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{{Football player infobox
<!-- By consensus stating that Freemasonry originated in the UK and is therefore a Commonwealth-related topic, this article uses Commonwealth (or British) English spelling. Please do not change it to American usage. -->
| playername = Miroslav König
{{redirect|Freemasons}}
| image =
[[Image:Square compasses.svg|thumb|right|220px|The Masonic [[Square and Compasses]].<br>(''Found with or without the letter [[G]]'')]]
| fullname =
| height = {{height|m=1.82}}
| nickname =
| dateofbirth = {{birth date and age|1972|6|1}}
| cityofbirth =
| countryofbirth = [[Czechoslovakia]]
| currentclub =
| clubnumber =
| position = [[Goalkeeper (football)|Goalkeeper]]
| youthyears =
| youthclubs =
| years = 1991-1993<br/>1993-1995<br/>1995-2000<br/>2000<br/>2000-2001<br/>2001-2002<br/>2002-2003<br/>2003-2004<br/>2004-2005<br/>2005-2006<br/>2006-2008
| clubs = [[FC Nitra]]<br/>[[FC Spartak Trnava]]<br/>[[ŠK Slovan Bratislava]]<br/>[[Grasshopper-Club Zürich|Grasshopper]]<br/>[[FC Basel]]<br/>[[FC Concordia Basel|Concordia]]<br/>[[FC Zürich]]<br/>[[Elazığspor]]<br/>[[FC Baník Ostrava]]<br/>[[MŠK Žilina]]<br/>[[Panionios F.C.]]<br/>'''Total'''
| caps(goals) = 0 (0)<br/>22 (0)<br/>105 (0)<br/>8 (0)<br/>32 (0)<br/>6 (0)<br/>28 (0)<br/>26 (0)<br/>6 (0)<br/>27 (0)<br/>31 (0)<br/>'''291 (0)'''
|nationalyears = 1997-2004
|nationalteam = [[Slovakia national football team|Slovakia]]
|nationalcaps(goals) = 43 (0)
| pcupdate = 13 September 2008
| ntupdate = 10 August 2008
}}


'''Miroslav König''' (born [[1 June]] [[1972]]) is a [[Slovakia|Slovak]] former [[Football (soccer)|footballer]] who played as a [[Goalkeeper (football)|goalkeeper]] during the 1990's and 2000's. He played for a number of clubs in Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Greece.
{{Freemasonry2}}
'''Freemasonry''' is a [[fraternal and service organizations|fraternal organisation<!-- Note: this article uses UK spelling. -->]] that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around 5 million (including around 480,000 in [[England]], [[Scotland]] and [[Ireland]] alone, and just under two million in the [[United States]]).<ref>Hodapp, Christopher. ''Freemasons for Dummies''. Indianapolis: Wiley, 2005. p.52.</ref><ref>UGLE http://www.ugle.org.uk/masonry/YQA-about-freemasonry.htm</ref> The various forms all share [[Morality|moral]] and [[metaphysics|metaphysical]] ideals, which include, in most cases, a constitutional declaration of belief in a [[Supreme Being]].<ref name="FMreligion">
{{cite web
| url = http://www.ugle.org.uk/masonry/freemasonry-and-religion.htm
| title = Freemasonry and Religion
| first = Mark
| last = Griffin
| year = 2002
| accessdate = 2007-05-08
| publisher = United Grand Lodge of England}}</ref>


==Career==
The fraternity is administratively organised into [[Grand Lodge]]s (or sometimes Orients), each of which governs its own [[jurisdiction]], which consists of subordinate (or ''constituent'') Lodges. Grand Lodges recognise each other through a process of [[Masonic Landmarks|landmarks]] and [[Regular Masonic jurisdictions|regularity]]. There are also [[Masonic bodies|appendant bodies]], which are organisations related to the main branch of Freemasonry, but with their own independent administration.
König began his career with [[FC Nitra]] in 1991 but never played any games at the club and moved to [[FC Spartak Trnava]] in 1993. He impressed during his two season at Spartak and was noticed by [[ŠK Slovan Bratislava]] whom he signed for in 1995. He went on to play over 100 matches for Slovan over five seasons and earned his place in the [[Slovakia national football team|Slovak national team]]. In 2000, he signed for [[Swiss Super League|Swiss giants]] [[Grasshopper-Club Zürich]] but failed to make his mark in the first-team and left to join rivals [[FC Basel]] after just one season. He went on to play for [[FC Concordia Basel]] and [[FC Zürich]] before leaving Switzerland for [[Süper Lig|Turkey's]] [[Elazığspor]] in 2003. The [[Gambrinus liga|Czech Republic]] was König's next destination as he signed for [[FC Baník Ostrava]] in 2004 before returning to [[Slovak Superliga|Slovakia]] with [[MŠK Žilina]] in 2005. [[Super League Greece|Greek side]] [[Panionios F.C.]] signed him in 2006 and he retired in the Summer of 2008 after making 31 appearances for the club, at the age of 36.


König was [[Cap (football)|capped]] 43 times by the [[Slovakia national football team|Slovak national team]] between 1997 and 2004.
Freemasonry uses the [[metaphor]]s of operative [[stonemason]]s' tools and implements, against the [[allegory|allegorical]] backdrop of the building of King Solomon's Temple, to convey what has been described by both Masons and critics as "''a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.''"<ref>
{{cite encyclopedia
| last = Gruber
| first = Hermann
| editor = Remy Lafort, Censor
| encyclopedia = The Catholic encyclopedia: an international work of reference on the constitution, doctrine, discipline, and history of the Catholic Church
| volume = IX
| title = Masonry (Freemasonry)
| url = http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09771a.htm
| accessdate = 2007-05-08
| date = [[1910-10-01]]
| publisher = Robert Appleton Company
| location = New York
| id = {{oclc|1017058}} }}</ref><ref>[http://www.la-mason.com/stb53.htm Masonic Service Association - Short Talk Bulletin] as reprinted on the website of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana.</ref>


==External links==
==History==
*[http://www.national-football-teams.com/php/spieler.php?id=6360 National Football Teams]
{{main|History of Freemasonry}}
The origins and early development of Freemasonry are a matter of some debate and conjecture. There is some evidence to suggest that there were Masonic Lodges in existence in [[Scotland]] as early as the late sixteenth century,<ref>
{{cite book
| last = Stevenson
| first = David
| month = November
| year = 1988
| title = The Origins of Freemasonry: Scotland's Century 1590-1710
| location = Cambridge
| publisher = Cambridge University Press
| isbn = 9780521353267
| oclc = 17546610 }}</ref> and clear references to their existence in [[England]] by the mid seventeenth century.<ref name="coil_encyc">{{cite encyclopedia
| last = Coil
| first = Henry Wilson
| year = 1961
| encyclopedia = Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia
| editor = William M. Brown, William L. Cummings, Harold Van Buren Voorhes
| edition = Revised and Updated by Allen E. Roberts, 1995
| location = Richmond, Va
| publisher = Macoy Pub. & Masonic Supply Co.
| isbn = 9780880530545}}</ref> A poem known as "The [[Masonic manuscripts|Regius Manuscript]]" has been dated to approximately 1390 and is the oldest known Masonic text.<ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.masonicsites.org/blue/regius1.htm
| title = The Regius Manuscript
|publisher = Masonicsites.org
}}</ref>


The first Grand Lodge, the [[Grand Lodge of England]] (GLE), was founded on 24 June 1717, when four existing [[London]] Lodges met for a joint dinner. This rapidly expanded into a regulatory body, which most English Lodges joined. However, a few lodges resented some of the modernisations that GLE endorsed, such as the creation of the Third Degree, and formed a rival Grand Lodge on 17 July 1751, which they called the "[[Antient Grand Lodge of England]]". The two competing Grand Lodges vied for supremacy—the "Moderns" (GLE) and the "Antients" (or "Ancients")—until they united 25 November 1813 to form the [[United Grand Lodge of England]] (UGLE).


