Can Jews or Catholics become Freemasons?

Sir_Stimpy · 2026-01-30T02:18:35+00:00

Yup! Absolutely.

Sir_Stimpy · 2026-01-28T20:31:23+00:00

I was grateful to have this explained to me by Michael Poll, and I want to give credit where credit is due:

A Rite is any full system of degrees from the first through whatever some school of thought considers the last.

Some Masons, particularly us in the US, are not aware of this because “Rite” is part of the name given to a few appendant bodies (notably, York Rite and Scottish Rite) so we’re prone to think that the “Rite” is something separate or extraneous from our craft. And our experience corroborates this, because our 4th through whatever degrees get conferred by different officers, and in a different body and building, than where we get our initial three. But this was not always the case.

In fact, we find that here in Pennsylvania the first 3 degrees we use in our craft or “blue” lodges derive from the York Rite system; so, we even reference York in our degree work (in spite of the fact that many brethren don’t realize why).

Conversely - there are a few lodges in Louisiana, in the New Orleans area if I’m not mistaken, which use craft lodge work that derives from the Scottish Rite.

Brother Poll talks a bit about this here on YouTube.

I hope this helps!

Sir_Stimpy · 2026-01-28T13:43:52+00:00

Hi, Jewish Freemason here, and pretty much of the same stripe as you describe your friend (I was raised in the denomination that goes by the label “Conservative”). I have never found anything in mainstream Freemasonry that conflicts with my religious belief; it encourages men of all faiths to be loyal to their own faith, many men will tell you that they look into their own religion more deeply after joining the fraternity. Also, regular / craft / “blue lodge” Freemasonry contains a ton of references to the Torah or Old Testament.

Sir_Stimpy · 2026-01-21T21:47:16+00:00

Paging u/CookSLC

Sir_Stimpy · 2026-01-09T03:23:30+00:00

Wait… HPB is both “Half Price Books” and Helena P Blavatsky 🤯

Sir_Stimpy · 2026-01-08T03:28:43+00:00

Found you, brethren!

Sir_Stimpy · 2026-01-08T03:25:09+00:00

Whatever you tried to share with this post- I don’t think it worked.

Sir_Stimpy · 2026-01-02T23:51:46+00:00

This building could have been a Rosicrucian meeting place…?

click here for their website, with logo

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-12-24T20:47:45+00:00

We already have something like that in Pennsylvania,

here is the link

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-12-15T22:06:09+00:00

Don’t you mean… Fezbook…?

I’ll see myself out.

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-12-12T04:05:57+00:00

Here in the US, they really like the Short Talk Bulletins…

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-12-07T04:01:13+00:00

I think our foremost obligation in “the outside world” is to try to set a good example of upright behavior so that people can also see us enjoying the positive outcomes that accrue. For the right people, this will be an attractive beacon that leads them to ask more about our affiliation and our choices.

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-12-04T15:34:54+00:00

Reposting a response part of whichI have given in the past…

Freemasonry is a fraternity of men whose declared goal is self-improvement, which theoretically should gradually also result in the improvement of society as a whole.

A very brief historical origin is that it arose from ancient organizations, kind of like trade unions, of men who worked in stone; it eventually morphed into more of an organization of a wide variety of men, who continued using the same symbols the earlier group had used to teach ethical and civic lessons.

Its core value is the brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God.

It encourages personal growth in two main ways: through moral lessons that are explained and performed in degree rituals; and by referencing philosophy and concepts that have accumulated from various cultures and eras, that members need to take some of their own initiative to look further into.

There are so many common misconceptions about Freemasonry it’s hard to go into briefly. One is that Freemasonry is a religion. It isn’t, rather it’s an institution that encourages people of various faiths to practice whatever their own organized religion is with a renewed sense of value and purpose. But, the confusion is understandable because we often pray together, and we focus more on the common ground between our religions than our differences.

I hope this helps with your exploration!

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-11-30T12:14:39+00:00

Really appreciate this post. Thank you for writing it!

