What is a freemasonry?
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From the Wikipedia:\n\nFreemasonry is an esoteric society, in that certain aspects of its internal work are not generally disclosed to the public[2]. In recent years, Freemasons have stated that Freemasonry has become less a secret society and more of a society with secrets.[3][4] It also claims that most of the "secrets" of Freemasonry were revealed and have been known to the public since as early as the eighteenth century.[5] For this and other reasons, most modern freemasons regard the traditional concern over secrecy as a demonstration of their ability to keep a promise[6] and as a surrogate for the organization's concern over the privacy of their own affairs.[7][8] The private aspects of modern Freemasonry deal with elements of ritual and the modes of recognition amongst members within the ritual.
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If you are referring to Freemasons, then I can answer that since I am one.  We do have retirement homes that are available to members and their wives, but they are not free.  They still cost money, although some of the cost may be subsidized by the fraternity.\n\nDepending on a lodge's location, there are also many family activities available such as theater and ballgame tickets, and many other activities to encourage family activity.\n\nIf you want to know more, you can email me or you can contact your local Masonic lodge, but remember that people do not join Freemasonry in order to get access to benefits.  People join because they are interested in community service, charity, history, and becomeing better men.
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As an avid Freemason I continue to get this question. (my credantials include Past Master "President" of my local Masonic Lodge, 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Valley of Harrisburg, Tall Cedars of Lebanon, Royal Arch Chapter, Commandery Knights Templar, Pennsylvania Shield and Square Club, and the Order of the Amaranth.)\n\nFreemasonry is not a religion, our membership does not seek salvation through the lodge, and many members of Freemasonry take on active roles in thier respective churches or places of worship. Membershop however does require that you belive in a god or "supreme being". \n\nAs a result of not endorsing any one religion, there are Freemasons from nearly every religion and walk of life. There are Grand Lodges in India, Japan, to Spain and France. We leave the question of religion to the individual member, and we do not discuss religious theology inside the lodge.\nOur degrees however come from the bible, hence can be religious in nature. Members are reminded that it is a duty not necessarily for religions sake but for us as human beings to be good citizens and live by the golden rule regardless of religion.\n\nWe are an order, a way to live. to do to others that we would have done to ourselves, and seek no reward for our benefit religious or otherwise.
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No, the last Freemason president of the United States was Gerald Ford. Before that Harry S Truman and Franklin Roosevelt.
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1) Freemasonry is not a secret society.  Check the topic out at a decent library and you'll find all you ever want to know.  (If you look hard enough, you'll even find out why people think everything's a secret!)\n\n2) Freemasonry is not a cult.  A cult deals with religion and freemasonry does not.  True, it is based upon religious texts... but only for the moral values found therein.
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There are alot of people out there who believe that the masonic orders are cults, this is not the case. In order to become a mason, you must first go to open events, and get to know the members. Ask for a petition and then it will take anywhere from 3-6 months for you to become a member. A mason has to recommend you and you have to prove you are of good moral charicter and above all, you must have a belief in a supreme being. There is no being a stanist or athieist in this organiztaion, it is not tolerated.
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All reason  you would have for being anti-mason would be complete bull carp. I am a mason EVERY bad thing i have read about masons is complete fiction. Please I.M or email me My email is tatimsaspas@yahoo my name on messenger is tatimsaspas. I will and am allowed to tell you almost every secret masons have. The one secert I cant tell you is the passwords you would use to get into a lodge. But you could find out those serect just by attending 3 meeting. BUT YOU MUST ASK TO JOIN WE DO NO RECRUIT.
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It is actually quite simple.  Just call them and ask to speak to someone about becoming a Freemason.  I don't personally know any of the brothers at that lodge, but almost all lodges are very welcoming for people who are interested in joining.  Just give them a call and arrange to meet with some of the officers.\n\nYou can get the phone number from the website for that lodge at:\nhttp://www.cedarbayoulodge.org/contact_us.htm
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Freemasons are a rather contraversial group. Today, they still have secrets. My dad is one, I should know. Anyway, to be a mason, you have to be reccomended by at least two other Masons, and you have to be male. The masons were supposedly founded in the days before the Crusades in the form of the Templar Knights of france. There are a lot of stories surrounding that. one of them is that the king of France wanted to steal or otherwise procure the Templar's treasure. They refused, and were almost wiped out. Sucks to be them. Any other questions?
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Albert Pike was, among other things, a very famous Freemason.  He is responsible for a lot of Masonic philosophy and guides.\n\nread more at http://www.masonicinfo.com/pike.htm
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Some of the masonic societies could be consider as a meta religious society.   Rosicrucians even more.