{{DEFAULTSORT:Konig, Miroslav}}
[[Image:Goose and Gridiron.jpg|thumb|Goose and Gridiron, where the Grand Lodge of England was founded]]
[[Category:1972 births]]

[[Category:Living people]]
The Grand Lodges of [[Ireland]] and [[Scotland]] were formed in 1725 and 1736 respectively. Freemasonry was exported to the British Colonies in [[North America]] by the 1730s—with both the "Antients" and the "Moderns" (as well as the Grand Lodges of Ireland and Scotland) chartering offspring ("daughter") Lodges, and organising various Provincial Grand Lodges. After the [[American Revolution]], independent U.S. Grand Lodges formed themselves within each State. Some thought was briefly given to organising an over-arching "Grand Lodge of the [[United States]]", with [[George Washington]] (who was a member of a Virginian lodge) as the first Grand Master, but the idea was short-lived. The various State Grand Lodges did not wish to diminish their own authority by agreeing to such a body.<ref>
[[Category:Slovak footballers]]
{{cite book
[[Category:FC Nitra players]]
| title = Revolutionary brotherhood: Freemasonry and the transformation of the American social order, 1730-1840
[[Category:ŠK Slovan Bratislava players]]
| first = Steven C.
[[Category:FC Zürich players]]
| last = Bullock
[[Category:FC Basel players]]
| coauthors = Institute of Early American History and Culture (Williamsburg, Va.)
[[Category:Slovakia international footballers]]
| location = Chapel Hill
[[Category:FC Baník Ostrava players]]
| publisher = University of North Carolina Press
[[Category:Panionios FC players]]
| year = 1996
| isbn = 9780807847503
| oclc = 33334015 }}</ref>

Although there are no real differences in the Freemasonry practiced by lodges chartered by the Antients or the Moderns, the remnants of this division can still be seen in the names of most Lodges, F.& A.M. being ''Free and Accepted Masons'' and A.F.& A.M. being ''Antient<!--NOTE: Please DO NOT CORRECT the spelling on this... the article uses an older, British spelling intentionally.--> Free and Accepted Masons''.

The oldest jurisdiction on the continent of [[Europe]], the [[Grand Orient de France]] (GOdF), was founded in 1728. However, most English-speaking jurisdictions cut formal relations with the GOdF around 1877 -- when the GOdF removed the requirement that its members have a belief in a Deity (thereby accepting atheists). The [[Grande Loge Nationale Française]] (GLNF)<ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.glnf.asso.fr/
| title = GLNF: Grande Loge Nationale Francaise
| publisher = Grande Loge Nationale Francaise (GLNF)
| accessdate = 2006-02-06
| language = French }}</ref> is currently the only [[France|French]] Grand Lodge that is in ''regular amity'' with the UGLE and its many concordant jurisdictions worldwide.

Due to the above history, Freemasonry is often said to consist of two branches ''not in mutual regular amity'':

* the UGLE and concordant tradition of jurisdictions (mostly termed Grand Lodges) in amity, and
* the GOdF, European Continental, tradition of jurisdictions (often termed Grand Orients) in amity.

In most [[Latin Europe|Latin]] countries, the GOdF-style of European [[Continental Freemasonry]] predominates{{Fact|date=October 2008}}, although in most of these Latin countries there are also Grand Lodges that are in ''regular amity'' with the UGLE and the worldwide community of Grand Lodges that share regular "fraternal relations" with the UGLE. The rest of the world, accounting for the bulk of Freemasonry, tends to follow more closely to the UGLE style, although minor variations exist.



== Principles and activities ==
While Freemasonry has often been called a "[[secret society]]", Freemasons themselves argue that it is more correct to say that it is an [[Esotericism|esoteric]] society, in that certain aspects are private.<ref name="Aims and Relationships">
{{cite book
| title = Constitutions of the Antient Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons
| url = http://www.grandlodge-england.org/pdf/cr-rule-update2-141205.pdf
| format=pdf
| accessdate = 2007-05-08
| origyear = 1815
| year = 2005
| author = United Grand Lodge of England
| location = London
| publisher = Freemason's Hall
| chapter = Aims and Relationships of the Craft
| pages = pp. x–xii
| oclc = 18976592 }}</ref> The most common phrasing being that Freemasonry has, in the 21st century, become less a secret society and more of a "society with secrets".<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.grandlodge-nc.org/freemasonryrevealed/secrets.htm
| title = Freemasonry Revealed: The Secrets of Freemasonry
| publisher = Grand Lodge of North Carolina
| year = 1997
| accessdate = 2006-06-12 }}</ref> The private aspects of modern Freemasonry are the modes of [[recognition]] amongst members and particular elements within the [[ritual]].<ref name="Ritual">
{{cite book
| title = Emulation Ritual
| author = Freemasons. Emulation Lodge of Improvement (London, England)
| location = London
| publisher = Lewis Masonic
| year = 1991
| isbn = 9780853181873
| oclc = 40357899 }}</ref>. Despite the organisation's great diversity, Freemasonry's central preoccupations remain charitable work within a local or wider community, moral uprightness (in most cases requiring a belief in a Supreme Being) as well as the development and maintenance of fraternal friendship -- as James Anderson's Constitutions originally urged -- amongst brethren.

=== Ritual, symbolism, and morality ===
Masons conduct their meetings using a ritualised format. There is no single Masonic ritual, and each Jurisdiction is free to set (or not set) its own ritual. However, there are similarities that exist among Jurisdictions. For example, all Masonic ritual makes use of the [[architecture|architectural]] symbolism of the tools of the [[medieval]] ''operative'' stonemason. Freemasons, as ''speculative'' masons (meaning philosophical building rather than actual building), use this symbolism to teach moral and ethical lessons of the principles of "Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth" — or as related in France: "[[Liberté, égalité, fraternité|Liberty, Equality, Fraternity]]".
[[Image:Square and compasses2.JPG|thumb|left|220px|The [[Square and Compasses]] carved into stone]]

Two of the principal symbolic tools always found in a Lodge are the ''[[steel square|square]]'' and ''[[Compass (drafting)|compasses]]''. Some Lodges and rituals explain these tools as lessons in conduct: for example, that Masons should "square their actions by the square of virtue" and to learn to "circumscribe their desires and keep their passions within due bounds toward all mankind". However, as Freemasonry is non-dogmatic, there is no general interpretation for these tools (or any Masonic emblem) that is used by Freemasonry as a whole.<ref name="spoilt">
{{cite journal
| last = Gilkes
| first = Peter
| year = 2004
| month = July
| title = Masonic ritual: Spoilt for choice
| journal = Masonic Quarterly Magazine
| issue = 10
| url = http://www.mqmagazine.co.uk/issue-10/p-61.php
| accessdate = 2007-05-07 }}</ref>
These moral lessons are communicated in performance of allegorical ritual. A candidate progresses through ''degrees''<ref name="Aims and Relationships"/> gaining knowledge and understanding of himself, his relationship with others and his relationship with the Supreme Being (as per his own interpretation). While the philosophical aspects of Freemasonry tend to be discussed in Lodges of Instruction or Research, and sometimes informal groups, Freemasons, and others, frequently publish — to varying degrees of competence — studies that are available to the public. Any mason may speculate on the symbols and purpose of Freemasonry, and indeed all masons are required to some extent to speculate on masonic meaning as a condition of advancing through the [[#Degrees|degrees]]. There is no one accepted meaning and no one person "speaks" for the whole of Freemasonry.<ref>Hoddap, Christopher; ''Freemasons for Dummies'' p.15 </ref>

Some lodges make use of [[Tracing board]]s. These are painted or printed illustrations depicting the various symbolic [[emblem]]s of Freemasonry. They can be used as teaching aids during the lectures that follow each of the three Degrees, when an experienced member explains the various concepts of Freemasonry to new members. They can also be used by experienced members as self-reminders of the concepts they learned as they went through their initiations.

