Jestor wrote: The Grand Lodge, which I see pretty dang often, lol, has the letters:
A.F. and A.M.
Which Im told means "Ancient Free and Accepted Masons"...
That part is accurate.
Jestor wrote: Which was explained to me that the "Ancient Free" means never having been slaves in the persons lineage...
That part, not so much. This topic is kind of a can of worms, so let me see if I can sort this out for you and anyone else reading.
Ancient doesn't go together with Free as one phrase. It means the Fraternity itself is an ancient one, which it is. If they had intended Ancient to denote "never a slave" then they would have put "Always Free". What you've mentioned here very much strikes me as an interpretation handed down from a "good ole boy" perspective, if not by your Mason friend, then by whomever taught him that.
Not all Masons are the same. It is not correct to say that "Freemasonry" is racist, because it is not. My home Lodge in Texas accepts Blacks, and they are not part of any clandestine Lodge system like Prince Hall. There are simply some Lodges run by racist Masons, who insist on bending the true principles of Masonry to their prejudiced world view.
A close logical examination will show that this is true:
1) Nobody in the world can know with absolute certainty that all of their ancestors have
never been slaves.
2) There are many Blacks from places like Australia or Africa whose ancestors have demonstrably never been slaves in America. But they would still be made to feel unwelcome in those Lodges with a racist membership.
3) Jews are allowed to be Masons, and yet ancestrally Jews were slaves to ancient Egypt. But you don't see them being barred from membership, even from Lodges that employ the interpretation you gave above.
4) Masonry is very old. In its early days, America didn't even exist, much less American slaves.
So saying that "Ancient Free" means "never a slave ancestor" or "no blacks" is obviously misinformation stemming from a racist agenda that your Mason friend is probably not even aware of. I'm sure he probably really believes that's what it means, but that doesn't mean he's right. Especially if you look at what the true historical spirit of Masonry actually is -- inclusiveness, unity, charity, truth, and brotherly love.
Being racist isn't truthful, inclusive, loving, or charitable, so it cannot possibly be a Masonic characteristic. It is a characteristic of specific people who are spiritually flawed and need improvement. (None of us is perfect.) We should not then, for this reason anyway, avoid Masonry if we seek further Light.
Jestor wrote: So, basically, no black men...
It is true that some Lodges, especially ones in Southern states, can make Blacks feel unwelcome in the Lodge. So I say more power to those determined Black aspirants in forming their own Prince Hall system, even though it is unfortunate that such is necessary. I understand from talking with a friend of mine who is a Master Mason in a Prince Hall Lodge that their rituals and material are taken verbatim from the mainstream Masonic tradition. They show respect and appreciation for the symbolism, ceremonies, and spiritual work.
Jestor wrote: I never joined, any group, if it excluded others...
If all were accepted, but only had to ask, I might have considered it...
Well, again, it depends on what you mean by group. If you mean a specific Lodge, then great. I would avoid those racistly-minded Lodges too. But if you mean Freemasonry as a whole, it does not exclude anyone but women. But even that is a tradition based on spiritual pragmatism. Originally, men were the only ones empowered in society to form lasting secret societies with regular meeting places, security, etc.
So it started out all men solely as a function of that, not because of a spirit of discrimination against women. But then it evolved into a useful thing, not having women around as a sexual distraction, in a setting where men are trying to concentrate on spiritual sublimation and purification of the desire force inside them. That is why Masons wear white aprons over their loins. Yes, ideally, men should be able to make spiritual progress with women around, but a lot of us men need all the help we can get in the beginning.
Even then, there is the Order of the Eastern Star for women, which has its own special rituals and ceremonies, and they socialize closely with Masonry. Or if the appearance of gender inequality bothers you too much, there is always Co-Masonry, if you can find one of their Lodges near you. They allow both genders and have the same rituals, symbols, and traditions (minus excluding women).
I chose to go through the "regular" Lodge that I did because it was my father's. Otherwise, I might very well have chosen a Co-Masonic Lodge. Just be mindful that "regular" Lodges consider Co-Masonry Lodges to be invalid; the term they use is "clandestine". And again, that's only officially -- from Mason to Mason acceptance can vary. I personally consider any Lodge seeking further Light by conforming to the Masonic symbols and traditions, without modifications other than perhaps allowing women, to be worthy and valid.
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