My Freemasonry | Freemason Information and Discussion Forum

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

The Ring

CLewey44

Registered User
Absolutely! More common outside of the US where it takes more than a day to become a MM.
I was actually about to mention that. They aren't popular here due to the fact that A. EAs/FCs rarely, if ever, go to stated meetings because they are mostly on the MM degree which certainly doesn't encourage the newer members to come to meetings and fellowship B. The amount of time you would wear it would be as little as a day but on average, what, maybe three months?
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
I was actually about to mention that. They aren't popular here due to the fact that A. EAs/FCs rarely, if ever, go to stated meetings because they are mostly on the MM degree which certainly doesn't encourage the newer members to come to meetings and fellowship B. The amount of time you would wear it would be as little as a day but on average, what, maybe three months?

Yet we can wear it the rest of our lives. I can wear my Shrine or Scottish Rite or Master Mason ring yet I mostly wear one of my PM rings. We tend to wear the ring that means the most to us which is not always the one that represents our "highest" or "farthest" degree.
 

Lightlife

Site Benefactor
Premium Member
Yet we can wear it the rest of our lives. I can wear my Shrine or Scottish Rite or Master Mason ring yet I mostly wear one of my PM rings. We tend to wear the ring that means the most to us which is not always the one that represents our "highest" or "farthest" degree.

Yes. I have many rings from different milestones but the one I wore (I no longer wear a Masonic ring) is a very plain, used, S&C ring. I like the energy of a used and well worn ring Vs. a shiny new one.
 

CLewey44

Registered User
Yet we can wear it the rest of our lives. I can wear my Shrine or Scottish Rite or Master Mason ring yet I mostly wear one of my PM rings. We tend to wear the ring that means the most to us which is not always the one that represents our "highest" or "farthest" degree.
Very true, once an EA/FC, always such. Or at least you have the light of that degree.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
I realize your comment is tongue in cheek, but marking a building where Master Masons (and their Apprentices and Fellows) gather with the sign of a Master Mason is not the same as a Brother wearing the emblem of a Master when they are not yet entitled to it.
Wearing the S&C is *earned*. If you haven't earned it, wearing it is disrespectful not only to us but also to the person doing it.
Exactly!
 

David612

Registered User
In some areas (i belive Japan is one) candidates are required to become involved with the lodge for up to a year prior to being initiated, they cook, clean, help with charitable works and so on but once initiated it can again take years to be raised to the sublime degree-
Other jurisdictions you can rock up one weekend and “earn” 32 degrees.

Earning it seems to be a bit of a sliding scale..
 

Winter

Premium Member
In some areas (i belive Japan is one) candidates are required to become involved with the lodge for up to a year prior to being initiated, they cook, clean, help with charitable works and so on but once initiated it can again take years to be raised to the sublime degree-
Other jurisdictions you can rock up one weekend and “earn” 32 degrees.

Earning it seems to be a bit of a sliding scale..
True. But we can't think less of our Brothers who were raised in jurisdictions with shorter periods between degrees. Our Ob. is just as binding regardless if you spent 3 years going through the degrees or a weekend Man-to-Mason class.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

David612

Registered User
True. But we can't think less of our Brothers who were raised in jurisdictions with shorter periods between degrees. Our Ob. is just as binding regardless if you spent 3 years going through the degrees or a weekend Man-to-Mason class.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Personally I don’t think less of them at all-
Just when this notion that any master masons has, by virtue of his rank, earned the right to wear an S&C I must disagree-
it’s simply reserved for masters in some jurisdictions, to claim its merit based is just a bit self-aggrandising.
 

Winter

Premium Member
Personally I don’t think less of them at all-
Just when this notion that any master masons has, by virtue of his rank, earned the right to wear an S&C I must disagree-
it’s simply reserved for masters in some jurisdictions, to claim its merit based is just a bit self-aggrandising.
The West gate isn't as guarded as it should be probably. But what is the measure to tell a Master Mason, "You haven't earned that ring."

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

David612

Registered User
The West gate isn't as guarded as it should be probably. But what is the measure to tell a Master Mason, "You haven't earned that ring."

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
I’m not surgesting that we tell masters to not wear a ring, rather I would encourage EA and FC to wear rings if they feel they wanted too, obviously PM rings and the like are different as they are quite specific but I’m firmly of the opinion the the S&C is the logo of the craft first and EA and FC are members of the craft.