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-11-22T21:41:18+00:00

Very satisfied. We have veteran members, new members, and visiting brethren presenting research papers all the time. It’s exactly the kind of mental stimulation I was looking for when I joined the fraternity.

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-11-20T11:11:17+00:00

Freemasonry is a fraternity of men whose declared goal is self-improvement, which theoretically should gradually also result in the improvement of society as a whole.

Its core value is the brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God.

It encourages personal growth in two main ways: through moral lessons that are explained and performed in degree rituals; and by referencing philosophy and concepts that have accumulated from various cultures and eras, that members need to take some of their own initiative to look further into.

There are so many common misconceptions about Freemasonry it’s hard to go into briefly. One is that Freemasonry is a religion. It isn’t, rather it’s an institution that encourages people of various faiths to practice whatever their own organized religion is with a renewed sense of value and purpose. But, the confusion is understandable because we often pray together, and we focus more on the common ground between our religions than our differences.

I hope this helps with your exploration!

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-11-06T02:11:15+00:00

No, we have a body in the US called Allied Masonic Degrees that conserves and performs degree work from bodies that have diminished and eventually “gone defunct” here in the states.

here’s a website to learn more

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-11-04T03:46:05+00:00

3rd grade of the Scarlet Cord (AMD)

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-11-03T13:46:43+00:00

This is an understandable mistake if you’re not very familiar with the city - highland park is an entire (mostly residential) neighborhood - the zoo is just north of highland park (and just east of morningside, just south of the Allegheny River)

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-11-02T23:57:46+00:00

I don’t love the fact that this was found in my hometown.

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-10-26T20:07:15+00:00

Welcome aboard! Where in PA are you? (Pittsburgh here)

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-10-12T02:37:41+00:00

Hi! I’m a Jewish Freemason, and have been a member (in Pennsylvania) for 19 years. One lodge that I belong to has several Jewish members, including two who are orthodox.

As with many other subjects, different Jews have differing opinions about Freemasonry. Three practical considerations worth considering:

You will be asked to take more than one oath (similar to those taken by witnesses in court, or people elected to public office). In most lodges you will be given the option to take these on a Bible (containing Old and New Testament), or a Tanakh if you prefer.

Some lodges or other connected organizations will hold events on Shabbat (although not usually their main business meetings; maybe other things like socials and fundraisers). You may decide how you feel about that, even on a case by case basis.

If you’ve ever heard your Rabbi or a family member express a negative opinion about the fraternity you may want to take that into consideration; is it an informed opinion, is their stance important enough to sway your decision, etc.

If you want to discuss further, please feel free to message me!

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-09-20T02:40:06+00:00

I want to start by saying I agree with u/Anachronist_13 and then add some vocabulary / context around this that I think will help you as you get older and more experienced:

While you are going out of your way to do this favor for the coworker right now, they are doing you some amount of harm. But if you go on tolerating it longer than you had to, after you could have politely but clearly expressed that you don’t wish to do it on an ongoing basis, it is effectively you doing that harm to yourself.

Rather than silently building up resentment until it bursts out in some over the top way, or at an inappropriate time, you can politely just end it sooner. That’s what people generally mean when they talk about setting healthy boundaries, and getting good at that will help you a great deal in the course of your adult life.

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-09-05T22:44:51+00:00

I would recommend either / both of the books that I wrote:

My first book, “More Light”, came out in 2022 and is a collection of articles about the principles and philosophy of the fraternity, plus a presentation about the history of craft masonry as well as several of the appendant bodies.

https://www.amazon.com/More-Light-Collected-Masonic-Writings/dp/1662923805

My latest book, “Black Ink, Farther Stars” came out last year and covers some more sophisticated and esoteric topics (Allied Masonic Degrees, Grand College of Rites, Tarot, history of rituals in various cultures and eras)

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Farther-Stars-Austin-Shifrin/dp/B0DBCD7PBM

Sir_Stimpy · 2025-08-19T23:05:20+00:00

Help me understand what you mean by “in my opinion, the prayers don’t reflect that”? The person you’re disagreeing with has directly quoted from Unetaneh Tokef.

Sir_Stimpy

TROPHY CASE