise to be loyal. The 1400s also show the first signs of special clothing used in ceremonies.

There isn't a clear way to explain how these local work groups became the Masonic Lodges we know today. The earliest known rituals and secret words from workers' groups around the late 1600s and early 1700s match the rituals made later in the 1700s by groups that didn't do the actual stonework. Records from the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) No. 1 in Scotland show a link from a workers' group in 1598 to a modern Masonic Lodge. It's thought to be the oldest Masonic Lodge in the world.

In 1803, a German teacher named J. G. Buhle suggested that Freemasonry might have started from Rosicrucianism, an idea picked up by Thomas De Quincey.

The first Grand Lodge, the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster, later called the Grand Lodge of England, was started on June 24, 1717, when four London Lodges met for a dinner. Over the next ten years, most Lodges in England joined this new group, which began to grow and make new Lodges.

During the 1700s, as noble people and artists joined, Freemasonry became popular across Europe and the American colonies.

Between 1730 and 1750, the Grand Lodge made some big changes that some Lodges didn't agree with. On July 17, 1751, a new Grand Lodge was formed called the Antient Grand Lodge of England, saying they kept older traditions. These two Grand Lodges competed until they made a compromise in 1813 and joined 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, but it took many years for all Lodges in their countries to join.

18th-century Enlightenment

During the Age of the Enlightenment in the 1700s, Freemasons were a group of men who met in secret, following special rituals. They supported ideas like freedom and fairness, spreading these values across Britain, France, and other places. British Freemasonry had its own stories, values, and rituals. It created new rules about behavior, including ideas about freedom and fairness from old work groups. Scottish soldiers brought these ideas to Europe, supporting freedom and fairness from the English Revolution against strong kings. Freemasonry was very common in France—by 1789, there were between 50,000 and 100,000 French Masons, making it the most popular group of the Enlightenment.

Some say Masonic Lodges helped shape society by creating small models of how a fair government could work. This was especially true in Europe: when the first Lodges appeared in the 1730s, their British-style rules were sometimes seen as a threat by leaders. For example, a Paris Lodge in the 1720s was made up of English people who opposed the king. Freemasons across Europe often talked about Enlightenment ideas in the 1700s. In French Lodges, a part of their joining ceremony said, "To be enlightened, I search for the enlightened." British Lodges aimed to "help those who aren't enlightened." Many Lodges talked about the Grand Architect, the Masonic word for the divine being who made a world ordered by science.

However, some historians note that Lodges worked separately, and Masons didn't always act together politically. American leaders like Benjamin Franklin and George Washington were Masons, but how important Freemasonry was in the revolution is debated. Some say the real equality in Lodges was limited to people of similar social backgrounds.

Over time, 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, reaching almost every country in Europe and their colonies in the New World and Asia. Davies says that in the 1800s and later, it was closely linked with support for Liberalism. In Catholic areas, it opposed the Catholic Church and faced attacks from it. 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, first through groups of people from other countries and then through French Lodges that still used the rituals of the Premier Grand Lodge of England. 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, who had little real power. His successor, Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, reorganized the group into the Grand Orient de France in 1773. Though it faded during the French Revolution, French Freemasonry grew again in the next century, first led by Alexandre Francois Auguste de Grasse, Comte de Grassy-Tilly.

France

In the 1700s, French leaders who supported liberal ideas met in Masonic Lodges to develop some of the Enlightenment thoughts that shaped the French Revolution of 1789. Avner Halpern traced how French Freemasonry helped create France's first modern political party in 1901, the Radical Party. It used two Masonic methods: the "civil leadership model" that Freemasonry developed in late 19th century France, and local Masonic meetings of the Grand Orient of France.

Russia

Freemasons were active in Russia in the 1700s, trying to bring in Enlightenment ideas, but they faced increasing pressure from the government. According to Ludwick Hass, Freemasonry was officially banned in Tsarist Russia but was later started again by people who returned after the 1905 revolution. These individuals had been active Masons in Paris, where Lodges were politically involved in the new Radical Party. In Russia, the Freemasons supported constitutional liberalism and kept ties with France while simplifying many of their ceremonies. Their secret meetings became centers for progressive ideas, attracting leaders and activists. The Lodges first supported World War I, working closely with France. The liberal leader Alexander Kerensky, who came to power after the tsars were overthrown in 1917, was a Mason. The group collapsed when the Bolsheviks took power and banned it again.

