Illuminatio
Premium Member
I've always enjoyed license plates in general, having specialty plates as opposed to the standard issue ones, collecting them and so on. So after becoming involved in Freemasonry, I was pretty excited to see that my state offered a Master Mason license plate like many others do, that I thought actually looked really nice. Not only did it appeal to me because of it being non-standard and Masonic, but it is also a plate that not just anyone could walk up and get, which makes it a bit more special.
But as I'm getting closer to the time when I'll be able to get one, I'm feeling a bit conflicted about them so I wanted to get some insight here since I'm sure many of you here have them for your respective states.
My hesitation is this - as we all know, anyone can do a simple online search for Freemasonry and come up with volumes upon volumes of misinformation, a lot of which paints the fraternity in a negative light. Obviously, we know better, but "average Joe" driving down the highway doesn't necessarily know any better. Maybe he immediately thinks I'm part of a Satanic cult because he heard that once? Who knows what people conjure up in their minds when they see a Masonic emblem and only know what they've read online. That's what's making me think twice.
So, has anyone here had any negative interactions with people because of your license plate? Had eggs thrown at you? Had your car keyed or set on fire? (I'm thinking of the worst possible scenarios here... and mostly kidding. ) Am I instead being too worrisome and the plate will actually open up more opportunities to meet other Masons and correct peoples' thinking on the subject? Should I instead just keep my current plates and get an emblem to put on my car? Again, just hoping for some insight from some of you with experience. Thanks in advance for any input!
For reference...
My current plates:
And the Master Mason plates for the state:
But as I'm getting closer to the time when I'll be able to get one, I'm feeling a bit conflicted about them so I wanted to get some insight here since I'm sure many of you here have them for your respective states.
My hesitation is this - as we all know, anyone can do a simple online search for Freemasonry and come up with volumes upon volumes of misinformation, a lot of which paints the fraternity in a negative light. Obviously, we know better, but "average Joe" driving down the highway doesn't necessarily know any better. Maybe he immediately thinks I'm part of a Satanic cult because he heard that once? Who knows what people conjure up in their minds when they see a Masonic emblem and only know what they've read online. That's what's making me think twice.
So, has anyone here had any negative interactions with people because of your license plate? Had eggs thrown at you? Had your car keyed or set on fire? (I'm thinking of the worst possible scenarios here... and mostly kidding. ) Am I instead being too worrisome and the plate will actually open up more opportunities to meet other Masons and correct peoples' thinking on the subject? Should I instead just keep my current plates and get an emblem to put on my car? Again, just hoping for some insight from some of you with experience. Thanks in advance for any input!
For reference...
My current plates:
And the Master Mason plates for the state: