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"Oh that my words were now written! Oh that
they were printed in a book! . . For I know
that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall
stand at the latter day upon the earth." (
JOB 19: 23, 25 )
In these sentences Job is replying to his
critics, who were asserting that his
afflictions were the result of his
unrighteousness. In the first verse Job
expresses the wish that his honor be
proclaimed for all generations to know; but
in the second, he rejects the dream of a
human acquittal in the centuries to come and
confidently asserts his belief in an Ultimate
Vindication.
Job never knew Freemasonry, but his words
might well serve to encourage Freemasons who
are troubled by the misconceptions and the
falsehoods which are disseminated about the
Ancient Craft.
In the charge of the Entered Apprentice
Degree, Freemasons are told: "neither are you
to suffer your zeal for the institution to
lead you into argument with those who,
through ignorance, may ridicule it." This
Bulletin, setting forth seven of the
accusations which are levelled at
Freemasonry, is not a polemic to confute
those who do not understand our Order. It is
written as a reassurance to the members of
the Fraternity that "truth and justice are on
our side" and that these are the living
Redeemer (ie., a Vindicator) in whom we put
our trust.
"FREEMASONRY IS A SECRET SOCIETY"
The statement is not true. Freemasonry is a
society which keeps certain matters secret,
but the organization, its membership, its
officers, its purposes are not secret.
Freemasonry meets in Temples. Many of these
are beautiful, prominent buildings in the
cities and towns in which they are erected.
Men enter and leave these Temples openly, not
secretly. A number of Grand Lodges publish
the names of the members of the Order in
their Proceedings. Many lodges issue
directories of their membership. Men wear
the square and compasses on their lapels.
Who's Who lists Masonic membership in many of
its biographies. Masons appear as such in
public at cornerstone layings and at
funerals. These are not the characteristics
of a "secret" society.
The vast majority of Masons are proud of
being such. They boast of it, knowing that
the general public conceives of Freemasonry
as an honor; that not every one can be a
Mason; that it is a character building
organization of good men.
But let us suppose for a moment that
"Freemasonry IS a secret society." Is
belonging to a "secret society" criminal?
Only if such a society has inhuman or
unlawful purposes. There are "secret
societies" which engage in conspiracies, or
terrorism, or other illegal practices;
membership in them is "secret" because their
members do not admit publicly that they
belong to such organizations.
On the other hand, a number of individuals
form a "secret" Christmas Club. They each
make a contribution to buy gifts for poor
children at Christmas. They keep the
organization and their names secret because
they know that otherwise they will be
overwhelmed with publicity and with too many
requests. They take pride in doing good
without advertising. Is it harmful because
it is secret?
In this country the Masonic Fraternity whose
only objectives are charity and the building
of character, counts approximately four
million men in its membership. It is
difficult to conceive how such a number,
proudly asserting their affiliation, can
constitute a "secret" society.
"FREEMASONRY, BEING A RELIGION, DETRACTS FROM
ALL ORGANIZED RELIGION"
The statement is also untrue. Freemasonry is
not a religion. The dictionary (Funk &
Wagnalls Standard) defines religion as "Any
system of faith, doctrine and worship, as,
the Christian religion." Freemasonry has no
"system of faith", and its acknowledgment of
a Grand Architect of the Universe is, in its
own words (Old Charges, first printed in
Anderson's Constitutions of 1723) "that
natural religion in which all men agree"--
that is, the reverence for a supreme, single,
creative Power.
No Grand Lodge phrases a doctrine, and a
religion without a doctrine is no religion.
No Masonic Lodge uses any service of divine
worship in its ritual or meetings.
True it is that lodges have an Altar, use a
Sacred Book upon it, open and close meetings
with prayer, possess an officer called a
Chaplain, and are dedicated to God and the
Sts. John.
In almost every hotel room in America is to
be found a Bible. Does that make the hotel
either a religion or a church? The Army and
Navy have Chaplains for every regiment, every
ship. Does that make the Army and Navy
religions, or the ships churches? The
American Legion and a hundred other
organizations have Chaplains, but no one
thinks of them as religions.
Our symbols are not religious symbols. Our
purposes, while virtuous, are not religious.
We seek no converts; we profess no dogma; we
gladly accept men of any and of every faith;
indeed, we accept men of no particular faith
who yet believe in one Supreme Being.
Freemasonry does, indeed, inculcate morality,
believes in human dignity, encourages
charity, practices relief. The family,
schools, institutions of higher learning,
organizations of a hundred characters, all
are moral, charitable, humanly helpful. But
that does not make them religions.
One of the central teachings of Freemasonry
is immortality. The answer to Job's
question, "If a man die, shall he live
again?" and the central teaching of all
religions is also immortality. Therefore, say
our critics, Freemasonry must be a religion.
But that is false reasoning. The central
teaching of the land in which we live is
patriotism--love of America and the American
way of life. Exactly the same thing is true
of an Englishman, of a German, a Frenchman.
