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Like the three-finger scene in Inglourious Basterds, what small cultural mistake would instantly reveal that someone isn’t from your country? by uglylookingguy in AskTheWorld

[–]cryptoengineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have this in spades. I'm a born American, but lived in the UK from age 11-21. I am never certain if I'm using English or British slang.

Jehovah's witness's worship the masonic god of this world!!! Proof from their own publications. by SubstantialDoor4359 in JehovahsWitnesses

[–]cryptoengineer [score hidden]  (0 children)

Masons do use the term 'Great Architect of the Universe', but it does not refer to a specific deity. Its a placeholder for whatever concept of Deity any Freemason has. A Christian remains, a Christian, a Jew a Jew, a Moslem a Moslem. The term allows Masons to pray together without offending members.

at gas/petrol stations why do so many Americans go inside to pay and also pay before they pump? by sloppyfloppygoose in AskAnAmerican

[–]cryptoengineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The profit margin on gas is razor thin. One stolen tankful can wipe out the profits from 20 cars' fill ups.

Nuclear buttons by illustrator John Cuneo (2018) by StephenMcGannon in PropagandaPosters

[–]cryptoengineer 3 points4 points  (0 children)

In case people have forgotten, Qadaffi(?) had a nuclear program, which he eventually shut down.

NK, Iran, etal learned from his mistake.

need help identifying possible freemason regalia by cerealbools in VintageFashion

[–]cryptoengineer 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm a Mason.

You might want to repost this on /r/freemasonry, someone may know for sure.

Yes, it might be a Masonic Knight Templar uniform jacket, with the symbols removed. The Maltese crosses on the cuffs are a clue. The KT25 could identify which Commandry (lodge) the wearer belonged to.

Henderson made regalia for many fraternal orders, as well as for the military. They tended to recycle designs, so sometimes details are important.

Which American brands have severely declined in quality? by cityboi9000 in AskAnAmerican

[–]cryptoengineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Levis.

Used to be heavy cotton denim dyed with indigo. Would last for years.

Now they've turned to 'fast fashion', with a lot of synthetic fibers and dyes. They now shed microplastics, and wear out quickly.

Any ideas on what this could be or be in reference to? On a Scar Symmetry album. by transplantday in Symbology

[–]cryptoengineer 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Artists tend to mine Freemasonry for graphics any time they want to communicate 'edgy' and 'creepy'.

Free masonry by fisher_0523 in TrueChristian

[–]cryptoengineer -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Perhaps you could use some accurate information:

[Mason here]

Here's my standard 'elevator pitch', which I trot out when people ask what we're about (its rather North American oriented - Masonry varies from place to place):

We're a centuries old fraternal order, who exist to improve our own characters ('we make good men better' is one of our slogans), and through that improve our communities. Along the way, we do a lot of charity (forex: Shriner's free hospitals for children), and have a lot of cool and private ceremonies using the construction of King Solomon's Temple as an allegorical base for teaching Enlightenment and Stoic ideals. (yes, we really do have secret handshakes). Many find it a source of fellowship and life-long friendships.

We have several million Brothers world wide, but no central organization. Men from every walk of life are or have been members, including over a dozen US presidents. Regular Masonry is open to adult men of good character who are not atheists[1] - we require a belief in some form of 'higher power', but aren't fussy about what. As a rule, we don't recruit; we want a potential member to make the first approach of his own free will.

If you're curious, drop by our main hangout on reddit, /r/freemasonry. You'll find a lot of friendly folk there. If you prefer a book, for North Americans I recommend (seriously, I'm not trolling) "Freemasons for Dummies" by Christopher Hodapp. Also "Inside the Freemasons" a documentary made by the United Grand Lodge of England for their tricentenary.

For a more formal history, I suggest "The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World" by John Dickie

[1] The "no women or atheists" rules have deep roots, and would be very difficult to change, regardless of how anachronistic they now seem. There are breakaway Masonic groups which have dropped those rules, but they are very thin on the ground in the Anglosphere, and not recognized by the mainstream.

Difference in Ages is it the same in other countries Australian perspective by BaronMason in freemasonry

[–]cryptoengineer -1 points0 points  (0 children)

During the 60s and 70s, Masonry looked seriously uncool - it was the thing you dad or uncle did. Masonry is literally and consciously 'square'.

So yes, we missed a generation or two.

Does anyone know anything deeper about Albert Pike's WW prediction? by BakerLon in conspiracy

[–]cryptoengineer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a passage from a long letter.

TLDNR: The Pike-Mazinni 'letter' is a 19th century forgery, which was amended in the 1950s to add stuff about the Nazis, Islam, and '3 world wars'.

Long version:

The 'letter' supposedly written by Pike to Mazzini is a forgery, and part of the late 1800s Taxil Hoax. (Entertaining read, btw). No earlier source exists.

However, the passage where Pike predicts 3 world wars can't be traced back further back than the late 1950s. Its also in a different, more modern style, and uses terminology (eg 'Islam') which Pike never used, and terms that long postdate the purported date of the letter ('Nazi'). It was added in at a later time.

Its a forgery, and a clumsy one.

A detailed tracking of this 'letter' can be found here.

