Only In Freemasonry

     I was invited to speak at a Cuban lodge, the Sons of Liberty Lodge in New Jersey by two brothers, one named Moises (Moses) and the other Mohammed.  Upon arrival at the lodge one speaker was Swedish with an English accent, one English with a thicker accent still and myself.  Some members were vehemently anti-socialist having fled the socialist dictatorship of Fidel Castro or having family members trapped by the same government.  One honored guest was an active and public member of the International Socialist Party.  

I spoke with law enforcement, psychiatrist, mathematicians, engineers, technicians, carpenters and computer workers that evening as the festivities had ended and I was given the opportunity for some one on one time with many attendees.

The following day I shared lunch with a Muslim brother, a Deist brother and an ordained Gnostic brother.  

I reflected upon my travels.  I have sat at a table with one of the Isamic worlds greatest anti-Masons, having drafted more than 18 anti-Masonic books, and whose fringe and rouge followers had burst into a Grand Lodge building with machine guns, killed several Masons who were present.  I later embraced him as a friend, he called me Brother (and meant it).  He was no longer an anti-Mason and I was no longer afraid. 

I reflected upon the lodge in which I had the privilege to sit and listened to men open in perfect Arabic only to break stride to say in accented, but perfect English, “God save the Queen!”  

I remembered back to a meeting I attended where Muslims, Druze, Jews and Christians joined hands around the altar of Freemasonry under the same banners and symbols hanging within the lodge that drove their counterparts to war with one another just outside the door.

I smiled as I recalled a dinner in Byblos.  A royal from Nigeria and business tycoon from Syria argued Christianity, faith, and Freemasonry over a bottle of Lebanese wine for the Nigerian and soda for Muslim.  Both smiling, laughing, disagreeing and strategizing their next intellectual move in this game of Socratic discourse.

I witnessed a man of 20 years sit side by side with a man of 80 years and share a wonderful and purposeful conversation.  Not seated together by chance, but by choice.  Friends with six decades between them.

I watched as a Marine, members of the Army’s elite 10th Special Forces Group, and two retired military pilots listen to a foreigner from a different continent stand on American soil and describe patriotism as evil and a force that drives humans apart and divides them upon artificial lines.  They embraced later, purchased his books even, and enjoyed fellowship although they disagreed. 

I feel completely safe in declaring that these things occur in no other place in the world save for Freemasonry.  It is Freemasonry alone that allows for this level of tolerance, universality and discourse.  It is Freemasonry alone that acts as a mighty translator allowing men to speak a singular language that transcends the angry rhetoric of politics and religion.  It is Freemasonry alone that grants these men permission to love another more than hate.  It was Freemasonry alone that shields from the fear of difference and provides a common mosaic ground upon which to meet.

It is not enough to describe the Craft as simply neutral.   Neutrality seems infantile in the presence of the tolerance gifted from one Mason to another.  Smiles replace snarls and men embrace under an umbrella like no other in the world.  

We are quick as a Craft to heed the rants of the anti-Masons that there is no conspiracy to dominate the world.  Why?  Shouldn’t there be?  Shouldn’t we work hard within our communities, our churches and our schools to bring about the kind of universal respect, love and acceptance that can be found within the Craft?  The secrets of Freemasonry should remain as such, but should we not labor in every aspect of our lives to allow the light of Freemasonry to shine in every darkened little corner filled with the virus of fundamentalism.  Shouldn’t we labor that every speech given filled with hate for another man because of philosophical, religious or political opinion be met with tears from a human race so filled with sadness at the man’s lonely ranting that they hope; like we do, everyone might someday know their peace?

There is not a single religion in the world that has acted as the unifying force of Freemasonry.  There is no religion in the world that has shared the lack of violence in its history as Freemasonry.  There is no political party more successful than bringing democratic change to a country than Freemasonry.  Yet, the Craft is still filled with frightened leaders content to maintain the status quo, captain a sinking ship, and fight the freewill of its members instead of trying to enrich themselves and those around them.  We have the freakish fear of religion found in Florida wherein in men have been banned for their faith.  We have the schisms caused by outside pseudo-Masonic bodies who would rather have felons in their ranks rather than lose a single member.  We have petitions prostituted on the Internet and disguised membership drives rife throughout the country.  Why?  Because we fear allowing the Craft to be the wonderful unifying force that it is, and we try to dress it as a one size fits all philanthropic or social organization.  

Freemasons should be Freemasons, nothing else.  When Masons are allowed to practice Masonry it changes the world!

This originally appeared in a Masonic monthly print magazine called Living Stones.  It is run completely independent of any grand lodge and lead the way in independent print monthly magazines in America.  I thank Brother Rob Herd for doing the mag and giving me a voice.

Living Stones Magazine

South Carolina Informs Shrine No Expelled Masons!

I am a strong believer in Blue Lodge Masonry being a priority for Masons and was disappointed to see that the Shrine took a stance that seemed in violation of their agreement with Freemasonry as a Fraternity, if not in letter in spirit for certain.

That being said I think this letter from the Grand Master of South Carolina is a big deal.  Kudos to him for supporting the idea that if the Shrine wants a relationship with Masonry it should be supportive of the Grand Lodges in the jurisdictions it operates in.

An Open Letter to the Grand Master of Florida

December 3, 2012

Jorge L. Aladro

Grand Master

Grand Lodge of Florida

283 Deer Run Road 

Palm Bay, FL 32909-1182

Dear Most Worshipful Brother Jorge L. Aladro, Grand Master of Masons of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Florida and To All My Brethren in Freemasonry,

I provide this as both an open letter to all Freemasons and a plea to Most Worshipful Brother Jorge L. Aladro, the Grand Master of Masons in Florida.  

