Hear, hear!! I was going to write more, but it's all just enthusiastic agreement.
In our own jurisdiction there's a fella who openly admitted that his favorite pastime was getting liquored up and going for a motorcycle ride. His love of drink and bad decisions resulted in wife beating, a standoff with police, threats of suicide by SWAT, and eventually he got tased, hog-tied, and jailed. He was let out on bond, and his wife was granted a protective order, which he promptly violated.
He took the wise counsel of some brothers and promptly withdrew his membership before anything was finalized in court so as to avoid the embarrassment of Masonic charges.
Now... there are some brothers in other lodges, and at least one in our own (who hasn't cast his shadow in lodge for two or more years), who are very openly advocating for us to restore his membership because "what we did to him was unfair and misunderstood." "If he wants to be a Mason, he should be allowed to be. His grandfather was a Mason."
Their justification? That the charges were dropped because his wife (God bless the woman, I pray she gets help) took him back because they've been together 40 years, and that's just how things go with them.
They forget this dude is a pretty well-known realtor in our tiny town, that his mug shot was all over the town Facebook group that contains two-thirds of the population, that four law enforcement agencies responded to the incident... and that the guy, in his own voice, held forth for FOUR HOURS on the phone with me, the Secretary, admitting everything that happened, his whole history, and that SINCE then... he's still drinking, has sought no program for self-betterment, etc.
Thank goodness our Blue Book says that after a member withdraws, the ONLY way he can be restored is through the lodge he withdrew from. Even if he moved to a new town, it still comes through us. And no criminal charges need to be filed or even "stick" in order for Masonic charges to be brought for conduct unbecoming that brings discredit upon the fraternity.
I had actually written an essay about it a while ago. It's still sitting in my drafts. The audacity of some people gets me fired up sometimes...
I suppose that we always hope that a man will reform himself. And that's a good instinct for us to hold, I guess. But that doesn't mean that we should have to tolerate such a man, in Masonry, while he decides if he wants to reform himself or not.
Here in Washington seeking a demit doesn't shield one from facing Charges, as a Lodge can adopt Charges on an unaffiliated Mason. I've got to believe that is the best thing to do, in order to protect unknowing Lodges from future harm. (I know of at least one Brother who has swapped Lodges at a goodly distance from each other, one step ahead of Charges.)
First of all, I agree that we need to remove these members from our rosters and lodge rooms. We do not want bad men in our fraternity and we don't want their negative influence on potential candidates.
But that brings up a good question in my mind. How do prevent further "damage"?
To what do I refer?
When I wanted to petition a lodge to become a Mason, I was asked for personal references. There a colleague at Microsoft that I admired and we had common ground. We often had discussions about many different topics and as far as belief in a deity and overall good morals, we agreed. He was a "minister" of a non-denominational group that did a lot of good bible study sessions. I thought we had common ground, so I asked him to be a reference for me.
He asked me what the reference would be used for. When I told him Masonry, he looked me square in the eye and told me that he would provide a reference for many things, but he could, in good conscience, support my petition for Masonry. I was quite taken aback.
I replied that I fully respected his decision and position and held no ill will toward him as a result. I did ask if I could seek the reason why he felt that way.
He told me that his opinion of Masonry was negative because he had experienced "Masons" actively recruiting people from many churches and other organizations through aggressive tactics and repeated calls and engagements. I explained to him that Masons are not allowed to do that.
So, where did he experience this? Was it from true Masons who were trying increase their memberships or was it from clandestine lodges, who care little about good Masonry? He wasn't able to tell the difference.
I also did not think to ask him if his experience was based on Masons here in the US, or if it was based on Masons from his home of the UK.
At any rate, my point is this. We can expel these Masons, bring Masonic charges against them, and get them out of the fraternity and our lodges. What we cannot do, is get rid of the bad attitudes and behaviors. What we also cannot do is prevent them from continuing to tell those they meet, that they are a Mason. Worse yet, they can go forth saying they were kicked out of Masonry and then continue to "bad mouth" the fraternity and spread lies and whatever else they want, to discredit us.
