In the US, I think most of the attraction was simply that of any fraternal order (as you say, a night out with the boys). The US was full of these groups, although the attraction of the Masons was probably that they were older and had more of a tradition, so you got a better class of folks (the town banker, for example). I doubt that most people in small town America gave much thought to the philosophical underpinnings of Freemasonry.
That said, I can see why it might be necessary to reexamine it now in light of the current state of religious belief.
I doubt whether most people give thought to the underpinnings of Christianity too. But in both cases, membership has consequences.