Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is considered the oldest existing secular fraternal organisation, with documents and traditions dating back to the 14th century. One of the primary purposes of Freemasonry is charity.
Modern Freemasonry broadly consists of three main recognition groups: Regular Freemasonry, which insists that a "volume of sacred law", such as the Bible, the Quran, or other religious scripture be open in a working lodge, that every member professes belief in a Supreme Being, that no women be admitted, and that discussion of religion or politics does not take place within the lodge; Liberal or Continental Freemasonry, which consists of the jurisdictions that have removed some, or all, of these restrictions; and Women’s and Mixed-Gender Freemasonry (Co-Freemasonry), which includes organizations that either admit women exclusively (such as the Order of Women Freemasons and the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons in the UK) or accept both men and women (such as Le Droit Humain). These lodges are not officially recognized by Regular Freemasonry but operate independently, often following the same Masonic rules, regulations, rituals and traditions (sometimes sharing buildings, such as Freemasons' Hall in London).
All three traditions have evolved over time from their original forms and can all refer to themselves as 'Regular' and to other Grand Lodges as Irregular. The basic, local organisational unit of Freemasonry is the Lodge. These private Lodges are usually supervised at the regional level by a Grand Lodge or a Grand Orient. There is no international, worldwide Grand Lodge that supervises all of Freemasonry; each Grand Lodge is independent, and they do not necessarily recognise each other as being legitimate.
The degrees of Freemasonry are the three grades of medieval craft guilds: Entered Apprentice, Journeyman or Fellow of the craft, and Master Mason. The candidate of these three degrees is progressively taught the meanings of the symbols of Freemasonry and entrusted with grips, signs, and words to signify to other members that he has been so initiated. The degrees are part allegorical morality play and part lecture. These three degrees form Craft Freemasonry, and members of any of these degrees are known as Free-Masons, Freemasons, or Masons. Once the Craft degrees have been conferred upon a Mason, he is qualified to join various "Concordant bodies" which offer additional degrees. These organisations are usually administered separately from the Grand Lodges who administer the Craft degrees. The extra degrees vary with locality and jurisdiction. In addition to these bodies, there are further organisations outside of the more traditional rites of Freemasonry that require an individual to be a Master Mason before they can join.
Throughout its history Freemasonry has received criticism and opposition on religious, moral and political grounds. The Catholic Church, some Protestant denominations and certain Islamic countries or entities have expressed opposition to or banned membership in Freemasonry. Opposition to Freemasonry is sometimes rooted in antisemitism or conspiracy theories, and Freemasons have been persecuted by authoritarian states.
Masonic lodge
The Masonic lodge is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. The Lodge meets regularly and conducts the usual formal business of any small organisation (approve minutes, elect new members, appoint officers and take their reports, consider correspondence, bills and annual accounts, organise social and charitable events, etc.). In addition to such business, the meeting may perform a ceremony to confer a Masonic degree"Frequently Asked Questions" United Grand Lodge of England retrieved 30 October 2013 or receive a lecture, which is usually on some aspect of Masonic history or ritual."Materials: Papers and Speakers" Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire, retrieved 30 October 2013 At the conclusion of the meeting, the Lodge may hold a formal dinner, or festive board, sometimes involving toasting and song. These meetings are typically held in a Masonic temple, though other venues may occasionally be used.
The bulk of Masonic ritual consists of degree ceremonies. Candidates for Freemasonry are progressively initiated into Freemasonry, first in the degree of Entered Apprentice. At some later time, in separate ceremonies, they will be passed to the degree of Fellowcraft; and then raised to the degree of Master Mason. In each of these ceremonies, the candidate must first take the new obligations of the degree, and is then entrusted with secret knowledge including passwords, signs and grips (secret handshakes) confined to his new rank. Although these symbols and gestures are nominally secret, they are readily found in public sources, including those published by Masonic organizations themselves.