That said there are of cause many masons who haven’t earned their rings, ranks or what have you but that isn’t their faults as they are candidates in this process- the fault becomes theirs if they don’t go back and learn and understand the work.
 

CLewey44

Registered User
In some areas (i belive Japan is one) candidates are required to become involved with the lodge for up to a year prior to being initiated, they cook, clean, help with charitable works and so on but once initiated it can again take years to be raised to the sublime degree-
Other jurisdictions you can rock up one weekend and “earn” 32 degrees.

Earning it seems to be a bit of a sliding scale..

I'm a little torn on this sort of thing. I'm not sure it taking years and years to be a MM is the proper route. This day and age, people are different. Numbers would certainly drop leaving only many, several dozen lodges left. But theyd be good lodges im sure.

However, if one were that mentally invested in something (or fiscally with dues) they would be good, quality members vs. just paying $75.00 a year for a dues card and never even showing up in lodge. At that point it is like, what is the point of you even keeping your dues up? So you can have a masonic funeral?
 

David612

Registered User
I'm a little torn on this sort of thing. I'm not sure it taking years and years to be a MM is the proper route. This day and age, people are different. Numbers would certainly drop leaving only many, several dozen lodges left. But theyd be good lodges im sure.

However, if one were that mentally invested in something (or fiscally with dues) they would be good, quality members vs. just paying $75.00 a year for a dues card and never even showing up in lodge. At that point it is like, what is the point of you even keeping your dues up? So you can have a masonic funeral?
I don’t think there needs to be a time frame associated to doing the degrees really-
I guess it just comes down to when the candidate is actually proficient in the work-
 

CLewey44

Registered User
I don’t think there needs to be a time frame associated to doing the degrees really-
I guess it just comes down to when the candidate is actually proficient in the work-

And that may be the difference in some places. Is proficiency in the work your ability to memorize something or is it the 'work' you've performed in your life, in lodge and elsewhere. But then I guess it'd be up to fellow lodge members to decide that. In other words, someone would have to make a notion to except and pass an EA to FC (for example) and maybe give reasons why.

Technically, when cat lect is given, the brethren vote on whether or not the individual was 'proficient'. (Btw, I've never seen anyone get voted no, even when I was certain they would get declined on one particular occasion. The FC was basically just repeating back the answer the questioner was saying, yes you read that correctly, the questioner would read the question, pause and then more or less just give the answer and the guy was repeating him lol)Tough to say how to gauge proficiency outside of the cat lect but I'm sure it's done or could be done in some GLs.
 

Tpower31

Premium Member
I agree. I would add that many in Masonry consider the ring reserved for Master Masons and it is considered inappropriate for an Entered Apprentice or Fellowcraft to wear a ring. Once, in my mother lodge, a PM actually told (not asked) an EA with a ring to take it off

I agree I bought my ring as an EA but did not wear it until I was made a Master Mason as I felt I had not earned the right or privilege to wear it and only after I became a MM did I feel I was entitled to wear such a symbol and I wear it proudly


Sent from my iPhone using My Freemasonry Mobile
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
I agree I bought my ring as an EA but did not wear it until I was made a Master Mason as I felt I had not earned the right or privilege to wear it and only after I became a MM did I feel I was entitled to wear such a symbol and I wear it proudly
Same here. I bought it as an EA but didn't wear it outdoors until I was an MM. I have to admit that I did sometimes wear it inside my home, lol.
 

Blackstar

Registered User
I had a student who came to school wearing the Square and Compasses on a "gold" dog tag and chain. Nobody in the school was a Freemason, but me and another coworker had a conversation with him about why you just can't wear every symbol that looks cool. He got it after we compared it to college fraternities and he never wore it to school again.
 

Rifleman1776

Registered User
I think the issue is petty. It is matter of freedom of speech. In America, anyone can wear any symbol they wish at any time. Non-Masons wearing the s&c might be stupid but it is their right.
 

Winter

Premium Member
Many states still have laws on the books that make it a misdemeanor punishable by fines or jail time to produce or wear a Masonic symbol when not entitled to it. Though I doubt it has been actually prosecuted in anyone here's lifetime!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 
Top