I'm considering joining the ranks of FreeMasonry...

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Originally Posted by Black_Eagle

Hell, so am I. I've got generations of free masons behind me. I might as well hop on the wagon (if only temporarily) and see what crazy stuff they've got to offer.

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2B1 Ask1. Masons are forbidden from extending invitations into the brotherhood to others. Those interested in joining must willingly (on their own accord) ask to be one. And once you're in...you're in. Know any fraternity's that just "casually" let people in? Also, the secret ballot can be mentally strenuous. If there are 30 members present at the lodge you are wanting to join and 29 vote "Yes" on you and one votes "No"...you would be prohibited from joining on that sole vote alone. All the currently present Mason's in said lodge must be on one accord when accepting a new brother into the order.

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Originally Posted by Jeff777

2B1 Ask1. Masons are forbidden from extending invitations into the brotherhood to others. Those interested in joining must willingly (on their own accord) ask to be one. And once you're in...you're in. Know any fraternity's that just "casually" let people in? Also, the secret ballot can be mentally strenuous. If there are 30 members present at the lodge you are wanting to join and 29 vote "Yes" on you and one votes "No"...you would be prohibited from joining on that sole vote alone. All the currently present Mason's in said lodge must be on one accord when accepting a new brother into the order.

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Indeed. So all I have to do is charm my way into it. What are they going to do if I don't want to participate anymore? But of course if I do join, a change of heart probably wouldn't occur.

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Originally Posted by Black_Eagle

Indeed. So all I have to do is charm my way into it. What are they going to do if I don't want to participate anymore?

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See: JFK

See: Lincoln

:P

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Originally Posted by Black_Eagle

Yes, that's it! The Order of the Eastern Star.

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makes sense. The eastern star. Or the light in the eastern sky, is Venus. That's why men are from venus and women are from mars. Darn Masons and their play on words! I really wanna join now.

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Originally Posted by Man of Shred

makes sense. The eastern star. Or the light in the eastern sky, is Venus. That's why men are from venus and women are from mars. Darn Masons and their play on words! I really wanna join now.

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They just tell you that symbols like the pentagram are gateways to other dimensions which allow other beings access to our world.

I'm going to die in 5 minutes and 23 seconds. Goodbye dreamviews.

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Originally Posted by Black_Eagle

They have a woman's sect, Sandform. I have family members who are also free masons. Next time I talk to my grandmother I'll be sure to ask her what exactly the name of it was.

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The particular section that has the closest ties to the original order though still doesn't permit women to join, though I think they don't care about race any more. At least that is what the Internet says. I don't understand the point of a secret club when the club isn't a secret anymore. The fact that one sect might let you in doesn't mean that the majority of the sects don't let you in. The catholics believe in limbo but you can't say that Christianity itself does. Women's sects are to freemasonry as Catholicism is to Christianity. Though the discussion of women and etc. isn't really that important. I'm sure all the different groups of Freemasons tell each other the same things. I'm sure like most organizations their social norms are dictated by the social norms of whatever society they are in. I wish the mainstream people would let women in by now though, but they think it would dishonor their old rules or something.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_and_Freemasonry

In my opinion I think it is a good thing that some people got together and decided not admitting women was bull shit, but on the other hand it seems there are now groups that only admit women. Though it isn't that bad for one of the smaller abundant forms of the club to exclude a gender, I think it is pretty pathetic that the ones considered to be the head honchos are excluding a gender.

I don't understand why so many of you are interested in joining. I think you'll be disappointed if you join and you find out it isn't that special.

As for the degrees and such. The 33rd degree Jeff mentioned earlier, I've learned after some net surfing, only because I was interested in what they meant, is actually not a degree of masonhood (there are only three of those degrees), but instead just a degree beyond something called the scottish rite system. This would be an extension past the third degree but not above the third degree. The 33rd degree itself is an honorary degree. the 4th through 32nd degree are purchased, while the 33rd degree is honorary and only given to those who have shown considerable dedication to the brotherhood.

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Originally Posted by http://www.masonicinfo.com/33rdsrule.htm

Scottish Rite - a concordant organization which is part of the 'Masonic family' - has an degree system consisting of thirty-two degrees. The first three of those are only conferred by 'Scottish Rite Craft Lodges' of which there are very, very few worldwide - with most unrecognized.1 The 4th through the 32nd degrees (all of which have names that vary from Scottish Rite Jurisdiction to Scottish Rite Jurisdiction) are conferred upon those who make application AND PAY TO RECEIVE THEM!