=== The Supreme Being and the Volume of Sacred Law ===
Candidates for [[Regular Masonic jurisdictions|regular]] Freemasonry are required to declare a belief in a [[Supreme Being]].<ref name="a religion?">{{cite web |url=http://www.grandlodge-england.org/masonry/A2L-religion.htm |title=Is Freemasonry a religion? |accessdate=2007-05-08 |work=United Grand Lodge of England}}</ref> However, the candidate is not asked to expand on, or explain, his or her interpretation of Supreme Being. The discussion of [[politics]] and [[religion]] is forbidden within a [[Masonic Lodge]], in part so a Mason will not be placed in the situation of having to justify his personal interpretation.<ref>[http://www.nhgrandlodge.org/___Becoming_a_Mason/body____becoming_a_mason.html Becoming a Mason - To become one, ask one: What is Freemasonry?] accessed 10 June 2007</ref> Thus, reference to the Supreme Being will mean the Christian [[Trinity]] to a Christian Mason, [[Allah]] to a Muslim Mason, [[Para Brahman]] to a Hindu Mason, etc. And while most Freemasons would take the view that the term Supreme Being equates to [[God]], others may hold a more complex or philosophical interpretation of the term.

In the ritual, the Supreme Being is referred to as the [[Great Architect of the Universe]], which alludes to the use of architectural symbolism within Freemasonry.<ref>{{cite news|author=William K. Bissey|work=The Indiana Freemason|date=Spring 1997|title=G.A.O.T.U.|url=http://srjarchives.tripod.com/1997-08/Bissey.htm}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=[[S. Brent Morris]]|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry|publisher=Alpha/Penguin Books|id=ISBN 1-59257-490-4|pages=212}}</ref>

A ''[[Volume of the Sacred Law]]'' is always displayed in an open Lodge in those jurisdictions which require a belief in the Supreme Being. In English-speaking countries, this is frequently the [[King James Version of the Bible]] or another standard translation; there is no such thing as an exclusive "Masonic Bible".<ref name="UGLE home">
{{cite web
| url = http://www.grandlodge-england.org/index.htm
| title = The United Grand Lodge of England - Home Page
| publisher = United Grand Lodge of England
| year = 2002
| accessdate = 2006-02-23 }}</ref> In many French Lodges, the Masonic Constitutions are used instead. Furthermore, a candidate is given his choice of religious text for his Obligation, according to his beliefs. UGLE alludes to similarities to legal practice in the UK, and to a common source with other oath taking processes.<ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.cjsonline.gov.uk/defendant/walkthrough/the_trial/faqs/index.html#2642
| title = UK Government information on Courts system
| publisher = Criminal Justice System for England and Wales
| accessdate = 2006-03-08 }}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.grandlodge-england.org/masonry/A2L-promises.htm
| title = What promises do Freemasons take?
| year = 2002
| accessdate = 2007-05-08
| publisher = United Grand Lodge of England }}</ref><ref>
{{cite book
| title = The origins of freemasonry: facts & fictions
| first = Margaret C.
| last = Jacob
| publisher = University of Pennsylvania Press
| location = Philadelphia
| year = 2005
| isbn = 9780812239010
| oclc = 61478025 }}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/feudal.htm
| first = Chris
| last = Trueman
| title = Feudalism
| accessdate = 2006-03-08
| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060421024923/http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/feudal.htm
| archivedate = 2006-04-21
| quote = They had to swear an oath of loyalty to William… a sworn oath on the Bible was a very important thing and one which few men would dare to break as it would condemn them to Hell. }}</ref> In Lodges with a membership of mixed religions it is common to find more than one sacred text displayed.

=== Degrees ===

The three degrees of ''Craft'' or ''Blue Lodge'' Freemasonry are those of:

# ''Entered Apprentice'' — the degree of an Initiate, which makes one a Freemason;
# ''Fellow Craft'' — an intermediate degree, involved with learning;
# ''Master Mason'' — the "third degree", a necessity for participation in most aspects of Masonry.

The degrees represent stages of personal development. No Freemason is told that there is only one meaning to the allegories; as a Freemason works through the degrees and studies their lessons, he interprets them for himself, his personal interpretation being bounded only by the Constitution within which he works.<ref name="UGLE home"/> A common symbolic structure and universal archetypes provide a means for each Freemason to come to his own answers to life's important philosophical questions.

As previously stated, there is no degree of Craft Freemasonry higher than that of Master Mason.<ref name="Aims and Relationships"/> Although some Masonic bodies and orders have further degrees named with higher numbers, these degrees may be considered to be supplements to the Master Mason degree rather than promotions from it.<ref name="Beyond" /> An example is the [[Scottish Rite]], conferring degrees numbered from 4° up to 33°.<ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.supremecouncil.org/index.tpl?&ng_view=18
|title=Scottish Rite Freemasonry - Rutual and Degrees.
| accessdate = 2007-05-08
| publisher = Scottish Rite Freemasonry, Northern Jurisdiction – United States of America }}</ref> It is essential to be a Master Mason in order to qualify for these further degrees. They are administered on a parallel system to ''Craft'' or ''Blue Lodge'' Freemasonry; within each organisation there is a system of offices, which confer rank within that degree or order alone.

In some jurisdictions, especially those in continental Europe, Freemasons working through the degrees may be asked to prepare papers on related philosophical topics, and present these papers in open Lodge. There is an enormous bibliography of Masonic papers, magazines and publications ranging from fanciful abstractions which construct spiritual and moral lessons of varying value, through practical handbooks on organisation, management and ritual performance, to serious historical and philosophical papers entitled to academic respect.

=== Signs, grips and words ===
Freemasons use ''signs'' (gestures), ''grips'' or ''tokens'' (handshakes) and ''words'' to gain admission to meetings and identify legitimate visitors.

From the early 18th century onwards, many [[exposé]]s have been written claiming to reveal these signs, grips and passwords to the uninitiated. A classic response was deliberately to transpose certain words in the ritual, so as to catch out anyone relying on the exposé. However, since each Grand Lodge is free to create its own rituals, the signs, grips and passwords can and do differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.<ref name=spoilt/> Furthermore, Grand Lodges can and do change their rituals periodically, updating the language used, adding or omitting sections.<ref name="changes">John J. Robinson, ''A Pilgrim's Path'', M. Evans and Co., Inc. New York, p.129 </ref> Therefore, any exposé can only be valid for a particular jurisdiction at a particular time, and is always difficult for an outsider to verify. Today, an unknown visitor may be required to produce a certificate, dues card or other documentation of membership in addition to demonstrating knowledge of the signs, grips and passwords.

===Obligations===

Obligations are those elements of ritual in which a candidate swears to abide by the rules of the fraternity and to keep the ''"secrets of Freemasonry"'', which are the various signs, tokens and words associated with recognition in each degree,<ref name="Ritual" /> as well as to perform certain duties and to avoid doing those things which are prohibited by his Obligation. In regular jurisdictions these obligations are sworn on the aforementioned ''Volume of the Sacred Law'' and in the witness of the Supreme Being and often with assurance that it is of the candidate's own free will.

