What is freemasonry?

Structured in the Craft as a three-class system, Freemasonry provides progressive moral and philosophical instruction 2. In the first degree, moral duties and virtue are inculcated; the second degree cultivates human reason and the sciences; the third degree preserves the ancient landmarks and lessons of truth among a selected few 2.

Rather than operating as a religion, the Fraternity serves as a concordat for men of every race and creed, requiring of its candidates a belief in a Supreme Being and keeping the volume of Sacred Writings open upon its altars during ceremonies 14. Its practical objects are to curb intemperate passions, promote social harmony, elevate human dignity, and practice brotherly love, relief, and truth 14.

Masonic writers interpret the system's character and purpose through distinct lenses:

William Preston explains the system as a practical scheme of moral education and social union, preserving its privileges through secret forms of initiation so that their value is not diminished by becoming commonplace 2.

Walter Leslie Wilmshurst interprets Craft ritual as a dramatic representation of the soul's spiritual journey and regeneration 1. In his view, the degrees do not refer to mundane architecture, but use allegory to teach self-knowledge and guide man's return to his divine origin 1.

In the Scottish Rite, Albert Pike holds that Freemasonry inherited its allegories and secret initiation as a means to preserve doctrine against persecution 3. Pike argues that because finite human minds cannot comprehend the infinite nature of the Divine, Masonic symbols provide an accommodation to human frailty, allowing men of differing theological views to cooperate without dogmatic strife 3. Similarly, writing on the Cryptic degrees, Osborne Sheppard notes the widely held theory that Masonry continues the tradition of the ancient Mysteries by employing initiation to teach moral duty and the hope of a future state 4.