What is Freemasonry?
Freemasonry is a fraternal organization devoted to fellowship among members, charitable work and self-improvement. Local branches are called “lodges,” and the bodies that oversee them “Grand Lodges”; it is said to have several million members worldwide. Japan also has a Grand Lodge, which has held events opening its lodge building to the public.
Origins and history of Freemasonry
It is generally thought to have originated in the guilds of stonemasons (masons) who built cathedrals and other buildings in medieval Europe. In time, people who were not stonemasons were also admitted as members, and in 1717 four lodges in London came together to form the first Grand Lodge. This is considered the beginning of modern Freemasonry.
In the 18th century it spread through Europe and America along with the ideas of the Enlightenment, and famous figures such as the composer Mozart and George Washington, the first president of the United States, are known to have been members.
Masonic symbols and the dollar bill
A famous symbol of Freemasonry is the square and compasses, tools of building (often with the letter “G” in the center). The “Eye of Providence” (the all-seeing eye), an eye drawn inside a triangle, is also known as a Masonic symbol.
Because a pyramid and eye appear on the back of the American one-dollar bill, it is sometimes said that “America was founded by the Freemasons.” However, the Great Seal design on which it is based was decided through the hands of several people, and the Eye of Providence is also a motif long used in Christian art; there is said to be no evidence that the Freemasons were officially involved.
Freemasonry conspiracy theories and urban legends
Because the Freemasons did not reveal their initiation rites and passwords to outsiders, they have long been viewed with curiosity as a “secret society.” This gave rise to conspiracy theories that they “secretly control governments and finance around the world” or “engineered the French Revolution and American independence,” sometimes mixed with legends of another secret society, the Illuminati, and with talk of the deep state.
However, these conspiracy theories have no solid basis. In the past, baseless hostility toward Freemasonry has also been tied to the persecution of particular people and to disinformation. Freemasonry as a real organization and the urban legends told about it need to be considered separately.
