Anyone else see these symbols randomly around their towns? I

>>19391324
Literally just a charity. Alms throwers with lots of capital.
>(even though the contrary has been proven).
Because most members are Christian, you mean?

>>19391343
>Literally just a charity
Masons claim the same thing.

Actually, it is proven through the words of their own historians that the masons are indeed a religion. I highly reccomend watching the debate between Dr.Walter Martin vs a freemason on the subject. Biased format but the sources are cited from the masons own books and historians.

>>19391378
Mason here. We don't claim to be a charity. We do, however, claim to be charitable. There's a difference.

Additionally, no, we're not a religion. Our members are religious, but Masonry isn't a religion itself. Masonry doesn't have a dogma, and it doesn't offer any means of salvation, which is a requirement for religion. Our members are mostly Christian, but with plenty of Deists, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. I even know one brother who is "Heathen."

>>19391378
>Masons claim the same thing.
No we don't. Masonry is specifically not a charity, it just does some charity.
>it is proven through the words of their own historians that the masons are indeed a religion.
But that's wrong. Not least of which is that it possesses none of the qualities of a religion.
And i thought you were referring to Rotary, anyway.
>Biased format but the sources are cited from the masons own books and historians.
Then he must have done some impressive mental gymnastics to come to that conclusion. Or just didn't really read them.

>>19391560
>>19391577
so why the alter? why the funeral service?

>>19391581
>so why the alter?
Where else would we sit the Holy Bible (and other VSLs)? An altar alone does not a religion make.
>why the funeral service?
It's a way of saying goodbye to a brother. The military have their own funeral services too, ya know.

>>19391587
>Where else would we sit the Holy Bible
the same place an atheist would keep it. a book shelf.

You can't tell me a mason funeral service is the same as a military service. It's more similar to a catholic funeral service.

>>19391599
>the same place an atheist would keep it
But we aren't atheists.
>You can't tell me a mason funeral service is the same as a military service.
It's actually pretty similar. We just don't do the gun salutes. I think it was patterned around USA military funerals (the "firing salutes", laying of the flag/apron, etc.)

>>19391610
If you are not a religious group you are then a secularist group (doesn't imply no one there is religious, just that the group itself isn't religious). A secularist group should not place a bible in an area of veneration.

>>19391620
More non-sectarian than secular.

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Fuck your oaths.

>>19391620
Let's put it this way: we aren't a religious group, but we are a group of religious people.

And yes, the Bible (or whichever Holy Book the lodge prefers) has a place in the center of the room. God comes first.

>>19391718
>God
As you earnestly strive to emulate King Solomon in all his undertakings, this would be Ba'al, yes?

Rotary is just like those communities of old women where they gossip about shit with likeminded old women, except for old men. I guess its also a little more organized. More similar to Lions Clubs than Masons.

>>19392471
>As you earnestly strive to emulate King Solomon
Nope. Not at all. Hiram Abiff, a bit, but even then it's a guide, not a requirement.

>>19392774
Explain JahBaalOn/Jahbulon

Trust me, I know a woman who was once the president of a local Rotary group and then the treasurer. It is literally just a large charity organization.

>>19392810
Seconded. Literally a social network and dumping ground for the low-key wealthy in the community.

>>19392777
It's a title, preceding the Christian name of God. Made up from four languages, the words all mean the most high honourifics those cultures had.

>>19392471
Nope. Like I said, members of the fraternity come from different religions, so "God" is a different "God" to each brother. Mine is the Christian Trinitarian understanding of God, but like I said, I know a guy whose understanding is that "God" is "Wodin."

>>19392777
That's the word for "God" in three different languages: Hebrew, Assyriac, and Chaldaic. Additionally, both non-Hebrew syllables can be found in Hebrew as well. Yah = יהּ = "I AM", Bel = בּעל = "Lord", On = און = "Strength."

>>19392976
3, but basically, yeah.

