Freemasonry

Gentle, gracious, and wise; its mission is to form mankind into a great redemptive brotherhood, a league of noble and free men enlisted in the radiant enterprise of working out, in time, the love and will of the Eternal.

-Joseph Fort Newton

Freemasonry is a fraternity.

Freemasonry is a profound moral philosophy of living a good, kind, full, and generous life.

Freemasonry is not primarily a “service club,” and is fundamentally different from Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, etc.

Freemasonry is not a religion, a cult, a diabolical conspiracy for world domination, or a hoarder of untold wealth.

Freemasonry is not anti-Christian, nor is it anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, anti-Buddhist, or anti-any-other religion. It simply does not concern itself with its members’ religious beliefs.

Freemasonry is an initiatic organization—that is to say that it requires its members to undergo an initiation, or sessions of instruction, before gaining full membership. There are three levels of initiation in American Freemasonry—they are called “Degrees.” Masonic degrees are theatrical—they use plays to teach deeper truths about what it means to be a man in our society.

Freemasonry is a fraternity. It’s a whole lot more than a “club.” The word “fraternity” has as its root the Latin word “frater,” which means “brother.” A group of brothers is a fraternity. A group of sisters is a “sorority,” from “soror,” or sister. So Freemasonry, at its most fundamental level, is an organization specifically for men who consider themselves brothers. And that is a good thing.