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Leadership and Religious Literacy in Freemasonry

Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
The practice and presentation vary from place to place. In the US, Grand Lodges try to keep the presentation the same within all their lodges, whereas some jurisdictions outside the States give their lodges greater latitude in choosing their ritual.
The end product is still to elevate a person spiritually and morally.
 

Glen Cook

G A Cook
Site Benefactor
The practice and presentation vary from place to place. In the US, Grand Lodges try to keep the presentation the same within all their lodges, whereas some jurisdictions outside the States give their lodges greater latitude in choosing their ritual.
The end product is still to elevate a person spiritually and morally.
I don't disagree, but would make s difference beteeen presentation of ritual and the ritual itself. Utah does not have standardized floor work. The ritual is standardized, with a Grand Lecturer in charge of such.
 

Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
CA and NM are very stringent about both ritual and floorwork, yet differ widely in both. I'm sure if I visit your lodge in Utah I'll find the ritual (and presentation) different than either.
 

Ripcord22A

Site Benefactor
I don't disagree, but would make s difference beteeen presentation of ritual and the ritual itself. Utah does not have standardized floor work. The ritual is standardized, with a Grand Lecturer in charge of such.
If floor work is not standardized does that mean it varies from lodge to lodge? If so what happens when a bro goes to another lodge to help with a degree...juat plays it by ear?

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Glen Cook

G A Cook
Site Benefactor
CA and NM are very stringent about both ritual and floorwork, yet differ widely in both. I'm sure if I visit your lodge in Utah I'll find the ritual (and presentation) different than either.
Ritual only slightly different.
If floor work is not standardized does that mean it varies from lodge to lodge? If so what happens when a bro goes to another lodge to help with a degree...juat plays it by ear?

Sent from my LG-D415 using My Freemasonry Pro mobile app
yep, it varies. Rehearsals help and if you've worked with the same folks for over two decades, you kind of catch on. However, we all know pretty much where people need to be
 

pointwithinacircle2

Rapscallion
Premium Member
That raises 2 issues in my mind:

- where is the universal Masonic Science practiced?
Words are symbols which point toward concepts .............................................

We are not really communicating unless the person with whom we wish to communicate understands what concepts we attach to the symbol. The best explanation of the concept that I can offer for the symbol "universal Masonic Science" would be "the pursuit of truth and it's implementation in our everyday life". I believe that, to the best of each man's ability, this should be practiced everywhere and at all times.
- since the Masonic morality is concealed by allegory, I do not doubt that the practice varies considerably from group to group
.............................................arranged in patterns to communicate meaning. Here we have the second half of the quote I begun above. I placed it here because to me the symbol "morality" points in the direction of meaning. Morality has more to do with belief than it does with truth. People can easily be made to believe a foolish morality if it has meaning for them. I will offer one example: burning witches at the stake was done by very moral people.

Obviously I take a skeptical view of morality. I find it too easily influenced by mass hysteria. Veiling Freemasonry as a morality is a very dangerous game. Belief can change in an instant, truth is a constant. I find it curious that men who believe that Freemasonry has existed from time immemorial could believe that it is based on something as mercurial as morality.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
..... Veiling Freemasonry as a morality is a very dangerous game. Belief can change in an instant, truth is a constant. I find it curious that men who believe that Freemasonry has existed from time immemorial could believe that it is based on something as mercurial as morality.

Hmmmm.... Freemasonry is often described as a "system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by "... Not sure I agree with "Veiling Freemasonry as a morality is a very dangerous game." because of of Freemasonry actually BEING a system of morality - but as it is veiled and allegorical, it become subjective; which is really the a key concept, one man might be right or wrong, but if he does no evil, does it really matter ? Can diverse men with different believes which put them in conflict in the outside world meet in a lodge as equals and brothers ? Might that positive interaction influence how they treat each other in the outside world ?

Isn't one of the most accessible lessons of Freemasonry the lessons on how we should treat each other and act as honourable men ? Is that a system of morality ? Is morality a code of conduct ?

And while I'm sparking hopefully what might be a good chat, "Religious Literacy in Freemasonry" is the title of this thread, why do we need religious literacy in Freemasonry when each man's religion is his own affair ? What's religion got to do with the Craft ? It only influences its members (often a good thing) but to run our secular non-religious organisation - why do we need religious literacy?
 

Bloke

Premium Member
What is so dangerous about this morality that it must be veiled?

Morality can become "dangerous' when enforced on others. We have state and federal law to do that, morality is different. I would suggest the beauty of "veiled' morality is that it invites contemplation and the realization morality is subjective, and as such, we need to be careful of our own moral expectations of others.. where masonic morality is clear, it is clear, where it is not, it is not, and I see that as an intentional outcome of those who wrote the ritual and designed our system.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
... why do we need religious literacy in Freemasonry when each man's religion is his own affair ?

The best defense against the constant incursions of the theocrats is education of what theocracy IS.

A couple of years ago we saw a theocratic GM attack GLofFL who tried to turn back the clock of progress to before 1720 by converting his jurisdiction one that rejects members of assorted religions. Today we see a theocratic GM attack GLofTN to impose a religious law that comes from his own religion and the entire GLofGA attack itself with that same theocracy.

Do they not even know they are theocrats attempting to gain secular power? That's directly in the face of many of our principles.
 
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