Category Archives: Masonic Traveler

Observations on the esoteric from author Greg Stewart (Masonic Traveler) about the fraternity of Freemasonry, its impact on civil society and contributions to the material culture.

The Repression of Freemasonry in Spain

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If you happen to be near the Iberian Peninsula, this sounds like an excellent event to attend.

From the Gibraltar Chronicle (from the Wayback Archive)…

Talks on the history of Freemasonry in Spain will be held at the John Mackintosh Hall on 28th June at 7pm. The talks will be delivered by Professor Dr. Jose Antonio Ferrer Benimeli and Professor Dr. Juan Jose Morales Ruiz. They are experts on the history of Freemasonry in Spain. Professor Ferrer Benimeli and Professor Morales Ruiz are not Freemasons.

Prior to his retirement, Jose Antonio Ferrer Benimeli was professor of Contemporary History at the Universidad de Zaragoza. Professor Ferrer Benimeli is an internationally renowned authority on the history of Freemasonry, especially that of Spain and Latin America. He has participated in some 300 international conferences and has delivered over 500 talks in Europe and America. Professor Ferrer Benimeli is the founder member of the ‘Centro de Estudios Históricos de la Masonería Española’ and was its president from 1983 to 2009. At present, he is honorary president. He was also vice-president of the ‘Centro de Estudios del Siglo XVIII Español’ for a period of ten years. Professor Ferrer Benimeli has published more than five hundred monographs and forty six books.

Professor Juan Jose Morales Ruiz received a doctorate in Information Science from the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona. He also has a Degree in journalism from the School of Journalism in Madrid. Professor Morales Ruiz currently works at the ‘Centro de Estudios Históricos’ of the Universidad de Zaragoza, where his research includes the history of Freemasonry in Spain. Professor Morales Ruiz is the author of a number of books and research papers on the subject of Spanish Freemasonry, with a particular emphasis on its role during the Spanish Civil War and its subsequent suppression under the regime of Francisco Franco.

Professor Ferrer Benimeli will talk on ‘La Historia de la Masonería Española’ and Professor Morales Ruiz will talk on ‘La represión de los masones durante la Guerra Civil (1936-1939), Franco y la Masonería’. The talks will be in Spanish. The general public is invited to attend. Admission is free. The talks promises to be of great interest to the general public as well as to Freemasons.

The talks are sponsored by the District Grand Lodge of Gibraltar, English Constitution.

About the Spanish Repression of Freemasonry – from Wikipedia:

It is claimed that the dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera ordered the abolition of Freemasonry in Spain. In September 1928, one of the two Grand Lodges in Spain was closed and approximately two-hundred masons, most notably the Grand Master of the Grand Orient, were imprisoned for allegedly plotting against the government. It is certainly true that Masonic lodges provided a convenient forum for those critical of the dictator, regardless of their political persuasion.

Following the military coup of 1936, many Freemasons trapped in areas under Nationalist control were arrested and summarily killed, along with members of left wing parties and trade unionists. It was reported that Masons were shot, tortured and murdered by organized death squads in every town in Spain. At this time one of the most rabid opponents of Freemasonry, Father Jean Tusquets, began to work for the Nationalists with the task of exposing masons. One of his close associates was Franco’s personal chaplain, and over the next two years, these two men assembled a huge index of 80,000 suspected masons, even though there were little more than 5,000 masons in Spain. The results were horrific. Among other countless crimes, the lodge building in Cordoba was burnt, the masonic temple in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, was confiscated and transformed into the headquarters of the Falange, and another was shelled by artillery. In Salamanca thirty members of one lodge were shot, including a priest. Similar atrocities occurred across the country: fifteen masons were shot in Logrono, seventeen in Ceuta, thirty-three in Algeciras, and thirty in Valladolid, among them the Civil Governor. Few towns escaped the carnage as Freemasons in Lugo, Zamora, Cadiz and Granada were brutally rounded up and shot, and in Seville, the entire membership of several lodges were butchered. The slightest suspicion of being a mason was often enough to earn a place in a firing squad, and the blood-letting was so fierce that, reportedly, some masons were even hurled into working engines of steam trains. By 16 December 1937, according to the annual masonic assembly held in Madrid, all masons that had not escaped from the areas under nationalist control had been murdered.

