Free Masons

[Soul_Patch]

So a couple of weekends ago, i wanted to take my son to the circus, the Shrine Circus.

I didnt know much about it, other than i know thes eare the funny hat guys, and they have a hospital. So i started looking into it.

Apparently, to be a shriner, you have to be a fairly high ranking free mason. So i thought, wtf is a free mason actually.

Looked it up and really cant find much information about what it is they are or actually do. Apparently it is a really old thing, they use a lot of symbolism and secrecy...so wtf does that mean?

Anyone shed some light on wtf these guys are or do? Why do they have a circus that blows pee pee? (we left after about 20 minutes of it). Why do they wear all this lavish fake jewelry when they are higher ranking? What purpose do they serve?

[Drachen]

So a couple of weekends ago, i wanted to take my son to the circus, the Shrine Circus.

I didnt know much about it, other than i know thes eare the funny hat guys, and they have a hospital. So i started looking into it.

Apparently, to be a shriner, you have to be a fairly high ranking free mason. So i thought, wtf is a free mason actually.

Looked it up and really cant find much information about what it is they are or actually do. Apparently it is a really old thing, they use a lot of symbolism and secrecy...so wtf does that mean?

Anyone shed some light on wtf these guys are or do? Why do they have a circus that blows pee pee? (we left after about 20 minutes of it). Why do they wear all this lavish fake jewelry when they are higher ranking? What purpose do they serve?

Read books on the Templar Knights to get some real in-depth info on them. Some believe that they are the evolution of the Knights once the Templars were outlawed, jailed, and burned.

[Soul_Patch]

do they serve any function to themselves or society currently?

I found it wierd that there was info on what it take to join, but no info on what joining actually means, or how it benefits or hinders me?

They had some sort of statement like "you will find out once we approve your membership" Why would i join something i dont know anything about?

wierd...

[BacktoBasics]

Its a mans club. Nothing special. Totally waste of time. All its designed to do is fill the void of loneliness with other lonely men.

The Shriners are fucking scam artists. Did you get the proverbial free circus pass for your kids only to find out that those free seats don't apply to sitting in seats next to their parents paid for seats? So either your kids sits in a different section than you or you do what everyone else does and toss the free pass and pay for a seat so your kid can sit with you.

Never again. Fuck you Shriners.

[BacktoBasics]

Plenty of info here

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/20/pg1/srtpages

[slacker77]

Don't know much about them,but one of my supervisors always wears this huge ring at work that has a 32 on it.One day I asked what that means and he said it represents the 32nd degree.He said it was a freemason thing.He wouldnt elaborate any further.

[Extra Stout]

It's just a civic organization like Rotary and whatnot. It provides networking opportunities. Historically, a large percentage of the people who got to high levels of leadership in business and politics were members. Supposedly, Christians aren't supposed to join because Masons have to profess religious indifferentism.

[Soul_Patch]

Don't know much about them,but one of my supervisors always wears this huge ring at work that has a 32 on it.One day I asked what that means and he said it represents the 32nd degree.He said it was a freemason thing.He wouldnt elaborate any further.

Yea see...i dont get all of the secrecy shit. Whatever i guess...probably a whole lot of nothing.


B2B, yes the circus was fucking stupid. we paid extra for "reserved seats" since they were 3 dollars more, and i didnt have to fight the mass ammount of trash fighting to get into the general admission area with their 19 kids.

We go down to our "reserved seats" only to find some Ron Artest looking 15 year old kid, with crop circles all over his head and his two sisters sitting in our seats. I kindly asked if they had tickets, as these were our seats. They got irate with me, and said they were sitting there! i went and grabbed a shriner guy, and he was a little perterbed and said " they double booked those seats...i said, wtf, do they have tickets...no...so they kicked them out of the seats and we sat down. Then artest's entire extended family came over and harrased us about taking their seats...since i wasnt gonig to get into a fight in front of a bunch of kids, and a supposed kids show, i just ignored it and asked them if they wouldnt mind getting the fuck out of my way so my kid can get even more scared by teh decrepid looking elephant stomping around two rows in front of us.


Anyway, apparently they dont even check tickets as there were scrubs all over trying to stake out seats they obviously didnt pay for, then getting mad when they make their scrub ass move back to the GA section.

