I don't believe it is reasonable or fair to refer to elite universities as "indoctrination camps" because some small percentage of their students and/or faculty are bigots. Aside from that I think you make some very excellent points in this article about what we as Masons should be doing in the face of bigotry and I agree with Brother Willard that there's plenty of problematic bigotry going around on all sides that tends to drown out the reasonable elements of society.
The reasonable elements of society, (hopefully) including Masons, need to come together to combat all forms of bigotry and decry violence and other bad acts perpetrated in the name of that bigotry, full stop, or I fear you're quite right that it would be too easy to slip into a nightmare scenario.
A couple of days ago my second granddaughter was born. There is no hate within her, for we all enter the world without hatred.
As Regular Freemasons, we are required to hold a belief in Deity. To my mind, the fact that all children are born without the stain of hatred, and a sense of right and wrong is proof of Deity. That innate understanding of right and wrong is in my view the Divine spark that exists within us all.
Hate does not naturally come to us as human beings. It is taught. Taught in families, by peers, in schools, and in universities. No one is born hating Jewish people, or people of color, or gay people, or any other group. Those who hate in these ways do so because they were taught to do so.
And teaching others to hate is a crime against morality.
If the elite universities are to live up to the respect they are paid within our society, and the financial rewards that go along with that, they must do better, they must be what they claim to be, the best of the best.
You may well be right that it is a small percentage of faculty that are bigots, you are probably right, and I won't argue against that. But, I will argue that those bigots are teaching hatred, and that there is no place for such teachings in institutions that claim to be the very best in the world. Until the teaching of hatred stops within them, I can't see reason to honor their claims.
If we look at this country's predominant religion, Christianity, and we strip everything away from it. Strip away all the dogma, the theology, the pomp, take everything away but the teachings of Jesus as presented in the four Gospels, we see that he is calling upon his followers to do nothing but return to that state of innocence that they had when they were born. To discard hatreds of every kind and replace those hatreds within themselves with love. To become as newborn babies once again, illuminated by the spark of the divine that exists within us all.
The teaching of hate runs contrary to that, whether that hate be taught by George Wallace in 1963 or a Columbia professor in 2024.
Thank you, Brother Cameron, for your wisdom and courage regarding this currently inflammatory subject. And thanks to Brothers Willard and Smith for your responses.
We all need to fight against 'isms, regardless of the group to which they refer and stand up for human rights for all people's of the world. We need to distinguish between facts and 'fake' facts so we can apply the lessons taught us in Masonry.
As Co-President of the Worldwide Civility Council I constantly hear about 'abuses' which turn out to be based on personal biases, not actual facts.
Let's all keep seeking light in the darkness of hate.
Brothers. My apologies but I was looking to make a small edit and accidentally deleted my previous post. I will endeavor to recreate:
My Brother,
You raise a very complicated topic and if, there is a simple answer it’s we should be temperate in our views and avoid extremism in all its forms.
I would posit that to protest against the death and deprivations of innocents, whether Israeli or Palestinian, is just. To advocate for the extermination of Israeli or Palestinian, Jew or Muslim, simply because they perceived to be members of the same ‘tribe’ that committed atrocities on members of the ‘other tribe’ is extreme and unjust.
Israelis and Palestinians should be entitled to peace, security, and basic human rights. I believe if both Israelis and Palestinians are unable to enjoy these rights, neither will. There is a plurality of both Israelis and Palestinians that believe in the rights of both groups, but their voices are hard to hear over the loud voices of both Israeli and Palestinian extremists who believe the only path to peace is the elimination of the other group.
In my experience, complex problems rarely have simple solutions.
Brother Albert Pike wrote long ago that Freemasonry is the great peace society in the world.
And I believe that is true. By seeking to unite all good men of the world, no matter their religion, their ancestry, their politics, their creeds, the teachings of Freemasonry can lead to peace. And peace is a goal that all people of goodwill should work towards.
That rivers of blood have been spilled, and continue to be spilled, over completely arbitrary and artificial divisions between people proves that evil exists within the world.
But, that's the fundamental problem. Bad, but widely followed people, gain power and wealth by creating and expanding the divisions within mankind. They work to magnify the differences between person and person, instead of focusing on building bridges between people.
By living, and teaching the uniting values of Freemasonry, we are doing the work of the Divine, as that work is peace.
Politics has even less place in Freemasonry than antisemitism has in society. The ruthless hand of ignorance is making its presence known. Our lodges may be caught in the crossfire. I find subduing my passions a challenge everyday. Over the years several of the lodges I belong to have been treated to added decorations and tagging, as always painting over and or steaming them off is the best and simplest solution. Above all, love one another and be kind.
We don’t discuss partisan politics or sectarian religion while in Lodge. While in Lodge, we discuss philosophy, history, morality and are charged before leaving to do good unto all. The boundaries between are sometimes fuzzy and don’t necessarily apply outside a tyled meeting.
