Regular Grand Lodge of Serbia | Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the goals of our fraternity?

Masons represent a society that brings together millions of people, across the world, in a fraternal manner, of all nations, religions, political beliefs, of all social backgrounds. They are striving towards spiritual enlightment, through their ritual meetings, as a way to moral perfection. The main mission is love towards fellows, spreading of tolerance and goodwill.

What do Masonic ritual meetings represent?

Masonic rituals and symbols originate from ancient practices of architects and and lapidaries. Rituals consist of verbal and non verbal addressing to Brothers in the lodges in which the journey to spiritual highness is prepared. We think of our lodges as of a free space in which all of its members – Brothers, can accomplish themselves to the fullest, not minding the effects of the external society.

When we talk about moral perfection, as a main goal, what does that mean?

Moral values and beliefs that Masons are trying to induce and enhance amongst their members, are directly aimed towards people and are based on the belief that the world can be a more just and humane place if all of its individuals are acting in that manner and showing a positive example of themselves.

Can you describe moral values and beliefs in more detail?.

They can be described most efficiently in the following manner: Believing in the Great Architect of All Worlds – a perfectly moral being with the faith in all values that arise from that, standing for democracy and pluralism, rejecting everything that is in tis core nature dogmatic and totalitarian.

When you say Great Architect of the Universe, what does that mean?

The Great Architect of the Universe is our Grand Master. Our learning is based on the belief in the Great Creator, in his perfection and without that hope in his moral commandments, they would be completely inefficient. All of our striving is focused towards bringing together individuals and society as a whole with this ideal.

We are not a religious society and we are not trying to be one. It is not important for us to which religion Brother belongs to. Our path does not lead through dogmas, religious enouncements catechism because managing sacraments is a matter of churches. Our path’s direction is towards the discovery of the light of truth, with no room for any kind of dogmas. Free masonery is not a substitute for the religion or the church.

How do you define terms "democratic - pluralistic" and "non-ideological"

By democratic – pluralistic we mean advocacy for freedom and social justice, for civic courage, for development and preserving of the values that make a legal country in which human right are regulated by its constitution and laws that are strictlz followed and implemented. Democratic and pluralistic order is the one in which differences between people and groups is completely rationalized and accepted as a reality. Democracy verifies the following reality: presence of repugnancies and conflicts based on those differences. Its role is to minimize those differences, to solve them peacefully, in most humane manner, to bring the society to a harmony and coherence, make them beneficial and efficient for every individual. That is why we define these terms as our responsibility for humanism, tolerance and pro active work on that plan.

Your association is reffered to most commonly as a “fraternity”. What is your position on equality?

The idea of fraternity among all men, their mutual understanding and tolerance is the key thing in masonry. We find all men, no matter what their profession or origin is, equal. Nobody gains any advantage due to its social ranking or status, material possessions or education. When we communicate among ourselves we refer to one another as “brother”. However, this form of equality differs from the fake equality in totalitarian regimes where it is based on enforced dogmas.

Equality in our fraternity means and it is based on love towards one another, humanism, tolerance and the idea of one Creator, The Great Architect of All Worlds.

Masonry exists for very long time back. Did it ever succeed, throughout the history, to make Masonic ideas succeed in reality?

The ideas of freemasonry and striving exist since the creation of the world and therefore we often say that masonry was created in the moment when the first man came into this world. That is the reason why masonry, in various forms of its existence, has a very long history.

Some might say that this world is governed by violence, injustice, no freedom and that we are very far from realizing our ideals. However, in history of freemasonry there have been many examples of the works of our Brothers that managed with all of their efforts to contribute great steps towards those high ideals.

Friedrich II of Prussia, created a first modern legal and legislative state in our modern history. He has banned torture and extortion systems as well as clerical courts as means of reaching the truth. He introduced a freedom to chose and pursue any religion. In that way he has greatly contributed to forming of tolerance views.

Constitution of USA, which is based on human rights and banning of force and violence, is a creation of American, French and German masons. Historical figures such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Marquise de Lafayette are some of their representatives. Vast majority of the signers of American Declaration of independence were free masons. These thorough legislations have came to America from French revolution whose leaders have also been freemasons. These ideas have become cornerstones without which today’s world would not be imaginable.

Some of the reformers, luminaries and encyclopedia writers were masons, even to ones from our national history such as Vuk Karadzić, Dositej Obradović and Petar Petrović Njegoš. These men, even today many years after, inspire people in our country with their greatness and therefore contribute towards improvement of our society.

Freedom fighters – Simon de Bolivar, Lajoš Košut, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Rigas Ferrios, Janko Katić, Petar Ičko, Aleksa Nenadović and many other were also free masons.

Fraternity had members among cultural and spiritual people – Mozart, Goethe, Pushkin, Tolstoy, Lessing, Fuechte, Haydn, Sibelius, Stevan Mokranjac, Ivo Andrić and many others.

How is it possible to make these ideas into life, in today’s world?

Although that human rights are protected through constitutions and laws today, the fight against repression, against any and all implementation of force, against violation of human dignity, against religious, national and racial hatred is not over yet. It is a fight that will never finish.

Freemasons are among politicians, government officials, MP's, union leaders, economists and among art and religion people, among scientists. Everybody individually, and in no relation to its social position or ranking, contributes to the creation and building of a better and more humane world.

