Q What is Freemasonry?
A Freemasonry is the U.K.'s largest secular, fraternal and
charitable organisation. It teaches moral lessons and self-knowledge
through participation in a progression of allegorical two-part
plays.
Q How many Freemasons are there?
A Under the United Grand Lodge of England, there are 330,000
Freemasons, meeting in 8,644 lodges. There are separate
Grand Lodges for Ireland (which covers north and south)
and Scotland, with a combined membership of 150,000. Worldwide,
there are probably 5 million members.
Q How and when did Freemasonry start?
A It is not known. The earliest recorded 'making' of a Freemason
in England is that of Elias Ashmole in 1646. Organised Freemasonry
began with the founding of the Grand Lodge of England on
24 June 1717, the first Grand Lodge in the world. Ireland
followed in 1725 and Scotland in 1736. All the regular Grand
Lodges in the world trace themselves back to one or more
of the Grand Lodges in the British Isles. There are two
main theories of origin. According to one, the operative
stonemasons who built the great cathedrals and castles had
lodges in which they discussed trade affairs.
They had simple initiation ceremonies and, as there were
no City and Guilds certificates, dues cards or trade union
membership cards, they adopted secret signs and words to
demonstrate that they were trained masons when they moved
from site to site. In the 1600s, these operative lodges
began to accept non-operatives as "gentlemen masons".
Gradually these non-operative took over the lodges and turned
them from operative to 'free and accepted' or 'speculative'
lodges. The other theory is that in the late 1500s and early
1600s, there was a group which was interested in the promotion
of religious and political tolerance in an age of great
intolerance when differences of opinion on matters of religion
and politics were to lead to bloody civil war.
In forming Freemasonry, they were trying to make better
men and build a better world. As the means of teaching in
those days was by allegory and symbolism, they took the
idea of building as the central allegory on which to form
their system. The main source of allegory was the Bible,
the contents of which were known to everyone even if they
could not read, and the only building described in detail
in the Bible was King Solomon's Temple, which became the
basis of the ritual. The old trade guilds provided them
with their basis administration of a Master, Wardens, Treasurer
and Secretary, and the operative mason's tools provided
them with a wealth of symbols with which to illustrate the
moral teachings of Freemasonry.
Q How many degrees are there in Freemasonry ?
A Basic Freemasonry consists of the three 'Craft' degrees
(Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason) completed
by the Royal Arch degree (Chapter). There are many other
Masonic degrees and Orders which are called 'additional'
because they add to the basis of the Craft and Royal Arch.
They are not basic to Freemasonry but add to it by further
expounding and illustrating the principles stated in the
Craft and Royal Arch.
Some of these additional degrees are numerically superior
to the third degree but this does not affect the fact that
they are additional to and not in anyway superior to or
higher than the Craft. The ranks that these additional degrees
carry have no standing with the Craft or Royal Arch.
