Is freemasonry an occult? If it is not, why is membership by invitation only and why is it a secret rich club?

Answer 1

No. Membership is not by invitation as such,YOU have to approach them first!! Unlike a cult:
The person joining Freemasonry knows clearly what organization he is joining. He understands that he himself has asked to become a member.
He retains freedom of religion, politics, friends, family association, selection of spouse, and information access to television, radio, reading material, telephone, and mail.
The connection with Freemasonry is usually infrequent: once or twice a month. Although for some, Masonic activities will occur 2-3 times a week, others proudly maintain Masonic membership attending only 1-2 (or even no) meetings each year. There are no enforced long-term Masonic activities. The longest Masonic event rarely, if ever, lasts longer than a day. Even events which span a multiple day period (annual Grand Lodge meetings, for example) leave members free to return to their homes and family each evening.
A Mason can terminate his membership freely. In fact, if he fails to pay his annual dues, his membership is terminated by the Masonic organization! Should a Mason wish to leave the organization, he can request a 'demit' and receive a certificate which states that he has unaffiliated with the organization under good terms. No Mason is forced to remain a member should he wish otherwise.
No medical/dental care interference occurs or is even offered. This is not true in the many cults that discourage and sometimes even forbid medical care. The various hospital services provided by the Shriners are for crippled and burned children, below the age of membership in Freemasonry, and no Masonic affiliation is required for treatment in them. There are some states which have blood donation programs that enable all Masons to receive blood transfusions if necessary free of charge: we doubt that anyone would remain a member of an organization against their will just to have access to free blood transfusions!
In Freemasonry, records are kept and are available to all members. Cult records, if they exist, are confidential, hidden from members, and not shared. Freemasonry's records extend back some 300 years, all readily available.
While membership lists are not posted publicly, this policy is no different than that of private golf clubs or lists of employees of privately held corporations. Members are free to disclose their membership to whomever they please.
A legal system exists within Freemasonry and a Mason can also utilize non-Masonic legal and law enforcement agencies and other representatives if needed. In cults, there is only the closed, internal system of justice, and no appeal, no recourse to outside support.
Families of Masons talk and deal directly with schools. Children of Masons may attend public or private schools as they wish. Some Masonic bodies (notably the Southern U.S. Scottish Rite Masonic Jurisdiction) in fact vigorously support the public school system. In cults, children, child rearing, and education are often controlled by the whims and idiosyncrasies of the cult leader.
Freemasonry is not a sovereign entity above the laws of the land. Cults consider themselves above the law, with their own brand of morality and justice, accountable to no one, not even their members.1
A Mason gets to keep his pay, property owned and acquired presents from relatives, inheritances, and so forth. In many cults, members are expected to turn over to the cult all monies and worldly possessions.
Rational behavior is valued in Freemasonry. Cults stultify members' critical thinking abilities and capacity for rational, independent thinking; normal thought processes are stifled and broken (somewhat like the manner of actions of those who make the charge that Freemasons are cultists!).
Suggestions and criticism can be made to leadership through advocated, proper channels. There are no 'suggestion boxes' in cults. The cult is always right, and the members (and outsiders) are always wrong.
Masonic leadership is elected, usually annually. No Masonic leader serves 'for life'. Should a Masonic leader act improperly, he can be removed from office. Even the highest ranking officer within a Masonic jurisdiction (a Grand Master) serves at the will and pleasure of the membership and can be removed for malfeasance or acts detrimental to the fraternity.
There is no single leader of Freemasonry. There are hundreds of Grand Lodges throughout the world, and each is sovereign unto itself. A Grand Lodge controls only its own subordinate lodges and no others. Rules made by a Grand Lodge apply only to its own members.
Masons may affiliate with more than one Grand Lodge. With rare exceptions, there is no bar to joining multiple lodges in multiple jurisdictions.
Freemasonry does not use its members for medical and psychological experiments - period! Cults essentially perform psychological experiments on their members through implementing thought-reform processes without members' knowledge or consent.
Masons become more and more a part of the community through various lodge-sponsored events. In a cult, members come to know less and less abut the outside world; contact with or information about life outside the cult is sometimes openly frowned upon, if not forbidden.
Freemasonry has no particular dietary suggestions or recommendations. Typically, because of intense work schedule, lack of funds, and other cult demands, members are not able to maintain healthy eating habits. (Freemasons frequently host public dinners which anyone can attend and Masonic events regularly have plenty of food for those attending.)
Masonry regularly contributes to other groups and organizations. Masonic organizations take leadership positions in fund raising for charities and public good (see our section on Charities). Cults desperately seek to keep whatever assets they are able to obtain; Freemasonry shares with the world - estimates currently are at approximately two million dollars PER DAY!
In Freemasonry, instruction is based on symbolism but brainwashing, or thought reform, is not used. Cults influence members by means of a coordinated program of psychological and social influence techniques. Freemasonry allows each member to provide his own interpretation of the symbols involved and no one interpretation is deemed to be correct to the exclusion of all others. Witness the many interpretations given by various Masonic writers over the centuries.... Religious intolerants will attempt to label this or that individual's interpretation as representative of Freemasonry but nothing could be further from the truth. What any other Mason (including the oft-misquoted Masonic authors like Albert Pike) sees in the symbolism of the Trowel, for example, may be far different from what I as a Mason see - yet neither of us is wrong.
For these and many other reasons, Freemasonry is not a cult - and, in fact, is further from it than the practices of many of those who hurl the term at it as if it were an evil invective.
The next time you hear or read of someone calling a Mason a cultist, we hope you will look closely at their own background and beliefs. Perhaps they know about cults because of themselves....