..watching these cheap ass, false sense of entitlement dudes and their family come down and sit in seats that obviously arent theirs, then get irrate with the staff when they ask him to move for the people taht paid for the seats...throwing a huge fit and making a scene in front of 100s of kids there for some fun. And i wonder why my grandpa is so racist. Although i saw just as many white trash fuckers doing the same thing.


anyway...thats my shriner rant.

[BacktoBasics]

Fuck Shriners

[Wild Cobra]

Yea see...i dont get all of the secrecy shit. Whatever i guess...probably a whole lot of nothing.

I think that's just it. It's more a thing of a trust to keep I think.

See the movie "National Treasure?" That gives a fictional (maybe true) look into them.

Free Mason (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_mason)

[EricB]

The shriners do alot of good things with their children's hospitals and what not.

[Soul_Patch]

The shriners do alot of good things with their children's hospitals and what not.

They are terrible and running a circus.

Felt like i was at some seedy, bordertown side show. I sware the ring master was male who had a sex change. She had her pants pulled so far up her snatch it looked like a butt in the front.

No clue how i would have explained why the lady had two asses, to a 6 year old.

Also the flying Blublerbo's (could never understand wtf they were saying), were some family brought up from mexico, and basically did nothing...WATCH! as they attempt to due the death defying grab the whatever move!" watching...oh wow the guy swung and jumped off and grabbed the other swing thing......thats impressive? The only impressive thing to me was watching the matron of the group to see if her enormous boobs were actually going to fall out of the top of her one piece thing she was wearing.

didnt happen....

"The rage in the cage!" was somewhat entertaining, only because he had to have been some 55 year old X WWF washout, with stringy bleached hair, half bald, and some old ass half dead tigers that he tortured for 10 minutes while running around in circles smacking his chest and shaking the cage!! and smoking up the joint with his stupid ring of fire.

[BacktoBasics]

The shriners do alot of good things with their children's hospitals and what not.I'd be willing to bet that less than half of what they raise ends up in the hands of who it was raised for.

[DarkReign]

..watching these cheap ass, false sense of entitlement dudes and their family come down and sit in seats that obviously arent theirs, then get irrate with the staff when they ask him to move for the people taht paid for the seats...throwing a huge fit and making a scene in front of 100s of kids there for some fun.

You were at the Democratic National Convention?

[DarkReign]

BTW, this is the greatest description of a circus show on the internets.

[SpursGirl21]

http://www.secretsofmasons.com/index1.htm

Pa-mdPb77K0

[phyzik]

just watch the discovery channel, they have some shit on about the freemasons every couple of days.

[CosmicCowboy]

I had some friends in from out of town a few years ago and took them to the riverwalk. I forgot there was a Shriner convention in town. I've NEVER seen so many massively fucked up people walking around in funny hats. I was walking right behind one group of 3 that were so drunk they had their arms linked around their shoulders blocking the whole sidewalk and weaving down it...they stumbled left and the guy on the end just dropped straight down into the river...

He must have been so drunk he just sat on the bottom because he was completely under water except for that stupid fez floating on top...and he didn't pop back up...he just stayed under...I was actually handing my wallet to my friend getting ready to jump in and save his stupid ass from drowning when he finally stood back up...

[Evil Angel]

You were at the Democratic National Convention?

Good one! :lol

[samikeyp]

I'd be willing to bet that less than half of what they raise ends up in the hands of who it was raised for.

Sorry friend, but you would lose that bet.

[lefty]

I think the next and final installment of the Robert Langdon trilogy (DaVinci code, angerls and demons, and the next one) will deal will with free masons.

[samikeyp]

Freemasons get a lot of crap because of the secrecy around their meetings. More and more Masonic bodies are putting on public open houses to try and show that they are not some crazy ass cult. :) I say that with affection because coming from a Masonic family, I have seen some crazy ass Shriners. :lol Im sorry you guys had less than perfect experiences at the Circus and yeah, entertainment-wise its not the best choice but I can tell you that the money raised does go to their charities. If you are really pissed off about it Soul...I can try and find out someone you can talk to.

I might be a little biased toward the Shriners because of the way they took care of my grandmother when she was a child and the way they supported my family when my uncle died many years ago. I do think the Masonic bodies as a whole need to do more to open themselves up to their communities but a lot of the rumors and stories you hear are just that and are not true.

[byrontx]

You mean those evil guys that treat burned children, regardless of ability to pay in Galveston (http://www.shrinershq.org/Hospitals/galveston/) or maybe some branch thereof like the Scottish Rite that treat children for other problems (http://www.tsrhc.org/masons.htm).

