I'd like to power to...

Demit a Member by vote of the Lodge. If we can vote people in, we should be able to easily boot them out. I'm not talking about removing them from Masonry, just their Membership. For example, we have Brethren who are members of numerous Lodges, but have no issue stirring the pot at my Lodge. If I could strip them to the point of being a visitor, I would. In my case, it would be for the betterment of the Lodge and Peace and Harmony may once again prevail.

Could this be done on a local level or would it have to goto Grand Lodge of TX?

It would have to go to Grand Lodge. There was a proposal to do just what you suggest, either last year or the year before (I forget which). It didn't pass.

Bill_Lins77488 said:

It would have to go to Grand Lodge. There was a proposal to do just what you suggest, either last year or the year before (I forget which). It didn't pass.

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Gosh it would of made such a huge difference this year ;( As I mentioned before, it's not about "kicking" someone out of Freemasonry, but removing them as a member of a particular Lodge.

I'm still a noob, but it seems the Lodge and Worshipful Master don't have any REAL power to put the smack down, which is a damn shame. If it were me, I'd have at least two members escorted out at every meeting they attended. Simple as that. I suppose we're more of a symbolic figure than anything.

Blake Bowden said:

Simple as that. I suppose we're more of a symbolic figure than anything.

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This is for a couple of reasons, the first is the generational gap between the baby boomers and the silent generation is so big that the west gate was guarded by the same men. This has built us a cadre of Past Masters that are still very active in a lodge, and ultimately dictate the direction the lodge takes with out the Past Nothings (PNs) input. Where as before when 40-70 men would show up for lodge, a Worshipful Master wouldn't be strong armed so much by the PMs. Sometimes I see the way we run our lodges and see that when men like you sit in the east, it seems like they want you to be a Past Master in Training, vice a Worshipful Master.

Regarding your original point, I can see where you are going, but I also can see massive amounts of abuse. For instance the current leadership of my mother lodge does not care for me, but I wouldn't want them to have the ability to demit me because of this. Also, you could demit a lot of men simply because they won't fall in line with your opinions. I do see how it would help to stop men from showing up who do nothing more than play political games and spoil the well. Still, one only needs to look at some of the abuses by Grand Masters have done lately, and realize that would be magnified at the local blue lodge.

My $.02

S&F,
-Bro Vick

If the WM determines that anyone is disturbing the peace and harmony of the lodge, the WM has the right and responsibility to have that person removed from the lodge for that particular meeting.

RedTemplar said:

If the WM determines that anyone is disturbing the peace and harmony of the lodge, the WM has the right and responsibility to have that person removed from the lodge for that particular meeting.

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That's an option if there is something obvious going on, but often times, it's subtle and I don't know until after the fact. Bro. Lins, would you support such an amendment?

Let me think about it for awhile- I see good & bad on both sides.

Bro_Vick said:

Past Nothings (PNs)

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I like how you put that...lol

RedTemplar said:

If the WM determines that anyone is disturbing the peace and harmony of the lodge, the WM has the right and responsibility to have that person removed from the lodge for that particular meeting.

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I could have thought I JUST read something in the GLoT Laws about something like this. I thought that it said that there was an actual process that the WM had to go through to be able to remove someone. Something like he had to warn the Brother causing the ruckus not once, but twice, and then he could have him removed.... For the life of me, I can't find it now.

Sometimes peoples's medications or "advancing mental states of mind" can cause them to act out. I'd wanna find out if there was some organic reason for their 'tudes.

I can see the good and the bad in the idea. Sometimes something like this needs to be done. Sadly, some have failed to remember that the Lodge room isn't theirs to run like they want. The building doesn't belong to them and yet somehow they think they have the right to dictate how things work and may need on occasion to remember these things. I know that most of the Brothers in my Lodge wouldn't abuse the power. Some of the people that used to be there might and maybe one of the current ones, but for the most part something like that might be the exception to the rule.