Lodgeroom UK

Hello everyone,
By way of a short intro I am in my 40s, and a family man. I have been fascinated with Freemasonry from my youth. For reasons that will remain with my lovely partner and myself we decided to raise a family outside of marriage. Now I realise that morals are the lifeblood of Freemasonry and I really do endeavor to lead a moral life to the best of my ability. My question is this, is raising a family outside marriage considered as being amoral from a Masonic perspective. I cannot find any literature that would inform me one way or the other. Would my situation be frowned upon or even disbar me from entering the craft. Your insightful opinion is greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
RH

Simple answer is, no, it wouldn't be a problem.

Nope, none whatsoever. How you choose to raise your family is up to you; all Freemasonry would expect is that you raise your kids to respect others - in fact, the question of your relationship with your partner would (or should) only be "does your partner agree with you wanting to join". 'Partner' notice; not 'wife', as your partner doesn't even have to be female; your family relationship is your business, not ours.

Eric, Richard,
Thank you for your replies. They are most reassuring.

Regards,
RH

I agree wholeheartedly with Eric and Richard. The reason you haven't been able to find any information one way or the other is that it doesn't matter one jot. As they have said, it's none of our business. Nor are there any issues about abortion or contraception - none of our business.

Not a problem! Make a start on your journey to become a Freemason.

Sent from my COL-L29 using Tapatalk

I would not want to be part of any organisation where living with a partner and not being officially married was a problem, as long as you have a belief in a higher power, I prefer to say God, then you are fine, its who you are that matters, not what you are.

Thank you all for your replies. Marital Status is specifically asked for on the application form however. My formal status is single however I don't feel this represents my situation accurately.

Regards,
RH

The point of the question is whether you have a partner. If so, the partner should be agreeable to your becoming a Freemason.

In any case, these days there is little legal difference between defacto and married status.

RedHand wrote:Thank you all for your replies. Marital Status is specifically asked for on the application form however. My formal status is single however I don't feel this represents my situation accurately.

Regards,
RH

As I've said to you elsewhere, this matters not one jot. In England that question is not asked.

Sometimes we as individuals forget that Freemasons' Lodges, being populated by human beings, often reflect the community where they assemble and what happens in one country (or even community) does not necessarily happen in another.

Due to the above mentioned there could be a reaction to your marital status, all I can say is that it is not based on masonic ideals or principles but on the personal beliefs of individual Freemasons who while encouraged to live up to the masonic ideal may not always be able to do so.

Yes Mike, that would be my concern. Although fremasonry has started to attract younger members of late the age profile remains skewed. Older gents may not look to favourably on my situation.

Regards,
RH