Freemasons in Poland

Quoting: ShelleyS

No, they are a "secret society" that do a lot of work for charity and so forth and they call each other "brother" oh and some (not sure if all) wear a ring to signify that they are a free mason - one more thing, they have a lovely dinner on the evening that they meet....you have to know someone to become one....

RockyMasonThreads: 23 Posts: 303 Joined: Nov 20, 07	Nov 20, 07, 23:44 / #
how do polish ppl feel about Freemasons? and Y

LukaszThreads: 73 Posts: 2,396 Joined: Sep 1, 07	Nov 21, 07, 03:13 / #
heheh :) OMG I think freemasons arent popular ....

Foreigner4Threads: 22 Posts: 1,984 Joined: Nov 18, 07	Nov 21, 07, 03:36 / #
why do you ask? and are you a travelling man?

daffyThreads: 40 Posts: 2,119 Joined: Feb 5, 07	Nov 21, 07, 03:37 / #
polish freemasons (according to net) are around 500 in number. I image to reasons. 1. the papel bull prohibiting catholics from being members (as PL is largely catholic) 2. WW2, Along with Jews, Gypsies, the freemasons were sent to concentration camps also (as political prisoners. In the US, UK (&former commonwealth areas), western world by and large Freemasonry is larger, more open and so forth. My understanding is that few poles seem to know about FM but what they 'know' is that it is anti-catholic, devil worship, atheistic, controls/hopes to control the world. All of which is speculation and passing stories from one unimformed, to another. So I take it with a pinch of salt that ignorance of a thing (and to be fair - freemasons in PL with such a persecution, remain very quiet. Doing this image no favors at all) However, they are not uncontactable - there is a website (google Polish freemasonry) and you'll find out more from the freemason's point of view too.

davidpeakeThreads: 18 Posts: 515 Joined: Nov 7, 06	Nov 21, 07, 06:04 / #
wasn't Mr Cunnigham from Fonzie a head poo bar Mason in the show?

sledzThreads: 29 Posts: 3,202 Joined: Sep 19, 06	Nov 21, 07, 06:11 / #
what are they some kind of cult???????

ShelleySThreads: 18 Posts: 3,647 Joined: Jun 26, 07	Nov 21, 07, 06:41 / #
Quoting: sledz what are they some kind of cult No, they are a "secret society" that do a lot of work for charity and so forth and they call each other "brother" oh and some (not sure if all) wear a ring to signify that they are a free mason - one more thing, they have a lovely dinner on the evening that they meet....you have to know someone to become one....

CryptoThreads: 1 Posts: 41 Joined: Nov 10, 06	Nov 21, 07, 07:09 / #
All I know is that you must stay far far away! Heard of people who ended up dead when they wanted out.

daffyThreads: 40 Posts: 2,119 Joined: Feb 5, 07	Nov 21, 07, 07:10 / #
Quoting: Crypto All I know is that you must stay far far away! Heard of people who ended up dead when they wanted out. another i heard from a guy who heard from the horse who knows the guy who heard it from the person who.... horse radish! total horse radish. there is no proof man! your merely playing of fears and adding to speculation.

CryptoThreads: 1 Posts: 41 Joined: Nov 10, 06	Nov 21, 07, 07:18 / #
Playing of fears? Now you are talking horse radish! I am only sharing what I have heard and experienced.

ZgubionyThreads: 21 Posts: 2,037 Joined: Oct 20, 06	Nov 21, 07, 07:50 / #
The Catholic church sees it as another religion and condems it.

ZgubionyThreads: 21 Posts: 2,037 Joined: Oct 20, 06	Nov 21, 07, 07:53 / #
Look up Albert Pike. There's info as to why he/Freemasons dislike Catholics.

BuddyThreads: 7 Posts: 180 Joined: Nov 18, 07	Nov 21, 07, 08:01 / #
Actually the "freemasons" are exceptionally powerful, google the P2 lodge "propaganda due", the Banker Roberto Cavalli otherwise known as God's banker was murdered because of his missappropriation of freemason funds. If you know anything about operation "stay behind" then the picture is pretty frightening. These people do rule the roost. Also check out "operation Gladio" on wikipedia.

joepilsudskiThreads: 44 Posts: 2,529 Joined: Apr 27, 07	Edited by: joepilsudski Nov 22, 07, 14:52 / #
Quoting: Zgubiony Look up Albert Pike. There's info as to why he/Freemasons dislike Catholics. Yes, and Pike was a perfect example of why Christians/Catholics seperate themselves from Freemasonry...He was called 'the Grand Pontiff of Scottish-Rite Fremasonry', a particularly detestable version of the Masonic/Phallic cult...he was also head of the Ku Klux Klan in the 'reconstruction period' South after the Civil War, and worked for the Rothschild family in actually helping to build and train the Confederate Army, whose members were drawn from a secret society called the 'Knights of the Golden Circle', which Pike was involved in. taken from : www.trosch.org/for/masonic-sym.html

ZgubionyThreads: 21 Posts: 2,037 Joined: Oct 20, 06	Nov 21, 07, 07:27 / #
We have a lot of Freemasons in NJ and I know and work with a few. My Grandfather was a freemason and I never heard of anyone being killed because they wanted out. It's possible that this occurred back in the day, but not no w.