Italy

In the early 1900s, Freemasonry was an influential but quiet force in Italian politics, with strong support from professionals and the middle class across Italy. It influenced leaders in parliament, government, and the army. The two main groups were the Grand Orient and the Grand Lodge of Italy. They had around 25,000 members in about 500 Lodges. Politically, they supported Italian nationalism, focused on uniting the country, and reducing the power of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church opposed unification and thus the Freemasons; governments often shifted between supporting the Church and supporting the anticlerical side. Freemasons worked to use the press, shape public opinion, and support political parties to help Italy join the Allies in World War I in 1914–1915. In 1919, they supported a League of Nations to create a new world order after the war, based on peaceful cooperation between independent and democratic nations. In the early 1920s, many of Mussolini's supporters, especially those who helped organize the March on Rome, were Masons. The Lodges supported fascism as a way to save Italy from Bolshevism; however, 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 1715, John Moore, who worked at the port of Pennsylvania, wrote about attending Lodges there, two years before the first Grand Lodge was formed in London. 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.

Other Lodges in Pennsylvania got permissions from the Antient Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and the Grand Lodge of Ireland, which was well represented in the traveling Lodges of the British Army. Many Lodges formed without permission from any Grand Lodge, only applying for permission after they felt confident they could continue.

After the American Revolution, independent US Grand Lodges developed in each state. There was some discussion about creating an overarching "Grand Lodge of the United States," with George Washington, who was a member of a Virginian Lodge, as the first Grand Master, but this idea didn't last. The various state Grand Lodges didn't want to give up their own power by agreeing to such a group.

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. Robert Livingston, the Chancellor of New York and the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York, gave the promise.

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, after being refused by other Lodges in Boston. 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 (Premiere Grand Lodge) and formed African Lodge, Number 459. When the two English Grand Lodges joined in 1813, all US-based Lodges were removed from their lists—mainly because of the War of 1812. So, African Lodge changed its name to African Lodge, Number 1—and became a de facto Grand Lodge. Like the rest of US Freemasonry, Prince Hall Freemasonry grew and organized into a Grand Lodge system for each state.

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. A few non-Prince Hall Lodges did allow Black members, with Angelo Soliman being a well-known Masonic member of African descent. However, widespread racial separation in the 19th and early 20th centuries made it hard for African Americans to join Lodges outside of Prince Hall groups.

Today, most (but not all) US Grand Lodges recognize their Prince Hall counterparts, and leaders from both groups are working toward full recognition. The United Grand Lodge of England has no problem recognizing Prince Hall Grand Lodges. While proud of their history as Lodges for African Americans, Prince Hall is open to all men regardless of race or religion.

Latin America and Caribbean

Jamaican Freemasonry

Freemasonry came to Jamaica with British settlers. In 1908, there were eleven Masonic Lodges recorded, including three Grand Lodges, two Craft Lodges, and two Rose Croix chapters. 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 also had close ties with Masons from other countries. Jamaican Freemasonry historian Jackie Ranston noted that:

Jamaica served as an arms depot for revolutionary forces when two Kingston Freemasons, Wellwood and Maxwell Hyslop, funded the campaigns of Simón Bolívar, the Liberator, to whom six Latin American Republics owe their independence". Bolívar himself was a Mason, with contacts in Spain, England, France, and Venezuela until, after gaining power in Venezuela, he banned all secret societies in 1828 and included the Freemasons.

The Spanish government banned Freemasonry in its overseas empire in the mid-18th century and enforced the ban strongly. 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. The Freemasons were divided about relations with the United States, with a pro-U.S. group supported by the American ambassador Joel Poinsett known as the "Yorkinos." According to historian Karen Racine, Freemasons in the presidency of Mexico included: Guadalupe Victoria, Valentín Gómez Farías, Antonio López de Santa Anna, Benito Juárez, Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Porfirio Díaz, Francisco I. Madero, Venustiano Carranza, Plutarco Elías Calles, Lázaro Cárdenas, Emilio Portes Gil, Pascual Ortiz Rubio, Abelardo L. Rodríguez, and Miguel Alemán Valdés.

