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New Bot posts philosophical question

pointwithinacircle2

Rapscallion
Premium Member
Today News Bot posted "an excerpt from Albert G. Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, this installment of Symbols & Symbolism presents his exploration of the All-Seeing Eye". you can read this very interesting post here: http://www.myfreemasonry.com/threads/the-all-seeing-eye.24952/

This post provides an excellent history lesson. History is a good thing. The conclusion of this post is that the All Seeing Eye "is a symbol of the Omnipresent Deity". I accept that conclusion as correct. However this conclusion presents an interesting dilemma for Master Masons.

Freemasonry accepts men of all faiths. Each faith describes the details of " Omnipresent Deity" differently. How do we, as Masons, deal with this apparent disparity? Is "Omnipresent Deity" different for men of different faiths; is that acceptable? Or are we, as Masons, referring to some core aspects of Deity that are the common to all men of all faiths?
 

JohnnyFlotsam

Premium Member
How do we, as Masons, deal with this apparent disparity? Is "Omnipresent Deity" different for men of different faiths; is that acceptable? Or are we, as Masons, referring to some core aspects of Deity that are the common to all men of all faiths?
We find it "acceptable" because to do otherwise would be fundamentally un-Masonic. Our catechism makes it clear that we are to pursue the teachings of our own VoSL with vigor. It says absolutely nothing about compelling, or even expecting, a Brother to study and live by that same Volume. As Masons, we should recognize that certain principles transcend sectarian differences. It is the sharing of the pursuit of those principles that draws us together.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
Freemasonry accepts men of all faiths. Each faith describes the details of " Omnipresent Deity" differently. How do we, as Masons, deal with this apparent disparity?

What's the apparent disparity? I don't get it. We adopt men of all faiths into our family end of report.

That lesson about agreeing doesn't apply in anything like that sense. What we agree on is the existence of a supreme deity not the details of how each of use see him. We don't even have reason to believe that members of any one faith see the all seeing eye the same. It's a Masonic reference not explicitly taken from one faith.
 
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