Eight Secret Societies (2016)
I&#x27;m a Freemason. I haven&#x27;t been to a lodge meeting in quite awhile, but there are a few observations I think worth making:<p>* &quot;Secret societies&quot; have an air of mystique about them, and that played no small part in my joining. The theatricality of some rituals gives a sense of gravitas to the group that is often lacking in everyday life.<p>* Freemasonry at least does a lot of quiet charity. There is a not-insignificant amount of money they give to help people out, and they do very little publicity of this. In fact... I&#x27;d wager you haven&#x27;t heard of Freemasons doing anything at all in a long time, if ever.<p>* The perceived exclusivity of membership in a society like this is often portrayed as conducive to arrogance in its members in popular media, but every single Mason I&#x27;ve ever met is extraordinarily humble.<p>* It&#x27;s an unfortunate reality that most societies like this are gender-specific.<p>* Freemasonry is theistic, rather than explicitly Christian. Interestingly, the Catholic church _hates_ Freemasonry, for some reason.