Fraternal Orders
History and purpose of fraternal organizations, from the Knights of Columbus to the Salvation Army.
7 topics
The Elks
The Elks began not as a charitable brotherhood but as a drinking club for minstrel show performers called the "Jolly Corks," and only adopted their animal na…
The Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus operates a Fortune 1000 insurance company with over $123 billion in life insurance in force, making it one of the largest Catholic fi…
The Moose Lodge
The Moose Lodge operates its own self-contained city for children in need, complete with schools and homes on over 1,000 acres in Illinois, rather than simpl…
The Odd Fellows
The Odd Fellows became the first American fraternity to admit women in 1851, nearly 70 years before women could vote in the United States. On September 20 of…
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army does not baptize members or celebrate communion, making it one of the few Christian denominations that entirely rejects sacraments. This r…
The Shriners
The Shriners' elaborate Middle Eastern imagery and Mosque-named meeting halls have no actual connection to Islam or the Near East, despite using terms like I…
The YMCA
The YMCA was founded not by clergy but by a 22-year-old draper's assistant who had moved to London from the countryside to work in the textile trade. George …