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Women Freemasons

Should women be allowed to become Freemasons?

  • Yes

    Votes: 21 8.7%
  • No

    Votes: 205 85.1%
  • Doesn't matter either way

    Votes: 15 6.2%

  • Total voters
    241

rhitland

Founding Member
Premium Member
Masonry teaches us how to Master our own lifes, square our actions and be better people should this be limited to men, do women not deserve the same light men deserve. This fraternity was designed for the minds of men with operative tools being the majority of its symbols but we should not think women would not understand it the same way or better than men. This world can be a wicked place and such a rough and rugged ride sometimes and anything that we can provide each other to ease our pains and troubles, to me we should share; If Masonry taught me anything, anything at all it was that knowledge is to be shared and expounded upon not hidden and kept from someone. The truth is starring us right in the face our beloved S&C is an ancient symbol for the unity or joining of male and female, masculine and feminine but as the saying goes the "Lips of Wisdom are Open to the Ears of Undertanding" Our fraternity is so spiritual so deep and so profound it is our duty to share it, the times of excluding women from things that are of the greater good are long gone and we should catch up in our fraternity. I know right now it is illegall but I keep my hopes up Masonry one day will see the light on this issue. Masonry holds so many sublime truths it is just hard for me to believe it was meant to last just for men.?
 

JTM

"Just in case"
Premium Member
it's a fraternity. it would change everything to allow women in.
 

rhitland

Founding Member
Premium Member
revising the words in the rituals and obligation would be the easy part as Masonry has done so many times in the past to suit the growth of society, changing minds is the tough one though.
 
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Wingnut

Premium Member
I can, and have, made a good arguement for allowing women into Masonry, but in the end it would change Masonry. Men behave different when there are women present. The principles of Masonry are open to anyone, membership in the Fraternity is not...
 
R

ravickery03

Guest
Should women be allowed to become Freemasons?

Co-Masonry in America and Europe doesn't thrive any better than "masculine" Freemasonry (sometimes worse). I do feel that women only Freemasonry would be acceptable, but due to the fact that I am a traditionalist, I resist the charges to allow women.

Or it might be because I am a jerk. :)
 

rhitland

Founding Member
Premium Member
In the times our frat was conceived it would have been laughed out of existence if it would have allowed women. Women where still rarley even let out of the house,it was not accepted even to carry conversation with women in public; so it only make since that if "they" wanted the sacred knowledge to be preserved they had to make it men only. In Egyptian times and earlier women where allowed to recieve the mystic rites to enlighten them if found worthy same as men. Most of our symbols, lessons and acts in the degrees have been taken from rituals practiced since the begining of time so do we now get to choose the truths we are comfortable with from these ancient rituals? I know this is not a corner we will turn in our near future but it is coming the Eastern Star was the first step, The thing I despise about Masonry is the fact I recieved the light I did from the 3 wonderful degrees I had and know my wife and daughter can never experience it.
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
The thing I despise about Masonry is the fact I recieved the light I did from the 3 wonderful degrees I had and know my wife and daughter can never experience it.

That's why there's Eastern Star & Rainbow. And you can participate with them!
 

JTM

"Just in case"
Premium Member
As a Christian, I'll put it this way.

actually. as a philosopher, i'll put it this way. regardless as to whether you believe in what happened in the garden of eden as to be truth or not, the people that came up with those "stories" were no fools at all. they were converted to jewish tradition for a reason. based on that, i'll continue my post.

god made "man" in his own image. in thinking of the "God" of the old testament, words like "fierce," "jealous," and etc. come to mind. in jewish traditions, he is called the "LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH. Master Masons are known to give the grip of the LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH. Men are men. They are made in his image.

for the majority, our tradition and ritual is based of the same teachings. for a women to learn from the same morals and set of teachings is OKAY. however, it will NOT apply to her in the same manner.


Morris made the Eastern Star with this in mind. the order has not been nearly as successful as it has for no little reason: while the mason men learned about Boaz in the EA degree, the women learn about Ruth, his wife. This same thing continues through Adah, Esther, Ruth, Martha, and Electa.

while it may be considered sexist or anything like that at all, it is not "wrong" to think that it is okay that a man, with his own nature, desires, and needs learn something in a different way and viewpoint than a woman.

whether you believe god did this, or whether you accept the general scientific knowledge of sociology... men and women are different and need different lessons that NEED to be taught in different circumstances, from different people, and in different ways.

/rant.

please keep in mind this is my interpretation of things and my way of thinking. take it for whatever you will. it's just me.
 

Blake Bowden

Administrator
Staff Member
My wife is a member of the Betas and even though it's exclusively for Women, I'm perfectly content with that. I think Freemasonry should be for Men only and my wife agrees. We are both Christians, yet we are members of various Brotherhoods/Sisterhoods.
 

rhitland

Founding Member
Premium Member
Brother Blake I have never heard of the Betas, do they have an initiation processes and degrees like Masonry?
If there is a website for them could you shoot it to me.
 

cmoreno85tx

Registered User
I have mixed feelings about this. I voted no , but would accept it if it did happen. I would hold no resentment towards any of the women joining the Lodge and would treat them as Brothers... or Sisters.....or whatever we would call them.:D I do feel however that a "Fraternity" should be for men only and a "Sorority" for women only. I would not try to join a sorority just like I would not want to join Women's Only Freemasonry. I think that both sexes should respect those boundaries.

And another thing on Womens Only Freemasonry, I saw a Documentary where a WO Freemason said that unlike Modern Freemasonry their rituals had never been leaked or exposed. So this would mean, I guess, that they have different ritual, signs and grips? Well then how can they call themselves Freemasons? :confused:
 
C

cpmorgan2

Guest
Why change everything that has been devoted to man. I am not sexist, I truly believe woman deserve a lot of respect, admiration and freedom. However...Baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, government, all these started by men, now controlled by women. Why can't we have this, why do we have to give this. It was started by men, A BROTHERHOOD, A FRATERNITY. I took upon myself a solomn obligation and I will not, ever deviate from it.
 
J

jcbonds

Guest
I dont have any problems with women. Im not sexist. But free masonry was started by men and should stay men. i agree that women have rights just like us but cant us guys have anything to ourselves? i mean women have taken just about everything over and i feel that masonry should be left to us guys. eastern star and rainbow girls are always looking for new members just as we are. i agree with cpmorgan2 i took all three obligations and i intend on deviating from them.
 

davidterrell80

Past Master
Premium Member
I would allow each lodge the right to set policy regarding membership--to be masculine, feminine, or mixed-gender--with the exception of special, general lodges like the Lodge of Research.

That said, I also favor specialty lodges--those who, per their bylaws, can limit their membership to a those engaged in a particular occupation (police, firefighters, etc) or graduates of a particular school or members of a particular unit (military traveling lodges). The gender aspect simply becomes another criteria under which masons could form a lodge.
 
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