Fed up with your grand lodge?

[MRichard]

From link: "Several U.S. Masons have asked me online and backchannel if there is any regular, recognized alternative to belonging to the Grand Lodge in their state. As far as I know (and feel free to correct me, anybody who may have different information), in most cases, you cannot join a jurisdiction outside of your home state unless you actually live in another one, and generally for a year. Dual memberships are common, in situations when you move to another state and become a resident there, but still want to retain membership in your Mother Lodge. However, there are jurisdictions that do NOT allow dual memberships in different jurisdictions at all (and I know it is not allowed by most PHA GLs, who generally don''t even allow dual lodge memberships within their OWN jurisdictions).

However, the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) constituted Internet Lodge No. 9659 in 1998. It is a regular, recognized lodge that is open to any existing member of the UGLE, or any other Grand Lodge that is in amity with the UGLE (see the list here). They hold a physical meeting in an approved English Masonic lodge three times a year, moving around the UGLE's territory with each meeting. The password-protected members only part of the site deals with the minutes and day to day business of the lodge (they do NOT actually meet over the Internet). They have members from all around the world who are real, authentic, regular, recognized Freemasons, and each meeting is followed by a traditional Festive Board for attendees. The catch is that its members must first be initiated, passed and raised in their own lodge before they can petition to join Internet Lodge. And each member must agree to pay all regular UGLE annual fees, along with their lodge membership.

What I do not know is if you can demit from your Mother lodge, become an unaffiliated Mason, and then still be allowed to join Internet Lodge. I know you must technically be a Mason in your home jurisdiction when you join, but I don't know if you actually are required to maintain a lodge membership in your home jurisdiction. I suggest you contact both Internet Lodge's Assistant Secretary, as well as your own Grand Secretary to make sure the proper rules are followed.

(Since I first posted this, I have received messages from some US brethren who say they no longer belong to any US lodge or grand lodge, and ONLY have membership in Internet Lodge, making them solely a UGLE Mason.)

Similar to Internet Lodge is Ireland Lodge No. 2000, a regular, recognized lodge chartered in 2000 by the Grand Lodge of Ireland AF&AM. Like Internet Lodge, members must be Master Masons in good standing of a jurisdiction in amity with the GL of Ireland, and it's rolls are comprised of an international group. They meet four times a year, at different locations throughout Ireland. The June meeting is always held in Dublin, and is traditionally the one with the most foreign visitors. They also have a secure, online chat room and hold monthly gatherings (except in December) via the web. Degrees are not conferred by the lodge, and Masons wishing to affiliate with them must be initiated, passed, and raised in another lodge.


Finally, the Grand Lodge of Manitoba (Canada) chartered Castle Island Virtual Lodge No. 190 in 2012, and to my knowledge, it is the only truly Internet-based lodge in the world working under a charter from a regular, recognized grand lodge. (It's also the only lodge on Earth where you can be home 10 seconds after the last gavel falls!) The lodge meets online on the 5th Wednesday of those months that HAVE 5 Wednesdays, at 7:00PM Central Time. Visitors are welcome, but must first contact the Lodge Education Officer at Leo.civl.190@gmail.com or the Secretary at craehw@gmail.com to be given access. They must be from a jurisdiction that is in amity with the GL of Manitoba, and send a photograph of their current dues card along with a brief biography to the LEO to be "admitted" to meetings and the secure portion of the website. For the meeting itself, visitors must have a computer equipped with a microphone and camera, and they use Webex technology as a secure online conferencing method (originally, the lodge was designed as part of the "Second Life" virtual 3-D community, but a more secure meeting system was desired). Ritual used is the Canadian Work (a variation of Britain's Emulation ritual), and visitors are expected to tyle their own computer's location during online meetings. If you are resolved to give up membership in your home lodge and grand lodge, you may first join Castle Island as a dual member, pay dues to the lodge and the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, and then demit from your home jurisdiction. You will have to be investigated and voted on, as with any other regular affiliation. For details on doing that, contact the Secretary. (It can and has been done before, but not often - their current Tyler just did this from his original lodge in Italy.)

NOTE: I have also received a message that claimed the GL of the District of Columbia allows Masons to join their lodges without actually being a resident of the District or the immediate surrounding regions in Maryland and Virginia. But because DC has suspended fraternal relations with both TN and GA, this complicates the issue. Under the current circumstances, I don't know if DC is willing to act as a safe haven for disaffected Masons from those two states. Please contact them directly to clarify this.

Also, the Grand Lodge of North Carolina and the Grand Lodge of Alabama have no residency requirements, and allow multiple dual-memberships.

UPDATE

A message specifically from a Tennessee Mason this afternoon about that particular grand lodge's process:
You must write to the Secretary of the GL of Tennessee and ask for aCertificate of Good Standing. This is NOT the same as a demit. Do not demit. This certification allows you to remain a member in good standing while you seek membership elsewhere, in another jurisdiction. You will need to get a new Certificate every year until you find a new home. If you are a just and upright man and Mason and want to join a regular lodge of Masons, you are not required to remain a member of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee in order to enjoy the fellowship and fraternity of the oldest organization in the world. Please be calm and do not demit your membership until you find an alternative."

http://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2016/03/ugles-internet-lodge-no-9659.html?m=1

*Edit* Some of this information may not be correct or updated. Please do due diligence and look up the appropriate websites for correct information.

 

[Warrior1256]

Interesting!

