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One Day Class

coachn

Coach John S. Nagy
Premium Member
I found the below article interesting. It is far from the traditional Masonic experience most of us went through. What are your thoughts brothers concerning men being made a Master Masons, Sublime Prince, and a Shriner in one day ?
http://www.midnightfreemasons.org/2016/08/brother-against-brother-masonic-civil.html?m=1
onedayclasses_01.jpg
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
Statistically Brothers of one day classes participate in lodge meetings and go through the line in at least as high a percentage as Brothers who get their degrees individually. To me that comes with an SMIB. Very clearly it works for many.

I am gratified that the new generation come in droves to get individual degrees but I long ago resigned myself to the fact that degrees are about the candidate not about me. Very clearly individual degrees work for many.

Classes work for the Scottish Rite and have for over a century. I try to avoid getting on a high horse about using that long proven system in other ways.

Shriners show a puzzling trend. Many go through their degrees specifically to qualify for the Shrine and we never see them again in lodge. Uh-oh, here comes that high horse. Not all that many do the reverse trend as I have of joining the Shrine and liking it but not showing up much because I'm too busy at lodge. That high horse is sure nudging me to climb on isn't it. We deposit their dues checks and bless those Shriners for their checks. I guess I avoid getting on the high horse but I can't really shoo it completely away either.

Taken all together my reaction is sort of like a motorcycle trip. One leg on each side of the issue and in between an engine that vibrates my jewels until they go numb until I have to rest under a bridge waiting for the feeling to return.
 

Zack

Registered User
Statistically Brothers of one day classes participate in lodge meetings and go through the line in at least as high a percentage as Brothers who get their degrees individually. To me that comes with an SMIB.

Whose statistics?
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
Whose statistics?

When Illinois adopted FC+MM classes, not quite the same thing as all the way in one day, the stats were cited from all the states that were doing classes before then. It would take digging through Proceedings for several years in the 1990s to find the citations.
 

Bostonian

Registered User
Here in Massachusetts, we do have One Day Classes and from what I have heard, those who participate in the ODC are no more likely to drop out vs. someone who went through the degrees traditionally. Rather, it is our ability as leaders of our lodges to keep our brethren engaged and interested in what Masonry has to offer.
 

Zack

Registered User
I'd love to see the statistics on overall retention vs drop out, as in, how many petition, how many drop out after each degree and how soon they do drop out.
Brother John, I don't think our GL would be forthcoming with those numbers
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
I'd love to see the statistics on overall retention vs drop out, as in, how many petition, how many drop out after each degree and how soon they do drop out.
Here in Massachusetts, we do have One Day Classes and from what I have heard, those who participate in the ODC are no more likely to drop out vs. someone who went through the degrees traditionally. Rather, it is our ability as leaders of our lodges to keep our brethren engaged and interested in what Masonry has to offer.
Quite awhile back I read on one of our forums that the drop out rate for those doing the ODC was much higher than those that went through the traditional way. However, I don't remember who posted it or what evidence, if any, that they had.
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
from what I have heard, those who participate in the ODC are no more likely to drop out vs. someone who went through the degrees traditionally.
That very well may be so, but what made me decide my stance on that issue was a conversation years ago with a young Brother who had ODC'd in another jurisdiction and had since transferred to GLoTX. He told me that, having seen how we give each candidate a separate Degree & teach him that Degree's catechism before advancing, he felt he had been cheated out of the initiatic experience he should have gotten. Too late for him, but I feel sad that any Brother might come away from his Degrees feeling that way. Maybe it works OK if they don't know the difference, but I still don't feel it's the right thing to do.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
That very well may be so, but what made me decide my stance on that issue was a conversation years ago with a young Brother who had ODC'd in another jurisdiction and had since transferred to GLoTX. He told me that, having seen how we give each candidate a separate Degree & teach him that Degree's catechism before advancing, he felt he had been cheated out of the initiatic experience he should have gotten. Too late for him, but I feel sad that any Brother might come away from his Degrees feeling that way. Maybe it works OK if they don't know the difference, but I still don't feel it's the right thing to do.
Excellent reason. I know that I am glad that I went though it one at a time for the very reason that you describe.
 

pointwithinacircle2

Rapscallion
Premium Member
I think that the difference between knowledge and learning is pertinent to this discussion. When I was raised I heard the MM Obligation for the first time. At that point I had knowledge of the obligation, but I hadn't learned it. In the jurisdiction where I was raised they use the short form catechism so I was not required to memorize the obligation, it was read to me and I, again, agreed to it. I was a MM for about six months before, for personal reasons, it became important for me to memorize the MM obligation. It was at this point that I began to learn. By "learn" I don't mean aquire the ability to repeat the words back in the correct order, although that certainly happened too. I mean that I learned what my obligation actually means. I Learned what it means to have an obligation and to be able to live by it. I learned that an obligation can be more than a promise, it can be a tool that is used to securely attach one's self to something greater than one's self. To those who understand what I have written I am sure that my explanation is unnecessary. To those who do not understand I am sure that no amount of explaining will make it clear.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
I was a MM for about six months before, for personal reasons, it became important for me to memorize the MM obligation. It was at this point that I began to learn. By "learn" I don't mean aquire the ability to repeat the words back in the correct order, although that certainly happened too. I mean that I learned what my obligation actually means.
I couldn't agree more! Just memorizing the material and being able to parrot it back means nothing unless you actually understand its meaning.
 

grayflannelsuit

Premium Member
I personally would not take a one-day class as I feel it would rob me of the experience of going more carefully and deliberately through the degrees, but I would not begrudge someone else from choosing a different path.
 

Levelhead

Premium Member
You can never live by your obligation if you don't remember what you repeated you were obligated to do.


You tell a kid to take out the trash, he forgets, doesnt do it.


Sent from Mossy Oak Swamp Bottom
 
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