What Masonry is:

- It is a voluntary association of men.
- It is a system of moral conduct.
- It is a way of life.
- It is a fraternal society.
- It is religious in its character.
- It teaches the Golden Rule.
- It seeks to make good men better men.
- It teaches morality through symbolism.
- It uses rites and ceremonies to instruct its members.
- It is based on a firm belief in the Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of Man, and the Immortality of the soul.


What Masonry is not:

- It does not solicit members.
- It is not an insurance or benefit society.
- It is neither a religion nor a cult nor a religious order by any means.
- It is not a charity organization, but makes charity a duty.
- It is not organized for profit.
- It dictates to no man as to his beliefs, either religious or secular.
- It seeks no advantages for its members through business or politics.
- It is not a forum for discussion of religion, politics or other partisan affairs.
- It is not a secret society, as it does not conceal its existence or purposes.


What is Masonry?

Masonry (or Freemasonry) is the oldest fraternity in the world. No one knows just how old it is because the actual origins have been lost in time. Probably, it arose from the guilds of stonemasons who built the castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages. Possibly, they were influenced by the Knights Templar, a group of Christian warrior monks formed in 1118 to help protect pilgrims making trips to the Holy Land.

In 1717, Masonry created a formal organization in England when the first Grand Lodge was formed. A Grand Lodge is the administrative body in charge of Masonry in some geographical area. In the United States, there is a Grand Lodge in each state. In Canada, there is a Grand Lodge in each province. Local organizations of Masons are called lodges. There are lodges in most towns, and large cities usually have several. There are about 13,200 lodges in the United States.

- Freemasonry is a character building society which promotes education, charity and fraternal relations between friends.

- Freemasonry is not a secret society. It is a world-wide fraternity whose members proudly declare their membership.

- Freemasonry is a voluntarily society. No one is ever invited to become a Mason. To be one you must ask one. You must voluntarily seek membership by asking a Mason.


What is a Lodge?

The word "lodge" means both a group of Masons meeting in some place and the room or building in which they meet. Masonic buildings are also sometimes called "temples" because much of the symbolism Masonry uses to teach its lessons comes from the building of King Solomon's Temple in the Holy Land. The term "lodge" itself comes from the structures which the stonemasons build against the sides of the cathedrals during construction. In winter, when building had to stop, they lived in these lodges and worked at carving stone. While there is some variation in detail from state to state and country to county, lodge rooms today are set up to resemble those lodges from ancient times.


What is a Mason?

Even though Masons are members of the largest and oldest fraternity in the world, and even though many people has a father, a grandfather or an uncle who was a Mason, they aren't quite certain of just who Masons are. The answer is simple. A Mason (or Freemason) is a member of a fraternity known as Masonry (or Freemasonry). A fraternity is a group of men (just as a sorority is a group of women) who join together because: There are things they want to do in the world; There are things they want to do "inside their own minds"; They enjoy being together with men they like and respect.


Why is Masonry so "Secretive"?

It really isn't "secretive", although it sometimes has that reputation. Masons certainly don't make a secret of the fact that they are members of the fraternity. We wear rings, lapel pins and tie tacks with Masonic emblems like the Square and Compasses, the best known of Masonic signs which, logically, recalls the fraternity's roots in stonemasonry. Masonic buildings are clearly marked, and are usually listed in the phone book. Lodge activities are not secret picnics and other events are even listed in the newpapers, especially in smaller towns. Many lodges have answering machines which give the upcoming lodge activities. But there are some Masonic secrets, and they fall into two categories.

The first are the ways in which a man can identify himself as a Mason - grips and passwords. We keep those private for obvious reasons. It is not at all unkown for unscrupulous people to try to pass themselves off as Masons in order to get assistance under false pretenses.

