So I went to wikipedia and I got confused after reading the first sentence. Can anybody here expalin to me in very simple words about the Freemasons. A brief summary of their history and belief system and such. Thanks in advance.

It like a fraternity for adults. It's considered a secret society cause only freemasons are allowed in on the meetings. I personaly do not think they are some evil conspericy group out to control the world, but rather a meeting of wealthy and influential people. Some of our presidents have been freemasons so thats got to say it's a good club, not that it controls the nation.

This is not a secret but a discrete society ;) They even have official websites, like the Grand Orient de France (http://www.godf.org/index.asp). A member can say he's a freemason, but he can't tell the names of his "brothers".

Some walloon politicians are freemasons, they don't hide it. And it's not secret that the Université Libre de Bruxelles has many links with freemasony. They just don't shout it loud in the streets ;)

Freemasony is organized in "loges" having a temple and their own traditions and rules.

I found two different definitions :

English deifnition :
Freemasonry is the UK’s largest secular, fraternal and charitable organisation. It teaches moral lessons and self-knowledge through participation in a progression of allegorical two-part plays.

French definition :
Freemasonry is an itiniatic traditionnal order based on brotherhood. It unites good people, free people from every nationality and beliefs.
The organization of freemasony is based on "loges" having a temple. It's the place where they meet.

So, there are two different traditions in freemasonry :
anglo-saxon
belief in the "great architect"
very strong brotherhood
more like a service club
no women allowed

european
more liberal
think tank
more freedom for "loges"
some loges accept women
some loges reject the "great architect"

more informations on freemasonry.net (http://www.freemasonry.net/Welcome.asp)

All these "closed-for-non-members/teaching-moral-groups", either if they are groups like the ones we're discussing here or not, are brainwashing people - plain as that.

I don't want anything to do with "new forms" of morals that influences people like a religion.

"Teaching morals"? What and which morals? Who are going to say me what I should do and what to believe??? - No one! We already have enough of "smart-guys", thank you.

The world is FULL of "weak-minded" people, who need others to "guide" them(due to lack of proper brain-cells!!!), so don't expect me to take seriously any "mystic" organizations/clubs: If I had the power, I'd close them/ban them(not to say anything more and get a warning).

George Washington's inauguration was a Freemason ceremony. :)

Have a look in the pyramid thread ;).
Famous German freemansons:
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Friedrich the great

Adler

Joseph the II
Mozart
Haydn
and i think Schiller and Beethoven were too

[QUOTE=King Alexander]All these "closed-for-non-members/teaching-moral-groups", either if they are groups like the ones we're discussing here or not, are brainwashing people - plain as that.

I
"Teaching morals"? What and which morals? Who are going to say me what I should do and what to believe??? - No one! We already have enough of "smart-guys", thank you.

so i f i get this right, ALL masons are brainwashed?
hmm... funny, we didnt say anything about it at my last lodge meeting?
And well its not a moral teaching group, god knows our society could use some morals.

The worrying thing is that Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, is supposedly basing his next novel on the secrets of Freemasonry which means, like that awful book before it, we're going to get people hanging off every one of his made up/"borrowed" speculations and downright terrible/illogical inventions.

Freemasons were the Irish branch of knights of templar.
While the purge was carried out in france and germany. the Irsh arm (and spanish) were protected and changed there name into the freemasons.
(The spanish arm became a different religous order.)

EDIT: in fact it remains a religous order to this day
its experience from the horrific purge lead it to remain secret.

@friendlly fire- dont forget, the Itallian arm became part of the Knights Hospitaller

Freemasonry is surprisingly big in New Zealand. Even tiny little towns have a lodge bang in the town centre.

I'm still not enlightened about them, though. What exactly is their history? Are they *really* connected to the Knights Templar and so on, or is that just a silly romantic myth?

almost every town here where I live has one. If you are curious about them read a book called " Born In Blood" cant remember the author. Also ask a mason. They will tell you all you want to know. sometimes.... Alos look on the signs going into a town and look for the square and compass with a G in it on the list of all the clubs in town.

There is a Catholic equivalent to the Freemasons, called the Knights of St Columba.

If you pass an Irish bar (New York, say) and see the letters "KSC" on it - it's the Catholic equivalent of a lodge.

You can occasionally see people wearing Masonic rings as well. Bit of a giveaway for a secret society, I always thought.

The worrying thing is that Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, is supposedly basing his next novel on the secrets of Freemasonry which means, like that awful book before it, we're going to get people hanging off every one of his made up/"borrowed" speculations and downright terrible/illogical inventions.


And do you KNOW that there can't be ANY truth to whatever speculations are made in Angels & Demons (finished it) and Da Vinci Code (starting to read it)? HOW and WHY can there not be any truth?
Maybe Freemasons and/or Illuminati are in control of the world leaders, for self-serving purposes. Maybe not. But either way, you cannot automatically discount either possibility.

and well as far as a brief summation of freemasonry goes, simple, an acient fraternal secret society that is world wide. the basic priciples are honor, faith and benevolence. You are supposed to honor god ( whichever you choose) family, and your brothers. Charity is a very big part of freemasonry, In order to be a Shriner u must be a " master mason " first. And i think we all know that the shriners do awesome work.

simply put they are an acient secret society of men that isnt really secret anymore.

And do you KNOW that there can't be ANY truth to whatever speculations are made in Angels & Demons (finished it) and Da Vinci Code (starting to read it)? HOW and WHY can there not be any truth?
Maybe Freemasons and/or Illuminati are in control of the world leaders, for self-serving purposes. Maybe not. But either way, you cannot automatically discount either possibility.

If you've ever studied even the most basic elements of church history, New Testament studies, or anything similar, you can be pretty sure. Trust me. The "theories" presented (laughably, as "facts") in "The Da Vinci Code" are based on an assumption that whenever the Dead Sea Scrolls mention unnamed religious leaders they are referring to Jesus. Suffice to say that mainstream scholarship disagrees.

Dan Brown's books are great fun. I loved them. But all the "historical" stuff in the two religious ones is utter, utter pants. They're novels. Don't believe a word.

You have to understand with a subject like this, there's an excess of different explanations and opinions, and obviously not all of them can be right. The best thing is to get into it yourself and make up your mind from there.