Like many, I have passed by this building along Coleman Street countless times without realising it's a local enigmatic edifice. This is the Freemason Hall of Singapore, built in 1879. It's not as if they were trying to be secretive about it. After all there is The Masons Table, a restaurant open to the public, and in recent years, they conduct guided tours.
A recent video posted by M. Ravi in his inimitable swasbuckling way had me on the edge of the seat. Here is the video, with permission.
A recent video posted by M. Ravi in his inimitable swasbuckling way had me on the edge of the seat. Here is the video, with permission.
Ravi claimed to be like most people, unwary of the existence of the society in Singapore. He understood it to be populated by those in the legal profession. His robust commentary is a juxtaposition of what is in the public domain and some revelation or allegation.
Under the Societies Act section 14, all societies not registered are deemed unlawful. Freemasons are formed as 'lodges'. A check at the Registrar of Societies showed there are 21 lodges registered in Singapore. Triads are not registered thus illegal. Ravi called the Freemason a secret society. I trust he meant the secretive way of their conduct, and not the legal status.
There are actually 21 registered Freemason societies. Here's the list.
Under the Societies Act section 14, all societies not registered are deemed unlawful. Freemasons are formed as 'lodges'. A check at the Registrar of Societies showed there are 21 lodges registered in Singapore. Triads are not registered thus illegal. Ravi called the Freemason a secret society. I trust he meant the secretive way of their conduct, and not the legal status.
There are actually 21 registered Freemason societies. Here's the list.
Some observations on the list.
- The first lodge is a peculiarity. It was registered on 17 Apr 1962 prior to the the Societies Act which was passed in 1966!
- There was a flurry of activities in 2016. 8 new lodges were registered. What transpired?
-There is another registered lodge called The Grand Lodge of Singapore registered address 27 Jalan Malu Malu, Sembawang Springs Estate. This may not be a Freemason lodge. I left ths out of the list.
- National Library archieve article indicated there were 33 lodges in 2010. If this is factual, then there were indeed secret societies and Ravi is right.
- The Zetland in the East Lodge is the first lodge formed in 1845. This was registered in 2017, which means it was a secret society from 1966 till 2017.
What exactly is Freemasonry? It grew out of medieval mason guilds. A likely explanation of its origin is these craftsmen were commissioned to construct all sorts of buildings like castles and churches. They used the product of their work to embed various secrets by way of design, structures, adornments into the architecture. By use of codes and esoteric symbolism, these masons had a way of understanding secrets revealed by each other.
In modern times, the society of brick laying masons have been hijacked by completely different creatures. Instead of craftsmen, it's a society of the rich, famous and powerful upper crust of society. A study of known Freemason personalities show they can be found in various leadership positions in all spheres of human activities - powerful politicians, titans of business, luminous academecians, intellectuals, professionals of all sorts. Sir Stamford Raffles was a Freemason. So was Sir Winston Churchill. One third of US Presidents were Freemasons. They profess their society seeks to improve the personal development of members and to do good to the community they are in. Behind secretive walls, it is clearly an organisation in the business of influence peddling and a king maker. It has the power to influence public lives of nations.
Conspiracy theories hound the society, but many members will swear there is nothing sinister about them. Membership is organised by levels or degrees. Joining qualifications are not onerous except it requires recommendation by 2 existing members. However, at the upper Lodges, members need to be a Master of a Lodge. One belief is there is a society within a society. At the lower levels, members enjoy the camaraderie, networking and participate in philanthropic projects, oblivious to the higher level's true Freemason objective of seeking esoteric knowledge and work at influencing public policies.
Internet connectivity has made privacy more challenging to secretive groups. The Bildenburg Group was just conspiracy, but today they hold their meetings in public. The Illuminati was nonsense we were told, but today they come into the open under the guise of the World Economic Forum. They all try to open up to public scrutiny with some facade or another. And so with Freemason, it's a society within a society.
Freemasons communicate using esoteric symbols and recognise each other with special handshakes. Like the Triads (Chinese crime syndicates) that have clans, Freemasons have Lodges. There are more similarities. Freemasons, like the secret society crime syndicates of Chinese Triads, Japanese Yakuzas and Indian Thuggees, Italian Casa Nostra, they hold secretive initiation ceremonies which involve cultish rites and taking of secretive oaths, often in the dead of night. Triad rituals often involve blood, Freemason's involve ritual death signifying rebirth (This rite came to light in a 2004 fatal accident in NY where an inductee was accidentally shot with a live bullet in an initiation ceremony, somewhat like the Alec Baldwin shooting incident). The Triads have their paraphernalia, Freemasons have their aprons, emblems and badges.
