In follow-up to an earlier discussion, it seems that there is interest in exploring Freemasonry’s social relevance in the United States. So, let’s discuss it…
Is Freemasonry relevant in our wider society today?
Was it ever, perhaps in the 1950’s, 1960’s when membership numbers were overwhelmingly large?
On balance, was that time of exponential growth good or bad for Freemasonry?
While we all know that a large percentage of America’s Founding Fathers were Freemasons, Freemasonry in our new nation was very small then, as it is now. Do we think that Freemasonry was relevant in wider society at that time?
If we seek a Freemasonry that is more relevant to society as a whole, how can we go about accomplishing that?
Should we seek such a thing however?
Are we better off remaining quieter in society, focusing instead on the internal life of Masonry?
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Freemasonry in the 1700s was a gentlemen's club for upper class society. It was not only a philosophical organization, but a place where men of similar means could help one another. The businessmen, doctors, lawyers, judges, politicians and wealthy landowners all belonged.
This was also the period of enlightenment, where the stranglehold of religion on society was being questioned, and serious debate on topics beyond good and evil were expressed. Scientific exploration of the world exploded, and mankind's greatest achievements in art, philosophy, biology, engineering, mathematics, and the exploration of the cosmos started. It was all tied together, and freemasons were all part of it.
Skip forward a couple hundred years, and freemasonry is nothing like it once was. Society has changed with the explosion of the industrial revolution, free markets, urbanization and finally technology, and the purpose of freemasonry devolved into a middle class charity.
In the 1900s we saw a massive expansion of freemasonry in america, so much so that anyone could join. I had seen news articles and records showing some lodges doing over 1500 degrees in a year. Not a jurisdiction, but a single lodge. If everyone received their MM degree (and I'm certain they all did) that would be a staggering amount of men being churned out like Ford's assembly lines. Lodges erected huge temples to house all of them.
But masonry wasn't meant to be this way. It's morphed into a non profit tax exempt charity (that doesn't sell you life insurance). The only things that survived are the modes of recognition and the rituals. Jurisdictions like ourselves here in washington struggle the same as everywhere else. They morphed and grew like any other bureaucracy. There is zero reason why GL needs an operating budget of three quarters of a million dollars, and it wants to consume more. It has a large building where most of the space sits unused, not only a salaried secretary, but an assistant secretary, office staff, and dozens of committees. All of this was built under the assumption that freemasonry would maintain such growth that didn't happen. Sorry, this is getting off topic (was I ever on topic here?). But I would add here that the size of GL needs to be reduced, as well as the size of the WMC. The lodges should be running things, not the other way around. GL is desperate for growth of the fraternity to feed it's expenses, and not recognizing the times and that it needs to scale way back to what it should be.
Our society today offers too many distractions for the average person. The population grew, as well as the cities and towns, with unlimited ways to keep us entertained, when we're not working 40+ hours a week. We think we've figured out life, and we're simply content to sit in front of a computer or TV screen and extract our worldviews there. Masons are just another distraction waving their arms trying to get society's attention in the sea of you tube cat videos, twitter, facebook, 400 cable channels and a 24/7 news cycle. Our colleges and universities are spewing out drones with worthless gender study degrees. People that no longer are taught how to think, but what to think.
And when we do manage to get someone to knock on our door, what do we offer them? Really? Does anyone really think a shitty meal and a boring business meeting is more interesting than what the rest of society has to offer? Just how is that fulfilling our stated goals of making good men into better ones?
