# Any co-Masons out here?



## Roy_ (Aug 15, 2014)

I actually found this forum when searching the world wide web for a Masonic forum that also includes co-Masonry, but I have no idea if there are many co-Masons here. I am a member of a very small, Dutch order since last May.


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## Roy_ (Aug 22, 2014)

Question, I have been looking around the web a bit to find mixed and female only organisations. I could post this somewhere as guide for inquiring people. Do you think this could be helpfull for people (women and men) looking for information or could this seem proselytistic by board members who are regular Freemasons?


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## Warrior1256 (Aug 30, 2014)

Since co-Masonry is considered irregular by the vast majority of Masonic lodges in the U.S. I don't believe there is a co-Mason discussion group here. I wish you well in your endeavors.


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## Roy_ (Sep 1, 2014)

There are plenty threads about that discussion. There are more of us irregulars here, I'm just checking if they want to come out of the closet.


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## Morris (Sep 2, 2014)

Roy_ said:


> Question, I have been looking around the web a bit to find mixed and female only organisations. I could post this somewhere as guide for inquiring people. Do you think this could be helpfull for people (women and men) looking for information or could this seem proselytistic by board members who are regular Freemasons?


You never know. There may be potentials out there who are married and would like to do co-masonry together or there may be people that see rules differently than others. Whatever the reason I would imagine some of them may come upon this post and shoot you a personal message. The more temples built the better!


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## Roy_ (Sep 2, 2014)

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately there are members who see me answering any question as proselytistic, so let me for now shortly refer to Wikipedia rather than a list of irregular organisations.


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## Rifleman1776 (Sep 3, 2014)

Roy_ said:


> I actually found this forum when searching the world wide web for a Masonic forum that also includes co-Masonry, but I have no idea if there are many co-Masons here. I am a member of a very small, Dutch order since last May.


 I have never heard that term "co-Masonry". What does it mean?


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## pointwithinacircle2 (Sep 3, 2014)

Co-Masonry refers to Lodges that admit both men and women.  Yes, they are considered clandestine by Lodges who owe their allegiance to the UGLE.


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## Roy_ (Sep 4, 2014)

I don't know what the "co" stands for. In Germany they also say "co-Freimaurerei", so "coed" would be a strange option (that's no word in German). In France it is "Maçonnerie Mixte" and in Dutch "gemengde Vrijmetselarij", both words meaning "mixed". In any case, it concerns organisations that admit both men and women. Some have dropped other Landmarks too and -for example- use an atheistic Rite.


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## Glen Cook (Sep 4, 2014)

pointwithinacircle2 said:


> Co-Masonry refers to Lodges that admit both men and women.  Yes, they are considered clandestine by Lodges who owe their allegiance to the UGLE.


And by GLs in amity with UGLE


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## Rifleman1776 (Sep 6, 2014)

pointwithinacircle2 said:


> Co-Masonry refers to Lodges that admit both men and women.  Yes, they are considered clandestine by Lodges who owe their allegiance to the UGLE.


 Thanks. I would never have anything to do with such a "co-mason" organization. Not Masons, IMHO.


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## Roy_ (Sep 6, 2014)

There's a lot of irregular male Freemasonry too. France (I believe) had no regular Freemasonry for centuries until recently and in Belgium only a minority of the Freemasons are regular. Some people wanted the possibility of admitting women so they started to do the same without one of the Landmarks. Others wanted Freemasonry without a GAOTU, so they too dropped one of the Landmarks. Some organisations dropped two. I am quite happy with the possibility to be Freemason (or 'Freemason') together with my girlfriend. If that means that I am irregular, so be it.
Everybody his own preference. For well over a century there has been a choice possible.


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## Mike Martin (Sep 6, 2014)

Roy_ said:


> There's a lot of irregular male Freemasonry too. France (I believe) had no regular Freemasonry for centuries until recently


I don't know where you get your info but it is very wrong.

The Grand Orient of France was a normal, regular Grand Lodge until 1877 when it removed the requirement for its members to believe in God. Up to this point it had been in fraternal harmony with the UGLE having been formed by Lodges that were under the Premier Grand Lodge of England. 

You might have got away with saying "decades" rather than "centuries" as the French National Grand Lodge was not formed until 36 years later (1913) thereby returning regular Freemasonry to the French Brethren that craved it.


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## Glen Cook (Sep 6, 2014)

Roy_ said:


> ?... in Belgium only a minority of the Freemasons are regular. ...


Citation?


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## Roy_ (Sep 7, 2014)

It's in Dutch, but look at the numbers under "Organisatie en ledenaantal". Ah yes, I got carried away about the French. Sorry about that. Do see how many Masonic organisations has besides the Grand Orient though. Offtopic here. I'm just trying to say that there's a lot of irregular Freemasonry. Co-Masonry is just one of them and all organisations are working to make good people and the world better.

[edit] Ehm, forgot the link to Wikipedia.[/edit]


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## Mike Martin (Sep 7, 2014)

So to be accurate:

At a distance from the original Free and Accepted Masons there are lots of different forms of irregular Freemasonry which have sprung up over the last 140 or so years. 

The one thing that they have in common is that they have copied elements (including its name) of the original.


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## Warrior1256 (Sep 7, 2014)

Mike Martin said:


> So to be accurate:
> 
> At a distance from the original Free and Accepted Masons there are lots of different forms of irregular Freemasonry which have sprung up over the last 140 or so years.
> 
> The one thing that they have in common is that they have copied elements (including its name) of the original.


Sounds right.


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## Rufus (Oct 3, 2014)

Mike Martin said:


> I don't know where you get your info but it is very wrong.
> 
> The Grand Orient of France was a normal, regular Grand Lodge until 1877 when it removed the requirement for its members to believe in God. Up to this point it had been in fraternal harmony with the UGLE having been formed by Lodges that were under the Premier Grand Lodge of England.
> 
> You might have got away with saying "decades" rather than "centuries" as the French National Grand Lodge was not formed until 36 years later (1913) thereby returning regular Freemasonry to the French Brethren that craved it.



Very interesting article about the appearance of GLNF.

*THE GOD CONSPIRACY.
THE POLITICS OF GRAND LODGE FOREIGN RELATIONS.
*
by W.Bro.Jack Buta MPS
PM Paradise Valley Silver Trowel Lodge #29
Arizona Grand Lodge, USA
32 degree Scottish Rite Mason


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## Mike Martin (Oct 3, 2014)

Rufus said:


> Very interesting article about the appearance of UGLE.


I think you meant GLNF!


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## Rufus (Oct 3, 2014)

Mike Martin said:


> I think you meant GLNF!


Yes. Sorry.


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## Rufus (Oct 3, 2014)

Mike Martin said:


> I think you meant GLNF!


Yes.
Sorry for the typo.


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