Under the Societies Act Section 23 it is illegal to use Triad rituals and possession of writings, seals, banners or insignia of or relating to any triad society. Just wondering if the same should apply to Freemasons.
Freemasons say they uphold moral values and one of their requirements is members must believe in God, in whichever belief system one professes. Supposedly a belief in the God of Money is OK. Some point to the 'G' in their emblem as reference to God, and some said it stands for God of Geometry, no doubt a blasphemy. They reference the Bible often, but never Jesus. Ravi made reference to Knights Templar and Presbyterians. History buffs may point out that Freemasons came 200 years after Knights Templar disappeared. As for Presbyterians and other Protestants, I know nothing. The Roman Catholic Church decreed excommunication on Catholic Freemasons in 1738. The Eastern Orthodox Church banned Freemason in 1917 in line with the Soviet Government. In 1933 the Greek Orthodox Church condemned it as a heathen mystery religion
It seems their God is a Supreme Being, the Chief Architect of the Universe. The writer Stephen Knight in "The Brotherhood" published 1984, claimed to have uncovered the name of the masonic God. Members that are inducted into the highest level, the 3rd degree, to only these are the name "Jahbulon" the Supreme Being revealed. Jahbulon is a portmanteau of "Jah" for "Yahweh" the God of Israel, "Bul' for Baal, the Canaanite Goddess for fertility, and "On" for Orsiris, the Egyptian God of the underworld. Knight claimed this name is a conversation killer with the Freemasons that he knew. If Knight is right, and what most people suspect, there is demonic worshiping. The imagery of their room decoration, always black and white chequered floor. light and shadowed areas, black and white colour scheme, hints to something of the occult.
Today's Freemason comes from certain lineages. From the names, it seems the Dutch, English, Scottish and French lodges have been established here. Freemason lodges are in important cities all over the world. If it is indeed clandestine at its core, then it is an organisation that has infiltrated hundreds of countries. The Singapore ruling party is one that is vigilant to threats to their power and will immediately squash them before it materialise. For example, Lee Kuan Yew saw a political threat in the Commissioner of the then Singapore Civil Defence Force. The SCDF was restructured. The late Francis Seow became a threat when he was elected President of Law Society, because he then had a platform. He was hounded into self-exile. It is hard to reconcile this paranoia of political threat to the reticence when a foreigner comes into Singapore and establishes a legal secret society, with ties to master lodges in other countries.
In reality, Freemason is not a society governed by rules and regulation. It is a fraternity, a brotherhood, governed by sworn oath and loyalty. Brotherhood is troublesome in conflict of interest situations. In 1987 James Fallows described Philippines as a 'damaged culture'. I spent about 10 years in the country where I had the opportunity to observe up close the challenges Flipinos have in breaking out of that culture. It was clear to me their one great stumbling block is the prevalence of fraternities of law schools. These brotherhood of lawyers place fraternity loyalty before duty and country, providing countless episodes of erroneous decisions in the courts and public service appointments, as well as frustrations in the judicial process. It is disconcerting that Ravi mentioned the Singapore Freemasons are mostly from the legal profession.
That this building has withstood the test of time for 143 years and not fallen prey to bulldozers of new city development planners, or decreed a heritage site, attests to the power and connections of the masons.
- There was a flurry of activities in 2016. 8 new lodges were registered. What transpired?
-There is another registered lodge called The Grand Lodge of Singapore registered address 27 Jalan Malu Malu, Sembawang Springs Estate. This may not be a Freemason lodge. I left ths out of the list.
- National Library archieve article indicated there were 33 lodges in 2010. If this is factual, then there were indeed secret societies and Ravi is right.
- The Zetland in the East Lodge is the first lodge formed in 1845. This was registered in 2017, which means it was a secret society from 1966 till 2017.
What exactly is Freemasonry? It grew out of medieval mason guilds. A likely explanation of its origin is these craftsmen were commissioned to construct all sorts of buildings like castles and churches. They used the product of their work to embed various secrets by way of design, structures, adornments into the architecture. By use of codes and esoteric symbolism, these masons had a way of understanding secrets revealed by each other.
In modern times, the society of brick laying masons have been hijacked by completely different creatures. Instead of craftsmen, it's a society of the rich, famous and powerful upper crust of society. A study of known Freemason personalities show they can be found in various leadership positions in all spheres of human activities - powerful politicians, titans of business, luminous academecians, intellectuals, professionals of all sorts. Sir Stamford Raffles was a Freemason. So was Sir Winston Churchill. One third of US Presidents were Freemasons. They profess their society seeks to improve the personal development of members and to do good to the community they are in. Behind secretive walls, it is clearly an organisation in the business of influence peddling and a king maker. It has the power to influence public lives of nations.
