Responsibilities
of being a Master Mason
The day of a
Mason’s raising to the sublime degree of Master Mason is a powerful one. The Brother does know exactly what to make of
the experience of which he has just taken part, but he knows that it was
special and centuries old. Though it
took hours to complete, most of it went by in a blur. He knows a bunch of ritual was spoken. When he could see clearly, he listened to
many lectures recited to them from the memory of Master Masons. Marveled at how men could have so much
secured in their memories, reciting paragraph after paragraph, new Master
Masons generally stand in shock. Men
giving lectures, seemingly as if they were just talking instead of delivering them
verbatim, shock and awe after the incredible words that describe so much moral
beauty would most likely describe the thoughts in their minds instead of the
understanding of what they are being told are their new life long
responsibilities.
As I read
remarks written on public forums on the internet by Masons from around the
world, my heart tends to glow with the warmth at the thought that men, only
strangers by name, share the same ideas of a world-wide brotherhood, reciting
statements that mainly only other regular Masons would recognize. Now, until one Masons has either sat in a
Lodge with a Brother, or confirmed his membership, he cannot truly know if men
speaking on some of these sites are actually Masons, but because the internet
is not secure and no “secret” information is exchanged, it is harmless fun and
fellowship. Or, is it?
I was recently
reading a comment on a site used by the public with many posters, supposed
Master Masons, excitedly sharing photos of the Lodge in which they hold
membership and displaying their love for the Craft. Masons proudly showed pictures of their Lodge
rooms and of their members. Other Masons
remarked at their displeasure of certain Grand Lodge recognition issues that
plague our Fraternity, and at times, has existed long before freemasonry
broached the shores of the United States.
None of this is shocking to hear
as the internet has provided a wonderful new avenue for Masons to communicate
about issues that affect the Fraternity.
What was a cause for concern is the amount of misinformation held by
Brethren about things that are not left up to speculation.
One man,
claiming to be a Mason, repeatedly remarked after seeing a picture of two
Masons of different races standing together, “There is something incredibly
wrong with this picture.” It seems he
was insinuating that two men of different races should not be pictured together
as Masons. Another troubling comment was
towards the issue of the southern Grand Lodges and the southern Prince Hall
Grand Lodges status of and absence of a formal recognition agreement. Another Masons made remarks about the Grand
Lodge of Florida and the expulsion of a Mason for not being of an acceptable
religion that is compatible with the requirements of a belief in the “type” of
Supreme Being. Another Mason supported
the expulsion of such religious types stating they “those types of people, do
not belong in Freemasonry.
Personally, I
support a man’s informed conclusion about any topic that takes into
consideration a balanced sense of logic, and one that is reflective, in one way
or the other, of the facts surrounding any conflicting topic. Philosophers call these types of debates
scientific arguments. Each person brings
to the arena of disagreement an unemotional fact that can be for, or against,
certain standards relating to an issue.
The problem is that sometimes these facts bring with them emotional
feelings that can tend to cloud the logical process of a calm debate.
What is
troubling is that, what I have seen publically in these several forums is
reflective of what tends to be at the root of some of the troubles with the
communication that tends to exist in and amongst Masons. One Brother with an absolutist opinion about
an issue, and holding it beyond contention, the other Brother can be just as steadfast
against his Brother’s opinion. Notice I
said opinion and not a conclusion of facts.
My concern is: Why is this happening more and more and, could it be a
deteriorating issue affecting the Craft?
It is very easy for one to say to another, “Remember your Obligation
Brother,” attempting to give a Brother a moment of pause before his actions
become regrettable. I wonder how many
truly understand their obligation beyond the ability to recite it from memory.
This lack of
understanding of the context of our ritual is probably not limited to the
obligation. How many times have you
heard one say, “Remember your charge my Brother?” How many times while memorizing the ritual
and lectures do we look up that word we have never seen or pronounced before to
see what it means in the context it is said and how exactly is it even
pronounced? I had a discussion not too
long ago, and I just happen to like to use words I learn in ritual in regular
conversations, I injected a word as it specifically conveyed exactly what I meant. The Past Master, who had sat in the Oriental
Chair previous times, was insulted by the word I used saying that I was talking
over him with the large words I was using.
I apologized to
the Brother as I did not use the word to insult his intelligence. I also did not have the heart to tell him the
word comes right out of the ritual we tell candidates in our degrees. In that moment, it was becoming clear to me
the extent of which we were holding ourselves responsible to the commitment we
all had taken, which does not stop at being explained to us at the end of the
obligation. Our responsibilities had
been explained to us when we were first received into a Lodge of Masons and
extends through the charge to the Master Mason at the end of the Third
degree. How many listen though? I mean, truly listen, and understand?
