Several, but sadly Ive been rather lax with my Shrine duties. Our Blue Lodge has Floor School now on Shrine Nights. Blue Lodge comes first in my priorities so I havent made any shrine functions this year.
If the Blue Lodge is not the "answer" for every Mason then they really shouldn't be a Mason at all then.
Should they?
Should masonic membership not be a requirement for induction into the shrine?
Since you quoted me I will assume you directed this question at me although I don't see how it is relevant to my comment.
in my opinion you are wrong. Yes and No would be my answer. Traditionally I would say yes because that is what it was created and designed to be - a Masonic appendant body. However there are no secrets that need to be protected, no profound truths, no esoteric work, in short nothing that NEED be protected from the profane. So I really don't see a NEED for it to be a Masons only institution. Obviously many shriners feel they have outgrown Freemasonry. As evidenced by the poster before me who said the blue lodge wasn't the answer for all Freemasons.
I would suggest that if the blue lodge isn't the answer for you then you got into Freemasonry for the wrong reasons because ultimately the Blue Lodge IS Freemasonry and everything else is just fluff.
I wouldn't be hurt either way although I would leave the Shrine if it became a non Masonic body. Maybe instead of the Shrine hurting the blue lodge as it does now it could help the blue lodge by opening it's doors to the profane thereby exposing them to Freemasonry and Freemasons. It could be a fertile recruiting ground for good men. Even though we don't recruit...
I commend those that put the Shrine second to the Blue Lodge. I don't think that is common enough[FLV][/FLV].
to call the shrine fluff or other bodies ruffles my feathers a little. i am a shriner and proud to be one. i never have put it in front of my blue lodge and only actualy do a handful of activities a year. there are people who work as hard as any blue lodge member to make the system a go. i am happy to see the work they do and appreciate it greatly. masonry is more than attending stated meetings or degrees. it is how we walk and act out our lives. some of the greatest masons i know dont attend lodge some do. everyone is entitled to an opinion. i would be more careful how i express it. we are brethren and you step on your brothers toes when you act express yourself like that.
[Since you quoted me I will assume you directed this question at me although I don't see how it is relevant to my comment./]
Yes and No would be my answer. Traditionally I would say yes because that is what it was created and designed to be - a Masonic appendant body. However there are no secrets that need to be protected, no profound truths, no esoteric work, in short nothing that NEED be protected from the profane. So I really don't see a NEED for it to be a Masons only institution. Obviously many shriners feel they have outgrown Freemasonry. As evidenced by the poster before me who said the blue lodge wasn't the answer for all Freemasons.
I would suggest that if the blue lodge isn't the answer for you then you got into Freemasonry for the wrong reasons because ultimately the Blue Lodge IS Freemasonry and everything else is just fluff.
I wouldn't be hurt either way although I would leave the Shrine if it became a non Masonic body. Maybe instead of the Shrine hurting the blue lodge as it does now it could help the blue lodge by opening it's doors to the profane thereby exposing them to Freemasonry and Freemasons. It could be a fertile recruiting ground for good men. Even though we don't recruit...
I commend those that put the Shrine second to the Blue Lodge. I don't think that is common enough[FLV][/FLV].
I am also a Shriner. I am also proud to be one. I think what the Shrine does is very important and very admirable but I did not become a Mason to be a Shriner.
In my opinion any Mason who says that the blue lodge is not their cup of tea should never have been made a Mason in the first place.
I lead a pretty active work life. I don't get to Lodge or Shrine as much as I would like but when I have a choice between the two it's the blue lodge because whether anyone likes it or not it is the meat and potatoes of Freemasonry and everything else is dessert.
Sorry if this offends you but maybe that is part of the problem. The attitude these days that somehow all of the appendant bodies are as or more important than the blue lodge.
The shrine charities are serious and the participation in the shrine is to be commended but... it is fluff compared to Freemasonry and should be enjoyed as a secondary distraction not a primary one.
If your stated meetings and degrees are making you fall asleep then you need to do something to change that. Dismissing yourself to the shrine is not the answer.
but Blue Lodge alone would make for a very shallow order.
Congratulations, B/Harris.
I as well donate a monetary amount every month to the Galveston Shrine Hospital. I think very highly of what they stand for and countless children and families are better today due to them.
I DO NOT AGREE with the statement/opinion made calling them a fluff to masonry. Those comments are very shallow and you should re-apply the proper thoughts and meanings of what it is to be a FreeMason.