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BACK NEXT Summer 2008 Issue 45 Letter from the Editor Grand Lodge News News and Views On The Level International News Beyond the Craft Perambulating the Lodge Masonic Dining and Celebration Interview: The Grand Chancellor The Orator Walking the Way of Saint James Abd el-Kader: Algerian Nationalist and Freemason Province of Cambridgeshire Library & Museum Brother Lightfoote's Journal Review: Committed to the Flames Review: The Mythology of Secret Societies Review: The Dawn of Astrology Letters to the Editor Internet Library & Museum of Freemasonry Grand Lodge Quarterly Communication Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter RMBI Masonic Samaritan Fund Grand Charity RMTGB Canon Richard Tydeman: Looking unto the Rock Copyright 1997-2008 Grand Lodge Publications Ltd Designed and Maintained by: Cyberpoint Limited

FREEMASONRY TODAY Relations with non-Masonry Freemasonry and Hinduism Masonic ritual has so many references drawn from the Judaeo-Christian sacred texts that we can lose sight of the fact that many Brethren belong to other faiths. Increasingly in England the fraternity is made up of those whose religious and cultural imprint come from other countries and other continents. Hence the holy book on which aspirants take their vow will often not be the Bible that traditionally rests on the Master’s pedestal or altar ... Freemasonry and Religion: Many Faiths, One Brotherhood The Canonbury Masonic Research Centre held its sixth international conference which drew speakers from the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, Sweden, Hungary and Bulgaria. John Hamill, Director of Communications of the United Grand Lodge of England, began with a paper entitled ‘Freemasonry and Religion — the English view’ ... Not A Crime, But A Sin? For the first time in twenty years, Catholic priests and laymen met in an open and mostly friendly discussion with a representative of German masonry in November 2003. There has been a long silence between the Catholic Church and masonic institutions in Germany since the Conference of German Bishops pronounced an unequivocal ban on Catholic membership in all masonic lodges in 1980. At the time, this came as a surprise to German Brethren, as a decade of seemingly friendly and open discussions ... Modern Anti-Masonry Ever since the eighteenth century Freemasonry has been a favourite whipping-boy of conspiracy theorists. However, in recent years a new breed of conspiracy writer has joined the traditional purveyors of this ‘black legend’ and a growing number of websites vent a new hatred of Freemasonry. One such site even offers two free downloadable tapes, alleging that Freemasonry is responsible for most of the world’s ills ... The Mounties and Freemasonry Like every little boy growing up in Canada, I had a great fascination with the Mounties. With their dress uniform of a low, broad-brimmed hat, scarlet jacket, and blue trousers with a yellow stripe, their Musical Ride, their horses, everything associated with them. They had dogs called King and saved the world from all types of dastardly deeds and they 'always got their man'. Imagine my joy when I learned that the Mounties ... Freemasonry in the Community Week of Action Begins with St Paul's Cathedral Service — Photographic Exhibition at Freemasons' Hall — East Lancashire — Devonshire — Suffolk — Yorkshire West Riding — Dorset — Bristol — Hertfordshire — Durham — London — Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire ... Families and Freemasonry Essex Freemasons provided a magnificent spectacle on Saturday 29th June with their twin "Fun Day" and Evening Concert in the grounds and gardens of Ingatestone Hall, the home of the non-masonic, but accommodating, Lord Petre, descendant of an eighteenth century masonic Grand Master. It was the hub event for Essex and it surpassed all expectations both in the enjoyment it provided and the large sums it raised ... Developing a Brand Image Journalists are driven people. They are required to fill vast areas of newspapers even if there is nothing worth writing about. In the event of a slow news day, they must fall back on inventiveness. Freemasonry is good stuff to ginger up a slow news day. Sadly, the problems with the media often come from within. Attempts to feed "good news" stories about Masonry to the media are often frustrated because senior members of Lodges refuse to speak with journalists who will, they say, "twist everything". Image is less about reality than about perception ... Ethics and Religion in Freemasonry A generally accepted, traditional definition of Freemasonry says it is a peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols (Emulation Ritual, Lewis Masonic, 1991, pp. 107-108). Translated into philosophical terms the definition takes the following meaning: Freemasonry is a conception of man demanding the pursuit of ethical goals oriented by transcendence in conformity with initiate modalities. Freemasonry is not an all-inclusive philosophical conception. Indeed it does not claim to answer the questions concerning all the fields ... Bigotry is Alive and Well The dust settles on a new century and the world nurses its collective, post-Y2K hangover. But amid all the rhetoric of ‘new beginnings’ and ‘spiritual significance’, it will come as no surprise to many, that the ancient human traditions of suspicion, misinformation, prejudice and bigotry will be as every bit alive in this millennium as they were in the last. For this reason, members of the Craft and its supporters must brace themselves against the ongoing hostility ... The Two Brotherhoods - Scouting and Freemasonry There are no formal or official links between Freemasonry and the Scout movement, nor should there be. But for many Scout Masons there are natural affinities and sharing of ethos, and in the case of members of the Kindred Lodges Association, a very powerful emotional linking of the two Brotherhoods. But first a little history. Baden-Powell (BP) was not a Mason, although his brother was, as were many of his friends. This is perhaps surprising in the light of his military service in India and