{"id":17,"date":"2016-05-15T04:32:44","date_gmt":"2016-05-15T04:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/masonicbrothers.com\/blog\/?p=17"},"modified":"2016-05-15T15:05:08","modified_gmt":"2016-05-15T15:05:08","slug":"what-ive-learned-as-a-freemason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/masonicbrothers.com\/blog\/2016\/05\/15\/what-ive-learned-as-a-freemason\/","title":{"rendered":"What I\u2019ve learned as a Freemason"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-thumbnail\">\u00a0[masonic]<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-thumbnail\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-content-single wp-post-image\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disinfo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/freemason.png?resize=777%2C400\" alt=\"freemason\" width=\"558\" height=\"287\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"ccfic\"><span class=\"ccfic-text\">Luke Gordon<\/span> <span class=\"ccfic-source\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/11504096@N08\/3410836596\" target=\"_blank\">Flickr<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"wp-caption-text\">Freemasons&#8217; Hall 1927: London art deco<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"sharing\">\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\">\n<div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon-text sd-sharing\">\n<h3 class=\"sd-title\">share this:<\/h3>\n<div class=\"sd-content\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"share-facebook\"><a class=\"share-facebook sd-button share-icon\" title=\"Click to share on Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/disinfo.com\/2015\/10\/ive-learned-freemason-left-order\/?share=facebook&amp;nb=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-shared=\"sharing-facebook-144401\">Facebook<span class=\"share-count\">4K+<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-twitter\"><a class=\"share-twitter sd-button share-icon\" title=\"Click to share on Twitter\" href=\"http:\/\/disinfo.com\/2015\/10\/ive-learned-freemason-left-order\/?share=twitter&amp;nb=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-shared=\"sharing-twitter-144401\">Twitter<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-google-plus-1\"><a class=\"share-google-plus-1 sd-button share-icon\" title=\"Click to share on Google+\" href=\"http:\/\/disinfo.com\/2015\/10\/ive-learned-freemason-left-order\/?share=google-plus-1&amp;nb=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-shared=\"sharing-google-144401\">Google<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-tumblr\"><a class=\"share-tumblr sd-button share-icon\" title=\"Click to share on Tumblr\" href=\"http:\/\/disinfo.com\/2015\/10\/ive-learned-freemason-left-order\/?share=tumblr&amp;nb=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-shared=\"\">Tumblr<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-pinterest\"><a class=\"share-pinterest sd-button share-icon\" title=\"Click to share on Pinterest\" href=\"http:\/\/disinfo.com\/2015\/10\/ive-learned-freemason-left-order\/?share=pinterest&amp;nb=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-shared=\"sharing-pinterest-144401\">Pinterest<span class=\"share-count\">2<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-reddit\"><a class=\"share-reddit sd-button share-icon\" title=\"Click to share on Reddit\" href=\"http:\/\/disinfo.com\/2015\/10\/ive-learned-freemason-left-order\/?share=reddit&amp;nb=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-shared=\"\">Reddit<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-pocket\"><a class=\"share-pocket sd-button share-icon\" title=\"Click to share on Pocket\" href=\"http:\/\/disinfo.com\/2015\/10\/ive-learned-freemason-left-order\/?share=pocket&amp;nb=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-shared=\"\">Pocket<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-end\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"entry-meta\"><span class=\"entry-meta-author vcard author\">Written By: <a class=\"fn\" href=\"http:\/\/disinfo.com\/author\/sammylapoint\/\">Sammy R. LaPoint<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"entry-meta-date updated\">Oct 19, 2015<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content clearfix\">\n<p>I joined Freemasonry out of a deep-seated yearning for truth and mystery. That yearning is something some people are just born with and others aren\u2019t. Personally, I had a hunch that the allegories of Freemasonry were based on ancient astrolatry, not to be confused with astrology[1]. In other words, the allegories of Freemasonry are a play on the ancient mysteries about light (the sun) overcoming darkness.[2] I couldn\u2019t just read and wonder about it, though. I wanted to confirm it for myself by becoming a Freemason. After years of studying it and becoming a 32\u00b0 Mason, I\u2019m comfortable asserting that to be true and feel that I\u2019ve confirmed my hunch.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"graf--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">What I\u2019ve learned.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"graf--p\">There are allegories embedded within the religions of the world and Freemasonry describes them. [3] These allegories describe scientific truths and philosophic concepts and don\u2019t fall within the realm of occult pseudoscience or superstition. The craft of Freemasonry is, therefore, a historical and scientific inference rather than a cult or religion. This is why Freemasonry asserts that it\u2019s a \u201cprogressive science\u201d and accepts people of all religions while claiming that it is not a religion itself.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"graf--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">Is there a conspiracy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"graf--p\">A handful of misconceptions, scandals, and hoaxes have made people suspicious of Freemasonry. Consequently, a lot of conspiracy theories have grown around that suspicion. From everything I\u2019ve witnessed as a Freemason, there is no grand conspiracy, though. The whole notion that the so-called \u201cIlluminati\u201d or Freemasons are behind everything is absurd and intellectually lazy. Life isn\u2019t that simple and corruption of the heart and mind aren\u2019t exclusive to any one institution but are simply a part of humanity. Freemasonry is just a fraternity and it\u2019s best suited for nerds, not evil doers. If you\u2019re looking for evil doers, investigate the misconduct of corporations and the military-industrial complex.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"graf--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">Are there any secrets?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"graf--p\">Hundreds of years ago, Freemasonry was secretive out of a necessity to avoid persecution and therefore, contained secrets relative to its potential persecution. In today\u2019s world, Freemasonry doesn\u2019t really have any secrets. There are some things you won\u2019t find online, but there aren\u2019t any real secrets. In fact, I believe <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/1605065617\/disinformation\" target=\"_blank\">Morals &amp; Dogma<\/a><\/em> by Albert Pike and <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/B005NWJKN8\/disinformation\" target=\"_blank\">Stellar Theology &amp; Masonic Astronomy<\/a><\/em> by Robert Hewitt Brown cover most of it. Those two books describe practically everything there is to know about the esoteric side of Freemasonry.