The Mystery of Odd Fellowship Secrecy Regular meetings of Odd Fellow and Rebekah Lodges are open only to members of the Order.
Companies only invite their stockholders to stockholder meetings.
Corporation Boards of Directors hold private meetings. Non-profit organizations that do not administer public funds can limit the attendance at their meetings. All that is different about an Odd Fellows Lodge meeting is that people go through an initiation ceremony to become members and we use an antique mechanism for checking membership before the meeting comes to order. Some church officials think it does, and believe the secrecy covers sinister doings in the lodge room. In reality, what comes after presentation of the flag and the opening prayer, and before retirement of the colors and the closing prayer, is a business meeting.