The Puritans came to the new world to enjoy religious freedom. But, for the last 300-500 years a lot of people have been sidelined by involvement in other books that has limited their religious freedom, personal freedom and joys.  While a house that is divided cannot stand, involvement in masonry at the highest level of one's home, country or government leads to a divided house.  Masonry tends to be a "group" promise to search for truth but if you are always searching for truth, the question is when do you acknowledge what truths that you have already found and simply pass those on to a future generation?  Have you found the truth collectively after 300 years?  The continual searching for truth as a harmless passtime may, upon joining such a collective search, involve the denial of the truth that you may already have( like Jesus is real) or know as being fundamental. You have pledged yourself to another Lord.  Your wife was asked to join with you. Will the Masonic search for truth lead one to deny that a 2 for 1 deal is better than the regular price? Will they deny the simple unalterable truths of  a simple equation? There are many unalterable truths that will never change  like a child or adult crying for being mistreated( It is an unalterable truth that a child will be hurt if mistreated) and how did the world exist before the collective search and denial of pre-existing truths began just 300-500 years ago? If it is that men  from various communities  need a coded handshake or badge of mutual covenant to recognize someone who has taken a similar oath to uphold laws and not simply break them to ensure that someone's ego is satisfied, then that's not a bad idea. But, that is not the purpose of masonry at the present time. Citizenship might be all the covenant you need. Ask if they are a citizen. Maybe recognizing someone's ability to smile is a sufficient handshake.  Involvement in masonry should not be forced upon anyone anymore than a religious conversion should be forced upon well-meaning covenant keeping individuals who respect their neighbors and other citizens regardless of faith and religious affiliation.

A dollar bill with unique triangles and pyramids as a sign of some organisation's regalia and the statement " In God We trust" underneath is indicative of something. It might be indicative of submission to a nullity economically, socially and politically. There is a continual tension between the obvious common sense and some other manifestation. I saw it on the news. But, who knows why there is the tension?  A house divided cannot stand.     A smile is an unalterable truth.  It was true 700 years ago. It is true tomorrow.