Welcome to Freemasonry - The Men of Ninive Preamble This site will discuss Freemasonry. Several of the initiations are described. The passwords along with their sources are given. The punishments along with their origins are given. The handshakes, the dress, signs and the symbols associated with Freemasonry are described and investigated. The legend of Hiram Abiff is summarised. It will briefly touch upon the popular history of Freemasonry and the Templar deity Baphomet. It will present photographs of sites associated with Freemasonry. Objectives The aim of this article is to present an objective account of my own findings concerning Freemasonry. There are many sites on the Internet, which discuss this issue. Many of them tend to give the impression of high emotional involvement or bias. While this site may be deemed to be likewise a deliberate effort has been made to be reasonably objective. Numerous texts by numerous authors have been consulted. However a complete and detailed bibliography will not be presented. A small list of recommended reading will be included. This is a result of personal experience. Literature concerning this area contains a host of miss-information. Validating the sources is often time consuming and gives the impression of being specifically intended as a goose chase. Those who have read about or researched Freemasonry will recognise some of the sources used. The article will begin with the topics that first interested myself. From there it will expand and will include some general religious issues. However the pages are not filled with biblical quotations. This is not a sermon, it is an investigation into Freemasonry. Emphasis upon hard fact has been made via personal visits to sites of interest and the photography of the same. The intention is to present an element of supporting evidence which would be free from individual interpretation and bias. Several illustrations do this. However, religion cannot be ignored when it is so intricately associated with a topic such as this. The intention is not to highlight or emphasise a particular religious personal preference. Indeed, the article demonstrates that, in order to understand Freemasonic symbolism fully, different biblical versions both Protestant and Catholic must be consulted. Both of these versions have been employed in developing the Freemasonic passwords and symbolism. The ultimate goal of the article is to present a working and demonstrable theory. What is important is the mechanism, the theme and the big picture, not the overwhelming detail which is often presented in literature. Scope and Policy. Numerous photographs have been used throughout the article. The vast majority of these have been taken by my self and are owned by myself. The intention of this article is for information purposes only. It aims to add to the growing Internet library of information regarding Freemasonry. Consequently no financial gain is received. It has been written with the tenets of criticism and review firmly in mind. It is hoped that the article will be used by those interested in the subject of Freemasonry. In this regard there is no objection to the copy or use of the text or illustrations for the purposes of private study. A deliberate effort has been made to avoid plagiarising the photography of others. Representative extracts of one or two images have been used. However this does not harm the income of the owners in any way. Nor does it misrepresent the complete meaning of an illustration. The photographs used are taken from public buildings which have connections with Freemasonry. These connections are either openly proclaimed by the owners of the site or have been proclaimed by Freemasonry itself.  In one site, Rosslyn Chapel, the Freemasonic connection is specifically advertised and is used to attract media and tourist attention. Consequently, criticism and review can also be expected. At the time of publication and writing, October 00, this is considered to be a news worthy issue. In the U.K. a businessman is fighting against the commencement of his own trial. He claims that it must be established that the judge participating in the trial is not a Freemason. The man believes that a Freemason will not give a fair and impartial hearing in his case. The European court of Human Rights is involved. Please enjoy the site and it is hoped it will be found interesting. Click on the square to proceed.