and just like this thread IIRC you were told that was not appropriate conduct for a mason. Mason's are not superhuman, they are people with flaws like anyone else. the fraternity is about making men better, some have a loger way to go than others. a handful of shitheads don't represent masonry anymore than a mass casualty shooter represents you as a gun owner.

if you don't like masons... this may not be the forum for you.

This will probably fall on deaf ears but here I go.

You met a few morons who are in Masonry for the wrong reasons and use their affiliation with the group inappropriately.  You will find this with any group.  By and large it is not a representation of the vast majority of Masons.    

In your eyes do pedophile Catholic priests represent the entire Catholic Church?  Does Westboro represent every Christian?  Does the cop who abuses his position/authority represent every cop?  Does your asshole, inconsiderate neighbor represent every neighbor you may encounter?  Does a thug with a gun represent you as a gun owner?

The thread in question was deleted because people have a hard time understanding things from a different perspective with a closed mind and thus the discussion was likely to devolve from there. No matter how much anybody tries to convince people otherwise, the actions of a few bad apples often are held up on high as representative of all, as TBS mentioned above.

As a member of a Union up until 3 months ago, I can undeniably say the negative connotations are quite justified for the most part...  My former "brothers" can proudly proclaim "Union Strong!" And preach of Unity, but whenever times get tough, jobs are getting axed, or promotion opportunities arise (as you mentioned), it's every man for himself, and stab everyone else in the back - except your closest union buddies!

This is what happened to me, and indeed what you describe is far more indicative of Union behavior than Masonic behavior. As far as Brothers go, they are poor examples because they failed to live up to our philosophical teachings. Particularly those of equality. Mason or non-Mason, they should have fought to have the best qualified for a job to receive a promotion, and embrace others who do their jobs to the best of their ability.  If a Mason is even President of the US, if he adheres to his teachings, he should treat everyone with equal respect and professionalism - from a Janitor to his Senior Cabinet.

I could tell you what happened at my work, but I am not allowed to air company laundry in public. It wasn't pretty, but it was good old boys club Union mentality at its best.

The Masons, if they adhere to the teachings of Masonry, should not & would not engage in favoritism. There are some smaller lodges that, over time, have had some key members that developed a "good old boys club" mentality that is counter to the teachings of Masonry, but this departure from the teachings are not the norm by any means.

True Masonic lodges should be extremely wary I who they allow into their ranks based upon a candidates' beliefs, actions, personality traits & characteristics, and their demonstrated history of making good life decisions. There are many people who are excluded based upon attitude & beliefs alone.  There are other organizations that might fit your personality better, and whatever you so choose to do, I hope you ind happiness in life.