Details of the obligations vary; some versions are published<ref name="Ritual" /> while others are privately printed in books of coded text. Still other jurisdictions rely on oral transmission of ritual, and thus have no ritual books at all.<ref>
{{cite web
| last = Bessel
| first = Paul M.
| url = http://bessel.org/writrits.htm
| title = Printed Rituals
| date = [[2006-11-29]]
| accessdate = 2007-03-15 }}</ref> Moreover, not all printed rituals are authentic — Leo Taxil's exposure, for example, is a proven hoax, while Duncan's Masonic Monitor (created, in part, by merging elements of several rituals then in use) was never adopted by any regular jurisdiction.

The obligations are historically known amongst various sources critical of Freemasonry for their so-called "bloody penalties",<ref>"One is made to swear secrecy to the point that bloody penalties of death are involved." [http://www.ephesians5-11.org/washum.htm Testimony of Duane Washum, Past Worshipful Master], [http://www.ephesians5-11.org/ ephesians5-11]</ref> an allusion to the apparent physical penalties associated with each degree. This leads to some descriptions of the Obligations as "Oaths". The corresponding text, with regard to the penalties, does not appear in authoritative, endorsed sources,<ref name="Ritual" /> following a decision "that all references to physical penalties be omitted from the obligations taken by Candidates in the three Degrees and by a Master Elect at his Installation but retained elsewhere in the respective ceremonies".<ref name=preface>
{{cite book
| title = Emulation Ritual
| author = Freemasons. Emulation Lodge of Improvement
| location = London, England
| publisher = Lewis Masonic
| edition = 8th edition
| url = http://web.mit.edu/dryfoo/Masonry/Misc/emu-pref.html
| pages = Preface
| accessdate = 2007-07-08 }}</ref> The penalties are interpreted symbolically, and are not applied in actuality by a Lodge or by any other body of Masonry. The descriptive nature of the penalties alludes to how the candidate should feel about himself should he knowingly violate his obligation.<ref>
{{cite web
| first = Roger
| last = Firestone
| url = http://web.mit.edu/dryfoo/www/Masonry/Questions/difficult.html
| title = Difficult Questions About Freemasonry
| date = [[2001-12-01]]
| accessdate = 2007-07-08 }}</ref> Modern actual penalties may include suspension, expulsion or reprimand.
Whilst no single obligation is representative of Freemasonry as a whole, a number of common themes appear when considering a range of potential texts. Content which may appear in at least one of the three obligations includes: the candidate promises to act in a manner befitting a member of civilised society, promises to obey the law of his Supreme Being, promises to obey the law of his sovereign state, promises to attend his lodge if he is able, promises not to wrong, cheat nor defraud the Lodge or the brethren, and promises aid or charity to a member of the human family, brethren and their families in times of need if it can be done without causing financial harm to himself or his dependents.<ref name="Ritual" /><ref>
{{cite book
| title = Bristol Masonic Ritual: The Oldest and Most Unique Craft Ritual Used in England
| first = Charles E.
| last = Cohoughlyn-Burroughs
| origyear = 1996
| year = 2004
| location = Kila, Mont.
| publisher = Kessinger
| isbn = 9781417915668
| oclc = 78368255 }}</ref><ref>
{{cite book
| title = Craft Ritual
| publisher = Privately published
| year = 1990 }}<!-- please expand this reference so that it might be verified --></ref>

=== Landmarks ===
{{main|Masonic Landmarks}}
The Landmarks of Masonry are defined as ancient and unchangeable precepts; standards by which the regularity of Lodges and Grand Lodges are judged. Each Grand Lodge is self-governing and no single authority exists over the whole of Freemasonry. The interpretation of these principles therefore can and does vary, leading to controversies of recognition.

The concept of Masonic Landmarks appears in Masonic regulations as early as 1723, and seem to be adopted from the regulations of operative masonic guilds. In 1858, [[Albert Mackey|Albert G. Mackey]] attempted to set down 25 Landmarks.<ref>
{{cite journal
| last = Mackey
| first = Albert G.
| authorlink = Albert Mackey
| year = 1858
| month = October
| title = Landmarks of Freemasonry
| journal = American Quarterly Review of Freemasonry and its kindred sciences
| volume = ii
| pages = 230
| issn = 0741-790X
| id = {{oclc|1480641}}
| url = http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/grandlodge/landmarks.html
| accessdate = 2007-04-09 }} (Transcribed by Eugene Goldman, 10 September 1998.)</ref> In 1863, George Oliver published a Freemason's Treasury in which he listed 40 Landmarks. A number of American Grand Lodges have attempted the task of enumerating the Landmarks; numbers differing from West Virginia (7) and New Jersey (10) to Nevada (39) and Kentucky (54).<ref>
{{cite journal
| last = Botelho
| first = Michael A.
| year = 2002
| month = February
| title = Masonic Landmarks
| journal = The Scottish Rite Journal
| url = http://www.srmason-sj.org/web/journal-files/Issues/Feb02/botelho.htm
| issn = 1076-8572
| id = {{oclc|21360724}}
| accessdate = 2007-05-08 }}</ref>

=== Charitable effort ===
The fraternity is widely involved in charity and community service activities. In contemporary times, money is collected ''only'' from the membership, and is to be devoted to ''charitable'' purposes. Freemasonry worldwide disburses substantial charitable amounts to non-Masonic charities, locally, nationally and internationally{{Fact|Aug 2008|date=August 2008}}. In earlier centuries, however, charitable funds were collected more on the basis of a Provident or [[Friendly Society]], and there were elaborate regulations to determine a petitioner's eligibility for consideration for charity, according to strictly Masonic criteria.

Some examples of Masonic charities include:

*Homes<ref>
{{cite web
| url=http://www.rmbi.org.uk/
| title=Royal Masonic Benevolent Institute
| accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref> that provide [[sheltered housing]] or nursing care.
*Education with both educational grants<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rmtgb.org/ |title=Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys |accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref> or schools such as the [[Royal Masonic School|Royal Masonic School (UK)]]<ref>
{{cite web
| url=http://www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk/pages/default.asp
| title=Royal Masonic School for Girls
| accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref> which are open to all and not limited to the families of Freemasons.
*Medical assistance.<ref>
{{cite web
| url=http://www.nmsf.org
| title=New Masonic Samaritan Fund
| accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref>
*[[Masonic Child Identification Programs (CHIP)]]

In addition to these, there are thousands of philanthropic organisations around the world created by Freemasons. The Masonic Service Association<ref>[http://www.msana.com Masonic Service Association]</ref>, the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory<ref>[http://www.mmrl.edu Welcome to the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory]</ref>, and the [[Shriners Hospitals for Children]]<ref>[http://www.shrinershq.org Shriners - Welcome]</ref> are especially notable charitable endeavors that Masons have founded and continue to support both intellectually and monetarily.

== Membership requirements ==
[[Image:Freimaurer Initiation.jpg|thumb|350px|Freemasonry initiation. 18th century]]

A candidate for Freemasonry must petition a lodge in his community, obtaining an introduction by asking an existing member, who then becomes the candidate's proposer. In some jurisdictions, it is required that the petitioner ask three times, although this is becoming less prevalent.<ref>{{cite journal | year = 2001 | month = January | title =Ill. Ernest Borgnine, 33°, G.C., Receives 50-Year Pin | journal = The Scottish Rite Journal | url = http://www.srmason-sj.org/council/journal/jan01/cijan.html | issn = 1076-8572 | id = {{oclc|21360724}} | accessdate = 2006-07-12 | quote = Illustrious Borgnine also told of the difficulties he had in becoming a Mason. He did not know that, at the time, it was necessary to ask three times. }}</ref> In other jurisdictions, more open advertising is utilised to inform potential candidates where to go for more information. Regardless of how a potential candidate receives his introduction to a Lodge, he must be freely elected by secret ballot in open Lodge. Members approving his candidacy often vote with "white balls" in the voting box. A certain number of adverse votes by "[[Blackballing|black balls]]" will exclude a candidate. The number of adverse votes necessary to reject a candidate varies between Lodges and jurisdictions, but sometimes a single adverse vote will be enough.

