June 14 is National Flag Day in the United States

Today is June 14.

Here's what Wikipedia says about today.

In the United States, Flag Day (more formally, National Flag Day), is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

In 1916, Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.

Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, though on June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday.

Title 36 of the US Code is the official statute on Flag Day; however, it is at the President's discretion to officially proclaim the observance.

The largest Flag Day parade is held annually in Troy, NY.

National Flag Day | United States Flag | Stars and Stripes | Old Glory | Star Spangled Banner | BurningTaper.com

Southern Baptists beat Southern Masons in accepting African-Americans as equals

Only 52 years after the landmark 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision regarding desegregation, the Southern Baptist Convention, an organization built upon the teachings of Christ's love for everyone, yesterday during its 2006 annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C. announced that task forces have been formed to study ways to reach out to the African-American community, and one day soon will issue a report.

One wonders how many more years it will be before that other bastion of segregation, Southern Freemasonry, will get around to thinking about forming a task force to study the possibility of discussing the elimination of the color barrier in Masonry, an organization built upon the ideals of universal brotherhood.

Masons | Freemasonry | Desegregation | Integration | Southern Baptist Convention| BurningTaper.com

The Union of Diversity

The Union of Diversity by Bro. Jeff Peace

Freemasonry is perhaps one of the most beautiful and enlightened ideas ever conceived by man — a brotherhood based on tolerance, reason and the spirit of humanity. In many ways it was ahead of its time in 1717 and foresaw the coming of modernity by two hundred years. The value of its message to mankind is greater now that at any other point in its long history. It gives to us a peculiar system of morality based on reason alone that leads to a profound sense of happiness and contentedness. What we choose to do with this will determine how favorably or unfavorably that history looks back on us and our generation.

We have before us the opportunity to unite people from all walks of life, to demonstrate to them the value of community and brother/sisterhood, to teach that human beings are more than just mere laborers struggling to survive in an ever competitive world, to show that we have a higher purpose and value in the whole of the creation.

To accomplish these things we must begin by tearing down the many barriers that we have created between one another and bring to Light the unity of all things. Freemasons from all of the various Orders, Jurisdictions, and Lodges must come together for the higher and more noble purpose of serving mankind. Our ability to rise above our own petty differences will lead the way for others to follow. We can no longer afford to feed our selfish desires and egos. We must lead by example.

Any Masonic body that sets itself above the rest is not Masonic. It acts only to preserve itself and further divide mankind. We, as Freemasons, must bring to an end the demands for conformity within our beloved fraternity and open our hearts and minds to the great diversity that is humanity. Tolerance has always been a key element of our philosophy; an aspect that is almost sacred due to its ability to heal the gaping wounds within society. When we demand conformity we murder the creative nature of the soul, and lower ourselves to the same fundamentalist doctrines that drove the Spanish Inquisition.

Let today be the day that we declare our independence from the doctrines of conformity and once again raise the flag of a brotherhood based on tolerance that forms the sacred union of diversity.

— Bro. Jeff Peace

Masons | United Grand Lodge of America | Modern Freemasonry | Diversity | BurningTaper.com

Jesus loves a machine gun

Excerpt from San Francisco Chronicle, June 7, 2006, by Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist

Imagine: you are a foot soldier in a paramilitary group whose purpose is to remake America as a Christian theocracy, and establish its worldly vision of the dominion of Christ over all aspects of life. You are issued high-tech military weaponry, and instructed to engage the infidel on the streets of New York City. You are on a mission — both a religious mission and a military mission — to convert or kill Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, gays, and anyone who advocates the separation of church and state — especially moderate, mainstream Christians. Your mission is "to conduct physical and spiritual warfare"; all who resist must be taken out with extreme prejudice.