When a man is
raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason, the Lodge is announcing to the
world that this man has be proven to have mastered the knowledge of his Craft,
the same as when one is a master of his craft in the operative days, his
knowledge has been certified by the master of which he had apprenticed. How many Masters are certain that when a man
is made a Master Builder, he has truly mastered, or another word to use here,
understood completely his responsibility of being called a Master.
Now, being a
Master does not mean one is “all knowing,” for only the one which we each,
individually refer to as our Deity, possess that absolute title. But, we should have a somewhat complete
understanding of those things for which we have obliged ourselves. A man taking a vow of marriage obliges to
certain things. For the sake of being
religiously neutral, I will quote a civil wedding vow.
“I
take you to be my lawfully wedded (husband/wife).
Before these witnesses I vow to love you and
care for you
As long as we both shall live.
I take you, with all your faults and
strengths,
As I offer myself to you
With all my faults and strengths.
I will help you when you need help, and
Turn to you when I need help.
I choose you as the person with whom I will
spend my life.”[i]
Now, these vows
are very specific. It is clear that one
is avowing to take of the other, in good times and bad, for better or worse,
till deaths do they part. This means
that no matter what, they vow to be with one another, forsaking all others and
disparages, until their death. Most
people understand these vows, even if 50% of couples now-a-days end up in
divorce because they do not possess the ability to keep these vows due to
commitment issues or selfishness, or even immaturity. They said them and then they forget they
swore to keep them. Did they understand
what they were committing themselves too in the first place?
Let us go back
to some of the examples I previously listed as the topics of arguments on some
of these forums, like I said, they happen to be some of the same arguments happening
outside of the internet. But, before we
analyze the “what” of these arguments, let us explore the “why” of how these
arguments come to be in existence in the first place. It has to do with the reception and analyzing
of information a man processes. How does
one gain knowledge in the first place, especially about the plethora of ideas
and facts presented in the fraternity.
Philosophy is a
good place to start. In the study of
philosophy, one learns how to disseminate between what is knowledge and what is
common sense. Philosophers refer to this
kind of examination as epistemology. “Epistemology, or the study of knowledge,
investigates what we know, how we know it, and what kind of confidence we can
have in our knowledge claims.”[ii]
One type of
knowledge is called propositional knowledge.
This is where one asserts a fact of some sort, but does not substantiate
the fact with scientific facts. The sky
is blue is a known sort of fact. One
could analyze further that the sky is blue, but it is also composed of red,
orange, yellow, green, indigo and violet.
Blue just happens to be the color that is most perceived by our visual
capabilities. It is true the sky is
blue, but it is also all the other colors.
When giving the statement that the sky is blue, one does not
intentionally leave out the rest of the colors, he just does not know because
it is beyond his scope of knowledge.
Another type of
knowledge is procedural knowledge.
Rather than speculate on how something might be done, one has first
knowledge of how it is done because they have been instructed in the
discipline. For example, one knows how
to change a tire, not by seeing it done, but having actually learned and done
it personally. This person can give you
step by step directions because the process is explained by first-hand
knowledge.
Knowledge by
association is another type of knowledge one may possess. A person asserts their knowledge by being
simply associated with someone who may know something. For example, one may convey about how to do
an exercise properly because they know a trainer who teaches people how to
exercise. For our purposes in
Freemasonry, one may assert some by-laws because he has heard his lodge Brother
states some. But in fact, he does not
know the by-laws himself.
All of these
types of knowledge must be confronted with what keeps logic factual and not
speculated. It must withstand scrutiny or skepticism. Skepticism is the confrontation of a stated
fact to see if it withstands logical examination of credibility. It is what separates what we may believe with
what is concretely known and can be proven.
For example, I can think my car is the fastest in town and I can even
say that I believe my car is the fastest in town. But, until I race my car against every car in
town, I cannot know for certain that my car is the fastest.
As a Freemason,
this is what separates Brethren from obtaining enlightenment and those who
simply exist without knowing what truths may exist beyond their scope. It is the difference between conceiving the
intent of our rituals versus the reading and reciting of the ritual and
believing that the deliverance is the extent of the learning. I have heard it said that there are parrot
Masons and then there are teachers of the mystic knowledge of the Craft. A parrot will recite the ritual verbatim and
when you ask what something means, they recite a sentence of the ritual. Then, there are the teachers. When a Brother asks what a certain part of
the ritual is meant to convey, they give the actual incite of the words and how
they relate to each of us on an individual basis. Remember, the journey of enlightenment in
Freemasonry is an individual journey, particular to each Brother. All can be shown the door and given the key,
but only those who are truly desiring the proper journey can turn the key and
enter. Some spend their entire Masonic
careers on the front porch, all the time believing they were on the inside by
the fire.