Were it not for the Masons the world would be a very different place and unlikely to have within it a certain free country called the United States of America.

It is an organization where spirituality without dogma encourages people to try and better themselves and their society. I know of a lady that had to have expensive treatments for cancer and it was the local Masons that held a spaghetti supper to raise money for her, and the national organization matched the money raised dollar for dollar, so she got the needed treatments.

You may have a bitch about the circus tickets but the organization is one of the good things about people; an affirmation that people are not always just self-serving. They do not recruit so you will not find a lot of information about joining. If you are interested just ask a Mason.

I am not a Mason now, too over-committed with getting a new business going, but I will be within a year.

[samikeyp]

Oh and yes, you can be a Christian and be a Mason.

[NoOptionB]

The eye is ever watchful!

http://www.unc.edu/%7Eltolles/illuminati/eye.jpg

[tsb2000]

Were it not for the Masons the world would be a very different place and unlikely to have within it a certain free country called the United States of America.

IIRC, most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were Masons.

[PakiDan]

Years ago I used to work room service at the Omni Hotel (Then the Wyndham) and every year in October a group of upper level shriners called the redhats used to rent an entire floor and hire about 10-15 hookers. They would leave all their doors open and basically have an all night old man fuckfest.

[BacktoBasics]

Years ago I used to work room service at the Omni Hotel (Then the Wyndham) and every year in October a group of upper level shriners called the redhats used to rent an entire floor and hire about 10-15 hookers. They would leave all their doors open and basically have an all night old man fuckfest.I bet housekeeping was pissed.

[Soul_Patch]

Freemasons get a lot of crap because of the secrecy around their meetings. More and more Masonic bodies are putting on public open houses to try and show that they are not some crazy ass cult. :) I say that with affection because coming from a Masonic family, I have seen some crazy ass Shriners. :lol Im sorry you guys had less than perfect experiences at the Circus and yeah, entertainment-wise its not the best choice but I can tell you that the money raised does go to their charities. If you are really pissed off about it Soul...I can try and find out someone you can talk to.

I might be a little biased toward the Shriners because of the way they took care of my grandmother when she was a child and the way they supported my family when my uncle died many years ago. I do think the Masonic bodies as a whole need to do more to open themselves up to their communities but a lot of the rumors and stories you hear are just that and are not true.


Naww i know its for a good cause, and i know the shriners do a lot of good work in the community. I was more disgusted with the folks that attend these circus's. But that is no surprise.

I didnt expect a whole lot, its a cheap circus put on by some silly hat wearing guys...i just thought it was pretty funny, because it was almost surreal how bad some of the acts were...like some wierd joke or something...

I dont doubt Masons / Shriners, etc...all do good for something, i just dont understand the secrecy thing. I actually like the idea of a fraternity type organization that helps out its members, and does good for the community, but why is it so secretive? A couple of the posts here sound just like what i have read on their sites. A bunch of information about nothing...


You read a page of stuff, well written, and it sounds like, "ahh ok, that makes sense....wait...what?" You still didnt say anything about what you guys are or stand for. Do you have to pay a membership fee? Attend certain meetings? what kind of obligations are there, and what kind of benefits do i recieve? If i became a freemason what would i be doing, other than wearing crazy hats or funky jewelry? All just seem so ambigiuos.

[Soul_Patch]

Years ago I used to work room service at the Omni Hotel (Then the Wyndham) and every year in October a group of upper level shriners called the redhats used to rent an entire floor and hire about 10-15 hookers. They would leave all their doors open and basically have an all night old man fuckfest.

Ill tell you what....if this kind of shit happens regularly, you can forget all the other questions.

where do i sign up? Where is my big ol chain, and tassled hat?

[exstatic]

If you are interested just ask a Mason.
Yeah, you'll see bumper stickers with their sympols + 2B1ask1

Oh and yes, you can be a Christian and be a Mason.
Yeah, I think it's more Catholics that frown on it than other denominations.

[samikeyp]

Yeah, you'll see bumper stickers with their sympols + 2B1ask1

Yeah, I think it's more Catholics that frown on it than other denominations.

Catholics are welcome as well.

[exstatic]

The answer to why they are so mysterious as an organization is: because they can.