=== General requirements ===

Generally, to be a regular Freemason, a candidate must:<ref name="Aims and Relationships"/>

* Be a [[man]] who comes of his own free will.
* Believe in a Supreme Being. (The form of which is left to open interpretation by the candidate)
* Be at least the minimum age (from 18&ndash;25 years old depending on the jurisdiction).
* Be of good morals, and of good reputation.
* Be of sound mind and body (Lodges had in the past denied membership to a man because of a physical disability; however, now, if a potential candidate says a disability will not cause problems, it will not be held against him).
* Be free-born (or "born free", ''i.e.'' not born a [[Slavery|slave]] or [[Serfdom|bondsman]]).<ref>{{cite book | last = Robinson | first = John J. | title = Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry | location = New York | publisher = Evans | year = 1989 | pages = p. 56 | isbn = 9780871316028 | oclc = 20419501 | quote = …by the late fifteenth century virtually every man in England was free. }} Robinson also states that the presence of the requirement meant that Freemasonry was organisationally much older than the 1717 founding of the Premier Grand Lodge of England.</ref> As with the previous, this is entirely an historical holdover, and can be interpreted in the same manner as it is in the context of being entitled to write a [[Will (law)|will]]. Some jurisdictions have removed this requirement.
* Be capable of furnishing character references, as well as one or two references from current Masons, depending on jurisdiction.

Deviation from one or more of these requirements is generally the barometer of Masonic regularity or irregularity. However, an accepted deviation in some regular jurisdictions is to allow a ''Lewis'' (the son of a Mason),<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/falclewis.html | title = Freemasonry: The Lewis | publisher = Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry | first = Dan | last = Falconer | date = [[2003-04-16]] | accessdate=2007-04-22 }}</ref> to be initiated earlier than the normal minimum age for that jurisdiction, although no earlier than the age of 18.

Some Grand Lodges in the United States have an additional residence requirement, candidates being expected to have lived within the jurisdiction for certain period of time, typically six months.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ilmason.org/requirements.html | title = Become a Mason: Requirements | accessdate = 2007-05-08 | publisher = Grand Lodge of Illinois, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons }}</ref>

=== Membership and religion ===
Freemasonry explicitly and openly states that it is neither a religion nor a substitute for one. "There is no separate Masonic God", nor a separate proper name for a deity in any branch of Freemasonry.<ref name="a religion?">{{cite web | url = http://www.grandlodge-england.org/masonry/A2L-religion.htm | title = Is Freemasonry a religion? | year = 2002 | accessdate=2007-05-08 | publisher = United Grand Lodge of England }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last = Smart | first = Earnest | year = 2005 | month = April | title = Faith and Freemasonry | journal = Masonic Quarterly Magazine | issue = 13 | url = http://www.mqmagazine.co.uk/issue-13/p-46.php | accessdate = 2007-05-07 }}</ref>

Regular Freemasonry requires that its candidates believe in a ''Supreme Being'', but the interpretation of the term is subject to the conscience of the candidate. This means that men from a wide range of faiths, including (but not limited to) [[Christianity]], [[Judaism]], [[Islam]], [[Buddhism]], [[Sikhism]], [[Hinduism]], etc. can and have become Masons.

Since the early 19th century, in the ''irregular'' Continental European tradition (meaning ''irregular'' to those Grand Lodges in amity with the United Grand Lodge of England), a very broad interpretation has been given to a (non-dogmatic) Supreme Being; in the tradition of [[Baruch Spinoza]] and [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]] — or views of [[The Ultimate]] Cosmic Oneness — along with Western atheistic [[idealism]] and agnosticism.

Freemasonry in [[Scandinavia]], known as the [[Swedish Rite]], on the other hand, accepts only Christians. In addition, some appendant bodies (or portions thereof) may have religious requirements. These have no bearing, however, on what occurs at the lodge level.

== Opposition to and criticism of Freemasonry ==
{{main|Anti-Masonry}}
{{seealso|Masonic conspiracy theories}}
''Anti-Masonry'' (alternatively called ''Anti-Freemasonry'') is defined as "avowed opposition to Freemasonry".<ref name="antimasonrydef">{{OED|Anti-Masonry}}</ref> However, there is no homogeneous anti-Masonic movement. Anti-Masonry consists of radically differing criticisms from sometimes incompatible groups who are hostile to Freemasonry in some form. They include religious groups, political groups, and conspiracy theorists.

There have been many disclosures and exposés dating as far back as the eighteenth century. These often lack context,<ref>
{{cite book
| first = S. Brent
| last = Morris
| title = The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry
| location = New York
| publisher = Alpha Books
| year = 2006
| pages = p. 85 (also discussed in chapters 13 and 16)
| isbn = 9781592574902
| oclc = 68042376 }}</ref> may be outdated for various reasons,<ref name="changes">{{cite book
| first = John J.
| last = Robinson
| title = A Pilgrim's Path
| publisher = M. Evans
| location = New York
| year = 1993
| pages = p. 129
| isbn = 9780871317322
| oclc = 27381296 }}</ref> or could be outright [[hoax]]es on the part of the author, as in the case of the [[Taxil hoax]].<ref>{{cite web
| first = Arturo
| last = de Hoyos
| date = [[2002-08-18]]
| coauthors = S. Brent Morris
| url = http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/taxilhoax.html
| title = Leo Taxil Hoax - Bibliography
| publisher = Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon
| accessdate = 2007-07-07 }} Lists many books which perpetuate Masonic ritual hoaxes.</ref>

These hoaxes and exposures have often become the basis for criticism of Masonry, usually religious (mainly Roman Catholic and evangelical Christian) or political (usually Socialist or Communist dictatorial objections,<ref name="Communist"> [http://www.trosch.org/bks/freemasonry.html" The New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967)] Soviet Russia outlawed Masonry in 1922. Freemasonry does not exist today in the Soviet Union, China, or other Communist states. Postwar revivals of Freemasonry in Czechoslovakia and Hungary were suppressed in 1950.</ref> but also the historical [[Anti-Masonic Party]] in the United States) in nature. The political opposition that arose after the "[[William Morgan (anti-Mason)#The Morgan affair|Morgan Affair]]" in 1826 gave rise to the term "[[Anti-Masonry]]", which is still in use today, both by Masons in referring to their critics and as a self-descriptor by the critics themselves.

=== Religious opposition ===
Freemasonry has attracted criticism from [[theocracy|theocratic]] states and organised religions for supposed competition with religion, or supposed [[heterodoxy]] within the Fraternity itself, and has long been the target of [[Masonic conspiracy theories|conspiracy]] theories, which see it as an [[occult]] and evil power.

==== Christianity and Freemasonry ====
{{main|Christianity and Freemasonry|Catholicism and Freemasonry}}

Although members of various faiths cite objections, certain [[Christian]] [[religious denomination|denominations]] have had high profile negative attitudes to Masonry, banning or discouraging their members from being Freemasons.

