J
jwardl
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Here! Here!
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Resolutions
- Thread starter Blake Bowden
- Start date
Right on Brother Josh!
J
JEbeling
Guest
Well brothern now you understand the discussion at Grand Lodge..? The defending of the Second and Thrid section becomes a life or death battle..? this I don't understand..? the question and answers like we do did not come to pass until 1928..? because as stated at the time it was to easy to become a mason and texas was getting too many so they wanted to make it harder.. ? go back and read the Grand Lodge records of that time and their reasons for the work we have..? Very few Grand Lodges have the work we seem so determine to defend to the death..? The Question has always been "does this make better Masons..?" or are just defending the " I did it so they can do it" attitude..?
What is the Goal.. ! do we want good men in masonry..? or is it to make them learn as much memory work as possible..? if it makes them better they why do we make the learn the lecture before they can procede to another degree.. wouldn't this just make them better Masons.. ?
Brothern I have had an A cert for a long time and have taught a few..? there is such a range of how people learn..! some it comes easy others fight it at every practice..? does this make one better then the other..?
I think its not about how much of the work you learn.. ! its how we apply it .. ! so many lodges have forget about brothery love.. ! meeting on the level..! showing up to funerals of older brothern.. ! taking care of the widows.. ! maybe we need to forget about defending the work and start defending brothern..?
What is the Goal.. ! do we want good men in masonry..? or is it to make them learn as much memory work as possible..? if it makes them better they why do we make the learn the lecture before they can procede to another degree.. wouldn't this just make them better Masons.. ?
Brothern I have had an A cert for a long time and have taught a few..? there is such a range of how people learn..! some it comes easy others fight it at every practice..? does this make one better then the other..?
I think its not about how much of the work you learn.. ! its how we apply it .. ! so many lodges have forget about brothery love.. ! meeting on the level..! showing up to funerals of older brothern.. ! taking care of the widows.. ! maybe we need to forget about defending the work and start defending brothern..?
The memory work if we want to call it that inculcates all these lessons and the importance of performing them. If it has become memory work to us, then it contanins nothing, no spritual life or Divine guideance, all in all it is meaningless beside the point of proving to other Brothers that you are a Mason which a dues card is fine with me. I for one believe the lesson taught in the degress are brought to life by a Brother and is full of Divine guidance far beyond just the words we memorize. The questions and answers and the quality of them are left to the Lodge so if a Brother has trouble as some do the Lodge knows this and lets him slide to an exstint; as far as open and close we have to have this and knowing how to do it properly I think is so small a task to ask of someone this is a non-issue. You only have to learn your position for that year to be certed it is not hard at all maybe 1 to 2 hours of work if you never heard it. The lesson we are made to memorize become a part of us and how we determine our reaction to the world and its changes and gives us comfort there is a whole legion of Brothers acting in unity with us. I think where the problem comes in is that there are peolple in the world that just walk right past common ground to ther own tin can to holler from and it is up to those Master Mason who know the lesson to apply them at this moment and like creme rise above.
I agree with Rhit. The questions and answers are to teach a new Mason his first lessons. Basic Masonic symbolism and tenets are explained during the study, however, so many deeper questions arise and prompt a brother to search for more light. Just like he is told in the Master Mason lecture, he will want to search for more light on his own.
Maybe some people are satisfied to just get their ring and sit back. I enjoy learning the deeper meaning of Masonry.
Maybe some people are satisfied to just get their ring and sit back. I enjoy learning the deeper meaning of Masonry.
I agree totally. We make a big fuss about learning the work but as Brother Rhit stated, if a man shows the initiative but is unable to learn the work that is what we are looking for. There is more to Masonry than the memory work but are we not supposed to show the EAs, FCs and newly raised MMs how to find the light. I believe the 2nd and 3rd section educates us on some of the meanings of why we do things. It scratches the surface of how to look at things for an alternative meaning. I think one thing that has hurt us as a whole is this is being lost.
jonesvilletexas
Premium Member
GM Recommendations number two (2) the JW & SW do not have to be cert.This will give them 2 years to get it down.
But, what happens to someone in my position? I was Senior Warden until the death of our Master at the end of September.
Joey,
You just lucked out!!!! You now have seven months to work on it. Probably the best practice you could have. Sink or swim. Right?
Brother Joey,
I am a DI, and I have never failed a brother who gives his all to learning the opening and closing ritual.
Last year the lodges in my district that had all three of their principal officers certified scored much better during the reception of the DDGM then the lodges that did not. I offer this as proof that the certification process is beneficial to the lodges.
As for the small lodges with older brothers, well I have found that it is usually the older brothers who are doing the teaching. I do not see this requirement as being detrimental to these lodges.
