The global power of freemasonry - Gnostic Liberation Front

At the beginning of the 17th century, when the number and im-
portance of the masons grew notably, most of the lodges were
already accepting "honorary members" who were not stone masons,
in order to collect their membership fees. These newcomers were
crafty political speculators and camouflaged Knights Templar who
had waited for the chance to infiltrate the perfectly functioning
system of freemasonry to hide their true nature. Passive masons were
called accepted masons or speculative masons. For this reason, all
modern freemasons are accepted masons. The passive members of
many guilds were required to pay an exorbitant membership fee,
which meant that only very wealthy individuals could afford to be
accepted into a masonic lodge. In addition, they were required to pay
for the acceptance banquet.
To be accepted into a lodge, two sponsors that were active masons
were required. The proposed member had to be a male of inde-
pendent means, at least 24 years of age and who had undergone
higher education. The son of a master mason could, however, be
accepted at 18 years of age. Other exceptions were not uncommon, if
money entered the picture.
These regulations were later kept by the political freemasons.
Today there are also women freemasons, although there are none in
Scandinavia.
One of those who became an accepted freemason was the philo-
sopher and politician Francis Bacon (1561-1626). He was a member of
the Rosicrucian Order and belonged to a secret society called the
Order of the Helmet (Christopher Knight, Robert Lomas, "The Second
Messiah: Templars, the Turin Shroud & The Great Secret of Free-
masonry", London, 1998, p. 292).
Bacon's fable "The New Atlantis" describes the New World where
power is wielded by a secret society called Solomon's House, which
consists of a privileged elite and acts as a hidden government. This
society decides exactly how much and what the public is to know.
Bacon proposed an invisible government, which would also control
science. The freemasons seem to appreciate this book.
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