Ah yes, the neo-Christian ideal. The ultimate dominionist police state, a smoking, reeking, post-apocalyptic vision of New York, a world teeming with nonbelievers just waiting to be either converted or massacred by nothing less than a Christianized American Taliban, a world of righteousness and judgment and death, all in the name of one very nasty and bloodthirsty God. It's "Grand Theft Auto" for the Rick Santorum set. It's "Resident Evil 4" for American Family Association types who eat too much BGH meat and never have sex.

It's the new "Left Behind" video game, due out by Christmas.

Oh but wait. There's a lovely kicker: When you get bored with the sanctimonious drabness of fighting on the side of a hateful Christ (which, invariably, you most certainly will), the game apparently allows you to switch modes and fight for the army of the Antichrist, unleashing cloven-hoofed demons who feast on the flesh of the righteous as you blow away Bible-thumping soldiers who, just before they die, secretly confess their intense gay love for their platoon commanders. Isn't that thoughtful?

It's also a bit of genius marketing. After all, aren't the villains always far cooler and sexier than the self-righteous and the holy? The devil always has better vodka than God. Who wants to run around shooting Buddhists and praying, when you can don the armor of hell itself and drink and have dirtyfun sex and get tattoos and listen to Metallica and wear low-slung jeans and laugh easily? No one, that's who.

Which is why the game could become the sleeper hit of the year. Sure, brainwashed fundamentalist kids will love playing on the side of God. For a while. But then the dark side will beckon. The irresistible scent of rebellion will hit their noses like hot porn pizza. They will fall into the clutches of a crazy self-defined happiness, they will squirm and giggle and feel anarchic and seditious and free, running clean in a place where the beer is cold and the dancing is hot and no one is telling them they have to kill someone because that person dared to believe that God isn't, well, a misanthropic, murderous jackass.

Now that's heaven.

Read the whole enchalada....

Jesus Christ | Left Behind | Christianity | Video Game | BurningTaper.com

What is the United Grand Lodge of America?

What is the Grand Lodge of America? by Bro. Jeff Peace

As of late many Masons and non-Masons alike have been asking the question: "What is the difference between the United Grand Lodge of America and other forms of Freemasonry?" It is the purpose of this paper to answer the question and to clarify the position of the United Grand Lodge of America regarding the 'Antient' state Grand Lodges.

Let's begin by looking at some key distinctions that set the United Grand Lodge of America apart from the "Antient" state Grand Lodges.

• Its stated mission is the brotherhood of all mankind under theAll-Seeing Eye of Deity as opposed to simply making good men better
• It is a union of diversity as opposed to a union of conformity
• Its charities are directly related to its stated mission as opposed to charities for the sake of being charitable
• It is a confederation of sovereign lodges as opposed to a federation of lodges under a sovereign grand lodge
• Its lodges meet and work on the first degree (Entered Apprentice) so all members can participate as opposed to working and meeting on the Master's degree
• Its lodges work the rituals of the "Moderns" of 1735 as opposed to those of the "Antients" of 1751
• Its lodges are free to choose between either the Blue or Red symbolic degrees as opposed to being forced to work only the blue
• It does not restrict what other organizations its members can belong to as opposed to restricting and controlling what other organizations one may choose to join
• It is open to working with all Freemasons as opposed to recognizing only some Masons through segregation based on either sex or race
• Its Grand Master is elected to serve for only the day the Grand Lodge is in session as opposed to one (sometimes two) year terms where he governs over the lodges and the Craft

The United Grand Lodge of America is about establishing a true and meaningful brotherhood within the Craft and then extending the same throughout the world. This begins with tolerance and equality in our lodges. It is our belief that Freemasons must lead be example and that ideals alone are without quantifiable value.

It is a common misunderstanding that the United Grand Lodge of America is opposed to our "Antient" brethren from the state Grand Lodges. We are not in any way opposed to these good brothers and hold them in the highest esteem. They are always welcome in any of our lodges. It is the injustice, racism, segregation and intolerance of some of their Grand Lodges which we find offensive and deplorable. These Grand Lodges bring shame upon their members as well as all of Freemasonry. There are, however, many good and honorable Grand Lodges within the "Antient" system and it would be unjust of us to lump them together with those who are of lesser merit. State Grand Lodges such as Vermont, Idaho, Kansas, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin are beautiful examples of how Grand Lodges should conduct themselves, and the happiness and contentedness of their members speaks more directly to this than anything else.