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Apparently being 33rd means nothing really, many 33rds would be equal to number 3s.

You can probably find any of these "secrets" you think they are harboring floating around in a book or on the Internet. However, since many of you say you have family members in the club, why not just goad the secrets out of them?

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Originally Posted by Jeff777

What degrees were they?

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Not sure what degrees they are, but my grandfather has been a mason for at least 40 years and is one of the leaders of his lodge, and my father is the treasury secretary.

Be prepared for a flood of life changing....

Pot-luck dinners and fundraising bake sales :lol:

Sadly, there are not a lot of secrets in these secret societies. It will do wonders for your business networking, but not for your spiritual growth. I do applaud your decision. You are doing exactly what I always tell people to do when they start going crazy with conspiracy theories. Just go join a lodge. Meet the people who are supposedly killing babies in the name of lizardmen-aliens. It is a little disappointing.

Maybe they have BYOB (Bring Your Own Beer). Let's all join freemasons!

well... me being in a fraternity, i believe i need to defend myself.
theres a big difference in todays greek world on college campuses. the "frats" and the fraternities. sadly, frats pretty much let anyone in that stays with the program long enough (whether that be little to no work or putting up with some kind of hazing). But real fraternities definitely dont let ANYONE in that isnt up to our standards. we take pride in who we are and what we represent. its sickens me how generalized fraternities have all become. the drinkers and partiers that always have freak accidents and alcohol poisoning. believe it or not, there are still good fraternities out there i promise you... sorry if i changed the subject a little bit.. but i had to defend myself.
on the subject of free masons i know a lot and i have been considering joining myself. i love how everyone thinks that they know everything about it. i am sure theres tons of secrets we dont know about. even if it might not be secrets about "world domination" and eating children etc.

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Originally Posted by FluBB

well... me being in a fraternity, i believe i need to defend myself.
theres a big difference in todays greek world on college campuses. the "frats" and the fraternities. sadly, frats pretty much let anyone in that stays with the program long enough (whether that be little to no work or putting up with some kind of hazing). But real fraternities definitely dont let ANYONE in that isnt up to our standards. we take pride in who we are and what we represent. its sickens me how generalized fraternities have all become. the drinkers and partiers that always have freak accidents and alcohol poisoning. believe it or not, there are still good fraternities out there i promise you... sorry if i changed the subject a little bit.. but i had to defend myself.
on the subject of free masons i know a lot and i have been considering joining myself. i love how everyone thinks that they know everything about it. i am sure theres tons of secrets we dont know about. even if it might not be secrets about "world domination" and eating children etc.

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Point taken. However, - unless your fraternity defines who you are as a person, then you were not defending yourself. You were defending the concept of fraternal orders.

the fraternity does not define me as a person, but it has helped me become a better person. we believe in many ideals that i try to live everyday, such as my signature.
but enough about that... are you still thinking about free masonry? i know what fraternity pledgeship is like (extremely intense), but i wonder what it would be like for free masons. do you have to have family member thats a mason to join?

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Originally Posted by Xaqaria

Not sure what degrees they are, but my grandfather has been a mason for at least 40 years and is one of the leaders of his lodge, and my father is the treasury secretary.

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Are they members of the Illuminati? Urban legend says that a person becomes a member of the Illumanit when he becomes a 32nd degree Mason.

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Originally Posted by FluBB

the fraternity does not define me as a person, but it has helped me become a better person. we believe in many ideals that i try to live everyday, such as my signature.
but enough about that... are you still thinking about free masonry? i know what fraternity pledgeship is like (extremely intense), but i wonder what it would be like for free masons. do you have to have family member thats a mason to join?

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No. To be one, you simply have to ask one. Masons are discouraged from inviting every tom dick and harry into the order. In fact, it's forbidden. To be a Mason, you must tell one that you are interested in becoming one. Then the secret ballot will commence.

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Originally Posted by Universal Mind

Are they members of the Illuminati? Urban legend says that a person becomes a member of the Illumanit when he becomes a 32nd degree Mason.

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you have to go through the jesuits now.

