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Archives for 2010

The Masonic Restoration Foundation August Symposium

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Coming this August, the Masonic Restoration Foundation is holding its first National Symposium on Traditional Observance Lodges, and much much more.

The focus of this two day event will be Masonic Restoration with a primary focus on identifying a set of best practices that can be regionalized and implemented in those lodges seeking to increase the fulfillment of its members.

This is a “must attend” event if you have ever considered starting a Traditional Observance Lodge in your local area.

The 2 full day schedule includes:

  • Working Talk Points Breakfast on leadership and assessing strengths and weaknesses.
  • Lodge Formation – How to in YOUR region.
  • How to best work with your Grand Lodge
  • Regalia Presentation from the leading regalia manufacturers.
  • Live vendor trade show with music, art, books, and software.
  • A Tyled Meeting followed by a Festive Board Agape.

Day Two:

  • Leadership Psychology from a top national speaker
  • Break-outs to discuss best practices, obstacles, and implementation
  • A special presentation on Alchemy by Br. Timothy Hogan
  • And an afternoon discussion on the practical guide to implementing the full TO system.
  • Followed, of course, by an event ending networking and cigar Lounge with a on site whiskey master.

The event has tremendous promise and a terrific energy about it and from the descriptions on the events site, its sure to motivate and educate even the passive participant into a passionate Traditional Observation Lodge champion.

Space is limited to 120 participants. If the TO lodge process has been on your radar, this event is not to be missed.

You can register for the event on their website: MRF Symposium.

Curious about Masonic Restoration?  Listen to the Masonic Central Podcast on the topic.
[podcast]http://www.blogtalkradio.com/masonic-central/2010/03/08/traditional-observance-what-is-it-and-is-it-the-fu.mp3[/podcast]

The Complete Lodge Secretary

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The Complete Lodge Secretary
The Complete Lodge Secretary

Lewis Masonic is one of those publishing houses that seem to pull from a limitless well of ideas to produce work that is both timely and informative and their latest book, The Complete Lodge Secretary, is exactly that: timely and informative.

To say its a must have is a difficult for anyone not sitting to the Worshipful Masters left hand side, but this jewel of a resource, written by Gordon G. Hunt, goes miles to explain the minutia of the day to day work on the secretaries desk.

The Complete Lodge Secretary is written principally from a UK perspective, but the lessons and organization it suggests is a valuable resource for anyone who has ever thought about how to organize a lodges, the records management behind it, and the etiquette to be held while in the lodge (Ch 10.7 Misbehaviour in Lodge).  Something I liked is that it went into detail on the unexpected surprises to beware of with helpful suggestions on what to do in their event – the lesson: BE PREPARED!

A strength of the book is that it puts a terrific emphasis on the fact that the Lodge Secretary is manager of the lodge.  By saying that, what The Complete Lodge Secretary says is that no matter what the circumstance or issue, the Lodge Secretary is both knowledgeable and well prepared to resolve it, at the will and pleasure of the Worshipful Master of course.

You can find The Complete Lodge Secretary on Amazon, or from Lewis Masonic directly.

Secret Order of the Cephalopod Lodge

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Some how, I don’t think Sponge Bob is the first thing you think about when you think Secret Society.

But Squidward, well, he’s just the type of cephalopod I’d expect to be into that kind of thing…

The Auto play was a bit annoying, You can watch the clip here:
http://spongebob.nick.com/videos/play/cephalopod-lodge-clip/

You can find an interesting analysis on why this episode is related to Freemasonry here.  Not very revealing, but a fun exercise in chasing your conspiracy tail.

And now, for something completely different…

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A brother (and author) of this book sent me a note some time back about his new book, and I’ve been sorely remiss in mentioning it, so I wanted to take a minute and share The Festive Freemason.

Written and illustarted by Br. Steve Chadburn, he is a long established professional cartoonist, author and illustrator. This book is a humorous book of cartoons about being a freemason in the modern world. Much of its work is based on English Freemasonry, masons everywhere will still be able to relate to the situations and enjoy the book.

About the book: The Festive Freemason is the creation of a Past Master in the Craft,who happens to be a professional author, illustrator and cartoonist. The book will hopefully amuse, entertain, and offer a unique insight into how freemasons balance their commitment to families and work. With the duties, obligations and fellowship to be found in Freemasonry.