>>19392986
>3
Ah, you're American or Irish, then. Visit a Scottish or Australian Chapter to see what the 4th one is.

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>>how familiar are you with the Gearwars exactly...?

>>19393374
I waited all thread for this.

>>19391560
Sorry but you can't be polytheist and a mason...

>>19391581
It's not a religion but it is an occult group. They do rituals and rites. You do have to believe in a single God but it doesn't have to be the Christian god

Charity group yes, BUT the founder of Rotary International was a Freemason. Draw your conclusions normie.

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>>19391324
Its a diabolical conspiracy to overthr/o/w the world with Rotary engines

>>19393637
Almost, its actually secret org started by Mazda to bring down the FIA. All so they can go and win every single race series they enter with rotary engines that btfo everything else.

>>19393643
Almost. It's actually [insert random bullshit]

>>19393374
Kek'd

welcome to the machine

>>19391378
>masonry a religion
Not for low-level people/innocent rich well-off white people who are mostly into it for the connections it gives, the fun it is to stay with like-minded men and play cards and shit and have discussions about what interests them, and the sense of good they get from doing charity. Most lodges don't actually have much of an esoteric interest.

At very high levels and in lodges/for members actually interested in the esoteric aspect, yes, you could say Masonry is very enamored of a certain ... "tradition", you could call it; a Western mystery tradition made up of Hermeticism, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, the Tarot, Qabalism, etc. But all this richness of history and esoteric thought behind it probably goes over the head of most members, to be honest.

Why do you think their God is called the Grand Architect of the Universe? An architect does not actually create, he merely lays out the plan for the builder to create. Compare to the Gnostic doctrine that God is not the creator of our world, and there is a different entity who created our world.

>>19393757
Bingo

>>19393435
Sure you can. They most all tend to have a supreme creator like The Dagda, or Vishnu.

>>19394107
>Not for low-level people
Or at any level. Yes, the appendant degrees have more occult aspects, but that doesn't make it a religion.
>Why do you think their God is called the Grand Architect of the Universe?
>their God
False. It's a non-sectarian term for God. Besides, there are actually quite a few terms used in addition to Grand Architect, along with the ritual referring to the creator (in one's own faith).

>>19393006
Correct. Specifically Texan. My apologies, I didn't know that our Scottish/Aussie brethren had a different setup!

>>19393435
That's jurisdictional. In many places, you can absolutely be a polytheist and a Mason. We had to research this once just to make sure we weren't breaking the rules.

>>19394107
> Why do you think their God is called the Grand Architect of the Universe? An architect does not actually create, he merely lays out the plan for the builder to create. Compare to the Gnostic doctrine that God is not the creator of our world, and there is a different entity who created our world.
Eh. That's a stretch. We call Him GAOTU because it's non-sectarian, flexible, and draws further allusions to the building of the Temple. However, yes, there is a pretty intense interest in the Western mystery tradition.

>>19394416
SGRAC England used to as well, but after some bullshit in the 70s/80s, they removed the Jahbulon part from their HRA ritual to appease the idiots who said it was some daemon thing. So rather than explaining it to the detractors who don't care about the truth, they stripped an interesting and innocent part of their ritual away from the members.
Kinda great when English or Welsh Companions visit, though.
>Oh THAT'S all it was! Our Grand Chapter team really were overreacting.

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note the similarities

>>19394439
That is such a bummer! Hopefully they bring it back someday. There's a great line from the Entered Apprentice Charge that I feel kind of goes with this: "... neither are you to suffer your zeal for the institution to lead you into argument with those who, through ignorance, may ridicule it."

>>19394471
It really was the first big reaction Great Queen Street had to public criticism. Prior to that, they just ignored all detractors, rather than respond and give them credence. And of course they ballsed it up.

>>19392723
This, they tend to be higher end too, a lot of small business owners/upper management. (At least around here)

Dude you can just like go to a Rotary or Lion's Club meeting, they're not that secretive, just small town benefactors.