I.O.O.F. stands for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which is a fraternal order. Rocky Mountain Lodge No. 2 is a unit of the I.O.O.F. You can learn more about the Odd Fellows here.
Fraternal orders are a very old type of social networking system that rose to popularity in England around the 1700’s. Most fraternal orders are social clubs in today’s world, but long ago, they were networks that provided connections, opportunities, benefits, and friendships back when there was little infrastructure for these things. They additionally acted as networks of information back when society didn’t have the mass-communications we have today.
Sometime during the 18th century, many fraternal orders, including the I.O.O.F., began to incorporate features similar to chivalric orders, adding ceremonial components such as regalia, rituals, awards, degrees, and titles. Fraternal orders were suppressed in England around this time, so signs, grips, and passwords were used to covertly identify members. These extra security protections were also useful for preventing non-members from accessing member-only benefits, especially when it came to unfamiliar traveling members.
Very few fraternal orders from the 1700’s still exist in the present day, but two that do are the Odd Fellows and the Freemasons. Most fraternal orders today operate as social clubs and charity organizations, with many catering towards certain interests, identities, or philanthropic goals, but all of them typically preserve their functions as social networks.
A lodge is a local Odd Fellows unit. The term can refer to both the place where members meet regularly, and the membership body of that specific unit.
Lodges operate as third spaces; a place that is neither home nor work, but another location where people can relax, socialize, discuss ideas, and access any features their lodge may offer.
Lodges also serve another function, and that is to be a node in a physical network of connection. Going as far back as the 1600’s, the lodge system was a way for people to find employment, and could additionally facilitate members in their travels.
All individual lodges fall under a Jurisdiction, and each Jurisdiction is helmed by a head office. This is know as a “Grand Lodge” for Odd Fellows and a “Rebekah Assembly” for Rebekahs. Rocky Mountain Lodge No. 2 falls under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Colorado, which in turn falls under the jurisdiction of the Sovereign Grand Lodge.
Joining the I.O.O.F. is done by joining a local lodge. Denver has multiple Odd Fellow lodges and many more can be found across Colorado. If you’re interested in joining, we recommend visiting a few different lodges in your area to find out which one you like best, for each lodge has its own culture and membership-bodies. You can locate lodges using the I.O.O.F. lodge directory.
The term “degrees” in I.O.O.F. refers to a system of permissions conferred to members as they continuously involve themselves with their lodges. As members achieve higher degrees, they gain greater access to the activities of our Order.
Degree-work is designed to pass on the understanding of I.O.O.F. principles in a controlled way, by guiding members through gateways of knowledge using ceremonies and rituals. This may seem strange, but having this shared experience helps Odd Fellows connect with each other no matter where they are around the globe.
The degrees for the Odd Fellows follow the principles of our Order, represented by the three “links” of Friendship, Love, and Truth. Degree-work for lodges involve the Initiatory Degree (joining the lodge), the Degree of Friendship (1st Degree), the Degree of Love (2nd Degree), and the Degree of Truth (3rd Degree). After achieving the 3rd Degree, an Odd Fellow can choose to join higher branches of the Order, such as the Encampment and Patriarchs Militant.
No, actually. Secret societies don’t advertise their existences, nor do they have dedicated meeting-spaces or social media presences. They also don’t reveal their membership-numbers, nor do they have readily-available information about who they are or what they do published in books and online.
What’s true, however, is that the I.O.O.F. has secrets…and naturally, these secrets are only known by members of the Order.
The idea that the I.O.O.F. is a secret society partially comes from the fact we use grips, signs, passwords, and special symbols only recognized by those who are initiated. This was useful for identifying actual members during times when fraternal orders were suppressed in England, and continues to be important for verifying member knowledge. We don’t disclose the contents of our rituals nor our important business to non-members, the same way one wouldn’t divulge trade-secrets to those who aren’t part of the company.
No. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is non-sectarian, meaning it doesn’t align itself with any one religious or political group. Odd Fellows are prohibited from engaging in religious discussion during lodge meetings, and are additionally forbidden from tampering with anyone’s religion. Members of the I.O.O.F. consist of people from many different religious/spiritual backgrounds, including Christianity (Catholic and Protestant), Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, paganism, and more. The only requirement is that members believe in some manner of a Supreme Being.
However, the I.O.O.F. does incorporate Christian and Biblical symbolism. Presumably, this is because the I.O.O.F. matured during a time when truly-secular orders didn’t exist, and secularism would have earned it the ire of a number of religious institutions. But its commitment to operating in a secular nature meant that people from many religious backgrounds could all operate together for a common purpose, without deferring to one religious institution or another to achieve results.
No. Cults aim to unduly influence the way their members perceive and understand the world by regulating how they think, feel, and act. This is usually accomplished through modifying behaviors, limiting access to information, controlling beliefs, and regulating emotional responses.
The function of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows is to be a source of connection to many different kinds of people, and is therefore built for the free transference of information, rather than the restriction of it. The I.O.O.F. forbids discussion of religion and politics during lodge meetings, as well as tampering with the religions and politics of its members. While it’s true that lodges have rituals, they are “rituals” the same way graduation ceremonies are rituals.
The question of whether or not the I.O.O.F. is a cult is due to the fact the Roman Catholic Church scrutinized fraternal orders in bygone days, which made people wonder if fraternal orders such as the I.O.O.F. were cult-like in nature. But the Church eventually clarified that the I.O.O.F. does not qualify as a society which plots against them (canon 1374 of the Code of Canon Law of 1983), which also means Catholics joining the I.O.O.F. don’t risk excommunication.
Still, the purpose of fraternal orders have largely faded from popular memory, which contributes to their mysterious reputations and feeds superstition. This isn’t helped by the fact they’re often characterized as “secret societies,” complete with the impression that comes with them.
This is a very old term, and no one can really verify its origins. The most widely-accepted theory is that “Odd Fellows” referred to a group of people of many different trades coming together for one purpose, with the “odd” in Odd Fellows carrying a similar meaning to “odds and ends.”
This designation may have rose to prominence after the medieval ages. The centuries prior had been dominated by the guild-system, with guilds consisting of artisans and merchants of the same trade. The notion of an order comprised of people of many different trades must have been very novel for the time.
You can read more about our history here.
“The Rebekahs” refers to the International Association of Rebekah Assemblies (IARA), which is a service-oriented branch of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
The IARA grew out of the “Rebekah Degree” designed by the Odd Fellow Schuyler Colfax. Though initially an honorary degree for the wives of Odd Fellows, it later developed into an auxiliary branch of its own, with unique degrees, principles, and lodge-networks that were modeled after its I.O.O.F. counterpart.
The Rebekahs became a vehicle for women to manage their own operations, conduct business, handle finances, and govern their own administrations in a time before they could own property, hold offices, practice professions, or vote in society at large.
Nowadays, anyone can join either the Rebekahs, the Odd Fellows, or both, and Rebekah and Odd Fellow lodges often share the same meeting spaces. Rocky Mountain Lodge No. 2 shares a space with Golden Rebekah No. 8.
You can read more about the Rebekahs here.
No. While both are very old fraternal orders, they have different origins: Freemasonry traces its lineage back to medieval stone mason craft-guilds, while Odd Fellowship developed from medieval journeyman associations. Both of these orders permit their members to join others, so it’s not unheard-of for an Odd Fellow to also be a Freemason.
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