Consent As A Masonic Virtue
It is the first lesson taught as a man seeks to become a Mason
At its most basic level Freemasonry is a moral institution that seeks to instruct its Initiates into leading moral lives.
As Freemasons we do not define our institution as a religion, for we are without a religious dogma pointing out a path to salvation, but we do require that all who seek admission to our labors hold a sincere belief in the existence of God, leaving the particulars of that belief to him alone. So Freemasonry is clearly a spiritual pursuit, as some writers of the past have said, a handmaiden of religion. Of course all of this depends upon how one defines the term religion. Surely Unitarian Universalism for example is seen to be a religion, yet it, like Freemasonry is without a constricting dogma. It is also undoubtedly true that a great many Freemasons see Freemasonry as their religion. I’ve talked with Brothers who sincerely believe this, and in reading very old Masonic texts one can see that Brothers with that sincere belief have always been a part of our Ancient Craft.
I think however that much of that is a matter of semantics as various Brothers each define the divine, and their personal Masonic path’s relationship to divinity in their own way, using the religious concepts and terms that they were brought up with.
But I think that we can all agree that our conception of right and wrong comes to us from God, and that from that understanding of right and wrong, mankind has developed codes of morality.
Just as mankind developed Freemasonry, as “A Peculiar System of Morality…”1
Freemasonry is intended to be moral, and to both teach and as far as it is able, enforce morality amongst Masons.
With that in mind, I think it is instructive to remember what the very first moral truth that Freemasonry teaches to its votaries is.2
Before he is permitted to even knock on the door that will lead to his Initiation, assuming that it is opened to him, a man is asked a number of questions. The very first of these questions relates to the concept of consent.
We ask if he is making the request truly out of his own desire, and attempt to confirm that he has not been pressured into becoming a Freemason by his friends.
In fact, Freemasonry holds consent to be so important, that it is a violation of our laws for a Freemason to solicit another man to join the Fraternity. We welcome inquiries from men who are interested, but they must bring that inquiry to us, we do not solicit it from them.
Having been satisfied both that the candidate consents to his initiation without any pressure from friends, and having been satisfied that he holds a sincere belief in God, he is allowed to knock on the door.
When it opens he is again asked a series of questions. The first, and therefore most important, once again relates to consent. We ask if he is there of his own free will and accord.
Prior to his actual Initiation, he will be asked this question three more times, by three more men.
This process will repeat, with him being asked to confirm that he is giving his consent of his own free will, multiple times, in both the Fellowcraft and Master Mason Degrees as well.
In all, a man will be asked to confirm that he consents a total of 13 times before he is Raised a Master Mason. That is how extremely important, sacred even, Freemasonry takes the concept of freely given consent.
It is the very first moral lesson taught to a new Freemason, and it is taught to him over and over again.
It is our duty as Freemasons to act Masonically, to be moral men, not only within our Lodge, but without it as well. We are charged to live moral lives.
So it is I think important to remember the moral precept of consent as we go about our daily lives.
As we learn from one of our world’s sacred texts, every individual is a star, traveling in its own orbit, together with others forming an infinite number of stars, each in their own orbit.
This teaches us that everyone has autonomy. No one person has the right to force his body, his opinion, his faith, or his desires on to another person. If he wants another person to connect with his body, come around to his opinion, convert to his faith, or fulfil his desires, then he must, if he is to be moral, gain the consent of the other person first.
To force ourselves on another can not be a moral act, and stands in stark opposition to the very first lesson we are taught within Freemasonry.
We must, I think, from time to time examine our actions and our relationships with the Square, Plumb, and Level to ensure that we are not forcing ourselves on those around us in a non-consensual way. Sadly, it is often a fact that those whom we hold most dearly are those who suffer the brunt of our worst instincts and actions. By reflecting on our actions, we can lead ourselves into becoming better men. We can improve ourselves in Masonry.
I want to take a moment to give my sincere Thanks to everyone who has become a part of the Emeth community over the past few months. All of those who hold a paid subscription make this community possible. Everyone who comments, sharing wisdom, and making things perpetually interesting. And of course, everyone who reads Emeth. I appreciate each and every one of you, very much!
As with every Sunday, we will have a gathering this evening over zoom for all of those who hold a paid subscription to Emeth.
The email containing the login information will go out at 3:00 PM, Pacific Time, and our gathering will begin at 7:30 PM.
I am looking forward to seeing all of you who are able to attend!
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In 2021 usage, the word peculiar is often used to mean weird or strange. That is because the meaning of the word has changed over time. Long ago when the earliest written records of our Fraternity were being created it meant ‘special’ or ‘particular.’
I am utilizing the Standard Work from the MW Grand Lodge of Washington F&AM for the basis of this discussion.
This really stuck out to me. For a number of reasons. It struck a nerve and I am very happy to see this being said. I had not really made the connection with the significant amount of times a man must give his consent to be raised as a master mason, but this topic has been eating at me since I first created my Facebook account about one month ago. I created it SOLELY as a means of networking and staying connected with my brothers and current events within masonry, and I am already ready to delete my account. I thought, surely if I restrict my contacts to Masonic members only, I will avoid the highly spoken about negative side of Facebook. But as I sit here today, with only brothers for Facebook friends, I am worn down from the negativity that Facebook has brought into my life.
The philosophy of liberty.
Basically based upon the idea of self ownership.
The golden rule.
Neither requires divine command.
Morality is simply the logical application of social skills necessary to live in a complex social community. Ostracism is the traditional prehistoric tribal way to deal with immoral acts. It usually results in a slow death. Humans do not survive well alone.