Question

The Shriners are a fraternity based on the Masonic principles of brotherly love, relief, and truth. They have roughly 375,000 members and 191 temples in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Shriners support Shriners Hospitals for Children, a system of twenty-two hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing specialty pediatric care. Why are the Shriners NOT a social movement?

Answer 1

Answer: The do not seek to fundamentally alter the status quo

Explanation: To start with, a social movement is a term usually used to categories or describe a group of individuals made up of sizeable number of individuals or aiming to multiply in other to acheive a certain political or social ambition. Social movements are usually geared towards initiating a social change or correcting a certain political or social trend. However, In the case of the shriners described above, the fraternity do not have any sort of political motive either to resist a government or support a certain initiative or policy. All they seek is to improve and better the lives of their member in their own way through provision of social, religious and health benefits without trying to any social or politically geared outcry.