On November 28, 2012, Brother Aladro took the step of banning Paganism, Wiccan and Odinism, Agnosticism and Gnosticism.

He provided in a written decision, “...any member of the Craft that professes to be a member of one of the groups mentioned above shall tender his resignation or suffer himself to a Trial Commission whose final outcome will be expulsion…”

Brother Jorge, you have declared here that a man is not even provided a fair trial.  He is tried and then punished.  This is not Masonic.

Most Worshipful Brother Jorge, you are a Knight Commander of the Court of Honor and I likewise share this distinction with you.  As one who has been honored for his work in the quarries of Masonry I must remind you of your several obligations.  

You have solemnly vowed, “[I] will never countenance persecutions, or the reviling of 

others on account of their political, philosophical, or religious opinions.”  You have likewise promised to be “tolerant and of charitable opinion toward all Brethren.”

You have vowed, “I furthermore promise and vow, that I will, even at the peril of my life, help every true Brother if he be persecuted for his religion...."

In justification you have decreed that these faiths are not in keeping with the Landmarks of Masonry.  Ironically, the quotes you provide illustrate the tolerance of Masonry and not the intolerance of your personal decree.  

You quote as justification of your prejudice (your quotes are in red for ease of understanding), “A belief in the existence of one ever living and true God.”

I ask you as a Mason to take notice that this quote does not declare the God of Abraham, Christ the Savior, or of the other names assigned by man to Deity.  It specifically provides that a man simply need a belief in God.  It is strongly worded because of what it does not say.  It is sad that any man could read such a tolerant statement and provide such a bigoted response.  We must have the courage as Freemasons to honor the spirit of this Landmark.

You provided “A belief in the immortality of the human soul and a resurrection thereof to a Future Life.”

I would argue strongly that this is not a Landmark, but even so a short study of history will provide that you have not listed a single faith in your list that does not ascribe to this belief.  All of the religions you listed profess a belief in a soul.  Paganism is a broad term, but we first hear of the idea of a savior, salvation of the soul, and an afterlife in the so called pagan religions long before Christ was ever known.  This is historical fact, and not philosophical truth, that even the most Christian of archeologist and religious scholars would agree with.

Agnosticism is not a religion, but simply a belief that man is not sure and provides he cannot know for certain.  It is a broad philosophy and there are certainly agnostics who believe in God and an afterlife, but simply do not profess to know the specifics and are courageous enough in their faith to say, “I am sure of only one truth and the rest I give to God.”

A fellow Mason once said, “Knowledge is the most genuine and real of human treasures; for it is Light, as Ignorance is Darkness.”  I beg of you in the Masonic sense Brother to educate yourself so that we can cast a light upon this intolerant darkness you have created.

You provided, “The Volume of the Sacred Law, open upon the altar, is an indispensable furnishing of every regular Lodge while at labor.”

Which provides the most glaring example of the spirit of our Landmarks.  The Volume of Sacred law is not given a name here so that the holy book or writings of any faith might be recognized as equally valuable.

Remember these words Brother Jorge, which I am certain you have heard and obligated yourself to, “You must first understand, my Brother, that Freemasonry does not encroach upon the just privileges of religion. The Fraternity does not claim to provide salvation of the soul or entrance into Heaven. It affirms that God exists, that there is benefit in prayer, and that man owes it to himself to return to that Sanctuary which best increases his faith in our Creator—that Omnipotent Being in whom you professed belief prior to joining a Masonic Lodge.” 

You finish by declaring wholesale that devoted Brethren and men who love God with all their hearts are somehow Atheist or libertines, the latter a word I am guessing by your choice you are wholly unfamiliar with its meaning and usage at the time it was first referred to in regards to Masonry.  You provide, “A Mason is obliged, by his tenure, to obey the moral law; and if he rightly understands the art, he will never be a stupid Atheist, nor an irreligious libertine.”

My dear Brother Jorge, no title, throne, or position that man can attain brings with it an unquestionable knowingness.  There is not assimilated gnosis that occurs with the gavel of Grand Master.  So in that regard I ask you to pray and meditate upon your decision.  It is un-Masonic.  Worse it shows a certain ignorance of the faiths mentioned and cast a negative light upon the Fraternity, which you were charged in your Entered Apprentice degree never to do.  

I ask you Brother Jorge to immediately reverse your decision.  I ask you to pick up a book and read about the faiths you have ridiculed with your decision.  I ask you to ask for forgiveness from the Brethren you have harmed with your foul decree and say to them that even in power there is error.  Level yourself with them and asked their pardon.

So that you might some resources to begin your quest, I have provided them at the end of the list letter as a post script.  I do not pretend Brother Jorge that I am enlightened.  I am human and full of failure.  But, in my failures I have found strength, because with each of them Christ grows within me because he, in his infinite wisdom, has planted a lesson.  

I ask that you allow this situation to become as God would want it to be, a chance at growth, wisdom, and reflection.

Sincerely,

R∴W∴B Cliff Porter

P.S.

My Brother, please keep in mind describing any religious belief is precarious.  Just as no Christian closes his eyes and imagines God in exactly the same way, so too, no one man can speak for any of the faiths you have struck out against.  In general terms, however, in the Wiccan faith we find:

A belief in a Supreme Being.  God is all and within all; all are one God.