Answer 2

One of the American Heritage Dictionary's definitions of the word "Occult" is: Available only to the initiate. In this sense, and only in this sense, Freemasonry is occult. It is a fraternal orgnization that is based on an initiatory process of 3 steps which are called degrees in which certain moral lessons are conveyed using archetectual and stone workers tools such as a level or a square or trowel as symbols to emphasize those lessons.

Not only are the Freemasons not a secret organization, how can it be with its members wearing lapel pins, rings, belt buckles and other outward signs and their buildings with various obvious symbols that are used by Freemasons and openly proclaiming their names, it is quite open and active in their various communities and is made up of men from all levels of society. Also it is not by invitation only but the person interested must first express his interest before the Lodge can begin the joining process. In the United States there is a saying "To be one, ask one" (2b1ask1).

Having said all that there are things that are private just as all organizations have things that are private and not being made privy to things that are private is only appropriate. For instance, IBM is not a secret organization but in order to know what goes on at a Board meeting you would have to be a member of that board otherwise it is simply none of your business; or if a parent has a conference with a teacher it is no body's business but the family's and the teachers. This doesn't make the school a secret organization.

I hope this answered your question and isn't too disappointing.

Answer 3

No, it's nothing to do with the occult! I think you may be just a little confused about what the occult is. Since when was Satanism "invitation only"? It's an old-boys club that these days is really only a good excuse to get away from the wife and chat about the old days over port and cigars, but its history is a lot darker, and it is still used as a way to get "favours" done (or crimes "overlooked") by the finanical elite.

Answer 4

A " secret rich club"? where did you ever get that idea? the Masons and the Shriners, both of which my dad has been a member for as long as I can remember, do alot of good things... there are families in my parents community that would not make it if it weren't for the Masons... they give food, clothes, toys. there's even a childrens home that is supported and ran by the Masons... what would happen to those kids that have been abused and abandoned if that home wasn't around..?? and the Shriners... well, surely you have heard of the Shriners hospitals that are, literally, all over the country.... they help thousands upon thousands of kids that have been burned badly or are crippled or have some sort of birth defect, they do this without any charge to the childs family!!!! All of their funds comes from donations!! If you have kids I pray that they never have to go to one of these hospitals but if they ever do you will be thanking God that the Masons and Shriners exist...and are not just a "secret rich club"

