Quote Originally Posted by REFLUX View Post
Sorry I'm not understanding your post.

Are you saying that Masons reflect the social conditions of the country & government it is situated in?
Or are you saying Masons aren't receptive to other cultures & ethnicities because other countries & governments are not receptive to the organization?

Or are you saying that Masons are situated in Western, English speaking countries because Non-Western, Non-English speaking countries are not receptive to the organization?

I'm assuming it is the latter, which is good to know and thank you for addressing that.


As for "How tolerant & accepting are Masons of different cultures & ethnicities?"
Going off Steve's reply, is that to say that since there are Masons in almost every country in the world, there are Masons in Non-Western, Non-English speaking countries too?
Because "Western" culture along with English is extremely widespread and just because there is a group of Masons in a specific culture, doesn't answer the question as to how tolerant and accepting they are of other cultures/ethnicities.

I'm curious to know how they are seen by Communist countries since even religion is so suppressed in those countries too, you'd think that an organization like the Free Masons would attract attention.
I'll chime in here with a few thoughts that may help to answer your questions.

Freemasonry has been suppressed for centuries by authoritarian governments that considered it a threat. Communist countries and Nazi Germany are the most recent examples, along with many (all?) Muslim countries. Masonry is practiced in non-western non-English speaking countries throughout the world, with Asia being a good example. A story is told about a traveling Mason from the U.S. who wished to visit a Lodge in Asia but language barriers prevented the Asian lodge from examining the visitor to determine that he was a bona fide Mason. The problem was resolved by the Asian Masons rearranging the furnishings of the Lodgeroom and the visiting Mason putting them back in their correct places.

Masons believe in God and believe that men should be free to practice any religion that recognizes a supreme being, that choice of religion being a personal matter left to the individual. The Fraternity focuses on what men of good character who believe in God have in common with each other, helps to recognize those principles that can make us better men, and teaches us to assist our Brothers who are in need.

As a group that is comprised of individuals, all Lodges will reflect the culture and values of it's members to some extent since we are only human. I haven't had the opportunity to visit many other Lodges, but as to my own Lodge I can tell you that it is comprised of Caucasion and Hispanic members who enjoy each other's company and have high regard for each other. The "Olde English" forms of speech that are utilized in Masonic ritual in the U.S. are sometimes particularly challenging for ESL members and those individuals are much respected by all for the additional effort they put forth to be able to learn it.

Are individual Masons unreceptive to other cultures & ethnicities? I'm sure there are some, as there likely would be in almost any large group of individuals.

Is Masonry unreceptive to or incompatible with non-western cultures? Only if they exclude a belief in God, or the right of an individual to choose his own form of worship.