Posted May, 1999
A Paper by Bro. Raymond L. Sc= hwartz, Harmony Lodge No. 8, Newton, New Jersey, U. S. A.
Ed. Note. This Paper- was submitted as an entry for the 1988
The World's History is replete with accounts of those who had the temeri=
ty
to believe they were above the laws of the Supreme Architect and of man
himself. In fact, there were philosophers in
The belief in a supreme being is the first tenet emphasized on the new initiate as he begins his rewarding Masonic journey. in= fact, prayer follows the Masonic candidate from the first to the last degree offered in masonry. The new mason soon learns that it is the Holy Bible= which guides our faith and practice and not the doctrines of a demagogue intent upon forcing his particular ideology on the world. Mao's Red Book and Hitler's Mein Kampf are inhuman and consequently antimasonic because we as Freemasons recognize that t= he Supreme Being and not the state is the final judge of our acts here on eart= h. The simple act of praying becomes a method by which to fortify a beautiful lesson in humility.
Our first three degrees address a fundamental reality about life, and th= at is that we progress from infancy to adulthood and finally to old age. It is= from dust we come and it is to dust we all must go. D= eath comes to us regardless of rank, title or nobility. Our lectures teach us th= at the earth is home to man, but that in the end it is the earth that will rec= eive our bodily remains. It is interesting to note that in our lectures there is= a concern with environmental protection. in fact, = we as Freemasons should be judicious in our conduct, and treat with care the earth and its environment.
The working tools of a Freemason teach the candidate that there is much = work to be done and that the work is best performed in concert with others. The opening and closing of our Lodge meetings clearly demonstrates the cooperat= ive nature of man that must develop for the successful completion of all human activity. The wearing of the Masonic apron symbolizes the Freemason's conce= rn with productive labor and that each brother has his respective station and place as we do the work of our Lodge.
Our Royal Arch Degrees teach us that a stone rejected may eventually bec= ome the keystone to our works. Furthermore, each mason is responsible for his actions and that honesty is always to be most preciously guarded. Throughout history, millions of people were annihilated yet some managed to survive and become significant contributing members of our world. Those who committed atrocities against mankind tried to absolve themselves by asserting that th= ey were only following orders, Yet, the world refus= ed to accept this weak plea and justice was done. In recent years, many of our own political leaders failed to conduct themselves in an honest and forthright manner. However, our American system of justice responded and the concept of equal justice under law prevailed. There seems to be little doubt that a sm= all dose of humility might have prevented many of these heinous crimes and activities. Freemasons do not respect men for their worldly wealth or any titles received, but are concerned with the quality of the character each m= an possesses. Faith, hope and charity are the principles of Freemasonry and are cherished concerns of every mason, This concern extends itself to non-masons as well as to the brotherhood itself.
There are some who will argue that the Freemason ignores the realities of cruelty and inhumanity emanating from mankind. This is just not so. The pavement of masonry realizes that human life has the potential for both good and evil. The Freemason's challenge is to find good in every person regardl= ess of the person's station in life. We are taught that brotherly love means th= at we regard every human being as part of one big family. Once again, our masonry= has borrowed from the ancient Greeks the belief in Agape. Agape is what the Gre= eks termed a love that went beyond that of a man and a woman. Agape was a love = that captured the spirit of a love for all mankind, One of the primary objectives of many Greek philosophers was to create a society w= here man's potential for good could be realized. Is that not one of the primary objectives of masonry, to make good men better ?=
The mystic tie of freemasonry accords respect and dignity to each indivi= dual brother's faith and religion. The toleration of different religions is a significant characteristic which symbolizes our American heritage of freedom and is jealously protected by all good Freemasons. The contrast between freemasonry and those who believe that not only have they found the truth b= ut are willing to subject mankind to their own self-determined precepts is striking. These self-appointed "electronic" messiahs demonstrate a tremendous amount of arrogance which is paid for and supported by people who for the most part seem to have vast voids in their lives. These leaders have the audacity to demand that our Lodges be closed. How often have good broth= ers been confronted by these zealots in the parking lots of our Lodges? And why should we be the targets of these so-called religious maniacs? The answer is simple. The Holy Bible teaches us, as does masonry, that we should treat our neighbor as we wish he should treat us. Acting squarely and forthrightly has its price and we as Freemasons have al= ways been willing to pay it.
A lesson in humility is exemplified by masonry's rough and smooth ashlar. The rough stone is symbolic of our early life= which is both crude and imperfect. However, the smooth stone demonstrates that our lives can reach perfection with the assistance of both education and the blessings of the supreme architect.
Masonry admonishes us to avoid intemperance and that we are responsible first to God, secondly to our neighbor and then finally to ourselves. Again= , we are reminded that in our conduct with others the "me-first" menta= lity has no place in our lives.
When the masonic initiate divests himself of= all of his worldly goods, an important lesson in charity and concern for those = less fortunate than we are is highlighted. The Holy Bible provides many examples of those willing to sacrifice everything so that mankind might be = the beneficiary.
Our Masonic lectures demand that every mason be a good, loyal citizen to= his country. In fact, we learn that our Masonic beliefs will not conflict with = our country's or even our neighbors. A quiet, and peaceful citizen is most cherished by our Masonic fraternity.
Our Fellowcraft degree not only respects the liberal arts and sciences; but stresses the importance of leading a virtuous and moral life. The second degree also examines the importance of our five human senses. Even here, our senses exist so that we can more faithfully se= rve God and humanity. Most importantly, the Fellowcraft mason is reminded of the fact that ruthless ignorance and the results of war have laid waste to much of humanity.
Our Sublime Degree of Master Mason encapsulates much of what has been discussed in this paper. It is here that the Master Mason learns about the = progress of life and the inevitability of death. However, it is a death which exemplifies the power and glory of faith in God.
How many men have attempted to sit on a temporal throne convinced that t= hey have some divine right over mankind? The mason soon learns that it is a mis= take to assume the mantle of leadership without demonstrating the appropriate qualifications to his fellow members. Again, the mason returns to prayer for guidance from our Supreme Grand Master. The road to travel is long and ardu= ous but faith and forbearance lead to a successful completion. In fact, at the end = of the journey we find a reinvigorated soul ready to join with other masons in= the good fellowship evidenced in our Lodges.
The ritual in this degree forces the mason to confront the realities of greed and its awful consequences. It is only with the assistance of others = that the mason is brought to a new understanding about life's tragedies and hope= s.
We, as Freemasons, spend much of our lives in search of that which canno= t be found. However, the search goes on. Subsequently, the Freemason realizes th= at the quest for truth can be found in the hearts of his brethren. Consequentl= y, each brother mason is a principal support of our Lodge, and a living stone = to God's good works.
The Freemason is taught to aid, assist and to guard his brother's secret= s. This value is in stark contrast to today's world of "leaks" and t= he violation of the people's privacy.
Finally, we as masons are charged with avoiding behavior that might lead= to defaming our fraternity and the character of each brother mason. In short, masonry provides us with a code of conduct that allows for peace and harmon= y in both our Lodge and the world.