The denomination with the longest history of objection to Freemasonry is the Catholic Church. The objections raised by the Catholic Church are based on the allegation that Masonry teaches a naturalistic [[deistic]] religion which is in conflict with Church [[doctrine]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?recnum=5285 | title = Letter of 19 April 1985 to U.S. Bishops Concerning Masonry | last = Cardinal Law | first = Bernard | authorlink = Bernard Francis Law | accessdate = 2007-07-09 | date = [[1985-04-19]] | work = CatholicCulture.org }}</ref> A number of Papal pronouncements have been issued against Freemasonry. The first was [[Pope Clement XII|Pope Clement XII's]] ''[[In Eminenti]]'', 28 April 1738; the most recent was [[Pope Leo XIII|Pope Leo XIII's]] ''[[Ab Apostolici]]'', 15 October 1890. The 1917 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]] explicitly declared that joining Freemasonry entailed automatic [[excommunication]].<ref name="canon2335"> Canon 2335, 1917 Code of Canon Law from {{cite web | url = http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/canon.html | title = Canon Law regarding Freemasonry, 1917-1983 | publisher = Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon }}</ref> The 1917 Code of Canon Law also forbade books friendly to Freemasonry.

In 1983, the Church issued a new Code of [[Canon Law]]. Unlike its predecessor, it did not explicitly name Masonic orders among the [[secret societies]] it condemns. It states in part: "''A person who joins an association which plots against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty; one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with an [[Interdict (Roman Catholic Church)|interdict]]."'' This omission caused both Catholics and Freemasons to believe that the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons may have been lifted, especially after the perceived liberalisation of [[Second Vatican Council|Vatican II]].<ref name="RCLaw">{{cite journal | last = McInvale | first = Reid | year = 1991 | title = Roman Catholic Church Law Regarding Freemasonry | journal = Transactions of Texas Lodge of Research | volume = 27 | pages = pp. 86–97 | url = http://www.io.com/~janebm/churchlaw.html | issn = | id = {{oclc|47204246}} }}</ref> However, the matter was clarified when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later [[Pope Benedict XVI]]), as the Prefect of the [[Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]], issued ''[[Quaesitum est]]'', which states: "...the Church’s negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive [[Holy Communion]]." Thus, from a Catholic perspective, there is still a ban on Catholics joining Masonic Lodges. For its part, Freemasonry has never objected to Catholics joining their fraternity. Those Grand Lodges in amity with UGLE deny the Church's claims and state that they explicitly adhere to the principle that "Freemasonry is not a religion, nor a substitute for religion."<ref name="a religion?"/>

In contrast to Catholic allegations of rationalism and naturalism, Protestant objections are more likely to be based on allegations of [[mysticism]], [[occultism]], and even [[Satanism]].<ref name=Satanism >{{cite web |url=http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0093/0093_01.asp |title=The Curse of Baphomet |accessdate=2007-09-29 |author=Jack Chick }}</ref> Masonic scholar [[Albert Pike]] is often quoted (in some cases ''mis''quoted) by Protestant anti-Masons as an authority for the position of Masonry on these issues. However, Pike, although undoubtedly learned, was not a spokesman for Freemasonry and was controversial among Freemasons in general, representing his personal opinion only, and furthermore an opinion grounded in the attitudes and understandings of late 19th century Southern Freemasonry of the USA alone. Indeed his book carries in the preface a form of disclaimer from his own Grand Lodge. No one voice has ever spoken for the whole of Freemasonry.<ref>{{cite book | last = Pike | first = Albert | authorlink = Albert Pike | coauthors = T. W. Hugo; Scottish Rite (Masonic order). Supreme Council of the Thirty-Third Degree for the Southern Jurisdiction | title = Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry | location = Washington, DC | publisher = House of the Temple | year = 1950 | origyear = 1871 | oclc = 12870276 | quote = In preparing this work [Pike] has been about equally Author and Compiler. (p. iii.) … The teachings of these Readings are not sacramental, so far as they go beyond the realm of Morality into those of other domains of Thought and Truth. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite uses the word "Dogma" in its true sense of doctrine, or teaching; and is not dogmatic in the odious sense of that term. Everyone is entirely free to reject and dissent from whatsoever herein may seem to him to be untrue or unsound (p. iv) }}</ref>

Since the founding of Freemasonry, many Bishops of the [[Church of England]] have been Freemasons, such as [[Archbishop]] [[Geoffrey Fisher]].<ref>{{cite journal | last = Beresiner | first = Yasha | year = 2006 | month = July | title = Archbishop Fisher – A Godly man and a Brother | journal = Masonic Quarterly Magazine | issue = 18 | url = http://www.mqmagazine.co.uk/issue-18/p-07.php?PHPSESSID=c59cd231db419873a6a6 | accessdate = 2007-05-07 }}</ref> In the past, few members of the Church of England would have seen any incongruity in concurrently adhering to Anglican Christianity and practicing Freemasonry. In recent decades, however, reservations about Freemasonry have increased within Anglicanism, perhaps due to the increasing prominence of the evangelical wing of the church. The current [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], [[Rowan Williams|Dr Rowan Williams]], appears to harbour some reservations about Masonic ritual, whilst being anxious to avoid causing offence to Freemasons inside and outside the Church of England. In 2003 he felt it necessary to apologise to British Freemasons after he said that their beliefs were incompatible with Christianity and that he had barred the appointment of Freemasons to senior posts in his diocese when he was Bishop of Monmouth.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/04/20/nmason20.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/04/20/ixhome.html | title = Rowan Williams apologises to Freemasons | first = Chris | last = Hastings | coauthors = Elizabeth Day | work = [[The Daily Telegraph]] | date = [[2003-04-20]] | accessdate = 2007-07-09 }}</ref>

Regular Freemasonry has traditionally not responded to these claims, beyond the often repeated statement that those Grand Lodges in amity with UGLE explicitly adhere to the principle that "Freemasonry is not a religion, nor a substitute for religion. There is no separate 'Masonic deity', and there is no separate proper name for a deity in Freemasonry".<ref name="a religion?"/> In recent years, however, this has begun to change. Many Masonic websites and publications address these criticisms specifically.

==== Islam and Freemasonry ====
Many [[Islamic]] anti-Masonic arguments are closely tied with [[Anti-Semitism]] and [[Anti-Zionism]], though other criticisms are made such as linking Freemasonry to [[Dajjal]].<ref name="SFMNAD">{{cite book | url = http://freemasonry.dept.shef.ac.uk/pdf/ovn.pdf?PHPSESSID=bf5645aae288a112e6c99cacdca85a90 | format = pdf | title = The Study of Freemasonry as a New Academic Discipline | pages = pp. 13–14 | first = Andrew | last = Prescott | accessdate = 2006-05-21 }}</ref> Some Muslim anti-Masons argue that Freemasonry promotes the interests of the [[Jews]] around the world and that one of its aims is to rebuild the [[Temple of Solomon]] in [[Jerusalem]] after destroying the [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1119503547288&pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar%2FFatwaE%2FFatwaEAskTheScholar |title=Can a Muslim be a freemason? |accessdate=2007-05-08 |format=asp |work=Islamonline.com }}</ref> In article 28 of its Covenant, [[Hamas]] states that Freemasonry, [[Rotary International|Rotary]], and other similar groups "work in the interest of Zionism and according to its instructions…."<ref>''[[s:Hamas Covenant|Hamas Covenant of 1988]]''. Wikisource. Accessed 2 October 2007.</ref>
Many countries with a significant Muslim population do not allow Masonic establishments within their jurisdictions. However, countries such as [[Turkey]], [[Morocco]], and [[Egypt]] have established Grand Lodges<ref>Leyiktez, Celil. [http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/layiktez1.html "Freemasonry in the Islamic World"]. Accessed 2 October 2007.</ref> while in countries such as [[Malaysia]]<ref>[http://www.dglme.org/contacts/contacts.aspx DGLME.org - The District Grand Lodge of the Middle East<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, and [[Lebanon]]<ref>[http://www.nymasons.org/cms/districtsonline Districts Online | Grand Lodge F. & A. M. State of New York<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> there are District Grand Lodges operating under a warrant from an established Grand Lodge.

