Karen Kidd has a few books on the topic: https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Ground-...TF8&qid=1499760773&sr=8-1&keywords=karen+kidd
Also the Masonic Round Table has a few episodes on Co-Masonry.
Here's the bottom line for me. I, nor my grand lodge, owns Freemasonry and neither do you or yours. I can say what my "branch" of Freemasonry sets as the standard. But I have zero place saying what any other organization sets for its standard.
Just within my male only "branch" there is a vastness of what we recognize that so many don't realize. The one right off the bat is the Swedish Rite (that here we know about thanks to our Swedish Rite brothers and our own reading). But the ritual that most of us American Masons know and love is insanely different in other American lodges that practice the "same ritual". Not only that but there are other rituals that are vastly different from our already vastly different American ritual. There have been women Masons in our male only lodges for a long time.
I'm not advocating us merging or sharing fraternal relations. But to not acknowledge each others existence is being intellectually dishonest and brothers to be honest I've only ever heard that come from us.
What is Freemasonry? I do not know. But I hope to die with God knowing I tried to find out without knowingly violating my heart.
To our Co-Masonic poster I've visited your site before you posted about it. It's a great site. While our grand lodges do not share fraternal relations I can still consider you a Masonic brother. Will either of us violate our obligations nope. But to ignore a branch of our craft is just silly. From what I've heard Co-Masonry generally kicks our ass when it comes to education.
Also the Masonic Round Table has a few episodes on Co-Masonry.
Here's the bottom line for me. I, nor my grand lodge, owns Freemasonry and neither do you or yours. I can say what my "branch" of Freemasonry sets as the standard. But I have zero place saying what any other organization sets for its standard.
Just within my male only "branch" there is a vastness of what we recognize that so many don't realize. The one right off the bat is the Swedish Rite (that here we know about thanks to our Swedish Rite brothers and our own reading). But the ritual that most of us American Masons know and love is insanely different in other American lodges that practice the "same ritual". Not only that but there are other rituals that are vastly different from our already vastly different American ritual. There have been women Masons in our male only lodges for a long time.
I'm not advocating us merging or sharing fraternal relations. But to not acknowledge each others existence is being intellectually dishonest and brothers to be honest I've only ever heard that come from us.
What is Freemasonry? I do not know. But I hope to die with God knowing I tried to find out without knowingly violating my heart.
To our Co-Masonic poster I've visited your site before you posted about it. It's a great site. While our grand lodges do not share fraternal relations I can still consider you a Masonic brother. Will either of us violate our obligations nope. But to ignore a branch of our craft is just silly. From what I've heard Co-Masonry generally kicks our ass when it comes to education.