Incarnation of God on earth in the form of spiritual energies

A creative God who created the Universe and is one with it.

A belief in an afterlife either through reincarnation or much like the Judaism, a kind of less defined knowing that there is something but it being less defined than the Christian heaven with a mansion and so on.

A salvation that teaches humans can attain spiritual balance and harmony with each other and nature. “Ethical choices are influenced by a belief that one is rewarded or punished within this or after this lifetime for one's choices and an ethical code to do no harm.”

For further research into Wicca I recommend www.beliefnet.com and Modern Wicca: A History From Gerald Gardner to the Present by Michael Howard.

As far as Paganism goes, that is a broad term.  The term pagan was created by the Christian church to demean all other faiths outside of Christianity and imply that the practitioners were poor and uneducated.  

However, I recommend the study of the Egyptian pantheon as it is one of the most famous of the now pagan faiths.  You will be surprised to find a belief in God, a belief in a Father, Mother, and Son trinity.  Within the trinity the father or son are killed, they raise again, and rule over both the earth and the afterlife.  There are some who believe the lord’s prayer of the Christian faith were taken from a collection of text that exist on both papyri and on pyramid walls now referred to collectively as “The Egyptian Book of the Dead.”  You may access this online or by reading my favorite translation “The Egyptian Book of the Dead” translated and edited by Wallace Budge.

I think you would benefit as well from reading Samuel Angus’ definitive collegiate work called, “The Mystery Religions” wherein you will be shocked at the origins of Christian practice and worship.  In the same vein, but less textbook and more edgy is Timothy Freke’s and Peter Gandy’s, “The Jesus Mysteries.”  

In regard to Gnosticism.  

Gnosticism is the oldest provable form of Christianity if you use the dating of known Christian text.  I believe there is no greater explanation than that of the source and many of these text can be read at www.earlychristianwritings.com

If, however, you prefer a good book, then I recommend Gnosticism & Early Christianity by Robert M. Grant, The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity by David Brakke, and The Psyche in Antiquity:  Gnosticism and Early Christianity by Edward F. Edinger and Deborah A. Wesley 

I do not profess to know much of Odinism or Astarte, but I do know that Odin is viewed in much the same way as Christ.  The allegorical savior of the world against the evil nemesis and trickster named Loki.  It shares many similarities with a faith in Christ and pre-dates the Christian religion.  I would not be so quick to judge it.

Obligations, Charges, Jesters, and the Shrine

   

Obligations and Charges, Jesters and the Shrine

In the upcoming issue of Living Stones Magazine in my monthly article I will tackle a discussion of the Royal Order of Jesters or Jesters for short.  This group is an invitational body of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.  Now, they will claim they are not "part of the Shrine."  They just happen to be made up of Shriners.  The Shrine will likewise claim that they are not Masonic, they just, likewise, happen to be made up of nothing but Freemasons.

A pin issued by the Jesters depicting a naked Jester with a giant erect penis so large it is forced to rest upon his feet.  The Jesters claim mirth is king, but we are left to wonder whether or not their kind of mirth is Masonic

It is my contention that as Freemasons our obligations never rest.  www.livingstonesmagazine.com for the upcoming issue which is available in hardcopy subscription or electronic only.

The Ashlar You Sought/Thought

I sat and watched a man hold his little girl the other day.  He was sitting next to his beautiful wife and he as fulfilled, happy, and enriched.  He was also tired.  Tired in the way that only a new dad can be.  

I sat with that same Brother years ago when he said that he would never marry, never have children and never share his life to that degree with anyone.

I sat with that same Brother through his proficiencies and we have become great friends.  

I had asked him once, “what changed so much?”  He gave me a one word response at first, and at the time, it was enough because I understood exactly what he meant.  He said, “Masonry.”  

Many men come to Masonry for many different reasons.  This Brother felt spiritual, but not religious.  He wanted  something more, was not sure what, but felt that maybe he could find some like minded men among the confines of the lodge.  He did, but he found much more than he bargained.  

When we allow Masonry to work, it works wonders.  Like any working tool of the Great Architect, how it is used and how we change are often a surprise to us.  All find what is needed, if they allow for it, but what was needed is not often what was wanted.

Sometime later that Brother would tell me, “Masonry taught me that I can give myself to others, that I can, give others what they need because I realize the importance of that need to them and worry much less of its effects on me.  God has blessed me, I can do for others without losing myself.”  He remains a rock of integrity with a truly giving heart and disposition.  He is a changed man, but the ashlar he sought was not in anyway the ashlar he got.

I sought to be a member of my Grandfather’s lodge, to feel closer to him.

When I joined I was a fundamentalist Lutheran who was pretty sure most people outside of the LCMS were going to hell.  I wanted something my Grandfather had.  I was certain it could only enriched my Lutheran faith.

For me, Masonry allowed me to meet, to know and to love men of varied faiths.  Heaven become a lot larger and hell a lot smaller.   I was eventually forbidden membership in the church of my youth.  Not something I sought or ever imagined.

But I am a better man for it.  God’s love has become a bigger part of my life, than God’s wrath.  I have noticed that when my God loves, I can likewise love.  I remember that when my God hated, I likewise hated.

I hear often from men, “How do you find the time?”  They are speaking in reference to my activities within Freemasonry and balancing this with family, work, church, etc.  

You must meditate to find the time to meditate.  You must practice Freemasonry to find Freemasonry in your life.

I want to live in a world where integrity is prized more than wealth.  Where “how” to help is a bigger question than “if” you are going to help.

