i understand the requirement for being a ‘good’ person as a qualification.” though the righteous fall many times…” i have a questionable background, mainly because i chose the hard road… and my response to this has resulted in mistakes that would cause one to question my being ‘good’. i typically cannot pass background check qualifications for employment. so, i am a self- employed stonemason. as an adult, i’m 40 now, at 18 i had two felony thefts… then through the next ten to fifteen years, i got a few domestic cases. now i have a son and choose to stay single to honor him and his mother…. have i been too ‘bad’ to be able to benifit from this fraternity. i do not know my biological father, so, i want to know who can and will help this widows’ son?
Shalom.

Patrick,

Thank you for a thoughtful and challenging post.

It has been said on this Forum that Freemasonry is an institution devoted to making good men better, not for reforming bad men and making them good. This is a somewhat harsh truth, but the fact remains that our membership is not comprised exclusively of saints and angels. Most Masons, I believe, would tend to have consideration for a man who grew up in a poor environment, lacking proper guidance, and may have been led into an unfortunate and even criminal lifestyle. You admit to a criminal record at an early age, compounded by other incidents extending over a period of some years. You now appear to be making the best effort you can to be a law-abiding and productive member of society.

If you were to approach me about membership in my lodge, I would want to feel that you have finally and definitely put all that behind you, that you are committed to leading an upright life and and providing a wholesome lifestyle for your family. Your open and honest revelation of your past is an essential part of what you would have to do.

I do not know what the regulations are in KY regarding a stained past record. But if you have made yourself into an upright man and are looking for a way to join and associate yourself with respectable men in your community, I encourage you to try to join us. It would help if you know a Mason who will be willing to sponsor you. Lacking a sponsor, you could approach your local lodge and introduce yourself as someone who would like to join. In any case, the worst that can happen is that they won’t accept you. {If it were me making a decision, I would certainly be inclined to give a break to a widow’s son and an operative mason.)

So give it a try. I wish you the best, and hope you will let us know how it turns out.

i thank you for your thoughtful response. my past is embarrassing and at the same time it is full of lessons learned and experiences that have deepened my understanding of humanity. these experiences have cost those i love deeply and my own price paid has been exorbitant. my desire is to continue to put what has been behind. to glean upon my understandings and experiences to improve the quality of life for myself and anyone who i come in contact with. also, to continue to grow in wisdom and understanding to benefit my son, my community and ultimately myself.
my past is referred to as reasons not excuses. please don’t mingle the two. i do not.
Shalom

i am not a member but i am currently trying to become one so this is just my opionion but i am 32 and work mostly with teenagers i am in retail, so most of them look up to me and i always tell them no matter what you have done in your life if you have learned from it it wasnt not a mistake, i beileve if you mess up but learn from it then it wasnt a mistake it was a lesson a hard lesson that we had to learn. i also always tell them it took me 32 years to get where i am today and i had to learn a few hard lesson alone the way, just stive to be the best person you can be today cause like the old saying goes if you have one foot one yesterday and one foot on tommorrow you will poop all over today

A person’s background is an important subject with regard to Masonic membership.  There are really two sides to the coin.  On one side, you have a level of understanding that we are all human and that we do make mistakes.  On the other side, you have the element of trust.  To be in a position to decide Masonic membership means walking the fine line between these two sides.

First, it is very true that in order to become a better person and perfect ourselves, we do need to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes.  In fact, our past transgressions and trespasses provide us with perhaps the greatest of opportunities from which to learn who we are and what is right.  I would not wish to undo most of the mistakes of my youth for that very reason; without which I would not be the man I am today.

With that said, Freemasonry is a fraternity that is based in part on trust.  There are some mistakes and misdeeds that exhibit such a large betrayal of the trust of our fellow man that they deserve much weight in consideration for Masonic membership.  We can’t just admit murderers and thieves into our numbers based solely on the principle of forgiveness and error of youth.  Each man still needs to be accountable for his actions.  In Freemasonry, a man’s WORD is of profound importance, and his deeds are an extension of his principles and of his word.

That is why each man’s petition for membership is taken on a case by case basis.  In the end, my vote comes down to whether or not I can find a man trustworthy.  If deeds in his past has shown that he is not so, it would take a great amount of convincing to sway me to admit him into my lodge.