Are Freemason good or evil?

Masonic ethics are founded on the universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man 3. In Craft Masonry, lodges emphasize moral instruction, mutual aid, and charity to both members and outsiders under the guiding principle of doing good 4. In the Scottish Rite, Albert Pike explained that morality is rooted in the wisdom and justice of God, imposing a contract upon the initiate to practice tolerance, assist brothers in need, protect widows and orphans, and work for the progress of humanity 2.

Describing the fraternity as evil has historically been the domain of its religious and political opponents. Arthur Edward Waite noted that critics and anti-Masonic writers periodically constructed elaborate accusations associating the fraternity with Antichrist, global anti-religious subversion, and hidden conspiracies 1. Papal encyclicals and critics such as Abbé Gruber condemned Masonry for liberalism, Deism, and naturalism 3. As Albert C. Mackey observed, such attacks arose because the fraternity's commitment to civil liberties, free expression, representative government, and religious tolerance directly threatened authoritarian hierarchies 3. Consequently, oppressive regimes—including Fascist, Nazi, and Communist states—suppressed and vilified the fraternity, viewing its principles of democracy and universal brotherhood as an intolerable challenge to their power 3.