What the hell is an "illuminati" anyways? all i hear is they are the bad that happens with the world. That means squat....bad shit happens all the time, it will be like blaming god you did not get this or w/e. The way people say the word makes it so imaginary.

Once you know enough about the Illuminatii you should start wearing tinfoil helmets

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Originally Posted by LucidFlanders

What the hell is an "illuminati" anyways? all i hear is they are the bad that happens with the world. That means squat....bad shit happens all the time, it will be like blaming god you did not get this or w/e. The way people say the word makes it so imaginary.

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They are supposed to be the secret government of the world, the people who are really in charge. For example, they decide themselves who the president of the United States is going to be, not the American voters. Robert Anton Wilson wrote a big selling book called Cosmic Trigger Vol 1.: Final Secret of the Illumaniti, which is about the idea that they are in league with aliens and working to advance the human mind to where we can travel space to meet our alien creators in the Sirius star system. Others think they are just evil mafia types who want to screw over the world so they can have power and money.

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Originally Posted by Universal Mind

They are supposed to be the secret government of the world, the people who are really in charge. For example, they decide themselves who the president of the United States is going to be, not the American voters. Robert Anton Wilson wrote a big selling book called Cosmic Trigger Vol 1.: Final Secret of the Illumaniti, which is about the idea that they are in league with aliens and working to advance the human mind to where we can travel space to meet our alien creators in the Sirius star system. Others think they are just evil mafia types who want to screw over the world so they can have power and money.

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http://thenastyboys.files.wordpress....970c-800wi.jpg
So... Jeff would like to become a part of a league of aliens that will take over the earth? This explains everything, The pyramids, Sonnets, Gothic Short Stories, George Bush, area 55, and...and....this!
http://www.conspirations.tv/images/I...ollar_bill.jpg

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Originally Posted by guitarboy

http://thenastyboys.files.wordpress....970c-800wi.jpg
So... Jeff would like to become a part of a league of aliens that will take over the earth? This explains everything...

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Everything except stone henge.

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Originally Posted by guitarboy

So... Jeff would like to become a part of a league of aliens that will take over the earth?

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No, just the group that contains the group that has already taken over Earth and is in league with aliens.

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Originally Posted by guitarboy

This explains everything, The pyramids, Sonnets, Gothic Short Stories, George Bush, area 55, and...and....this!
http://www.conspirations.tv/images/I...ollar_bill.jpg

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I am pretty sure Cosmic Trigger talks about all of those things and attributes them to the Illuminati, but the author says he is not completely sure exactly what is happening. He makes it clear that all he knows is that something is happening.

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Originally Posted by Universal Mind

They are supposed to be the secret government of the world, the people who are really in charge. For example, they decide themselves who the president of the United States is going to be, not the American voters. Robert Anton Wilson wrote a big selling book called Cosmic Trigger Vol 1.: Final Secret of the Illumaniti, which is about the idea that they are in league with aliens and working to advance the human mind to where we can travel space to meet our alien creators in the Sirius star system. Others think they are just evil mafia types who want to screw over the world so they can have power and money.

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ROFL!!!! wow, i guess people believe anything now a days.

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Originally Posted by Universal Mind

No, just the group that contains the group that has already taken over Earth and is in league with aliens.



I am pretty sure Cosmic Trigger talks about all of those things and attributes them to the Illuminati, but the author says he is not completely sure exactly what is happening. He makes it clear that all he knows is that something is happening.

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EVERYONE, SOMETHING IS HAPPENING!
I knew that, too, am I an anti-Illumnati?
Haha, even Short Stories?

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Everything except stone henge.

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That was a different evil league of aliens silly.

Before anything else: my father is a freemason. I deal with this topic daily and have watched many things being done. I know what I'm talking about.

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Freemasonry is branded as (and is secondarily consisted of) philosophy, philanthropy and personal understanding.

...but it's basically a society of exchange of favours and influences. As in, if you're being judge by a mason in court, and you're a mason, he will favour you, etc etc. Freemasonry is far from being a cohesive entity, so you will find many descending people inside.

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It is far from being a religious sect, or a conspiracy. It's more like an agnostic group. There are many other similar societies out there.

The Illuminati is supposed to be a secret organization within the organization. Only the highest ranking members ever even get acknowledgment that the Illuminati exists, supposedly.