What better way to see the fraternity than with humor and with mirth.

Br. Steve’s book is available on Amazon – 978-1449981006

Authority

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AuthorityAuthority – who has it, how do they have it and what happens with it?

The line of development in Arkansas has risen to an overly heated debate outside of those involved.  Like a gladiator battle, its true, the dirty under workings of both sides are showing as the gears turn violently towards their ultimate seizure.

We want blood, from someone.

In this, no one will be the winner.  Only losers, on both immediate sides in the loss of a passionate member and the loss of credibility to a former “customer”.  Both Derek and the Grand Lodge of Arkansas will be losers in this.

But then, so will the rest of us.

Not because of any public wronging or injustice, or in any flaming arrow of outside criticism.  All you need to is read the breadcrumbs of comments littered on both sides of the fence.  Its painfully obvious, nobody is happy.

This has a parallel with something else on my mind recently, and that has to do with Authority.

Is there an Authority to Masonry, and ultimately if so who has it?

In the realm of membership organizations (where you pay to be a member) is Freemasonry (the lodge, the Grand Lodge, the apendant bodies) truly a democracy, a co-operative (see co-op) which exists for the mutual benefit of its members like a bank credit union, a Non or For-Profit Corporation, or is it something else?  Is it a corporation, designed only to facilitate an experience to its paying members like a Club Med, but with a leadership structure in place to manage and govern said experience (essentially a for profit managed corporation whose motive is to raise money to expand and grow financially with stake holders and beneficiaries).  We know for a fact that it is NOT a Mutual Benefit Society, as that is something early on impressed upon us.

A Cooperative is defined as autonomous associations of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprises.  Further, its definition on Wikipedia says of it: A cooperative may also be defined as a business owned and controlled equally by the people who use its services or who work at it.

I would interject here that the nature of the organization seems to most reflect the definition of a mutual benefit society, in that the tenets of Masonry mirror the attributes of such a society.

Which raises a big question as to who then owns Freemasonry.  Even more so, who speaks for it?

But lets stick to Authority for the moment.  Wikipedia says of the word: authority derives from the Latin word auctoritas meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. Essentially authority is imposed by superior hierarchy superior upon inferior either by force of arms structural authority or by force of argument or sapiential authority. Usually authority has components of both compulsion and persuasion.

One could suggest that authority is compelled by the idea of Leadership, which is defined as:

Leadership is stated as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.

Wikipedia: Leadership

The difference being a Leader is able to compel people to action vs.  an Authority forcing them.  Taken a step further, does a Co-Op have an Authority or does it have Leadership?  Is it  compelled into action, or is it forced?

On Hodapp’s Freemasons for Dummies blog, he recently quoted from L’Express, a French publication, about a meeting of French Masons where in their displeasure more than a 1000 Masons showed up to show their discontent.  Did they show up because they were compelled, or because they had an active part in the overall process?

The problem with all of this is who are beneficiaries and who are the victims.

Those who see themselves as part of a Co-Op prefer the transparency – they see an open society as a win win for all involved and want to know what is going on to be a part of the conversation.  And those who see themselves as under an authority feel that there is a violation of the institutions sanctity, that open dialog violates its privacy, secrecy, and so on, such that to even bring the conversation up is revealing its secrets.  (First rule of fight club…)

I won’t mince words, I’m in the Co-Op camp.  I want my Secret Society to be open to me, not governed by another internal secret society with its own motives which leans back to the corporate vs. cooperative issue.

So my big unanswered question is this:  is Freemasonry a Co-Op or an Corporation?  Do we, as members have a universal say in it?  Or is it because so few come to lodge to vote, the say has been usurped by our own internal Patriot Act (I’ve linked an explanation of the Patriot Act for those not in the US).

So then, using the fuller definition of Authority from Wikipedia: In government, authority is often used interchangeably with the term “power”. However, their meanings differ: while “power” is defined as “the ability to influence somebody to do something that he/she would not have done”, “authority” refers to a claim of legitimacy, the justification and right to exercise that power. For example, whilst a mob has the power to punish a criminal, for example by lynching, people who believe in the rule of law consider that only a court of law has the authority to order punishment.

Authority then comes from a belief in law.  Our belief in the law.  We give an institution authority because we choose to exist and live by its laws.