There was a time when there existed a number of lodges in [[Iraq]] as early as 1906 <ref>The History of the R.A.O.B. in Iraq 1919 to 1953[http://www.habbaniya.org/RAOB.html]</ref>, and later on when the country was under [[British Mandate of Mesopotamia|British Mandate]] just after the First World War. However the position changed in July 1958 following the Revolution, with the abolition of the Monarchy and Iraq being declared a republic, under [[General Qasim]]. The licences permitting lodges to meet were rescinded and later laws were introduced banning any further meetings. This position was later reinforced under [[Saddam Hussein]], the death penalty was "prescribed" for those who "promote or acclaim Zionist principles, including freemasonry, or who associate [themselves] with Zionist organizations."<ref>
{{cite news
|title= Saddam to be formally charged
|publisher= Washington Times
|date = 1 July 2004
}}</ref>
With the fall of the Hussein government following the US Invasion of Iraq, the ban on Freemasonry was lifted and in 2007, Land Air and Sea Lodge, No. 1 was granted a charter by the Grand Lodge of New York.

=== Political opposition ===
{{See also|Anti-Masonry|Suppression of Freemasonry}}
Regular Freemasonry has in its core ritual a formal obligation: to be quiet and peaceable citizens, true to the lawful government of the country in which they live, and not to countenance disloyalty or rebellion.<ref name="UGLE home"/> A Freemason makes a further obligation, before being made Master of his Lodge, to pay a proper respect to the civil [[magistrate]]s.<ref name="UGLE home"/> The words may be varied across Grand Lodges, but the sense in the obligation taken is always there. Nevertheless, much of the political opposition to Freemasonry is based upon the idea that Masonry will foment (or sometimes prevent) rebellion.

[[Conspiracy theorists]] have long associated Freemasonry with the [[New World Order (conspiracy)|New World Order]] and the [[Illuminati]], and state that Freemasonry as an organisation is either bent on world domination or already secretly in control of world politics. Historically, Freemasonry has attracted criticism - and suppression - from both the politically [[Far right|extreme right]] (e.g. [[Nazi Germany]])<ref>{{cite book | first = James | last = Wilkenson | coauthors = H. Stuart Hughes | title = Contemporary Europe: A History | location = Englewood Cliffs, N.J. | publisher = Prentice Hall | year = 1995 | pages = p. 237 | isbn = 9780132918404 | oclc = 31009810 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | first = Otto | last = Zierer | title = Concise History of Great Nations: History of Germany | location = New York | publisher = Leon Amiel Publisher | year = 1976 | pages = p. 104 | isbn = 9780814806739 | oclc = 3250405 }}</ref> and the [[Far left|extreme left]] (e.g. the former [[Communist]] states in [[Eastern Europe]]).<ref name="Communist" /> The Fraternity has encountered both applause for supposedly founding, and opposition for supposedly thwarting, [[liberal democracy]] (such as the United States of America).

In some countries anti-Masonry is often related to [[anti-Semitism]] and [[anti-Zionism]]. For example, In 1980, the Iraqi legal and penal code was changed by [[Saddam Hussein|Saddam Hussein's]] ruling [[Ba'ath Party]], making it a felony to "promote or acclaim Zionist principles, including Freemasonry, or who associate [themselves] with Zionist organisations."<ref name="freemasonryinSHIraq">{{cite news | url = http://washingtontimes.com/world/20040701-120129-6565r.htm | title = Saddam to be formally charged | first = David R | last = Sands | work = [[The Washington Times]] | date = [[2004-07-01]] | accessdate = 2006-06-18 }}</ref> Professor [http://www.shef.ac.uk/history/staff/research_fellows/andrew_prescott.html Andrew Prescott], of the University of Sheffield, writes: "Since at least the time of the [[The Protocols of the Elders of Zion|Protocols of the Elders of Zion]], anti-semitism has gone hand in hand with anti-masonry, so it is not surprising that allegations that [[11 September 2001 attacks|11 September]] was a Zionist plot have been accompanied by suggestions that the attacks were inspired by a masonic world order."<ref name="SFMNAD_opcit">Prescott, op. cit., pp. 13-14, 30, 33</ref>

In 1799 English Freemasonry almost came to a halt due to Parliamentary proclamation. In the wake of the [[French Revolution]], the ''Unlawful Societies Act, 1799'' banned any meetings of groups that required their members to take an [[oath]] or obligation.<ref name="UGLE history" >{{cite web | url = http://www.grandlodge-england.org/ugle/the-history-of-grand-lodge-1.htm | title = The United Grand Lodge of England - Two Grand Lodges | publisher = United Grand Lodge of England | year = 2002 | accessdate = 2006-03-08 }}</ref> The Grand Masters of both the Moderns and the Antients Grand Lodges called on the Prime Minister William Pitt, (who was not a Freemason) and explained to him that Freemasonry was a supporter of the law and lawfully constituted authority and was much involved in charitable work. As a result Freemasonry was specifically exempted from the terms of the Act, provided that each Private Lodge's Secretary placed with the local "Clerk of the Peace" a list of the members of his Lodge once a year.<ref name="UGLE history" /> This continued until 1967 when the obligation of the provision was rescinded by [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]].<ref name="UGLE history" />

Freemasonry in the United States faced political pressure following the disappearance of [[William Morgan (anti-Mason)|William Morgan]] in 1826. Reports of the "Morgan Affair", together with opposition to [[Jacksonian democracy]] (Jackson was a prominent Mason) helped fuel an Anti-Masonic movement, culminating in the formation of a short lived Anti-Masonic Party which fielded candidates for the Presidential elections of 1828 and 1832.

Even in modern democracies, Freemasonry is still sometimes accused of being a network where individuals engage in [[cronyism]], using their Masonic connections for political influence and shady business dealings. This is officially and explicitly deplored in Freemasonry.<ref name="UGLE home" /> It is also charged that men become Freemasons through [[patronage]] or that they are offered incentives to join. This is not the case; no one lodge member may control membership in the lodge and in order to start the process of becoming a Freemason, an individual must ask to join the Fraternity "freely and without persuasion."<ref name="UGLE home" />

In Italy, Freemasonry has become linked to a scandal concerning the [[Propaganda Due]] Lodge (aka P2). This Lodge was Chartered by the [[Grande Oriente d'Italia]] in 1877, as a Lodge for visiting Masons unable to attend their own lodges. Under [[Licio Gelli]]’s leadership, in the late 1970s, the P2 Lodge became involved in the financial scandals that nearly bankrupted the [[Vatican Bank]]. However, by this time the lodge was operating independently and irregularly; as the Grand Orient had revoked its charter in 1976.<ref>{{cite web | first = Edward L. | last = King | url = http://www.masonicinfo.com/p2_lodge.htm | title = P2 Lodge | year = 2007 | accessdate = 2006-10-31 }}</ref> By 1982 the scandal became public knowledge and Gelli was formally expelled from Freemasonry.

