# Investigation questions



## Bro. Landry (Mar 7, 2017)

Brethren, I have been selected to be on the investigation committee for our candidate.  What are some good questions to ask?


Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry


----------



## Ripcord22A (Mar 7, 2017)

Why does he want to join? Why your lodge?  Is he financially stable enough to pay the dues?  Does he believe in a creator? What does he expect to get out of/give to Freemasonry...

Sent from my LG-H918 using My Freemasonry mobile app


----------



## Matt L (Mar 7, 2017)

Check with your Secretary or Grand Secretary. In my jurisdiction there is a handbook for investigating committees.  Rip has some good questions. 
Are you going to meet the candidate at his home or the lodge, if married will you meet with his wife?  At the beginning of this year we are also required to do a formal background investigation.


----------



## CLewey44 (Mar 8, 2017)

I would definitely mention that Masonry can be quite time consuming if one so desires. It can be as time consuming as you want it to be, but the adage "You get out of it what you put into it" is very true. Is the man's wife on board with the idea, assuming he's married. There was a thread recently here that someone's wife was having issues with him joining and he didn't know what to do. The overwhelming response to that was, 'don't join'.


----------



## Bloke (Mar 8, 2017)

Check your GL material, there might be questions you must ask.... but certainly ask the main ones on your application to get the feel of his responses...


----------



## goomba (Mar 8, 2017)

http://www.masonic-lodge-of-education.com/masonic-investigative-committee.html
http://www.grandlodge-nc.org/storage/wysiwyg/GLNC Investigating committee guidelines-July 2015.pdf
http://www.utahgrandlodge.org/members/file.php?file=/1/Jon-Osier-Educational-Investigations.pdf

This should be helpful!  Unless you've done investigation work in the past and often it is something you're probably not great at.  That is perfectly fine.  This is why I am a big supporter of the in home interview.  Even if you don't know what you're looking for you can "feel" things.

Imagine you go to a construction site and you are an accountant a casual observer might miss it but someone looking for things would see a difference.  They might not know why or what is different but they will know something is different.  In a home, and we have all been to different ones, look for things that are different.  If things are in the wide area of what is normal that is a good sign.


----------



## Warrior1256 (Mar 8, 2017)

Ripcord22A said:


> Why does he want to join? Why your lodge? Is he financially stable enough to pay the dues? Does he believe in a creator? What does he expect to get out of/give to Freemasonry...


Sounds good!


----------



## Warrior1256 (Mar 8, 2017)

Matt L said:


> Check with your Secretary or Grand Secretary.





CLewey44 said:


> I would definitely mention that Masonry can be quite time consuming if one so desires.





Bloke said:


> Check your GL material, there might be questions you must ask...


Also good.


----------



## Brother_Steve (Mar 8, 2017)

What arrangements have you made for your family (if he has one) if you should have a life altering event happen or if you should pass unexpectedly?


----------



## Warrior1256 (Mar 8, 2017)

Brother_Steve said:


> What arrangements have you made for your family (if he has one) if you should have a life altering event happen or if you should pass unexpectedly?


I'm not sure that this would be an appropriate question for a Masonic investigation committee to ask.


----------



## Bloke (Mar 8, 2017)

Brother_Steve said:


> What arrangements have you made for your family (if he has one) if you should have a life altering event happen or if you should pass unexpectedly?



Ha ! And I note Warriors comment below....

My proposer used to ask the same sort of question, but more bluntly: "Have you made a Will?".... then immediately following with " we don't need to know the answer, but Freemasons look after each other, and their families and that's a lot easier when a brother who dies has a will. I had a friend and brother died without one and it made my job of looking after his widow and children a lot harder because he hadn't written a will.... " I've been an Investigative  Committee member in 5 Craft Lodges and seen older brothers ask this question, often by " We don't need an answer, but have you made a will...." followed by an explanation why it's important. Me, i rarely ask it...


----------



## Warrior1256 (Mar 8, 2017)

Bloke said:


> " I've been an Investigative Committee member in 5 Craft Lodges and seen older brothers ask this question, often by " We don't need an answer, but have you made a will...." followed by an explanation why it's important.


I would probably take it a lot better if it was put to me this way.


----------



## Bro. Landry (Mar 8, 2017)

Matt L said:


> Check with your Secretary or Grand Secretary. In my jurisdiction there is a handbook for investigating committees.  Rip has some good questions.
> Are you going to meet the candidate at his home or the lodge, if married will you meet with his wife?  At the beginning of this year we are also required to do a formal background investigation.



At his home and we we'll probably meet his wife


Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry


----------



## Warrior1256 (Mar 9, 2017)

Bro. Landry said:


> At his home and we we'll probably meet his wife


Great! My wife appreciated being included when the committee visited me.


