What is Freemasonry?

Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternity with the singular purpose of making good men better. It is neither a forum nor a place for worship. Instead, it is a friend to all religions which are based on a belief in Deity.

Masonry, or Freemasonry, is a fraternity so old that its origins have been lost in time. It probably started with the guilds of stonemasons who built the great castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages and might have been influenced by the Knights Templar, a group of Christian warrior monks formed in 1118 to help protect pilgrims making trips to the Holy Land.

Freemasonry was formalized in 1717 when the first "Grand Lodge" was formed in England. Today, there are about 13,200 Masonic lodges in the U.S.