==== The Holocaust ====
{{main|The Holocaust}}
{{see also|Freemasonry under authoritarian regimes|Liberté chérie (Freemasonry)}}

The preserved records of the ''[[RSHA|Reichssicherheitshauptamt]]'' (the Reich Security Main Office) show the persecution of Freemasons.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://mill-valley.freemasonry.biz/persecution.htm | title = World War II Documents showing the persecution of Freemasonry | publisher = Mill Valley Lodge #356 | accessdate = 2006-05-21 }}</ref> RSHA Amt VII (Written Records) was overseen by Professor [[Franz Six]] and was responsible for "ideological" tasks, by which was meant the creation of anti-Semitic and anti-Masonic propaganda. While the number is not accurately known, it is estimated that between 80,000 and 200,000 Freemasons were killed under the [[Nacht und Nebel|Nazi regime]]. Masonic concentration camp inmates were graded as political prisoners and wore an inverted [[Nazi concentration camp badges|red triangle]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = The Encyclopedia of the Holocaust | page = vol. 2, p. 531 | last = Katz | editor = Israel Gutman | article = Jews and Freemasons in Europe | id = ISBN 9780028971667 {{oclc|20594356}} }}</ref>

[[Image:Forgetmenotflower.JPG|thumb|right|120px|[[Forget-me-not]]]]
The small blue [[forget-me-not]] flower was first used by the Grand Lodge ''Zur Sonne'', in 1926, as a Masonic emblem at the annual convention in [[Bremen (city)|Bremen]], Germany. In 1938 the forget-me-not badge – made by the same factory as the Masonic badge – was chosen for the annual Nazi Party ''[[Winterhilfswerk]]'', a Nazi charitable organisation which collected money so that other state funds could be freed up and used for rearmament. This coincidence enabled Freemasons to wear the forget-me-not badge as a secret sign of membership.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.internetloge.de/arst/forgetd.htm | title = Das Vergißmeinnicht-Abzeichen und die Freimaurerei, Die wahre Geschichte | language = German | publisher = Internetloge.de | accessdate = 2006-07-08 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/bernheim3.html | first = Alain | last = Bernheim | title = The Blue Forget-Me-Not": Another Side Of The Story | work = Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry | publisher = | date = [[2004-09-10]] | accessdate = 2006-07-08 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title = Die Freimaurer-Logen Deutschlands und deren Grosslogen 1737-1972 | first = Karl Heinz | last = Francke | coauthors = Ernst-Günther Geppert | location = Bayreuth | publisher = Quatuor Coronati | year = 1974 | language = German | isbn = | oclc = | edition = Second rev. ed.}}Also in: {{cite book | title = Die Freimaurer-Logen Deutschlands und deren Grosslogen 1737 - 1985 : Matrikel und Stammbuch; Nachschlagewerk über 248 Jahre Geschichte der Freimaurerei in Deutschland | first = Karl Heinz | last = Francke | coauthors = Ernst-Günther Geppert | location = Bayreuth | publisher = Quatuor Coronati | year = 1988 | language = German | isbn = 9783925749056 | oclc = 75446479 }}</ref>

After [[World War II]], the forget-me-not<ref name=Galen_forget-me-not>{{cite web | url = http://www.galenlodge.co.uk/forgetmenot.htm | title = Das Vergissmeinnicht The Forget-Me-Not: The True Story Behind This Beloved
Emblem of the Craft in Germany | publisher = Galen Lodge, No. 2394 | date = [[2001-02-08]] | accessdate = 2006-02-06 }}</ref> flower was again used as a Masonic emblem at the first Annual Convention of the United Grand Lodges of Germany in 1948. The badge is now worn in the coat lapel by Freemasons around the world to remember all those that have suffered in the name of Freemasonry, especially those during the Nazi era.<ref name=Galen_forget-me-not /><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.mastermason.com/monlou522/forget~me~not.html | title = About the… Forget-Me-Not | publisher = Monitor Lousbury Lodge, No. 522 | accessdate=2006-03-04 }}</ref>

=== Women and Freemasonry ===
{{main|Women and Freemasonry|Co-Freemasonry}}

Since the adoption of Anderson's constitution in 1723, it has been accepted as fact by regular Masons that only men can be made Masons. Most Grand Lodges do not admit women because they believe it would violate the ancient Landmarks. While a few women were initiated into British speculative lodges prior to 1723, officially regular Freemasonry remains exclusive to men.
While women cannot join regular lodges, there are (mainly within the borders of the United States) many female orders associated with regular Freemasonry and its appendant bodies, such as the [[Order of the Eastern Star]], the [[Order of the Amaranth]], the White Shrine of Jerusalem, the Social Order of Beauceant and the Daughters of the Nile. These have their own rituals and traditions, but are founded on the Masonic model. In the French context, women in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had been admitted into what were known as "adoption lodges" in which they could participate in ritual life. However, men clearly saw this type of adoption Freemasonry as distinct from their exclusively male variety. From the late nineteenth century onward, mixed gender lodges have met in France.

In addition, there are many non-mainstream Masonic bodies that do admit both men and women or are exclusively for women. [[Co-Freemasonry]] admits both men and women,<ref>[http://www.co-masonry.org/Site/English/ co-masonry.org] Official site</ref> but it is held to be irregular because it admits women. The systematic admission of women into International Co-Freemasonry began in France in 1882. In more recent times, women have created and maintained separate Lodges, working the same rituals as the all male regular lodges. These Female Masons have founded lodges around the world, and these Lodges continue to gain membership.

== See also ==
* [[Freemasonry and the Latter Day Saint movement]]
* [[Hiram Abiff]]
* [[Humanum Genus]] - Pope [[Leo XIII]]'s condemnation of Freemasonry
* [[List of Freemasons]]
* [[Masonic Knights Templar]]
* [[Pigpen cipher]]
* [[Shriners]]


==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat-inline}}
{{Wiktionary-inline}}
* [http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/FRA_GAE/FREEMASONRY.html Freemasonry] article from the 1911 (11th Ed.) Encyclopedia Britannica.
* [http://www.brad.ac.uk/webofhiram/ Web of Hiram] at the University of Bradford. A database of donated Masonic material.
* [http://www.geocities.com/stlaasr/masonic-books-online.html Masonic Books Online] of the St. Louis Scottish Rite.
* [http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/masonic_books_online.html Masonic Books Online] of the ''Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry''
*[http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libraryscience/25/ ''The Constitutions of the Free-Masons''] (1734), James Anderson, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Royster. Hosted by the Libraries at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
*[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18136/18136-h/18136-h.htm ''The Mysteries of Free Masonry''], by William Morgan, from [[Project Gutenberg]]
*[http://www.grandlodge-england.org/ugle/library.htm The United Grand Lodge of England's Library and Museum of Freemasonry], London
*[http://freemasonry.dept.shef.ac.uk/ The Centre for Research into Freemasonry] at the [[University of Sheffield]], UK
*[http://MasonryPage.org/ A Page About Freemasonry] the world's oldest Masonic website.
*[http://www.oztorah.com/feature/archive/freemasonry.php Articles on Judaism and Freemasonry]


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[[Category:Freemasonry]]
[[Category:Religion and politics]]
[[Category:Esotericism]]


[[fr:Miroslav König]]
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[[zh:共济会]]

Revision as of 19:50, 10 October 2008

Miroslav König
Personal information
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 August 2008

Miroslav König (born 1 June 1972) is a Slovak former footballer who played as a goalkeeper during the 1990's and 2000's. He played for a number of clubs in Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Greece.

Career

König began his career with FC Nitra in 1991 but never played any games at the club and moved to FC Spartak Trnava in 1993. He impressed during his two season at Spartak and was noticed by ŠK Slovan Bratislava whom he signed for in 1995. He went on to play over 100 matches for Slovan over five seasons and earned his place in the Slovak national team. In 2000, he signed for Swiss giants Grasshopper-Club Zürich but failed to make his mark in the first-team and left to join rivals FC Basel after just one season. He went on to play for FC Concordia Basel and FC Zürich before leaving Switzerland for Turkey's Elazığspor in 2003. The Czech Republic was König's next destination as he signed for FC Baník Ostrava in 2004 before returning to Slovakia with MŠK Žilina in 2005. Greek side Panionios F.C. signed him in 2006 and he retired in the Summer of 2008 after making 31 appearances for the club, at the age of 36.

König was capped 43 times by the Slovak national team between 1997 and 2004.

External links

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