You gotta admit that if you can adhere to the principles of the lodge then it's the best way of organizing and reaching your goals.This stuff is quite hard to get to the bottom of, it took me many years and there is still many doubts. Naturally its stuff that 99% of the world knows nothing about. So its hard to find anyone in life to discuss this stuff with who isn't a freemason. Then you got the problem that freemasons are sworn to secrecy so they wont openly discuss their secrets with a non-mason, then you got the fact that the majority of masons are the outer ring, their kept intentionally ignorant. They are not meant to know the deeper secrets or purposes of the craft as Pike mentions in his book. Most people who are masons are masons because it benefits them in their life. Opportunities are immense if you are member of a lodge. Because masons vow to show favour to each other, even swearing to lie in court to defend a mason even if he commits murder. You go for a job interview and your a mason while the other guy isn't, if its a mason interviewing you for the role, their is a high chance you will get it etc. Its great for business and personal attainment, its the main reason most join.
But i came across many books that explained that masonry at some point split into two camps. You got the dominate side which is grand lodge masonry with its mother lodge in england. Then you got the weaker side which is grand orient with its mother lodge is paris.
To keep a long story short, from what i came to understand in the american civil war that the north was supported by grand orient/french freemasonry, while the south was supported by grand lodge/British freemasonry.
despite the two sides being at odds with each, they still recognise each other as above all non-masons. So Pike despite being a general for the south and probably a grand lodge mason, is still massively respected by grand orient. All they disagree on are small details. Zionism falls under British masonry. Things like the Muslim brotherhood were founded by Grand orient masons. Now the conflict could all be there order out of choas agenda, and at the top its all the same thing. But i dont know if any information exists out there to confirm such a thing.
What i try to do is find material written by people who are part of the club, i find that is the best way to get real picture as to whats going on in the world. No media will ever cover this topic in any serious manner and thats for good reason.
Want to know what freemasons think, find the books they write and read them. And like i said before "freemasonry" is the elephant in the room.
But I am damn sure it takes hundreds of years to implement it and find the right people to keep it going.