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[kaysixteen]

Anyone here a member of any such organization?  Recommendations?

[systeme_d_]

I have no substantial recommendations for you, Kay, but I looked at your thread because I have a couple of friends who do research on fraternal organizations and lodges.  Many of these organizations are quasi-religious in form and content, heavily ritualized (particularly in respect to initiations and ascent through graduated steps in rank) and some may therefore conflict with your own religious convictions.  If I were you, I would check things out in that respect before I made any moves toward joining.

Having said that, fraternal organizations and lodges in the late 20th and early 21st centuries are undergoing a precipitous drop in membership numbers, and almost any organization would be delighted to have you inquire.  It would not be amiss for you to ask whether there are any members who share your religious convictions, and to speak with those members about whether they have encountered potential points of conflict.

[lotsoquestions]

I had never heard of a "Ruritan Club" til we moved to Backwater, USA.  Could you ask your friend to explain exactly what a Ruritan club is or does?  Are they also heavily ritualized?  I assumed it was just a bunch of old white guys who hung around and drank beer and maybe went hunting . .

[oldfullprof]

I'm actually a VFW member, but don't belong to a chapter and don't ever go to functions.  I'm also a member of a Korea vets organization (which includes post 1953 service vets.)  I usually go to a Christmas banquet they throw.

[systeme_d_]

I had never heard of a "Ruritan Club" til we moved to Backwater, USA.  Could you ask your friend to explain exactly what a Ruritan club is or does?  Are they also heavily ritualized?  I assumed it was just a bunch of old white guys who hung around and drank beer and maybe went hunting . .

Ruritan Clubs are not fraternal associations.  They're community service clubs, and are not at all ritualized.  They're organizations designed for adults who live in rural areas and who wish to organize, contribute to, and sponsor community service.  Ruritan Clubs provide small college scholarships to local kids, sponsor scout troops, raise money for and work with 4H and FFA kids, etc.    They're more like the Jaycees or Amvets, but you don't have to be a business owner or a veteran to join.

[systeme_d_]

I googled this up for you, Lotsoquestions.  It's very clear evidence of the lack of secrecy and ritualization in Ruritan.

http://www.ruritan.org/resources/Low_Res_2011_Club_and_District_Officers_Handbook.pdf

[canuckois]

Anyone here a member of any such organization?  Recommendations?

Why do you want to know?

[galactic_hedgehog]

My grandfather was a Friar.  He took me and my brother to eat there a few times.  The food was good (I remember Grandpa really liked their tapioca) and we got to meet celebrities.

[zharkov]

Of course, the Masons secretly rule the world, although the Knights of Columbus have better outfits.  Where I live, the Elks are considered none too swift.  ("Dumb?  He's an f-ing Elk.")   I'm a member of none, but the old man was a member of an ethic social club, they had Christmas parties for the kids of members. 

Like many male dominated activities (TV football, fishing, etc.), these sort of clubs strike me as mostly an excuse to drink.

[menotti]

My dad is in the Rotary, and it seems to be a good thing for him.  They have speakers every month, I think, and do various community service and fundraising activities.  I think it is supposed to, or at least in practice, operate as a networking group.  And of course the Rotary is co-ed, now.

I also have a good friend in the JayCees.  (Yes, I am from the upper Midwest.  Why do you ask?)

It's definitely not an excuse to drink, or some weird religious thing.

But maybe that's different from being in a fraternal organization?  What are you thinking of, specifically?

[burnie]

In my town, everyone who is anyone is in one of the many Rotary chapters, and they do really great things for the community.  Unfortunately, their dues are pretty high ($50 a month, I think?) so I haven't accepted their invites to join.

I know we have active Elk and Moose lodges, and other than going with an Elk friend to drink cheap ($.50 beer on tap!) I didn't find it to be much fun.

[glowdart]

Like many male dominated activities (TV football, fishing, etc.), these sort of clubs strike me as mostly an excuse to drink.

And play Bingo. 

[theritas]

I had joined a local meetup group in the area.  I'd say they are completely dependent upon the organizers and participants, but I found you could get a pretty good sense of them by poking around on the site.

[kaysixteen]

My rationale for the question is simply that I would like to join something, something to have a social outlet.  I would like to get more such fellowship from my church, but it is what it is, and what it is is pretty hard-core familiocentric and not extremely inviting for middle-aged single men with no children.

[oldfullprof]

The Korea Vets are a gas.  Virtually no-one drinks.  I'd guess the AA membership is around 80-90 percent.  So, there's a wet bar at the banquet, and it mainly does business in cokes.