Thread: Masonic Lodges

Originally Posted by sidneykidney

I'm guessing the bottles of wine were as long (if not longer) than the conversations?

I hope the wine was good!

Originally Posted by WireBeard

Did he sell cars by chance? That is not how the conversation should have gone. There should have been a discussion about Masonry, what it is, what it does, history, etc. and then he should have advised you that to join, all you have to do is ask a Mason or contact your local Lodge. End of discussion. As I said earlier, as with any organization made up of people, you get all kinds of people. I'm sure he was excited abut the possibility of a new member....but recruiting is not one of the things we do. Some grand Lodges have encouraged awareness building to help boost membership (competing against longer owrk hours, both parents working, after school activities with the kids, etc.), but I doubt they want anyone to feel they have just bought some aluminum siding.....


Greg

Funny you should say this. I actually felt like I was getting an Amway pitch. but the guy (and his wife) were so proud of their Masonry (Masonism?) it was entertaining for a while.

Originally Posted by WireBeard

Interstingly enough, it is still dangerous in some places to be known as a Freemason. The website for the recently re-established Grand Lodge of Russia list most of the officers only by their first names.

When I was in Moscow, it was very difficult to make contact with them without a reference. I did not wear my Masonic ring at work. There is a lot of opinion regarding the organization still left over from the Soviet Union. Freemasons are not popular with extremists of any kind (I guess the Liberty, Equality, Fraternity thing makes them choke on their morning orange juice....)

Perhaps it is not the leftovers of the Soviet Union. May it also be because the Russian Orthodox church, the "official" religion of Russia views Freemasonry as heretical?

What About….Freemasonery?

Protestant denominations get the cold shoulder over there as well. Freedom of religion is something we as Americans think is universal, and yet it is usually not in many places.

I treat my masonic affiliation like an expensive pocket watch. I don,t pull it out and strike it to show I have it. I am very proud to be a mason and love to discuss it in harmony with both those that are curious and well informed. I perfer not to brag or show of my affiliation in a loud or distastefull manor. I do however on ocassion wear a ring that was my fathers or a small lapel pin, cuff links, or tie tac. I have a small badge on my truck that denotes my travels as a past master just because I am proud of this acomplishment, other masons will understand the sacrifice and time it takes to get to and be a master. I will in no way use the craft to my advantage in business, or other dealings and it annoys me to see people that do. I tend to shy away from masons using the lodge for political purposes.

Enough for now

Don

Originally Posted by Seraphim

Perhaps it is not the leftovers of the Soviet Union. May it also be because the Russian Orthodox church, the "official" religion of Russia views Freemasonry as heretical?

What About….Freemasonery?

Protestant denominations get the cold shoulder over there as well. Freedom of religion is something we as Americans think is universal, and yet it is usually not in many places.

The ROC is very hard core about Freemasonry...or anything that it views as a challenge to it's members being totally committed to it. Ironically, Tsar Alexander I was a Freemason....which put the church in a quandry, as they viewed the Tsar as the hand of God on earth....so, what to do?

It is rumored Peter the Great was also a Freemason, initiated while in England, but there is no proof of this. Freemasonry in Russia was very vibrant in the 18th Century, but came under suspicion and then prohibition towards the end of Catherine the great's reign...Alexander I brought it back, but his brother Nicholas I banned it again and it pretty much stayed that way. Mason met secretly, regardless. Now there are several lodges across Russia, but it is still not as open as in Great Britian or the US.