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, a city with a large Italian community. 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, and many Sufi orders had close ties with them. Many Young Turks, who were part of the Bektashi Order, were members and supporters of Freemasonry. They worked together against European imperialism. Many Ottoman intellectuals thought Sufism and Freemasonry had similar beliefs, spiritual views, and mysticism.

Asia-Pacific

China

The first Lodge in China was the Amity Lodge, formed in Canton in 1767. In 1875, the District Grand Lodge of China split into two areas, Northern China and Hong Kong and South China. During World War II, all Masonic activity in Hong Kong stopped because of the Japanese invasion. After 1949, when the new Chinese government (Communist) was established, some Lodges moved to Hong Kong or closed because they couldn't get new members. 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 (English Constitution) 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. While the two groups recognized each other for several decades, events in the 1860s and 1870s caused a lasting split. 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 because it allowed Black members. The next year, shocked by the Grand Lodge of Louisiana's discriminatory practices, the Grand Orient de France passed a resolution stating that "neither color, race, nor religion could disqualify a man from Masonry." This led the Grand Lodge of Louisiana to end recognition, and influenced other American Grand Lodges to do the same.

Theological schism

A philosophical discussion during the Lausanne Congress of Supreme Councils in 1875 led the Grand Orient de France to look at its basic beliefs. After a report by a Protestant pastor, they decided that Freemasonry, not being a religion, shouldn't require belief in religious ideas. The Grand Orient changed its rules to emphasize "absolute freedom of belief and human unity," removing earlier requirements about believing in the existence of a divine being and the continuing life of the soul. The United Grand Lodge of England then ended recognition of the Grand Orient de France, possibly influenced by political tensions between France and Britain. This separation continues today.

Evolution of styles

This philosophical change led to different paths within French Freemasonry. In 1894, some Lodges formed the Grande Loge de France, keeping reference to the Great Architect of the Universe while saving many French Masonic traditions, representing a middle path between Liberal and Anglo styles. 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," which aligned more with Anglo-American Masonic practices.

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. Its Liberal focus on freedom of belief and social progress has greatly influenced the development of democratic values across Europe and beyond, while Anglo-American groups kept their own distinct approach to Masonic principles.

Modern Freemasonry includes three main styles, which affect practices across Continental Europe:

• Liberal (or adogmatic/progressive) – 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. The Grande Loge de France shows this style.
• Conservative – Following Anglo-American practices with a required belief in a supreme being.

The term Continental Freemasonry historically described the different Masonic traditions that developed in Europe. While Albert Mackey's 1873 Encyclopedia of Freemasonry defined it from an Anglo-American view as Lodges that "keep many customs that have either been given up or never observed in the Lodges of England, Ireland, and Scotland," a more balanced view sees these as different philosophical approaches to Masonic principles.

Today, Liberal Freemasonry includes traditions like the Grand Orient de France, which focuses on freedom of belief and social progress, as well as groups like the Grande Loge de France that keep some traditional elements while embracing certain Liberal ideas. These groups have played big roles in developing democratic ideas, human rights, and social change across Europe and Latin America, showing a lively interpretation of Masonic principles aimed at improving society and helping people.

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. CLIPSAS includes over 100 Masonic groups worldwide, covering traditional, liberal, and mixed-gender groups.

This development showed different philosophical views on Masonic recognition. The United Grand Lodge of England follows a policy of exclusive recognition based on certain rules, including belief in a supreme being and only allowing men. In contrast, CLIPSAS member groups usually practice open recognition, allowing interaction between different Masonic traditions.

These different views on recognition have led to separate networks of Masonic interaction, often called Anglo-American and Liberal traditions, though this simplification doesn't fully capture the complexity of modern Masonic relationships.