So what does the work in the lodge consist of?

By “the work” we refer to our meetings in the designated place whom which we symbolically call as the Temple. These works differ among them selves, in accordance to its content and the level of cognition or in accordance to the degree. Those degrees, according to tradition, and customs of ancient builders and stone-cutters, are called students, assistants and masters. Through these degrees, our brothers, free men and men with good reputation, are constantly walking the path of self-cognition and self understanding.

Are there any other forms of practical working in the lodges?

Based on the basic principal of fraternal love towards the fellow one, there is a basis for being a benefactor. In our lodges we collect funds and contributions for humanitarian activities, and almost every lodge is a member of some humanitarian society that are focused on those that are materially endangered and poor, on sponsoring the talented ones, towards mutual aides and aides to the families of endangered and departed Brothers. That kind of activity demands a lot of patience and love. We have patience and time for this kind of activities.

Masonic secret is very often referred to. What does that mean?

Masonic secret is not of material nature and it represents a revived virtue. It can be only anticipated or even practiced but it can not be thought or told to someone that is not ready for that and that do not understand it with their full heart during the ritual work. The content of the Masonic secret is not possible to totally define because it is a cognition of a human being inside of a eternally passing river.

If masonery is not a secret association, why are their members obliged not to talk about it?

In the times of ancient associations of masons and stone cutters, in the medieval times, acquaintance with symbols and passwords was a big secret. For these hard working people, of whom majority was not able to read or write, symbols were of great importance for their work and salary.

Today these teachings have a symbolic meaning. It is every masons duty and obligation to preserve these symbols as a secret. Now it has a pedagogy mean – as a way to practice silence and self control. The art of silence, lost in today’s times, encourages contemplation and renews ability to listen. This is a part of individual progress and upgrade and without it there is no trust.

Is the perception of fraternity enough as a reason? Doesn’t that mean that the individual inside a lodge is counting on the members of only one group?

From the beginnings of masonry, millions of brothers throughout the world, have kept the secret as their most valuable treasure and passed it from one generation to next. Individual self recognition and searching for a different “I” inside us, presenting of that better “I” to someone that has a different opinion, and invests the same effort into it, comes from trust, feeling of fraternity and tolerance, but also leads to its strengthening and higher meaning. It does not mean mere counting on one association of people. Mutual understanding is what keeps us together, what makes us brothers and that is our secret.

What is masonry’s position regarding the state?

Every masonry lodge has a position towards the state regulated where even today by first English mason law from the year 1723 – as Old duties.

It is stated there: Mason is a peaceful citizen of one state, wherever he lived or worked at. He will never be engaged into mutiny or conspiracy against the peace of a nation.

All the Grand Lodges in the world, as well as ours, are registered within adequate state institutions that have our regulatory books. It is not common that we provide these institutions with the list of our members.

If masons are obliged to be peacfull citizens, how come some of them led the revolutions and fights for freedom?

Every mason as an individual is at its position determined by his life. A lot of them are politically very active and act in accordance to its beliefs and its consciousness. This kind of activity by members of a lodge, lodge is not allowed to give its opinions and to get involved into political disputes. Lodge is silent about this.

Not one mason can be entitled to state in the name of his Lodge or Grand Lodge, opinions and views of this kind. Only a lodge independent from political party interests or from other interest groups, can be a place of brotherly gathering by people from all social groups.

Still, all totalitarian regimes were banning work of free masons, evicted them and killed them, because they were afraid of main spiritual message that masonry has in its self – freedom, humanity, tolerance and benefaction.

How to become a mason?

Becoming a mason does not presume entrance into a lodge. Free masonry is a life philosophy that can be reached after a lot of hard work and effort, and still it has to be proved each and every day. There are amongst people, those that by its life attitude , are already masons and are still upgrading themselves, and there are those that will never be free masons. Accession to a lodge you become a member and that is only an external condition for becoming a mason. In the lodge, masons are in the quest for Light, and they should not find comfort in what they are or have. In its faith and hope they strive further for improving themselves and the world around them. They are daily working and we call that work processing of unprocessed stone.

What kind of material benefit one can expect from being a member of the fraternity?

None!

What kinds of spiritual benefits can be obtained in the free mason’s lodge?

Lodge offers to its members spiritually enlightened life. With fraternal love, trust and with tolerance connects millions of people all around the world. The lodge gives possibility for recognition of order of justice and ideal harmony, spiritual connection that through thought and action is put in service of freedom, justice, harmony, fraternity, beauty and love.

Why are you giving out this kind of information?

So we can give you the possibility to be informed about freemasonery. We are not inviting people to become our members. That is not the way to become a free mason.

We believe that it is our duty, in the times of disorientation and disappearance of spiritual values, in the times of a vast moral declination, to point out to a spiritual belief in whose rightness we are deeply sure of. People used to have a goal, but they have failed to recognize the right path. Today we have many paths and possibilities offered, but nobody knows what the goal is.

We have both: our path and journey is in the same time our goal. Our effort is to be closer to perfection – a man with good thoughts, good words and good deeds – we understand as a already fulfilled work.

Our brother Goethe said in Faust – “To one that strived, we bring salvation”