CHAPTER 66
Petitioners Qualifications
Each petitioner for the
degrees in Masonry must possess certain qualifications which are as follows.
1. He must be a
believer in God and in immortality. A petitioner who is unable or unwilling to
express a belief in the existence of God lacks an essential qualification for
the degrees in Masonry. In every such case the fee shall be returned with the
information that he cannot become a Mason in this Grand Jurisdiction. [63-6; 67-8; 73-6.5;
75-8.3; 78-2.2.C; (Preamble
I)].
2. He must be a
man free born.
3. He must have
the senses of a man, especially those of hearing, seeing, and feeling.
4. He must be of
mental worth, sound mind, upright life, and good morals. [73-6.5;
75-8.3; 78-2.2.C].
5. He must
possess the ability to earn a livelihood.
6. He must be not
less than eighteen years of age at the time his petition is signed. The Grand
Master may not waive the provisions of the law requiring an applicant for the
degrees to be eighteen years of age at the time the petition is signed. (This subdivision amended, effective
7. He must be able
to speak and understand the language of the ritual. [65-3.3;
71-24].
8. He must have resided within the state of North Carolina at least six months immediately preceding the date of his petition. [42-7.1;
42-9; 66-3]. (This section amended,
effective
9. He must have
no physical disability which would prevent him from earning a livelihood or
would make him a burden or a charge upon the Craft.
10. He must not
have been rejected by any regular lodge in this jurisdiction, or in any other
jurisdiction recognized by this Grand Lodge, within six months immediately
preceding the date of his petition. [42-16].
11. He must not be
under sentence or judgment for violation of any law of the land involving moral
turpitude. His right to citizenship must have been restored in the event it was
lost by such conviction and sentence. [73-6.5; 75-8.3; 78-2.2.C; 86-2.28; 101-5.4.B].
12. He must not be
engaged in any enterprise, business, or profession which would constitute a
Masonic offense if engaged in by a Mason. [73-6.5; 75-8.3; 78-2.2.C].
13. He must not
have received either an undesirable or dishonorable discharge from the Armed
Forces of the
If a petition for the degrees
is presented to a lodge by a petitioner whose physical defects prevent him from
conforming literally to the requirements of the three degrees of Ancient Craft
Masonry with the use of any necessary artificial appliances and/or aids, the
petition shall be forwarded within five days to the Grand Secretary for
transmittal to the Grand Master, and if he approves the same, the lodge may
then receive the petition.
A lodge may receive a petition from a qualified profane. However, if he moves his residence without the state, that lodge shall not receive a petition from him because he would not then be qualified to petition that lodge under Regulations 42-7.1,
and 66-1.8. [42-5; 42-8.3; 42-8.5.E; 42-9; 65-3.2; 66-1.8; 68-12]. (This section amended, effective 1/1/2006)
Belief in the existence of God
is a fundamental tenet in Freemasonry. It is an indispensable prerequisite to
eligibility to take the degrees. If the candidate practiced false pretense in
obtaining admission to the lodge by deceptively announcing such faith, or if
subsequent to his initiation his mind, for any cause, has undergone a change of
religious belief to the extent of repudiating or renouncing faith in God, he
ought to be expelled. Denying the main essential to a genuine Masonic life, he
should be denied Masonic privileges. [66-1.1; 67-8; 86-2.2; Preamble
I].
REG. 66-5
MATTERS NOT BARRING MEMBERSHIP.
A man is eligible to
petition for the degrees in Masonry as long as he is in possession of the
required physical and intellectual faculties, of which the lodge must be the
judge. One of illegitimate birth, or an alien, if otherwise qualified, is
eligible. That "Masonry unites men of every country, sect and
opinion" is one of the fundamental principles of the Craft, and if the
petitioner is a good man and true, has faith in God, and is desirable material
otherwise, the fact that he is a member of any faith that bars Masonic
membership, does not prohibit his making petition for the degrees in Masonry. [42-17;
87-4].
REG. 66-6
PETITION FROM A CLANDESTINE MASON.
The petition of one who was
a member of a clandestine lodge may be received by a lodge, but the petitioner
should not be balloted on to receive the degrees until it is first ascertained
that he joined the clandestine lodge in the honest belief that it was a regular
lodge of Masons and that he has recanted in writing, and is now sincere in his
desire to become a regular Mason; nor shall he be balloted on until the Grand
Master has authorized the lodge to act. [75-1.5; 87-2; Official Form 40].
Masters of lodges will be
held strictly accountable for the observance of this chapter.