When attempting to understand Freemasonry and its various Grand Lodges it is important to understand that there are many differences, and that taking the time to understand these differences will be important to your future happiness within Freemasonry. These differences exist because people are different and have many diverse ideas, wants and needs. It would be difficult for any one organization to meet the needs of such diversity because it is extremely difficult to be all things to all people. Many people enjoy working with their spouses and Co-Masonry provides a means to do that. Some enjoy working in a predefined environment where conformity to the group mentality makes them feel a part of something greater than themselves. Then there are those who enjoy diversity and find strength of character through working with people who bring new and unique ideas into their organization. None of these Freemasons are right or wrong; they are just different. The United Grand Lodge of America, because it is a union of diversity, is open to working with all of them while remaining true to its mission.

It is my sincere hope that I have been able to shed some light upon the differences that make the United Grand Lodge of America what it is, and clarified any misunderstandings that you may have had. As we go forward let all Freemasons join in the noble quest for the brotherhood of man under the All-Seeing Eye of Deity.

— Bro. Jeff Peace

Masons | United Grand Lodge of America | Modern Freemasonry | Antient Freemasonry | Racism | BurningTaper.com

Masonic Membership: Quantity vs. Quality

Masonic Membership: Quantity vs. Quality
by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS

There is a general myth in the fraternity that the volume of membership relates to the quality of men dedicated to the principles of the fraternity; that as membership increases, quality suffers (or as membership decreases, quality improves). If this were true, the fraternity should be doing extremely well right now as our numbers continue to plummet. And perhaps we are losing quality men who are in search of other venues that are seemingly more stable.

If you are familiar with Quality Assurance principles, you know this myth is simply not valid. For example, in a manufacturing environment, it is true that the risk of error increases as volume increases, but this can be overcome by defining and adhering to standards and continually overseeing the manufacturing process and looking for improvements. This is Quality Assurance 101.

Unfortunately, there are no true standards for Masonic membership as it is interpreted differently by each jurisdiction. This is one reason why I no longer believe in the universality of the fraternity. How one jurisdiction perceives the implementation of Freemasonry will not necessarily be the same in the next jurisdiction. Sure, we have charters and the Ancient Landmarks (e.g., a Belief in God, the Volume of Sacred Law, and the prohibition of the discussion of politics and religion) but aside from this, how we attract, educate, initiate, pass, and raise members varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. As one small example, consider the one day class; some people see it as a convenient way to increase membership, and others are adamantly opposed to it and chastise those Grand jurisdictions permitting it. There are even different interpretations on how to conduct the one day class, e.g., hundreds of Brothers at once versus a handful at a time. Regardless, there are no true standards for membership in Freemasonry, nor is there any concerted effort to study the membership process and recommend improvements.

Perhaps the closest we have come to studying the problem is the report entitled "It's About Time! — Moving Masonry into the 21st Century," which was recently published by the MSA Masonic Information Center, a 24-page PDF file. Basically, the report finally acknowledges that we have a membership problem and recommends a public relations program to overcome it.

A well crafted public relations program certainly cannot hurt, but I only see this as a small part of the solution. Again, I look upon this as a problem of standards and process improvement and, as such, what is needed is a Quality Assurance program. Ideally, this should be implemented on an international basis, but in reality, this will never happen as jurisdictions are territorial in nature. Consequently, the logical first step should be to implement a Quality Assurance program on a jurisdictional basis. By establishing such a program, we can affect both the quantity and quality of our membership.

