Comments on "The Death of a Rite"

[BryanMaloney]

In a recent short article on the end of the "Scottish Rectified and Reformed Rite" within the USA, certain statements were made that

The bitterness over this aside, attempting to bring The Grand Priory of Occitania to America seemed to spark a small fire of interest in esoteric Christianity within Freemasonry...

...I hope that the men who had an interest or were apart of this order continue on their path. I hope that men like myself that have never touched the order continue our independent pursuits of esoteric Christian ideals within the body of Freemasonry.

While I can no more decry esoteric Christianity than any other religion, why should Freemasonry be an acceptable platform within which to "explore" it? Would the author have been as mournful over the "demise" of a "rite" that was concerned specifically with sparking a fire of interest in Evangelical Protestant Christianity? What about "High Church Catholic" (Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox) Christianity within Freemasonry? Would the author have mourned that "Death of a Rite" that was concerned with teaching the doctrines of the Pope of Rome or the Eastern Orthodox Church within Freemasonry?

Why should "esoteric" Christianity get any favored status over any other religious inclination?

For that matter, as a PS, why not have an explicitly Jewish appendant body? Why not an explicitly Muslim one? I have a funny feeling that, even though the York Rite is considered properly Masonic, any attempt for our Muslim brothers to form a "Brotherhood of Saladin", for example, devoted to Muslim light within Freemasonry would be met with severe opposition, also originating from within Freemasonry.

 

[widows son]

Comments on "The Death of a Rite"

I think freemasonry shouldn't be the only platform in which to study esoteric Christianity, or any other esoteric subject. But I agree, why should it get any favored status over any other religious inclination? It shouldn't. But I'm sure after studying it, one could apply it to the teachings of the lodge. But as for the PS, I think your right that if any one of those denominations tried to specifically create an appendant body, they would be shot down, or be met with extreme difficulty. But I think it's safe to say that the AASR is a pretty basic body, in terms of not leaning to a specific theology or ideal so as to accommodate any one from any culture or faith, rather than the YR having undeniably Christian overtones to it. But I'm sure that in the few Muslim countries that have freemasonry, they have some kind of Muslim tradition they perform in the lodge, and I'm sure the same goes in Israel.

 

[BryanMaloney]

Why would it be acceptable to "explore" Martinism or other "Esoteric" Christianity within an appendant, "higher" degree-granting body but not acceptable to "explore" conventional Evangelical Protestantism or Islam through a "higher" degree-granting system?

 

[widows son]

Comments on "The Death of a Rite"

Maybe it has to do with the mystique attached to things esoteric. Anytime someone hears that word they usually feel intrigued to look into it, as opposed to an analysis of conventional christian ideals. But again I think that's where the AASR comes in to play. It's seems they acquire tid bits from most eastern cultures in the style, decor, and degrees they perform as to be open to anyone who desires to continue their masonic journey with their faith as a background to start with. I don't think any Masonic body prevents anyone from exploring any kind of ideology. Generally Islamic tradition is against freemasonry, but I'm not sure if that was the case when the appendant Masonic bodies were created in the 1800s.

 

[widows son]

Comments on "The Death of a Rite"

It's a good question though, that probably won't get a straight answer.