User:MSJapan/Freemasonry MOS

This is the Manual of Style and Usage Guide for WikiProject:Freemasonry and for all Freemasonry-related articles.

Dates

1. Dating in Masonic articles will follow WP:MOS. Articles will therefore follow US dating formats for US-specific articles, and Commonwealth formats for all others.
2. Masonic dating systems (A.L., etc) will not be used.

Terminology

1. The branch of Freemasonry whose Grand Lodges trace their origins back to the United Grand Lodge of England or are recognized by UGLE will be termed "Anglo/American style Freemasonry" as it is the most common and visible form of Freemasonry.
2. The branch of Freemasonry whose Grand Lodges trace their origins back to the Grand Orient de France or are recognized by it will be called "Continental Freemasonry" because of its origination.
3. Prince Hall Freemasonry will be designated as such.
4. Prince Hall Affiliated will be designated as such.
5. Smaller self-organized bodies outside these two branches tend to fail WP:N. In the instance that they do not, they will be called "Fringe Masonry" in order to differentiate them from the other branches, though this will not imply any relationship between fringe bodies not stated directly.
6. The term "Mainstream Freemasonry" may be used when discussing things that are common to both Anglo/American style Freemasonry and Continental Freemasonry, to distinguish it from Fringe Masonry.

General terminology

1. Antients will be spelled with "t", not "c", when referring to the Antient Grand Lodge and similar usages, but spelled with a "c" where shown otherwise (e.g. "The Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina" and "Ancient Free and Accepted Masons").
2. Masonic honorific titles and their abbreviations are to be avoided unless pertinent, such as: "The Grand Master of most Grand Lodges is styled Most Worshipful, but in Pennsylvania he is Right Worshipful," but not "Right Worshipful Brother John Smith said today..."
3. Masonic officer titles, however, may be used if pertinent to the biographical subject: "John Smith was Master of Smith Family Lodge in 1982."

Scottish Rite

Outside US

1. The Scottish Rite in England will be termed the Ancient and Accepted Rite and abbreviated A&AR.

Inside US

NMJ

1. The general name for the body will be Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction and will be abbreviated AASR NMJ.
2. The constituent bodies are:

• _________ Lodge of Perfection
• _________ Council, Princes of Jerusalem
• _________ Chapter of Rose Croix
• _________ Consistory

SJ

1. The general name for the body will be Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction and will be abbreviated A&ASR SJ.
2. The constituent bodies are:

• _________ Lodge of Perfection
• _________ Council of Knights Kadosh
• _________ Chapter of Rose Croix
• _________ Consistory

York Rite

York Rite terminology varies by country:

1. The usage of "American Rite" for "York Rite" is somewhat deprecated and will not be used.
2. For the York Rite in the United States of America, the constituent bodies are the Chapter, Council, and Commandery.
3. In Canada and other countries that use Commonwealth English, the bodies are the Chapter, Council, and Preceptory.
4. In England and some other countries, some degrees in the York Rite are administered by wholly separate organizations, and care must be taken to differentiate them properly.

Category usage

1. Category:Freemasonry is only to be used for those individuals who have had a major impact on Freemasonry, or who are particularly noted for being Freemasons (George Washington, Harry S Truman, William Preston, etc).
2. The category may not be used for those individuals whose membership is of a trivial nature (the majority of individuals). Those individuals may be added to the List of Freemasons article, assuming proof exists. The Project reserves the right not to assume partial responsibility for those articles by removing the category.
3. Category:Masonic buildings is for articles about buildings used as Masonic halls or Grand Lodges.
4. Category:Grand Lodges is for articles about the administrative function and history of a grand body, not for articles about the building in which the grand body is situated.
5. Category:Freemasons, and Category:<Nationality> Freemasons have already been deleted as overcategorization, and are not to be recreated.

Notability

Individuals

1. Masonic membership alone does not confer notability on an individual who is otherwise not notable per WP:N.
2. To conform to WP:BLP, entries on List of Freemasons without proof of membership will be removed from the list.
3. Historically, there are so many individual Freemasons that we should avoid using a category unless the individual held a notable Masonic office (Harry S Truman or is known primarily for a Masonic contribution (William Preston).

Groups

1. Individual Masonic lodges are generally not considered notable unless they assert historical significance per WP:ORG. A claim to notability must be established by reference to reliable secondary sources that are independent of the subject, as per WP:N and WP:ORG.
2. With rare exceptions, age alone does not confer notability. A careful perusal of articles on groups that are "the oldest" will often show that they played an important historical role in some fashion, which is how they appear in non-primary sources.
3. Some Grand bodies are notable, others are not. Criteria such as size, age, and influence on the Fraternity must all be considered when determining whether a given Grand body is notable or not, and any claim to notability must be established by reference to reliable secondary sources that are independent of the subject, as per WP:N and WP:ORG. The Grand body's official website may be cited, but should not be the principal source upon which the article is based, and does not establish the notability of the body.