After the victory of dictator General Francisco Franco, Freemasonry was officially outlawed in Spain on 2 March 1940. Being a mason was automatically punishable by a minimum jail term of 12 years. Masons of the 18º and above were deemed guilty of ‘Aggravated Circumstances’, and usually faced the death penalty.

According to Francoists, the Republican Regime which Franco overthrew had a strong Masonic presence. In reality Spanish Masons were present in all sectors of politics and the armed forces. At least four of the Generals who supported Franco’s rebellion were Masons, although many lodges contained fervent but generally conservative Republicans. Freemasonry was formally outlawed in the Law for the Repression of Freemasonry and Communism. After Franco’s decree outlawing masonry, Franco’s supporters were given two months to resign from any lodge they might be a member of. Many masons chose to go into exile instead, including prominent monarchists who had whole-heartedly supported the Nationalist rebellion in 1936. The common components in Spanish Masonry seems to have been upper or middle class conservative liberalism and strong anti-clericism.

The Law for the Repression of Freemasonry and Communism was not abrogated until 1963. References to a “Judeo-Masonic plot” are a standard component of Francoist speeches and propaganda and reveal the intense and paranoid obsession of the dictator with masonry. Franco produced at least 49 pseudonymous anti-masonic magazine articles and an anti-masonic book during his lifetime. According to Franco:

“The whole secret of the campaigns unleashed against Spain can be explained in two words: masonry and communism… we have to extirpate these two evils from our land.”

How Bill Gates Redefines Charity

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Charity has existed for as long as man has had enough to share. Compassion is our basic drive to give for those less fortunate than ourselves.  Be it alms coins to the poor from the church in the 1500’s or Bill Gates giving 50 Billion dollar checks to foundations to give in his name.  The idea of what charity is has just been turned on its ear.

This is important because one of the more important elements of Freemasonry is its outlook towards Charity (faith and hope too).

How it came to be is likely a jumble of one time benefit societies, widows of workman, and an endearment towards mankind, especially as those of affluence looked towards those who were without.

It was an alms to the poor, the act of compassion, of love. Love in the sense of a divine love, not an expression of passion , rather a fraternal love. In a sense, the way the great Architect looks down upon you and I.

Over time, that Charitas, Charity, has evolved. Still the giving of alms, but instead of throwing gold coins to the masses, charity is now and endowment towards an institution. Think of the proverb that says instead of giving a man a fish, you teach him how to catch one.

Now, at the pinnacle of the pyramid of giving, Bill Gates has upped the anti. Rather than give his fortune to his children, instead he’s opted to give it back to the world.

Dust to dust, money to money….

But Gates with his friend and philanthropic colleague Warren Buffet are together asking other American Billionaires to donate half of their fortunes too.

It is an epic undertaking to imagine – so much accumulated wealth spread out to so many organizations. Gates and Buffett in asking other billionaires who make a pledge to do so publicly, with a letter explaining their decision.

“The pledge is a moral commitment to give, not a legal contract. It does not involve pooling money or supporting a particular set of causes or organizations,” they explain in a written statement about the project.

With such monumental giving, it makes me wonder if at the end of the day, those that need the help most will receive it, or if the distribution of money will just go to make other rich.

Read: Whence came the Moral Law in Freemasonry?

An alternative might be something like a kiva.com giving micro loans to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd world recipients to establish a business or materials to make an income.

Or, give it in a manner like Percy Ross who said of giving and the results of it

“He who gives while he lives also knows where it goes. . . . I’m having a ball, the time of my life.”

Why not give to those in need instead of funding new businesses to distribute the wealth?

But, Ross was considered gawdy and vulgar for his self promotion, and Gates,  rather than allow himself to be portrayed the happy vulgar giver, instead operates on the down low and letting others be the decision makers to how his money is spent.

Either way, charity has a new face in 2010 and it seems like Gates and the Billionaire Club are leading the way for giving.

With such epic giving as they do, is our lesser run of the mill giving any less valuable?

