There were and are anythings to be angry about - but how to deal with that is to direct that passion in working for change, but we've come a long way since you and others used to write about Price Hall recognition - that's now more the norm than the exception and Nth American GLs who still do not recognize Prince Hall are out of step rather than keeping a status quo - it's great to hear our Texan Brethren have even made progress on this in the last 6 months...
......In reality, all Masonry is local. Individual Lodges in order to survive must do many things right but the two most important are to Grow and to be financially stable. If you wither away into nothing you have not survived. Survival is of utmost importance to continue to practice and hand down Masonry...
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I 100% agree and it's an important point, masonry is local, and even more, is about the group assembled under a single warrant, but the casual reader, even some masons themselves, do not recognise that is the case, prejudice based on skin colour or religion might happen in some places - but here, in Western Europe and now increasingly in the USA, it would be regarded as un-Masonic. Indeed, here, it would might even bring charges of un-Masonic behaviour and would have done so long ago... What happens in a specific jurisdiction in a State in Europe or in one of the American States is not Freemasonry universal.. that's lost on many people - and an aberration is represented is normal. Fortunately some of the more objectionable aberrations you've written on, esp recognition, have changed..
Very much appreciate that we have been friends all these years. I used to be an angry Freemason. There were many abuses in some but not the majority of US Grand Lodges and I took up the cause of some abused Brothers. Now I have mellowed some and write more often about talented Freemasons - authors, artists and craftsmen.
I think that if you were to live in Brother Tim's Jurisdiction you might become slightly jaded too. The GL of Florida not only does not recognize Prince Hall Freemasonry but it won't let any Mainstream Black Masons who come down from the North to winter in Florida inside their Lodge rooms (not all but most). Just a few years ago they went through a religious crisis where the GM sought to expel 2 Brothers for not belonging to one of the three Abrahamic religions.
In addition Brother Tim has been muzzled by his Grand Lodge for years now. He cannot write or disseminate anything Masonic in the state of Florida.
I would gather my beloved Brother that your Masonic experience has not brought you through Racism in Freemasonry. Or anti Semitism. Or a large contingent of the KKK in your Lodges.
Put yourself in the other guys shoes.
Yet I must say you are right. If the glass is always half empty then you grow into as un-Masonic a person as the people your are battling. I have learned that lesson. Tim will realize it in due time.
But your Grand Lodge, my Brother, seems to be doing it up very proud. You have alcohol permitted in your Grand Lodges. And the way to get around selling it is to have a donation box. And you rent out your halls. Your Lodges sound as if they are financially stable. We still have Lodges in the USA that charge $50 dues per year. Many of these Lodges have a large population of retired Masons and every vote to increase dues is met by their majority vote wrath.
In reality, all Masonry is local. Individual Lodges in order to survive must do many things right but the two most important are to Grow and to be financially stable. If you wither away into nothing you have not survived. Survival is of utmost importance to continue to practice and hand down Masonry.
To grow you need to put on good ritual, to present an excellent Masonic experience and to be a Lodge that presents good Masonic programs - fraternal, social and educational.
To be financially stable a Lodge must be run like a business and make a profit. It must take in sufficient revenue to provide all of the above. It's not just dues, but also being able to find economic gain from a building only used at the most 2xmonth unless it also houses the Concordant Bodies.
Nobody here is talking about changing or fiddling with the ritual, virtues and morality of Masonry. What is being discussed is its presentation and the manner in which it is run.
Many Lodges, sadly, are being run into the ground.
I can put myself in the other man's shoes, but again, Bro Tim does not overtly write about the situation in Florida, but presents to non-Freemasons they problems he speaks of are universal. My GL is far from perfect, but things like renting our building occurs because local Freemasons took responsibility for the Craft and worked for it's betterment, but also realise, buildings actually have nothing to do with Freemasonry. They represent history, previous and current commitment, they might give us legitimacy and most importantly, the provide a cubby of fraternity, but they do not make or improve masons, but buildings can be used to bring them together in purpose, but, again, a tool for building fraternal relationships and they are not Masonry in itself.
When people get dissonant here (and we don't have institutional racism or recognition problems and generally our GL does not treat us like children, and when it does, it comes off second best - changes people did not like to "streamline" the candidate process, including removing the need for references and he ballot, were defeated at 6:1) I always echo your words above, forget about GL, let's focus on making our lodge strong. While that is about creating successors, it is more about fraternity, if our members don't earn the title "brother" by acting as such to each other, the admission of candidates will be into a lodge which is much less than it should be..
On a lighter aside, many of the first Lodges here were Irish and had traveling warrants - while Bro Dan O'Connel might have been for temperance, my general experience of the Irish (being the predominate type of ancestor I know about) is they like booze - dry Freemasonry would not fly in Australia
Hopefully, one day, a Brother can sit next to Bro Tim in Florida and pour him a stiff drink.