What is secret
about Freemasonry and what is not secret?
A Brother swore to me that sharing a picture of the inside of a Lodge
room while the Lodge is closed is violating one’s masonic obligation. Why did he believe with such conviction that
this was exposing the secrets of Freemasonry?
Has he not ever been to a Lodge Officer’s public installation? Has he not been to a Grand Lodge
Communication before Grand Lodge is opened while all of the different woman’s
orders are being praised for their good work?
No, he hadn’t. His knowledge was
limited because he did know the how, he only knew what he perceived as fact
without investigation or the analyzing if he was right or wrong in his
assertion. It just so happens that his
own Grand Lodge had a picture of all the Grand Officers in a Lodge, standing
right behind a closed altar. Is the
belief he is taught in his lodge correct though his Grand Lodge states
differently? The answer is no.
Why some things
are kept secret from the uninitiated? Certain things, such as our signs, grips,
passwords and the ritual itself are kept secret. Why? They are secret because the context in
which they are conveyed brings understanding.
Without having been properly initiated into the Craft, one cannot
understand in the proper context the information and truth he is to assimilate
into his conscious and subconscious thoughts.
This is the reason that anti-masonic conspiracy theorist have so much
ability to draw attention to their rants, they use exposés to promote their
cause and see logic in what they saw because they are uninitiated. They cannot understand the ritual in the
proper context as they are simply reading and deciphering rather than going
through the ritual itself. They see our
signs, symbols and such in a way that only the uninitiated or even the
misinformed Mason himself can see them.
Again, this is knowledge learned through association. They think they know because they see what
they choose to see, but they do not know the how because they do not have
hands-on experience.
How does a
Brother learn than what is secret and what is not? Simple, review the obligation and then seek
out more Brethren to discuss what every part of the obligation means and in the
context that it is meant. Also, seek out
the Grand Lodge’s position of what is allowed to be shown to the public and
what is not. Then, we must individually
compare what we have been told from the different sources with certain
logic. Logic is specifically a science
that deals with the principles and criteria of validity of inference and
demonstration.[iii] As the Entered Apprentice degree prepares our
heart, which is the seat of our conscience, the Fellowcraft degrees prepares
our mind to assimilate ideas and differentiate between what is opinion and what
simply “is” in order to draw a proper and beneficial conclusion that does not
necessarily promote our own interest, but one that benefits all of worthy
Brother Master Masons. This, needless to
say, is a reflective process that emanates goodness out to the world.
When we say we are
obliged not to expose the secrets of Freemasonry, we are referring to all those
things that are done in a tyled Lodge.
Is a Lodge tyled when it is closed?
No, it is not. Is the altar still
present when a Lodge is closed? Yes, it
is. So, seeing the lodge room while the
lodge is not tyled is not exposing a secret.
Again, there is a presumption of what is secret and there is logical
deduction of what is secret. One should
not have to be told a lodge room presents no secrets if he surmises that a
lodge is always tyled when it is open.
No Tyler, no open lodge, no secrets to protect.
How about
recognition between Grand Lodges and appendant bodies? A Brother remarked that the Grand Lodge of
Tennessee does not recognize the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of
Tennessee because the Prince Hall Grand Lodge does not pay their per capita tax
to the Grand Lodge of Tennessee. Why
would they? Both Grand Lodges are
sovereign onto themselves and both Grand Lodges are regular in their
forming. I asked the Brother if he had
ever heard of the Exclusive Territorial Jurisdiction Doctrine. He said, “No.” Now, not everybody knows what ETJ is, but
doesn’t it seem strange that one Grand Lodge would pay another Grand Lodge per
capita in the same respect the a subordinate Lodge pays per capita for each of
their members?
Another subject
that is brought up whenever there is a conversation relating to the recognition
between Grand Lodges and Prince Hall Grand Lodges is that Grand Lodges all
Grand Lodges in the south do not desire to extend recognition to Prince Hall
Grand Lodges out of racism as these Grand Lodges are the Confederate States of
the Civil War era. This is simply not
true. One cannot concede all Grand
Lodges do not want recognition with Prince Hall Grand Lodges. The Grand Lodge of Texas extended recognition
to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas.
However, the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas did not want
visitation.