Circa 1939

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A remarkable film showing women Freemasons at the Masonic Temple in London congratulating Mrs Seton Challen on her enthronement as Grand Master at a reception in Mayfair…

WOMEN FREEMANSONS

Click the image to play the video.

British Pathe historical archive.

Sometimes people snap.

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I found it funny to find a flurry of blogs (here, here, and here too) making the proclamation that Congressman Bob Etheridge of North Carolina was a Freemason and somehow that was note-worthy in light of his recent outburst at the student journalist on the streets of Washington.

The references suggested that he was the present Grand Orator no less but I can’t seem to find any credible sources – the North Carolina Grand Lodge doesn’t list him as the G.O., so I think they were going on old info.

It does look like a Masonic membership reference was edited out of his Wikipedia page which still comes up in a Google search for Bob Etheridge Freemason.

If you haven’t seen the video, its been widely circulated. This is the unedited version.

I first heard about it  through a Facebook post, and then as now I wanted to see the unedited linear video, (which is what I published above) but in the curt and past society of story telling news, the footage is all we can go by, nothing more, nothing less. It reminded me of a Hemingway story, all you have is the story itself that starts where it starts and ends where it ends giving no context to the events themselves.

The original video was posted by DCCameraGuy, so Fox News is reporting, and the footage was for a “project” as the blurred faces in the footage say to the enraged Congressman. You can almost hear the crack as he starts to snap.

Etheridge has since apologized and given his mea culpa for what led up to that moment caught on camera. I buy it, but is it enough? Do you think he just snapped, or was this another attempt at a ‘gotcha media’ moment?  Should he face assault charges?  Should he remain in Congress?

And, whether or not Representative Etheridge is a Freemason, or not, has nothing to do with what happened in this video.

Dueling dogma.

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How is it the Catholic Church knows the nature of Freemasonry in a way more so than Freemasonry itself?

“Freemasonry considers all religions of the world as mere competitive attempts to know God, who remains unknowable. Consequently, to say that Christianity is the true religion would be unacceptable in Freemasonry,” the CBCP states, adding that the Masons promote relativism, meaning no one can claim to possess a truth in an absolute way, and deism or that man is no longer accountable to God and becomes the master of the world, so one cannot speak of divine providence or revelation.

This comes from a broader story in the Business World Weekender, out of Manila, Philippines, about the Clash of the two dogmas.

The Broader context of the story speaks to the recent rift between the Church and Freemasonry in the Philippines in the recent refusal to grant the late Quezon Governor Rafael Nantes, who because of his status as a Freemason and Born Again Christian, was denied a Catholic burial last May.

The events are singular and isolated, a Church official refusing to administer what he believed to a born-again Christian and a Mason who did not repent.

“Canon 1184 states, that Church funeral rites are to be denied to ‘notorious apostates, heretics and schismatics’ unless they showed some signs of repentance before death,” as reported and told by Bishop Emilio Marquez of Lucena to UCA News.

Any armchair scholar of Freemasonry is well aware of the divisions between the church, even up to as recent as Cardinal Ratzinger re-affirming the disdain towards the fraternity in Quaesitum est, approved by John Paul II in 1983.

Taking the edict several steps further, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines declared in 1990 that funeral rites will be denied to any Catholic who belonged to any Masonic association, unless there was some sign of repentance before death.

Is it worth making the argument against their position that: “Freemasonry considers all religions of the world as mere competitive attempts to know God, who remains unknowable” or does that sum up a good point of its outlook?

Does the absence of declaring a religion as absolute declare insist no one is, especially in a morally enlightened (and based) organization?

The Freemason Facebook Logo conspiracy

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The Week has let the cat out of the bag.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed to the attentive crowd of the D8 tech conference, the latest secret logo of the Freemason/Facebook cabal.  Seriously, its being reported everywhere, even if it is a bit cultish.

You’ll have to look for the logo, but you CAN pick up one for yourself on Ebay.  You can see a big version of it at the SF Weekly blog.

It is, in fact, the mystical, magical, esoteric, and highly speculative Facebook 2010 business strategy logo, complete with its “off kilter” star of David center.

So it really is the Freemasons, I mean Facebook, that rules the world. So nefarious.

Thats it, the hoodie is out of the bag, back to robes and old fashioned cowel.

