Page 7 - Thinking of becoming a Freemason

Building a better society theory This was a period of great religious and
political turmoil and intolerance. Men were
It is in England that the first evidence of a
unable to meet together without differences
Lodge completely made up of non-operative
of political and religious opinion leading to
Masons is found. Elias Ashmole, the antiquary
arguments. Families were split by opposing
and founder of the Ashmolean Museum in
views and the English Civil War of 1642 to
Oxford, records in his diary for 1646 that he
1646 was the ultimate outcome.
was made a Free Mason in a Lodge held for
that purpose at his father-in-law’s house in Those who support the indirect link believe
Warrington. He records who was present at the the originators of Freemasonry were men
meeting: all have been researched and found who wished to promote tolerance and build
to have no connection with operative Masonry. a better world in which men of differing
opinions could peacefully co-exist and work
English evidence through the 1600s points
together for the betterment of mankind.
to Freemasonry existing separately from
any actual or supposed organisation of In the custom of their times, they used
operative stonemasons. allegory and symbolism to pass on their ideas
and principles.
This lack of evidence for the existence of
operative Lodges but evidence for Lodges of As their central idea was the building of a
accepted masons has led to the theory of an better society, they borrowed their forms and
indirect link between operative stonemasonry symbols from the operative builders’ craft
and Freemasonry. Those who support the and took their central allegory from The
indirect link theorise that Freemasonry was Bible. Stonemasons’ tools provided them
brought into existence by a group of men in with the multiplicity of emblems to illustrate
the late 1500s or early 1600s. the principles they were putting forward.

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