Thankfully in the U.S. the first amendment protects our right to speak freely in the public space, to question authority (when necessary) and be publicially vocal because no other means exist to communicate cooperatively.

Because every action has a reaction, and in a Co-Op organization a disgruntled customer speaks poorly of the whole organization, and non disgruntled members should cooperatively have a right to know what Authority(Leadership) is being exercised.

Maybe I’m wrong.  Is the corpus of Freemasonry not a Co-Op by definition?  Is it a Non Profit?  Is it a for profit?  Does it in practice operate like a Benefit Society?  Is it something else entirely, indefinable by civil law?  Does it matter?

If no man speaks for Masonry, is there such thing as an authority that can through it?

I RESIGN

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“Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.” – James Baldwin

“I resign.” Those were the words of Derek Gordon in a terse certified letter to the Grand Lodge of Arkansas. No long drawn out accusations, no reprimands, no recrimination, just “I resign.”Faced with what he felt was a rigged kangaroo court, Gordon saw he had little other options.

Why subject himself to the humiliation his Grand Lodge was about to heap upon him. He knew in his heart that he did no wrong and remained true to the real spirit of Freemasonry. If one way or the other he was going to go then it would be on his terms not the terms of a tyrannical closed society purging its membership of any dissenters or freethinkers.

The option Gordon took was one the Grand Lodge of Arkansas said was not available.  You cannot resign, they told him, and since you are under charges we will not give you a demit.  Such were the machinations of a power thirsty Grand Lodge with an Ahmadinejad prototype as Grand Master. This Grand Lodge, like a number of others in the United States, felt that it could rule arbitrarily and make up the laws, rules and regulations on the fly to thwart every challenge to their despotic ways. They pushed through a non electronic Masonic communication law on the spur of the moment in order to have an excuse on which to hang their phony charges against Gordon. They refused to reveal specifically what he had done wrong, telling him to come enter the “Lion’s Den” and then we will tell you all about how we are going to screw, blue and tattoo you.

The Grand Lodge of Arkansas rigged the rules so that once they had you under charges there was no way for you to escape, or so they said. This enabled them to rule by fear and keep anybody not toeing the party line on the outside looking in. If you were up on charges, which were often made up bogus violations, then the Grand Lodge gave you two choices, submit to a Masonic trial (predetermined outcome) or fill out a form to self expel yourself, in the process also self blackballing yourself from every other jurisdiction in the United States. It resembles the choice of death by a firing squad or death by the electric chair. Self expulsion is also akin to “tar and feathering” yourself and if you refuse to sign the form or attend your Masonic trial they will try you in absentia. In other words if you don’t tar and feather yourself we will do it for you. This process cannot be inspired by Masonic practice; rather it seems to have been borrowed from the KKK.

 

Gordon’s position was that he was a volunteer not a paid member of staff and therefore he had every right to resign, especially if he felt he was not being treated well. Even President Nixon was allowed to resign under fire.

Many a fellow Mason, responding to the case of Frank Haas and the Grand Lodge of West Virginia, Gate City Lodge and the Grand Lodge of Georgia and most recently Derek Gordon and the Grand Lodge of Arkansas, has repeatedly said that whatever a Grand Lodge decides and whatever it rules it is within its rights and taking the dispute outside of Freemasonry into the civil courts is wrong. These well intentioned Brothers tell us that Freemasonry is a private organization and rules itself as a power unto itself and that bringing the profane into adjudication is both Masonically illegal and immoral.

That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Most Grand Lodges today are public corporations.  It would be very foolish in today’s world not to be. The limited liability and the tax advantages are just too great for a multimillion dollar organization like Freemasonry to pass up. But to attain these advantages a company or organization must sign onto the articles of incorporation and the corporate and nonprofit laws,  – secular, civil rules that supersede any Masonic traditions or by-laws, rules and regulations of Grand Lodges. This was reported in an earlier Beehive column that seemed to generate little comment or attention.

Well let’s take the common practice of Grand Masters to rule and govern by edict when the Grand Lodge is not in Session.  Most Grand Lodge by-laws stipulate that the Grand Master rules in absentia. This is a Masonic tradition and how most Grand Lodges have been governed for centuries. However, in most cases, depending on the state, this is not legally correct. Most state’s corporation rules state that the corporation is governed by a Board of Directors when the Grand Lodge is not in session.  Corporate rules supersede any organization’s by-laws. This means that the Grand Master cannot decide matters at all, he must refer all business over to the Board.

