Raised a Year Ago.


(With permission of the Hiram Lighthouse)

The story goes back a year ago to the days when I was initiated and raised to a Master Mason. I have always been proud of my association with such a distinguished group of men who really, in the great part, demonstrate the true spirit of Freemasonry in its finest form. I have tried to educate myself in the affairs of Masonry ever since that day and traveled around to see how Masonry is practiced by other groups of Masons. I was rather disappointed because what I saw was a tremendous departure from what I considered the teachings of Freemasonry. This caused my mind to reflect deeply and sharpened my sense of observation.

After this short year of observation, experience, and education, I have been able to formulate my own opinions. The more I pondered, the more my concern grew over our fraternity. The more I asked and enquired, the more I became convinced of the necessity of sounding the alarm. The more I read into the history and landmarks of Freemasonry, the more I saw the threat to its destiny because of the misinterpretation and practice of its teachings by many who believe themselves to be true and devoted Masons.


Did the picture in my mind before becoming a Mason correspond to the picture I have now about the practice of Masonry? The answer is, "No!" I had thought of Masonry as an association of outstanding people with strong ties of true friendship who are constantly endeavoring to develop themselves in a continuous effort through courses, workshops, lectures and meetings to obtain optimum perfection permissible to man through his limited resources, with the ultimate goal of imparting this wisdom and love they acquired from within to the world outside.

Indeed, after my initiation I read an official statement of what Masonic Teaching is. These are the words, "Masonry teaches man to practice charity and benevolence to protect chastity, to respect ties of blood and friendship, to adopt the principles and revere the ordinances of religion, to assist the feeble, guide the blind, raise up the downtrodden, shelter the orphan, guard the altar, support the government, inculcate morality, promote learning, love man, fear God, implore His mercy and hope for happiness."

What happens when the picture the candidate has in his mind about Freemasonry gets shattered? Does he get disappointed? Of course he does. The degree of his disappointment depends on the degree of departure his findings will be from his preconceived idea of the fraternity. Does he withdraw from active participation in the activities of the fraternity? He sure does as statistics well show. I would have done the same thing except for a haunting feeling that the ills of modern Masonry are the outcome not of its teachings and principles but of the current practice and misinterpretation of these teachings. Nobody can ever question the noble teachings of Freemasonry. They are immortal and can fit into any society, can coincide with every creed, can be suitable for man of the jungle and man of the atom.

Then what has gone astray? In my opinion, it is the inability of Masonic teachings to draw a clear, well-defined plan to reach its objectives. To reach these objectives, Freemasonry should prepare its members to be exemplary in their respective societies. It should prepare them for the role of leadership by teaching them its philosophy and logic, effective communication and all the related sciences dealing with human relations. It should teach them how to carry the message of love, peace and understanding that prevails inside our small society to the greater society of mankind. It should instruct its members to carry with them to lodge meetings the ills and problems of the greater society so that solutions can be worked out. It is only when Masons become involved with the rest of society that we can bring to it our noble message. It is only through this involvement that we shall be able to keep up with the evolution in the greater society; that evolution which will make it necessary for us to take a hard look at ourselves, our procedures, our programs and our plans. This evolution is essential to us in our present day fight for survival. Our basic principles can always remain the same but it is doubtful that we shall be able to survive without keeping up with a changing world. Time changes, people's outlook changes, their need changes, and consequently our methods that meet the demands of society should change.

Our history clearly indicates that we have always maintained faithfully our procedures, rituals and ceremonies. Have we with equal faithfulness maintained our objectives? Would the time spent in learning and memorizing the rituals and ceremonies be used more effectively in attacking the world's most insistent problems for which we have offered the answer in our noble teachings and objectives? If it is not possible for us because of other demands of modern life, to devote our time both to the learning of our rituals and ceremonies and also to the implementation of our noble objectives, which of the two should receive preference and more attention? And which of the two is actually receiving more attention?

Some will argue that our ancient landmarks and constitutions ban innovations in the landmarks. No doubt about that. But what kind of innovations? It stands to reason that what it means must be the innovations and changes dealing with the teachings of Masonry, changes dealing with the heart and essence of the movement but not its framework of ceremonies, rituals and procedures. Would it stand more to reason and logic that we should cling to the frame and lose the picture? What is the price? The price is our extinction. We can have the most beautiful, ceremonious and impressive rituals but unless more of us are going to put into practice their teaching, the day is not far away that the noble teachings of Freemasonry will only be a wonderful inscription on paper.

So one year after I was raised I continue to attend my lodge, the only one of my class that does. I attend because I feel impelled to sound the alarm and, in so doing, will have discharged my duties towards my noble and believed fraternity.


Author:         Sam Hanafy, excerpt
        Publisher:     Grand Lodge Bulletin; GRA, 5970


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