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Comment by zomg | Hacker News Reader

The misinformation about Masonry in the article is very unfortunate. The Freemasons are not a “secret organization” — they are organization of secrets. Big difference. Also, this building isn’t a temple, they’re referred to as lodges. I can go on...

The Masons are one of the largest fundraising organizations in the world, who started and fund the Shriners Hospitals, as an example.

Would have preferred to see a more positive and realistic perspective on the Freemasonry.

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Lodge and Temple in informal usage are interchangeable, but formally the Lodge is the organizational subunit and the Temple is the Lodge's meeting space.

https://pasadenamasonic.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonic_Temple

Sign outside the building says "Masonic temple". Not sure if it is original. I'd assume that the lodge is organizational unit, while temple is a building. Wiki seems to agree.

"A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets"

There are a couple of interesting looking Freemason facilities in the Washington, DC, area. I keep meaning to take the tours. My great-grandfather was a 33rd degree Mason. He was the whole classic stereotype: a civil engineer of Scottish descent!

Took a tour of one of the big ones there recently. It was quite strange with respect to the content of the library (pretty much the only place you are allowed to go if not on a guided tour) and the inordinate amount of Ben Franklin ephemera.

My uncle was a 33rd Deg FreeMason also. I learned this at his funeral... He served in 3 wars, WW2, Korea, & Vietnam. Is it correct that to be considered for membership, you must approach a member? But they cannot approach you and try to sell you on it?

> Is it correct that to be considered for membership, you must approach a member? But they cannot approach you and try to sell you on it?

Yes.

One uncommonly spoken requirement of Freemasonry membership is the belief in a Supreme Creator/Higher Power. Not strictly Christianity either, but really any Great Creator of the Universe. This would cause Freemasonry to be a non-starter with a considerable number of HN readers (atheists, specifically.)

What does the difference between "secret organization" vs "organization of secrets" mean?

Well, I know they exist, so if the former was a goal, that failed.

I don't think they named the "Secret Service" based on its existence being kept secret either - rather, their business is secret. I don't think that was a goal considering how avidly they plaster Masonry symbols everywhere - including on their temples

Actually, the Secret Service was originally an undercover anti-counterfeiting group. I do believe its existence was kept secret for a time.

I'm genuinely curious: may you please provide more information about how it was "undercover"? None of the references I've found suggest that knowledge of its existence was kept under wraps at the time of its founding in 1865[1] - it was merely the federal agency responsible for countering counterfeit currency, and that doesn't require secrecy.

I suspect the whole 007-like mystique only arose much later - after it was tasked with protecting the president in 1901/2

1. not-so-fun-fact: Lincoln was assassinated while the legislation to create the USSS was awaiting his signature on his desk

They're publicly well known, and as far as I'm aware they don't have any rules against telling people you're a member. Many of their temples/lodges/whatever you want to call them are identified somewhere on the facade (Freemasons' Hall in Edinburgh for example is available for hire as an event space).

However, what they do and talk about within the lodge is secret.

AFAIK there's no explicit rules against telling others that you're a member of the brotherhood

> They're publicly well known, and as far as I'm aware they don't have any rules against telling people you're a member.

2B1ask1 is a Freemason slogan: To become a Freemason, ask one about joining.

http://freemasoninformation.com/2b1ask1/

In fact, from the page:

> If you are seeking Membership YOU MUST ASK a Mason or a Masonic Lodge for an application.

Can't very well ask one if the fact they're Masons is supposed to be a secret.

The line is actually closer to "we're not a secret society, we're a society with secrets."

Basically, it means that we're not a shadow organization that cloaks all it does in secrecy. Rather, we are a public organization that guards some internal knowledge behind closed doors and cyphers.

This euphemism makes it look like it is a lot more transparent this way, but it isn't really if secrets are being guarded from the outside world. The only different thing is that it not being a shadow organization there's a possibility one can join its ranks.

I feel like a "secret organization" wouldn't be listed in phone directories or have public websites.

Every government and corporation has a few secrets, but I don't think they're "secret organizations", rather, they're "organizations with secrets".

I'm not a secret person, I'm a person with secrets. I exist and live a life with plenty of people knowing my name but I don't broadcast every single little thing. I keep some things secret.

(OK, I'm kinda secret here, because I'm not going to give anyone my email address. But I don't adopt a pseudonym in the physical world.)

Consider the references to ghosts later in the article, you shouldn't be surprised that they play up the "spooky" aspect. No one benefits from telling the simple truth that it's just a fairly large community center.

At work I've referred to e.g. Hashicorp Vault as "secrets management" rather than "secret management" to avoid this sort of ambiguity and misreading.

The article also casually mentions the building being haunted, so I'm not sure if expecting superb journalism here is reasonable.

What kind of secrets?

Well, that's secret information

You are noticing the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect.

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