Some won't believe it, especially if they recognize the person for who they truly are, but we all know that many, like Lemmings, just fall in line and believe whatever they are told.
I recall a Lodge Leadership Retreat I attended many years ago where a guest speaker presented the very thought you highlight here. We don't need more members to strengthen our fraternity, we need more good members. Guarding the West Gate is the best defense we can have against those who are not good men. Against those who have no interest in seeing the Fraternity be a place where good men can gather.
I still see many Masons today, some highly visible Masons in our State, that cause me to wonder if their actions are for the good of the Fraternity, or of themselves.
I think that we have two really solid trends in our society that have harmed our ability to effectively Guard the West Gate:
1. As mentioned in the post, we allowed our standards to slip quite badly because there was a collective freak out when membership numbers began to decline.
2. We are a much more mobile society than we were in the past. I have in my possession an old Masonic book from a Lodge that used to exist not far from where I now live. It's a fancy book, like a Tyler's Register, with the Lodge's name and such engraved on the cover.
The title of this book is 'Black Book.'
The idea behind it was that if someone in the Lodge's community did some bad thing, his name and what he did would be written into the book. That way, if he petitioned for the Degrees decades later, the Lodge would, by referencing the book, be reminded of his past negative behavior and make a decision accordingly.
Today, as we are so mobile, such a thing wouldn't work effectively. We need to find a replacement for that.
We often hear the charge to guard the West Gate, but what does it really mean? It isn't just about keeping good or bad men out—it is about preserving the future of our Lodge. There are many good men in our communities, but not every good man is prepared to become a good Mason. Freemasonry asks more than honesty and kindness; it asks for a sincere desire to improve oneself, a willingness to serve others, and a commitment to uphold the principles of our Craft.
Every petitioner has the potential to shape the future of our Lodge—good, bad, or otherwise. The Brother we welcome today will leave his mark, whether by strengthening our traditions, challenging our harmony, or inspiring those who follow. That is why guarding the West Gate is one of our most important responsibilities. By carefully distinguishing between a good man and a man who is truly ready to embrace the obligations of Freemasonry, we honor those who came before us and preserve the legacy we will leave to those who follow.
Your words about the power of a single man to have a big impact on our Lodge, for either the positive or the negative, is certainly true.
I have seen a single man completely revitalize a Lodge. I've also seen a single man almost destroy a Lodge.
But these two impacts aren't equal. A handful of really good Masons can spend years bringing a Lodge from bare survival to an undoubtedly thriving state. Years. And all that work can be completely wiped out in a single year by an ill chosen man for the East. I've seen that happen, unfortunately up close and personal.
I too knew a mason who by sheer force of will, drove just about every mason out of the lodge. The problem? He loved masonry. He loved it so much that he treated other masons who didn’t work as hard as he did like crap. Called them phony masons. Was an ex navy chief who still carried that rank on his shoulder and expected everyone else to treat him as such.
In the end the lodge died because by the time that old mason passed it was too late.
It’s a cautionary tale I am mindful of. I love masonry, but I try and temper my enthusiasm, keeping in mind that I could fall into the same trap, much like an over zealous born again Christian.
It’s like that joke, you walk into a bar and there is a Navy SEAL, a vegan, and a CrossFit instructor. How do you know? They tell you within two minutes.
As has often been said. The next best time is now. We cannot fix what was, but we can certainly fix what is, and prevent what might be. I can't think of a single organization I worked or participated in that benefited from a toxic personality no matter how talented they may be, or how understaffed the team was.
I agree! I think some of the stuff you shared, is a variety of things. One thing I've observed...people have wanted someone to take action towards someone. Then, if done, those brothers don't want their name attached. Or, other brothers think, "someone else will take care of it". It does not have to be a difficult scenario.
