Skip to main content.
Religion News Blog is a non-profit service providing academics, religion professionals and other researchers with religion & cult news
ReligionNewsBlog

Religion news articles about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues

Navigation:
A Random Image


Related

More news articles & news archive on Freemasonry


Translate



Advertisements *

What is a cult: Cult Definition
Simple steps to financial health and a good credit score


Elsewhere

What do you mean when you say 'cult'?


Freemasonry:

Masons disavow initiation rite after man’s killing

The Associated Press, USA
Mar. 14, 2004
www.kansascity.com

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 6463 • Posted: Tuesday March 16, 2004  

  • Google Bookmarks
  • Google Reader
  • Gmail
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • Blogger Post
  • Evernote
  • Facebook
  • Share/Bookmark
Click here... More articles on this topic: Freemasonry

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — They still greet each other with secret handshakes and use rituals that date to the Middle Ages.

But members of the Free and Accepted Masons insist that none of their sanctioned rites has any connection to the death of a man who was shot in an initiation.

“It has nothing to do with what we’re about,” said Richard Fletcher, executive secretary of the Masonic Information Center, based in Silver Springs, Md.

William James, a father of five, was shot in the face Monday night at the Southside Masonic Lodge during an initiation rite into a Masons social group called Fellow Craft.

Fletcher said the shooting “has to be put into context” and should not be used to disparage the roughly 1.5 million Masons nationwide, who he said participate in many charitable activities.

“It was an accident that happened,” he said. “You can’t blame an entire fraternity that had nothing to do with it. If this were part of some common everyday occurrence, that would be one thing. It isn’t.”

The man accused of shooting James is Albert Eid, a 76-year-old retiree who police say mistakenly pulled a loaded .32-caliber handgun from his left pants pocket instead of a .22-caliber pistol with blanks that was in his right pocket.

Police called the shooting “completely accidental,” but Eid was charged with second-degree manslaughter. He pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $2,500.

Detectives said that James, 47, of Medford was seated in a chair and a small platform holding several metal cans placed near his head.

Eid stood about 20 feet away holding a gun, and a third person stood out of James’ view holding a stick. When the gun was fired, the man with the stick was supposed to knock the cans off the platform to make the inductee think they had been struck by a real bullet.

Police said the stunt was designed to create “a state of anxiety” for inductees.

“I have been a Freemason for 47 years and I have never, in that entire time, heard of anything so off the wall,” Fletcher said. “That’s what makes this so difficult.”

  • Google Bookmarks
  • Google Reader
  • Gmail
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • Blogger Post
  • Evernote
  • Facebook
  • Share/Bookmark


What You Can Do From Here

Read More Articles On These Topics
more cult news articlemore religion news Categories: Freemasonry
more religion news aboutmore Religion News Blog articles about
Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article
Subscribe
Follow Religion News Blog on Twitter


Read Another Article
Find Related Information
cult research search enginecountercult information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults
Find Related Books


Most Popular Today


Share This Article

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:





Counter Cult Search

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.


Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.


Apologetics Search

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.


Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

About Religion News Blog
Religion News Blog (RNB), published by Apologetics Index, highlights news items and other resources on world religions, cults, religious sects, alternative religions and related issues. RNB's non-profit news clipping service is used by - among others - Christian apologists, countercult professionals, anticult organizations, cult experts, teachers, religion professionals, reporters and other researchers.

Home
Latest Headlines
RSS news feed [?]
Headlines by Email
News Trackers
Free content for your site
About RNB
Privacy Policy
Contact RNB
Link to RNB
Advertise on RNB
Apologetics Index
Cult FAQ
Apologetics Search Engine
CounterCult Search Engine