----------



## Brother_Steve (Mar 9, 2017)

Warrior1256 said:


> I'm not sure that this would be an appropriate question for a Masonic investigation committee to ask.


I was asked this in another way. I couldn't remember the wording. To put it simply, after I was raised, I was told stories of petitioners asking about masonic benefits and the masonic home.

So, we ask along the lines of what future arrangements have you made for your family?


----------



## Bro. Landry (Mar 9, 2017)

Warrior1256 said:


> Great! My wife appreciated being included when the committee visited me.



That's why I would love for her to be there.  So she doesn't feel excluded in this process


Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry


----------



## Keith C (Mar 9, 2017)

Not sure if it is a Grand Lodge rule or just a guideline in our lodge, but our investigating committees won't interview a married petitioner without their spouse, and preferably any other family that live in the household, present.


----------



## Warrior1256 (Mar 9, 2017)

Keith C said:


> our investigating committees won't interview a married petitioner without their spouse, and preferably any other family that live in the household, present.


Here it is prefered that the wife be present but is not absolutely required.


----------



## JJones (Mar 9, 2017)

Also very important: "How does your wife and family feel about you joining?"


----------



## Bro. Landry (Mar 12, 2017)

Thanks brethren for the light.  The investigation went extremely well for my first time being on a committee.  Moving forward...


Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry


----------



## Companion Joe (Mar 12, 2017)

Why do you want to be a Mason?
What do you expect to/think you will get out of Freemasonry?
What do you have to offer the lodge?
How does your wife feel about you wanting to become a Mason?
Do you have any family members who are Masons?
Are you stable financially? (Followed by informing him there are financial obligations to being a member and if he can't support his family, he doesn't need to join any fraternal organization.)
Do you belong to any other civic groups? If so, do you participate in them regularly? How do you plan to manage participation in those groups and in the lodge?

I always do investigations at the lodge and invite family members. I want to show them around the lodge to put to rest any concerns about what goes on at a Masonic lodge (if they have been reading too much junk on the internet.)


----------



## Bro. Landry (Mar 12, 2017)

Companion Joe said:


> Why do you want to be a Mason?
> What do you expect to/think you will get out of Freemasonry?
> What do you have to offer the lodge?
> How does your wife feel about you wanting to become a Mason?
> ...


Thx. Those are some of the questions asked


----------



## Warrior1256 (Mar 12, 2017)

Bro. Landry said:


> The investigation went extremely well for my first time being on a committee. Moving forward...


Glad that everything went well.


----------



## Dow Mathis (Mar 21, 2017)

Sorry to be so late to the party, but I'd like to echo what's been said about having the wife there.  I highly prefer to do interviews in the petitioner's home, with his wife and family present.  This even extends to the family pets.  You can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his animals.  Also, part of my job as an investigator is to answer questions as well as ask them.  Specifically, I try to put the wife at ease and get an idea of her interest and whether she is supportive of his interest.  If she isn't then it will be harder for him as he goes through the degrees, from the standpoint of time away from the house and kids, time away for meetings, etc.  I'm a firm believer that it is essential in a marriage for both spouses to agree on any major undertaking, and becoming a mason can be a very major undertaking, seeing that the lessons taught can and should branch out to all parts of a man's life.

As far as questions to ask, I think that they've been covered pretty well in the previous answers.  Oh, and I like the "have you got a will" one.  I've never heard of that being asked, but it makes a lot of sense.


----------



## BullDozer Harrell (Apr 10, 2017)

Warrior1256 said:


> I'm not sure that this would be an appropriate question for a Masonic investigation committee to ask.


By what standards are you judging this? 

As fair as asking a man does he believe in God? Does he drink or smoke drugs? Have he beaten his wife or girlfriend lately? Etc

Ok my last question was made in jest. But my point is that the Investigation process comes with some inappropriate questions sometimes, in everybody's opinion.

Believe it or not, a question was asked by a Committee member one time of a potential candidate have he ever had gonorrhea? I was like, really dude. But as he pointed out, it was a legit question printed on the Petition prepared by our GL and made for use by all of our subordinate lodges?

"Are you with the burn or have you ever been sexually burned in your past before?" Lol. Go figure.


----------



## Warrior1256 (Apr 10, 2017)

BullDozer Harrell said:


> By what standards are you judging this?


Just my personal opinion.


----------



## Ripcord22A (Apr 10, 2017)

Warrior1256 said:


> Just my personal opinion.


I think its perfectly acceptable question as some people think that Freemasonry is a way to get money, and if the petitioner has a terminal illness and is joining in hopes of being taken care of or having their family taken care of it needs to be addressed.  We already ask if they understand that Freemasonry isnt a bank or insurance agency, but i like the addition of the question in discussion here!

Sent from my LG-H918 using My Freemasonry mobile app


----------



## Warrior1256 (Apr 10, 2017)

To a certain extent I agree. But I am not going to go into detail on my finances to an investigation committee.


