Who We Are

I AM FREEMASONRY 

I was born in antiquity in the ancient days when men first dreamed of God. I have been tried through the ages and found true. The crossroads of the world bear the imprint of my feet and the cathedrals of all nations mark the skill of my hands. I strive for beauty and for symmetry. In my heart is wisdom and strength and courage for those who ask. Upon my altars is the Book of Holy Writ, and my prayers are to the One Omnipotent God. My sons work and pray together, without rank or discord, in the public mart and in the inner chamber. By signs and symbols I teach the lessons of life and of death and the relationship of man with God and of man with man. My arms are widespread to receive those of lawful age and good report who seek me of their own free will. I accept them and teach them to use my tools in the building of men, and thereafter, find direction in their own quest for perfection so much desired and so difficult to attain. I lift up the fallen and shelter the sick. I hark to the orphan's cry, the widow's tears, the pain of the old and destitute. I am not church nor party nor school, yet my sons bear a full share of responsibility to God, to country, to neighbor and to themselves. They are freemen, tenacious of their liberties and alert to lurking danger. At the end I commit them as each one undertakes the journey beyond the vale into the glory of everlasting life. I ponder the sand within the glass and think how small is a single life in the eternal universe. Always have I taught immortality, and even as I raise men from darkness into light, I am a way of life.
  I Am Freemasonry.
    - Ray V. Denslow

WHAT I BELIEVE

I'm a Mason and:
I believe firmly in the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Almighty God.
I believe in my country, my fellow man, and myself.
I believe we are here in our various roles for a purpose and not by chance.
I believe that Masonry has been in existence through the ages for a purpose and that it will remain a strong force for good as far into the future as man will go, and I have confidence in that future.
I believe that the teachings of Masonry parallel those found in the Great Book of Life so closely that no conflict between the two can exist.
I believe our ancient customs have proven their worth and value and are as sound today as ever before and will withstand the test of the future.
I believe Masonry can be as good as its members want it to be, and that we will all be better men and our fraternity, our country, and our world will be better for our having passed this way.
I believe we have the opportunity as Masons and as men of good will to move to new heights in every area of life as we study and act upon our high principles of brotherly love, relief, and truth. 

THE REAL SECRET OF FREEMASONRY

No one need be alarmed about any book written to expose Masonry. It is utterly harmless. The real secret of Masonry cannot be learned by prying eyes or curious inquiry. We do well to protect the privacy of the lodge; but the secret of Masonry can be known only by those who are ready and worthy to receive it. Only a pure heart and an honest mind can know it. Others seek it in vain and never know it, though they be adept in all the signs and tokens of every rite and rank of the Craft.

THE MASONIC LODGE
DUES CARD

I hold in my hand a little scrap of paper 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches in size. It is of no intrinsic worth, not a bond, not a check or receipt for valuables, yet it is my most priceless possession. It is my membership card in a Masonic Lodge.

It tells me that I have entered into a spiritual kinship with my fellow Masons to practice charity in word and deed; to forgive and forget the faults of my brethren; to hush the tongues of scandal and innuendo; to care for the crippled, the hungry and the sick, and to be fair and just to all mankind.

It tells me that no matter where I may travel in the world, I am welcome to visit a place where good fellowship prevails among brothers and friends.

It tells me that my loved ones, my home, and my household are under the protection of every member of this great Fraternity, who have sworn to defend and protect mine as I have sworn to defend and protect theirs.

It tells me that should I ever be overtaken by adversity or misfortune through no fault of my own, the hands of every Mason on the face of the earth will be stretched forth to assist me in my necessities.

And finally, it tells me that when my final exit from the stage of life has been made, there will be gathered around my lifeless body, friends and brothers who will recall to mind my virtues, though they be but few, and will forget my faults, though they may be many.

It tells me that, and a great deal more, this little card, and makes me proud yet humble, that I can possess this passport into a society of friends and brothers that are numbered in the millions.

SO MOTE IT BE !!

Freemasonry is a perpetual discovery. There is something new at every turn, something new in each man as life deepens with the years; something new in Masonry as its meaning unfolds. The man who finds its degrees tedious and its ritual a rigmarole only betrays the measure of his own mind.

If a man knows God and man to the uttermost, even Masonry has nothing to teach him. As a fact, the wisest man knows very little. The way is dim and no one can see very far. We are seekers after truth, and God has so made us that we cannot find the truths alone, but only in the love and service of our fellow men. Here is the real secret, and to learn it is to have the key to the meaning and joy of life.

Truth is not a gift; it is a trophy. To know it we must be true, to find it we must seek, to learn it we must be humble, and to keep it we must have a clear mind, a courageous heart, and the brotherly love to use it in the service of man. 

"These signs and tokens are of no small value; they speak a universal language, and act as a passport to the attention and support of the initiated in all parts of the world. They cannot be lost so long as memory retains its power. Let the possessor of them be expatriated, shipwrecked or imprisoned; let him be stripped of everything he has got in the world; still these credentials remain and are available for use as circumstances require."

"The great effects which they have produced are established by the most incontestable facts of history. They have stayed the uplifted hand of the destroyer; they have softened the asperities of the tyrant; they have mitigated the horrors of captivity; they have subdued the rancor of malevolence; and broken down the barriers of political animosity and sectarian alienation."

"On the field of battle, in the solitude of the uncultivated forests, or in the busy haunts of the crowded city, they have made men of the most hostile feelings, and most distant religions, and the most diversified conditions, rush to the aid of each other, and feel a social joy and satisfaction that they have been able to afford relief to a brother Mason."

Brother Benjamin Franklin