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Become A Maryland Mason

That's not a surprising question. Even though Masons (Freemasons) are members of the largest and oldest fraternity in the world,
and even though almost everyone has a father or grandfather or uncle who was a Mason, many people aren't quite certain just
who Masons are. The answer is simple. A Mason (or Freemason) is a member of a fraternity known as Masonry (or Freemasonry).
A fraternity is a group of men (just as a sorority is a group of women) who join together because:

not as honest or as charitable or as compassionate or as loving or as trusting or as well-informed as they ought to be.
Masonry reminds its members over and over again of the importance of these qualities and education. It lets men
associate with other men of honor and integrity who believe that things like honesty, compassion, love, trust, and
knowledge are important. In some ways, Masonry is a support group for men who are trying to make the right decisions.
It's easier to practice these virtues when you know that those around you think they are important, too, and won't laugh
at you. That's a major reason that Masons enjoy being together.

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

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Maryland Freemasons -  Amicable-St John's Lodge No. 25 | Chartered June 21, 1797

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