WTF He should b castrated!
Hiram-ski, calm down! Is is a fraternal organization, and that is it! People say jekly things all the time, plus, hey he is Catholic, and the Catholic church for decades has dismissed freemasonry.
Really, freemasonry has nothing to do with religion nor is it a cult; it is a society with secrets... if you read Duncan's Ritual and you will learn all of the ritual to the Past Master degrees, 4th, 5th and 6th. You can google the ritual as well.
I was raised in Saint Paul's - Algonquin (4th South Boston Masonic District) in '92, and was in line for three years, Senior Deacon. Never had any interest in sitting in the east, but I did enjoy traveling around to other lodges in Massachusetts.
It is kind of hokey, really. The ritual is the same thing over and over... nothing new or exciting. A ritual with secrets, and regalia and garb; some guys take it too seriously, others who are older enjoy it more and see it as an opportunity to help the community and maintain a social network.
No different than the Lions, Jaycees, of Knights of Columbus, to join all you have to do is believe in a god and give the Freemasons some money. Oh yeah, like any other order, church, club, Freemasonry is about money; you can buy your way into any order 16th degree and higher like Knights Templar, York and Scottish Rites as well as The Shriners.
The old rule of "to be one, ask one" was thrown out the window because membership was dwindling due to natural attrition. Now, the local AF & AM's hold open houses to recruit men in... which I disagree with, but then again they'd implode as an organization if they did not loosen up.
Is there any help for the widow's son? Naf, kind of goofy. Conspiracy folks want to believe we rule the world... not true... but let those fruitcakes think what they want.
H