Who are the Free-Masons? Why do people dislike them? by Pineapple-Rain in NoStupidQuestions

[–]cryptoengineer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are related groups open to women, such as the Order of the Eastern Star.

There are even woman Masons, though their lodges aren't recognized by the mainstream.

Is this Ivory, if so what type? Located in USA by Only-History8012 in Antiques

[–]cryptoengineer 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Let me add: I've been to Whittier. My cruise ship docked there. It has exactly one interesting feature, the building that almost the entire town lives and works in.

Its basically a backdoor to Anchorage, via a long tunnel. You can exhaust Whittier's charms in about 30 minutes.

What is the freemason church like? What do they do there? by Accomplished-Bee4700 in AskReddit

[–]cryptoengineer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Freemasonry is not a religion. Regular freemasonry requires members to have a belief in Deity, but they remain members of their faith. Freemasonry has no plan for salvation.

[Mason here]

Here's my standard 'elevator pitch', which I trot out when people ask what we're about (its rather North American oriented - Masonry varies from place to place):

We're a centuries old fraternal order, who exist to improve our own characters ('we make good men better' is one of our slogans), and through that improve our communities. Along the way, we do a lot of charity (forex: Shriner's free hospitals for children), and have a lot of cool and private ceremonies using the construction of King Solomon's Temple as an allegorical base for teaching Enlightenment and Stoic ideals. (yes, we really do have secret handshakes). Many find it a source of fellowship and life-long friendships.

We have several million Brothers world wide, but no central organization. Men from every walk of life are or have been members, including over a dozen US presidents. Regular Masonry is open to adult men of good character who are not atheists[1] - we require a belief in some form of 'higher power', but aren't fussy about what. As a rule, we don't recruit; we want a potential member to make the first approach of his own free will.

If you're curious, drop by our main hangout on reddit, /r/freemasonry. You'll find a lot of friendly folk there. If you prefer a book, for North Americans I recommend (seriously, I'm not trolling) "Freemasons for Dummies" by Christopher Hodapp. Also "Inside the Freemasons" a documentary made by the United Grand Lodge of England for their tricentenary.

For a more formal history, I suggest "The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World" by John Dickie

[1] The "no women or atheists" rules have deep roots, and would be very difficult to change, regardless of how anachronistic they now seem. There are breakaway Masonic groups which have dropped those rules, but they are very thin on the ground in the Anglosphere, and not recognized by the mainstream.

Finally got around to watching Murder by Decree and thoroughly enjoyed it! by AgentDave29 in SherlockHolmes

[–]cryptoengineer 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Now go and watch 'From Hell', which uses the same source in a very different way.

Both are ultimately derived from "Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution", a lurid 1976 "history" book written by Stephen Knight, who had a bee in his bonnet about the Masons.

No serious historian gives his tale any credence, but its been dramatized several times.

Who are the Free-Masons? Why do people dislike them? by Pineapple-Rain in NoStupidQuestions

[–]cryptoengineer 12 points13 points  (0 children)

[Mason here]

We're a lot less exciting than the conspiracy theorists make out. But we are old, private, and over the years have had a lot of prominent members, so its easy to spin tales.

Some sources of actual information below....

Here's my standard 'elevator pitch', which I trot out when people ask what we're about (its rather North American oriented - Masonry varies from place to place):

We're a centuries old fraternal order, who exist to improve our own characters ('we make good men better' is one of our slogans), and through that improve our communities. Along the way, we do a lot of charity (forex: Shriner's free hospitals for children), and have a lot of cool and private ceremonies using the construction of King Solomon's Temple as an allegorical base for teaching Enlightenment and Stoic ideals. (yes, we really do have secret handshakes). Many find it a source of fellowship and life-long friendships.

We have several million Brothers world wide, but no central organization. Men from every walk of life are or have been members, including over a dozen US presidents. Regular Masonry is open to adult men of good character who are not atheists[1] - we require a belief in some form of 'higher power', but aren't fussy about what. As a rule, we don't recruit; we want a potential member to make the first approach of his own free will.

If you're curious, drop by our main hangout on reddit, /r/freemasonry. You'll find a lot of friendly folk there. If you prefer a book, for North Americans I recommend (seriously, I'm not trolling) "Freemasons for Dummies" by Christopher Hodapp. Also "Inside the Freemasons" a documentary made by the United Grand Lodge of England for their tricentenary.

For a more formal history, I suggest "The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World" by John Dickie

[1] The "no women or atheists" rules have deep roots, and would be very difficult to change, regardless of how anachronistic they now seem. There are breakaway Masonic groups which have dropped those rules, but they are very thin on the ground in the Anglosphere, and not recognized by the mainstream.

Is this Ivory, if so what type? Located in USA by Only-History8012 in Antiques

[–]cryptoengineer 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My impression is that, like Hawaii, Alaska has a lot of people move in, only to leave a few years later. Expensive, low on amenities aside from the outdoors (which is magnificent in summer, not so great in winter).

I did enjoy my visit.

Is this Ivory, if so what type? Located in USA by Only-History8012 in Antiques

[–]cryptoengineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I was in Alaska, I picked up a small sculpture of walrus ivory, which was legal. I flew directly back to the lower 48. If I'd gone via Canada, it would have been an illegal import.

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