The second group is harder to describe, but they are the ones Masons usually mean if we talk about "Masonic secrets". They are secrets because they literally can't be talked about, can't be put into words. They are the changes that happen to a man when he really accepts responsibility for his own life and, at the same time, truly decides that his real happiness is in helping others. It's a wonderful feeling, but it's something you simply can't explain to another person. That's why we sometimes say tat Masonic secrets cannot (rather than "may not") be told. Try telling someone exactly what you feel when you see a beautiful sunset, or when you hear music, like the national anthem, which suddenly stirs old memories, and you'll understand what we mean.

"Secret societies" became very popular in America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. There were literally hundreds of them, and most people belonged to two or three. Many of them were modeled on Masonry, and made a great point of having many "secrets". And Masonry got ranked with them. But if Masonry is a secret society, it's the worst-kept secret in town.


What are the qualifications to become a Mason?

We are proud of our philosophy and practice of "making good men better". Therefore, only men of high character are considered for membership. Every applicant must state his belief in the existence of a Supreme being. Atheists are not accepted into our fraternity. Furthermore, that he comes of his own free will and accord; that he is not influenced by mercenary motives; and that he is fully disposed to conform to the usages of the Order.


How do I become a member of the Masons?

You must ask a Mason friend to recommend you. You must then sign a petition, stating your age, occupation and place of residence. Members of the Lodge will then vote on your admissions after careful consideration of your character and reputation.


What is a Degree?

A degree is a stage or level of membership. It's also the ceremony by which a man attains that level of membership.

There are three, called Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft (or Fellow Craft), and Master Mason. As you can see, the names are taken from the craft guilds. In the Middle Ages, when a person wanted to join a craft, such as the gold smiths or the carpenters or the stonemasons, he was first apprenticed. As an apprentice, he learned the tools and skills of the trade. When he had proved his skill, he became a "Fellow of the Craft" (today we would say "journeyman"), and when he had exceptional ability, he was known as a Master of the Craft.

The degrees are plays in which the candidate participates. Each degree uses symbols to teach, just as plays did in the Middle Ages and as many theatrical prductions do today. The Masonic degrees teach the great lessons of life: The importance of honor and integrity, of being a person on whom others can rely, of being both trusting and trustworthy, of realizing that you have a spiritual nature as well as a physical or animal nature, of the importance of self-control, of knowing how to love and be loved, of knowing how to keep confidential what others tell you so that they can "open up" without fear.


If Masonry is not a religion, why does it use rituals?

We all use rituals everyday. Shaking hands when you meet a friend is a ritual. Standing for the National Anthem before a baseball game is a ritual. Our lives are filled with rituals. Masonry uses ritual because it is an effective way to teach important values and symbolism. Masonry's rituals are very rich because they are very old. Masonry has developed over centuries to contain some beautiful language and ideas. But when you think about it, there's nothing unsual about a "ritual". Rituals are a part of everyday's life!


Does Masonry interfere with religious activities?

Masonry is not a religion; it is a handmaiden to true religion. Masonry, properly understood and lived, supports and sustains a man in his religious affiliations, better qualifies him for his religious activites, encourages and strengthens him in the performances of his religious duties, and opens up to him many opportunities for genuine services of a religious character for his fellow-men. A man should be a better church member because of his Masonry, not a poorer one.


Can a man renounce Masonry?

For reasons which may or may not be justifiable, a man my sever his connection with a Masonic Lodge; but it is utterly impossible for any Mason who has been honest and understanding in accepting the Rites of Freemasonry to repudiate his Masonic Obligations. Nor can any man, in all good conscience with himself, toward man, and toward GOD, denounce the principles, tenets, symbolic instructions, inner workings, and uplifting benedictions of Freemasonry, once he has fully understood Freemasonry and fully assimilated its teachings.


I would like to join the Masons of Texas...

We all have many roles to fill in our lives. We're husbands, fathers, employees, neighbors and friends. We're all trying our best to be better men. What better way to live a life of service to others while making yourself a better man than in the company of your fellow Masons of Texas!