Of course, Masonry is also meant to be enjoyed by its membership, so the order should not be viewed simply as a philosophical club, but rather a vibrant fellowship of men who seek to enjoy each other's company, a fraternity. To maintain this fraternity, discussion of religion and politics within the Lodge is forbidden, as these subjects are those that have often divided men in the past. Masons cover the spectrum of both religious and political beliefs and encourages a man to be religious without advocating a particular religion, and to be active in his community without advocating a particular medium of political expression. While there probably are some actual stone-workers who are Masons, Masonry does not teach is membership the literal techniques of stonework. Each of these has a symbolic meaning in Masonry.
Similar symbolism exists for other tools.
There are three degrees in Masonry . Promotion generally requires the mastery of a small body of memorized material, the contents of which varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Rather, they are a system of initiation that allows men to become familiar with the august and ancient history and principles of Masonry at a comfortable pace. Proceeding from Entered Apprentice to Master Mason in the US can take as little as three months, while in England, the degrees are spaced apart by a year's interval. In the US, these are typically only open to Master Masons.