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"graf--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">Why I left Freemasonry.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"graf--p\">I left Freemasonry because it\u2019s an outdated order and it\u2019s long overdue for serious changes. Hundreds of years ago the teachings of Freemasonry were revolutionary and progressive, but today they\u2019re far from it. In fact, you could argue that many of the regulations are counter-productive to progression and equality. For example, women still aren\u2019t allowed in Blue Lodge Freemasonry and in many areas, neither are African Americans. As someone who\u2019s taken a personal oath to truth and reason, I can\u2019t condone such regulations. Of course, Freemasonry isn\u2019t an intentionally racist or sexist institution, but it\u2019s behind on the times and that\u2019s the problem.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf--p\">[masonic]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"graf--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">The problem with Freemasonry.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"graf--p\">Long gone are the days of famous Freemasons such as Benjamin Franklin, Sim\u00f3n Bol\u00edvar, Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, Andrew Jackson, Voltaire, Winston Churchill, George Washington, etc. The authoritative figures of Freemasonry aren\u2019t visionaries and revolutionaries anymore. In fact, Freemasonry itself has become dogmatic and isn\u2019t evolving, at all. It\u2019s not involved with the future of technology and the sciences either, so it\u2019s not particularly attractive to progressives and intellectuals. If Freemasonry had lived up to its glory, its lodges would be full of famous scientists, inventors, and visionaries. Instead, its lodges are declining in membership and falling apart.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"graf--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">The fate of Freemasonry.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"graf--p\">Things survive by necessity and there simply isn\u2019t any necessity for Freemasonry. Besides charity contributions, Freemasonry isn\u2019t contributing anything to modern society and is, therefore, unnecessary. Unless the authoritative figures of Freemasonry open the floodgates for change, Freemasonry is done for. The only way Freemasonry will survive is if it becomes deeply involved in the future of technology and the sciences. As a Freemason, you\u2019re actually told to study the sciences, but most Freemasons don\u2019t even study Freemasonry, let alone the sciences. In fact, the reason <em>Morals &amp; Dogma<\/em> was replaced by <em>A Bridge to Light<\/em> was because it was deemed a \u201ctough\u201d read and the majority of candidates couldn\u2019t comprehend its complexity.[4] The acceptance of such embarrassingly low standards is why Freemasonry has fallen from its former glory. Until it opens itself to change, it\u2019s doomed to fail. As someone who once loved and admired the craft, that\u2019s disappointing to admit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf--p\">References<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf--p\">1. Rex. R. Hutchens., <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/B000ND58BA\/disinformation\" target=\"_blank\">A Bridge to Light<\/a>, pg. 77<br \/>\n2. Ibid., pg. 198<br \/>\n3. Ibid., pg. 224<br \/>\n4. Ibid., pg. ix<\/p>\n<div class=\"abh_box abh_box_down abh_box_\">\n<ul class=\"abh_tabs\">\n<li class=\"abh_about abh_active\"><a href=\"http:\/\/disinfo.com\/2015\/10\/ive-learned-freemason-left-order\/#abh_about\">About<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"abh_posts\"><a href=\"http:\/\/disinfo.com\/2015\/10\/ive-learned-freemason-left-order\/#abh_posts\">Latest Posts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"abh_tab_content\">\n<section class=\"vcard abh_about_tab abh_tab\">\n<div class=\"abh_image\"><a class=\"url\" title=\"Sammy R. LaPoint\" href=\"http:\/\/occultum.net\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"avatar avatar-80 photo\" src=\"http:\/\/1.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1996dce03a592a4b195d6f9d68b127c9?s=80&amp;d=retro&amp;r=g\" srcset=\"http:\/\/1.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1996dce03a592a4b195d6f9d68b127c9?s=160&amp;d=retro&amp;r=g 2x\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_social\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"abh_text\">\n<h3 class=\"fn name\"><a class=\"url\" href=\"http:\/\/occultum.net\" target=\"_blank\">Sammy R. LaPoint<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"abh_job\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"description note abh_description\">Writer and researcher. Currently writing and editing for mmalatestnews.com and owner of occultum.net.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"description note abh_description\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"description note abh_description\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"description note abh_description\">source: <a href=\"http:\/\/disinfo.com\/2015\/10\/ive-learned-freemason-left-order\/\">http:\/\/disinfo.com\/2015\/10\/ive-learned-freemason-left-order\/<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0[masonic] Luke Gordon Flickr Freemasons&#8217; Hall 1927: London art deco share this: Facebook4K+ Twitter Google Tumblr Pinterest2 Reddit Pocket Written By: Sammy R. LaPoint Oct 19, 2015 I joined Freemasonry out of a deep-seated yearning for truth and mystery. That &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/masonicbrothers.com\/blog\/2016\/05\/15\/what-ive-learned-as-a-freemason\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[13,14,12,11,7,15,10],"class_list":["post-17","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-blue-lodge","tag-famous-freemasons","tag-fraternity","tag-freemason","tag-freemasonry","tag-freemasons","tag-illuminati"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/masonicbrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/masonicbrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/masonicbrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/masonicbrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/masonicbrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/masonicbrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35,"href":"http:\/\/masonicbrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17\/revisions\/35"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/masonicbrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/masonicbrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/masonicbrothers.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}