Its no secret that our numbers are declining. I recently heard from a New York Brother who reported membership in that jurisdiction had plummeted from 308,000 in 1956 to 55,000 today. Other grand jurisdictions have also reported a steady erosion over the years.

We can either ignore the problem and hope that it goes away (it won't), or we can wake up and take action. This specifically means getting our Masonic officers to give the Craft the leadership it so desperately needs. As the MSA report correctly observes, "We have not a moment to lose."

Keep the Faith.

— Bro. Tim Bryce

Masons | Quality | Membership | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Tim Bryce

Giant meteorite strikes Norway; likened to Hiroshima bomb

Though it was two weeks later and considerably smaller than predicted, perhaps Eric Julien's comet fragment just smacked into the Earth.

A meteorite whose impact was likened to the "Hiroshima bomb" slammed into a mountainside in Norway on Wednesday, June 7, sending seismic instruments into spasms and scientists into a tizzy. The meteorite was likely considerably bigger than the largest Norweigian meteorite impact on record, one weighing 90 kilograms (198 pounds) that fell in 1904.

Though the impact occured at 2:13 a.m. local time, the area was already drenched in sunshine — it's Norway. The light created by the impact was visible in an area of several hundred kilometers.

Click here to see what it looked like on a seismic chart.

Image: The meteorite streaking across the sunlit midnight sky in Norway, just moments before impact

Meteorite | 73p | Schwassman-Wachmann Comet | Comet | Norway | Eric Julien | BurningTaper.com

Confusion leads to clarity

The "battle" between Antient (conventional) Masonry and Modern (United Grand Lodge of America, a return-to-the-basics organization considered "clandestine" by the Antients) Freemasonry is heating up, with Masonic forums overflowing with discussions, complaints, etc., and more Antient Grand Lodges threatening their members for discussing or supporting the Moderns.

For the sake of clarity, I'm posting here a comparison chart showing the main differences between Antients and Moderns. This chart is not original with me; it's from the United Grand Lodge of America.

Antient Freemasonry:

• Has numerous Grand Lodges throughout the country usually divided into jurisdictions by state.
• Most Grand Lodges recognize one another as legitimate but from time to time there are disputes, the most recent in Minnesota.
• Based on Judeo/Christian philosophy but open to men of most monotheistic religions. In rare cases open to polytheists.
• Teaches a form of morality common to that found in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
• Has a multitude of side organizations, some are invitation-only. These organizations claim to be able to teach things that are above and beyond the degree of Master Mason, or in some cases to further elaborate on the Symbolic three degrees.
• Has purely social organizations attached to it such as the Shrine and Grotto.
• Has a multitude of diverse charities.
• Offers little in form of continuing education, Masonic or otherwise.
• Most of its lodges are social in nature and about 75% of the membership is 70+ years of age.
• The Grand Lodges in the Southeastern United States do not accept African-American members nor do they recognize the legitimacy of the primarily African-American Prince Hall Grand Lodges.
• The Antient Grand Lodges do not allow their members to visit Modern lodges and have strict penalties for violators, usually expulsion from their organization.
• Due to some of their side orders being by invitation, not all of their members can join all of their organizations.

Modern Freemasonry:

• One central Grand Lodge oversees the entire United States.
• Based on natural philosophy, science, and a unique system of morality not associated with any known religion.
• Offers only the three Symbolic degrees of Free-Masonry: Apprentice, Fellow-Craft, and Master Mason.
• Does not offer any side orders or purely social organizations.
• Contributes to three charities: Habitat for Humanity, Amnesty International, and The Nature Conservancy.
• Accepts men of all races and creeds.
• Offers extensive Masonic, Moral, and Scientific continuing education.
• Its lodges are community focused and are composed of men with an average age of 35.
• The Modern Grand Lodge does not concern itself with whether or not its members visit lodges from other systems.
• All members are able to participate in all degrees.
• Does not have invitation-only side orders.
• The Modern Grand Lodge is the only Grand Lodge in the United States that offers the three Symbolic degrees as they were in 1735 under the original Premier Grand Lodge of 1717.