Thus when a Grand Master sandbags a Brother by showing up at his Lodge under false pretenses and then expelling him by edict, that action may be blatantly illegal.  Likewise, when a Grand Master visits a Lodge and promptly pulls its charter and closes it down, that too may be illegal. In other areas of corporate law it may also be illegal to file vague charges against a volunteer or employee without specifically informing the accused of exactly the offense that was violated and in what manner. Some Grand Masters pay little or no attention to the civil laws which they are required to adhere to. If more Masons knew of this situation perhaps they would call them on it.

So when a Grand Lodge becomes a corporation it agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of incorporation and the corporate and nonprofit civil laws that accompany them, first and foremost, over ruling any previously held positions when in conflict.  Furthermore, one can no longer say that Freemasonry is a private organization or that it should not operate in the civil public domain.  By becoming a public corporation and operating under the rules of a public corporation it has the same status as General Motors and under the present administration could be deemed too big to fail and therefore, if in trouble, could be taken over by the state. Lastly as a public corporation its membership and the entire public community has the right to look at its tax, revenues and payroll records as well as its charitable contributions as filed with the government.

THE BIGGEST THING FREEMASONS TODAY NEED TO FACE IS THAT FREEMASONRY IS NO LONGER A PRIVATE SOCIETY.

Let’s take a look at what Arkansas expects of its nonprofit and volunteer organizations.

The state of Arkansas has published guidelines for its nonprofit and volunteer organizations. Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe explains what his state has put in place.

“I am proud to introduce this new publication, ‘Legal Guide For Arkansas Nonprofit and Volunteer Organizations,’ a resource and guide for nonprofit and volunteer management organizations.  It is the result of a collaborative effort between the UALR, Bowen School of Law, the Department of Human Services Division of Volunteerism, the Arkansas Service Commission, and Williams & Anderson PLC.  Together, their efforts are a model for public-private partnerships.  I am confident that this manual will become an indispensable tool for nonprofit and volunteer organizations as they work to improve the quality of life for all Arkansans.” – Governor Mike Beebe

You can read the entire text of this document here: http://www.law.ualr.edu/nonprofit-guide/legalguidearknonprofitbook.pdf

 

Legal Guide for Arkansas

Nonprofit and Volunteer

Organizations

 

 

 

Resignation of a Volunteer

Volunteers may, of course, resign at any time. Since

volunteers are vital to the functioning of most nonprofit

organizations, they should be asked to give notice of their

resignations as soon as possible. Job descriptions should include

information about how much notice the organization requests for

that particular job, depending on the needs of the organization.

Pg. 98

Discrimination

Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1991 prohibits

employers of fifteen (15) employees or more, whether for-profit

or nonprofit, from discriminating on the basis of race, color,

religion, sex, or national origin.37 The Age Discrimination in

Employment Act of 196738 and the Americans with Disabilities

Act of 199039 prohibit discrimination based on age and disability.

Although state civil rights laws vary, the Arkansas Civil

Rights Act of 1993 also prohibits discrimination and applies to

employers of nine (9) or more.40

Nevertheless, a nonprofit should implement

non-discriminatory practices and procedures even if it has

few “employees” who may sue for discrimination. The most

obvious reason is that it is the right thing to do; a more practical

consideration is that the organization may eventually grow into

civil rights law coverage.

One of the most effective ways to avoid discrimination

and the appearance of discrimination is to make sure that the

organization reflects the diversity of the community served.

Directors, officers, volunteers and employees should reflect

diversity of, for example, age, race, sex, religion, national origin

and disability. Many groups also feel the need for other types of

diversity, such as geographic and socio-economic.

Pgs 94-95

According to the 2000 census Arkansas’ population is 15.7% African American. How does the Grand Lodge of Arkansas reflect this diversity?  Is 15.7 % of its membership African American?, 10%?, 5%?, 1%?, any at all? Does anyone know of at least one African American that belongs to the Grand Lodge of Arkansas?

Now let’s take a look at what the state of Arkansas demands of its nonprofit corporations.

