Frequently Asked

Freemasonry is the world's oldest and largest fraternal order, dedicated to the moral and spiritual development of its members through ritual, allegory, and symbol drawn from the operative stonemasons of the Middle Ages.

No. Freemasonry requires belief in a Supreme Being but does not specify which one — Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and others meet as equals. It teaches no theology and offers no salvation; that is the work of one's own faith.

We are a society with secrets, not a secret society. Our existence, addresses, charities, and members are all public; only our private modes of recognition (signs, grips, words) are reserved for the initiated.

Ask. The only initiative the Craft requires is your own. Visit a Lodge near you, or use our Lodge Directory to find one — and ask the Worshipful Master for a petition.

Any man of legal age (typically 18 or 21), of good moral character, who believes in a Supreme Being and comes of his own free will and accord. Women have their own Masonic obediences — see our Sisters of the Craft chamber.

Initiation fees vary widely — typically $200–$500 — plus modest annual dues ($75–$300). The Craft has never turned away a worthy candidate for inability to pay.

We open in due form, read the minutes, conduct charity and business, and either confer a degree on a candidate or hold a discussion or lecture. We close with prayer and a hand of fellowship.

Not at all. The dramatic moments of each degree are entirely symbolic — meant to instruct, not to harm. No Mason has ever been physically endangered by his initiation.

If only we did — we would have already cured every disease and ended every war. The truth is far less cinematic: Masons are simply men, gathered to make themselves a little better than they were.

Because he, like 14 other U.S. presidents, found in the Craft a school of virtue and a brotherhood of equals — at a time when democracy itself was still a new idea.

Yes — millions worldwide, in obediences such as Le Droit Humain, the Order of Women Freemasons, the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons, the Eastern Star, and many more.

Both are appendant bodies for Master Masons who wish to continue their education. The Scottish Rite confers the 4°–32° (and the honorary 33°). The York Rite confers the Royal Arch, Cryptic, and Knights Templar degrees.

Shriners International is a fraternal organization for Masons who have completed either the Scottish or York Rite. It operates 22 free children's hospitals — the most extensive philanthropic project of any fraternity in history.

It has been with most for three centuries — virtually all Protestant denominations, mainstream Judaism, most Sunni and Shia traditions, and the Eastern Orthodox communion. The Roman Catholic Church does not permit dual membership; consult your priest.

The non-sectarian Masonic name for Deity. Each Brother understands it according to his own faith; the Lodge does not define it.

No. Both are forbidden topics within the Lodge — precisely so men of every party and creed may meet as Brothers without faction.

Typically three to nine months, with one degree per month or quarter, plus the time required to memorize the proficiency lecture between each degree.

An honorary degree of the Scottish Rite, conferred only by invitation upon Brothers who have given exceptional service to the Craft and to mankind. It cannot be sought; it can only be received.