Image: "Confusion under Normal Light," by Jaqueline Ripstein, from Godslight.com

Masons | United Grand Lodge of America | Modern Freemasonry | Antient Freemasonry | Racism | BurningTaper.com | Prince Hall Masonry

"Oh my God! I'm giving birth to Damien!"

Okay, I couldn't let this one go.

A soon-to-be-mum in England induced the birth of her child early so she wouldn't download him on the Devil's Day (today), June 6, 2006.

When told her due date was today, Melissa Parker's "blood ran cold," and she immediately began having nightmares. "When I got my due date I thought 'Oh God, I’m giving birth to Damien from the Omen.'"

God help the child, growing up with such a superstitious mother.

Cross-posted on The SacredFems.com.

666 | June 6, 2006 | 6-6-06 | Hell | Satan | Devil | Superstition | Anti Christ | Motherhood | BurningTaper.com

You never stand so tall as when you stoop to help a child

Surfing the Grand Lodge of Georgia website recently I came upon flyers for a rodeo last weekend, sponsored by two Masonic lodges in Georgia.

This article isn't meant to be anti-rodeo, or anti- the lodges that put on the rodeo, or anti- the corporate sponsors. Yee-ha, ride 'em cowboy! Git along, li'l dogie.

This article is about fundraising "for the children."

Accompanying the flyer was a letter from "Rodeo Chairman" Wes Chester. I have no idea if Mr. Chester is a Mason or not; he is not identified as such.

The last line of the letter says, in quotation marks: "A man never stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child."

Nowhere in the letter does it say what the funds generated by the rodeo will be used for. There is the cryptic phrase, "As we state over and over, if you want to see Freemasonry in action, you will see it here. The main thing is the benefits from this event."

The flyer makes it slightly clearer, in tiny italicized print near the bottom: "Note: Proceeds go to Masonic-related activities and charities." But then it muddies the water by also saying the rodeo is sponsored by the Shady Dale Community Club.

What "Masonic-related" activities and charities, you might ask?

The "A man never stands so tall..." phrase in the letter might make you think the proceeds will be going to the Scottish Rite Children's Hospital, since they've been known to use that phrase quite a bit. But if so, why would Blue Lodges be sponsoring the event?

Or, it might be that the proceeds are going to the Shriner's Hospitals, as they've been linked to that phrase, too.

We just wonder.

Why was the phrase about helping children used, when there is absolutely no indication what the proceeds will actually be used for?

The phrase actually doesn't belong to either the Shrine or the Scottish Rite, or to anyone, for that matter.

It's been attributed as a Chinese proverb at SaidWhat.co.uk, and in slightly differing forms ("A man is at his tallest when he stoops to help a child," "You never stand so tall as when you stoop to help a child," etc.) has been attributed to Abraham Lincoln, golfer Bobby Jones, Ann Landers, and Dr. Anthony P. Whitman, whoever he is.

The phrase has been used in fund-raising appeals by:

• Variety Club Children's Charity
• Chernobyl Children's Appeal, Ireland
• Culminis Compass EMEA, claiming to be an international service organization of 24 staffers supported by Intel and Microsoft
• Mentor Me Petaluma
• a Home Heating newsletter article about a women and children's shelter in NYC
• the Elks Club
• a Massachusetts District Attorney speaking at a conference on child abuse and teen pregnancy

A North Carolina Masonic Grand Master used the phrase in his Grand Lodge's May-June 2004 newsletter.

A Scottish Rite Mason named Tom Slate, a salesman for Spalding Sporting Goods, used the phrase in 1933 to secure the use of Grant Field from Georgia Tech, according to an article in a 1998 issue of The Technique, GT's student newspaper.

Even the North American Fishing Club used it as bait to get people to attend a fishing contest.

The Shriners claimed it as recently as April of this year in this format: "No person stands as tall as when they stoop to help a child!"

