Freemasonry

Also known as Masonic Order.

A spiritual, fraternal order for men that originated in guilds of stone cutters in the late 16th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around 5 million.

The various forms of Freemasonry all share moral and metaphysical ideals, which include, in most cases, a constitutional declaration of belief in a Supreme Being, the interpretation of which is subject to the conscience of the candidate. 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.