What is a Mason, and What Do Masons Do?

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Masonry is one of the oldest fraternal organizations in the world. The actual date of incorporation of the first masonic lodge is not clear since the actual origins have been lost in time. Masonry more than likely arose from from the guilds of stonemasons who built the castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages. The rise of masonry was almost certainly influenced by the Knights Templar, a group of Christian warrior monks formed in 1118 to help protect pilgrims making trips to the Holy Land. Local organizations ofMasons are called lodges.

The first recorded formal Grand Lodge was founded in 1717 in England.In 1717, Masonry created a formal organization in England when the first Grand Lodge was formed. A Grand Lodge is the administrative body in charge of Masonry in some geographical area. In the United States, there is a Grand Lodge in each state. In Canada, there is a Grand Lodge in each province. There are lodges in most towns, and large cities usually have several. There are about 13,200 lodges in the United States.

Many of the founding fathers of the United States were Freemasons, including Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Paul Revere, Joseph Warren, and John Hancock. Freemasons played an important part in the Revolutionary War and some of the most important resulting American documents, such as the Bill of Rights and the actual U.S. Constitution. The tenets of the infantdemocracy were often debated in Masonic lodges.

Masonry is more than simply a group of men joining an service organization, although that certainly is one prong of the Masonry. Freemasons believe in certain tenets, such as:

Since God is the Creator, all men and women are the children of God.
Because of that, all men and women are brothers and sisters, entitled to dignity, respect for their opinions, and consideration of their feelings.

Each person must take responsibility for his/her own life and actions.
Neither wealth nor poverty, education nor ignorance, health nor sickness excuses any person from doing the best he or she can do or being the best person possible under the circumstances.

No one has the right to tell another person what he or she must think or believe.
Each man and woman has an absolute right to intellectual, spiritual, economic, and political freedom. This is a right given by God, not by man. All tyranny, in every form, is illegitimate.

Each person must learn and practice self-control.
Each person must make sure his spiritual nature triumphs over his animal nature. Another
way to say the same thing is that even when we are tempted to anger, we must not be violent. Even when we are tempted to selfishness, we must be charitable. Even when we want to "write
someone off," we must remember that he or she is a human and entitled to our respect. Even when we want to give up, we must go on. Even when we are hated, we must return love, or, at a minimum, we must not hate back. It isn't easy!

Faith must be in the center of our lives.
We find that faith in our houses of worship, not in Freemasonry, but Masonry constantly teaches that a person's faith, whatever it may be, is central to a good life.

Each person has a responsibly to be a good citizen, obeying the law.
That doesn't mean we can't try to change things, but change must take place in legal ways. It is important to work to make this world better for all who live in it. Masonry teaches the importance of doing good, not because it assures a person's entrance into heaven -- that's a question for a religion, not a fraternity -- but because we have a duty to all other men and women to make their lives as fulfilling as they can be.

Honor and integrity are essential to life.
Life, without honor and integrity, is without meaning. Today's modern Masons continue to practice what their forefathers laid down as basic principles of society and Masonry.