And I found it in a Kiwanis Club memo from 1996, that, as an interesting side note included this passage that should sound familiar to Masons as well as to the Kiwanis members it was addressed to:

Does Kiwanis have a future? I'm firmly convinced that it can have. The only way for this potential to become a reality is for many of us to agree with our new International President: "If it's going to be, it is up to me." We need to stop talking about "What they should do," and start talking about "What we are going to do."

But what is it that we must do? I believe that the most urgent thing is to stop the hemorrhage of members that is sapping the life blood of Kiwanis. "Net membership growth" is not enough, we must learn to retain our members long enough for them to enter the leadership. The 1996 survey of former members is a good place to start. Here are the main reasons that people have been leaving Kiwanis clubs:

* Poor orientation of new members. * Members' time abused. * Poorly planned or managed club meetings. * Club projects did not interest members. * Minimal impact of projects on community issues. * Lack of Kiwanis name recognition. * Insensitivity of some members to race and gender issues.

I know I've digressed a bit, following the phrase through time and space... but to get back to the Big Question: Why did the Rodeo Masons use the phrase in their fund-raising letter sent to other Blue Lodges, and where did the money go?

Masons | Freemasonry | Grand Lodge of Georgia| Shrine | Fund Raising | Scottish Rite | Elks Club | Kiwanis Club | Children's Charity | BurningTaper.com

A response to Bro. Ratcliff's "Top 10 reasons not to become a Freemason"

A response to Bro. John Ratcliff's "Why I became (and proudly remain) an 'Antient' Freemason" by Bro. Jeff Peace

Brother John Ratcliff recently published "Why I became (and proudly remain) an 'Antient' Freemason." As a "Modern" I have the utmost respect for Brother Ratcliff and believe that his short essay accurately points out a couple of the major differences between "Antient" and "Modern" Freemasonry. It is these differences that I would like to discuss and amplify to help further clarify the differences between our two institutions and their underlying principles and philosophies.

At the end of his essay Brother Ratcliff lists "The Top Ten Reasons *NOT* to become a Freemason." This, however, is misleading, and would be more clear and concise of it read "The Top Ten Reasons *NOT* to become an 'Antient' Freemason." I mention this because some of the reasons Brother Ratcliff has listed are actually reasons why a man may indeed wish to become a "Modern" Freemason. Specifically:

(3) You are a nonconformist. You hate every fad, trend, or anything that anyone else is doing in the world. You are so much of a non-conformist that that your are literally a conformist to the non-conformist lifestyle. How could you be a "joiner" of a club and follow their rules? Even if you consider that these are rules you completely agree with, you would still be "joining" something and conforming to a particular code of ethics. This action would be so contrary to your personal identity that you could never join a group that limits its membership to men of good character and encourages them to live their lives by the highest standards of morality.

(6) You are a material reductionist. You believe that there is no such thing as God. Not Spinoza’s God and not any one definition will suffice. You believe that anyone stupid enough to believe in a God is a damnable idiot. You believe that the Universe is a Netwonian tick-tock world of billiard ball atoms and molecules, that there was no big-bang, and that human consciousness is a random glitch in the random process of selfish-gene evolution. You believe that life itself is meaningless and serves no higher purpose beyond self-gratification.

I agree with Brother Ratcliff's remarks as they relate to "Antient" Freemasonry. "Antient" Freemasonry has always been an organization that demands conformity of its members. If someone refuses to conform with the dictates of their "Antient" Grand Lodge or Grand Master he will quickly find himself expelled and no longer worthy of being considered a brother.

As "Modern" Freemasons we believe that Freemasonry is a union of diversity as opposed to a union of conformity. We value the great diversity of ideas that each person brings into our great brotherhood, and find that through diversity our organization becomes stronger and more enlightened. The value of the Masonic principle of tolerance is best realized through diversity. Of what value is tolerance to an organization of conformists? If everyone always agrees to conform then what are they really tolerant of?

