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Is Freemasonry a secret society?
Hardly! You are reading this are you not? The perception that Freemasonry is in some way secret has arisen relatively recently simply because Freemasons value their privacy. This is no different from many other organizations that keep their affairs private from people who are not members. If you asked a golf club, of which you are not a member, for details of the membership, committee minutes, etc. then you can safely assume the reply - should the club concerned be courteous enough even to answer. This basic right to privacy applies equally to Trades Unions, Private Clubs, Political Parties, Churches, etc. as well as to individuals.
In the legal sense, the Freemasons in the Philippines function as an association that is registered, has members, a statute, transactional account and agencies. Freemasonry is therefore not a secret society. Although it is true that it keeps the secrets of ancient masons and philosophers for centuries. Only members have access to those secrets.
Freemasonry is not a secret society, but lodge meetings, like meetings of many other social and professional associations, are private occasions open only to members. Freemasons are encouraged to speak openly about their membership, while remembering that they undertake not to use it for their own or anyone else's advancement. As members are sometimes the subject of discrimination which may adversely affect their employment or other aspects of their lives, some Freemasons are understandably reticent about discussing their membership. In common with many other national organizations, Grand Lodge neither maintains nor publishes a list of members and will not disclose names or member's details without their permission.
In circumstances where a conflict of interest might arise or be perceived to exist or when Freemasonry becomes an issue, a Freemason must declare an interest. The rules and aims of Freemasonry are available to the public. The meeting places and halls used by Freemasons are readily identifiable, are listed in telephone directories and in many areas are used by the local community for activities other than Freemasonry. The rituals and ceremonies used by Freemasons to pass on the principles of Freemasonry to new members were first revealed publicly in 1723. They include the traditional forms of recognition used by Freemasons essentially to prove their identity and qualifications when entering a Masonic meeting. These include handshakes which have been much written about and can scarcely be regarded as truly secret today; for mediaeval Freemasons, they were the equivalent of a 'pin number' restricting access only to qualified members. Many thousands of books have been written on the subject of Freemasonry and are readily available to the general public. Freemasons are proud of their heritage and happy to share it.
Excerpt from different Masonic Websites courtesy of glphils.org |
