Mindset No. 1:
Awesome! John’s been hanging out with our Lodge for a few months now, and has decided that he wants to join! Unless we find something wrong during our investigations, we’ll welcome him with open arms.
Mindset No. 2:
John’s been spending time with our Lodge the past few months, and has decided that he wants to join us. We’ll have to carefully look for some compelling reason that makes him deserving of the Degrees of Masonry, or turn him away.
Mindset Number One, if a large majority of Masons continue to hold it, will sooner or later lead to the death of our Craft here in the United States.
Because that mindset ensures that we will, from time to time, accidentally bring unsuitable men into our Lodges. And those unsuitable men will in turn drive good men away in droves.
Mindset Number Two, if enough Masons adopt it, (and ballot according to it) will grow our Lodges.
Because good men want to spend time with other good men.
I feel as if I’ve been harping on our need to Guard The West Gate quite a bit here recently, but I felt compelled to do so again today, because I once again heard about a Mason who did a very bad thing.
This kind of crap destroys Freemasonry, one cut at a time, by sullying our reputation, and driving great men away.
Do we really believe that those great Masons of the past, those men who went on to change nations and continents really would have spent their time sitting in a Masonic Lodge that included men of questionable repute? Would Washington have done so?
No.
If United States Freemasonry is to have a revival, that revival won’t come through advertising, or membership drives, or reduction of standards. It will come when we decide, as Masons, that only truly good men will be allowed to be a part of our Lodges. When we decide that we won’t allow any more bad or questionable men to slip through.
Can you trust that prospect with your wallet, crammed full of cash and credit cards? If the answer isn’t an unequivocal yes, why would we believe that he’d be an asset to our Lodge?
Can you trust that prospect with your ten or fifteen year old granddaughter? Again, if the answer isn’t an unequivocal yes, why would we believe that he’d be an asset to our Lodge?
And if we don’t take the time to discover the answers to those questions, we have no right to be voting for acceptance of a prospect’s petition.
I’ve been away the past while for a destination wedding. Unfortunately, while I was away, hundreds of homes burned to the ground in Spokane, Washington. Including, as I understand it, the homes of a number of our Brothers, and the home of a couple that my wife and I have counted as close friends for many years.
If you would like to help, and can help, you can do so through Washington Masonic Services:
in Washington, we have the six step program which is designed to weed out bad prospects. I want a LOT of prospects but i want a few petitions. Having hard conversations with prospects is, well hard. But it has to be done. We must meet petitioners in thier homes if at all possible. Know their wife or significant other. At the least, we should know a prospect id say better then an average coworker or casual friend for reasons listed by Most Worshipful.
As far as I'm concerned, you may harp away on this topic. Not only here, but in every lodge you visit or with every Mason you meet.
Like you, I don't want large numbers of "men" in Masonry.
I want good men in Masonry. Only those who share the tenets of our fraternity and are willing to support and defend what we believe in.
Keep it going Most Worshipful Sir.