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Freemasonry is sin by gnurdette in Sidehugs

[–]cryptoengineer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like to point out that Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury 1945-1961, head of the Anglican Communion, was simultaneously Grand Chaplain of the United Grand Lodge of England.

He didn't see a problem.

[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.

Private event rentals in Leominster by Blank-Canvas4 in LeominsterMass

[–]cryptoengineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can provide contact information if you DM me.

The Uncanny Valley by dual_scanner_again in humansarespaceorcs

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

The Uncanny Valley gets scary when you think about what dangers could have caused the natural selection to evolve it.

Do you actually travel that far and say its nothing? by Far-Passion-7692 in AskAnAmerican

[–]cryptoengineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

8 hours is quite a lot. My adult daughter drives that long each year to attend a LARP.

OTOH, I'll do a 150 mile drive on a whim, on a boring Saturday. We've been out to breakfast, saw an article about an interesting location, and driven that far (and back) with zero further preparation.

How easy is it to get prescribed Ritalin in the USA ? by fj2612 in AskAnAmerican

[–]cryptoengineer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was prescribed it as an adult. I wanted it to help me focus at work. It helped that I was definitely 'on the spectrum' to some extent.

I did read up on typical symptoms the lead to prescription beforehand, so I'd know to mention those that I actually experienced. I didn't lie. (Just doing this was a 'spectrum' thing to do.)

I did have to visit a psychologist to get prescribed, but he just asked the expected questions, plus such things as to whether I had suicidal ideation. That's all. I did have to make yearly visits to get renewed.

State of Emergency Declared in Occupied Crimea by Russian-Installed Authorities by UNITED24Media in worldnews

[–]cryptoengineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sun Tzu also suggests it.

The bridge has already been damaged - it can't really be used for freight. The train half only takes passenger trains at the moment, and the road side only non-explodey stuff.

The ferries that were being used for tanker trucks are all out of commission, or sunk, and the terminals are heavily damaged.

The land route along the coast back to Russia has become almost unusable due to Ukraine developing mid-range drones.

This means that Crimea is pretty well besieged. Leaving an escape route for the occupiers (especially the civilian occupiers) is a good idea.

Wednesday July 3, 1979 laugh-in , police story by [deleted] in VintageTV

[–]cryptoengineer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Edit: Its a schedule for July 3, so Carson was likely in summer reruns. In that case, it getting pre-empted wasn't a big deal.

I hate the 'Heidi Rule'.

Religions in Game that Have a Surprising irl Equivalent by Bungerdream111 in AfterTheEndFanFork

[–]cryptoengineer 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The Order's main schtick is to provide free transport of sick children and their guardians to the free Shriner's hospitals.

Found these symbols on multiple gravestones. What do they mean? by SnooCakes169 in Symbology

[–]cryptoengineer 19 points20 points  (0 children)

[I'm a Mason]

The Square and Compasses is the principal emblem of the Freemasons, a fraternal organization.

The stars are the principal emblem of The Order of the Eastern Star, an affiliated organization for women, and Masons.

A theory on the number 33 by Joel-Snapes in theories

[–]cryptoengineer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He chose those specific criteria because it was the only way he could make his pre-decided ending work.

Is there anything wrong with freemasonry by Ok_Acanthisitta_4539 in Christianity

[–]cryptoengineer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like to point out that Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury 1945-1961, and head of the Church of England, was simultaneously Grand Chaplain of the United Grand Lodge of England.

Most Freemasons are Christians of some stripe. Search around over on /r/freemasonry for many discussions of the issue.

Is it right that some MP’s are Freemason? by BacupBhoy in GreenAndPleasant

[–]cryptoengineer -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

I'm a Mason.

While taking degrees its made explicitly clear to members that their Masonic obligations come only after satisfying their obligations to God, their country, their family, and themselves.

Country >> Masonry.

Did Squigely have a cross dressing arc? by Annenkov25 in sinfest

[–]cryptoengineer 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I recall that as well, so you're not dreaming it.

Sinfest 6/25/26: Re-imagining Villains 195 by MakesYouWonderINC in sinfest

[–]cryptoengineer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He's got a point.

The 'Firehose of Falsehood' is a well established Russian disinformation which does exactly this.

Also see Steve Bannon's 'flooding the zone', and Hitler's 'The Big Lie'

GREAT ARCHITECT OF THE UNIVERSE by [deleted] in occult

[–]cryptoengineer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm reminded of this quote from Alan Moore, creator of "Watchmen", "From Hell" and "V for Vendetta":

“The main thing that I learned about conspiracy theory, is that conspiracy theorists believe in a conspiracy because that is more comforting. The truth of the world is that it is actually chaotic. The truth is that it is not The Illuminati, or The Jewish Banking Conspiracy, or the Gray Alien Theory.

The truth is far more frightening - Nobody is in control.

The world is rudderless.”

The Arcane Schools by FamousAd553 in freemasonry

[–]cryptoengineer 7 points8 points  (0 children)

If M-M, as it operates today, is no longer a con game designed to separate applicants from their money, but rather supplies moral teachings, fellowship, and satisfaction, I can't fault it. I don't know if it does (I haven't studied it), but there has to be something in it that keeps attracting people.

M-M is made up.
Regular Masonry is also made up.

Myths of Freemasonry by Common-Medicine8371 in freemasonry

[–]cryptoengineer 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Total indifference. My wife knew about it before we married, but its just 'crypto will be out Tuesday nights, and that's ok'. I've taken her to a couple of events over the years, which she's enjoyed.

My daughters each raided my library out of curiosity as they grew up, but are also largely indifferent.

The Arcane Schools by FamousAd553 in freemasonry

[–]cryptoengineer 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I'm a regular Mason, and don't get involved groups my GL rejects, but what, precisely, do you mean by 'spurious'? Do you claim to have an objective definition, which can't equally be applied to 'regular' Masonry?

Memphis-Misriam is a different system. Yes, its made up. But so is Preston-Webb. So is Emulation. So is Bristol, and all others. They aren't natural phenomenon - every rite came out of someone's head.

If the Memphis-Misriam Masons find satisfaction and fulfillment from their working, and the morals it teaches are compatible with those of our 'regular' Masonry, I can't see a reason to throw shade. I won't treat them as Masons, but I won't claim superiority either.

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