Comments on: How Freemasonry Is Missing The Boat

By: BeeHive

BeeHive — Sun, 31 May 2009 01:24:37 +0000

I respect your opinion Matthew but I think you are caught in the mental process that promoting broad general morality is making policy and writing directives.

It also just isn’t true that all questions of politics and religion are off limits.

Being for peace is like being for honesty. And supporting racial integration is like being for justice.

You could make a case that Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice are political or religious off limit areas. You could, I wouldn’t.

Being for something doesn’t mean that you are setting policy, making laws or barking commands. Our ancient Brothers coming out of the Enlightenment in the age of Monarchs were promoting democracy. They weren’t telling people how to implement the democracy, just that it was a good thing.

It means you support something by using your bloody pulpit and encouraging the peace and racial harmony process. You are not telling people what to do, you are stating what is noble and right and supported by every major religion in the world.

Name me a religion that is against peace.

Now I don’t want Freemasonry to tell people how to make peace happen. What I do want to do is keep the thought that this is what the world needs on the tip of everybody’s tongue.

By: Matthew Davison

Matthew Davison — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:15:54 +0000

I am afraid I am going to have to disagree with this post, although I found it very interesting and stimulating. It is not only partisan politics and sectarian religion that we are to avoid discussing, it is all questions of politics and religion.

You believe that Freemasonry should take the lead in certain world affairs. In what way? Who would decide the policy to be followed. For example, if the Grand Lodge decided to enter the peace process in the Middle East it would undoubtly end up offending both Jewish and Muslim brethren. To believe that Freemasonry would not do this where highly trained civil servants and diplomats have is a little bit more than optimistic.

“As one of the only institutions worldwide to actually live peaceful, cooperative brotherhood among people of different races, religions, cultures and economic circumstances, American Freemasonry was in a unique position to encourage and promote world peace.”

And the only reason Freemasonry is a place of peace between all men is because of its refusal to engage in polital and religious discussion. This is not political correctness as you assert but protecting the very institution we hold so dear. No Grand Lodge can speak for all of its members on political question, and neither should they try.

You do have a good point, but it should be seen on a different level. Freemasonry as a whole should not enter the fray as it would do nothing but cause damage to the fraternity and the bond between brethen. We should however enjoin or members to become involved in pulic life, whatever their political or religious persuasion, and work with those masonic principles in their public life. Their achievements then reflect well upon the craft when the connection between their morality and Fremasonry is made.

By: talmont

talmont — Sat, 30 May 2009 16:20:06 +0000

[Applause]
Very heart stirring, but ….
As you stated, their isn’t one cause. Why did we back off, why did we turn away? And now … why don’t we teach the same values we did? Lodges are having problems putting on Degree work, why? People don’t know the work! Go back to the 40s and say ‘I have been master mason for 5 years, but I don’t know the degree work to help you.’ You would have been thrown out on you ear!, Not today, today you get a sympathetic nod … a nod, for petty sake! Our secretary announced one of the members was going to give his degree work the next week, people rolled their eyes at the inconvenience and some didn’t show! Come on, is this the same Lodge that moved men to join back in the hayday?
As a Lodge we shaped men, today they don’t know what they have promised to be, or to do, they don’t learn, and no one takes the time to offer to teach or to ensure they know what Freemasonry is, We have become the Elks, or the Lions, just another club.
But we can’t MAKE a man learn why he has joined the Masons, oh, no! That would be unfair, they would have to work for what they want, how cruel! If they didn’t make suitable progress they would have to try harder or risk that which they sought in the first place, … is this who we REALLY want to be?
It is infecting the York and Scottish Rites too, Shrine is talking about removing the Masonic requirements … We drop our standards to boost membership and then wonder where the members are …
I remember a motto: We make Good Men Better
I don’t remember: We make any man Mason.

We in American seem to be dropping our standards so as not to offend any anyone, well, I am offended by this and am watching the decline of MANY things… our Lodges included.

Thank you for having the Moral fiber to write this article, hope it wakes some Grands up…. no, I PRAY it wakes some Grand Lodges up…

My penny’s worth.

By: Lucrecio Emerito

Lucrecio Emerito — Sat, 30 May 2009 07:05:29 +0000

True. I think now is a great time for Freemasonry to make a stand and, once again, lead.