Article taken from Nigerian Guardian

I was s-o-o- impressed with this letter to the Nigerian Guardian I have reproduced it in full. It is just so eloquent. The link is given at the bottom. Once more, with feeling.... "Freemasonry is not a secret society".

Freemason is not a secret society
SIR: Your publication captioned "Okogie cautions Christians against secret societies, others: (The Guardian, August 12) refers. I would like to disabuse the mind of your readers of the notion that our very revered Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie does not know the difference between

• Religion (e.g. Christianity) and fraternal society (e.g Freemasonry or St. Joseph Societies in Catholic Churches)

• Secrecy and privacy.The funeral obsequies that follow the translation of a Pope and the selection of a new Pope, we believe, are private to the Roman Catholic Church, and the Church cannot be stigmatised "Secret Society" by any fanatical critic. Similarly, Masonic ceremonies are private to our members. There is no law in any civilised country which obliges any lawful association to hold its meetings in the open. Hence the stigma of "Secret Society" is extravagant nonsense.
  St. George's Hall on Broad St. Lagos which is our headquarters has been used by masons for over 100 years. It is only a walking distance from the Holy Cross (Catholic) Cathedral. Literary curiosities have recently been satisfied by the "internet" exposing hidden truths.
  History tells us of the anti-masonry Papal Bull of Pope Clement XII promulgated in 1738 and that of his successor Pope Benedict IV (1740-1758). But the reconciliation efforts of W. Bro. Harry Car, the author of the "Freemasons at work", Cardinal Heenan, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster and others will forever be appreciated. His Holiness, Pope John Paul II will be remembered for

• his reparation moves Ð he visited the Muslims, Jews and Buddhists, even worshipping with Muslims in their Mosque in Damascus, Syria in 2001.

• His efforts towards Ecumenism or Syncretism (unity of religions) especially among the monotheists.

Jesus Christ was a tolerant and accommodating leader - His disciples included members of the various religious societies (sects) of His time such as the Hasmonians, Zealots, Messianists, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, etc. The scriptures also tell us that occasionally, special disciples of Jesus Christ attended Secret Meetings with Him. (See John 7:10 of the Holy Bible).
Freemasonry being a democratic organisation can have no place in a society where freedom of thought or speech is forbidden. With the end of the dictatorial regimes of Mussolini, Hitler and Franco, Freemasonry began once more in the countries concerned. Similarly, theocratic governments are also prejudiced against masonry. Anti-masonry stems from Ignorance and Fear Religious leaders who oppose Freemasonry and persecute Freemasons do so out of the fear that Freemasonry is a Religion which if left alone might overthrow their own religion. We, as Freemasons, know that Freemasonry is not a Religion. However, it embraces and accommodates all religions.
No matter what religion one belongs to one would find in Freemasonry some tenets that conform to the fundamental doctrines of the religion in which one was brought up. In this respect Freemasonry is all-embracing. It is all accommodating in that no member of any religion is refused initiation into Freemasonry simply because of the religion he practises. On the contrary no self-confessed atheist can be initiated into any Freemason's Lodge.
Freemasonry is not associated with the basic elements of religion.

• It has no theological doctrine, and by forbidding religious discussion at its meetings will not allow a Masonic theological doctrine to develop.

• It offers no sacraments.

• It does not claim to lead salvation by works, by secrets knowledge or by any other means. The secrets of Freemasonry are concerned with modes of recognition and not with salvation.

However, we are well-known for our benevolent and charitable activities. We are proud to belong to a universal society comprising men of impressive accomplishment - Presidents, and Vice Presidents of America, Bill Gates, Nelson Mandela, Royal Fathers Nigerian (Obas and Obis), Supreme Court Justices, Archbishops of Canterbury, Kings of England, Scientists, Statesmen like Sir Winston Churchill and Benjamin Franklin, and Musicians like Mozart, Beethoven etc.
There is an old saying that there are none as blind as those who won't see. Those who decry Freemasonry may fall into this category, but we Masons shall continue to educate the public to dispel rumours and eradicate deliberate ignorance.
I.B. Ogun,
President of the Board of General Purposes,
For: District Grand Lodge of Nigeria


http://www.nigeriafreemasons.com/2010/04/freemason-is-not-a-secret-society/

Gordon Prentice (MP for Pendle) exposes his craftaphobic prejudism

In my earlier post I may have spoken to soon, it appears. There is some residual prejudicies based on negative and harmful stereotypes of Freemasonry. Gordon Prentice (MP for Pendle) asked the question:

"Is it not a disgrace that you have decided to allow judges no longer to have to declare if they are Freemasons?