Hope, short supply, high demand.

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Hope is something in high demand but short supply these days.

With the ever flowing pipe of oil in the gulf getting ready to blanket the Gulf states shore lines (not to mention trail up the Atlantic coast on the currents), to the ever ailing U.S. job market that seems to have the illusion of getting better, only be recounted the next day to reveal that it really is lower than expected. Now it seems, even the Golden Arches of McDonalds has a titanium in the consumables problem, just one more thing to hope for the best but plan for the worst.

This is defintely a challenging time to be in, no matter where on the spectrum you fall. If you own a business sales are down, if your working the pink slip looms, and if your unemployed like the other 10% of your adult neighbors (numbers unadjusted for region) prospects look grim.

So where do you find Hope?

Pandora; Jules Joseph Lefebvre, 1882

In the book I put to press a month or so ago, Masonic Traveler, I delve that question from a philosophical angle. Hope springing from the metaphorical box of Pandora, a demon if you will, sent to antagonize man. The reverse of that idea is that hope was really a foil to the nefarious evil from Pandora’s Box, and was instead a light to mankind. Hope, it seemed had the ability to inspire mankind to see beyond his present state, to imagine a better tomorrow, next week, next month, next year.

As eloquent as that parable of antiquity was, its hard to translate to our real day to day life. We can say we have hope, but in our darkest of recesses, its easy to get lost in the maze of our doubts, fears, and hang-ups.

I hope that Obama and BP fix the problem in the Gulf, but what if….

I hope that the Toxic Shrek glass from McDonald’s is safe, but what about…

Not giving away the parallels I constructed in the book, I did stumble onto a great little article on WikiHow about how to find our hope and nurture it back so that it has a place again to inspire us again.  It was a good little refresher for me to help find my feet.

It helped me put things into perspective, and I Hope it will for you too.

Masonic Scholarship – ICHF 2011

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I picked this up from a Yahoo Message Board post. I think this is a terricif opportunity to see the academic study taking place aroudn the world. It definitely relates more to the ideas of Freemasonry than the present practice, so not a lot of in lodge How To here, but a large amount of the impact Masonry has had on the world.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY – 2011

To be held at George Washington Memorial, Arlington Va 27-29 May 2011

Held under the Patronage of:

Roger A. Simmons,Most Worshipful Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Alabama, President of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial

Thomas W. Jackson,Right Worshipful Past Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Executive Secretary World Conference of Masonic Grand Lodges.

With the special Patronage of: 11th Earl of Elgin and 15th Earl of Kincardine, KT

And with the support of:

The Academic Society for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism.

Centre interdisciplinaire bordelais d’etude des lumieres-Lumieres Nature Societe, Universite de Bordeaux III Centre d’etude de la Litterature Francaises des XVIIe et XVIIIe Siecles (CELLF),

Sorbonne IV. Paris Chair of Freemassonary, Faculty of Religious Studies,

University of Leiden Centre de la Mediterrannee Moderne et Contemporaine, Universite de Nice Sophia-Antipolis The Interdisciplinary Research Group Freemasonary,

Free University of Brussels

Conference web site: www.ichfonline.org

Conference venue web site: www.gwmemorial.org

FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS ICHF 2011

Since the inception of ICHF more than six years ago it has established itself as the primary conference for academics and others interested in Freemasonry to present papers on all aspects of the subject. I

From the beginning the ICHF was always a truly open ‘International’ conference, due to the diversity of countries represented at each of the conferences in 2007 and 2009. The 2011 conference to be held in Alexandria, Virginia, USA, marks a milestone in the growth of the International Conference by not only attracting participants from across the world but also, for the first time, the conference will be held outside Europe.

The 2011 conference will be held at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia USA, over the weekend of 27 – 29 May 2011 with optional social activities on 26th and 30th May.

