BryanMaloney
Premium Member
There is a lot of confusion regarding the place of various "degrees of Freemasonry". Perhaps clarification can be had by means of analogy:
There are three and only three Degrees of Freemasonry. They are Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. That's it. There is nothing higher within Freemasonry. However, there are a lot of other "degrees" and bodies that require one to first be a Master Mason. Since this is a requirement, it is mistakenly believed that they are somehow "higher" than Master Mason. Unfortunately, there are some Masons who appear to have held such beliefs, too, including fairly prominent ones. This leads to the confusion. Confusion dissipates if one looks at it this way:
Entered Apprentice: This is the "bachelors degree" of Masonry. It means you have actually started the journy.
Fellow Craft: This is the "masters degree" of Masonry. It means you have shown proficiency and should be taken somewhat seriously.
Master Mason: This is the "doctorate" of Masonry. There is no higher degree.
But what about all the other "degrees"? Scientists are not a homogeneous mash of people. They specialize. They form societies and associations based on their specializations. Thus, a membership or "degree" in a body that requires one to already be a Master Mason would be like a fellowship in one of those specialized societies. Those societies might have their own hierarchies. However, the PhD is still the PhD. It is the highest academic degree, regardless of ranks within a fellowship. Likewise, the Master Mason is the highest degree within Freemasonry, regardless of how many other "society" degrees may be obtained by an individual Master Mason.
There are three and only three Degrees of Freemasonry. They are Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. That's it. There is nothing higher within Freemasonry. However, there are a lot of other "degrees" and bodies that require one to first be a Master Mason. Since this is a requirement, it is mistakenly believed that they are somehow "higher" than Master Mason. Unfortunately, there are some Masons who appear to have held such beliefs, too, including fairly prominent ones. This leads to the confusion. Confusion dissipates if one looks at it this way:
Entered Apprentice: This is the "bachelors degree" of Masonry. It means you have actually started the journy.
Fellow Craft: This is the "masters degree" of Masonry. It means you have shown proficiency and should be taken somewhat seriously.
Master Mason: This is the "doctorate" of Masonry. There is no higher degree.
But what about all the other "degrees"? Scientists are not a homogeneous mash of people. They specialize. They form societies and associations based on their specializations. Thus, a membership or "degree" in a body that requires one to already be a Master Mason would be like a fellowship in one of those specialized societies. Those societies might have their own hierarchies. However, the PhD is still the PhD. It is the highest academic degree, regardless of ranks within a fellowship. Likewise, the Master Mason is the highest degree within Freemasonry, regardless of how many other "society" degrees may be obtained by an individual Master Mason.