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What is Freemasonry?In 17th and 18th century England, Masons defined their fraternity as a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. Today we define it as an organized fraternity symbolically applying the principles of operative masonry to the science and art of character building. Freemasonry is a world wide fraternity with over 3 million members striving to make good men, better men.How did Freemasonry Originate?No one is quite sure. Tenets of Freemasonry can be traced back to before Bibical times, however, more recently Freemasonry is thought to have developed from lodges of highly sought after and highly qualified stonemasons who traveled througout Europe during the middle ages. These early established guilds practiced word of mouth teachings, developing their members in an established apprentice to journeyman to master system of education. It is no surprise that with the great enlightenment that occured during the Renaissance, these guilds became less about operative masonry, and more about spiritual teachings and charactering building. Today Freemasonry uses allegory and symbolism to educate its members about the lessons of upstanding moral character and rectitude of life.Is Freemasonry a secret society?No. Freemasons make no secret of their existence, our lodges are publicly marked , and often times one can find Masonic emblems on cars, rings, or lapal pins. Our ritual books are copyrighted, and copies are available at the Library of Congress. Any "secrets" that may have been have long since been published either by London newspapers centuries ago, or more recently on the internet. To quote Benjamin Franklin - "The great secret of Freemasonry is that there is no secret at all."Is Freemasonry a religion?No. Freemasonry is not a religion, nor is it designed to be a substitute for a religion. We require that members have a faith in a Supreme Being only. Today our membership includes men of almost every faith and is one of the few venues left in the world where men of every religion can sit together. How do I become a Freemason?Ask. Freemasonry has not traditionally recruited for its members. Most men begin their journey the same way as it has been done for hundreds of years , by simply asking about how to start. Freemasonry is open to men of every race, religion, culture and income level. The basic requirements of membership in Illinois are a belief in a Supreme Being, being a man of good moral character, being able to read and write in English, having lived in Illinois for at least six months, and being at least 18 years of age. Please consult the contact page for information on how to get in touch with someone about starting.Is There A Difference between Masons and Freemasons?The titles are used interchangeably when referring to members of the Fraternity . Are there any resources available to me regarding Freemasonry?Yes. The best source of information available to you is an actual Freemason. If you don't know one, then click on the "Contact" link below and we will contact you. If you wish to look at some other information, our Grand Lodge website has some excellent content and can be viewed at www.ilmason.org. Additionally, the book American Freemasons by Mark Tabbert has some excellent historical information in it, and the book Freemasons for Dummies by Christopher Hodapp has some accurate and thorough information.
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