I come to you today from the George Washington Masonic Memorial, a temple built to the memory of that great man and Mason. The memorial is a landmark of our American heritage that belongs to all Masons in this country. Every Mason should feel that that temple in part belongs to him, as it represents our shared Masonic heritage as well. I speak of heritage because we are living in a time where our heritage seems to be in danger of being forgotten; where the values which built this nation, and which sustained our families in times of trouble seem to be no longer important to some. We are living in a time where many of us appear to no longer understand how we became the nation that was once called the hope of the world.
Read MoreMy Brothers, there are very few countries in the world in which the Masonic fraternity is struggling more than in the United States, simply to remain a viable institution. And yet, there are very few countries in the world, using any measuring criterion, in which the Masonic fraternity showed a greater degree of success than it did in our past. It is a monumental tragedy that the Freemasonry in North America is going through what is perhaps the greatest threat to its survival that we have ever experienced, while Freemasonry in much of the rest of the world is showing the greatest success that it has experienced since shortly after its creation. Consider that 31 new regular grand lodges have been consecrated since the turn-of-the-century.
Read MoreWe call the natural ability to make sound judgments based on observable facts, common sense. As we are told in a quote often attributed to Voltaire, common sense is not so common. Keeping an open mind, no matter one’s bias is a hallmark resting at the core of any research, especially research about American Freemasonry. Another guiding principle for research about Freemasonry and the institutions that surround it, is appreciating the reality that to attain truth is to be open to the possibility that we are simply not right about a lot of things because we do not take into consideration the original meaning or intent of actions,courses, and even simple mottos. The story behind the seal of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts is an example of what research can do when reason is followed. In fact, the term, Follow Reason, appears today as a motto on that grand lodge seal. Following reason is precisely what Masons in that state did in 1880 after a committee in 1857 presented a report that changed the original 1733 seal and motto.
Read MoreSurely the founders of Freemasonry and the authors and revisers of our ritual must have given due regard to this basic problem of life when they designed the ceremonies whereby candidates are inducted into our Craft. Certainly, the central theme of all our rituals is the leading of those blinded by the darkness of ignorance, and bound by the cords of superstition, out into the uplifting light of truth and knowledge. Who can justly deny the design of Freemasonry’s educational aims and activities; but some may doubt whether we are placing proper emphasis on the fundamental objectives of our Fraternity today?
Read MoreTo become a member of the Masonic Fraternity a man must meet the qualifications as established in his Masonic Jurisdiction, be unanimously approved by the body of the Lodge to which he applies, pay the fees required, and be initiated. If he proves proficient in the first two degrees, he may advance to the degree of Master Mason. Once made a Master Mason, he can call himself a Mason for the rest of his life, as long as he pays his annual dues and remains in good standing with his Lodge. He can, if he wishes, then apply for membership in appendant bodies, and, if admitted and advanced through their processes, pays his annual dues, and remains a member of a regularly chartered Masonic lodge, also remain a member of the appendant body for the rest of his life.
Read MoreTwo of many findings from a 1988 Masonic survey of fifteen states continue to stand as a testament to the reality that the institution of American Freemasonry pays little attention to the findings of Masonic surveys, even when correctable problems are identified. One finding from that survey, unsurprisingly, remains common: Masons are content to take degrees, identify themselves as a Mason, not attend Lodge, but continue to pay dues. One of the conclusions noted from the 1988 survey was foretelling: Left to its own devices, [American Freemasonry] will be half its present size in 2000 and half again in 2010. In the thirty-one years since that survey, American Freemasonry lost 58.4% of its membership.
Read MoreIn the late 1960s, Earl Nightingale spoke every day for ten minutes on a radio show called, Our Changing World. I was a cadet in a military school at the time. My roommates and I listened to Nightingale’s calm, baritone voice, every morning for five years while preparing for class. Nightingale was on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor and was one of fifteen surviving Marines on board that day. Following the war, he pursued a career in into radio and within a decade, he became well-known commentator, writer, speaker, and author of his time – dealing mostly on the subjects of human character development, motivation,excellence, and meaningful existence. Since the 1960s, his books, translated into thirty different languages, have sold millions around the world. His program, Our Changing World was heard in over twenty-three countries and was the biggest syndicated radio program in the history of
broadcasting.
Recognizing there is a problem exists is the first step toward solving it. Problems, big and small, are all around us, if, that is, we choose to notice them. Interestingly, the big ones that one might think could not possibly go unnoticed and addressed, are the ones that have too often lingered for generations. But when we are more driven by how we think things are, or ought to be, and not by the facts or truth staring us in the face, that happens. In the study of organizational behavior, it is not uncommon to find old and new institutions that are quick to react to external influences affecting them in a negative or positive manner.
Read MoreAmong the few truly qualified to be called a Masonic Scholar in the first half of the 20th century, we find Joseph Fort Newton, who, a master craftsman of the written word, furthered the lexicon and the legacy of Freemasonry. An ordained Baptist minister, Newton’s deep interest in Freemasonry arose when he discovered a wealth of material in the Iowa Masonic Library where he started his study of Masonic history and philosophy. His first Masonic book in 1914, The Builders became the first adventure into the world of Masonic literature for generations of Masons. At the request of the Masonic Service Association he wrote a series of talks designed to be read at lodge meetings. They proved to be so popular that they were collected and published in book form in 1928 as Short Talks on Masonry.
Read MoreIf something is more exciting, pleasing, or ideal than seems reasonable, we usually hear it called too good to be true. We are told that the design of the Masonic Institution is to make its votaries wiser, better, and consequently happier. Who would not want to be wiser, better, and consequently happier? Is the design of the Masonic Institution too good to be true? Is every man admitted to membership wiser, better, and consequently happier? Hardly.
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