Each is taught patriotism, but that does not
mean each loves OUR country best. Each loves
best his own. Freemasonry insists on a belief
in immortality, but it teaches no particular
doctrine concerning survival after death.
Freemasonry is reverent, charitable, and
ethical in precept and practice. So are
millions of people who are neither Masons nor
church members. The only religious
affirmation required of a Freemason is that
he believe in one God.
Freemasonry accepts as members the Christian,
the Jew, the Mohammedan, the Parsee, the
Buddhist; a man may be a Unitarian or a
Baptist, a Spiritualist, a Quaker or a
Catholic. Freemasonry accepts him as a man,
not as a member of a church. Quakers and
Catholics cannot become Masons without
offending their own religion, which fact
Masonic authorities will always explain to
men of those faiths who apply, but Masonry
accepts them if they are good men and wish to
join.
Ministers of all faiths are Masons, just as
Masons are members of all churches. A
minister of one faith cannot profess a
doctrine other than his own; yet he can be a
Mason. The Fraternity obviously is not a
religion, but only a philosophy of life.
"FREEMASONRY IS ANTI-CHRISTIAN"
Freemasonry is not anti any faith. It is non-
Christian, yes--it is also non-Jewish, non-
Mohammedan, non-Buddhist, non-Republican, non-
Democrat. Freemasonry makes no test of
religion or of politics. Discussion of both
is strictly forbidden in Masonic lodges.
Freemasons, being good Americans, and
teaching patriotism and love of the American
way of life, are individually anti-communist.
Some Grand Lodges have passed anti-
communistic resolutions, but most of them
have not dignified that cruel system with any
notice, preferring the positive teachings of
patriotism to any "anti" expressions
whatsoever.
The American public school is non-sectarian.
It teaches all children of parents of all
faiths. It is non--not anti--religious. Any
bank will receive and care for the money of
any well-recommended citizen without regard
to his color, his race, his creed. The bank
is not anti-Negro, anti-African, anti-
Christian; it is merely non-Negro, non-
African, non-Christian. Its concern is with
money and credit. Freemasonry's concern is
with character and morality. School, bank,
Masonry are all non; none of them is anti.
"FREEMASONRY DENIES JESUS--IT NEVER MENTIONS
HIM"
Freemasonry does nothing of the sort. It
does not mention Isaiah. Does that connote
denial? It does not mention Woodrow Wilson
or Abraham Lincoln. Does that mean that
Freemasonry denies that they lived and worked
and were great Americans? Freemasonry does
not talk of Mohammed or Confucious, but that
does not mean that the Order denies their
greatness, or their importance to those to
whom they are great and important.
The Chaplain of a Masonic lodge who prays as
the voice of the lodge does not pray in the
name of the Carpenter of Nazareth or the name
of Jehovah or the name of Allah. He prays to
the Grand Artificer or the Great Architect of
the Universe. Under that title men of all
faiths may find each his own deity. Failure
to mention any deity by name is not denial,
but merely the practice of a gracious
courtesy, so that each man for whom prayer is
offered can hear the name of his own deity in
the all inclusive title of Great Architect.
"MASONIC CHARITY IS ONLY FOR MASONS"
The statement that Masonic charity is only
for Masons is simply not true. While the
charity provided by the local lodge may be
largely for Masons, their widows, and
orphans, the individual Mason participates in
a number of other benevolent enterprises
under Masonic auspices which are not limited
to Masonic beneficiaries. He can also point
out examples of benevolence which his lodge
has extended to non-Masons or community
projects.
But let us suppose for a moment that a
Masonic lodge charity IS only for its own
members. Is that a matter for censure? A
father provides a home for his own children,
not his neighbor's. He clothes and feeds his
own family, not another's. A church builds
its edifice for its own members first. A
member of a workingmen's group gets into
difficulties; his fellows contribute to his
necessities. To help, aid, and assist those
with whom we are closely associated is common
practice. It is admirable, not
reprehensible.
Many of the co-ordinate bodies of Freemasonry
have established outstanding charitable
foundations or enterprises, whose efforts to
help the needy or to alleviate suffering are
not restricted to those who are Masons or who
have Masonic relatives. A few examples will
suffice to illustrate the point. The Supreme
Councils of the 33d, Scottish Rite, in both
the Southern and Northern jurisdictions, have
made tremendous contributions to education,
public health, and relief. The Southern
Jurisdiction founded the George Washington
University's School of Government with a
grant of one million dollars, and has
supplemented it with additional gifts and
scholarships. Recently it has given a
$20,000 grant to American University in
Washington, D. C., and $10,000 to Baylor
University in Texas. The Northern
Jurisdiction provides scholarships for young
men and women at the Boston University School
of Journalism and Arts of Communication.
Proven ability and financial need are the
only tests applied to applicants for these
scholarships.
Both Supreme Councils maintain a Foundation
or Benevolent Fund to help, aid, and assist.
In the Northern Jurisdiction the Fund is used
to promote public health by promoting
research in the field of mental illness,
particularly in the area of dementia praecox.
