The Freemasons locally all invoke The Great (or Grand) Architect of the Universe as a way to avoid seeming to require that prospective members have any particular religious beliefs. The whole approach to religion seemed very “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, and I was told, by Masons, while socializing w/them at the Lodge, that Freemasonry didn’t dictate any particular religious beliefs and that they had among them Brothers with very non-mainstream supernatural beliefs.

But … while you could (I was told) hold pretty much any supernatural/superstitious beliefs you wanted to and still become a Freemason, having no superstitious beliefs at all was a hard disqualifier. No exceptions. This was a bunch of years ago, and I’m pretty sure I asked “why do you care about my supernatural beliefs if you care so little about their exact nature” and I got only “mumble mumble ‘reasons’ mumble” and something about needing superstitious beliefs to “understand” (or at least accept?) Masonic teachings &etc. Maybe what they’re looking for is guys who are pre-screened (via organized religion) to be intellectually and morally pliable more than anything?

Oh yeah, and you still can’t be a chick and join, and yeah, they’ll jump to tell you about the “auxiliary” groups that DO admit women, but just like having no religion, being a woman is a hard disqualifier for joining a mainline lodge. For reasons.

Meanwhile, amidst all this gatekeeping, the Lodges (some w/beautiful historic buildings) are shutting down left and right, their premises invariably ending up repurposed as for-profit “event centers” that get little utilization or for restaurants and other commercial endeavors … almost never for the kind of “community” space that people here are describing. The lodge back in my hometown, one that many of my family going back generations (just the men of course) have belonged to, is teetering on the brink of shutting down as the oldsters have died off. It’s a shame, but they seem to have chosen “no change, no exceptions” as the hill to die on, so …