Alexandria and its environs is a place where Scots played an important part in the early development of the region, as indeed they did in many other areas of America. It has been suggested therefore that one theme of the 2011 conference might be ‘Early Scottish Freemasons in North America’ and proposals for papers on that topic will be especially welcome

Following the huge success of the first two conferences, this, the third International Conference, will see the conference achieve a level of maturity that was hoped for by the organisers and is indicative of the tremendous amount of interest in the subject of Freemasonry, in all its aspects. This is the only International Conference at which academics, members of the public and of course Freemasons, gather together to discuss this much under-estimated social phenomenon.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

By holding a biennial conference open to the public, the main purpose of the ICHF is:

  • To promote Freemasonry as a subject for academic study.
  • To present and debate relevant contributions in this area of research.
  • To create a forum for interactions between researchers, experts and a wider audience.
  • To encourage individuals to take an interest and participate in an active exchange of knowledge in the area.

The ICHF is a non-profit making, privately owned event and brand, sponsored by Supersonic Events Ltd. with no formal affiliation to any masonic or academic body. On each occasion a leading academic is appointed to convene a specialist committee responsible for the selection of suitable presentations. Any surplus generated by the ICHF will go to support young researchers and academics pursuing research in the topic and other relevent masonic projects.

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial situated in Alexandria, Virginia, USA, is a superb and ideal venue for the third International Conference with splendid conference facilities, local accommodation of all types, and is within a short Metro ride to Washington DC, the capital of the USA.

It is anticipated that the registration fee for the full conference will be in the region of $375

LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Dr. Andreas Onnerfors, University of Sheffield
Mark A. Tabbert, Director of Collections GWMM
Robert L. D. Cooper, Curator, Grand Lodge of Scotland
Thomas M. Savini, Director Chancellor, Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library of the Grand Lodge of New York
Dr. des. Jim Daniel, History Department, University of Sheffield


ACADEMIC COMMITTEE

Committee Chair:
Dr. Andreas Onnerfors, University of Sheffield, England

Committee Members:
Professor Cecile Revauger, University of Bordeaux III, France
Professor Tatiana Artyemeva, St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia
Professor Margaret Jacob, UCLA, USA
Professor Susan Mitchell Sommers, St. Vincent College, USA
Professor Jessica Harland-Jacobs, University of Florida, USA
Dr. Maria Eugenia Vazquez, UCLA, USA
Dr. Kristiane Hasselmann, Free University of Berlin, Germany
Dr. Natalie Bayer, UCLA, USA
Dr. Aimee Newell, Scottish Rite, Northern Jurisdiction, Masonic Museum & Library, Lexington, USA ;
Professor Andrew Prescott, University of Glasgow, Scotland
Professor Martin Papenbeim, University of Bielefeld, Germany
Professor William D. Moore, University of North Carolina Wilmington, USA
Professor Pierre-Yves Beaurepaire, University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis, France
Professor Miguel Guzman-Stein, University of Costa Rica, Costa Rica
Professor Jeffrey Tyssens, Free University of Brussels, Belgium
Professor David Schimmelpenninck van der Oye, Brock University, Canada
Professor StepKen C. Bullock, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA
Professor Jan Snoek, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Professor Stephen Kantrowitz, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Professor Baudouin Decharneux, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Dr. Henrik Bogdan, Gothenburg University, Sweden .*
Professor Kenneth Loiselle, Trinity University, USA |
Dr. Robert Collis, University of Sheffield, England
Dr. Robert Peter, University of Szeged, Hungary
Dr. Brent Morris, Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, USA

YOUNG RESEARCHERS PANEL:
Claus Oberhauser (PhD-candidate), University of Innsbruck, Austria Claus
Damien Amblard (PhD-candidate), City University of New York, USA
Ricardo Martinez Esquivel (PhD-candidate), University of Costa Rica, Costa Rica
Carlos Francisco Martinez Moreno (PhD-candidate), University of Mexico, Mexico

PROPOSALS FOR PAPERS AND PANELS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO:

http://www.northernnetworking.co.uk/ichf2011.php

before 30th June 2010. Late proposals will not be accepted. All proposals will be subject to anonymous peer review. The outcome of the review of all the proposals will be announced by I7th September 2010.

CHECKLIST FOR THE SUBMISSION OF PAPERS OR PANELS

Submissions must contain:

Author’s name, institution, postal and email addresses, telephone number.

Co-author’s names if applicable Title of paper or panel session Name of chair for a panel session.

