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There are many myths and theories about Freemasonry.
Sometimes, it becomes hard to distinguish between what’s a myth and what’s the truth.
Throughout the many years of Freemasonry, rumours have brought about plenty of wrong information, misguided accusations and all-around “illiteracy” about the craft.
That is why today we’d like to share some very interesting (and truthful) facts about Freemasonry.
Some may come as a total surprise and some you may already know. Nonetheless, we really hope you enjoy this article.
The conventional establishment of Freemasonry dates back to 1717 when the Grand Lodge of London emerged on 24th June.
It was the emergence of this Grand Lodge that marked the beginning of Grand Lodges governing other lodges.
The third degree did not exist in the beginning of Freemasonry.
In fact, it only started in the 1720s, and it took quite some time to spread through Masonic lodges.
The Grand Lodge of England modified Anderson’s Constitution in 1815 to clarify the question of religion in Freemasonry.
The Anderson’s Constitution originally stated that a Freemason can “never be a stupid Atheist nor an irreligious libertine”, but later was modified to “let a man’s religion or mode of worship be what it may”, professing freedom of religion and of worship.
Charles Darwin was a Freemason! Darwin became a Freemason in Scotland, and his grandfather and son were also Freemasons.
Freemasons played a great part in the Enlightenment. In the late 1700s, they helped reform society.
Since the beginning, Freemasonry has valued human consciousness and reason, and these values were transmitted to the Enlightenment when people were fighting for the freedom of worship and speech, public education and a democratic government.
Freemasons were also the first advocates of equality.
The fraternity has always disregarded social distinctions and was one of the first organisations in the world to believe that all men are equal.
Freemasonic symbols are usually regarded as existing because of the secrecy of the fraternity.
However, in reality, Freemasonry was illustrated by symbols because, in the very beginning, most stonemasons were illiterate, thus the symbols served to remind the members of the teachings of the Fraternity.
The oldest Masonic symbol is the square and compasses.
It is also the most universally recognized symbol of Freemasonry, even though its exact significance varies in different countries.
The Square usually symbolizes morality, while the Compasses symbolize the wisdom of conduct.
Together they mostly symbolize the harmony and perfection experienced when one lives in honesty and follows the path of righteousness.
The term “on the level”, which was used to describe someone who is truthful and honest, was actually derived from Freemasonry, where the “level” symbolizes being straightforward and truthful.
During the American civil war, enemy soldiers who recognized each other as Freemasons helped each other and saved each other’s lives.
Even during the war, these Freemasons’ loyalty to the craft did not fade away.
While Freemasonry is often considered a cult, there are actually quite a few components that separate it from other “cults.
First of all, to become a Freemason a man has to ask a Freemason, while members of a cult are always looking for new recruits.
It is also very easy to leave Freemasonry. On the other hand, once part of a cult, it can be extremely difficult to leave.
In 1892, a Masonic building spread out over 22 floors used to be the world’s tallest building.
The Masonic Temple in Illinois, Chicago, was the tallest building in the world at the time it was built. See a list of famous Masonic temples here.
If you liked this post, you may also like some of our previous articles about Freemasonry, here are some of our most popular:
I hope you enjoyed today’s article, brethren.
Be sure to drop us a comment below with your thoughts and share with us facts about Freemasonry we may have missed – we’d love to hear from you!
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