ess1113
Premium Member
Thanks for all the great conversation and thoughts.
I do like the question: In whom do you place your trust?
"In God (with caveats?)"
"In God, (who may not exist)"
"In some deity that I sincerely doubt the existence of"
The answer that the candidate gives should be the honest answer from the mans heart.
I do not believe that he can answer "In God" and not mean it and then call himself a Mason. The apparent contradition in the answer would render his obligation void as the member above alluded to. No god (read deity), then no tie to the fraternity. No tie to the fraternity then not a Mason.
To bring the conversation full circle: I believe that every Mason can and should define God in any manner that they see fit, but I fully agree also that the absence of belief then the obligation was flawed. I also believe that the obligation taken with our hands or hand on the VSL is what makes us Masons. I am not defining or causing the GATOU to be defined by anyone. I am firm in my belief in the wording that I must firmly believe in the existence of a God and the immortality of the soul. I am opposed to anything strictly black and white on moral grounds but the question
" Do you seriously declare upon your honor that you believe in the existence of God, the immortality of the soul, and in the Divine authenticity of the Holy Scriptures"
That question only has TWO possible answers: YES or NO.
I feel strongly that the members of the great fraternity did not predict the answer MAYBE to that question.
In many ways this discussion is similar to interpreting the constitution. We look at what our forefathers wrote and then interpret then in modern terms. The members of this fraternity all answered YES to that question in the same manner that we ALL answered "In God" when asked whom do we place our trust. Althought I agree that there are many names for deity, nobody ever answered "I place my trust in something that I dont believe in and really cant define". That candidate would have been led from the lodge.
Thank you all for the great conversation and the inspirational thoughts.
I do like the question: In whom do you place your trust?
"In God (with caveats?)"
"In God, (who may not exist)"
"In some deity that I sincerely doubt the existence of"
The answer that the candidate gives should be the honest answer from the mans heart.
I do not believe that he can answer "In God" and not mean it and then call himself a Mason. The apparent contradition in the answer would render his obligation void as the member above alluded to. No god (read deity), then no tie to the fraternity. No tie to the fraternity then not a Mason.
To bring the conversation full circle: I believe that every Mason can and should define God in any manner that they see fit, but I fully agree also that the absence of belief then the obligation was flawed. I also believe that the obligation taken with our hands or hand on the VSL is what makes us Masons. I am not defining or causing the GATOU to be defined by anyone. I am firm in my belief in the wording that I must firmly believe in the existence of a God and the immortality of the soul. I am opposed to anything strictly black and white on moral grounds but the question
" Do you seriously declare upon your honor that you believe in the existence of God, the immortality of the soul, and in the Divine authenticity of the Holy Scriptures"
That question only has TWO possible answers: YES or NO.
I feel strongly that the members of the great fraternity did not predict the answer MAYBE to that question.
In many ways this discussion is similar to interpreting the constitution. We look at what our forefathers wrote and then interpret then in modern terms. The members of this fraternity all answered YES to that question in the same manner that we ALL answered "In God" when asked whom do we place our trust. Althought I agree that there are many names for deity, nobody ever answered "I place my trust in something that I dont believe in and really cant define". That candidate would have been led from the lodge.
Thank you all for the great conversation and the inspirational thoughts.