I know of few places that integrity and a handshake mean trust, love and hope like they do within the Masonic lodge and I would love to live in a world where it did.

That my Brothers is the Relevance of Masonry in a world of war, upheaval and distrust.

Obligation Negotiable?

I was surfing the Internet a bit on my favorite Masonic haunts and came across a discussion that shocked me a bit.  The question posed had do with whether or not it was okay to violate your Masonic obligation for the “good of Freemasonry.”

A man by the name of Oliver Cromwell said once, “I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken.”  In other words, don’t believe so strongly in your own infallibility as to become righteous in your indignation.  

There is a certain danger in believing our own rhetoric.  For the Freemason, it is essentially necessary to love the Craft, hold it dear and want to develop it as it helps to develop us.  I was once told by a realtor that they are always excited to hear a couple start talking about all the things they would change about a house they are walking through, because it means on a subconscious level, they have already made it their own.  So it would stand to reason that we would want to give to Freemasonry our builders mark upon its stone.  But, at what price?

Masonry is a phenomenally wonderful system.  We may gripe and complain about some of the things that can drive us a little nutty, but Masonry has always found and provided a system by which it can progress, change and grow.  This does not mean there will not be obstacles.  There are always obstacles to those things worth achieving.  The ignorant will be ignorant, the cruel will be cruel and the envious will be envious and the vindictive will remain as such.  Nonetheless, there is the vote.  

We can legislate change, motivate our Brethren, and renew broken spirits to change a tide.  We can elect qualified Grand Lodge officers, we can create programs so popular and so fulfilling that even our enemies are uncomfortable standing against them.  Every Mason can tell a story about a bad Grand Lodge officer, but few seem to tell stories about how they spent the time and effort to draft a change to their Masonic code or constitutions, visited lodges to speak with Brothers, explain their plan and garner support--and find victory on the day of the vote.  

Men will call for Masonic funerals to bring change, but don’t realize they age, entrench and embitter all the while.

There have been a number of offshoot groups to break away from the system to make a stand and they wither to a footnote.  Amazing that groups of men made up of people who could not get along with a still bigger group never manages to stay organize.

I have seen men working to bring education and philosophy to their lodges accused of everything from witchcraft and forming new religions to the intentional destruction of the Craft.  Yet, I have seen these men persevere and not pervert their integrity by lowering to the level of the accuser.

To shape the stone that is Masonry is our duty and our calling as Masters of the Craft; we shape it as it shapes us.

The way to fix Masonry has never been, nor will it ever be to act un-Masonic.  We can not improve Masonry by violating the very foundations of our initiation and shared experience.  When we convince ourselves that the ends justify the means we have convinced ourselves that Masonic philosophy can not actually improve the very institution that houses it.

Never convince that your obligation is negotiable or expendable.  When we leave this life for that Celestial Lodge we can take little with us, I would like to believe that of the few things we might be able to take, our integrity should be one of them.

The Brethren

A Brother:

He is strong in the face of adversity, but in a quiet and reasoned way.  He is loved by all that know him for the most part.  I say for the most part, because he is so loved that those who don’t care for him wouldn’t dare voice there opinion any more because it would just simply be too unpopular.  I had walked down the stairs one day to quit Masonry.  He spoke gently to me, this is his way.  He doesn’t charge hills the way I tend to do.  He is more subtle, but often more effective.  With a quiet, but deep voice, he said those things I needed to hear along the way and he give me a voice.  He recognized what I needed and without fan fair, without need for thanks or adoration, he provided it.

A Brother:

He is filled with desire and, in some ways, ambition.  Not for himself so much as for the Craft.  He wants to be a part of something that changes the universe, not for himself, but for the Universe.  And if he knows this...then it is enough.  He would punch you as soon as look at you in certain circumstances.  He has as much love as he does anger.  In this we are similar, but it seldom best him, unlike me.  He has let me vent, he has agreed and disagreed with me.  He has held me up, and he has knocked me down.  He has been gentle, and firm.  He is a leader in ever sense.  He probably considers me a peer, but I consider him a mentor.  

A Brother:

Forceful change drives him nuts.  He considers me a bit of a grenade, but has loved some of the explosions when he someone has pulled by my pin.  He is loving as the day is long.  Patient as all get out.  When he loves you, he loves you.  When he can’t stand you, it shows on his face, in his jaw, and in every part of him once you know how to read him.  He sat with me on the couch one day and guided my Masonic journey in many ways.  In some regards I believe I have disappointed him, in other ways, I have excelled beyond his expectations.      He doesn’t realize how much I love and respect him.

A Brother:

Is not quiet when he should be, and quiet at others when he shouldn’t.  His heart is one of the largest I have had witness of.  His depth of intellect astonishes me.  He grasp of situations is staggering, his grasp of others sometimes not so much.  He loves, hurts, and practices Masonry in a well so deep I have not grasped it yet.  He has given so much in friendship and conversation I can never repay.  I trust him utterly, but sometimes he makes me wince.  You should return Brother.  

A Brother:

Looks like a dang convict.  He is smarter, faster, and harder working than any man I have ever met.  His heart is bigger and better than mine.  I am not certain there is a dishonest bone in his body.  He is better than me.  Yet, he trust me as a friend, peer, and sometimes mentor.  He is bourbon, not Scotch.  He is a metaphysical soldier of sorts.  An old soul in some ways, new in others.  I will get out of his way.  I should.  I love him.