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 (Freemasonry for Women) as legitimate Masonic groups. While not giving full recognition, UGLE has "excellent working relationships" with both Grand Lodges and works with them on projects, including joint events in Open House London and university recruitment fairs. This marks a big change from earlier strict positions and shows growing acceptance of different Masonic traditions. Also, in 2018, UGLE released guidance clearly welcoming transgender members and saying that "A Freemason who after initiation ceases to be a man does not cease to be a Freemason." The guidance also says that transgender men can apply to join.

Freemasonry and women

The status of women in the old guilds and groups of medieval masons is unclear. The rule of "femme sole" allowed a widow to continue her husband's trade, but how it was used varied widely, such as full membership in a trade group or limited trade by deputies or approved members of that group. In Masonry, the little available evidence points to the less empowered end of the scale.

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. As Freemasonry spread, women were sometimes added to Lodges of Adoption by their husbands who were continental Masons, which used three levels with the same names as men's but different content. The French officially stopped this practice in the early 19th century. Later groups with a similar goal appeared in the United States but used different names for the levels than those in male Masonry.

Maria Deraismes joined Freemasonry in 1882, then left to allow her Lodge to rejoin their Grand Lodge. Unable to get accepted by any Masonic group, she and Georges Martin started a mixed Masonic Lodge that used Masonic ceremonies. 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, which spread to other countries. Meanwhile, the French re-created Adoption as an all-women's Lodge in 1901, only to abandon it again in 1935. The Lodges, however, kept meeting, which led in 1959 to a group of women practicing continental Freemasonry.

In general, Continental Freemasonry supports Freemasonry for women, starting from the 1890s when French Lodges helped the growing co-Masonic movement by promoting enough of their members to the 33rd degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite to allow them, in 1899, to form their own grand council, recognized by other Continental Grand Councils of that Rite. The United Grand Lodge of England issued a statement in 1999 recognizing the two women's grand lodges in England, The Order of Women Freemasons and The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons, as regular in all but the participants. While they were not, therefore, recognized as regular, they were part of Freemasonry "in general." The attitude of most regular Anglo-American grand lodges remains that women Freemasons are not legitimate Masons.

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." The guidance also says that transgender men are allowed to apply.

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, such as those involving secret plans or control by a few powerful people.

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

These stories and exposés have often led to criticism of Freemasonry, usually for religious or political reasons or because of fears about secret plots. Political opposition grew after an event in the United States called the "Morgan Affair" in 1826, which led to the term Anti-Masonry. This term is still used today in America, both by Freemasons when talking about their critics and by the critics themselves.

Religious opposition

Freemasonry has faced criticism from some governments and religions that believe it competes with religious beliefs or seems unusual. It has also been a target of theories that say Freemasonry is a mysterious and harmful power.

Christianity and Freemasonry

Main article: Christian attitudes towards Freemasonry

Catholicism

The Catholic Church has the longest history of objecting to Freemasonry. The Church believes that Masonic teachings conflict with Catholic beliefs and that Masonic oaths are problematic. Over 600 official statements from Catholic leaders have been made against Freemasonry. The first was in 1738 by Pope Clement XII, and the most recent was in 2023 by Pope Francis.

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. Some Masonic groups say they do not replace a person’s religion. However, some Masonic rituals ask members to reject certain religious leaders, and some Masonic officials have tried to limit the religious freedom of the Catholic Church in different countries.

Protestant denominations

Protestant criticisms often focus on ideas about mystery, secret powers, or even evil influences. A well-known Masonic writer named Albert Pike is sometimes quoted by those who criticize Freemasonry, though he spoke only for himself and not for all Freemasons.

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. Some Protestant leaders have spoken against Freemasonry, saying it is like a different religion.

The Free Methodist Church was founded partly in opposition to secret societies like Freemasonry. Its founder believed Freemasonry was not compatible with Christian teaching.

Some leaders in the Church of England have been Freemasons, but in recent years, some have expressed concerns. In 2003, a top Church leader apologized for suggesting that Masonic beliefs did not match Christianity.

Islam and Freemasonry

In some Islamic countries, Freemasonry has been banned. Some Islamic leaders have linked Freemasonry to harmful ideas or even to plans controlled by others. For example, in Pakistan, Freemasonry was banned in 1972.

Masonic groups existed in Iraq as early as 1917, but they were closed down in 1965 and later under strict rule.