Is Freemasonry socially relevant? We are and we are not. I feel strongly that Freemasonry has a lot to offer in the areas of civility and critical thinking. I think if we all stepped back and remembered that “We are them and they are us” we could all move forward. When I was VM, my first meeting consisted of presentations explaining what it is Scottish Rite does. I was aware of the speech programs but I was also aware I had never been a part of any kind of organized fund raising. I was shocked to learn that Scottish Rite had a hospital. Maybe there should be a National Grand Lodge to help coordinate with Shrine International, the two Scottish Rite jurisdictions, York Rite and the other Masonic bodies to reduce duplications and to develop a unified program of saying who we are. Most everyone I know is aware of who the Shriners are but they, like me had no idea Shriners were Masons. 50 GLs trying to coordinate with X-number of Orients and Temples is an impossible proposition. So how do we get back to being relevant. We need to start with feeling relevant among ourselves and then working ever outward. Making our Temples relevant by cleaning them up. A good pressure washing, new paint if needed, clean landscaping. Projects like these create bonds among the brothers and instills pride in accomplishment. Lodges need to have honest conversations on what they believe their mission should be. I don’t necessarily believe Blue Lodge needs to be a part of any charitable work and if they are, it can’t be their primary focus. Bikes for Books is an excellent program but a Blue Lodge shouldn’t make it the only thing they do. To remain or become relevant we must have a love for the Craft. Without that, who will share what the Craft is when the questions are asked.
The 50 & 60's era lodge members really believed in Freemasonry and supported each other and most inportant they knew the ritual. ( my father was a Mason in that time frame) Society changed all of that, new members joined for self improvement they thought being a Mason would bring them. Therefore quickly loosing interest in Freemasonry. One of the item that has impressed me is the hand out Grand Lodge had or has is Six Steps before becoming a Freemason. I carry several and strongly believe Freemasonry should be built with QUALITY men not Quantity of men. Russell E. Hughes
I feel like I don't know enough to contribute much wisdom to this discussion. I have garnered some excellent nuggets from the comments, though. I am one of those new members who is disappointed with what I found at my local lodge. I attended lodge for three years then stopped Going to meeting two years before Covid and the GL's horrible decision to take the decision of freedom of assembly away from local masters. I stopped going because Masonry wasn't offering the experience I was looking for. Fellowship with peers, Economically and intellectually. Education into the esoteric mysteries that makes the fraternity dangerous to those in power. Education into the history of freemasons that influenced the world, not just the fraternity.
I am getting more of what I was looking for in the two months of this discussion group than i got in 3 years of active involvement with my local lodge. But the discussions we're having here are only 1/3rd of what I was hoping for. I still don't have any friends and am pretty sure I'll be that lonely 90yo referenced in an earlier discussion, and while I've learned a little history and a little philosophy here, I think we're barely scratching the surface of the wisdom hidden in the ritual.
Freemasonry in the 1700s was a gentlemen's club for upper class society. It was not only a philosophical organization, but a place where men of similar means could help one another. The businessmen, doctors, lawyers, judges, politicians and wealthy landowners all belonged.
This was also the period of enlightenment, where the stranglehold of religion on society was being questioned, and serious debate on topics beyond good and evil were expressed. Scientific exploration of the world exploded, and mankind's greatest achievements in art, philosophy, biology, engineering, mathematics, and the exploration of the cosmos started. It was all tied together, and freemasons were all part of it.
Skip forward a couple hundred years, and freemasonry is nothing like it once was. Society has changed with the explosion of the industrial revolution, free markets, urbanization and finally technology, and the purpose of freemasonry devolved into a middle class charity.
In the 1900s we saw a massive expansion of freemasonry in america, so much so that anyone could join. I had seen news articles and records showing some lodges doing over 1500 degrees in a year. Not a jurisdiction, but a single lodge. If everyone received their MM degree (and I'm certain they all did) that would be a staggering amount of men being churned out like Ford's assembly lines. Lodges erected huge temples to house all of them.
But masonry wasn't meant to be this way. It's morphed into a non profit tax exempt charity (that doesn't sell you life insurance). The only things that survived are the modes of recognition and the rituals. Jurisdictions like ourselves here in washington struggle the same as everywhere else. They morphed and grew like any other bureaucracy. There is zero reason why GL needs an operating budget of three quarters of a million dollars, and it wants to consume more. It has a large building where most of the space sits unused, not only a salaried secretary, but an assistant secretary, office staff, and dozens of committees. All of this was built under the assumption that freemasonry would maintain such growth that didn't happen. Sorry, this is getting off topic (was I ever on topic here?). But I would add here that the size of GL needs to be reduced, as well as the size of the WMC. The lodges should be running things, not the other way around. GL is desperate for growth of the fraternity to feed it's expenses, and not recognizing the times and that it needs to scale way back to what it should be.
