Read up on their founding and history, they brought it upon themselves. They wanted to be the mysterious Boogeyman from their inception because the founders thought it would be cool and fun.
In high school we started a secret order, made a logo and symbols that we printed into stickers and would hide around the school in weird hidden places, even published a fake newspaper that we left around referencing it’s mythology and origins.
About 4 years after we all graduated I heard that apparently someone replaced the national anthem tape with one repeating the order’s phrases and terms.
My version is not as good, but may amuse you as thanks for sharing your story.
I once started a joke secret society in an MMO, only to be forgotten within a day, and then (gleefully) be reinducted a couple days later by a total stranger as a new member.
The induction nonsense had changed enough within that couple of days that I think I made a pretty convincing new recruit.
Though I think I caused some confusion when I changed outfits - I forgot that I had not yet “been told” the secret dress code. Oops. I think everyone then realized something was up, but chalked it up to secret society intrigues.
I think that any adult secret society is either going to be lame and boring, or it quickly escalates into a cult, gang, cartel, racket, or terrorist organization, depending on the group’s intentions.
Ehh, Freemasons are probably not religious in the sense you think they are. They all believe in god but are not necessarily of the same religious background.
I had a buddy who was in it. The background checks they do are comparable to getting a security clearance, and he said you’d get tossed out if you weren’t religious.
My dad was a Freemason, and I went through the first initiation and was working on the second but decided I didn’t want to continue despite enjoying my teen years in DeMolay. There was no fucking background check. lol! Hell, to join you just need to ask a Freemason - they don’t really ask you.
You have a Freemason who can vouch for your character as kind of a “sponsor” so maybe THAT is the background check but you don’t fill out any forms or anything that get submitted to the government.
Also, they use God in their words but you don’t have to believe in God. I dunno, maybe Nevada lodges have different rules? I doubt it.
From what I understand, intensity will vary from chapter to chapter. A belief in God is a requirement, but there can be some wiggle room on exactly what that means.
Looked into it because it sounded cool, attending some sort of group thing would probably be a good idea for me, and I find ritual fascinating. Shit gets expensive, though.
Edit: Who am I kidding, it’s mostly because I want my wallet contents to sound like Grandpa Simpson’s
The background check is no more than when applying to a job, they just check to see if you have a criminal record. They make a home visit to explain themselves to your family and to make sure your personal life doesn’t look like à mess, ie your not living like a piece of shit.
They say “do you believe in god yes/no” and “are you conspiring to overthrow the government yes/no” with a bored look on their face. They’re obliged to ask this because of traditional rules. It is a box-ticking.
While yes, the unfortunate thing is that it’s pretty christian dominant and my experience has been that don’t appreciate agnostics and pagans in there midsts.
Every lodge is different. Visitors from one lodge to another were once appalled by the more relaxed atmosphere of another. Even in a society of very well documented and studied ‘rules’ and practices can have widely different cultures depending on the town and people. Not all lodges are created equal.
Elks are the same in many(most?) chapters—a higher power whatever that means to you. Still, it’s a shame. A friend wanted me to join but I can’t be bothered with requirements that are silly/force me to express beliefs I don’t believe.
I love secret societies because they always remind me of LARPers. I used to go to this comic shop that held a Vampire:The Masquerade LARP thing, and they would all act secretive and sneaky, and come in the backdoor and things.
Y’know… maybe I’m losing some of the magic in my older age but I wonder, since the internet became ubiquitous we almost got rid of secret clubs to gathering as many people as possible on a stage.
Now I know the Masonic Lodge is the number one we think of, with their secret rituals and the like. But I was in another in scouts, Order of the Arrow, that you had to be voted in by your troop, had their secret rituals, etc. Why secret rituals? Because being in a secret club is fun! Knowing things that others don’t is fun! Are the rituals little small things that once people learn them are “meh?” Sure! But it’s fun during that time.
Now since I don’t have kids can’t speak to young kids today, but lord only knows before that how many “Secret clubs” I was in throughout my life growing up in school. Now by secret club I mean, group of us would get together, have a club, secret handshake that would be forgotten by the next week, fall apart then a new one form in like a month when “Do you know what would be awesome? If we had a secret club! One with a clubhouse! Yea!”