----------



## Ripcord22A (Apr 10, 2017)

True...really its should just be a yes or no...do u have a plan in place? Yes...all good..No...do u understand that freemasonry is not an insurance or banking organization?

Sent from my LG-H918 using My Freemasonry mobile app


----------



## Warrior1256 (Apr 10, 2017)

Ripcord22A said:


> True...really its should just be a yes or no...do u have a plan in place? Yes...all good..No...do u understand that freemasonry is not an insurance or banking organization?


Agreed.


----------



## Glen Cook (Apr 10, 2017)

BullDozer Harrell said:


> By what standards are you judging this?
> 
> As fair as asking a man does he believe in God? Does he drink or smoke drugs? Have he beaten his wife or girlfriend lately? Etc
> 
> ...


Well, you do jest (and I thought it was funny),  but I'm involved in a matter dealing with a Mason who was brought in with two felonies protective order violations and a felony domestic  in the presence of a child. This came to light when his probation was violated for a new protective order violation and he did time for the various matters. Neither the lodge nor the then GM did anything, so now I get to help clean  up the mess.  
So, while I wouldn't phrase the question as have you beaten your partner lately, I would ask more pointed questions.


----------



## Ripcord22A (Apr 10, 2017)

Glen Cook said:


> Well, you do jest (and I thought it was funny),  but I'm involved in a matter dealing with a Mason who was brought in with two felonies protective order violations and a felony domestic  in the presence of a child. This came to light when his probation was violated for a new protective order violation and he did time for the various matters. Neither the lodge nor the then GM did anything, so now I get to help clean  up the mess.
> So, while I wouldn't phrase the question as have you beaten your partner lately, I would ask more pointed questions.


Wow!  Your on the jurisprudence committee right?

Sent from my LG-H918 using My Freemasonry mobile app


----------



## Glen Cook (Apr 10, 2017)

Ripcord22A said:


> Wow!  Your on the jurisprudence committee right?
> 
> Sent from my LG-H918 using My Freemasonry mobile app


Currently chair of Grievances and Appeals and Grand Lodge Counsel. The latter position lead to me issuing a trespass letter today.


----------



## Ripcord22A (Apr 11, 2017)

Tresspass letter?

Sent from my LG-H918 using My Freemasonry mobile app


----------



## Brother_Steve (Apr 13, 2017)

Warrior1256 said:


> To a certain extent I agree. But I am not going to go into detail on my finances to an investigation committee.


We do not ask for banking information, yearly salaries, investment plans, etc. We simply ask the question to see if the man that is petitioning is thinking ahead. We would never come back with an unfavorable report unless the man hinted at joining for the purpose of living in the masonic home or thinking the lodge would support him.


----------



## BullDozer Harrell (Apr 13, 2017)

Ripcord22A said:


> Tresspass letter?
> 
> Sent from my LG-H918 using My Freemasonry mobile app


I'm curious too. Never heard of one.


----------



## Warrior1256 (Apr 13, 2017)

Brother_Steve said:


> We do not ask for banking information, yearly salaries, investment plans, etc. We simply ask the question to see if the man that is petitioning is thinking ahead.


During my investigation the three brothers visited my wife and myself in our home. They simply asked if we were financially sound to the point that dues and other lodge expenses would not put an undue burden on the family. I would also guess seeing what kind of home we live in would also give them some idea of this. I have no problem giving a general answer regarding my finances but would not go into detail.


----------



## Brother JC (Apr 15, 2017)

BullDozer Harrell said:


> I'm curious too. Never heard of one.



"The California Penal Code provides that private property owners may authorize local law enforcement to arrest trespassers under certain provisions. A Trespass Letter must be on file and signs must be posted."


----------



## BullDozer Harrell (Apr 15, 2017)

Brother JC said:


> "The California Penal Code provides that private property owners may authorize local law enforcement to arrest trespassers under certain provisions. A Trespass Letter must be on file and signs must be posted."


Lol. All along i'm thinking of a Masonic trespass letter. Never heard of one. But i'm familiar with the law you'd referenced in the CPC. 

Same in Illinois.


----------



## Brother JC (Apr 15, 2017)

I'm only guessing, but the way Glen worded it it sounds like a letter to keep someone off lodge property.


----------



## tldubb (Apr 15, 2017)

Keith C said:


> Not sure if it is a Grand Lodge rule or just a guideline in our lodge, but our investigating committees won't interview a married petitioner without their spouse, and preferably any other family that live in the household, present.



Same in our Jurisdiction MWPHGL of PA.


Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry


----------



## Warrior1256 (Apr 15, 2017)

BullDozer Harrell said:


> Lol. All along i'm thinking of a Masonic trespass letter.


Same here, lol.


----------

