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One sentence int he second paragraph - "It is important to note that the Order of Malta that started in the medieval ages still exists today, but the Order of Malta conferred in the Commandery only commemorates the medieval knights until their time in Malta from which they took their name." So...

The degrees are similar enough jurisdiction to jurisdiction that exact wording variations are a common topic of discussion when visiting. You need to have attended a degree several times before you will even be able to tell there are any differences at all jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

Nimrod is a character in the Bible's story about Noah. That story is not used in Masonry since about 1723. Maybe the story was used before 1723. The records aren't clear. If you intend to petition a lodge I recommend against reading the content of the degrees. Read all you like about the...

In Star Trek fandom we call those Gorn. I've never seen a Gorn at lodge. The rumor mill says they are all atheists and that's why. Contact them all you like, it looks like as atheists they are irrelevant to Masonry. ;^)

In another thread Bro Jamie mentioned that he had passed through a phase of being a fundamentalist in one of the sects that condemns Masonry. I figure that memory has left him with something that might be called "mental indigestion" on the topic and he's trying to work his way through the...

In lodge we teach to agree, but that's not a lesson I'm good at. I'm obedient to the rules but I disagree with a lot of stuff. I value Bro Borgnine's work in his profession and our craft but on this point I think he did us a disservice. One can be a brother without having a religion. We...

As long as you understand that "accurate" here means approximations that are subject to revision and replacement by more accurate approximations - There's no distinction between an unerring law of nature and what happens. That's how laws of nature are defined. To the extent the mathematical...

I went there once. Smaller than I expected but very nice. I loved the full size model of the pharoh's tomb that filled the entire basement.

Start with James Anderson and his Constitutions of 1723 and 17384. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Anderson_%28Freemason%29 http://freemasoninformation.com/masonic-education/books/andersons-constitutions-of-1723/ http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libraryscience/25/ It's quite explicit that as...

I don't think it's that bold an assertion as long as it s used to refer to the foundation of the Premier Gland Lodge of England in 1717. They required their members to be Christians for a couple of decades before dropping that requirement. Of course it can't refer to the mythical foundation of...

The distinction between religious and spiritual is not one that is often discussed and there is no good agreement on what it means. Among those who make the distinction it's not to be expected they mean even slightly the same distinction. There is strength in diversity. I consider religion to...

Country ham or city ham? ;^)

Science moved a very long way using the underlying assumption that the physical world exists and can be investigated and approximated. Whatever "exists" means even the mental only speculations work to explain existence. Top down and bottom up approaches do tend to lead to the same points.

Illinois tried that around 5 years ago. Almost all of the brothers who paid the GL fee didn't pay their dues and a couple of years later were NPD again. The few it brought back were worth it to me.

Physics is not possible without philosophy. It is possible to be a physicist without considering that philosophy. A scientist can articulate the scientific process without considering the underlying philosophy of science. When I worked on the space program early in my career the guys I...

Most lodges I know have meetings "any" week rather than "every" week. I know plenty of lodges that list meetings every week. Weeks that don't have a Stated, dinner or degree are automatically listed as practices. When I was in the line in my mother lodge some of these practices had such low...

Valid to him does not equal valid to you. We are not required to agree and that's why we don't discuss sectarian religion in lodge. Lodge is a place where a man will not be proselytized. If this is a problem for fundies then I do agree they should not petition. Of course work is also a place...

The movement is by the antis not by us. On our end that's all there is to it. if you want more you'd need to go to the antis for that. On the one hand it can be sadly entertaining to listen to the rantings of lunatics. On the other hand increased exposure to illness increases risk of...

There are elderly brothers in nursing homes. Their wives usually aren't interested in paying their dues. The secretary tells the wives they can ask for a remit and we'll handle their dues from here on in and their husband can have a Masonic funeral, or she can ignore of and there won't be an...

I rather like the opposition of those I consider not of sound mind. I think their crusade helps us. I like more the support of those I do consider of sound mind, but I'll take it either way. Anyone can glance at the example set by Antis and the example set by a local Mason in their...