TBL Staff

What is the purpose of Freemasonry? What can I expect to learn from its teachings? How will Freemasonry make me, a good man, better? These are just a few of the questions asked by many of the newcomers to the fraternal organization today. Instead many are disappointed by what they find. Weekly spaghetti dinners, boring meetings to approve the payments of facility bills and the ever declining degree work for new brothers. Is this what will bring in, and more importantly, keep the new generation of Freemasons interested? I think not, and this should be apparent to the current leadership but unfortunately this simple truth has apparently escaped them.

An intense sentiment for the need to change is developing among many of the newly adopted Freemasons; you hear and read many references to the 21st century generation of Freemasonry.

“Born often under another sky, placed in the middle of an always moving scene, himself driven by the irresistible torrent which draws all about him, the American has no time to tie himself to anything, he grows accustomed only to change, and ends by regarding it as the natural state of man. He feels the need of it, more he loves it; for the instability; instead of meaning disaster to him, seems to give birth only to miracles all about him.”

--- Alexis de Tocqueville

Many new brothers did not learn from their Fathers about the Art, as many in their father’s generation had lost interest in Freemasonry, but instead learned of it from reading books, TV and the movies. They see documentaries on the history channel about the Knights Templar or Hollywood movies that perpetuate the mysteries of the more ancient times of the craft. To their dismay, what they instead find, when finally arriving at the “Inner Chamber” is the outstretched hand of the secretary of the lodge, collecting dues to pay for their spaghetti dinners. They get the royal duty of standing in-front of a grill cooking chickens to make maybe a thousand dollars, if they are lucky, to help pay the lodges lighting bill. They are placed on committees to discuss how to raise Masonic awareness in the community, in an effort to bring in more members to the lodge. Is this, and a few incoherent set of rituals and symbols really going to keep the interest of the new generation and save the fraternity in the 21st century?

I do not want to give the impression that this is the extent of what transpires in all lodges across the world as there are many, including some Grand Lodges, who participate in many charitable activities. However, focusing on charitable endeavors to cure an internal disease is an exercise in futility.

As the “seekers”, as some have coined them, of the ancient mysteries and spiritual truths of Freemasonry begin to assert their desires and question the status quo, they are meeting with great resistance from within. Their thirst for knowledge and desire to set their own course means change for many who are comfortable in their current positions and reluctant to change.

There is a good book I recommend for all Freemasons to read called, “Who Moved My Cheese” by Dr. Spencer Johnson. In this book four mice – Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw – represent the simple and complex parts of human nature and how it reacts to change. Sometimes we may act like Sniff who sniffs out change early, Scurry who goes into action soon, Hem who does not move beyond his fear, or Haw who learns to adept in time when he sees that changing can lead to something better.

As evident to the resistance to change, is a recent event being widely discussed by Freemasons from around the world. The Grand Lodge of Georgia in the United States recently removed many of its members, young and old, from their roster and deemed them clandestine for meeting with each other and discussing the ancient traditions of Freemasonry and a possible return to that by gone era. Apparently, the Grand Lodge of Georgia, or maybe just a few GL officers, was not happy with their apparent wish for change. The GL of Georgia has not commented publicly on the situation, but instead has remained silent in an apparent effort to bury its head in the sand and hope for the best.

The details of the events, even though only coming from one side, appear to be clear as they are well documented. In 1999 members of a lodge in Georgia started meeting together, not as a lodge, but rather as an educational social club, as our forefathers did on many occasions. Their primary goal was to educate themselves on the ancient teaching of Freemasonry, especially to unravel the true meanings of many of the rituals, which today are wrapped in incoherent allegorical storylines. As this small but very intellectual group began to grow in size, including even members of the fraternity outside of Georgia and appendant bodies such as the Scottish Rite, they decided to formally petition the Grand Master of Georgia for recognition as a legitimate body. The RRCG (Red Cross of Gold) as they were becoming known as, formally approached the Grand Lodge in March of 2005. According to them, they provided records of their activities, and a copy of their proposed constitution. The Grand Lodge accepted the request and promised to review it but the time came and passed for the promised response. The Grand Master contacted the RRCG and asked for a list of membership, and was provided this by the organization thinking it was finally making some headway.

Several months passed with no response from either the Grand Lodge or the Grand Master on their petition. Summarily, in August of 2005 an edict appeared on the Grand Lodge’s website stating:

“Any organization(s) within the State of Georgia (to include any internet organization(s), or individual members of affiliates of said organization(s), purporting to be Masonic or purporting to confer or exemplify any type of or resemblance to a present or ancient Masonic degree or degrees, that is (are) not recognized or accepted by this Grand Lodge is (are) hereby declared clandestine.”

Assumptions have been made that this was allegedly passed without presentation to the open body of the Grand Lodge, and hidden in the written proceedings of the Jurisprudence Committee.

In November of 2005 letters were mailed to every member on the roll of the RRCG ordering them to either renounce their membership from RRCG or be stricken from the rolls of their respective Blue Lodge, Grand Lodge and any other body formally affiliated with the Grand Lodge. They were not afforded the proper due process of having a Masonic trial to defend themselves or even discuss in open body the adjunct group they had formed into. As many of them felt betrayed by the Grand Master and the Grand Lodge they failed to renounce the body and were summarily stricken from the roles of their “affiliated and approved Grand Lodge” bodies.

There are many who sense a conspiracy within the Grand Lodge, Scottish Rite and/or members of these bodies current officers. Not having the benefit of a response from them I find it hard to confirm this but on the other hand, as a mason myself, do find the whole ostensible witch hunt, without due process, to be a direct attack on the values our forefathers hoped to instill in each of us.

-- Anonymous