Sorry, but just a guest here. A long-time Mason and a much longer time folkster. Please note that Masonry is England isn't Masonry in the US. Our British brothers have a long tradition of being power brokers and men of influence. In the US, Masonry has little influence, except in charity work (e.g. the Shriners), and we are lumped together in the public mind with a lot of other organizations, like the Rotary or the Kiwanis.

The history of the order explains why it started out with a bunch of secrets. To get the best architects and contractors to work on their castles and cathedrals, medieval powers-that-be granted them coveted advantages, like tax-free status and exemption from military service and, of all things, religious freedom. To keep pretenders from claiming to have these privileges, the secret passwords and handshakes were invented. We still do them as part of our tradition, nothing more. Nothing insidious.

Secret society? When Masons wear Masonic symbols on their person and stick 'em on their cars as well, when Masons put huge signs on the buildings where they meet and often publically announce the meeting times in the local paper, when Masons march in parades in Masonic regalia--this is a "secret" society? Pretty bad at being secret, eh wot? Try the Mafia. No one knows who's in it, where they meet, or when. And they don't generally march in parades in Mafia uniforms.

Yeah, we don't allow atheists in the club. That's true. If that one rule makes us elitists, then I don't understand who the elite are. But no Masonic order, in the US anyways, is interested in power. Fact is, we're warned flat-out when joining that we are not to expect "material advantage" from membership. Nope, the lodge and the Job girls and the DeMolay and the rest are all about ethics and personal moral integrity, not power. I don't see the harm in that.