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Beiruty wrote:Let me ask:
Why there are 2 rites? When the split if any happened, who are the shrines? I have heard about allied organizations? Who are those?
Why the york rites has to defend Christianity where the Scottish rite do not? Who is has the upper echelon in all those rites? Most likely there should be supreme figure over all the Masons.

One member above mentioned Aribia and El-Mina (means port in Arabic)? Who are those Shriners?

I have interest in Masonry, since one of my best friend became a Mason. He is highly educated and intelligent person. A very loyal friend that helped me a lot. What still a Mystery for me is all the Conspiracy theories floating around Masons.

And what is the relationship between Kinghts Templar who massacred hundreds of thousands in the Holy land a the time of crusaders and the York Rites? Are they the same organization under new name? Also, the new mass shooting in Oslao and most likely shooter is York Rite's Kinght or so he claims.

How one can better the good man when he resort to extreme violence (mass murder and terrorism)?

Beiruty, what I was taught is that 3rd Degree Master Mason is the highest rank attainable in Masonry, and that the advanced degrees of the York and Scottish Rites were like having a post-doctoral research fellowship, to borrow an analogy from higher education. So extending that analogy, being an Entered Apprentice (1st Degree) was like a bachelor's degree; being a Fellowcraft Mason (2nd Degree) was like a master's degree; and being a Master Mason (3rd Degree) was like being a Ph.D. So just as there are no educational degrees higher than a doctorate, there are no degrees in Masonry higher than a Master Mason in the 3rd Degree. However, in education, one can go on to receive honorary titles and other recognitions for contributions to the advancement of one's educational field, such as honorary degrees, or the Nobel Prize for instance. So the way I understood it, the various advanced degrees in either the Scottish or York Rites are sort of like that. You have to be a Master Mason to enroll in either rite, and you will receive rankings that are relevant to those two rites according to the things you accomplish within their individual structures, but the highest degree you will ever be as a Mason is Master Mason in the 3rd degree..

I really don't know how the two rites started. I do know that Masonry in general is open to more than just the Judeo/Christian religions. One guy I went up through the ranks with was a Hindu.

Purplehood wrote:Fascinating article.

I am a little confused by the following:

Good men of other religions (Jews, Moslems, Hindus, etc.) believing in Deity may become Scottish Rite Masons.

I was under the impression that belief in a deity, period, was "sufficient". I got the impression that being a member of a particular religion was not a requirement of the Scottish Rite. Have I got that wrong?

Quoting the above article:

Scottish Rite Masonry is the champion of individual freedoms and citizenship rights as well as responsibilities. York Rite Masonry in its concluding Degrees or Orders is the champion of Christianity.

I was first accepted into Masonry as an Entered Apprentice in about 1988-'89. I was raised a Master Mason in about 1990-'91 (I think....I'm not absolutely certain of the dates, except that I know I was already participating before 1990 because of a job change that occurred then). I originally posted that it was '93-'94, but on reflection, that's not correct.

Anyway, I never went beyond being a Blue Lodge mason. I was a Master Mason for several years, but then I eventually lost interest, and at some point I stopped paying dues and let my lodge memberships lapse (I belonged first to the one I previously mentioned in Alhambra, and then I later joined a lodge in Pasadena). The reason I lost interest had nothing to do with the goodness or badness of Masonry. To this day, I bear Masonry no ill-will, and I think it is an honorable pursuit. What happened to me was that, although I believed in a generalized "deity," I came face to face with Jesus Christ in 1994, and I made Him the centerpiece of my life. Masonry filled a need I had in my life. When I met Jesus, He filled that need more completely and richly. If the teachings and lifestyle promoted by Masonry were gold, becoming absolutely committed to Jesus was like diamonds. For me. So it wasn't that I left something bad behind. It was simply that I gave myself completely to something that was better. For me.

There was at the time several godly men who were both active members of my church, and active members of my lodge. They were able to combine the two things into their lives, and it worked for them. For my own part, I found that once I had given my life to Christ, I couldn't give part of it to anything else. I want to be very clear that I am only talking about my life. I have never steered anyone away from Masonry, nor would I do so. I have been asked in the past about it by people who knew that I was one and who were curious as to how to go about getting themselves involved. My answer at the time was that, although I was no longer participating in Masonry, I would be happy to introduce them to someone who was, so that they could pursue this if they wanted to; and I always liked the idea of masonry's motto of "making good men better."

Purplehood, all of this is to say that I am not now a practicing Mason nor am I a member of either the Scottish or York Rites. But here is my understanding, based on my past experience, and which I think is supported by the above quote: A belief in a deity is a requirement to Blue Lodge masonry. This includes Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Bahai, Zoroastrians, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc., and practitioners of pretty much an religion you can think of (except the religions of atheism or possibly satanism). A belief in a deity, along the same lines as for Blue Lodge masonry is a requirement to being a Scottish Rite mason. This would include pretty much any religion you can think of also. But the York Rite specifically requires Christian belief.

That is my understanding.

I just tried to find the number and address of my old lodge in Alhambra California. There used to be two of them, and mine was the second one in the state; but it doesn't appear on the official list anymore. Anyway, I was raised a master mason back around 1993-94, but I haven't attended lodge or paid dues in 15 years. I sort of lost interest in it as the church began to fill more completely what I was searching for.