To become a Freemason, the applicant has to be an adult male and must believe in the existence of a supreme being and in the immortality of the soul. The teachings of Freemasonry enjoin morality, charity, and obedience to the law of the land.
Going by the Wikipedia definition Freemasonry is a public spirited fraternal organization that has existed since the 17th century.Freemasonry’s central preoccupations remain charitable work within a local or wider community but the society has had a plethora of controversies and actual secrets buried deep in its long history. It has been said that Masons claim that Masonry is open to any one of any faith and that it is a brotherhood to help other Masons.
But that is only to attract more people to the society. The symbol G used in their signs actually translates to Masonic gnosis or generation with their God as Lucifer and main enemy Christianity. Masons take a deadly oath rather blood oaths for each degree up to the 33rd degree. They swear allegiance to Masonry above God and country and under pain of death, swear never to reveal the secrets of Freemasonry not even to their wives.
When a man becomes a Mason, he receives his first (Entered Apprentice),second (Fellowcraft),and third (Master) degrees in what is called the "Blue Lodge."It is well known within the Fraternity that the Master
Mason is the highest honor bestowed on a Mason. There are appendant bodies of Freemasonry that the Master Mason can pursue - The York Rite, the Scottish Rite, and/or Shrine. The York Rite consists of Chapter and Council and Commandery. The Scottish Rite consists of the 4th to the 32nd Degrees.
This is the granddaddy of all not-so-secret secret societies. Freemasonry,or “The Craft” as its members call it, most likely has its roots in 17th-century stoneworkers’ guilds.Mason lore, however, extends its origins back to
biblical times,linking the society to the building of the Temple of Solomon.Freemasonry is split into numerous subgroups and orders, all of which consider God the Grand Geometrician, or Grand Architect of the Universe.
At their hearts, these groups are all means of exploring ethical and philosophical issues, and their rituals and symbols are famous (or infamous). Take, for instance, the square-and-compass logo often seen on the back of Cadillacs. Or the use of secret handshakes, passwords, and greeting postures/gestures called “due guards,” all collectively known as the Modes of Recognition.
The list of famous Masons is massive, a virtual Who’s Who of modern history, explaining the many conspiracy theories regarding the Masons’ influence and intentions. Mozart, FDR, Harry S. Truman, George Washington, Mark Twain, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, John Wayne, W. C. Fields, and Douglas MacArthur were all Masons. But perhaps the Masons’ greatest strides have been made in fast food:KFC’s Colonel Sanders and Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas knew how to secret-shake with the best of ’em.