As someone else stated, they don't recruit. They don't need you or anyone, but if you express an interest, a member may tell you a little bit, and ask you a bit about yourself. You may or may not get an invite to a meeting. If you join, you advance to levels slowly over the years. In fact, it takes decades to advance to the top levels. It's obviously not for everyone.

[exstatic]

Catholics are welcome as well.

Oh, I understand that. The church, however, frowns upon it's members joining.

[samikeyp]

Oh, I understand that. The church, however, frowns upon it's members joining.

True...although in places like SA..its not as much of an issue...the hispanic Masonic membership is pretty big. I don't know if the church is as hardcore as they once were.


The answer to why they are so mysterious as an organization is: because they can.

As someone else stated, they don't recruit. They don't need you or anyone, but if you express an interest, a member may tell you a little bit, and ask you a bit about yourself. You may or may not get an invite to a meeting. If you join, you advance to levels slowly over the years. In fact, it takes decades to advance to the top levels. It's obviously not for everyone.

Good post. Although advancement nowadays happens a little quicker due to membership numbers not being what they once were.

[Bender]

I go to all the gun shows at the Alzafar Shrine Temple, so thanks to those guys for the use of their building.

[ManuTP9]

Jay-z's a free mason

[Stringer_Bell]

I think Nas is also a free mason too.

Also, fuck the circus. Ain't none of them mothafuckas gonna put paint my face.

[bugoy]

my father is a mason, i think i might try and join when i get older, im not really in a rush at the moment, there are other stuff i want to get done in my life. i used to ask my father questions and bring up those conspiracy stuff but he just laughed me off. i know he and his boys do A LOT of community service and help each other out.

[SAGambler]

I think that's just it. It's more a thing of a trust to keep I think.

See the movie "National Treasure?" That gives a fictional (maybe true) look into them.

Free Mason (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_mason)

Keep an eye on The History Channel and NatGeo. They have lots of shows on the Knights Templar and the Freemasons and their place in history for the past thousands of years. They explain a lot of the "secret" aspect.

Personally IDK what the big deal is, but my BIL worked his ass off to get into the Freemasons. Apparently it opens a lot of doors that may otherwise be shut to outsiders.

[BacktoBasics]

Found this to be interesting. Bottom of the thread show's who he's actually shaking hands with.

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread503988/pg1

[marini martini]

Apparently it opens a lot of doors that may otherwise be shut to outsiders.

You got that right!! My Dad was a 32nd degree Mason. Let's just say
it's a lot better than graduating from Texas A & M!!!:toast

:lol

[CosmicCowboy]

You got that right!! My Dad was a 32nd degree Mason. Let's just say
it's a lot better than graduating from Texas A & M!!!:toast

:lol
:lmao

Yeah, at least they don't tell Mason jokes...

[MiamiHeat]

The reason they are secretive is because of religion.

Way back in the old days, the Church would torture you to 'purify' you if you did not believe in God.

If you even talked about science and human ingenuity being greater than religion, you were of the devil and could be jailed and killed or burned at the stake.

Heck, I bet even today, some bible thumping morons would go and protest them if they started talking about human progression and the rejection of all religion

[Wild Cobra]

The reason they are secretive is because of religion.

Way back in the old days, the Church would torture you to 'purify' you if you did not believe in God.

If you even talked about science and human ingenuity being greater than religion, you were of the devil and could be jailed and killed or burned at the stake.

Heck, I bet even today, some bible thumping morons would go and protest them if they started talking about human progression and the rejection of all religion
I think you're right.

When I studied the old testament Hebrew and Chaldean words so many years back, the word translated to Magician (or was it sorcerer) meant one who practiced the sciences.

[CubanMustGo]

IIRC, most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were Masons.

This was on Discovery just last night. Only 9 signers were Masons, it's a common misconception that it was more. See also this link (http://bessel.org/foundmas.htm) ... interestingly nearly half of generals in the Continental Army were Masons.

[NoOptionB]

I thought the church just got pissed that their little masonry guild got too powerful.


Proof that god hates Unions.

[ginobili's bald spot]

The reason they are secretive is because of religion.

Way back in the old days, the Church would torture you to 'purify' you if you did not believe in God.




Believing in a god is one of the only prerequisites to being a mason so your post doesn't make much sense.

[sabar]

They're secretive because they founded and run the U.S. government

[dallaskd]

Leonard is a free mason. Ask him.