 

[dfreybur]

Your jurisdiction, your rules. To me this is a problem that is simple to solve - Go through the line. Propose legislation to accept dual membership. Keep submitting it every few years until it passes.

My mother jurisdiction allows dual membership, so I'm still a member. I'm a PM and life/endowed member of my mother lodge and I plan on still being a member when I die.

But what if my mother jurisdiction had only permitted one membership? First time I relocated out of state I would have transferred my membership. Once a member of any jurisdiction that allows dual membership I'd move forward by adding memberships just like I have over the years.

 

[MRichard]

We have plural/dual membership here. I would imagine that most grand lodges do not have a residency requirement for affiliation, only for petitioning candidates. There were a few indiscrepancies in the article.

 

[BullDozer Harrell]

I have no comment about the dual/plural membership part of the discussion. My GL, the Prince Hall GL of IL doesn't allow for it.

There are residence requirements in our Law and rules governing affiliation. Unaffiliation is a Masonic offense in my jurisdiction.

My mind is stretching to understand how that would play out if for instance, an unaffiliated Prince Hall Mason is discovered to be a member of let's say, Internet Lodge# 9659, what the process would be to put him on trial? If he doesn't belong to any subordinate lodge or the GL, how can the whole process of being tried and consequently suspended or expelled be fair to that man?

Is he reinstated to only be subjected to punishment? It's a genuine paradox to me.

 

[MRichard]

I have no comment about the dual/plural membership part of the discussion. My GL, the Prince Hall GL of IL doesn't allow for it.

There are residence requirements in our Law and rules governing affiliation. Unaffiliation is a Masonic offense in my jurisdiction.

My mind is stretching to understand how that would play out if for instance, an unaffiliated Prince Hall Mason is discovered to be a member of let's say, Internet Lodge# 9659, what the process would be to put him on trial? If he doesn't belong to any subordinate lodge or the GL, how can the whole process of being tried and consequently suspended or expelled be fair to that man?

Is he reinstated to only be subjected to punishment? It's a genuine paradox to me.

Most PHA grand lodges do not allow plural or dual memberships. Some do. For example: Minnesota.

If your grand lodge does not allow dual or plural affiliations, then it might be difficult to join those lodges. You would need the proper paperwork from your lodge or grand lodge. Not sure how that works on the PHA side. I would imagine that you would have to demit if that was possible. Not sure. Just speculating.

 

[Glen Cook]

Utah does not require residency for affiliation. A current dues card would likely suffice for evidence of good standing.

 

[Ripcord22A]

I have no comment about the dual/plural membership part of the discussion. My GL, the Prince Hall GL of IL doesn't allow for it.

There are residence requirements in our Law and rules governing affiliation. Unaffiliation is a Masonic offense in my jurisdiction.

My mind is stretching to understand how that would play out if for instance, an unaffiliated Prince Hall Mason is discovered to be a member of let's say, Internet Lodge# 9659, what the process would be to put him on trial? If he doesn't belong to any subordinate lodge or the GL, how can the whole process of being tried and consequently suspended or expelled be fair to that man?

Is he reinstated to only be subjected to punishment? It's a genuine paradox to me.

2 things brother....1: if that brother was a member of internet lodge then he would not be unaffiliated. 2: In new Mexico we have a line in our GL laws that says something to the effect of having domain over any Freemason that is within our boarders. And in the ritual of both Oregon(where I was made a Mason) and New Mexico, it says that you will obey the rules and regulations of the GL of which you are a member and that of which you may find yourself living within their jurisdictions

 

[Glen Cook]

2 things brother....1: if that brother was a member of internet lodge then he would not be unaffiliated. 2: In new Mexico we have a line in our GL laws that says something to the effect of having domain over any Freemason that is within our boarders. And in the ritual of both Oregon(where I was made a Mason) and New Mexico, it says that you will obey the rules and regulations of the GL of which you are a member and that of which you may find yourself living within their jurisdictions

It is common that GLs assert jurisdiction over all Masons within their borders. Now, the rub is having the "foreign " GL recognise that action. As we saw in the Arkansas-Shrine-Iowa matter, recognition of another GLs actions is not part of the Masonic law. This was also seen in the Home GLs entering into an agreement on the subject. A formal agreement would not be required if the action was recognised.

 

[Canadian Paul]

The concept of 'exclusive geographic masonic jurisdiction' exerted by a Grand Lodge is foreign to freemasonry throughout the (British) Commonwealth. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India, among many others, have jurisdiction shared by the three 'home Country' grand Lodges as well as local Grand lodges, all working (usually) in harmony and mutual recognition. Plural membership is allowed in most, if not all, cases.

As it happens, my Scottish lodge has its own premises but in the city I could be a member of two lodges, one under the GL of Scotland and the other under the GL of NL, both meeting in the same lodge room.

 

[Brother JC]

When geographic sovereignty rears its ugly head I always come back to Japan; five GLs working the same jurisdiction in peace and harmony.

 

[Glen Cook]

The concept of 'exclusive geographic masonic jurisdiction' exerted by a Grand Lodge is foreign to freemasonry throughout the (British) Commonwealth. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India, among many others, have jurisdiction shared by the three 'home Country' grand Lodges as well as local Grand lodges, all working (usually) in harmony and mutual recognition. Plural membership is allowed in most, if not all, cases.

As it happens, my Scottish lodge has its own premises but in the city I could be a member of two lodges, one under the GL of Scotland and the other under the GL of NL, both meeting in the same lodge room.

I missed where this issue came in.