CryptoThreads: 1 Posts: 41 Joined: Nov 10, 06	Nov 21, 07, 07:29 / #
I also know about a few in South Africa

LukaszThreads: 73 Posts: 2,396 Joined: Sep 1, 07	Edited by: Lukasz Nov 21, 07, 07:45 / #
I think they will have some problems to find new members in Poland ... because Catholics cant be members ... maybe Rockymasone will tell us why ? (I m not religous person but it is interesting issue)

MatyjaszThreads: 2 Posts: 1,786 Joined: Jul 20, 06	Nov 22, 07, 18:46 / #
Quoting: ShelleyS No, they are a "secret society" that do a lot of work for charity and so forth and they call each other "brother" oh and some (not sure if all) wear a ring to signify that they are a free mason - one more thing, they have a lovely dinner on the evening that they meet....you have to know someone to become one.... And the secret handshake. Don't forget about the secret handshake! ;)) PS: A lot of people responsible for the Polish May Third Constitution, which BTW was the first constitution in Europe and second in the world (yes, i just had to write this ;D ), were in fact freemasons. Amongst them, the last king of Poland, Stanisław Poniatowski.

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,181 Joined: Nov 27, 07	Edited by: jonni Nov 30, 07, 12:48 / #
Mattie and Shelley are quite right. Though the 'secret handshake' stuff is a bit overrated - masons don't go around doing that sort of stuff in the hope of meeting another mason - it would be a bit frowned on. Only a few wear rings, and some (including me) wear a discreet lapel pin. There's a Polish TV presenter who wears a large aquare and compasses on his jacket, visible to the viewers but that's highly untypical. It isn't secret, just meant to be discreet, and the time spent in lodge is a kind of freedom from the outside world, where peopel who often lead very pressured lives can truly relax. Forget the 'Albert Pike' and 'P2' stuff. Utter rot. Not that P2 was a masonic lodge for most of its existance due to being expelled or that the name 'Albert Pike' is known outside the fevered minds of conspiracy theorists. Freemasonry is a system of morality and a way of looking at life. It's quite popular in Poland, and has existed since at least the eighteenth century. Adam Mickiewicz was a member. The craft was banned during the communist era, but has been growing extremely healthily since, with about 20 lodges of different sorts around Poland, most in the capital. Have a look at www.wolnomularstwo.pl and see what it's really like.

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,181 Joined: Nov 27, 07	Nov 30, 07, 12:53 / #
Quoting: Foreigner4 and are you a travelling man? From whence to whither? ;-)))) (Not that that particular form is used within Polish FM) Quoting: Crypto All I know is that you must stay far far away! Heard of people who ended up dead when they wanted out. And if you want to leave, you just send a letter saying so.

szkotja2007Threads: 38 Posts: 2,544 Joined: Dec 29, 06	Nov 30, 07, 13:11 / #
How old is your Granny ? ( or mother in England )

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07	Nov 30, 07, 13:23 / #
Quoting: Zgubiony We have a lot of Freemasons in NJ and I know and work with a few. My Grandfather was a freemason and I never heard of anyone being killed because they wanted out. It's possible that this occurred back in the day, but not no w. because no one ever leaves.

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,181 Joined: Nov 27, 07	Nov 30, 07, 15:06 / #
Quoting: plk123 because no one ever leaves. Most don't want to. But some do, and are wished well and usually stay friends. In the middle ages, the trade secrets of the stonemasons were the basis of many people's livelihood so it was perhaps harder to leave in those days, but we stopped killing people for betraying the correct way to build a cathedral many hundreds of years ago.

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,181 Joined: Nov 27, 07	Edited by: jonni Nov 30, 07, 15:07 / #
Quoting: szkotja2007 How old is your Granny ? ( or mother in England ) in four figures!!

slick77Threads: - Posts: 182 Joined: Nov 9, 07	Edited by: slick77 Nov 30, 07, 15:13 / #
How does one become a freemason?

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,181 Joined: Nov 27, 07	Edited by: jonni Nov 30, 07, 15:28 / #
Quoting: slick77 How does one become a freemason? If you're in Poland, try wolnomularstwo.pl and you can make contact with somebody who'll be pleased to have a chat. In most other places, your local lodge will be listed in the phone book, or try googling 'freemasonry' and the name of the town or county you're in. Sometimes there are open meetings. I think there's one tomorrow in Warsaw, but I'm not sure if it's completely open or by invitation only. Another way, probably the best way is to speak to somebody who you know is a mason - they're usually happy to answer questions. If you decide to proceed, you have to write a letter asking to join - this is essential as members must join of their own free will. The next part of the procedure varies a lot from place to place. I only know how it goes here in Poland. You will meet with various people, usually four individual meetings which last several hours each, and have to discuss your outlook on certain topics. Then you will be invited to a lodge, blindfolded (so you can't see who is in the lodge - your neighbour, boss, mother-in-law etc could be there!), and asked certain questions based on your responses to the interviews. The lodge will then vote. If the vote is positive, you will be given a date for initiation. At any stage, you can back out, or they can decide to not to continue.

slick77Threads: - Posts: 182 Joined: Nov 9, 07	Nov 30, 07, 15:35 / #
Thanks for the info.

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07	Nov 30, 07, 15:40 / #
so, what are the benefits to being a freemason?

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,181 Joined: Nov 27, 07	Nov 30, 07, 15:41 / #
Quoting: slick77 Thanks for the info. No problem! I should say that in Britain and the US it's a bit less 'cloak and dagger' and they don't generally do the blindfolded Q & A session. I think they only do one interview too, by a kind of committee. Especially in the US there are more and more open days, and in Britain, they'll often invite you to the lodge's bar after a meeting to get to know people. In the US they don't usually have a bar, but often have big social functions, hog roasts, pot luck suppers etc.

jonniThreads: 26 Posts: 4,181 Joined: Nov 27, 07	Nov 30, 07, 15:42 / #
Quoting: plk123 so, what are the benefits to being a freemason? The eternal question, that only answers itself after you've joined. All that stuff about getting off speeding tickets etc is nonsense - the benefits are very hard to describe. A lot to do with self-development.