Hear, hear!! I was going to write more, but it's all just enthusiastic agreement.
In our own jurisdiction there's a fella who openly admitted that his favorite pastime was getting liquored up and going for a motorcycle ride. His love of drink and bad decisions resulted in wife beating, a standoff with police, threats of suicide by SWAT, and eventually he got tased, hog-tied, and jailed. He was let out on bond, and his wife was granted a protective order, which he promptly violated.
He took the wise counsel of some brothers and promptly withdrew his membership before anything was finalized in court so as to avoid the embarrassment of Masonic charges.
Now... there are some brothers in other lodges, and at least one in our own (who hasn't cast his shadow in lodge for two or more years), who are very openly advocating for us to restore his membership because "what we did to him was unfair and misunderstood." "If he wants to be a Mason, he should be allowed to be. His grandfather was a Mason."
Their justification? That the charges were dropped because his wife (God bless the woman, I pray she gets help) took him back because they've been together 40 years, and that's just how things go with them.
They forget this dude is a pretty well-known realtor in our tiny town, that his mug shot was all over the town Facebook group that contains two-thirds of the population, that four law enforcement agencies responded to the incident... and that the guy, in his own voice, held forth for FOUR HOURS on the phone with me, the Secretary, admitting everything that happened, his whole history, and that SINCE then... he's still drinking, has sought no program for self-betterment, etc.
Thank goodness our Blue Book says that after a member withdraws, the ONLY way he can be restored is through the lodge he withdrew from. Even if he moved to a new town, it still comes through us. And no criminal charges need to be filed or even "stick" in order for Masonic charges to be brought for conduct unbecoming that brings discredit upon the fraternity.
I had actually written an essay about it a while ago. It's still sitting in my drafts. The audacity of some people gets me fired up sometimes...
I suppose that we always hope that a man will reform himself. And that's a good instinct for us to hold, I guess. But that doesn't mean that we should have to tolerate such a man, in Masonry, while he decides if he wants to reform himself or not.
Here in Washington seeking a demit doesn't shield one from facing Charges, as a Lodge can adopt Charges on an unaffiliated Mason. I've got to believe that is the best thing to do, in order to protect unknowing Lodges from future harm. (I know of at least one Brother who has swapped Lodges at a goodly distance from each other, one step ahead of Charges.)
First of all, I agree that we need to remove these members from our rosters and lodge rooms. We do not want bad men in our fraternity and we don't want their negative influence on potential candidates.
But that brings up a good question in my mind. How do prevent further "damage"?
To what do I refer?
When I wanted to petition a lodge to become a Mason, I was asked for personal references. There a colleague at Microsoft that I admired and we had common ground. We often had discussions about many different topics and as far as belief in a deity and overall good morals, we agreed. He was a "minister" of a non-denominational group that did a lot of good bible study sessions. I thought we had common ground, so I asked him to be a reference for me.
He asked me what the reference would be used for. When I told him Masonry, he looked me square in the eye and told me that he would provide a reference for many things, but he could, in good conscience, support my petition for Masonry. I was quite taken aback.
I replied that I fully respected his decision and position and held no ill will toward him as a result. I did ask if I could seek the reason why he felt that way.
He told me that his opinion of Masonry was negative because he had experienced "Masons" actively recruiting people from many churches and other organizations through aggressive tactics and repeated calls and engagements. I explained to him that Masons are not allowed to do that.
So, where did he experience this? Was it from true Masons who were trying increase their memberships or was it from clandestine lodges, who care little about good Masonry? He wasn't able to tell the difference.
I also did not think to ask him if his experience was based on Masons here in the US, or if it was based on Masons from his home of the UK.
At any rate, my point is this. We can expel these Masons, bring Masonic charges against them, and get them out of the fraternity and our lodges. What we cannot do, is get rid of the bad attitudes and behaviors. What we also cannot do is prevent them from continuing to tell those they meet, that they are a Mason. Worse yet, they can go forth saying they were kicked out of Masonry and then continue to "bad mouth" the fraternity and spread lies and whatever else they want, to discredit us.
