Paul - many thanks for your frank and honest views. To an extent, I agree that our 'fears' are probably based on ignorance and that not all Masons are seeking special privileges. I also agree with your comments on freedom of thought, religion etc. The main problems I have with HM Forces personnel being Freemasons is the potential impact on our clearly defined command chain (eg. A commissioned mason possibly being subordinate to an enlisted mason - surely not compatible with Service ethics, except on the sports field maybe) and its secretive nature (regardless of the Masonic Musuems and access to the names of the Grand Fromages, not many people go around shouting about their membership). Given these concerns, should Forces Masons not be required to declare their membership to their Forces chain of command?
The Mistress - so sorry to have repeated an earlier thread, I obviously missed it (may I recommend avoiding the left key on your mouse on such occasions, or getting out more)