Free speech, yes. Free action, no." ..... "In these media times, the stupid thing one random brother does can quickly end up being a story about the Craft as a whole, and that's tough.
So yes I do think that the GLs let us have freedom of speech. Whether they may always listen to the good advise that sometimes come their way, now that can be a different story.
Is there a such thing as free speech in Freemasonry? Because of our membership, are we always under the watchful eyes of our grand lodge officers? Your thoughts?
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Hearsay is easy, investigation is work. Masons are workers.
Unfortunately, most Grand Lodge Officers (in my case GLOTX) love to make assumptions based on hearsay vs. actually participating and answering questions on facebook or on a discussion forum like this. My opinion of the GLOTX changed drastically when a Brother emailed R.W. Tommy Guest (Grand Secretary) and asked about our site. The answer he received was "I don't know much about them, but they seem anti-Grand Lodge". Once I saw that reply, I immediately wrote a long email to R.W. Guest and within a short period of time I received an apology from him.
I've always been vocal about my opinions and to this day I don't really care which badge, fancy apron or gold chain reads them. I don't mean that as an insult, I just hold the belief that it's the inner vs. the outer. We're all on the same team.
Many Grand Lodges have used their bylaws to protect themselves from criticism, but how can we improve things if we aren't permitted to voice our opinion?