Okay, the title is self explanatory. Been on a journey for Truth for about 15 years now. I consider myself a Christ follower and a seeker. I am a huge conspiracy buff and obviously I find myself always led back to the Masonic Organization. I have read alot of negative stuff about the Masonic Order and I do try and take it with a grain of salt. I have read a couple books by two different Masonic writers , The secret destiny of America being one of them. I have found the books quite intriguing. I am currently reading a book title ” The Secret in the Bible”. Which I bought because of watching a documentary on the Great Pyramid. I stumbled upon this site by chance/fate a few days ago and spent hours on here. I must say I was glad to have some of the “Sinister” aspects of the Order cleared up and explained. I am coming to the conclusion that that the “church”, not the “Church” Christ speaks of, but the organization of church/religion might be speaking negatively of the Order because there is secret knowledge or more meanig in the Word than what they want us to have( a means to manipulate the masses ). Really struggling with this because for 15 years I have thought the Order was up to no good. I have 4 Uncles that I know of that are Masons and I think very highly of them. Two are very active, one inactive and one passed. I always wondered how they could be invloved with something bad or sinister. I am really looking for some direction and answers. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for opening this up to non-members.
Struggler
Struggler, I’m not going to get into a rebuttal of what the anti-Masons and other conspiracy writers have to say. I will just ask one question: What is their motivation in publishing what they do? Are they out to make a buck by writing sensational stuff which the gullible will pay for? Are they a couple bricks short of a load and need an outlet so they can rant? I think you can probably answer these questions as applied to a lot of what you may be reading.
In contrast to this, what you will read on this forum is the plain truth, documented and verifiable, from real Masons who know what the truth is and are committed to publishing the truth and nothing more. And no one here is getting any monetary or other material reward, or writing from the funny farm.
Thanks for the quick response :-) Please don’t take my inquirey as looking for a rebuttal. The reason I chose books from Masonic writers and spent hours on this site is to try and balance the information. I find myself just truley searching and some of the pieces are starting to come toghether(I think). Just want to make sure that my journey is taking me in the right direction.
Thanks,
Struggler
I am coming to the conclusion that that the “church”, not the “Church” Christ speaks of, but the organization of church/religion might be speaking negatively of the Order because there is secret knowledge or more meanig in the Word than what they want us to have( a means to manipulate the masses ). Really struggling with this because for 15 years I have thought the Order was up to no good. I have 4 Uncles that I know of that are Masons and I think very highly of them. Two are very active, one inactive and one passed. I always wondered how they could be invloved with something bad or sinister.
First, let me say how nice it is for someone who is a self-confessed conspiracy freak to come on and say that they’ve spent time reading the conspiracy section ... not in as many words, but by implication of the rest of your post.
A good start; welcome, it’s a nice change.
I’m not totally sure I follow you, but I think you are asking if we have some secret knowledge that the Church don’t want us to have ...? If so, the answer is no. What we have is a bunch of guys who want to improve themselves to their own individual benefit, and to society as a whole. And by mixing with like-minded people, it can act a bit like a self-help group. The secrets -which you probably know from your reading, are simply mechanisms to allow me to prove to Masons who don’t know me personally, that I belong to the Fraternity. Bit like a passport - or a golf handicap .. allowing you to play on courses that insist you have a certain level of proficiency with like minded individuals.
Consider your uncles; you think highly of them because of the way they conduct themselves ... it’s the same for the rest of us. ‘Bad’ or ‘sinister’ are an anathema to us.
As to why the Church have it in for us ... well, at the end of the day you’ve have to ask them, but I’m hoping your reading will have given you an idea. We know there’s nothing for them to worry about, but ultimately, it’s for them to discover.
Yes you are correct in the assessment of “conspiracy freak” . I just don’t take anything at face value. I do respect the fact of oathes being honored and would not expect anything less. I appreciated the encouragemnet and will continue to seek. I just feel like I am really close and on the verge of huge breakthrough from a personal aspect. Just being straight up and on the level, I want all the knowledge and wisdom that the Creator made available to me. I have put 15 years in at this point and I am willing to put whatever time I have left in order to obtain it. Once again thanks for opening the site to me.
Struggler
How little you know! A masonic quote if ever I heard one!!