A Brother:

Has done more for my personal life than I can ever repay.  He will be a Masonic Great.  He will be Grand Master someday I am of little doubt.  He would utterly deny this.  For him Masonry is real, constant, and lived with every breath.  We sat on my porch or in his basement and his real and gentle wisdom guided me when I was supposed to guide him.  I would participate in discussions with world changers, and his wisdom I would repeat.  He probably changed the world.  I trust him more than I trust myself.  He is goodness in a way that speaks to his many lives.  He is a suburban Gandhi of sorts.  I miss our talks.  

A Brother:

Has a voice like thunder.  His presence is dang near Deific.  He is a true leader.  He gives voice and platform to so many who need it, happy and contented to see the philosophy of Masonry in the lives of men who need men like him to give them a voice.  He feels Masonry in his veins and does good as a constant.  He gives little concern to gossip and simply does good like a stone against the waves.  He doesn’t even realize the power of his labor in this world.  He looks a little like Santa.  

A Brother:

Is so much younger in person than I imagined him.  Smart in a scary way.  Magical almost.  He has changed the world.  He knows it, he enjoys the labor of it and will continue to labor to the end of his time here and will actually prepare for his next life I am certain.  I hope we meet again.

A Brother:

“Looks like he was dumped out of a bag” is what he said about himself.  Its not true, but he is unassuming in some ways.  He is a wizard.  Not in the Harry Potter goofy way.  In the celestial wonderful way.  His mind is something I can’t completely comprehend.  He loves art in all its forms and cries when he thinks of the complete beauty of the world and the people in it.  He is my dad, the one assigned by God, not the one given at birth.  He keeps me honest and says things to me that speak to my soul.  It is almost as if the world wasn’t ready for him, but Masonry was.  He kept the esoteric tradition alive when others would have it die.

A Brother:

Understood rites of passage in a way my immature mind cannot yet wrap around.  Someday I’ll get it, he has forced me to study.  He is mature, eloquent, and distinguished.  He has changed Masonry for the better.  People love him, fear him, and kiss up to him a bit.  He will labor in the quarry everyday of his life and I wonder if the world will understand the great contributions he has made.  I do.

I could go on, probably forever.

I write these few descriptions down because I wanted to answer a question and provide a little something of an epiphany I had.

First, the question.  Why am I a Mason?  Because of them.  I didn’t know why I was a Mason in the beginning.  God made me a Mason so that I could be exposed to these men.

Second.  I realize that as I grow in Masonry, there is little that is me.  

I am my Brethren.  

They each touch me in such a wonderful and powerful way, that the old ego driven me has been molded and changed by these extraordinary men I am humbled to call Brother.

Thank you Brother.  You changed me, you made me, you continue to raise me.

A Masonic Response to Stupid Atheism

This article was originally written and published in Living Stones Magazine.  I have had a number of Brothers ask me about the magazine and what my articles are about and what the other articles are all about.  I received permission from the editor to share this article written and published in this months issue.  I highly recommend the magazine which you can subscribe to at www.livingstonesmagazine.com 


A Masonic Response to Stupid Atheism


A belief in Deity is required to be a Freemason, and is considered one of the Ancient Landmarks of Freemasonry.  Anderson’s Constitutions of 1723 provide that a Mason was once encouraged to simply blend to the religion of his land, similar in exactitude to the teachings of the Druze, but changed here by Anderson influenced by Enlightenment Europeans to read:

“A Mason is obliged by his Tenure, to obey the moral law; and if he rightly understands the Art, he will never be a stupid Atheist nor an irreligious Libertine. But though in ancient times Masons were charged in every country to be of the religion of that country or nation, whatever it was, yet it is now thought more expedient only to oblige them to that religion in which all men agree, leaving their particular Opinions to themselves: that is, to be Good men and True, or Men of Honour and Honesty, by whatever Denomination or Persuasion they may be distinguished; whereby Masonry becomes the Centre of Union and the Means of conciliating true Friendship among persons that must have remained at a perpetual distance.”

The explanation given new candidates for a need in the generic belief in Deity and the exclusion of these “stupid Atheist” often the statement that the oath of an atheist is not binding

, since the oath itself is taken upon a Bible or other Volume of Sacred Law depending the faith of the particular candidate or the standard Masonic practices for the man taking the oath. 

I will contend the following:

1.  The assertion that the oath of an atheist is not binding is preposterous and the reason for the exclusion of atheist is important, but their oath not being binding is not the reason.  

2.  The symbols of Masonry point to an ancient truth and provide a better explanation for the reason atheist are excluded from the Craft

3.  The reason for the exclusion gives us a hint to origins of Masonic Philosophy.

We only need to examine a list of famous atheist who were in every way more wonderful than a list of believers to make the historical argument that an atheist will keep his word.  

One of my favorite atheist Andrew Carnegie, the famous builder of the largest  steel empire in the United States of America.  He was also one of the world’s most giving philanthropist.  He list writers such as famous Freemason Robert Burns as his heros, respected religious freedom, and even supported his wife in her Presbyterian beliefs by attending church with her.  By almost every standard, a man with whom Masonry would find itself at home; less his atheism.  

Carnegie went so far as to declare a belief,  “an Infinite and Eternal Energy from which all things proceed.”As       Masons we might be tempted to declare for Carnegie a faith.   Yet, it is unfair to classify a man’s faith for him and Carnegie himself made a declaration concerning his faith saying, “I don’t believe in God. My god is patriotism. Teach a man to be a good citizen and you have solved the problem of life.”

