Joseph W. Moss II, 32°
9101 W. Sahara Ave., #105–K18, Las Vegas, Nevada 89117–5772

People are always looking for other people to blame; thus, seeds of hate
are sown and fertilized with fear.

A few weeks ago, someone at work noticed I was wearing a Masonic ring. The few questions he had seemed to show a genuine interest in the Fraternity, and I answered him frankly. Today, I ran into him again, and he asked me if I knew what the Illuminati were. I said it was a small rationalist group founded in Germany by Adam Weishaupt in 1776. It lasted only 10 years, was modeled on Masonry, but was not a Masonic order. Aside from having a more catchy title than other, similar groups reflecting the rationalism of the Age of Enlightenment, it had little influence. He then asked me if I were an Illuminatus. Of course, I answered negatively. He had a lot of other questions, which I answered carefully, but it soon became very obvious that there was a hidden agenda behind his questions and a change in his attitude toward me.

He claimed the U.S. Government was controlled by Masons, that we were trying to bring everyone into a "New World Order," and that one of the reasons Afghanistan was fighting us was because they didn't want to become a New World Order country. The more he talked, the more conspiracies he described, and the more paranoid he appeared. According to him, even the streets in Washington, D.C., were laid out to form evil Masonic symbols; the eye on the back of the dollar bill is the eye of Satan placed there by Masons; George W. Bush is a Mason (which he's not); Bill Clinton is a Mason (wrong again), and that's why he escaped impeachment; there are hidden Degrees higher than the 33°, and Freemasons who hold these Degrees are dedicated to evil purposes, etc, etc., etc.

It wasn't long before a fellow employee chimed in with his two cents, and I realized that he was the one filling everyone's head with this nonsense, even giving out audio and videotapes that laid it all on the line. I, in turn, defended the Fraternity saying that, among other benefits to society, a lot of charity work is done by Masons and that the central moral code of Masonry is the "Golden Rule." I also pointed out that a Bible is always open when a Lodge is working, that the Pledge Of Allegiance is said at every meeting, and that a large percentage of the people involved in Masonry are dedicated Christians.

Soon, these two were into other nonsensical rumors: that Mormons must have sex in the Temple on an altar when they are married; that Catholics think all Protestants are heretics; that Catholicism goes back to the Tower of Babel and is, in actuality, the worship of Baal; that Jews are "Christ killers" with secret, sacrificial rites. And then, of course, there are the dreaded Freemasons! Unfortunately, someone who hasn't actually gone to sources to separate fact from fiction can, if so minded, accept all of these ridiculous assertions as true.

I, too, before becoming a Mason, had heard some of these rumors. Then I looked at my father, a Mason, and saw he was a good man. So I decided to do some research. Primary sources, not second-hand, unproved allegations, convinced me that when Masons are hated it is because they believe in liberty and freedom of religion, speech, and thought. I found that Masons live ethical lives guided by a high moral code, and that they help, often anonymously, handicapped children and many others in need any way they can.

I found that George Washington was a Freemason, as well as Harry Truman, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Thomas Edison, Norman Vincent Peale, Mozart, countless inventors, innovators, and religious leaders who were and are all part of this great nation and historic fraternity. On a personal basis, the Masons I have met come from all different walks of life and have always treated me with dignity and respect. In every instance, the "Golden Rule" of the Bible has been applied and lived by each of these men. In addition, their families are law-abiding, patriotic, and caring.

As a matter of fact, the accusations against Freemasons are completely false, just like the untruths spread about Mormons, Catholics, Protestants, and Jews—not to mention what has been falsely alleged regarding just about every cultural, political, physical, or national group from Italians, Hispanics, African-Americans, and Muslims to Liberals, Conservatives, artists, academics, blondes, and the overweight, etc. ad nauseam infinitum! This is dangerous thinking at its worst. People are always looking for other people to blame; thus, seeds of hate are sown and fertilized with fear.

After about 20 minutes of listening to this garbage, I'd heard enough. I announced that not only was I a Mason but a 32° Scottish Rite Mason, PROUD of it, and certainly not in league with Satan. Of what I had heard, 99% was false with 1% truth to make it sound as if it could be true. Ignorance is our biggest enemy.

So where does all this leave us as Masons? First, we must remember to discern between truth, rumor, and falsehood. There will always be those intent on finding a scapegoat for their problems. At some point, all the groups I mentioned above were excluded, tortured, enslaved, or otherwise harmed because of ignorance and arrogance. Let's be careful what we believe and spread as supposed truth. Let's not create an enemy where there isn't one. If we are going to fight someone, let there be a good reason and let that reason be 100% true. Let's not destroy this country from the inside by finding hidden enemies where there aren't any. After all, that's what the Taliban and other extremists want us to do.