I am a DI, and I have never failed a brother who gives his all to learning the opening and closing ritual.
Last year the lodges in my district that had all three of their principal officers certified scored much better during the reception of the DDGM then the lodges that did not. I offer this as proof that the certification process is beneficial to the lodges.
As for the small lodges with older brothers, well I have found that it is usually the older brothers who are doing the teaching. I do not see this requirement as being detrimental to these lodges.
jonesvilletexas
Premium Member
I agree brother Harris.
Brother Joey,
I believe your fears are unfounded. Back before around 1999, all three of the principal officers had to be certified. Lodges were still able to fill their positions. I have found that most of the guys who are in their 70s or 80 do a fairly good job of opening and closing the lodges. The ones who seem to be having the most problems are those raised after the year 2000 or at least those who might have been raised earlier, but for whatever reason did not get active in the lodge line until the last several years.
I believe your fears are unfounded. Back before around 1999, all three of the principal officers had to be certified. Lodges were still able to fill their positions. I have found that most of the guys who are in their 70s or 80 do a fairly good job of opening and closing the lodges. The ones who seem to be having the most problems are those raised after the year 2000 or at least those who might have been raised earlier, but for whatever reason did not get active in the lodge line until the last several years.
To me this resolution to be certified is a little embarrassing for us as Masons, a little slap to the face or wake up call better yet and we should as Masons hear the call the Grand Lodge is putting out to us and step up to the plate and learn the ritual so this law is no longer needed. Open and close is basic stuff and so crucial to peace and harmony in the lodge, it is really the crawl part in Masonry and you cannot walk before you crawl.
J
JEbeling
Guest
have we become a club run by the committe on work and the other ricturalist...? or are we a lodge of masons...? where we meet upon the level...? wonder what the masons like Sam Houston and other would think of what we have become...?
jonesvilletexas
Premium Member
May I speak on this subject?
For one that is me! I was thought that and still to this day (We take men and make them better men) right! Well if we become like a lot of well meaning brothers and reduce this great fraternity to a group of men just paying dues and having fun, that is all we will be.
If not for the ritual and the committee on work keeping it right then if becomes just so much talk, the ritual is the lessons that make us better men, or have I missed something.
For one that is me! I was thought that and still to this day (We take men and make them better men) right! Well if we become like a lot of well meaning brothers and reduce this great fraternity to a group of men just paying dues and having fun, that is all we will be.
If not for the ritual and the committee on work keeping it right then if becomes just so much talk, the ritual is the lessons that make us better men, or have I missed something.
J
JEbeling
Guest
well didn't mean to step on anyones toes.. ! its was just a question..?
I have known a lot of Masons who never came back to lodge after they turn in their Master's work..? pay they due's every year and are very proud to be Masons'... ! will help every time the lodge has some project to raise money.. ! there are a bunch in my lodge who I can think of who live a moral life and will tell you being a Mason is very good.. !
the question does this make them less of a Mason..? did they learn the lesson in Masonary...?
I have known a lot of Masons who never came back to lodge after they turn in their Master's work..? pay they due's every year and are very proud to be Masons'... ! will help every time the lodge has some project to raise money.. ! there are a bunch in my lodge who I can think of who live a moral life and will tell you being a Mason is very good.. !
the question does this make them less of a Mason..? did they learn the lesson in Masonary...?
I believe that you are missing the point. Then requirement to open and close all of the lodges is not directed or pionted towards the brethren who do not choose to get into the line and work towards becoming the Master of a Lodge. There will always be ritualist and there will always be brethren who choose to support the fraternity in another way. Both sides are right in their own way ,as it takes all of us to take our fraternity to the next generation.
J
JEbeling
Guest
Now you have my point.. ! Both sides are right.. ! Brethren are different.. ! one group shouldn't exclude another group just because they can.. ?
I do agree with your concept. I fail to see where there was any exclusion by either group or camp. I have been a Master mason since 1977 and earned my Certificte in the Esetoric work of the Grand Lodge of Texas that same year. I have never considered myself a better mason than any other brother. I have encountered many brothers down through the years that have told me they were simply card carriers. I have always replied that their contribution to the craft was no less than my own. It takes all of us working in whatever capacity which best suits us, to perpetuate our fraternity.
Simply stated, the new law is not to make any brother feel less of a Mason than another. It is simply a law change ,that reasonably assures each of us that the brethren who place themselves in a position to assume the ultimate leadership of our lodges are proficient in handeling the opening and closing ritual of the lodges.
Simply stated, the new law is not to make any brother feel less of a Mason than another. It is simply a law change ,that reasonably assures each of us that the brethren who place themselves in a position to assume the ultimate leadership of our lodges are proficient in handeling the opening and closing ritual of the lodges.