Regarding Freemasonry: Everything You Wanted to Know About Masonic Conspiracies, (5 page)

 My brain starts to hurt when I try to think like them.  It truly does.

Chapter 8: Blame It On Albert Pike (I Do)

 
Most of the ammunition the nutballs use against Freemasonry can be traced back to one man: Albert Pike.  Pike was born in 1809, and throughout the remainder of his life, he certainly got around.  A quick glance at his curriculum vitae reveals that Pike was:

 An attorney, a Brigadier-General in the Confederate Army, a 33
^rd
Degree Mason in the Scottish Rite, and a member of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. 

 Pretty dodgy stuff, indeed.  But there is apparently more to know about Albert Pike, depending on who you ask.  Pike is often accused of being a Satanist, and also for establishing the blueprint for the New World Order. 

***

 Because being a racist Satanist Confederate General high-ranking official in the KKK just isn’t enough, this guy just had to be an attorney too? 

 Shudder.

***

 Pike is the only Confederate officer who has a statue in Washington DC, and people routinely point to his connection to Freemasonry as the reason it is allowed to exist.

 Interestingly enough, he did not have much of a military career. 

 Pike was a veteran of the Mexican-American war, but never held a position higher than Troop Commander.  Later, when the Civil War broke out, Pike was appointed as a military envoy to the Native Americans, and his successful negotiation of several treaties led to him being awarded a high-ranking position in the Confederate Army. 

 He led an Indian cavalry in the Battle of Pea Ridge, in which he was defeated.  After the Battle, he was accused of theft and atrocities and fled.  Pike was later arrested and charged with treason and insubordination, but upon his resignation from the Confederate Army, he was released. 

 And this is the guy they gave the one single Confederate Army statue to? 

***

 While much about Albert Pike is in dispute, including his affiliation with the KKK or what office he held, everyone is sure of one thing. 

 He was an…(grrrrrr)…author.

 Pike wrote the book MORALS AND DOGMA OF THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE OF FREEMASONRY.  This book was presented to all new Scottish Rite initiates from the early 1900’s to the late 1960’s. 

 The book itself describes the various degrees of the Scottish Rite in a series of essays.  It’s full of parables, and not nearly as inflammatory as the other things Pike wrote, such as editorials and letters spelling out his racist beliefs. 

***

 Personally, I’m not fan of Albert Pike.

I wish they’d take his damn statue down, not only to rip a fang out of the conspiracy theory people’s maws, but because it is simply undeserved.  The guy was a bum.

***

 Of course, taking down the statue won’t satisfy the fruitcakes, now will it?  They’re too busy sniffing out Pike’s alleged connections to the Illuminati. 

 The story goes like this:  Albert Pike was a friend of an Italian revolutionary named Giusseppe Mazzini.  Mazzini was a 33
^rd
Degree Scottish Rite Mason who took over the Illuminati in 1834 and then founded the mafia. 

 Pike reportedly wrote a letter to Mazzini that spelled out his entire plan for the Illuminati to institute a New World Order.  They were going to instigate three world wars and two revolutions. 

 After Mazzini died, Albert Pike instilled a new leader of the Illuminati and then proceeded to set up new Supreme Councils around the world. 

 Sounds pretty good right?  Hot stuff indeed. 

 It’s all made up.

***

 There is no proof that any letter was ever written between Albert Pike and Giusseppe Mazzini.  For as much as the whackos like to say “The letter was once displayed at the British Museum,” they just can’t seem to find the date or any actual reference to the letter by the Museum itself.  The Museum has come out and said that they never displayed the letter.

 Even though the letter has never been seen, read, or reproduced, nutjobs still somehow manage to have quotes from it.  And not just any quotes.  The ones that illustrate the plans for each sinister World War and how the Zionists and Islamists and Illuminati and blah blah blah blah are all going to come together to finally instill a NEW WORLD ORDER. 

