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Yes. It's a rhetorical question, but one that (it seems to me) clearly needs to be asked. Recent discussions in another thread have made it clear to me (yet again) that a good many of our Brethren labor under the mistaken notion that the VSL (specifically, the KJV Bible) upon which they took...

The one that I have chosen as "the rule and guide" of my faith, just like you did. No. They are not the same texts, but each of us is no less bound to the obligations of the Degrees. As a matter of fact, I have indeed read large portions of the Christian Bible, also (keeping the list to the...

Fair enough. Now... Your mistake is in thinking that all Masons are bound by your VoSL. They are not. Please grant your Brother Masons the same respect you demand and don't try to make your particular religious beliefs their "lodge business".

No, thank you. That collection of scripture is one that you have chosen to use as your "rule and guide". It is entirely appropriate for you to use it as such, to govern your thoughts, words, and deeds. Nowhere in any Masonic teaching are we given license, much less, instruction, to compel others...

There is a certain logic to that, and to be sure, our Ancient Brethren made it clear that no slave could be made a mason, but still... The Old Charges read, "A Mason is obliged, by his tenure, to obey the moral law, and if he rightly understands the art, he will never be a stupid atheist nor...

...by your arbitrary standard. Again, it is entirely inappropriate for a Mason to use is own VSL as the "moral yardstick" by which he would measure his Brother. I mean we really don't want to go there, because if we did, I dare say that most of us would be fairly judged to be "unrepentant...

Thank you, Brother, for that welcome update. It's nice to see that "the system" works. It's not so nice to have to admit that it had to be employed at all. How a Master Mason harboring such plainly evident fear and ignorance could rise to the status of Grand Master is something which we should...

Agreed. You may be a sinner, according to some arbitrary list of proscribed actions in your chosen VoSL. Feel free to judge yourself accordingly, and be secure in the knowledge that I will defend your right to do so. Moreover, know that as your Brother, I will, wherever I can, fervently...

Re: Gay and Bi Brother Masons Hmm..., let's see how this sounds... "I don't have a problem with Muslim men, but I don't want it in my lodge." Or how about, "I don't have a problem with African American men, but I don't want them in my Lodge." Neither adjective describing the "men" in...

So... you're saying that the Texas Grand Commandery has different regulations than that of the Commandery in other jurisidictions. Imagine that. Don't get me wrong. If a group of Christian Masons want to get together and do whatever it is that they do, I support that. Such activity is not...

With respect, Brother, calling that "a start" is being overly generous. I would call it "where we are stuck after centuries of racism, sexism, and petty turf wars". On the bright side, progress continues. We should not lose sight of that and run the risk of allowing frustration and despair to...

As usual, it depends... In certain areas, new (ie. "young") leadership has been allowed to make changes that have made Masonry relevant and meaningful. Witness the success of the traditional observance Lodges. These Lodges are expensive, exclusive, formal, challenging; everything that dying...

What audit? I used to teach a workshop for Masonic groups that addressed the proper organization, accounting, documentation, etc., and I am here to tell you that most of the feedback I got was along the lines of, "We've never needed to do <insert best practice here> before..." Then again, this...

Sadly, these are exactly the kind of disingenuous and "totally missed the point" responses that I expected. Surely we aren't really arguing that, when it comes to an individual's ability to identify, value and pursue Masonic ideals, gender is of any consequence whatsoever. Right? Surely we...

In the context of "mainstream" Freemasonry, the term "recognized" has a fairly specific meaning. Using that definition, no Lodge or Grand Lodge that admits women can be recognized by any mainstream Masonic body. That said, there is nothing in that definition which broadly states anything like...

Not current, but I am a licensed pilot. Soloed in a (then) 50 year-old Taylorcraft, having sought out such a craft and an equally crusty old instructor to teach me.

The MWPHGL of TX and the GL of TX AF&AM are both regular and recognized, are they not? Current laws may prevent a member of one from sitting in a Lodge of the other, but little else. No?

I am... stunned. I just don't have the words for how sad I am, Brother - for your loss and for the inexcusable treatment you've received. I simply can't understand how it is that Brother Masons, including those whose reach is long and whose resources are considerable, could not be bothered to...

I am struck by the glaring hypocrisy... "The number of single parents in the U.S. has quadrupled since the '60s, and there has also been an increase in violence and school shootings. All that stuff has increased largely because of a lack of parenting, and many households only have one...

I'll leave it to those more familiar with the laws of the GL of TX to confirm, or refute, but I am inclined to agree with your assessment of such laws' intent, thus reinforcing yet again the notion that Texas Masonry is out of step with pretty much the rest of the world. The obligation I took...