FAQ
Freemasonry:
Movement originated in Scotland and England.
Freemasonry (or, in French, maçonnerie) is an internationally widespread and regionally structured brotherhood of people who strive for spiritual and moral elevation, mutual appreciation, and reciprocal assistance. Its members are called Freemasons (English: freemasons or French: maçons). The origin of this name is said to come from the French word frère-maçons (literally: brother-builder), which in Anglo-Saxon Freemasonry was corrupted to freemason. Other sources speak of the type of stone that was worked, with freestone being easier than roughstone. Members among themselves address each other as brother (or sister if in mixed or female Freemasonry). It is the largest society with rituals and is spread worldwide. René Pieyns states in his Encyclopedia of Ordinary Freemasonry that there are six different angles to arrive at a definition (quoted from Wikipedia).
René Pieyns states in his Encyclopedia of Ordinary Freemasonry that there are six different angles to arrive at a definition (quoted from Wikipedia).
These are:
- 1. A purposive definition – a brotherhood: Freemasonry is a means of establishing sincere friendship between persons who would otherwise have remained in perpetual estrangement. Benevolent and sincere individuals form a collectivity or brother chain where trust and friendship prevail. Within this brother chain, all links are equal. The brother chain works as a unit, which functions much more powerfully and efficiently than if each individual were to act alone.
- A methodical definition – an initiatory community: Freemasonry uses initiation as a working method, that is to say the systematic, gradual, and structured initiation of its members into full-fledged Freemasons. In this sense, the Freemasons form a philosophical elite of initiates into philosophical views that are not accessible to the profane.
- An organisational or structural definition – a hierarchical order: Freemasonry can only exist as a specific organic structure, which is typical of Freemasonry. This translates into an external and visible hierarchy at a collective (administrative) level and an internal (invisible) hierarchy at an individual and initiatory level.
- A substantive definition – an ethical community: Every Freemason is expected to become a better person through his or her masonry activity. The whole of rites used for this is interspersed with a specific symbolism, unique to Freemasonry. This is the practical means of conveying this substantive ethical message.
- A practical definition – a way of life: Here the emphasis is placed on the fundamental attitude of which every Freemason must testify. The belief in the feasibility, the permanent ability to improve man, on the one hand at an individual level, on the other hand at a collective level. The symbolism used in this context is that of the temple building of King Solomon, which stands for the temple of society. This fundamental attitude is the basis of the meaningfulness in the life of every Freemason.
- A romantic definition – the belief in utopias: The belief in a – perfect and currently not yet achieved – utopian goal located in the future serves as an orientation point of the work. The belief in a universal brotherhood of all people, regardless of differences in belief, culture, language, race, etc. is seen as a motivating factor for action. There is a striving for institutionalised cosmopolitanism. The essence of Freemasonry as a 'société de pensée' or as a bearer of civilisation makes it a kind of laboratory where experiments relating to social and cultural life are carried out or where new ideas are developed.
Freemasonry in the northern Netherlands
Immediately after the founding of the Grand Lodge of London, the first small steps were taken in the Netherlands from about 1723 onwards. The prohibition of the activities of the first two lodges did not prevent the brethren in the then territory of the Netherlands (the Seven United Provinces) from continuing to establish and work in lodges. From 1756 onwards, an official organisational structure came into being, which was shortly afterwards recognised by London as an independent Grand Lodge. The Dutch Grand Lodge is therefore one of the oldest (if not the oldest) working organisations in the Masonic world; it is also one of the oldest associations in the Netherlands.
The introduction of Freemasonry in the Seven United Provinces in 1734 was mainly due to the extensive contacts that existed between the court of the Orange-Nassau's and the Royal Family of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Ireland and Hanover), the trade contacts and the exchange of officers in military (and therefore also States) service. It is known that the States of Holland as rulers were not very tolerant of a secret society, and the ban in 1735 is therefore extensively described in the English press via pamphlets. The Brethren did not allow themselves to be suppressed and went underground; different times arose in 1747 when the Stadtholdership in Holland and Zeeland was restored and declared hereditary for William IV and his descendants. Freemasonry in the Netherlands reorganises itself and the founding of the Grand Lodge in 1756 stems from those changed times. The recognition by London in 1771 makes us the oldest continuously working continental club! And perhaps even the oldest club in the world, since the merger of the two rival Grand Lodges in England cannot be seen as continuity but a new fresh start; even the ritual there is overhauled and a new standard ritual is created based on both movements, but which therefore deviates from the older versions as we have come to know and maintain them on the continent.
Profanes, brethren and members; forms of address
The people outside the circle of Freemasons live in the ordinary, profane world; they are called profanes.
As soon as an outsider applies as a candidate member for the order and lodge, he is listed as a candidate and after admission as a member of the order and lodge as a brother of all.
In the lodge meetings we address each other as brother; the chairman and the former chairmen are addressed as Worshipful Master. The brethren who have a place in the national administration have their own forms of address.
Initiation, initiation, admission
Freemasonry is an initiatory community. In the old terms, the French-derived word reception was often used; this can be explained by the concept: admission; the admission consists of a set of actions by which the profane becomes a member and brother.
The word initiation also refers to a series of actions to admit someone to a group whose connotation can be felt to be more religiously oriented.
Le Véritable Zèle has chosen to align itself with the old concept of 'reception' and to speak of admission.
Lodge, Temple or workshop
Each of these terms is used, sometimes also to refer to the other.
Lodge: entity within Freemasonry where the members who are called brethren come together to perform their work. It is also the building or space in which they meet that is referred to by this term.
Temple: the space in the lodge building where the brethren meet is referred to by many as the Temple; after all, the brethren work together on a temple of living stones for which that of King Solomon serves as an example. The space is not a temple in the true sense of the word because no consecrated power can be attributed to the space.
Workplace: the name is derived from the place where the work is carried out. Whether it is operative or speculative, does not matter here.
Conclusion: Le Véritable Zèle prefers as word usage that the lodge therefore meets in the workplace and that the brethren there work together on a temple of living stones...
Religion?
A frequently asked question is whether Freemasonry is a religion. The answer is actually quite easy to give, namely with a simple no. The members of the order are free to adhere to whatever religion they wish.
Since there is no church or school, Freemasonry therefore does not adhere to any doctrine. There are no dogmas. It is about tolerance and mutual respect. Everyone in himself must seek and discover his (subjective) truth and therefore it is not a philosophy of life, but a way of life. Through the method of working, it is a tool to stimulate personal development and experience in order to get closer to the concept of truth. The inscription on the Temple of Apollo in Delphi: Know Thyself (and you will get to know the gods) has a special meaning for the Freemason in this context.
It should be noted, however, that a certain general religious feeling is necessary to be able to comprehend the role of the Supreme Architect of the Universe.
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