Which is, of course, a leading question parading as overt prejudism. Quote taken from:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/anger-at-cloak-of-secrecy-for-freemason-judges-1818043.html

Yorkshire Evening Post Article

An article on Freemasonry in the Yorkshire Evening Post.

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/features/Dr-Robert-Lomas-The-Da.5802904.jp

Craftaphobia on the decline?

Jack Straw has announced that Judges will no longer be required to register as Freemasons. After a considerable amount of time being singled out (persecuted?) for their membership of a harmless fraternity it is good to see this has finally been revoked.

http://timesonline.typepad.com/law/2009/11/morning-roundup--2.html

Freemasons shake off ruling on judiciary

Some good news, for a change:

Prospective judges will no longer have to declare if they are Freemasons, the government has announced .
For the past 11 years, anyone applying to be a judge or a magistrate for the first time had to declare on an application form whether they belong to the Freemasonry.

For the rest of the article, visit:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/nov/05/freemasons-judges-magistrates-review-policy

The Catholic Church & Freemasonry

Unfortunately the Catholic Church continues its misguided antagonism towards Freemasonry:

http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=34763&page=1

I am deeply saddened that an institution that traces its roots back to Saint Peter cannot entertain the notion that Freemasonry is a secular fraternity. Freemasonry does not offer a route to salvation as the author claims.

The Lost Symbol: Truth or Fiction - Channel 5 Documentary

Yet another journalistic hatchet job?

http://www.five.tv/articles/the-lost-symbol-truth-or-fiction

I am much heartened by the website http://www.whatdoestheinternetthink.net/ I put the search term 'Freemason' in and it came up with the following response:

That's 96% favour of Freemasonry. As my research on www.freemasonrytomorrow.com shows analysis of pubic relations was previously 80% against.

Is Freemasonry a Secret Society?

I am continuing my journey into Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. Despite my earlier protestation it has one thing going for it - it is easier to read than "Business Information Systems" by Bocij, Greasley and Hickie. This is for a course I am teaching this semester.



Anyway, that aside, I am up to Chapter 6 and am pleasantly surprised. Okay, a few innaccuracies first:

p.26 the word "brotherhood" - only those outside Freemasonry refer to it as a brotherhood. This word is rarely heard within the craft as we think and refer it as a "fraternity"
p.26 Baphomet - this does not exist in Masonic ritual. It does not even get a mention in Waite's Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry. To be fair the context does not perpetuate this particular myth.

Now:

p.30 - Freemasonry is not a secret society but a society with secrets. Hurray! We've been saying that for thirty years. A distinction, though, that seems to go straight over the heads of those outside the Craft. I like the way he used the recipe for Coco-cola as a metaphor. Every organisation has aspects of its internal workings that it prefers to keep private.
p.30 - Freemasonry is not a religion. Hurray! There is no theology in Freemasonry and is open to men who believe in a deity. In his lecture Langdon refers to this as "refreshingly open minded."
p.30 Discussion of religion are not permitted in a Lodge. Hurray! [Missed out politics, but never mind].
p.31 The absence of politics would have been useful when talking about the non-inclusion of women. That is, of course the difference between the politics of gender (the assertion of women's rights) and the politics of sex (the competition for a partner). As is pointed out, there are exclusively female organisation and indeed mixed gender organisations (e.g. Le Droit Humane) that are masonic in character.
p.32 "We fear what we do not understand". I liked the way he used Christian ritual as a metaphor and would add that what is normative is culturally biased to appear logical (after Grint in Fuzzy Logic). Therefore what we have not experienced is illogical.

This might not be so bad after all... but let's wait and see. I only wish he could have referred to the "tripod" on p.28 as a Lewis. After all, we are talking about a professor of semiotics here. Or is that asking too much?

Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol

Yesterday I received my copy of The Lost Symbol.

I think the Times Online has perhaps got the right angle on this. Dan Brown is about to do to Freemasonry what he did for the Catholic Church. I read a couple of chapters last night, and as with all craftaphobic literature it dishes out the same level of misrepresentation.

For example:
p.3 How can you be dressed as a master if you're an initiate?
p.4 altar - we do not have an altar of any description. We have pedestals for the WM, SW & JWs.
p.4 The Supreme Worshipful Master - no such title. In fact it sounds like something out of Dr. Who.
p.5 drinking wine from a skull - I think the use of human remains is illegal in the UK. Certainly it is not part of the ceremony of initiation. At least I can't find it in my ritual book anyway. I should know, I'm taking the chair for Past Master's night in October.
p.11 thirty-third degree - although numerically superior this is a side degree called Rose Croix (a.k.a Scottish Rite in the States). All side degrees (Chapter, Mark, Marriners, Knights Templar) are subservient to Craft Masonry. Hierarchy is through via the WM, Provincial Officer and Grand Lodge Officer. In the UK the highest mason is the Grand Master, HRH Duke of Kent, not the head Rose Croix.

Thus far it seems to mix up two different degrees and a side degree. Not bad for p.12 but I think Martin Short did better for inaccuracies.

Spotting the errors in this book is going to be fun!

Difference between correlation & causation

I have written on this blog before about "craftaphobia" - the fear of Freemasonry. A way of creating this anti-masonic sentiment is by mixing correlation and causation. This neatly describes the work of Stephen Knight and Martin Short, for example.

We are socialised into thinking about cause-and-effect through our upbringing. By using limited case studies such writers focus their readers in a limited area to try and lead their readers into thinking there is corruption between Masons. First of all the sample size is not representational. If there are 300,000 members and let's say a dozen instances involving 3 Masons that represent 0.0000012% of the population. (Arguably still too high, but that is a different issue).

Issues of correlation and causation are different. If red cars were involved in more accidents last year it does not necessarily mean that if you drive a red car you are more likely to have an accident. Other factors such as make, model, age, gender, weather are as likely to contribute. The same argument is true of "Masonic conspiracies" Just because 0.0000012% of masons were alleged to have conspired it does not necessarily follow that they did so because they were Masons. Likewise, it does not prove that other Masons are likely to do so.

Such is the sophistry of the anti-masonic literature.

Angels and Demons

Went to see Angels and Demons last night at the cinema. It will be interesting to see what happens when Dan Brown publishes The Lost Symbol in September. The plot is supposed to involve Freemasonry. If so, we may see a renewed interest in Freemasonry from those outside the Craft.

I took the following information from Google Trends which could act as an indicator of interest. It is interesting to note the general trend of the graph appears to be going down.



The points correlate to the following news stories. The correlations may not be accurate:

A QC Elias vetoed for Freemason and hunt links
ic Wales - Mar 10 2004
Freemason History: Secret Handshakes, Passwords, FDR, Franklin
Bloomberg - May 12 2006
B Thieving freemason stripped of liberty
ic Newcastle.co.uk - Aug 3 2007
C The Son of Man, Prince of France PBH Announces His Book at The Freemason Publishing in France
Biloxi Sun Herald - Jan 31 2008
D Idaho State Historical Museum to feature Freemason exhibit
KTVB - May 15 2008
E Renovation of the historical Freemason Lodge initiated
Daily Times - Jan 3

Freemasonry Tomorrow Website

On Saturday 16th May, 2009 http://www.freemasonrytomorrow.com was launched. This is a sister site to the blog where I can make lecture material available for those who are interested. I hope you find it an entertaining read.

The site was launched as I feel there is not enough research done on strategy for the future of Freemasonry. As the top of this site indicates; the emphasis in Freemasonry is what went on this past. Unfortunately maintaining this legacy, an unthinking adherence to what happened in the past, is part of Freemasonry's current issues.

The blog, meanwhile, will continue to record thoughts and developments on the ideas around modern freemasonry. In this sense the two sites complement each other.