The Masonic Lodge, Fraternal Order of the Eagles, and all these others were basically clubs where everyone hung out and bullshitted, then of course when they’re gathered they get pissed off about some social thing or another and then it becomes a movement. Shriners were apparently a drinking club that was “We should help kids!” and made a full non-profit hospital system in the long run… the main reason on helping kids, because if a bunch of chucklefucks are gonna get around and drink they figured they should do something.
But I’ve heard the Masonic Lodge is dying from lack of memberships going in, no one really cares on a lot of the secret societies, and hell I don’t think the trope of kids having their “secret clubs” has been a thing in the last decade in media. I wonder if this is something we’re losing as a culture. It’ll never quite go away, as long as there’s a group of people that wants to go “ours” it’ll happen, but it’s an interesting thing to see.
Read up on their founding and history, they brought it upon themselves. They wanted to be the mysterious Boogeyman from their inception because the founders thought it would be cool and fun.
Honestly, he’s not wrong, it does look cool and fun. I wish there were non-religious secret sects.
In high school we started a secret order, made a logo and symbols that we printed into stickers and would hide around the school in weird hidden places, even published a fake newspaper that we left around referencing it’s mythology and origins.
About 4 years after we all graduated I heard that apparently someone replaced the national anthem tape with one repeating the order’s phrases and terms.
My god I hope that train keeps running away.
Nice.
My version is not as good, but may amuse you as thanks for sharing your story.
I once started a joke secret society in an MMO, only to be forgotten within a day, and then (gleefully) be reinducted a couple days later by a total stranger as a new member.
The induction nonsense had changed enough within that couple of days that I think I made a pretty convincing new recruit.
Though I think I caused some confusion when I changed outfits - I forgot that I had not yet “been told” the secret dress code. Oops. I think everyone then realized something was up, but chalked it up to secret society intrigues.
That’d be an absolute blast! I wish the few we tried to get started never really got anywhere.
I think that any adult secret society is either going to be lame and boring, or it quickly escalates into a cult, gang, cartel, racket, or terrorist organization, depending on the group’s intentions.
You’re just making it sound cooler
Well what things can a group of adults really do that are both not lame and boring, and also not illegal
https://www.meeplemountain.com/articles/how-to-plan-the-ultimate-board-game-night/
lol touche
There’s some non-secret societies, like Rotary Clubs, that try to do some volunteering, professional networking, and charity work together.
Also, for the under 70 crowd, there’s Maker spaces.
That’s one of the harder parts about it, even one themed in a way that’s positive is going to eventually fall to something with stronger conviction
Ehh, Freemasons are probably not religious in the sense you think they are. They all believe in god but are not necessarily of the same religious background.
I had a buddy who was in it. The background checks they do are comparable to getting a security clearance, and he said you’d get tossed out if you weren’t religious.
Background check?! BACKGROUND CHECK?!
My dad was a Freemason, and I went through the first initiation and was working on the second but decided I didn’t want to continue despite enjoying my teen years in DeMolay. There was no fucking background check. lol! Hell, to join you just need to ask a Freemason - they don’t really ask you.
You have a Freemason who can vouch for your character as kind of a “sponsor” so maybe THAT is the background check but you don’t fill out any forms or anything that get submitted to the government.
Also, they use God in their words but you don’t have to believe in God. I dunno, maybe Nevada lodges have different rules? I doubt it.
It’s definitely in their rules for membership. I imagine the strictness of their enforcement varies from chapter to chapter.
I passed the background checks and I am just a turtle on a skateboard.
This checks out.
There are guilds who aren’t religious at all. Next rumour, please.
From what I understand, intensity will vary from chapter to chapter. A belief in God is a requirement, but there can be some wiggle room on exactly what that means.
Looked into it because it sounded cool, attending some sort of group thing would probably be a good idea for me, and I find ritual fascinating. Shit gets expensive, though.
