Freemasonry isn't dying

[MRichard]

Yes its ressam. He pisses me off more and more with every post. Ive blocked him but i still see his comments cause hes retared and quotes something and then posts inthe quote

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Lol. I am on my tablet now and nothing showed up but it's different when I am on my laptop. I don't usually support banning people but there are always the exceptions.

 

[Warrior1256]

Some countries do.

George Washington is rumored to have said "He who governs least governs best". A single national GL would get to impose its mistakes on all Brothers in the county, no thanks.

.....and charge extra fees.

 

[Bill Lins]

I've always wondered why we don't have a national GLs?

Here's what the Law of The Grand Lodge of Texas has to say about that subject:

Art. 17. General Grand Lodge.
The Grand Lodge is opposed to the formation or establishment of a General or Supreme Grand Lodge for the United States of America, and forbids its officers and Grand Representatives to participate in any meeting where any such movement shall be ever considered.

 

[Bloke]

Here's what the Law of The Grand Lodge of Texas has to say about that subject:

Art. 17. General Grand Lodge.
The Grand Lodge is opposed to the formation or establishment of a General or Supreme Grand Lodge for the United States of America, and forbids its officers and Grand Representatives to participate in any meeting where any such movement shall be ever considered.

Well there you go. There is on GL who would need to change its rules and the first question would be why they created that rule in the first place.

Would it be feasible to use a system like in England, one Grand Lodge and each State have a Provincial Grand Lodge?

By why ? What is the actual problem you are tying to address in forming a National GL ?

 

[cemab4y]

The membership statistics for 2014, have been published by the MSANA. Please see:

http://msana.com/msastats.asp

As in previous years, the fraternity is hemorrhaging members (with a few exceptions) nationally. The total USA loss was 46,065 members.

As usual, most Freemasons in the USA are convinced that there is no problem, and everything is just fine, and nothing needs to be done, to stanch the loss. Most Freemasons take the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", or "We never did it that way before", or "There is no problem with membership numbers, after all my lodge had three new EA's initiated last year".

I personally, do not believe that we need a national GL. That would just be rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. A national GL could not "f**k it up" any worse than 51 individual Grand lodges.

 

[acjohnson53]

What "financial benefits" he trying to get. I got wages for him, much better than money/G\

 

[JJones]

I do absolutely believe their is a problem, a few in fact, and it isn't necessarily membership numbers.

There are many lodges, and possibly some Grand Lodges, that are still reaping the benefits of what our brethren built before the post WWII membership boom. Now that everything is no longer rosy, many of us are trying to use the same paradigms and mentalities that caused our problems in order to find solutions.

 

[Bill Lins]

A national GL could not "f**k it up" any worse than 51 individual Grand lodges.

You sure about that?

 

[Bill Lins]

the first question would be why they created that rule in the first place.

Good question. Judging by the Article #, I doubt that our fathers were yet born when that one was enacted.

 

[dfreybur]

There are many lodges, and possibly some Grand Lodges, that are still reaping the benefits of what our brethren built before the post WWII membership boom. Now that everything is no longer rosy, many of us are trying to use the same paradigms and mentalities that caused our problems in order to find solutions.

No problem can be solved using the thinking that created that problem in the first place - Einstein

Pay attention to the long term trend before the WWI-WWII-Korea boom and the return to original size no longer seems all that bad - me.

 

[Warrior1256]

Pay attention to the long term trend before the WWI-WWII-Korea boom and the return to original size no longer seems all that bad - me.

Sounds good to me!

 

[BullDozer Harrell]

Glancing back into history, it's been documented that the idea of a National Grand Lodge was entertained by the GLs of State in the early 19th Century.
Refer to the writings of RW Bro. Charles Moore's magazine, the Freemasons Magazine available on GoogleBooks at no cost.
The idea flopped.

Prince Hall GLs did form a National Grand Lodge during the same period. It got off on a good start but soon enough fell apart from the inside out.
It was too bulky and hard to manage. Plus there was a constant power struggle to control the beast.
The subordinate lodges could not concede fully to operate as just provincial lodges when as before the Compact, they made their own laws,rules,etc.

The biggest problems that will arise from a National Grand Lodge system is authority, control and supremacy.
Who will be agreed upon by all Regular U.S. Freemasons to head this system?
Who will be trusted with so much powers?



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[Bill Lins]

Pay attention to the long term trend before the WWI-WWII-Korea boom and the return to original size no longer seems all that bad

I've often heard the "boom" years referred to as "the Golden Age of Freemasonry". Methinks it was the worst thing ever to befall U.S. Masonry- the Brethren thought that the growth would continue, so they overbuilt & overspent. Now that the bubble has burst, we have to pick up the pieces & contract to a sustainable state.

 

[Warrior1256]

The biggest problems that will arise from a National Grand Lodge system is authority, control and supremacy.
Who will be agreed upon by all Regular U.S. Freemasons to head this system?
Who will be trusted with so much powers?

Very good questions!

 

[Bloke]

The first question remains, what problem are you trying to address in examining the idea of a regular national grand lodge for the USA ?

They how and what is secondary - WHY is the first question.

 

[Ripcord22A]

The problem i see is that while we are A country but we are also many states.
I feel a little embarrassed admitting this but i didnt know that Canada or Austraila had "states". I always heard it refered to as Alberta Canada or Quebec Canada. It wasnt till i was older that i heard it refered to Alberta, Quebec Canada. Likewise for Australia..it was always Perth or Sydney Australia. You never hear it called Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. My point is that i think the States in the U.S. mean more then in other countries that have states. Afterall the states rights was a major talking point after the revolution.

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[BullDozer Harrell]

The first question remains, what problem are you trying to address in examining the idea of a regular national grand lodge for the USA ?

They how and what is secondary - WHY is the first question.

Exactly!
There are no reasons that a majority of State GLs could provide and explain to all that would make the idea agreeable. It's not necessary at this point.
The conditions for a National Grand Lodge doesn't exist in 2016 anymore today than they did in 1843,1847 etc.
The main reason that it existed as a proposed idea in 1843 was because of a lack in uniformity of Rituals, Ceremonies and some small Customs& Usages.
Those issues have been corrected.

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[Brother JC]

The thought of trying to incorporate the 50 "state-based" GLs gives me nightmares; some of them don't even know the others exist! (Yes, that's from experience.)

 

[Bloke]

....My point is that i think the States in the U.S. mean more then in other countries that have states. Afterall the states rights was a major talking point after the revolution.

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It is a little off topic but this made me think when I first read it. Australian States do mean a lot and their character is defined and different, be have a tension here over states rights vrs Federalism, but it is now spoken generally in terms of funding and money. With our smaller population (circa 23 Mil) it also seems whacky to have two levels of laws (State and Federal) in several areas like consumer law, where both federal and state laws catch situations, and we have an argument over a Federal School Curriculum (currently state) and Hospitals (mixed funding and rules), but compared to the American Situation where back in the day the state militia were really important, and indeed acted as armies, Australia does not have that sense of state identify founded in such things... I think you are right, States mean more in USA than in Australia, but they are still important here. We also only have six states and two territories - with only 6 Grand Lodges, but they are all so distinct no one in my circles ever talks about a National GL - it certainly would be unlikely to achieve a uniform working - we are pretty similar in outlook, but basically we're split between Emulation and Scottish based workings...

 

[Manderthal]

The millenials are going to fix the damage done by the war babies.
One day classes and permissive acceptance standards will become a thing of the past.
Each blue lodge meeting will contain a reading of a research article or some other presentation to keep it interesting. Members will linger and enjoy fellowship after the final gavel drops.
Wait and see. It's coming.