I would like to say first of all that I am A Christian and also a Freemason!!! I was advised by people in my family not to join due to the supposed confliction between the two! Most people in our society don't even know about Masons, let alone know what they believe or involved in! Reading conspiracy theories and listing to people who really don't know what they are speaking about. I joined the Freemasons after doing research for years and talking with friends and family members who are members themselves. In my findings, I made a choice to join on the basis of what I felt was best for me.. I think allot of people confuse Freemasonry with satanic and occult practices or we worship some other paganistic being. The truth is religion and politics are not discussed in the temple and satanists cannot be Freemasons due to their Malevolent nature. I think so many bad things have spun way out of what they actually are, almost like the whole DaVici Code movie and the previous book Angels And Demons..People put spin on anything, even Almighty God, and Jesus Christ. My point being is that you cant always believe what you read or see on T.V. The Freemasons of today are far different from the Freemasons of the past. In fact, the Freemasons of today are not even factually connected with the Freemason founder Hiram Abiff who built the temple for King Solomon! Only their symbolisms and work ethics are taken from that era!! The newer Freemasonry of our country(USA) and many others is derived from our founding fathers. George Washington, Ben Franklin, and many others were Freemasons and were religious men themselves. The Monarchy of England caused an uproar in the citizenship thus forming small groups of people who didn't want to be oppressed and ruled with no say-so of the people!!! They then inturn started a revolution of people who wanted to be free and to start a new country. A war was then fought and freedom was won and gave birth to the Constitution. Charity is the most important aspect of Freemasonry. Millions of dollars each year is donated and raised for many people and organizations. Community programs are also important to us, every year my lodge does cleanup on a local river and its banks, and several other programs and charities are benefiting because of our hard work and dedication! Religion and Freemasonry are as different as black and white. It offends me when people do not know anything about the subject, yet label us members of cults and trying to secretly take over the world, its soo silly and irresponsible to label people and pass judgement on us. Presidents, law enforcement, fire fighters, doctors are all apart of the Freemasons and its charities. It is all about being the best person you can and offering a helping hand to fellow man, women, and children. Please, give us a break and do some real research, don't read what you want about us and judge us on non-accurate research!!!