4 ms·

http://freemasoninformation.com/2015/01/illustrious-brother-ben-franklin-and-freemasonry/ http://freemasoninformation.com/2015/01/illustrious-brother-...

spking 8y ago
I recently attended a non-masons meeting that was hosted at a turn of the century Masonic Temple. The building itself was incredible, if not just a bit spooky. There were photos of members from the early 1900s to present day, but it was very apparent that the average age of the men in the photos has continually increased over time. In other words it looks like today only much older men continue their involvement and new member recruitment likewise skews 55+. My guess is their membership has dwindled significantly in the last 30+ years, at least in the US.
- Zelphyr 8y ago
  It has dwindled significantly from "the golden age" of Freemasonry which was the 1950's and 60's. That's in part because Baby Boomer men weren't joiners in their youth compared to their fathers. Their fathers had just fought WWII and wanted to continue the sense of brotherhood they found in the military. But also, Freemasonry has always been cyclic for various reasons. It experienced a huge decrease in membership in the 1800's because of an anti-Masonic thread that was going through the country at the time (there was even a whole political party--the first third party in the US in fact--whose platform was to banish Freemasonry). This is where most of the conspiracy theories about Freemasonry come from. It has started to cycle back a little in the past 8-10 years. I'm seeing more and more younger guys interested in joining.
  - olivermarks 8y ago
    Interesting. Assuming you are a mason do you find being a member useful/meaningful in 2018?
    - runjake 8y ago
      Yes, if you like the arts, sciences, mystery, and fellowship.
    - Zelphyr 8y ago
      Very much so.
- runjake 8y ago
  Mid-40s 32nd degree (AF&AM/AASR) here. The average age of a mason largely depends on the area. In my particular area, the vast majority are men in their 30s and 40s, and our lodges are very healthy. Our lodges tend to focus more on the esoteric sides of Freemasonry. In other nearby areas, we've seen lodges completely die out or merge with us, as the membership passes on. I think that in metropolitan areas, your lodges are generally going to be more healthy and "younger" (30s-40s). If we once again experience a lull in membership, you might watch us all die out once again in a few decades :-).
  - spking 8y ago
    Interesting. This particular lodge is in a more rural/farming area of Southern California (Santa Paula). One interesting item they had on display was a paid off mortgage note from like 1940. The overall concept of brotherhood, networking and civic engagement at the local level is appealing to me. The Elks always seemed like an interesting organization too in that sense (they sponsored my scout troop growing up). So I'm not sure how much the esoteric side of things would appeal to me, but that's probably just because I have no idea what that entails.

spking 8y ago

I recently attended a non-masons meeting that was hosted at a turn of the century Masonic Temple. The building itself was incredible, if not just a bit spooky. There were photos of members from the early 1900s to present day, but it was very apparent that the average age of the men in the photos has continually increased over time. In other words it looks like today only much older men continue their involvement and new member recruitment likewise skews 55+. My guess is their membership has dwindled significantly in the last 30+ years, at least in the US.

Zelphyr 8y ago
It has dwindled significantly from "the golden age" of Freemasonry which was the 1950's and 60's. That's in part because Baby Boomer men weren't joiners in their youth compared to their fathers. Their fathers had just fought WWII and wanted to continue the sense of brotherhood they found in the military. But also, Freemasonry has always been cyclic for various reasons. It experienced a huge decrease in membership in the 1800's because of an anti-Masonic thread that was going through the country at the time (there was even a whole political party--the first third party in the US in fact--whose platform was to banish Freemasonry). This is where most of the conspiracy theories about Freemasonry come from. It has started to cycle back a little in the past 8-10 years. I'm seeing more and more younger guys interested in joining.
- olivermarks 8y ago
  Interesting. Assuming you are a mason do you find being a member useful/meaningful in 2018?
  - runjake 8y ago
    Yes, if you like the arts, sciences, mystery, and fellowship.
  - Zelphyr 8y ago
    Very much so.
runjake 8y ago
Mid-40s 32nd degree (AF&AM/AASR) here. The average age of a mason largely depends on the area. In my particular area, the vast majority are men in their 30s and 40s, and our lodges are very healthy. Our lodges tend to focus more on the esoteric sides of Freemasonry. In other nearby areas, we've seen lodges completely die out or merge with us, as the membership passes on. I think that in metropolitan areas, your lodges are generally going to be more healthy and "younger" (30s-40s). If we once again experience a lull in membership, you might watch us all die out once again in a few decades :-).
- spking 8y ago
  Interesting. This particular lodge is in a more rural/farming area of Southern California (Santa Paula). One interesting item they had on display was a paid off mortgage note from like 1940. The overall concept of brotherhood, networking and civic engagement at the local level is appealing to me. The Elks always seemed like an interesting organization too in that sense (they sponsored my scout troop growing up). So I'm not sure how much the esoteric side of things would appeal to me, but that's probably just because I have no idea what that entails.