Episode of Ashes to Ashes

I see the "Ministry of Propaganda", aka the BBC are at it again with their anti-masonic prejudice. Last week's episode of "Ashes to Ashes" showed the main character being initiated into Freemasonry. The episode portrayed Freemasonry as a form of institutionalised nepotism. Whilst this could be frivolously dismissed as 'fiction' the BBC has something of a track record of portraying Freemasonry in this way. A few years ago I wrote in to correct an article that had appeared on the BBC website. The rather arrogant response I received was the piece was correct. I responded by asking why, if it was accurate, were there women in the photo dressed in regalia ;-) I received a further response (not an apology) saying they had removed the photo from the website and from their library archive.

In a similar vein we saw the female character Alex Drake "sneak in" to observe the ceremony. What outrageous nonsense! Moreover the ceremony abruptly ended immediately after the obligation with "let's have a drink". This conveniently missed out the Ancient Charge where the newly-made mason is instructed he cannot use his membership for personal or professional gain.

Such sophistry might make for compelling fiction, but unfortunately it also fuels the paranoia about Freemasonry we have been trying to dispel for a number of years. This is all the more concerning when the BBC is publicly funded from our TV licence: we have no option to object by withholding our licence fee as we will be prosecuted.

Indeed when it comes to accusations of corruption it would appear that the BBC would not be candidate to cast the first stone. I hope everybody remembers this little episode of BBC history: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1646791,00.html.

The BBC claims to be "impartial". This episode of "Ashes to Ashes" was a clear example of prejudism and hypocrisy from a publicly funded organisation. Shame on you, BBC.

Freemasonry Tomorrow Lecture at Unanimity No. 154

On Bank Holiday Monday I gave my talk on "Freemasonry Tomorrow" at Unanimity Lodge No. 154 in Wakefield. The talk evokes different reactions from different people and seems to have the intended purpose of provoking (in the nicest possible way) debate and reflection.

The acting Junior Warden said I had said very little about tradition. He went on to extol the virtues of tradition in their Lodge. That is to say their 200 year-old dining table and associated candleabres. These are historical artefacts rather than tradition. Tradition, as I understand it, is a process or behaviour. Shils, for example, talks about how it needs to be communicated 3 times for it to become a tradition in the strictest sense.

Another Brother challenged my figures on the decline of population of Masons. This is similar to the discussions I have with Bro. Lomas. Part of the problem is recognising there is a problem as the organisation, for the large part, is in denial. Agreeing on the extent of the problem goes towards 'paralysis by analysis.' The figures in the talk are intended to be scenarios. The same Brother also challenged my use of the words 'middle class'. This was an interesting point as these words are a disputed, and sometimes controversial label.

W. Bro John Goodchild commented that the talk had evinced an exploration of why he remained a Freemason. I well remember his lecture on friendly socities given years ago at Holme Valley Lodge. What was particularly poignant was how the Druids had disappeared as an organisation.

On the whole I found it a worthwhile exchange. The Brethren of Unanimity Lodge were excellent hosts. This proved a very agreeable conclusion to the Bank Holiday weekend.

Lodge night

Lodge night last night was most entertaining. The ceremony was a second degree demonstration as unfortunately the candidate was not able to make it due to work commitments.

Lecture

I have also been asked to give my lecture Freemasonry Tomorrow at Unanimity Lodge No. 154 in Wakefield on Monday 4th May, 2009.

Freemasonry Tomorrow Lecture

I have been asked to give my lecture on Freemasonry Tomorrow on Monday 20th April, 2009 at Felicity Lodge 6001, Spring Bank Place in Bradford.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Lecture

Went to a talk this evening at my Lodge (Connaught & Truth No. 521) given by our SW, Bro. Simon Ackroyd. The subject was "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Freemasonry." The lecture was well received... apparently the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories joined a Lodge in Portsmouth in 1887.

Generational differences

Currently I have been reading "Wikinomics" by Dan Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams. I was struck by relevance of the following passage to authoritarian rule within Freemasonry:

"Whereas previous generations value loyalty, seniority, security and authority, the N-Gen's [internet generation's] norms reflect a desire for creativity, social connectivity, fun freedom, speed and diversity in their workplaces". [p.248]

The question then is how do we change the organisation to accomodate this change in norms so that Freemasonry remains relevant to society?