Lincoln Poll in USA TODAY

[Jim Page]

(01-13-2013 06:02 AM)My Name Is Kate Wrote:  Is Freemasonry open only to men? If so, why? That is not in keeping with their stated principles of equality.

As far as I know, Freemasonry is open only to men. I've heard that is because a candidate for Masonry has to enter the Masonic lodge room divested of all things, as if he were being re-born. This involves wearing only a minimum of clothing. I have heard of a few women who have not been put off by that requirement, and they were, I believe, in France a couple of hundred years ago. And Masonic law requires that a candidate be "a man, freeborn, of lawful age, and well-recommended."

Also, Masonry does not have a stated principle of equality; some men are more clearly able than others, whether we admit it or not, though they should all be treated equally probably is a good summation of their views. There are good men and bad men.

By no means does every man who applies to the Masonic order gain membership. A candidate for Freemasonry is investigated by the brethren and if something in his past causes a flag to be raised, he is asked about it, and some applicants do not pass that bar. Then the candidates are voted upon in open lodge, and one vote against by a lodge member disqualifies the applicant, no questions asked. This is where the term "black-balled" comes from. Masons vote with a wooden ballot box and they use white balls to elect and black balls to reject a candidate.

Also, please know that Freemasonry does NOT solicit members-- ever. One has to ask to become a Freemason. No one will ever ask anyone to join. And, in some Masonic jurisdictions, a person has to ask three times before they receive a response. This, of course, helps explain declining Masonic membership!

Please remember that Freemasonry is a remnant of a tradition that goes back hundreds of years. There were no female stone masons. There were no female Knights Templar. Both of those orders are aligned with today's Freemasonry. Of course, women couldn't vote in this country until 1920 and weren't allowed to serve on some juries-- at least murder ones, I know-- until the 1940s in some states. So an order dating back to at least 1717 would reflect the conditions of that era.

We can't apply today's views on something that old, as BettyO's sig states.

That being said, the Order of the Eastern Star and some others are Masonic-affiliated orders for women.

--Jim