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Hypocrisy??

owls84

Moderator
Premium Member
-So we host an ALL Program night and go over protocol and cover how we should NEVER use the terms "Grand Master, Most Worshipful, Right Worshipful, Brother, etc." on the out side of an envelope just as I was taught by our Grand Secretary and and last years LIFE Program however I just recieved a magnet in the mail from GL with "A gift from your Grand Master" in big letters on the outside of the envelope. Really???

- EAs and FCs cannot wear a S&C but this years Gift of Life Program shirts (ones you receive when you donate) have a big square and compass on the back. I have a Lodge t-shirt I would like my EAs and FCs to wear during a March of Dimes walk this week with a big S&C on the back but I can't. Is that right?

-I had an EA attend a Grand Masters conference and the GM pinned a S&C pin on him however they cannot wear such jewelery. (2 years ago)

How are we expected to follow GL protocol or teach it when it is not being followed from the top down?
 

TexMass

Registered User
Re: Hipocracy

This was a topic in MA. The question was since a candidate pays for his degrees after he has received a favorable vote is he then a Mason scheduled to receive his degrees or is he a Mason after he has received his degrees. There had been a death of a candidate who was in that situation and members of the lodge knew him well and wanted to give him a Masonic funeral. I believe the GL settled that you must be at least an EA to receive a masonic funeral.
 

dhouseholder

Registered User
Re: Hipocracy

-So we host an ALL Program night and go over protocol and cover how we should NEVER use the terms "Grand Master, Most Worshipful, Right Worshipful, Brother, etc." on the out side of an envelope just as I was taught by our Grand Secretary and and last years LIFE Program however I just recieved a magnet in the mail from GL with "A gift from your Grand Master" in big letters on the outside of the envelope. Really???

- EAs and FCs cannot wear a S&C but this years Gift of Life Program shirts (ones you receive when you donate) have a big square and compass on the back. I have a Lodge t-shirt I would like my EAs and FCs to wear during a March of Dimes walk this week with a big S&C on the back but I can't. Is that right?

-I had an EA attend a Grand Masters conference and the GM pinned a S&C pin on him however they cannot wear such jewelery. (2 years ago)

How are we expected to follow GL protocol or teach it when it is not being followed from the top down?

I think a lot of this has to do with the GM's prerogative. I know that a good friend of mine was given both a EA and a FC pin by the GM himself and was thus allowed to wear them, they are now on display at his lodge. If the GM OKs it, then so mote it be. With the MoD shirts, I would be willing to bet that they had to be approved by GL, thus by the GM. Is it hipocracy? By definition yes, but, does the GM not have the right to be hypocritical?
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
Re: Hipocracy

As to the protocol on addressing another, "Grand Master", "Brother", or "Hon." are acceptable forms. Using "Most Worshipful", Right Worshipful", and "Worshipful" are discouraged in public as the profane may misunderstand.

As to the wearing of the S&C by EA's & FC's, that is NOT permissible, regardless of what the Grand Master does. I have to agree with you as to hypocrisy, but that's just the way it is. :-(
 

JTM

"Just in case"
Premium Member
Re: Hipocracy

how did i miss this rant earlier?

bill seems to have the answer, per usual, though.
 

dhouseholder

Registered User
Re: Hipocracy

As to the wearing of the S&C by EA's & FC's, that is NOT permissible, regardless of what the Grand Master does. I have to agree with you as to hypocrisy, but that's just the way it is. :-(
Not permissible as in "it shouldn't happen, but it does and we keep moving anyways"?
or as in "it is illegal regardless of what the GM says"?
 
H

Huw

Guest
Re: Hipocracy

Hi All.

This discussion seems to point up another interesting difference between the practice over there and what we do over here.

On the one hand, our rules are stricter about written forms of address: it would definitely be out of order here to use any form of masonic title at all on an envelope, even simply "Brother". This rule is enforced. That's only for written communications, however: there's no restriction on oral forms of address if a conversation is taking place in public - that's left to the good sense of the parties involved. The difference is because we take a firm view that it is each Brother's personal decision whether or not he is happy to be identified as a member - some Brethren might (for example) have relatives or colleagues who are anti-masons and therefore prefer to keep their membership private. With an envelope you can't know who will see it (and therefore you might inadvertently embarrass a Brother who wanted his membership to be private), whereas with an oral conversation you're expected to exercise common sense depending upon the circumstances.

On the other hand, our practice is quite relaxed about wearing pins and so forth: in theory we're not supposed to do it, but in practice a lot of us do and no-one says anything, and UGLE has itself approved a tie with an S&C design which members are allowed to wear in public if they're happy for their membership to be identified. And for us, unlike GLoTX, that includes EAs and FCs, because here membership dates from Initiation, not from Raising.

T & F,

Huw
 

JTM

"Just in case"
Premium Member
Re: Hipocracy

hypocrisy is the word, btw. hipocracy would suggest a style of government, maybe?


/troll. <3
 
H

Huw

Guest
Re: Hipocracy

Hi JTM.

hypocrisy is the word, btw. hipocracy would suggest a style of government, maybe?

Indeed so. Maybe the title of this thread is an alternative spelling of "hippocracy", which would literally mean "rule by horses" ... but allowing for some evolution of usage, hippocracy might come to mean "rule by cowboys" :)

T & F,

huw
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
Re: Hipocracy

This was a topic in MA. The question was since a candidate pays for his degrees after he has received a favorable vote is he then a Mason scheduled to receive his degrees or is he a Mason after he has received his degrees. There had been a death of a candidate who was in that situation and members of the lodge knew him well and wanted to give him a Masonic funeral. I believe the GL settled that you must be at least an EA to receive a masonic funeral.

Here, once he takes the EA obligation, he is a Mason and entitled to a Masonic funeral.
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
Re: Hipocracy

Not permissible as in "it shouldn't happen, but it does and we keep moving anyways"?
or as in "it is illegal regardless of what the GM says"?

I'd say "it shouldn't happen...". As I cannot find anything in the law book regarding the wearing of Masonic jewelry by EA's & FC's, I believe the prohibition of such is a matter of Masonic protocol, which the GM may ignore if he so chooses. I am not in favor of what he did, but he didn't ask me. ;-)
 
H

Huw

Guest
Re: Hipocracy

Well at least you didn't suggest "rule by hippies", Bill! :) "Aw-ull they-em day-ung law-ung-hay-ars", as a stereotypical movie-Texan would say.

T & F,

Huw
 

owls84

Moderator
Premium Member
Re: Hipocracy

Well at least you didn't suggest "rule by hippies", Bill! :) "Aw-ull they-em day-ung law-ung-hay-ars", as a stereotypical movie-Texan would say.

T & F,

Huw

Huw, you are fitting in quite nicely here. LOL
 

ljlinson1206

Premium Member
Premium Member
We are all taught that we should not wear masonic jewelry until we have been raised. In my humble opinion I think that if the GM passed out coins that would be perfectly acceptable, but then again he didn't ask me either.
 
J

JEbeling

Guest
Somebody droped the ball and didn't think this thru... ! with just a little thought they should have know better...? this should have been allow to happen and make the GM look bad...?
 

Wingnut

Premium Member
a few years back RW Donny Broughton gave out the pins to EA and FC at the conferences. I dont have mine handy but I believe they were proper one for each degree. He did make a comment that every mason should wear a S&C. I later asked one of the Brothers selling items and he explained it this way. "Yep the GM said you can, but to almost every MM you will meet they will say NO. You do what you want, but you might think about offending or pissing off the members you will be around all the time..."
 
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