South Africa, where the Craft was active and much in evidence ... Grand Lodge responds to Select Committee Report The United Grand Lodge of England has responded in full to the Home Affairs Select Committee report, Freemasonry in Public Life (19 May 1999). The report dealt with investigations into three specific cases raised in the previous report (Freemasonry in the Police and Judiciary) relating to the Stalker-Sampson affair; the Birmingham Pub bombings, and the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad. It also raised three new matters (a Charitable Trust, a County Council and a Masonic Home) on which Grand Lodge was not consulted nor given an opportunity of commenting on ... The Image Problem That Freemasonry is in crisis, that it is haemorrhaging members, that new young candidates are simply not coming forward in enough numbers, and remaining once initiated, to sustain things as they are beyond the next decade or so, seems to me to be the main topic of conversation in many lodges. Why this should be so is not really a mystery to those of us who are young in years. Freemasonry is deeply unfashionable. To the outside world it appears, and largely is, almost impossibly staid and fusty. The mystery is why so many of those on the inside totally fail to be aware ... The Last Bogeyman? The British media loves to portray Freemasonry as a sinister, secretive and unaccountable organisation. Its hostile reporting of the organisation led Freemasonry Today to wonder whether, in these politically-correct times when the rights of minorities are sacrosanct, we are the last bogeyman, the last group whom the press ... Roman Catholic Attitudes, Yesterday and Today Unwavering hostility to Freemasonry has characterised the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. The Papal Bull In Eminenti Apostolatus Specula, promulgated by Pope Clement XII in 1738, condemned and prohibited any masonic assembly and forbade any involvement whatever in Masonry on pain of excommunication. Article 1240 of the Canon Law went so far as to prohibit Catholic burial for “suicides, heretics, freemasons, and people who have been killed in duels.” There was no such hostility on the part of Freemasonry. In England, Roman Catholics were admitted ... Methodism and Freemasonry Following the Methodist Conference Report on Freemasonry, an Association of concerned Methodist Freemasons was formed to review the Report at the earliest opportunity. While awaiting such a review, the Association held a number of successful Grand Lodge Exhibitions and Open Days adjacent to the Conference venue which were open to delegates and the public. It also dealt with cases of discrimination arising within the Church as a result of the 1985 strictures. It was not until June 1993 that the Faith and Order Committee of the Methodist Church accepted the Memorials (Resolutions) prepared by Circuits (groups of churches) with the help of Grand Lodge ... Openness, The Dilemma While I would like to see the day when Grand Lodge ensures that every member will disclose membership when requested, I realise there is a present problem for some employees where disclosure could adversely affect their jobs, in circumstances where advisors on staff selection and promotion are bigoted against the Craft. Freemasonry must continue to work on a change in its public perception from an institution seen as existing to further members’ interests, to an institution which we all know exists for good, alone. For this, members must be fully aware of the nature of Freemasonry so that they’re proud and happy to discuss it. It would be helpful I think if ... The Craft and the Committee Grand Secretary, Commander Michael Higham, RN and Head of Communications, John Hamill appeared before the Home Affairs Select Committee to be questioned about providing names of Freemasons. The meeting was a follow-up to the earlier report of the Committee published in the last Parliament. Only one of the new Committee had previously served on the Committee - Mr Chris Mullin, who is the new chairman. At the start of the meeting a number of general questions were put by Members, and this enabled Commander Higham to explain the Craft's attitude ... We Will Face the Challenge Together Brethren, we must never lose sight of the fact that English Freemasons are at liberty to disclose their membership. The only restriction is that they must not do so for the purpose of personal advantage. Indeed every Mason is actively encouraged to be open about his membership of the Craft. The names of all Grand Officers are published in the Year Book and that book is readily available to the public. In many Masonic Provinces there are similar publications and the names of the vast majority of those who hold Provincial Rank are therefore also available ... Some Personal Thoughts on Freemasonry The move towards openness in Freemasonry which began in the eighties and continues to this day is to be welcomed. There are, however, some members who feel apprehension about this new direction and whether it is desirable or not. Openness may seem to be a recent trend in Freemasonry, but openness of the heart is now, and always has been, the goal of a master mason. We need to be more open because our reticence to answer questions about ourselves has led to a difficult situation where the public’s perception of us, fuelled by media speculation ... Perceptions and Realities It looked like the Court of Star Chamber. A horseshoe table behind which the eleven inquisitors sat, the open end bridged by a small table for the witnesses. Stark lighting, a forest of microphones and the all-seeing relentless eye of a television camera recording every twitch and tick of a body under stress. Add to that a sense of awe and history at being the representatives who were laying the case for Freemasonry before a senior committee of the mother of parliaments and you have some idea of the feelings running through the Grand Secretary and I when we spent an hour and fifty minutes being questioned by the Home Affairs Select Committee on 26th February 1997 ...   Relations with non-Masonry © Grand Lodge Publications Ltd 1997-2008