It would be difficult to argue that Carnegie was not a man of his word, philanthropic, or intelligent.  Nor is Carnegie an isolated incident in the history of atheism.  

The list of decent and good atheist is as long as the list of terrible and seemingly irreligious men of God, who, at first appearances would be very welcomed to the Craft given the limited face value requirements for admission into this valuable Fraternity.

As to point one as well, we should be able that the converse of the argument is true.  If the oath of an atheist is not binding, then the oath of a believer should be.  Nonetheless, we find a list of horrible men who are Christians, Jews, Muslims, and believers of every kind who violate their oaths.  We find list of foresworn Freemasons easy to find, even recently with the violent acts of Anders Behring Breivik.

We might be tempted to claim that none of these oath-breakers “truly” believed or were “truly” Freemasons.  The word “truly” being thrown around as the excuse of the morally self-righteous.  The fact is list of perfect men filling the ranks of Freemasonry, if extant, is short; more likely it has never existed.  

It would stand to reason that if the oath of a believer is easily breakable as provable by history, and if the oath of an atheist is easily keepable as provable by history, there might be another reason for the exclusion of atheist, or the reason for their exclusion must be superfluous.  

It is my contention that there is little in Masonic ritual or ancient customs that is superfluous and, that when the seemingly absurd is found within the ranks of our ancient teachings a great truth is often hidden within.  The absurd is ofttimes a road marker for hidden wisdom upon the path of Freemasonry.  The monitorial portion of the degrees of the Scottish Rite and our most Illustrious Brother Albert Pike would agree stating ofttimes that the symbol and rituals of the Craft intentionally conceal the true meaning of a thing and are designed to do just that.  Initiation, being a degreed system or graduated system reveals the truth in stages.  Likewise, the real secrets of Masonry seem more internal than external.  The most esoteric teachings of the Craft become so, it would seem, because of their ineffable nature.

This ineffability of the nature of our secrets gives way to the first hint of the authentic nature of the exclusion of atheist.  What would initially appear a Christian innovation or intolerant invention becomes an important safety mechanism that should adhered to in every instance for the spiritual safety of the practitioner as well for the preservation of the reputation of the institution.  

When Masonry is relegated to coronations, collars, and back slapping there is little room for an argument of great spiritual sagacity for the prohibition of atheist.  When Masonic meetings are little more than minutes and self-aggrandizing minutia the genuine reason for excluding atheist seems more of a personal preference that our devolution into a “look how great I am club.”  The state of our Fraternity and our participation in its less than humble or giving activities is a matter of personal embarrassment when witnessed by non-believers.  For the non-believer, it would be better that they were kept in the dark as to our personal needs of over elevation for little accomplished, as we would like to keep the public image of a humble souled philanthropist with a devote faith in God.  Better to be a working tool of the Divine in the eyes of the damned than a hypocrite with human failings and little humility.

But, if Masonry is more than a dressed up fish-fry or a dressed down Star and Garter, then we must answer the difficult question of what Masonry “is.”  This is no small task within the confines of a Masonic culture in which it is more popular to declare Masonry undefinable, because to define it takes work and labor.  It is much easier, albeit intellectually dishonest, to declare Masonry all things to all men so that we need not study and work to come up with a definition and, therefore, application in our daily lives.  Also, to define the Craft beyond a good old boys club carries the risk of upsetting the good old boys.  Masonry is relegated to a two hour block of time in a lodge room, instead of a philosophy of such depth and greatness it changes lives and simultaneously the world.

For the sake of this paper, we will define the “IS” of Masonry through the language of Masonry; it symbols.

The 47^th Problem of Euclide is a common symbol within several of the Masonic rites whose first appearance within Masonic ritual dates back to at least the 17th century. 

We read in General Ahiman Rezon of 1868 by Daniel Sickels

 the following description of the symbol and its place in Masonry:

“THE FORTY-SEVENTH PROBLEM OF EUCLID.

This was an invention of our ancient friend and brother, the great Pythagoras, who, in his travels through Asia, Africa, and Europe, was initiated into the several orders of priesthood. and raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason. This wise philosopher enriched his mind abundantly in a general knowledge of things and more especially in Geometry, or Masonry. On this subject he drew out many problems and theorems; and, among the most distinguished, he erected this, which, in the joy of his heart, he called EUREKA, in the Grecian language signifying I have found it; and upon the discovery of which he is said to have sacrificed a hecatomb. It teaches Masons to be general lovers of the arts and sciences.”

This description is common it or some version similar or nearing it can be found within most of the lectures of the third degree in the United States of America, Emulation Ritual, and within several Scottish Lodges.

By 1723 the 47^th Problem of Euclid was so entrenched in Speculative Masonry, that it was made part of Anderson’s Constitutions.  Much attention has been given this “Pythagorean Theorem,” and Bromwell goes so far as to provide the triangle is the only important symbol, the squares being only for illustrative purposes.  Bromwell was mistaken.

The illusion is multi-fold.  The cube is the symbol of man.  Metatron’s Cube, the cube as a platonic solid, and many of the great mystical traditions provide the cube as both the basic building material of matter and a geometric representation of man.  The true building block of the inner and outer temple, the real and spiritual architecture of the universe.

We see see Pharaoh seated upon a cube as an allusion to this very fact.  Hindu gods are depicted as standing upon a cube as a symbol of the Divine over man.  It is not uncommon to see the cube tied directly to this idea both in religion and in architecture.  As noted by Tiffany Whitmire in her article on the topic relates the following:

 “2. The Hindus

Before the Hindus erect any type of building, large or small, for religious purposes they first perform a simple geometric construction on the ground. This means that they construct a square from establishing due East and West. It is from this square that they lay out the entire building. The geometric construction is associated by prayers and religious observances.