Section III of
the Compact agreement between the Grand Lodge of Texas and the Most Worshipful
Grand Lodge of Texas states:
Be it remembered
that on December 1, 2006, The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Texas, in its 171st
Grand Annual Communication acted favorably on the July 13, 2005, request of The
Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas, F. & A. M., and
Jurisdiction, requesting fraternal recognition, which said request in no way is
a request to join, merge, meet, interfere or have visitation between the two
jurisdictions and that it is only for the two Grand Lodges to acknowledge and
formally recognize each other as being legitimate and regular.”[iv]
All Grand Lodges
are sovereign and it is not up to anyone to try to infer why a Grand Lodge does
or does not want visitation. However, there are many uninformed men who simply
think Texas did not want Prince Hall Masons in their Lodge because of
race. While no one should assume to
guess what is in a man’s mind, the stipulations of this compact shows that it
was the Prince Hall Grand Lodge that did not desire mutual visitation at the
time of this compact. Again, another
example of speculated truth and the facts of what truly exists.
The problem is
the lack of understanding of what we are here to do. We say the usual standard statements of, “We
take good men and make them better,” or “We come here to subdue are passions
and improve in being a Mason.” The
question is, how? How are we improving
ourselves if we do not even understand all of the words in the several lines of
masonic catechism to deliver our proficiencies?
Further than that, how are we Masters of our Craft and exercising our
rights to explore Masonic communication when we have not learned what the
trivium and quadrivium means to how we process thought and convey meaningful
messages?
It is through
the understanding of the lectures that we can more efficiently execute our
purpose in life within the bounds of our obligation. How can we correct the irregularities of our
less informed Brothers when we ourselves do not have a clear understanding of
what Masonic irregularities even are? How
can we subdue our passions when we have not analyzed what our vices are in
compared to our own divine moral law?
How can we change from who we were to who we are going to be if, as
Brother John S. Nagy, author of Building
Better Builders, the acclaimed Masonic Education book series, often says,
“When we have not done the work of each degree?”
Too many
arguments happen that get incredibly out of proportion due to Masons who are
Masters, but have not mastered what they have obliged to master, if that makes
sense. If I am to act within due bounds
of all mankind, don’t I need to subdue preconceived notions of the parts of
humanity I previously held prejudices against?
If I am to understand the logic another is using, don’t I need to first
understand what logic is and how to define the credibility that establishes the
foundation of one’s logic? If I am to
subdue my passion, shouldn’t I learn how to accept criticism and carry a sense
of humility? Otherwise, how do we ever keep adding to our knowledge if we
believe we know everything already?
Socrates said, “As
for me, all I know is that I know nothing.”[v] Socrates, the philosopher that lived in the
500 BCE eras, who taught philosophy to Plato, is considered one of the first
great thinkers. So, why would one of the greatest philosophers of all time say
a line like this? He said this because
his idea of knowledge was always held beyond what he already knew. If he knew everything, he would have never
had a question to ask. He knew that if a
man ever reached the point that he did not retain humility in thought as one of
his greatest attributes; his ability to learn would cease, and therefore negate
his advancement in personal growth.
We must all take
a page from Socrates. It is not that
there are many wise men in and outside of our Craft, quite the opposite. However, no of us are so intelligent, or
knowledge, to assume that we know all there is to know about everything. There is always knowledge that exists right
beyond our present comprehension. If we
accept this, perhaps one would not be so quick to dismiss another’s
proposal. Perhaps, it would be easier to
spread the cement of brotherly love over the cracks that exist amongst our
order due to the fact that none of us are perfect. Perfection does not require work to be
better. All are in the transition
between the rough and the perfect ashlar.
Perhaps in the
next confrontation of our proposal, we might remember that no one can afford to
be absolute in their thinking. For if we are all to meet on the level, then we
are all equal in our imperfections and hopefully, all aspire to learn more
about each other, and ourselves. Remember
my Brethren, it takes materials such as cement, clay, sand, iron ore and
limestone, brought together in a proper manner to make cement. No one part alone can make cement, it takes
all kinds. We, as Masonic Brethren, also
are made up of all kinds. Brought
together properly, we make the cement that unites us into one common mass,
which is the intent of Fraternal Brotherhood.
Fraternally
submitted,
Brother Charles
M. Harper Sr
[i] http://www.myweddingvows.com/traditional-wedding-vows/civil-ceremony-wedding-vows
[ii] Mosser, K. (2010) Philosophy: A Concise Introduction, Bridgepoint
Education, Inc. https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUPHI208.11.1/sections/sec3.1
[iii] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/logic
[iv] Compact between the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Texas and The
Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas and Jurisdiction, F. &
A.M.
[v] http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/socrates378498.html
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