Our society today offers too many distractions for the average person. The population grew, as well as the cities and towns, with unlimited ways to keep us entertained, when we're not working 40+ hours a week. We think we've figured out life, and we're simply content to sit in front of a computer or TV screen and extract our worldviews there. Masons are just another distraction waving their arms trying to get society's attention in the sea of you tube cat videos, twitter, facebook, 400 cable channels and a 24/7 news cycle. Our colleges and universities are spewing out drones with worthless gender study degrees. People that no longer are taught how to think, but what to think.
And when we do manage to get someone to knock on our door, what do we offer them? Really? Does anyone really think a shitty meal and a boring business meeting is more interesting than what the rest of society has to offer? Just how is that fulfilling our stated goals of making good men into better ones?
I think I've rambled on more than enough here.
Is Freemasonry socially relevant? We are and we are not. I feel strongly that Freemasonry has a lot to offer in the areas of civility and critical thinking. I think if we all stepped back and remembered that “We are them and they are us” we could all move forward. When I was VM, my first meeting consisted of presentations explaining what it is Scottish Rite does. I was aware of the speech programs but I was also aware I had never been a part of any kind of organized fund raising. I was shocked to learn that Scottish Rite had a hospital. Maybe there should be a National Grand Lodge to help coordinate with Shrine International, the two Scottish Rite jurisdictions, York Rite and the other Masonic bodies to reduce duplications and to develop a unified program of saying who we are. Most everyone I know is aware of who the Shriners are but they, like me had no idea Shriners were Masons. 50 GLs trying to coordinate with X-number of Orients and Temples is an impossible proposition. So how do we get back to being relevant. We need to start with feeling relevant among ourselves and then working ever outward. Making our Temples relevant by cleaning them up. A good pressure washing, new paint if needed, clean landscaping. Projects like these create bonds among the brothers and instills pride in accomplishment. Lodges need to have honest conversations on what they believe their mission should be. I don’t necessarily believe Blue Lodge needs to be a part of any charitable work and if they are, it can’t be their primary focus. Bikes for Books is an excellent program but a Blue Lodge shouldn’t make it the only thing they do. To remain or become relevant we must have a love for the Craft. Without that, who will share what the Craft is when the questions are asked.
The 50 & 60's era lodge members really believed in Freemasonry and supported each other and most inportant they knew the ritual. ( my father was a Mason in that time frame) Society changed all of that, new members joined for self improvement they thought being a Mason would bring them. Therefore quickly loosing interest in Freemasonry. One of the item that has impressed me is the hand out Grand Lodge had or has is Six Steps before becoming a Freemason. I carry several and strongly believe Freemasonry should be built with QUALITY men not Quantity of men. Russell E. Hughes
I feel like I don't know enough to contribute much wisdom to this discussion. I have garnered some excellent nuggets from the comments, though. I am one of those new members who is disappointed with what I found at my local lodge. I attended lodge for three years then stopped Going to meeting two years before Covid and the GL's horrible decision to take the decision of freedom of assembly away from local masters. I stopped going because Masonry wasn't offering the experience I was looking for. Fellowship with peers, Economically and intellectually. Education into the esoteric mysteries that makes the fraternity dangerous to those in power. Education into the history of freemasons that influenced the world, not just the fraternity.
I am getting more of what I was looking for in the two months of this discussion group than i got in 3 years of active involvement with my local lodge. But the discussions we're having here are only 1/3rd of what I was hoping for. I still don't have any friends and am pretty sure I'll be that lonely 90yo referenced in an earlier discussion, and while I've learned a little history and a little philosophy here, I think we're barely scratching the surface of the wisdom hidden in the ritual.