Shriners vs Freemasons: What Is the Difference?

Before I knew anything about Freemasonry, my only exposure was a parade when I was about nine. Men in red fezzes drove tiny cars in circles down Main Street, and one of them threw me a candy bar. I assumed for years that Shriners and Freemasons were rival clubs, or maybe the same thing with different hats. Turns out the truth is somewhere in between, and it is pretty simple once someone explains it.

Every Shriner is a Freemason. Not every Freemason is a Shriner. The Shrine is an appendant body, an optional organisation that a man can join only after becoming a Master Mason in a regular lodge.

§How the Shrine started

In 1870 a group of Masons met for lunch in a New York restaurant. Some of them felt that lodge life, for all its value, could be a bit serious. They wanted a fraternity where Masons could relax, have fun and enjoy each other's company. Two of them, an actor named William Florence and a doctor named Walter Fleming, developed a set of rituals with a Middle Eastern theme that was fashionable at the time. The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine was founded in 1872.

The theatrical theme explains the fez, the Arabic sounding names and the temples with domes. In 2010 the organisation formally changed its name to Shriners International. Its own history is set out at shrinersinternational.org.

§The children's hospitals

What turned the Shrine from a social club into a household name was the decision in 1920 to build a hospital for children. The first Shriners Hospital opened in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1922. Today Shriners Children's runs a network of hospitals treating orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate, with care provided regardless of a family's ability to pay.

This is where a lot of people first meet Freemasonry without realising it. If you have ever donated to the Shriners at a football game, you have supported a charity founded and still run by Masons. Do Masons Get Paid? goes into how the money side of Masonic charity actually works.

§How the two connect

• Membership: you must be a Master Mason in good standing to join the Shrine. If you leave your lodge, you leave the Shrine.
• Structure: the Shrine has its own local units, called Shrine Centers or Temples, its own officers and its own dues.
• Ritual: the Shrine has a short initiation, but it is lighter in tone and nothing like the three Craft degrees.
• Religion: like Freemasonry, it requires a belief in a Supreme Being but is not tied to one faith.
• Fun: the Shrine is where you find clowns, motor units, bands, the fez and the tiny cars.

Until 2000, a man had to finish either the York Rite or the Scottish Rite before he could join the Shrine. That requirement was dropped, so now any Master Mason can apply directly. What Is an Appendant Body in Freemasonry? puts the Shrine in context with the other bodies.

Want to wear the fez someday? It starts with your first lodge. Take the free Readiness Quiz and find out where you stand right now.

§Why the fez?

The red fez with a black tassel is the Shrine's most famous symbol. It was adopted as part of the original exotic theme and has stuck ever since. A Shriner's fez usually displays the name of his Shrine Center, and members wear it at parades, events and fundraisers. It is not worn in a Masonic lodge meeting. Think of it like a team jersey: it says where you belong.

§Common confusions cleared up

• Shriners are not a higher rank of Mason. A Shriner and a regular Master Mason have exactly the same standing in the lodge.
• Shriners do not run Freemasonry. Grand Lodges govern lodges. What Is a Grand Lodge? explains this.
• You do not need to be rich. Shrine dues are separate and modest in most places, though some events cost extra.
• Women cannot be Shriners, but there are related groups for wives, such as the Daughters of the Nile and the Ladies' Oriental Shrine, plus the Order of the Eastern Star. See The Order of the Eastern Star.
• The Shrine is not a religious organisation and has no connection to Islam, despite the old Arabic themed names.

§Should you join the Shrine?

That depends on what you want. When I was going through my degrees, I kept hearing older guys say, get settled in your lodge first. I am glad I listened. My first year as a Mason was full enough with learning ritual and getting to know people. Your First Year in Freemasonry gives you an idea of what that looks like.

If you love the idea of raising money for children, marching in parades, and being part of something loud and cheerful, the Shrine might be perfect for you after that first year. If you are drawn to the quieter, more reflective side of Freemasonry, you might never join, and that is completely fine. Plenty of Masons I know are happy with their lodge alone.

§What the Shrine says about Freemasonry

Honestly, the Shrine is a great example of something people do not expect from Masons: they have a sense of humour. The same men who take their obligations seriously in the lodge are happy to put on a funny hat and drive a go kart down the street to raise money for kids. That mix of seriousness and fun is a big part of why I stayed. If you have been put off by the idea that Masons are all solemn and secretive, Freemason Myths and the Truth Behind Them might change your mind.

So next time a Shriner throws you a candy bar at a parade, you will know: he is a Mason having a good day. Maybe one day that will be you.