3. The Christians

The cross is used as the major emblem for the Christian religion. In geometrical terms the cross, elaborated in the Medieval period, is the form of an unfolded cube. It was also associated with kingship. Many of the Gothic chuches were built by proportions derived from the geometry inherent in the cube or the double-cube. Many Christian churches are still built in this form today.

4. The Ancient Egyptians

The ancient Egyptians used regular polygons in their construction, but discovered that these polygons could be increased while keeping the ratio of their sides by the addition of a strictly constructed area. This was named the "gnomon" by the Greeks. The god Osiris was given the recognition for the concept of the ratio-retaining expansion of a rectangular area. Egyptians also used the square as a symbol of kingship.”

So it is unlikely the square or cube as used to illustrate the 47^th Problem of Euclide means nothing.  It is unnecessary to draw more than a line to illustrate the triangle and the more common way of illustrating the theorem is circle, not a series of squares.  So again, it is unlikely the square or cube mean nothing.  Further, whenever the number three appears in Masonry, it is intentional.  We must give some attention to the fact that it is three squares or cubes that define the triangle in illustrative measure.

The metaphysical nature of Pythagoras and his disciples is in little question.  Therefore, it is highly unlikely that any symbols used or created by Pythagoras or his followers had no spiritual value or connotation.  To the contrary, Pythagoras was revered more the metaphysical nature of his work, than the purely geometric nature of it.  In ancient times it is likely the stiffly drawn lines in our present day culture were not as defined.

We find ourselves as Masons faced with the obvious conclusions.  First, that Masonry is philosophical, is special and is designed to impart a truth.  Masonry reveres Pythagoras and this theorem for the same reasons Plato and Aristotle did, he was a spiritual leader and teacher.  A philosopher of the greatest kind that would give birth to a new metaphysical culture.

Since we have nothing written from the hand of Pythagoras himself, we must examine what is known about him and of him in order to form some level of conclusion.  In this regard, deduction of the symbols becomes the surest way to decipher their meaning.

Breaking Down the Symbol

1.  The cube since the most ancient of periods has been associated with man and the material. 

2.  The cube appears three times as part of the common Masonic symbol of the 47^th Problem of Euclid.  

3.  Man persuades (and lies) in threes.

4.  The triangle is a symbol of the Divine in many cultures.

5.  The right triangle has been used in ancient architecture and building for thousands of years and is associated, likewise with the Divine.

The 47^th Problem of Euclid is a roadmap for the Divine and, in turn, gives us a clue to the origins of our own Masonic philosophies.  

The three squares or cubes relate to the tripartite nature of man.  The fact that they illustrate the symbol of the Divine provides the message that man, the universe, and the nature of things can be understood by looking and discovering within man, that all truth and all things Divine can be discovered within man himself.  The search is in Masonry is an internal and not an external one.

Eureka, the term ascribed to Pythagoras in Masonic lore upon discover of this ancient truth stems from the Greek “heureka” and means, I have found it.”  Masonry could be hard to define for some, but it must be a search for light if our rituals contain any truth at all, as the candidate repeatedly declares his thirst for light and repeatedly is said to receive it.  Light is knowledge and I have failed to provide an endnote on this, for any man a Mason who declares that the light referred to in the degrees is other than this, we are so far apart in our agreement on the issue, and they so far outside of a realistic understanding of degrees, there is nothing I can write for him to bring to said light.  Go linger in the darkness, this article is not for you.

The light of Masonry is a Divine Light, and that light is now illustrated to exist within the tripartite nature of man as illustrated by our symbols.

Eureka!  I also declare, for we have found it and it is within us!

The journey of Masonry is a Gnostic one.  It is an Enlightenment Era invention predicated on the ancient mystery schools that declare, “I warn you, whoever you are.  Oh, you who wish to probe the arcanes of nature, if you do not find within yourself that which you seek, neither shall you be able to find it outside.  If you ignore the excellencies of your own house, how do you intend to find other excellencies?  In you is hidden the treasure of treasures. Oh, man, know thyself and thou shall know the Universe and the Gods!”

The Enlightenment had ushered in an Era of Reason, so much so, that it threatened to dislodge the spiritual from its rightful place in the balanced life of a man.  The pendulum was beginning to swing so violently away from the Age of Superstition, that even dreams were disregarded as irrational and intellectuals were made to feel less so for having had them.

Masonry served and serves as a mystical tradition that inculcates balance and instructs the candidate that the Divine is within.  This approach could be identified as Hermetic or relating to the teaching of Hermes, who is sometimes associated with Hiram.

This is partially mistaken and does not take into the account the distinctly Christian flavor of the Enlightenment in Europe or the overtly Christian references purposely removed from Masonic ritual during the unification of the modern and antient grand lodges in England.  It was at this time that the Craft was purposely demystified to some degree in hopes of making it more appear more overtly universal.

The belief that the degrees were less than universal at the time comes from the misunderstanding of the mystical or Gnostic Christian references as literal.  When taken in the Gnostic manner in which they were intended, the true beauty of the ritual can be understood.

The Swedish Rite of Freemasonry is a perfect example of how a purely Gnostic tradition contains direct Christian references that in no way require a belief in a literal Christ and, in some regards, are harmed by such a literal approach to their interpretation.  In many ways, it is quite sad that this beautiful tradition has been closed Christians alone.  