***

 If I never read the words
Zionist, New World Order, Illuminati,
or
pentagram
again, it will be too soon.  

***

 Anyway, that’s Albert Pike.

Chapter 9: And With All That Said, Something IS Rotten in Denmark

 I think one of the reasons the prejudices against Freemasonry exist is that people do suspect that something is fundamentally wrong with the systems that control our lives. 

 Me too.

 I just don’t happen to think it’s got anything to do with the group of old guys in my Masonic Lodge who can’t organize more than a spaghetti dinner once a month.  I also don’t think it’s got to do with Illuminati, alien invasions, Reptilians, or Zionists. 

 I think those are the fantastical dreams of simplistic minds, the kind that can conceive of a problem, but have no ability to grasp its actual cause.  Kind of like physicians in ancient times who realized people were getting sick and decided that cutting them open to get rid of the “bad blood” was the perfect solution. 

 Primitive cultures who looked at an active volcano and said, “If that volcano goes up, we’re all going to be wiped out.  It must be an angry volcano god.  I know, we’ll chuck a virgin into it to make him happy.”

 Confronting a simpleton can be a tricky proposition.  Especially when you present them with undeniable facts that challenge something they believe whole-heartedly. 

 Many years ago, I was working with an older gentleman who promptly informed me that George Washington was not the first President of the United States of America. 

 “Say again?” I said.

 “George Washington wasn’t the first President.  There was a whole bunch of Presidents before him, but it’s kept a secret.  We had Black Presidents, Native American Presidents, all that, but the government has conspired to keep this fact from us.” 

 I was both amused and confused by this information.  For one, it seemed too bizarre to pay any attention to, but at the same time, he was so serious about it that I thought it worth looking into.  I did a little research and the next time I saw my friend, I told him what I’d found. 

 “George Washington was the first President of the United States.  Period.  Prior to him, and before the United States government was formed, there was something called the President of the Continental Congress.  There were sixteen of these Presidents, and they had almost no executive powers.”

 He just stared at me.

 “Also, they were all crusty old white guys.”

 His eyes narrowed on me, they took on a decidedly unfriendly glaze. 

 I dug deep for something, thinking on my feet, trying to keep him on my side.  “I bet they were all
Freemasons
,” I whispered knowingly.

 This grown man looked me up and down and said, “I already knew about
those
Presidents, but they weren’t the ones I was talking about.”  With that, he turned his back on my and walked away.  We never discussed the matter again. 

***

 Too much knowledge with too little information about the subject is a dangerous combination.  Unfortunately, everywhere you look today there are so-called experts dialoging freely about subjects with which they have very little facts.  Worse still, there are others who read that garbage and accept it verbatim and then go around spewing it to others. 

***

 So like I said, I do believe that the systems that control the United States and the world at large are flawed, corrupt, and always seeking to strengthen their grip on the working man.  I just don’t think it’s anything as romantic as some shadowy secret society.  I bet it’s just some corporate policy for a conglomerate of oil companies, or lobbyists trying to drain funds from the American people for their own personal gain. 

 And that’s the real danger in people who waste their time believing in conspiracies.  They are too busy about worrying if Barack Obama is an American citizen (He is.  Enough already) or if George Bush was a Freemason (He wasn’t) to see what is being stolen right out from under them. 

 There are some very real dangers out there from gigantic, international organizations who threaten our individual existences and they don’t plot to make Jay-Z the head of Def Jam or help the Jews maintain control of Israel.  They are Corporate Agriculture who fill up our supermarkets with genetically modified animals and grains.  They are Big Oil manipulating the prices and debilitating alternative research.  Very real, very dangerous, and very serious about getting what they want. 

 But when they took over, I guess we were all too worried about the Reptilians.   

Chapter 10: Questions about Freemasonry

I'd like to qualify my answers by saying that I am not an expert.  I have done a fair bit of reading and research, and have tried to give the most informed answers here, but I reserve the right to be dead-wrong.  If that happens, I assure you that it is a mistake made of sheer misunderstanding, and that it was unintentional. 

