Freemasonry is the world's oldest and largest fraternal organization. It is believed to have originated with the craft guilds of medieval Europe and latterly to have expanded to admit those who did not actually belong to the trade. The literal stonemasons are referred to as operatives, while those who did not actually work in stone were called speculative masons.

While Freemasonry is the largest and best know fraternal organization the world has ever seen, it is without a doubt the least understood. It is hoped that this article will serve to help people have a better understanding of this organization.

Masonic ritual says the following of Freemasonry; "Freemasonry is a beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols". While this statement is certainly true, it is not the entire answer to the question "What is Freemasonry?". This being said, let us examine the portions of the statement.