Some won't believe it, especially if they recognize the person for who they truly are, but we all know that many, like Lemmings, just fall in line and believe whatever they are told.
I recall a Lodge Leadership Retreat I attended many years ago where a guest speaker presented the very thought you highlight here. We don't need more members to strengthen our fraternity, we need more good members. Guarding the West Gate is the best defense we can have against those who are not good men. Against those who have no interest in seeing the Fraternity be a place where good men can gather.
I still see many Masons today, some highly visible Masons in our State, that cause me to wonder if their actions are for the good of the Fraternity, or of themselves.
I think that we have two really solid trends in our society that have harmed our ability to effectively Guard the West Gate:
1. As mentioned in the post, we allowed our standards to slip quite badly because there was a collective freak out when membership numbers began to decline.
2. We are a much more mobile society than we were in the past. I have in my possession an old Masonic book from a Lodge that used to exist not far from where I now live. It's a fancy book, like a Tyler's Register, with the Lodge's name and such engraved on the cover.
The title of this book is 'Black Book.'
The idea behind it was that if someone in the Lodge's community did some bad thing, his name and what he did would be written into the book. That way, if he petitioned for the Degrees decades later, the Lodge would, by referencing the book, be reminded of his past negative behavior and make a decision accordingly.
Today, as we are so mobile, such a thing wouldn't work effectively. We need to find a replacement for that.
We often hear the charge to guard the West Gate, but what does it really mean? It isn't just about keeping good or bad men out—it is about preserving the future of our Lodge. There are many good men in our communities, but not every good man is prepared to become a good Mason. Freemasonry asks more than honesty and kindness; it asks for a sincere desire to improve oneself, a willingness to serve others, and a commitment to uphold the principles of our Craft.
Every petitioner has the potential to shape the future of our Lodge—good, bad, or otherwise. The Brother we welcome today will leave his mark, whether by strengthening our traditions, challenging our harmony, or inspiring those who follow. That is why guarding the West Gate is one of our most important responsibilities. By carefully distinguishing between a good man and a man who is truly ready to embrace the obligations of Freemasonry, we honor those who came before us and preserve the legacy we will leave to those who follow.
Your words about the power of a single man to have a big impact on our Lodge, for either the positive or the negative, is certainly true.
I have seen a single man completely revitalize a Lodge. I've also seen a single man almost destroy a Lodge.
But these two impacts aren't equal. A handful of really good Masons can spend years bringing a Lodge from bare survival to an undoubtedly thriving state. Years. And all that work can be completely wiped out in a single year by an ill chosen man for the East. I've seen that happen, unfortunately up close and personal.
I too knew a mason who by sheer force of will, drove just about every mason out of the lodge. The problem? He loved masonry. He loved it so much that he treated other masons who didn’t work as hard as he did like crap. Called them phony masons. Was an ex navy chief who still carried that rank on his shoulder and expected everyone else to treat him as such.
In the end the lodge died because by the time that old mason passed it was too late.
It’s a cautionary tale I am mindful of. I love masonry, but I try and temper my enthusiasm, keeping in mind that I could fall into the same trap, much like an over zealous born again Christian.
It’s like that joke, you walk into a bar and there is a Navy SEAL, a vegan, and a CrossFit instructor. How do you know? They tell you within two minutes.
As has often been said. The next best time is now. We cannot fix what was, but we can certainly fix what is, and prevent what might be. I can't think of a single organization I worked or participated in that benefited from a toxic personality no matter how talented they may be, or how understaffed the team was.
I agree! I think some of the stuff you shared, is a variety of things. One thing I've observed...people have wanted someone to take action towards someone. Then, if done, those brothers don't want their name attached. Or, other brothers think, "someone else will take care of it". It does not have to be a difficult scenario.