Answer 5

Not true. Freemasonry is neither an occurlt society in practice nor a false religion. To make a slightly different point --- I am assuming you know what The True Religion is??? By definition there could only be one, but Truth requires proof, and religion is based on faith... The points you quote are the same misunderstood quotes that every anti-mason points out. Please provide the quote by Manly Hall you are referring to. There are no secrets, Gordon is just telling you what you want to hear so you'll buy his stuff and he can make money off of you. Incidentally, Albert Pike (not Albert Spike...) is hardly know outside of the US, and even in the US, almost no freemason has read any of his writings; he was head of the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite. Also, there is NO such thing/person/title as "Supreme Pontiff of Universal Freemasonry" that was a fabrication of anti-masons....it does sound cool though, in a "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" cartoon sort of way --- that is the mental level of the typical anti-mason. to some other responses: * Wrong on all counts; study the Catholic position on freemasonry and you will learn it is based on lies (admitted to be such by the Vatican) and spread by uneducated zealots * There is no secret work in freemasonry * Don't forget Hitler was a christian as are all the skinheads, etc... oh yeah it was the Catholic church that started the Crusades, caused the "Dark Ages" and another Christian branch in England that went around killing anyone who was not Protestant...and that doesn't even consider the Teutonic Knights... but let's not digress into this sort of a point/counter-point discussion. If you will --- let's be Christian and spread peace, love, charity, and sympathy rather than lies and hatred. * there are no masonic graveyards, most masons are buried in their religion's graveyard (catholic, protestant, etc...) * the Shrine is not "about as high as you can go".... * DeMolay is a co-masonic body in the US; I've never heard any mason claim they weren't... I don't know what DeMolay you studied, but there is nothing remotely like the garbage the anti-masons spew in any of it...

Answer 6

Definition of occult: 1)Of, relating to, or dealing with supernatural influences, agencies, or phenomena.
2)Beyond the realm of human comprehension; inscrutable.

being that the Masons are not related to any supernatural influences or phenomena, its not an occult.
its is however a secret organization that was founded in Europe and can trace some of its roots back to the Knights Templar's. Most of the founders of this country were Free Masons, including Washington. One if the better known Free Masons is FDR. Masonic symbols can be seen on the US one dollar bill, one the back side the pyramid with the all seeing eye is a well known Masonic symbol.

Answer 7

No, Freemasonry is not the occult.
Membership is not by invitation only. In fact we cannot ask people to join, the person wanting to must ask to join. All that is required from there is a belief in a "almighty" no matter what version. For some degrees in offshoot branches, Christianity must be professed, but only for 1 or 2 of them.
If you think we are rich, you outta see our finances as of late...LOL Maybe we could get some donations...LMAO

Answer 8

From my own experience having an aunt who was a longstanding member of the Eastern Star - the women's group and answer to the Mason's, I know that they DO NOT invite people to join. They never have. You really must know somone who is 'already in' and get information from them in order to apply for membership. They claim to be of the upmost honor and have the greatest love for God and men; and their honor must be beyond reproach. There are a lot of things about the organization that I do not know because they are 'secretive', but they claim the secret is not to keep people out, but to protect the intregrity of the organization. I do know this - the emblems and visuals that you see on vehicles are held in high esteem by the police. Many of them are part of this organization as well. Please read the info on the website - it will open your eyes.

Answer 9

No freemasonry is not a cult. I am a freemason and any one can join. It is not just for the rich and famous. It does alot for charity. As a mason I would like to stand up for them. There are many reasons why things are secret. If everybody knew about them then nobody would bother to join. Anybody can join you do not have to be high up is life. You have to be 21 years of age. You can not join for money reasons either. If anyone has any questions they want to ask me then please do. I will try and answer them as well as I can

Answer 10

It is certainly a secret society, and has or at least had major influences in many areas of public life, such as the higher levels of the police etc. not being a freemason can hold back promotions in such areas. they also have weird initiation proceedures, and secret handshakes so they know whether the person they have just met is a mason or not.

Answer 11

one thing you should know about Freemansory is New World Order. the all seeing eye, look at the back of a dollar bill...another thing, they want you to think they're not occult, they're a brotherhood of rich and powerful people. I need an invitation!! lol