Another ceremony is the annual installation of the Master of the Lodge and his appointed or elected officers. In some jurisdictions, an Installed Master elected, obligated, and invested to preside over a Lodge, is valued as a separate rank with its own secrets and distinctive title and attributes; after each full year in the chair the Master invests his elected successor and becomes a Past Master with privileges in the Lodge and Grand Lodge. Masonic Dictionary, retrieved 31 October 2013 In other jurisdictions, the grade is not recognised, and no inner ceremony conveys new secrets during the installation of a new Master of the Lodge."Maçon célèbre : le Maître Installé" GADLU blog Maçonnique, 3 March 2013, retrieved 2 November 2013
Most Lodges have some sort of social functions, allowing members, their partners, and non-Masonic guests to meet openly.For instance "Introduction into Freemasonry" , Provincial Grand Lodge of Hertfordshire, retrieved 8 November 2013 Often coupled with these events is the discharge of every Mason's and Lodge's collective obligation to contribute to charity. This occurs at many levels, including in annual dues, subscriptions, fundraising events, Lodges and Grand Lodges. Masons and their charities contribute for the relief of need in many fields, such as education, health and old age."Charitable work" , UGLE, retrieved 8 November 2013(editors) John Hamill and Robert Gilbert, Freemasonry, Angus, 2004, pp 214–220
Private Lodges form the backbone of Freemasonry, with the sole right to elect their own candidates for initiation as Masons or admission as joining Masons, and sometimes with exclusive rights over residents local to their premises. There are non-local Lodges where Masons meet for wider or narrower purposes, such or in association with some hobby, sport, Masonic research, business, profession, regiment or college. The rank of Master Mason also entitles a Freemason to explore Masonry further through other degrees, administered separately from the basic Craft or "Blue Lodge" degrees described here, but generally having a similar structure and meetings.Michael Johnstone, The Freemasons, Arcturus, 2005, pp. 101–120
There is much diversity and little consistency in Freemasonry because each Masonic jurisdiction is independent and sets its own rules and procedures while Grand Lodges have limited jurisdiction over their constituent member Lodges, which are ultimately private clubs. The wording of the ritual, the number of officers present, the layout of the meeting room, etc. varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction."Les Officiers de Loge" Maconnieke Encyclopedie, retrieved 31 October 2013
Almost all officers of a Lodge are elected or appointed annually. Every Masonic Lodge has a Master, two Wardens, a treasurer and a secretary. There is also always a Tyler, or outer guard, outside the door of a working Lodge, who may be paid to secure its privacy. Other offices vary between jurisdictions.
Each Masonic Lodge exists and operates according to its own by-laws and the rules and regulations of its own Grand Orient or Grand Lodge, which elude any universally accepted definition and vary depending on the jurisdiction.
Organisation
Grand Lodges
Grand Lodges and Grand Orients are independent and sovereign bodies that govern Masonry in a given country, state or geographical area (termed a jurisdiction). There is no single overarching governing body that presides over worldwide Freemasonry; connections between different jurisdictions depend solely on mutual recognition.
Estimates of the worldwide membership of Freemasonry in the early 21st century ranged from about two million to more than six million.
The fraternity is administratively organised into independent Grand Lodges (or sometimes Grand Orients), each of which governs its own Masonic jurisdiction, which consists of subordinate (or constituent) Lodges.
The largest single jurisdiction, in terms of membership, is the United Grand Lodge of England (with local organisation into Provincial Grand Lodges possessing a combined membership estimated at 175,000). The Grand Lodge of Ireland claims it has approximately 19,000 members.
In the United States, there is no national level Grand Lodge. Instead, there are State level Grand Lodges which are in amity with each other. The Masonic Service Association of North America has estimated that total membership is around 875,000.
Grand Orient de France, the largest jurisdiction in Continental Freemasonry in terms of membership, claims to have over 50,000 members.
Other degrees, orders and bodies
Blue Lodges, known as Craft Lodges in the United Kingdom, offer only the three traditional degrees. In most jurisdictions, the rank of past or installed master is also conferred in Blue/Craft Lodges. Master Masons are able to extend their Masonic experience by taking further degrees, in concordant or other bodies whether or not approved by their own Grand Lodge.Robert L.D. Cooper, Cracking the Freemason's Code, Rider 2006, p. 229
The French Rite, historically also known as the Premier Rite or Modern Rite, is among the oldest surviving codified Masonic rites. It developed in France from the ritual tradition transmitted from the Premier Grand Lodge of England, founded in London in 1717. The name "Modern" derives from the rival Antient Grand Lodge of England, established in 1751, whose members called the original Grand Lodge the "Moderns" and themselves the "Antients". The French Rite dates from 1724 and was systematically organized during the 1780s as three symbolic grades followed by four higher Orders, now commonly known as the Orders of Wisdom, forming a complete seven-stage progression.
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is a system of 33 degrees, including the three Blue Lodge degrees administered by a local or national Supreme Council. This system is popular in North America, South America and in Continental Europe. In America the York Rite, with a similar range, administers three orders of Masonry, namely the Royal Arch, Cryptic Masonry and Knights Templar.Michael Johnstone, The Freemasons, Arcturus, 2005, pp. 95–98