I was talking to a 50-year Brother the other day when he stated he never knows quite what to say when a woman asks about Freemasonry and wants to know why they can't become a Freemason. The comment drew a few sympathetic looks and knowing smiles, from the other married Brothers at our table, but no one seemed anxious to offer any words of advice on the subject.

I have participated in many discussions on this interesting subject where the prevailing male thought is usually a version of one or the two following comments. "What part of Fraternity, do they not understand" or "My Grand Lodge does not allow me to discuss Freemasonry with a woman."

Both statements are to various degrees incorrect and do not help the wellbeing of any married Freemason when his wife, who knows the ritual and obligations as well as he does, because she has helped him to remember them over the years, asks him “You know dear, I believe in these same moral and ethical philosophies, why can’t I become a Freemason?”.

Sound familiar?

Women have been involved in Freemasonry for well over 100 years but as far as north American mainstream Freemasonry they have been invisible. Well, we are going to change that. Karen Kidd noted Masonic author and lecturer has come up with a course on women in Freemasonry and it should be ready for enrollment next week. Check it out, but remember that expanding your Masonic knowledge can be hazardous to your prejudices.

Jack Buta

Good afternoon Brother Jason,

Well, at least you did not start out with "What part of Fraternity, do you not understand." LOL

Let me see if I can shift your focus a bit and take a little of the heat out of this subject.

Suppose that instead of discussing Freemasonry we were discussing religion ( I promise to return to Freemasonry in a moment).

I was ordained as a Deacon in North Phoenix Southern Baptist Church. One of the tenants of the faith is that you must accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and once you have done so, you are saved.

Now I have some dear friends and Masonic Brothers who are Muslim. They believe to be a true believer you must acknowledge Allah as God and Mohammad as his Prophet three times in public and then follow the teachings in the Koran.

Do you think it might behoove me to know something about a religion that I do not believe in or subscribe to?

Do you think that by being more informed about other beliefs I can better understand where they are coming from and therefore relate to them and their beliefs, or do you think that just be finding out about their beliefs I place my own in jeopardy?

When I took my Masonic oath I pledged never to be present at or participate in the making of a Woman a Mason. However, I did not swear to ignore women who believe that they are Freemasons with the same intensity that my Grand Lodge does.

The purpose of the Academy is not to expound on what I believe or to make political statements. Who is or is not recognized as Freemason is covered in Article 26 of our Masonic Code under the title of Recognition. This is a political issue. You can be a recognized Freemason one day and have that recognition pulled the next without changing anything. Read "The God Conspiracy" (You can find it on Pietre-Stones under my name. Its been translated in 4 languages that I know off).

The purpose of the Academy is to educate and expand your knowledge of all things that touch on Freemasonry. Whether you believe that Women have no place in Freemasonry does not nullify the fact that Female Freemasons have existed as an unrecognized form of Freemasonry for over 120 years.

I promise you that learning about them and what they believe will not make you any less a bastion of our Jurisdiction but hey you might come away with a better understanding of what female Freemasonry is all about.

One last item and I will relinquish the floor to you. Colorado Freemasons take the same oath as Arizona Freemasons yet they have invited Karen Kidd to address them on this subject and I believe that some if not all of the Grand Line will be present.

Something to consider, my Brother.

Brother Jason,

You are making quite a lot of assumptions I do not agree with. I am not advocating Female Freemasonry, nor am I contemplating sitting a in a tyled Lodge with Karen Kidd. However, believe it or not, there are many regular and recognized Freemasons who would like to know more about Female Freemasonry, and despite your objections I think it will be an interesting 100 series course.

You say there is no heat in your response but when you use capitals in emails it is taken to be the equivalent of shouting. I also find the last statement of your response both personally insulting and injurious to my character and integrity as a Freemason, but hey, I will get over it, in about 10 minutes.

In regards to the Master Mason forums, every person applying for entry into the Master Mason Forums is investigated and is not allowed entry until their status is approved by their Lodge or Grand Secretary and they must be from a recognized jurisdiction. Of course if you are concerned about the integrity of the forums I would be more than happy for you to take over that chore. I really could use the help.