 

“THE ARKANSAS NONPROFIT CORPORATION ACT OF 1993.”

AR LEGIS 1147 (1993)

SECTION 620. Resignation
(a) A member may resign at any time.
(b) The resignation of a member does not relieve the member from any
obligations the member may have to the corporation as a result of
obligations incurred or commitments made prior to resignation.

SECTION 621. Termination, Expulsion And Suspension
(a) No member of a public benefit or mutual benefit corporation may be
expelled or suspended, and no membership or memberships in such
corporations may be terminated or suspended except pursuant to a procedure
that is fair and reasonable and is carried out in good faith.
(b) A procedure is fair and reasonable when either:
(1) the articles or bylaws set forth a procedure that provides:
(i) not less than fifteen days prior written notice of the expulsion,
suspension or termination and the reasons therefore; and
(ii) an opportunity for the member to be heard, orally or in writing, not
less than five days before the effective date of the expulsion, suspension
or termination by a person or persons authorized to decide that the
proposed expulsion, termination or suspension not take place; or
(2) it is fair and reasonable taking into consideration all of the relevant
facts and circumstances.
(c) Any written notice given by mail must be given by first-class or
certified mail sent to the last address of the member shown on the
corporation’s records.
(d) Any proceeding challenging an expulsion, suspension or termination,
including a proceeding in which defective notice is alleged, must be
commenced within one year after the effective date of the expulsion,
suspension or termination.
(e) A member who has been expelled or suspended may be liable to the
corporation for dues, assessments or fees as a result of obligations
incurred or commitments made prior to expulsion or suspension.

There is a catch to all this:

Arkansas Nonprofit Corporation Act

There are two versions of the Arkansas Nonprofit Corporation Act, (“ANPCA”), one passed in 1963, and one passed in 1993. Corporations created prior to 1993 are subject to the 1963 Act, unless they choose to subject themselves to the 1993 Act. Any organizations incorporated after 1993 are subject to the 1993 Act. – Arkansas Attorney General’s Office

So the Grand Lodge of Arkansas may be grandfathered out of many of these requirements as it was incorporated in 1846.  Yet many Arkansas nonprofit corporations realizing that the post civil rights era of legislation has seen many changes drastically transforming society have signed onto the 1993 act voluntarily. Many also have done so because the new Act protects the interest of members and ensures against deception and mistreatment. For some it becomes not what you can get away with but rather what is the spirit of the times and how can I join in to be a part of it.  Sadly it seems that the Grand Lodge of Arkansas would rather live in the Civil War era and operate under the rules of a bygone era. How Masonic is that?

We say that Freemasonry has its own law yet we admonish all within the Craft to uphold the civil government and obey the civil statutes.  Does that mean that Freemasonry can knowingly try to operate with Masonic Law that is in direct conflict with Civil Law?

Let’s review what we have learned from this event.

1)   This is no longer your Grandfather’s Chevrolet …..er Grand Lodge. Freemasonry must stop living in the past as West Virginia and Arkansas are doing.  Instead it needs to adapt to the mores of present day society.

2)   Running a closed society that allows no freedom of expression and muzzles its members is antithetical to Freemasonry of the Enlightenment.

3)   Operating a society with laws, rules and regulations that conflict with civil law and civil rights is not only not in the spirit of Freemasonry but also blatantly immoral.

4)   An organization in this day and age, especially a nonprofit volunteer one, cannot realistically force a person against his will to remain a member. It should be the option of any Freemason to simply resign from any Grand Lodge.

5)   Making up silly and vindictive rules such as prohibiting members from using the Internet or any electronic means to discuss Freemasonry is unbecoming and un-Masonic.

6)   It’s been almost 50 years since Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement transformed America. It is past time that Grand Lodges reflected that change.

7)   It is painfully evident that Grand Lodges can no longer operate as they have done in the past.   This is the 21st century with new ways of looking at different lifestyles and morality. Grand Lodges are now in a public-private partnership yet they refuse to recognize their duty to civil law and their new commitments.  Failure of Freemasonry to operate within the framework of present day moral, societal and political civil practice could be very costly to the Craft.

