flameburns623
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Freemasonry is a fraternity with a 300 year-old public history. It purportedly had roots in stonemasons' guilds (professional craftsmen's associations) of the Middle Ages.
Stonemasons began accepting honorary members perhaps a century prior to the public formation of a United Grand Lodge, and wealthy, educated men joined because masonic training required applied schooling in a variety of areas of knowledge, at a time when there were few universities in which to study Geometry, higher mathmatics, Architecture, and cultural sciences. Guilds were also required to discipline their members in morals and ethics.
Eventually, the "speculative Masons" outnumbered the operative stoneworkers, whose craft was in decline anyhow. After the emergence of the first Grand Lodge of England, Masonry spread throughout the colonies, and into Europe. Most other fraternal groups (Elks, Moose, Eagles, and so forth), and most college fraternities and sororities, have modelled themselves to one degree or another upon the Freemasonic template.
A number of associated bodies have spring up alongside what is called the "Blue Lodge Masonry ", such as the Scottish and York Rites, the Eastern Star, and the Shriners.
Freemasonry attracted many of the great minds of the Enlightenment, and has been popular ever since. In English-speaking countries, Freemasonry has largely focused upon being a mutual aid and common benevolence society.
They use a number of handsigns and other "emblems of recognition", (having nothing to do with sign language). This is a vestigial holdover from when such signs and emblems were used by guilds to verify a man's claim to be a stonemason, as well as to establish their skill level. (An apprentice would be taught certain signs, to establish their credentials as one who had been accepted into the guild; after time passed, their skills would be tested, and if approved, they would learn additional signs signifying them as a journeyman stone worker. So again when they had become highly skilled and certified as master craftsmen).
All of this leads me to think that Deaf and HoH would thrive as Freemasons. So: anyone here who is also a Freemason?
Stonemasons began accepting honorary members perhaps a century prior to the public formation of a United Grand Lodge, and wealthy, educated men joined because masonic training required applied schooling in a variety of areas of knowledge, at a time when there were few universities in which to study Geometry, higher mathmatics, Architecture, and cultural sciences. Guilds were also required to discipline their members in morals and ethics.
Eventually, the "speculative Masons" outnumbered the operative stoneworkers, whose craft was in decline anyhow. After the emergence of the first Grand Lodge of England, Masonry spread throughout the colonies, and into Europe. Most other fraternal groups (Elks, Moose, Eagles, and so forth), and most college fraternities and sororities, have modelled themselves to one degree or another upon the Freemasonic template.
A number of associated bodies have spring up alongside what is called the "Blue Lodge Masonry ", such as the Scottish and York Rites, the Eastern Star, and the Shriners.
Freemasonry attracted many of the great minds of the Enlightenment, and has been popular ever since. In English-speaking countries, Freemasonry has largely focused upon being a mutual aid and common benevolence society.
They use a number of handsigns and other "emblems of recognition", (having nothing to do with sign language). This is a vestigial holdover from when such signs and emblems were used by guilds to verify a man's claim to be a stonemason, as well as to establish their skill level. (An apprentice would be taught certain signs, to establish their credentials as one who had been accepted into the guild; after time passed, their skills would be tested, and if approved, they would learn additional signs signifying them as a journeyman stone worker. So again when they had become highly skilled and certified as master craftsmen).
All of this leads me to think that Deaf and HoH would thrive as Freemasons. So: anyone here who is also a Freemason?