What are the requirements for becoming a Mason?
In Louisiana candidates must be male, at least 18 years of age, able to profess a belief in God, and of good character. Some Grand Lodges also have a residency requirement; for example, the Grand Lodge of Michigan requires candidates to have lived in its jurisdiction (Michigan) for a minimum of one year. There are some exceptions to the age requirement. For example, in England and Virginia, the direct relatives of Master Masons in good standing are eligible to join at the age of 18. In some jurisdictions, DeMolays may join upon reaching their 18th birthday. In some jurisdictions candidates must be male, at least 21 years of age.
Candidates must be male, at least 21 years of age (In Maine, the age is lowered to 18 if a member of the Order of DeMolay or the son of a Mason), able to profess a belief in God, and of good character. Some Grand Lodges also have a residency requirement; for example, the Grand Lodge of Texas requires candidates to have lived in its jurisdiction (Texas) for a minimum of one year. There are some exceptions to the age requirement. For example, in England and Virginia, the direct relatives of Master Masons in good standing are eligible to join at the age of 18. In some jurisdictions, DeMolays may join upon reaching their 18th birthday. In Maine, no lodge, without the permission of the Grand Master, shall receive a petition of a candidate for the degrees until he has resided in this state one year, nor (excepting seafaring men absent only on a voyage to sea) unless he has had his domicile within the jurisdiction of the lodge during the last preceding six months. Can minorities be Masons? An
Candidates must be male, at least 21 years of age, able to profess a belief in God, and of good character. Some Grand Lodges also have a residency requirement; for example, the Grand Lodge of Michigan requires candidates to have lived in its jurisdiction (Michigan) for a minimum of one year. There are some exceptions to the age requirement. For example, in England and Virginia, the direct relatives of Master Masons in good standing are eligible to join at the age of 18. In some jurisdictions, DeMolays may join upon reaching their 18th birthday.
Any male who meets the requirements listed in question (1) of this section is eligible, regardless of race or ethinicity. Some have speculated that while there is no official prohibition against, say, blacks or Asians from becoming Masons, there is a defact to prohibition because they would never be voted into a lodge. This is false. There are Masons of all ethnic backgrounds. However, it is fair to state that Masons, as humans, are prone to the kinds of prejudices that all humans may succumb to. Since the vote to admit a candidate is anonymous and must be un-animous, one man’s unspoken prejudice is sufficient to deny entry to a man (except, of course, in those jurisdictions which require more than one ‘no’ vote to deny entrance, but you get the idea). Prejudice is inexcusable and irreconcilable with Masonry, but then, it is also irreconcilable with Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, and there are certainly Christians, Jews, and Muslims who harbor prejudices. So it is possible that a Ma