Conspiracy theories hound the society, but many members will swear there is nothing sinister about them. Membership is organised by levels or degrees. Joining qualifications are not onerous except it requires recommendation by 2 existing members. However, at the upper Lodges, members need to be a Master of a Lodge. One belief is there is a society within a society. At the lower levels, members enjoy the camaraderie, networking and participate in philanthropic projects, oblivious to the higher level's true Freemason objective of seeking esoteric knowledge and work at influencing public policies.
Internet connectivity has made privacy more challenging to secretive groups. The Bildenburg Group was just conspiracy, but today they hold their meetings in public. The Illuminati was nonsense we were told, but today they come into the open under the guise of the World Economic Forum. They all try to open up to public scrutiny with some facade or another. And so with Freemason, it's a society within a society.
Freemasons communicate using esoteric symbols and recognise each other with special handshakes. Like the Triads (Chinese crime syndicates) that have clans, Freemasons have Lodges. There are more similarities. Freemasons, like the secret society crime syndicates of Chinese Triads, Japanese Yakuzas and Indian Thuggees, Italian Casa Nostra, they hold secretive initiation ceremonies which involve cultish rites and taking of secretive oaths, often in the dead of night. Triad rituals often involve blood, Freemason's involve ritual death signifying rebirth (This rite came to light in a 2004 fatal accident in NY where an inductee was accidentally shot with a live bullet in an initiation ceremony, somewhat like the Alec Baldwin shooting incident). The Triads have their paraphernalia, Freemasons have their aprons, emblems and badges.
Under the Societies Act Section 23 it is illegal to use Triad rituals and possession of writings, seals, banners or insignia of or relating to any triad society. Just wondering if the same should apply to Freemasons.
Freemasons say they uphold moral values and one of their requirements is members must believe in God, in whichever belief system one professes. Supposedly a belief in the God of Money is OK. Some point to the 'G' in their emblem as reference to God, and some said it stands for God of Geometry, no doubt a blasphemy. They reference the Bible often, but never Jesus. Ravi made reference to Knights Templar and Presbyterians. History buffs may point out that Freemasons came 200 years after Knights Templar disappeared. As for Presbyterians and other Protestants, I know nothing. The Roman Catholic Church decreed excommunication on Catholic Freemasons in 1738. The Eastern Orthodox Church banned Freemason in 1917 in line with the Soviet Government. In 1933 the Greek Orthodox Church condemned it as a heathen mystery religion
It seems their God is a Supreme Being, the Chief Architect of the Universe. The writer Stephen Knight in "The Brotherhood" published 1984, claimed to have uncovered the name of the masonic God. Members that are inducted into the highest level, the 3rd degree, to only these are the name "Jahbulon" the Supreme Being revealed. Jahbulon is a portmanteau of "Jah" for "Yahweh" the God of Israel, "Bul' for Baal, the Canaanite Goddess for fertility, and "On" for Orsiris, the Egyptian God of the underworld. Knight claimed this name is a conversation killer with the Freemasons that he knew. If Knight is right, and what most people suspect, there is demonic worshiping. The imagery of their room decoration, always black and white chequered floor. light and shadowed areas, black and white colour scheme, hints to something of the occult.
Today's Freemason comes from certain lineages. From the names, it seems the Dutch, English, Scottish and French lodges have been established here. Freemason lodges are in important cities all over the world. If it is indeed clandestine at its core, then it is an organisation that has infiltrated hundreds of countries. The Singapore ruling party is one that is vigilant to threats to their power and will immediately squash them before it materialise. For example, Lee Kuan Yew saw a political threat in the Commissioner of the then Singapore Civil Defence Force. The SCDF was restructured. The late Francis Seow became a threat when he was elected President of Law Society, because he then had a platform. He was hounded into self-exile. It is hard to reconcile this paranoia of political threat to the reticence when a foreigner comes into Singapore and establishes a legal secret society, with ties to master lodges in other countries.
In reality, Freemason is not a society governed by rules and regulation. It is a fraternity, a brotherhood, governed by sworn oath and loyalty. Brotherhood is troublesome in conflict of interest situations. In 1987 James Fallows described Philippines as a 'damaged culture'. I spent about 10 years in the country where I had the opportunity to observe up close the challenges Flipinos have in breaking out of that culture. It was clear to me their one great stumbling block is the prevalence of fraternities of law schools. These brotherhood of lawyers place fraternity loyalty before duty and country, providing countless episodes of erroneous decisions in the courts and public service appointments, as well as frustrations in the judicial process. It is disconcerting that Ravi mentioned the Singapore Freemasons are mostly from the legal profession.
That this building has withstood the test of time for 143 years and not fallen prey to bulldozers of new city development planners, or decreed a heritage site, attests to the power and connections of the masons.
