To me and of course this is my opinion is that this subject is mostly academic.
I will start with these questions.
Did roses exist before someone decided to call them "roses"?
Did rocks exist before someone decided to call them "rocks"?
Did the virtues and lessons Freemasonry teaches exist before someone decided to call it "Masonry" or "Freemasonry"?
To me the answer to these questions is, "Of course they did, of course they did and of course they did".
While the question of when it was called "Freemasonry" is something worth talking about, discussing, and contemplating on I think time is better spent on talking about what it is now and where it is going. The past is something I cannot change but the here and now and what lies ahead is something I can change. There is much work to be done.
To me and of course this is my opinion is that this subject is mostly academic.
I will start with these questions.
Did roses exist before someone decided to call them "roses"?
Did rocks exist before someone decided to call them "rocks"?
Did the virtues and lessons Freemasonry teaches exist before someone decided to call it "Masonry" or "Freemasonry"?
To me the answer to these questions is, "Of course they did, of course they did and of course they did".
While the question of when it was called "Freemasonry" is something worth talking about, discussing, and contemplating on I think time is better spent on talking about what it is now and where it is going. The past is something I cannot change but the here and now and what lies ahead is something I can change. There is much work to be done.
Indeed Brother. As Pike said so often, Freemasonry is Labor.