Finally let us dispense with the notion that holding Freemasonry accountable in civil court is against Masonic moral law.  It is Grand Lodges who took themselves out of staying a purely private organization and into the civil world of corporate non-profits. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.  And you can’t talk out of both sides of your mouth.  If you want the benefits of a nonprofit corporation than abide by the civil laws that go with it and govern your Grand Lodge in the spirit of the law as it was intended.

The Beehive urges every Freemason in the U.S.A. to investigate the process its Grand Lodge is using and to educate himself on how it operates, to use the Freedom of Information Act when needed and to hold his Grand Lodge, a nonprofit corporation, accountable in civil court when necessary.

Derek Gordon is not going to self expel himself, nor is he going to attend his Masonic trial. Attempts by the Grand Lodge of Arkansas to redefine what he has done is futile. HE HAS RESIGNED – NOT SELF EXPELLED HIMSELF. To the Grand Lodge of Arkansas, accept the resignation of Derek Gordon and put an end to your foolishness.

This is not the Civil War era, this is the Information Age and we are all watching you.

 

Moving Fremasonry into the MMORPG

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MMORPG: Massively multiplayer online role-playing game

Just read a blog post on We Fly Spitfires, an MMORPG blog (which is another way of saying online gaming). The post was called Video Games and Freemasonry and the author, a brother, made some great points about how the lodge could attract younger members.

How you may be wondering? Simply by changing the degrees into video game levels.

Some of his ideas and my thoughts to them:

  • Replace the rituals with video game tournaments: OK, I know this is a bit of a stretch,but most tweens today are more at home with Xbox controllers than they are with pens and paper.
  • Instead of Degrees, have levels: Honestly, its something ever tween today can relate to from the lowliest game on the Play Station to the ever expanding World of Warcraft.
  • Online Degrees – with virtual attendance: With the proliferation of Video & Web Conferencing and Skype Conference Calls, why not do things virtually.
  • Freemason Facebook (or MySpace) App (a la Farmville or Mafia Wars):  If you know what your looking for, Freemasonry is all over Facebook already (including this site) but a step up in the interactivity may be an interesting take on something most of us do on a daily basis already. Instead of watering our virtual plants in Farmville, we could be learning about degrees and symbols.

masonic hammer in warcraftIts an interesting concept, and if your already familiar with the on-line gaming world, then maybe you could see some of the applications in your head already.

Why not have a sanctioned World of Warcraft Guild of Freemasons? Several already exist depending on the game server you join.

Besides guilds, there are already several Masonic-esque items living in Warcraft, including the Masons fraternity ring, and this spiffy hammer.

Imagine what that raiding party would look like.

This is just one example of a lodge built in Minecraft.

How about a Masonic skin for Minecraft?

Have you found Freemasonry in other games, MMORPG or otherwise?  Drop us a not in the comments below.

The Vast Indifference of Heaven

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“We contemplate eternity beneath the vast indifference of heaven.” -Warren Zevon

My favorite songwriter of all time is the late Warren Zevon.

Warren was incredibly adept at vocalizing the reality of his emotions through the medium of music. One of his works that has become a favorite of mine is his song “Indifference of Heaven.” To me, the song tackles an issue that most humans are afraid of addressing: does God really play an active role in the human existence?

Most people that I have met refuse to even consider this question and with good reason. The idea of an almighty being that doesn’t influence world events or care about our day-to-day existence is unnerving. We naturally want to believe that God is on “our side,” that God wants what is best for us, and that God will protect us. The desire to be one of God’s chosen people has been instilled in us through many different religions. It is a perfectly natural desire and it seems like a logical assumption. If God cared enough to create us, then he would care enough to make sure that everything turns out well for us, right?

all seeing eyeOne spiritual ideology that separates itself from this belief is Deism. Deism is a belief that came out of the Enlightenment Age of the 17th and 18th centuries. It is the belief that the Supreme Architect of the Universe created the universe and all things therein contained, but is not involved in man’s existence. It rejects the idea of divine miracles, revelations, or prophets. However, Deists do believe that all of the universe’s natural processes were put in place by the Almighty Creator and that God does desire for us to act morally.

Deism doesn’t necessarily declare that God is indifferent, but depending on one’s view of this theological ideal Deism could imply that indifference is one of God’s characteristics. Frankly, I think that the idea of an indifferent God can be comforting at times. Consider an event like the Holocaust. It is much more difficult to understand how a God that interferes with human actions would allow such a tragedy to occur. What about those times when a crime is committed and the victim is an innocent law-abiding and God-fearing citizen? How can we accept that a proactive Deity allows these things to happen? Yet, we find ways to rationalize God’s inaction and decide that tragedies are all part of God’s plan.