In the Southern Jurisdiction local bodies
support particular charities, two of the most
famous being Hospitals for Crippled Children
at Atlanta, Georgia, and Dallas, Texas.
Each of the local bodies of the Rite has an
Almoner, who is provided with substantial
funds to administer to the needy, without
regard to Masonic membership. This longtime
contribution of the Rite to public welfare is
never publicized; its extent and importance
are rarely known. Thousands of people are
helped each year by Scottish Rite Almoners.
For more than thirty years the Grand
Encampment of Knights Templar of the United
States has maintained a large trust fund as
an Educational Foundation, to enable young
men and women to defray the costs of a
college education, by borrowing on
exceedingly liberal terms a part of their
college expenses. More than a thousand young
people are helped annually; they are using
approximately a half million dollars each
year. The Grand Encampment has also set up a
foundation which supports research and
treatment of diseases and injury to the human
eye, in an effort to prevent blindness. The
treatment is provided for individuals who are
in need, regardless of race, creed, sex, age,
or national origin.
Most widely known, perhaps, is the extensive
work of alleviating distress which is carried
on in the Shriners' Hospitals for Crippled
Children. All Nobles of the Mystic Shrine
must first be Master Masons; but the
seventeen hospitals which Shriners have built
and maintain at tremendous cost are for
children of all colors, faiths, and either
sex. They must be crippled and unable to get
other hospitalization; the Shrine requires no
other tests for admission.
Most of the Masons in the United States,
through their Grand Lodges, contribute to the
support of The Masonic Service Association.
The far-reaching comfort and personal
helpfulness of this agency's Hospital
Visitation Program is provided for all who
need it in the ranks of our disabled
veterans, regardless of race, creed, or
fraternal affiliation.
Freemasonry is proud of its contributions to
human welfare!
"FREEMASONS FORM A POLITICAL PRESSURE GROUP"
It is difficult to say of one false charge
against the Ancient Craft that it is more
ridiculous than another, but no accusation of
wrong-doing by Masons is more unjust than
this one. Freemasonry has existed in the
United States since 1730. Enough years have
passed since our earliest American brethren
met in Pennsylvania to demonstrate the
"political activities" of the Fraternity, if
such existed.
Politics--meaning partisan politics--are
strictly forbidden to be discussed in lodges,
and have been, since the publication of
Anderson's Constitutions in 1723. If Masons
were a "political pressure group", obviously
they would need a cause, an idea, a program
for which to exert their pressure. No one
has as yet been able to name such an aim.
Freemasons, as a general rule, elect a new
leadership every year; a few Grand Lodges re-
elect a Grand Master for a second term, one
usually for a third term. Each year every
one of the Grand Lodges of the forty-nine in
the United States publishes its Proceedings,
which contain the annual addresses of the
Grand Masters. In none of these, for any
year, at any time in the history of
Freemasonry in the United States, is there to
be found any political objective, any aim to
be obtained by pressure, any indication of
the Fraternity's taking any part in partisan
politics.
If Freemasonry is a "pressure group", it must
have something to "press" for. It must
have
a political leader; he must apply that
pressure. Since not the slightest scintilla
of evidence for such activity exists, it is
obvious that this charge is the nonsense of
ignorance.
"FREEMASONRY WORKS IN SECRET FOR SECRET AIMS"
It would seem essential, to establish the
truth of such an accusation, that somewhere,
at some time, someone must have known of
these "secret aims".. A secret which no one
knows and no one does anything about seems
harmless!
What are these "secret aims"? No one has
ever stated! Presumably, they are something
too terrible to phrase. The destruction of
government? The murder of opponents? The
elimination of all religions?
Thirteen Presidents of the United States have
been Freemasons. At the present time five
members of the Supreme Court are Masons. A
majority of Congress is now and always has
been composed of Masons, whose political
beliefs have been as various as the nation
itself! Thousands of ministers and hundreds
of Rabbis are and have been Freemasons. What
"secret aim" can be imagined which would
appeal to such men as these?
Thousands of books have been written about
Freemasonry, for Freemasons and for the
general public. Many books have been
published by the enemies of Freemasonry. The
most virulent of these have never been able
to specify any "secret aim" to the completion
or attainment of which the Fraternity is
dedicated. They cannot find it, because it
does not exist. A "secret aim", of which
there is no evidence and which no one has
described factually, can exist only as a
fancy in a credulous mind.
Freemasonry will continue to have its critics
and detractors. Just criticism should always
be welcomed; but ignorance and wilful
misrepresentations should be ignored. "By
acting upon the square . . . and avoiding the
intemperance" of a reply, the true Freemason
will maintain "a zealous attachment to those
duties which will insure private and public
esteem."
Freemasonry is an ancient and respectable institution,
embracing
individuals of every nation, of every religion, and of
every condition
in life. Wealth, power and talents are not necessary to
the person
of a Freemason. An unblemished character and a virtuous
conduct
are the only qualifications for admission into the Order.
- LAURIE.
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