https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/20/britain-female-freemasons-women-grand-lodge-photo-essay

The roots of women’s Freemasonry can be traced to France in 1882, when Maria Deraismes became the first woman initiated, at the Lodge of Free Thinkers. Co-masonry (Freemasonry that admits both men and women) was brought from France to the UK in 1902 by Dr Annie Besant, who became its leader. Besant was a feminist campaigner, social reformer and one of the organisers of the matchgirls strike in 1888.

They are run by two Grand Masters (the women’s lodges use the same language, traditions and rites as the men’s). The Order of Women Freemasons has several thousand members while Freemasonry for Women has about 700. There are craft lodges (local lodges) of female masons throughout the UK and abroad, including in the US, India, Gibraltar, Spain and Romania.

Freemasonry originated among guilds of stonemasons and its symbols are objects used in construction. There are three fundamental degrees of Freemasonry: the first is Initiation, when someone joins; the second is Passing to Fellowcraft; and the third is Master Mason, also known as the ceremony of Raising.

Interesting. I've always wondered about that.

Do they condone women wearing brasseries?

I gotz ta know!

Joseph Smith wanted to do that. The Relief Society was originally kind of like Job's Daughters, and JS certainly "raised" (a Masonic term) the women to the status of Priestesses.

More Order of the Eastern Star than Job's Daughters

The female Masonic order is called the Eastern Star. I have friends who both the husband and wife are masons. He’s a Shriner and she’s an Eastern Star.

Free Masonry isn’t a religion. It doesn’t have a priesthood. It’s more of a fraternal order based on biblical heritage and the old stone Mason trade guild in Europe who kept the knowledge of the craft secret.

The Mormon church really botched the compass symbolism. The compass in Masonry doesn’t represent a directional compass but the compass used to draw circles and measure distance. The compass in the Mormon temple symbolism is a directional compass which demonstrates the ignorance of who came up with the ceremony. If you are going to steal from the Masons at least get what you are stealing correct.

The church is like a car thief who can't drive stick.

Ha! Ha!

The compass mark on temple garments is a drawing compass, same as the Masonic compass. One breast mark is two straight lines at a 90 degree angle, the carpenter or mason square. The other mark is two straight lines at a 45 degree angle, the symbol for a circle drawing compass.

Thank you.

Rubicon is on a tear today with his confident pronouncements of things which are factually incorrect.

I got chewed out by a bishop when I told him the endowment is a bastardized version of Free Masonry. I told him I don’t think the stairway to heaven is constructed of bastardized plagiarisms. Apparently the way is pointed by a device used to draw circles and not a navigational tool.

Came here to say this.
A mason is a tradesman who builds things that require tools like a square and a compass so that walls are straight and true; in Freemasonary this is extended to symbolize making your life straight and true.
J. Smith stole the symbols and TSCC has to make up stories about "being square with your fellow man" and "symbolises the earth" and other such esoteric stuff.

A Mason would use a few words to explain "Yeah, we use those symbols because, you know, uh...masonary, buildings, construction, like that."

But Mo's need a thousand words (that veer far away from Christian stuff): https://toawakeandarise.com/2019/01/09/the-compass-and-the-square/

The term Priesthood needs to be dissected. In modern times it has come to mean an ecclesiastical position as leaders of a flock. But as I understand it, until the Christian era it referred mostly to a special social class, who were authorized by the group to preside over officially prescribed ceremonies. IMO that is the sense that JS thought of the term, and tried to incorporate that into his church as much as possible. And that is very close to Freemasonry. The participants didn't need to claim any sort of right belief. They had to do the right ceremonies.

This is why so many non-Mormons, including the media, just do not get the "Priesthood ban". It only peripherally related to the ability to preside at meetings and give sermons. We all know it went way farther than that, and was in fact the privilege of being part of a special club who could experience exclusive ceremonies- which ceremonies, in JS's eyes, were the true way to reach Godhood. IMO.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2022 11:49PM by slskipper.

Interesting story but masonry is in steady decline in the UK. Presumably among men and women.

Female Masons are like Anglican nuns, I know they exist but don't know anyone who's ever met one.

If you want to talk about women and Freemasonry, then it's probably better to talk about the clubs and organizations that male lodges have set up for their wives and daughters. A lot more women are involved in them.