Freemasonry

is a fraternal organization. Members are joined together by shared ideals of both a moral and metaphysical nature and, in most of its branches, by a constitutional declaration of belief in a Supreme Being. Organisationally, Freemasonry is governed on a geographic basis by independent, Sovereign Grand Lodges and Grand Orients which may, or may not, be in a state of mutual recognition.

Freemasonry is an esoteric society, in that certain aspects of its internal work are not generally disclosed to the public. In recent years, Freemasons have stated that Freemasonry has become less a secret society and more of a society with secrets. It also claims that most of the "secrets" of Freemasonry were revealed and have been known to the public since as early as the eighteenth century.

For this and other reasons, most modern freemasons regard the traditional concern over secrecy as a demonstration of their ability to keep a promise and as a surrogate for the organization's concern over the privacy of their own affairs. The private aspects of modern Freemasonry deal with elements of ritual and the modes of recognition amongst members within the ritual.

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