Edit: Who am I kidding, it’s mostly because I want my wallet contents to sound like Grandpa Simpson’s
The background check is no more than when applying to a job, they just check to see if you have a criminal record. They make a home visit to explain themselves to your family and to make sure your personal life doesn’t look like à mess, ie your not living like a piece of shit.
Can you pass the background checks if you’re a pagan?
You have to believe in a “supreme being”
Don’t fret about any ‘background checks’.
They say “do you believe in god yes/no” and “are you conspiring to overthrow the government yes/no” with a bored look on their face. They’re obliged to ask this because of traditional rules. It is a box-ticking.
If I recall, Masons don’t require you to worship any specific God, just believe in a higher power or something like that.
While yes, the unfortunate thing is that it’s pretty christian dominant and my experience has been that don’t appreciate agnostics and pagans in there midsts.
my experience is contrary to this. Few people really believe in religion in 2024, it’s not like the pious times in which the rites originated.
In practice, you don’t have to believe in god to be a mason. Although that rule is still around.
Every lodge is different. Visitors from one lodge to another were once appalled by the more relaxed atmosphere of another. Even in a society of very well documented and studied ‘rules’ and practices can have widely different cultures depending on the town and people. Not all lodges are created equal.
Pretty sure that’s AA, not the Masons.
/s
Elks are the same in many(most?) chapters—a higher power whatever that means to you. Still, it’s a shame. A friend wanted me to join but I can’t be bothered with requirements that are silly/force me to express beliefs I don’t believe.
Isn’t that what the Order of Odd Fellows is?
I love secret societies because they always remind me of LARPers. I used to go to this comic shop that held a Vampire:The Masquerade LARP thing, and they would all act secretive and sneaky, and come in the backdoor and things.
For only checks again $44.99 USD you can become a doktor in the Church of the Subgenius.
https://www.subgenius.com/scatalog/membership.htm
Praise “Bob!”
Be the change. Id join you dark order of the cinnamon roll or whatever
maybe it’s so secret that you are already member and you don’t know it?
How do you know there isn’t if they’re secret?
Fair enough, I’m only just finding out about the odd fellows.
Be the chage you want to see ✨✨
(I’ll join your quirky mysterious lodge)
There’s always the Possum Lodge.
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
(When all else fails, play dead)
Honestly, same.
Secret Order of the Lemmings? Can we have a sh.it.head rite?
Y’know… maybe I’m losing some of the magic in my older age but I wonder, since the internet became ubiquitous we almost got rid of secret clubs to gathering as many people as possible on a stage.
Now I know the Masonic Lodge is the number one we think of, with their secret rituals and the like. But I was in another in scouts, Order of the Arrow, that you had to be voted in by your troop, had their secret rituals, etc. Why secret rituals? Because being in a secret club is fun! Knowing things that others don’t is fun! Are the rituals little small things that once people learn them are “meh?” Sure! But it’s fun during that time.
Now since I don’t have kids can’t speak to young kids today, but lord only knows before that how many “Secret clubs” I was in throughout my life growing up in school. Now by secret club I mean, group of us would get together, have a club, secret handshake that would be forgotten by the next week, fall apart then a new one form in like a month when “Do you know what would be awesome? If we had a secret club! One with a clubhouse! Yea!”
The Masonic Lodge, Fraternal Order of the Eagles, and all these others were basically clubs where everyone hung out and bullshitted, then of course when they’re gathered they get pissed off about some social thing or another and then it becomes a movement. Shriners were apparently a drinking club that was “We should help kids!” and made a full non-profit hospital system in the long run… the main reason on helping kids, because if a bunch of chucklefucks are gonna get around and drink they figured they should do something.
But I’ve heard the Masonic Lodge is dying from lack of memberships going in, no one really cares on a lot of the secret societies, and hell I don’t think the trope of kids having their “secret clubs” has been a thing in the last decade in media. I wonder if this is something we’re losing as a culture. It’ll never quite go away, as long as there’s a group of people that wants to go “ours” it’ll happen, but it’s an interesting thing to see.