What does Masonry teach?
Masonry teaches some important principles. There's nothing very surprising in the list. Masonry teaches that:
Since God is the Creator, all men and women are the children of God. Because of that, all men and women are brothers and sisters, entitled to dignity, respect for their opinions, and consideration of their feelings.
Each person must take responsibility for his/her own life and actions. Neither wealth nor poverty, education nor ignorance, health nor sickness excuses any person from doing the best he or she can do or being the best person possible under the circumstances.
No one has the right to tell another person what he or she must think or believe. Each man and woman has an absolute right to intellectual, spiritual, economic, and political freedom. This is a right given by God, not by man. All tyranny, in every form, is illegitimate.
Each person must learn and practice self-control. Each person must make sure his spiritual nature triumphs over his animal nature. Another way to say the same thing is that even when we are tempted to anger, we must not be violent. Even when we are tempted to selfishness, we must be charitable. Even when we want to "write someone off," we must remember that he or she is a human and entitled to our respect. Even when we want to give up, we must go on. Even when we are hated, we must return love, or, at a minimum, we must not hate back. It isn't easy!
Faith must be in the center of our lives. We find that faith in our houses of worship, not in Freemasonry, but Masonry constantly teaches that a person's faith, whatever it may be, is central to a good life.
Each person has a responsibly to be a good citizen, obeying the law. That doesn't mean we can't try to change things, but change must take place in legal ways.
It is important to work to make this world better for all who live in it. Masonry teaches the importance of doing good, not because it assures a person's entrance into heaven -- that's a question for a religion, not a fraternity -- but because we have a duty to all other men and women to make their lives as fulfilling as they can be.
Honor and integrity are essential to life. Life, without honor and integrity, is without meaning.
Because of the way in which Masonry teaches - confronting the person with symbols and allegory and then asking him to reflect upon them and discover the lessons for himself -it is impossible to list all of the things a man can learn in the fraternity. Masonry is a process of self-discovery and self-awareness. But there are certain great lessons that, as almost all Masons would agree, form the basis of Masonic philosophy.
Human Beings are creatures of God.
Because God is our common Father, all men are brothers.
The fact of that common heritage is more important than race, denomination, wealth, position, education, social status, or anything else.
Faith is essential to us if we are to be truly free.
Only the knowledge of the Deity in our lives can give freedom.
Each person is entitled to dignity, and no one, for any reason or under any pretext, has the right to compromise the dignity of another.
Each man and woman is entitled to complete freedom of thought, belief, political expression, and speech.
No person, government, or earthly spiritual authority has the right to dictate the thought or belief of another individual. No tyranny, no matter how benign, is ever acceptable.
It is the duty of every person to make the world better for others in
every way he can.
No man ever has the right to "pass by on the other side."
It is the duty of each Mason to develop himself, through study, thought, reflection, conversation, and by every means he can find.
We are committed to intellectual, spiritual and emotional growth, and to growth as ethical, caring and compassionate men.
There are two natures in Man -- an animal nature that is the result of our physical selves and a spiritual nature that is a gift from the Deity. The two are usually in conflict. It is our duty to see that the spiritual nature wins.
Each person has the responsibility to obey the law, and to seek to change it only through legal means. Only in this way can society survive.
A Mason must know how to keep absolutely confidential the things others tell him in confidence. Under no circumstances should a Mason ever spread gossip or slander. We cannot be true friends and Brothers if we cannot hold secret the things told to us which would cause pain to others if they were revealed.
Charity is an obligation on all Masons. And charity is not limited to giving money. Charity means involved compassion, really caring what happens to others, putting ourselves in their place and sharing in their sorrow or hurt.
There is no such thing as a "small" or "unimportant" act. Every action we take affects both others and ourselves. We never have the luxury of acting without thinking.
Above all things and at all times, Masonry teaches toleration. We have seen the results too often in history of intolerance. The most deadly words known are "I know I am right and you are wrong, and I have the right to force you to agree with me." Those words were spoken as men burned women and children at the stake because they disagreed on some point of theology, as Hitler sent millions of human beings to the gas chambers, as foolish, defenseless old women were hanged as witches, and as Stalin wiped out his political opposition. Masonry teaches that each person, each idea must be respected. No one has the right to be intolerant.
There are many other lessons in Masonry: lessons about the nature of the world; about the relationship between people, and between people and God; and about responsibility. Masonry is the study and lessons of life.