3 ms·

Believe it or not, a "secret" society refers to the secrets they hold, not that the society itself is secret. The Masons are public about their existence (if qu

Believe it or not, a "secret" society refers to the secrets they hold, not that the society itself is secret. The Masons are public about their existence (if quiet) but their inner "rites and rituals" are secret.

golover721 4y ago
While I’m sure that used to the case, that is no longer really the case with the Masons. You can find out and read through all the different ceremonies and rites online.
- pessimizer 4y ago
  Not by their intention, but by an accumulation of opsec failures over the last 700 years.
- InCityDreams 4y ago
  Masons [have been known to] occasionally change certain things to keep known secrets to stay secret: 'letter and begin', for example. Duncans Ceremonies is the most famous revelation of Masonic secrets, but no dues-card and not being 'in the book', ultimately counts for nothing, as you won't even be able to properly converse with a mason, nor enter a lodge, without either.
hermitcrab 4y ago
IIRC Freemasons describe themselves as a society with secrets, rather than a secret society.
- runjake 4y ago
  However, there are secret societies within Freemasonry, such as the Jesters, which is an unofficial offshoot from the Shriners.
  - wl 4y ago
    The Jesters are less a secret society and more a group for Shriners with clout who don't think the rest of the Shriners party nearly hard enough.