When this happened to my Lodge the other day, I did wonder if it was a general sort of thing, or if the Lodge was specifically targeted by the spray painting of swastikas on it.
After gathering a bit of information, I believe that it was the latter.
It seems that the Masonic Temple was the only building in the immediate neighborhood to have this Nazi symbology painted on it. Plus, it was painted on the Lodge doors themselves, and they are kind of out of the way. The building faces a major street, and houses a restaurant there, without an indication that it is a Masonic Temple. The Lodge entrance doors are on the back of the building on a really minor street, almost a glorified alleyway. Based on those facts, I think it is reasonable to conclude that the Lodge itself was targeted and not just a building in general.
We did get it cleaned off right away, and we have video of the person who did it, so perhaps the police can catch her. Unfortunately though, she was wearing a mask, which probably makes that more difficult.
I did not know that about the hate Nazis had for Masons! We know Nazism hasn't disappeared and is most likely alive and well, stealthy moving through our societies. It makes me wonder if this contributes to the absent presence of Masons in my community. And other places? Growing up, I knew Masons were a big deal in my hometown. As a daughter of a Mason and Jobs daughter, I noticed their members were central to our once vibrant community! Thank you for sharing all this, Cameron!
Freemasonry is/was alleged to be part of the alleged International Jewish Conspiracy that seems to be fundamental to Nazi philosophy. Freemasonry was referenced in that context in Hitler’s manifesto “Mein Kampf.” In Nazi controlled Europe, being a Freemason could land one in a concentration camp.
Well I guess if you don’t go with the run-of-the-mill you get kicked out. Apparently Jehovah witnesses ended up in the same place as well. Thank you for the information!
I don't believe it is reasonable or fair to refer to elite universities as "indoctrination camps" because some small percentage of their students and/or faculty are bigots. Aside from that I think you make some very excellent points in this article about what we as Masons should be doing in the face of bigotry and I agree with Brother Willard that there's plenty of problematic bigotry going around on all sides that tends to drown out the reasonable elements of society.
The reasonable elements of society, (hopefully) including Masons, need to come together to combat all forms of bigotry and decry violence and other bad acts perpetrated in the name of that bigotry, full stop, or I fear you're quite right that it would be too easy to slip into a nightmare scenario.
I found this piece in The Atlantic to be especially enlightening…
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/jewish-anti-semitism-harvard-claudine-gay-zionism/677454/
It is paywalled, but it started off well.
Thank you for this link. The University of Washington's Jackson School has republished it without a paywall here:
https://jsis.washington.edu/news/some-additional-university-of-washington-community-resources/dara-horn/
A couple of days ago my second granddaughter was born. There is no hate within her, for we all enter the world without hatred.
As Regular Freemasons, we are required to hold a belief in Deity. To my mind, the fact that all children are born without the stain of hatred, and a sense of right and wrong is proof of Deity. That innate understanding of right and wrong is in my view the Divine spark that exists within us all.
Hate does not naturally come to us as human beings. It is taught. Taught in families, by peers, in schools, and in universities. No one is born hating Jewish people, or people of color, or gay people, or any other group. Those who hate in these ways do so because they were taught to do so.
And teaching others to hate is a crime against morality.
If the elite universities are to live up to the respect they are paid within our society, and the financial rewards that go along with that, they must do better, they must be what they claim to be, the best of the best.
You may well be right that it is a small percentage of faculty that are bigots, you are probably right, and I won't argue against that. But, I will argue that those bigots are teaching hatred, and that there is no place for such teachings in institutions that claim to be the very best in the world. Until the teaching of hatred stops within them, I can't see reason to honor their claims.
If we look at this country's predominant religion, Christianity, and we strip everything away from it. Strip away all the dogma, the theology, the pomp, take everything away but the teachings of Jesus as presented in the four Gospels, we see that he is calling upon his followers to do nothing but return to that state of innocence that they had when they were born. To discard hatreds of every kind and replace those hatreds within themselves with love. To become as newborn babies once again, illuminated by the spark of the divine that exists within us all.
The teaching of hate runs contrary to that, whether that hate be taught by George Wallace in 1963 or a Columbia professor in 2024.
That's my view of it anyway.
Absolutely! Also, congratulations to you and your family, Grandpa!! <3
Thank you very much Brother!
Thank you, Brother Cameron, for your wisdom and courage regarding this currently inflammatory subject. And thanks to Brothers Willard and Smith for your responses.
We all need to fight against 'isms, regardless of the group to which they refer and stand up for human rights for all people's of the world. We need to distinguish between facts and 'fake' facts so we can apply the lessons taught us in Masonry.
As Co-President of the Worldwide Civility Council I constantly hear about 'abuses' which turn out to be based on personal biases, not actual facts.
Let's all keep seeking light in the darkness of hate.