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It is a square and compass. The sqaure teaches and reminds masons to sqaure thier actions in all thier dealing with mankind. The compass teachs to circumscribe you desires and keep your passions within due bonds. The G represnts geometrry and God. There is nothing sexual as the other answer states. \n\n    The basic piont of freemasonary is to teach people to act morally, honest and to give a great deal to charity. They use the tools of operative masons to represate other ideas. There are meanings behind many other tools and symbols.\n I am a mason
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A free mason is a member of a "secret" society known as the free masons. A Mason is somebody who works with stone.
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Freemasons are members of a Fraternal Organization founded on the principals of The Fatherhood of God (whatever you perceive him to be) the Brotherhood of Man and the Immortality of Man ... we believe in Faith Hope and Charity and are the driving force behind the Shrine and Scottish Rite Childrens Hospitals ... There are a number of appendant bodies (like the Shriners and Scottish Rite and York Rite) that extend from Freemasonry but you must be a Freemason before you may continue in the other bodies.
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You wished to talk with an esoteric Freemason? You got it. I will give you only my take on the questions you asked. Freemasons are that, FREE. We speak for ourselves.\n\nFirst, there are branches of Freemasonry that are more esoteric than others. \n\nSome are truly simple fraternal service organizations. Shriners do enormous good for children - orthopedics and burn hospitals that do not take a penny from families unable to pay. Go ahead and dis that and then tell me what YOU are doing to help the world. *sorry, I do get tired of the anti-Masonic stuff occasionally*\n\nI am a member of the American Co-Masons. We are Freemasons who admit women and men of all races and religions, who are of legal age, good repute, and believe in a Supreme Being. Most of all that person must ASK to join. We do not recruit. \n\nWe are a system of morality. We use the symbols of ancient operative stone masons as reminders of how to conduct our daily lives. Symbols have only the meaning we choose to invest in them. Sounds like a cop out. Strangely enough though, when a new member of the Lodge asks what a particular symbol means, he is often asked right back, "Well, what does it mean to you?" We layer meanings, you see. We find new meanings for the symbols as they apply. \n\nLet me give you a made up example (yes, I do wish to keep within due bounds of my own oaths here not to reveal things I am sworn not to reveal - more on that in a second, promise): Suppose we had a society based upon Shepherding. I mean that would be as rich in symbols, right? The head of our Lodge might be called "The Faithful Shepherdess" and we would talk about using the Shepherd's Crook of our conscience to keep the sheep of our thoughts from straying away from our sworn tasks. Later on, some Brother might say he found that he used the Shepherd's Crook to remind his Brother not to go into that barroom with that dancer and instead to head home to his wife.  Silly madeup example but there you go.\n\nOK, you may read many interpretations about the Square and the Compasses. Notice, it is not compass (that is a magnetic thing that shows direction) but compasses (that is a drawing tool). Interpretations abound online. Each Freemason is encouraged to bring their own meanings to them. I will give you only a little to chew on.\n\nThe Square is unchanging. It measures a block to make sure it is uniform. What a wonderful thing that was in building! If you "square your work or area up" what does that mean? It means to make it as perfect as you can. Square is truly a 4 sided object (two sides are missing in most representations). \n\nThe Compasses is used in circles and in trigonometry. It has three parts. It opens and closes. Nice complement to something so rigid as a Square, right? \n\nThere are those who find their combination to be something sexual. Some say it looks like a guy and a gal together, some say it looks like a mandorla. There are those who laugh when the school cafeteria serves hotdogs on buns, too. *sigh*\n\n\nIn regards to the G, not all Lodges have a G. The French have a D. Ahem, does that give you a clue? Mon Dieu! Did I give you too much? Perhaps. In my Order we have a five pointed star, the pent-alpha with a Yod (Hebrew letter) in the center of that. Wonder what that means?\n\nOne can argue that there is a select cabal of very rich men who run this world. And of course you do not know their names because they are secret. You cannot disprove this because no proof is ever given. You can say it is the Roman Catholic Church, the Freemasons, the Jews, the Mafia, the Illuminati, or all of them. The Freemasons I know are upright and law-abiding folks. We work pretty hard at trying to improve the world and ourselves. Personally, I would be unwilling to take the reins of anything beyond myself right now. Too daunting. \n\nRegarding secrets. Mostly what we want for the candidate of each degree is that he or she not have expectations of the
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A person winning high scholastic distinction in an American college or university and being elected to membership in a national honor society founded in 1776.  That is what Phi Beta Kappa is, what it means to one, depends on the one.
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the Masons are not a  religious organization or a religious cult. No matter what the uneducated 'bible thumpers' will say. the ceremonies and rituals are religious in nature but the Masons accept all religions with the exception of an atheist. you must believe in a supreme being. This is why the Christians don't like the Masons.\noriginally the Masons were like a gentleman's club with the most powerful and influential men in the town, or city belonging. \nif you want more information talk to a Mason.