Three to five suggested key words for indexing papers 300 word abstract of each paper(with an additional 200 word justification for a panel session)

Please state the category to which you are submitting:

Paper or Panel Session

Please submit your proposal to the Conference Organisers to:
http://www.northernnetworking.co.uk/ichf2011.php no later than 30th June 2010.

Receipt of your proposal will be acknowledged within 5 working days. Outcome advised by 17th September 2010.


Conference Organizer:

Northern Networking Events Ltd. Glenfinnan Suite,
Braeview House
9/II Braeview Place
East Kilbride, Glasgow, G74 3XH
Scotland, UK

Tel: +44 (o) 1355 244966 Fax: +44 (o) 1355 249959 Email: ICHF@northernnetworking.co.uk

Conference website: www.ichfonline.org
Conference organiser’s web: www. northernnetworking. co.uk
Conference promoted by Supersonic Events Ltd.

Read more on the ICHF blog as updates are posted.

Building Athens

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Building Athens

Building Hiram and Building Boaz now have a new sibling, Building Athens.

Our good friend and Brother John Nagy has been diligently at the trestleboard and is ready to unveil is third installment in the Building Hiram series with his new book Building Athens.

The book, Building Athens, focuses on Wisdom, Insight and the Work of the Second Degree, specifically:

  • The Ancient Source of the Masonic EA and FC training
  • The Significance of “The Pass” in all Masonic Work
  • The Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences and how they relate to “The Pass”
  • What Raises a Mason’s Abilities to do further Work.

In the new book he explores why the study of the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences are so critical for Masons to study.

From the books website:

In “Building Athens,” volume three of the “Uncommon Catechism for Uncommon Masonic Education” series, Dr. Nagy shares 12 intriguing and enlightening Masonic Catechisms that outline in depth the very purpose of the Fellow Craft education. Well established nearly 2500 years ago, the training serving this purpose Raises Masons with a specific end in mind.

Building Athens reveals:

  • The author of and inspiration for Fellow Craft Training.
  • The purpose Fellow Craft training was intended to accomplish.
  • The single most important word that denotes the difference between Fellow Crafts and Master Masons.
  • A widow’s son whose life and death redefined what it means to be heroic.
  • What should be known about the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences by every Mason.
  • What truly Raises a Fellow Craft toward Mastery.

Dr. Nagy provides you with yet one more interesting and thought-provoking guide to improve and strengthen your Masonic awareness and clarity. He shares key information and insights that will help you better understand how facets of the second Degree fit together to help you in your Building efforts.

Something that immediately caught my eye was the title and how it correlates to the work.  Building Athens shares 12 intriguing and enlightening Masonic Catechisms which seems to coincide with the founding of the city of Athens and the uniting of the 12 cities under the name Athenae (Athens), where the rich, the farmer, and the artisan all shared equal rights.

You can pre-order the book now, or pick it up when it hits June 1st from the Building Athens site!

Did the Mormon Church come out of Freemasonry?

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Not according to the Mormon church.

An interesting article out this morning in the Mormon Times on the myths surrounding the founding of the Mormon church and its ties tot he ancient and honorable fraternity of Freemasonry.

The piece is in reference to a new book by LDS author Matthew B. Brown titled Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons.

His argument for the two NOT being intrinsically connected (despite many similarities between them) is that the rituals of the fraternity emulate earlier Christian rituals of monarchy and church which was picked up on by Joseph Smith in his early writings.

Not being a Mormon, its a challenge to see or dismiss the parallels, but from past passing conversations, the parallels between the two were striking.

Brown says in the article:

By examining history, “it becomes obvious that the Nauvoo-era temple ordinances and doctrines did not suspiciously materialize after Joseph Smith became a Freemason,”.

Before joining the fraternity, Joseph Smith had associates who were Freemasons, including brother Hyrum Smith and apostle Heber C. Kimball. Brown, however, says there is no evidence suggesting the Prophet knew about Masonic secrets before becoming a Freemason himself. In fact, revealing such secrets would be grounds for punishment, and “there is no evidence of any such action being taken against a Mormon Mason for making improper disclosures to Joseph Smith.”

You can read the whole article Mormons, Masons and myths at the Mormon Times or, pick up the book Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons