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Why are the freemasons often the target of conspiracy theories? (lemmy.ca)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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[–] 72 points 2 years ago (9 children)

Honestly, he's not wrong, it does look cool and fun. I wish there were non-religious secret sects.

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  • [–] 91 points 2 years ago* (2 children)

    In high school we started a secret order, made a logo and symbols that we printed into stickers and would hide around the school in weird hidden places, even published a fake newspaper that we left around referencing it's mythology and origins.

    About 4 years after we all graduated I heard that apparently someone replaced the national anthem tape with one repeating the order's phrases and terms.

    My god I hope that train keeps running away.

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  • [–] 17 points 2 years ago*

    Nice.

    My version is not as good, but may amuse you as thanks for sharing your story.

    I once started a joke secret society in an MMO, only to be forgotten within a day, and then (gleefully) be reinducted a couple days later by a total stranger as a new member.

    The induction nonsense had changed enough within that couple of days that I think I made a pretty convincing new recruit.

    Though I think I caused some confusion when I changed outfits - I forgot that I had not yet "been told" the secret dress code. Oops. I think everyone then realized something was up, but chalked it up to secret society intrigues.

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  • [–] 21 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    I think that any adult secret society is either going to be lame and boring, or it quickly escalates into a cult, gang, cartel, racket, or terrorist organization, depending on the group's intentions.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago* (2 children)

    Well what things can a group of adults really do that are both not lame and boring, and also not illegal

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago

    Well what things can a group of adults really do that are both not lame and boring, and also not illegal

    There's some non-secret societies, like Rotary Clubs, that try to do some volunteering, professional networking, and charity work together.

    Also, for the under 70 crowd, there's Maker spaces.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Ehh, Freemasons are probably not religious in the sense you think they are. They all believe in god but are not necessarily of the same religious background.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago (6 children)

    I had a buddy who was in it. The background checks they do are comparable to getting a security clearance, and he said you'd get tossed out if you weren't religious.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)

    Background check?! BACKGROUND CHECK?!

    My dad was a Freemason, and I went through the first initiation and was working on the second but decided I didn’t want to continue despite enjoying my teen years in DeMolay. There was no fucking background check. lol! Hell, to join you just need to ask a Freemason - they don’t really ask you.

    You have a Freemason who can vouch for your character as kind of a “sponsor” so maybe THAT is the background check but you don’t fill out any forms or anything that get submitted to the government.

    Also, they use God in their words but you don’t have to believe in God. I dunno, maybe Nevada lodges have different rules? I doubt it.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    From what I understand, intensity will vary from chapter to chapter. A belief in God is a requirement, but there can be some wiggle room on exactly what that means.

    Looked into it because it sounded cool, attending some sort of group thing would probably be a good idea for me, and I find ritual fascinating. Shit gets expensive, though.

    Edit: Who am I kidding, it's mostly because I want my wallet contents to sound like Grandpa Simpson's

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  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago

    The background check is no more than when applying to a job, they just check to see if you have a criminal record. They make a home visit to explain themselves to your family and to make sure your personal life doesn't look like à mess, ie your not living like a piece of shit.

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  • [–] -2 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Can you pass the background checks if you're a pagan?

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    Don't fret about any 'background checks'.

    They say "do you believe in god yes/no" and "are you conspiring to overthrow the government yes/no" with a bored look on their face. They're obliged to ask this because of traditional rules. It is a box-ticking.

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  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

    If I recall, Masons don't require you to worship any specific God, just believe in a higher power or something like that.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    While yes, the unfortunate thing is that it's pretty christian dominant and my experience has been that don't appreciate agnostics and pagans in there midsts.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    my experience has been that don’t appreciate agnostics and pagans in there midsts.

    my experience is contrary to this. Few people really believe in religion in 2024, it's not like the pious times in which the rites originated.

    In practice, you don't have to believe in god to be a mason. Although that rule is still around.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago

    Every lodge is different. Visitors from one lodge to another were once appalled by the more relaxed atmosphere of another. Even in a society of very well documented and studied 'rules' and practices can have widely different cultures depending on the town and people. Not all lodges are created equal.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    Elks are the same in many(most?) chapters—a higher power whatever that means to you. Still, it’s a shame. A friend wanted me to join but I can’t be bothered with requirements that are silly/force me to express beliefs I don’t believe.

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  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago

    Isn't that what the Order of Odd Fellows is?

    I love secret societies because they always remind me of LARPers. I used to go to this comic shop that held a Vampire:The Masquerade LARP thing, and they would all act secretive and sneaky, and come in the backdoor and things.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Be the chage you want to see ✨✨

    (I'll join your quirky mysterious lodge)

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