Maybe there is another way of looking at the vast indifference of heaven. Maybe we don’t have to accept that God is indifferent or that he does direct the course of human action and allows bad things to happen for a reason. Like many people, I like to think of God as a father figure. A good father knows that he cannot run the lives of his children, because if he doesn’t allow them to realize the consequences of their own actions they may become dependent on his guidance and will suffer in the long run because they are not capable of making responsible decisions. He may well know that his child intends on going to a party on the weekend which may result in his child making a wrong decision. So he raises his child by giving them a good example of proper conduct and trusts that they will make the correct decision when it is necessary. Perhaps God works in the same way. He has given us his guidance through various religious texts and trusts that we act in an upright manner, but he also realizes that we must suffer the consequences of our own mistakes.

The truth is that while we exist in this world, we may never know the real characteristics of God. He may be interested in our lives, indifferent, or like a loving father, gently guiding us to follow the right path. But one thing that will not change is that we will all–at one time or another–feel like we are “contemplating eternity beneath the vast indifference of heaven.”

All things Shrine International on Masonic Central.

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The song bring out the clowns starts to ring in my head when ever I start to think about the Shrine in a large way.  Not out of any misanthropy but because of their excellent work and commitment to the happiness and well being of so many children.

To say the name of the Shrine International and instantly the image of charity, children’s hospitals, and Red Fez’s comes to mind, but behind those iconic images is an organizational powerhouse that, some suggest, drives the future of the Masonic fraternity.

Missed the Live Program?  Listen Now!

or, Download the Mp3

Joining Masonic Central this week is Imperial Sir Jeff Sowder who is Imperial Outer Guard for Shriners International to talk about all things big and small as it relates to the Shrine.  Of particular interest:

  • The History of the Shrine – How it formed, why it formed, and how its original formation has evolved.
  • The Present Day Shrine International – The Hospitals, Conventions, the 1.8 million a day in Charity, The iconic Clowns, and some of the recent controversy.
  • The Future of the Hot Sands – Growth, Diversity, and Its lineage to the ancient fraternity.

So many questions have swirled about the connections of the Shrine and the blue lodge that its time to put them to task and ask them of the Shrine themselves, and Imperial Sir Jeff Sowder has graciously stepped up to explore these topics and more about the “world’s greatest philanthropy.”

You can join the live Masonic Central program on Blog Talk Radio Sunday May 2nd, at 6pm PST/9pm EST and join our live interactive chat room to send us your questions and talk about the program, or you can call in with your live questions to 347-677-0936 during the show.

It promises to be an interesting and entertaining evening to say the least and a great way to discover more about this charitable powerhouse of the Masonic family. on Blog Talk Rad

For more information on the Shrine, visit: Shrine International

To Be a Shriner Now, visit: Be A Shriner Now

Masonic Traveler – the book

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This is a bit of shameless self promotion but I wanted to get the word out.

After a lot of effort and energy, hand wringing and procrastination, I can truthfully say that with enough thought, you can manifest your intentions into being.  I present to you my humble journal of a Masonic Traveler.

Its been a long road, a journey of unknown adventure and destinations.  Its not a travelogue, but a collection of thoughts on things of interest to all Masons discovered on the road of the blog masonictraveler.blogspot.com

The book is an adventure that has taken me through thousands of pages in hundreds of books.  An adventure that has allowed me to meet and befriend a hundreds of brothers from around the world, and find resonate fraternity in places I was long told there was none to be found.

And after so much time on the virtual road, there was bound to be a physical destination…

That destination culminated in the book Masonic Traveler.

I like to think of it not as journey’s end, but  just the first stop on the trail.  So, without further adieu, I make this gentle announcement about my new book Masonic Traveler which is printed and in hand now!

You can follow more on the subject at MasonicTraveler.com

You can also find it on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com now too!

Just a quick update, I wanted to add a few additional places you can find the work.
Barnes and Noble
Amazon USA
Amazon Ca
Amazon UK
Amazon De
Amazon Jp
A1 Books
Powell’s