What is Freemasonry?

Freemasonry is a system of morality and brotherhood that uses the tools and symbols of operative architecture to instruct its members. While not a religion itself, it requires its initiates to profess a belief in a Supreme Being and uses ceremonies, symbols, and allegories to teach moral and religious duties 3. Its practical object is to curb intemperate passions, reconcile conflicting interests, promote peace, and cultivate charity across geographic and religious divides 3.

Historically, writers trace its institutional and symbolic roots to the Roman Collegia—associations of architects permitted to regulate their own affairs—as well as the ancient mysteries of Egypt and Samothracia 23. Albert Pike and other Masonic scholars held that the fraternity acts as the successor to these ancient mysteries, preserving their method of moral instruction 3.

Interpretations of the fraternity's ultimate purpose differ among Masonic scholars. In the Craft, Carl H. Claudy emphasizes the practical application of brotherhood through lessons on wisdom, strength, and active moral strength 1. W.L. Wilmshurst presents a philosophical and mystical reading, arguing that Freemasonry is fundamentally a dramatized system for the spiritual regeneration of the soul rather than a simple social or charitable club 4. In Wilmshurst's view, the three Craft degrees allegorize bodily purification, mental and moral development, and self-sacrifice, providing a path to recover the divine potential lost in the temporal world 4.