Oh - and in case you thought otherwise, I wasn’t being derogatory by the use of ‘conspiracy freak’ - I was just using it as a descriptive term. No offense intended!
(Oh - and in case you thought otherwise, I wasn’t being derogatory by the use of ‘conspiracy freak’ - I was just using it as a descriptive term. No offense intended! )
No Offense taken :-) It is what it is. I am who I am . I appreciate the candure that I have found here.
How little you know! A masonic quote if ever I heard one!!
Oh - and in case you thought otherwise, I wasn’t being derogatory by the use of ‘conspiracy freak’ - I was just using it as a descriptive term. No offense intended!
Struggler,
First off, welcome to the forum. It’s good that you’ve come here and are giving your time and energy to seek the truth. I hang out on this forum and use what little knowledge I’ve gained to help people understand our Gentle Craft. I don’t get paid and I’m not a representative of Grand Lodge.
What I believe Brother George is saying is that the phrase “on the level” is of Masonic origin. The full quote is actually, “We meet on the level and part on the square.” Meaning we meet as equals and part in virtue as friends. Being “straight up” is also probably from Masonry, too. We might say, “upright” rather than “straight up”. There are a lot of Masonic terms in common use. I find it fascinating to see just how much of our Ritual has become a part of the language.
Since you’ve already done quite a bit of reading on the forum, I would encourage you to ask anything you want to. As said before, you will get honest answers here. If you were to ask, “What’s the password?” we would honestly answer, “I can’t tell you that.” There are very few things that will get you that answer, though. If you are in Massachusetts, please consider visiting a lodge near you on February 25th as we are having a state-wide open house. You can get a tour of the lodge and ask anything you like of a real Mason. I’ll be in the Lowell Masonic Building all day.
Thank you for the kind words and invitation. I am located in the middle Ga area and I don’t think I will find myself that far North. Way too cold for me up there :-) Thanks and I do believe I will hang out here awhile.
Struggler
You can’t heave a dead cat in Georgia, without hitting a lodge. If you would like to get a tour of one, I am sure that you can find a lodge which will accomodate you.
Yes there are quite a few. I know one of our retired Cheif’s is a member of the Tyrian Lodge #111. I may call on him and ask him a few questions.
Thanks,
Struggler
Let me let you in on one thing that you may not know. In order for us to conduct business we have to have a “Volume of Sacred Law” (or “VSL”) open on the altar. In almost every English speaking Lodge, that VSL is the Holy Bible.
Yes you are correct in the assessment of “conspiracy freak” . I just don’t take anything at face value. I do respect the fact of oathes being honored and would not expect anything less. I appreciated the encouragemnet and will continue to seek. I just feel like I am really close and on the verge of huge breakthrough from a personal aspect. Just being straight up and on the level, I want all the knowledge and wisdom that the Creator made available to me. I have put 15 years in at this point and I am willing to put whatever time I have left in order to obtain it. Once again thanks for opening the site to me.
Struggler
Mr. Struggler,
I am going to be straight up and on the level to you, my friend, man to man. You say that you want all the knowledge and wisdom that the Creator made available to you. From a quote that I heard in a movie, ” With great knowledge, comes great responsibility.” Make sure you are ready to handle the new tasks that will be given to you when you gain more knowledge. Another quote, ” If the Almighty Father brings you to it, He will bring you through it .” One more, ” Ask and ye shall receive.” If you really want all that knowledge you have to be willing to go out and get it; it’s not just going to come to you. Then you have to ask yourself, “What am I going to do with it once I’ve attained it?” Some knowledge and wisdom that I can offer you, if everyone else comes first in your life, you will be first in the eyes of the Father. There are many lessons to be learned here on Earth, it’s what you do with the knowledge that counts! I bid you a good journey.
What I believe Brother George is saying is that the phrase “on the level” is of Masonic origin. The full quote is actually, “We meet on the level and part on the square.” Meaning we meet as equals and part in virtue as friends. Being “straight up” is also probably from Masonry, too. We might say, “upright” rather than “straight up”.
I was; and yes, ‘straight up’ is a Masonic reference ... referring to the Plumb Rule.
From the EC description of the 2nd degree tracing board; “..as the builder raises his column by the level and perpendicular..” in other words, “straight up and on the level”
