什麼是共濟會

世界上最大的以互助為宗旨的祕密團體共濟會（Free and Accepted Masons）所奉行的信條和實踐活動。共濟會制起源於中世紀的石匠的行會制度。在17和18世紀，吸收了古代宗教團體及騎士兄弟會的儀式及舉行儀式的場面。1717年，共濟會的第一個聯合組織「共濟總會」（Grand Lodge）在英格蘭成立。由於英帝國的向外擴張，共濟會很快的傳播到其他國家。共濟會在美國革命及後來的美國政治上扮演重要的角色。19世紀人們對共濟會影響的畏懼，導致反共濟運動。會員必須是相信上帝的存在並堅信靈魂不滅説的成年男子。使用拉丁語族語言的各國中，共濟會制吸引着自由思想家及反對教權的人士，而在操盎格魯-撒克遜語的諸國，會員多是白人新教徒。與共濟會有關的社會組織如聖地兄弟會。

Freemasonry

Teachings and practices of the fraternal order of Free and Accepted Masons, the largest worldwide secret society. Originating with the guilds of medieval stonemasons, the organization became an honorary society in the 17th and 18th century, adopting the rites and trappings of ancient religious orders and chivalric brotherhoods. The first association of lodges, the Grand Lodge, was founded in England in 1717, and Freemasonry soon spread to other countries in the British Empire. Freemasons took an active role in the American Revolution and later in U.S. politics, and in the 19th century popular fears of their influence led to the Anti-Masonic movement. Membership is extended only to adult males willing to express belief in a Supreme Being and the immortality of the soul. In Latin countries, the lodges have often attracted freethinkers and anticlerical types; in Anglo-Saxon nations, membership has mostly been drawn from white Protestants. Freemasonry has also given rise to social organizations such as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Noble Mystic Shrine, or Shriners.