Also, I don't pretend to speak for anyone other than myself.  This is my personal perspective on Freemasonry, as it pertains to me.     

***

 Is Freemasonry only for men?  Do they admit women?  If not, why not?

In America, only men can be Freemasons.  I've heard that they have a couple female Freemasons floating around Europe, but I would imagine it is not the norm. 

There are several masonic organizations for women.  The Eastern Star has a group that meets at my lodge.  I don't know much about them, other than that they do degree work for their members, have rituals, and really kick ass in terms of fundraising.

 Is it a Secret Society or just a Society with Secrets?

I would say that Freemasonry is very-much a society with secrets, in that members don’t hide their affiliation or meeting places.  Freemasons are a properly registered body.  That being said, there are many things that are only shared with the members and not with outsiders. 

What do you DO at these meetings?

It depends on the type of meeting.  A general ("stated") meeting occurs monthly, where the body of Master Masons discuss lodge affairs and vote on new members.  Sometimes a guest lecturer is invited to discuss a wide variety of topics.  

Extra meetings are held for new members to receive requisite degrees that will make them into full members.  There are three degrees in Freemasonry: 1st Degree (Entered Apprentice), 2nd Degree (Fellowcraft) and 3rd (Master Mason).  The associated bodies have additional degrees that are considered off-shoots and do not put any member of those organizations, no matter how high-ranking, above members of the Blue Lodge.  

What is the stated purpose of the society?

Hmm.  Tough one.  As I’ve already said, there is no singular unifying body in Freemasonry.  Every state is governed by its Grand Lodge and they take a varied approach to the practice of Freemasonry.  Thus, what you read on the internet about how things are done in Utah will be very, very different from how it is done in Pennsylvania.  

Freemasonry is one of the largest charitable organizations in the world, but it is not a charity.  All Shriners are Masons (But not vice-versa), therefore you can count every Shriner Hospital as a part of the Masons charitable efforts.  Thousands and thousands of children all around the world have received free state-of-the-art health care at Shriner Hospitals.

A large portion of Freemasonry is dedicated to self-preservation.  Very little is written down in The Craft, and older members must constantly educate younger ones, ensuring that the ritual and meaning is passed down properly.  Freemasonry only exists because generations of men have made sure it stayed strong and healthy.

How do new members get in?

Ask a Mason to join.  No one is ever supposed to be recruited into Freemasonry.  You are supposed to go to a member of the Lodge and ask to join.  (Don’t let that idea intimidate you.  In this modern era, most Lodges have a website.  If you don’t know any actual Masons, just email the secretary of the Lodge and ask if they can help you out.  Someone will be glad to help you out.  There are special recognitions for those who bring new members into the Lodge.)

I say “supposed” in the above paragraph because I have heard of some Lodges holding membership drives where they go out looking for new members.  This appears to be contrary to everything I was ever told about Freemasonry, but those decisions were likely made by people with infinitely more understanding about it than I. 

Once you ask to join, a painless vetting process begins, culminating in an eventual vote by the body.  It is an ancient a democratic process as ever there was one and incidentally, where the term being "black-balled" derived from.  (Black balls are extremely rare.  Don’t sweat it.)  

How terrifying are the rituals?

It’s scary going into the unknown, but I can assure you that you have nothing to fear.  There is no hazing involved.  There is absolutely nothing offensive or compromising.  There is a process which all masons must pass through, where the candidate receives the degrees that he needs to be a Master Mason.  We’ve all done it. 

There is no animal sacrifice, no drinking of blood, no pact with Satan or any of the other bizarre things you might have heard of.  I can’t even make a joke here because the myths associated with the initiation process are taken so seriously by way too many people.  It’s simply a misconception.  There’s nothing discomforting about it.

I know that I can go to any Masonic Temple anywhere in the world and find fellowship.  I know that any Mason can come to my lodge and be greeted and treated as one of our own.