Freemasonry : What do you know about it?

[Smartie]

(I'm not sure if this is the right place for the thread so fell free to move it.)

The title is clear : What do you know about freemasonry?
Is it a religion?
Is it a political organization?
Is it only an ordinary group of people?

What powers do they have?
Where do they live?
What are their beliefs?
How can you identify a freemason?
How can you become one?

... Any other thing that you know about them?I've started researching about them and I really need people's idea and opinion on this topic , so I thought WZ would be a nice place to ask these questions.

I'm waiting for your answers.It's not important if they're accurate or based on facts , just tell whatever is on your mind about Freemasonry.Thanks.

 

[One Punch Doug Crashin]

Freemasonry is a difficult animal to be sure. Some people say it's part of a "New World Order" bent on controlling the population of Earth. However they do good charity work and the like. I doubt you can truly define that organization.

 

[LigerBomb]

I once read a book that (supposedly) detailed the Freemasons history back to ancient Egypt. It claimed that the ancient Kings of the era actually knew how to move on to the after-life and resurrect via a secret ceremonies and ritual. This secret was handed down but was eventually semi-obscured. This lead to the true kings only being able to become "pharaohs" w/o said ability. There was also a murder of a chief architect (the first mason).

Ultimately it ties the secret(s) to Jesus—or rather the amalgamation of two separate individuals that merged into who we now understand to be Jesus—his death and resurrection, the Apostles, Knights Templar, etc. all throughout history to the founding of the Americas.

The author present it as nonfiction and it's actually a fun read if you allow yourself to indulge in the nonsense and not take it too seriously. The claims they make however are pretty out there and while it gives insight into the history of the masons I would hardly call it factual.

 

[Tastycles]

Jesus, do people still believe this shit? The freemasons are just a load of men stuck in their ways that have joined a social club. Ultimately it is a private members club that has grown in size, and the members these days are fairly open about it - I've seen people on TV talking about it.

It's an organisation that requires a belief in a supreme being, but is otherwise reasonably open in its intake. I think the obsession with it arises from its popularity. Believe me, if an organisation with 2 million members had a sinister agenda, some journalist would have exposed it, as has happened with Scientology.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

Tastycles is right, it's just a social club. There's no conspiracy, they're not taking over the world, they're not a threat to anybody. You become a Free Mason so you can put that shit on your resume, in order to get jobs. It's basically a fraternity in college, except it extends until after college.

Or Scientology, except they don't steal nearly as much money from you as Scientology does.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think its just a sort of private members club, where people do favours for each other, and it can lead to you having an advantage in finding work.

I dont think it really has much of an impact now, but there used to be a secret handshake/code to find out if someone was a member, as you werent supposed to discuss it outside meetings.

My Great Uncle was a freemason, but I dont know him that well so I cant really say how it benefitted him to be honest