salam
I am reading back through this thread and finding that I am needing to report that I was actually invited to join an occultists lodge, but I declined the offer. I had been accessing their library for a fee. The invitation was made only because they realised that I had learned so much about their business that they would be better of if all my own affairs were aligned with theirs as though the same interests. But it was clear to me that my own interests were totally divergent from theirs. Yet what seems to be the case is that almost all members are persons whom have found out a few too many facts, and then are invited to join as though it is a good investment in the future, when in fact quite the reverse.
Although the lodge I was invited to join was not a Masonic lodge as such, it is connected as a Rosicrucian lodge. However, through my experience I will here advise all believers not to join such organisations unless it can be proven that there is no Rosicrucian affiliation, and I believe that then there are no actual Masonic Lodges which I will advise be avoided. But I can not be totally certain, since the Masonic tradition is older and truly a tradition in Christ. The reverence of masonry has its real foundation in Ka'ba.
If there are real believing lodges then they are not for my knowledge.
Clearly whom identify as freemasons are a very variable bunch of persons. Any of us could just decide group together and name our local Mosque a Masonic Temple, or just chose to be a Freemason in mind, with reference to Ka'ba, and so long as we are not affiliated with the occult, we are in no infringment of Shari'ah. That is, so long as there is no compulsion in belief.
The fault with the secrecy is only that of need to be proving that there is no compulsion in religion, need for each our own selves to be constantly re-committing to Islam, by rechosing correctly.
The worst aspect of the secrecy is only that Freemasons secrecy had enabled many Rosicrucian and other occultists to cover themselves as though they are only Masons. But in fact within Rosicrucian organisations there are individuals whom are exceptionally cruel towards those with real masonic belief, whom are mentally tortured. I have witnessed that. I fact I bore witness to the Soul of a person departing their body through the mental torture of persecution aimed towards preventing them being able to believe in Allah. It was an actual priest involved with the physical conditioning of the psychological torture; and whom was sitting next to the person whose Soul departed, right at that moment.
But the fact is that Masons are not particularly secret. Their signs are on the American dollar bill.
Partly why I am making this post now is because I read some of what others were posting which tries to maintain that all persons whom might ever identify as Freemasons, are non-effective and/or anti-Islamic, and needing to be dismissed.
The fact is that among all those whom identify as Freemasons, there are a few believers, and many occultists, and many whom want to abuse the whole social structure into their interests.
Both groups deserve not to be ignored. The decent Humanity among needs to be acknowledged, as the depravity among needs to be disclaimed and caused to become ineffective.
I wish for it to become true that the occult is made ineffective. But while ever they are effecting us all (most often through money, but in every part of this world which will end), and we have been letting them effect us, we may be needing also to realise that any true in belief whom are among Freemansons and Masons, have to be merited with the full worth of their prayers. Such prayer, in real belief, is a sustaining as is our own Muslim prayer.
Alaykumassalamu