Thank you Brother, for your kind words, and the important work you are doing. It is vital if we are to maintain a properly functioning society.
I'm pleased to urge the Masons reading this to consider your efforts:
https://urgencyofcivility.org
Brothers. My apologies but I was looking to make a small edit and accidentally deleted my previous post. I will endeavor to recreate:
My Brother,
You raise a very complicated topic and if, there is a simple answer it’s we should be temperate in our views and avoid extremism in all its forms.
I would posit that to protest against the death and deprivations of innocents, whether Israeli or Palestinian, is just. To advocate for the extermination of Israeli or Palestinian, Jew or Muslim, simply because they perceived to be members of the same ‘tribe’ that committed atrocities on members of the ‘other tribe’ is extreme and unjust.
Israelis and Palestinians should be entitled to peace, security, and basic human rights. I believe if both Israelis and Palestinians are unable to enjoy these rights, neither will. There is a plurality of both Israelis and Palestinians that believe in the rights of both groups, but their voices are hard to hear over the loud voices of both Israeli and Palestinian extremists who believe the only path to peace is the elimination of the other group.
In my experience, complex problems rarely have simple solutions.
(I hope I adequately preserved the original idea)
I hate that when it happens! 🙈
Brother Albert Pike wrote long ago that Freemasonry is the great peace society in the world.
And I believe that is true. By seeking to unite all good men of the world, no matter their religion, their ancestry, their politics, their creeds, the teachings of Freemasonry can lead to peace. And peace is a goal that all people of goodwill should work towards.
That rivers of blood have been spilled, and continue to be spilled, over completely arbitrary and artificial divisions between people proves that evil exists within the world.
But, that's the fundamental problem. Bad, but widely followed people, gain power and wealth by creating and expanding the divisions within mankind. They work to magnify the differences between person and person, instead of focusing on building bridges between people.
By living, and teaching the uniting values of Freemasonry, we are doing the work of the Divine, as that work is peace.
Politics has even less place in Freemasonry than antisemitism has in society. The ruthless hand of ignorance is making its presence known. Our lodges may be caught in the crossfire. I find subduing my passions a challenge everyday. Over the years several of the lodges I belong to have been treated to added decorations and tagging, as always painting over and or steaming them off is the best and simplest solution. Above all, love one another and be kind.
We don’t discuss partisan politics or sectarian religion while in Lodge. While in Lodge, we discuss philosophy, history, morality and are charged before leaving to do good unto all. The boundaries between are sometimes fuzzy and don’t necessarily apply outside a tyled meeting.
When this happened to my Lodge the other day, I did wonder if it was a general sort of thing, or if the Lodge was specifically targeted by the spray painting of swastikas on it.
After gathering a bit of information, I believe that it was the latter.
It seems that the Masonic Temple was the only building in the immediate neighborhood to have this Nazi symbology painted on it. Plus, it was painted on the Lodge doors themselves, and they are kind of out of the way. The building faces a major street, and houses a restaurant there, without an indication that it is a Masonic Temple. The Lodge entrance doors are on the back of the building on a really minor street, almost a glorified alleyway. Based on those facts, I think it is reasonable to conclude that the Lodge itself was targeted and not just a building in general.
We did get it cleaned off right away, and we have video of the person who did it, so perhaps the police can catch her. Unfortunately though, she was wearing a mask, which probably makes that more difficult.
I did not know that about the hate Nazis had for Masons! We know Nazism hasn't disappeared and is most likely alive and well, stealthy moving through our societies. It makes me wonder if this contributes to the absent presence of Masons in my community. And other places? Growing up, I knew Masons were a big deal in my hometown. As a daughter of a Mason and Jobs daughter, I noticed their members were central to our once vibrant community! Thank you for sharing all this, Cameron!
Freemasonry is/was alleged to be part of the alleged International Jewish Conspiracy that seems to be fundamental to Nazi philosophy. Freemasonry was referenced in that context in Hitler’s manifesto “Mein Kampf.” In Nazi controlled Europe, being a Freemason could land one in a concentration camp.
Well I guess if you don’t go with the run-of-the-mill you get kicked out. Apparently Jehovah witnesses ended up in the same place as well. Thank you for the information!
Thank you for your kind words and support, I truly appreciate it.
If you are interested, I have written a couple of times in the past about the Nazi and other oppressions of Freemasons:
https://emeth.substack.com/p/the-forget-me-not
https://emeth.substack.com/p/so-they-made-me-grand-master
Re-reading these posts again this morning reminded me of just how lucky we are to have been born in the United States.
No kidding, we are so fortunate! Thank you for the link so I will check them out Cameron! Have a beautiful day! ✨💜✨
Thank you, you too!
We ALL need to step up to the plate on this one. May I refer you to 1930’s Germany?
Indeed. Civil society as we know it can turn to barbarism, much faster than we imagine.
Agreed.