I read lots of information online about freemasonry, both pro and anti, but I felt that it was time to talk to someone who was actually involved in it to get some first-hand information. So I approached one of the members of our church who I knew to be a Mason, and he was quite open and happy to discuss it with me. He didn’t go into a lot of details, but he did give me enough information to make me want to know more. I left pondering what we discussed, and eventually went back online to read and learn some more.

Then, the next Sunday at church, another friend came up to me and said something along the lines of, “So Jim, I understand you’ve started a journey.” He caught me off guard–I honestly didn’t understand what he meant–but my quizzical look was obvious to him, so he said, “Let’s just say, you asked the right questions.” Then it hit me: he was a Mason also! We chatted for a while, and he answered some questions I had. So far, all of the men who I had discovered were Masons are respected men that I hold in high regard. What a refreshing thing to learn!

Interestingly, one of the things that I learned about Freemsonry is that you will never be asked to join. They don’t recruit or solicit–they wait for you to ask. I read a neat story that talked about one person’s experience in learning about how to join. He said that had he known that he had to ask, he would have asked long ago.

It later struck me that freemasonry is an organization that is not overt as such. Yes, it’s visible, but it doesn’t advertise or recruit. It pretty much just exists in the background, just “doing.” Now, the conspiracy theorists may have lots to say about that, and I admit that on occasion, I’ll don a tin-foil hat, but something about this seemed to be different. There is something about those Masons who I met that seems so compelling: They are humble, friendly, helpful, and Godly men. What they were involved in was something I want to be a part of.

Now, I’ll wait and see what is the next step.

This is my second article about my experience in Freemasonry.