Hiram himself is purposely modeled after Jesus in the Gnostic sense.  This being the only logical conclusion when all the other aspects of the Craft are Judaic in nature.  The messianic portion must be Christian in flair.  This, in turn, is Gnostic.

Gnosticism is nothing more Christianized Hermeticism.  Freemasonry is the Enlightenment Era mysticism with Christian overtones, resulting in its Gnostic message in lieu of the pagan Hermetic one.  The Gnostic message, heretical as it was in Enlightenment Era Europe, was still more acceptable in nature than the pre-Christian Hermetic one.

The frightening truth of this message is that it is distinctly not in keeping with the current evangelical message of Christian fundamentalist which have rightly identified Masonry as an enemy.  Masonry seeks to provide a path to the Divine within, and removes all pretense and ceremony the church would have you believe is necessary for salvation.

Masonic salvation comes in the form of a moral and just life, and exist for the candidate in the here and now; Masonry is not a religion, because the existence of of organized worship is superstitious in comparison to Gnosticism.  

Within Gnosticism, God is within you and all around you all the time and the false perception of the fall of man, or the absence of the presence of God is a false one.  So just as the triangle of Pythagoras is within the squares, so to God dwells within.  Yet, he can be seen throughout everything everywhere.  One might say the wisdom of God can be traced through the whole of nature and His glory firmly established by simply experiencing nature and life.

Which brings us to our “stupid atheist.”  

If the point of the journey is to find the Divine nature of man, then the atheist can not complete this journey; for at the end of it, he must slump exhausted and have no faith to rely on.  

The man who begins the journey, the profane, is said to be in denial of his true Divine nature.  If the end of the journey is designed to reveal this truth, what good would the journey do for man whose label requires him to deny this.

The word stupid derives from the Latin stupidus and means confounded.  Confounded derives from the same origins as damned, or damaged.

  This is an apt description of what happens or could happen to a man exposed to the truth for which he is ill prepared.

Within the mystical traditions there is a belief that those ill prepared to confront their Divine nature, or confront it before they are initiated will be driven mad, or produce the opposite effect of wisdom.

Our very own Masonic first Grand Master, King Solomon himself, was said to be driven to madness.  This comes after using the high truth of the nature of things to build his Temple.  Harnessing the wisdom of demons, he grows arrogant, and is subsequently driven mad.  

The exclusion of atheist is a safety mechanism built in to a Gnostic tradition.  The atheist, living an out of balance life, much like the fundamentalist on the other end of the scale, is deemed “not ready” to confront his nature, much more than he is deemed unfit.

¹ Albert G. Mackey, A Textbook of Masonic Jurisprudence, (New York: Macoy, 1858)

² Reverend James Anderson D.D., Constitutions of Freemasonry 1723, (Whitefish: Kessinger, 2004)

³ Rabie Jarmakani. Personal Interview. 4 July 2011.

⁴ John Marshall, John Locke, Toleration and early Enlightenment Culture, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006)

⁵ H.L. Haywood, The Newly-Made Mason:  What He and Every Mason Should Know About Masonry, (Chicago: The Masonic History Company, 1948)

⁶ David Nasaw, Andrew Carnegie, (New York: Penguin, 2007)

⁷ David Nasaw, Andrew Carnegie, (New York: Penguin, 2007)

⁸ Andrew Carnegie, The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie and The Gospel of Wealth, (Seattle:  Createspace, 2010)

⁹ Chris Hodapp, “More on the Norway Killer’s Masonic and Templar Connections,” Freemasonry for Dummies, 28 July 2011.

¹⁰ Daniel Sickels, General Ahiman Rezon, (New York:  Masonic Publishing and Manufacturing Company, 1868)

¹¹ Reverend James Anderson D.D., Constitutions of Freemasonry 1723, (Whitefish:  Kessinger, 2004)

¹² Henry P.H. Bromwell, Restorations of Masonic Geometry and Symbolry, (Denver:  Henry P.H. Bromwell Masonic Publishing Company, 1905)

¹³ Stephen Skinner, Sacred Geometry:  Deciphering the Code, (New York:  Sterling, 2009)

¹⁴ Tiffany Whitmire, “Sacred Geometry,”  Sweet Briar College, September 1998 .

¹⁵ Huffman, Carl, "Pythagoras", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), forthcoming URL = . 

¹⁶ Cliff Porter, The Secret Psychology of Freemasonry, (Colorado:  Starr Publishing, 2011)

¹⁷ “A Study in Graphic Symbolism,” The Shrine of Wisdom, Volume 30 (Surrey, England:  Fintry Trust, 1926)

¹⁸ Douglas Harper, “Eureka,”  Online Etymology Dictionary,

¹⁹ William J. Broad, The Oracle:  Ancient Delphi and the Science Behind Its Lost Secrets, (New York:  Penguin, 2007)

²⁰ John Gascoigne, Science, Philosophy and Religion in the Age of Enlightenment, (London:  Ashgate Variorum Publishing, 2010)

²¹ Manly P. Hall, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, (Los Angeles:  Hall Publishing, 1924) 

²² Julian Rees, “Through Ritual To Enlightenment,” Pietre-Stones:  Review of Freemasonry, 20 March 2003,

²³ Douglas Harper, “Damn,”  Online Etymology Dictionary,

²⁴ F. F. Fleck, Wissenschaftliche Reise durch das südliche Deutschland, Italien, Sicilien und Frankreick,(Leipzig, 1837)