That the "Antients" do not want men who attempt to understand the universe through material reductionism is understandable. They abandoned both science and reason back in 1751 for various forms of mysticism and Gnosticism.

As "Modern" Freemasons we value both science and reason, and welcome scientists and those who seek to further human understanding through material reductionism. We are dedicated to the brotherhood of all men and remain continually open-minded to new ideas and ways of understanding ourselves and the universe in which we live.

I find the seventh point of Brother Ratcliff's essay to be somewhat ironic. In it he states:

(7) You hate the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. You think the American Revolution, and the Enlightenment in general, was a scam. You believe the world ran better when men were uneducated, lived in fear of religious persecution, under Monarchies, dictatorships, and that free thought was a concept reserved for dreaming kittens, not the working class of a society. You do not believe all men are created equal, nor do they have the right to pursue happiness. You do not believe in justice, liberty, equality, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, or any form of representative government. Since these are all of the core tenets of Freemasonry, established by Freemasons in the American Revolution, there can be no doubt that this institution would disagree with you most heartedly.

How can the "Antients" who adore conformity find any value in documents produced by men and Masons who were obviously non-conformists? If "Modern" Masons such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin had been conformists then neither the Declaration of Independence nor the Bill of Rights would have ever been written and America would still be a colony of the British Empire.

Brother Ratcliff goes on to say "Since these are all of the core tenets of Freemasonry, established by Freemasons in the American Revolution, there can be no doubt that this institution would disagree with you most heartedly." Unfortunately, he fails to point-out that these "core tenets of Freemasonry" are actually core tenets of ‘Modern’ Freemasonry and the Freemasons who helped start the American Revolution were all "Moderns" and not "Antients."

It is well known that the "Antients," after taking over the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania declared its "Modern" Past Grand Master, Benjamin Franklin, to be a clandestine-made Mason. This they did upon his return from France after he had helped win America's war for independence. His refusal to conform to the "Antients" led to their refusal to even grant him the honors of a Masonic funeral.

After carefully reviewing all the reasons why brother Ratcliff is proud to be an "Antient" Freemason I feel even more reassured in my conviction that becoming a "Modern" Freemason was the right choice. As a "Modern" I can be a part of the great union of diversity that is "Modern" Freemasonry and look back at the many enlightened Masons, such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, whom I can be proud to call brothers.

— Bro. Jeff Peace

Image: Ben Franklin, who wrote: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Masons | United Grand Lodge of America | Modern Freemasonry | Antient Freemasonry | John Ratcliff | BurningTaper.com | Jeff Peace

Happy Triple Six

I'd been thinking about writing a big article on the 666 phenomenon of tomorrow being June 6, 2006. Many people and groups are all excited about it.

Hell, Michigan, is having a party.

The remake of the film The Omen opens on the 6th.

It's the 62nd anniversary of D-Day.

The Church of Satan is having a major shindig.

And Christian fundamentalists are having a prayer-in in response to "the Devil's Day."

But so what? It's not worth a whole article. People have been making way to much out of six hundred three score and six for way too long.

It's just another day. Click here. It's just another day.

666 | June 6, 2006 | 6-6-06 | Hell | Satan | Devil | Superstition | Anti Christ | Paul McCartney | BurningTaper.com

Masonic Witchhunts

Masonic Witchhunts by W:. Tim Bryce, PM, MPS

As we all know, a Masonic Lodge is supposed to be an honorable institution where Brothers are equal and enjoy harmony. Unfortunately, the harmony can be disrupted when two or more Brothers don't see eye-to-eye on something. Theoretically we are supposed to respect the opinions of all Brothers, right or wrong, and let it go at that. Basically, we agree to disagree. But it is sad when Brothers use the fraternity to push their own agenda and besmirch the character of anyone opposing them.

When I was Worshipful Master of my Lodge a few years ago I was often challenged by my antagonists in the Lodge. I resisted the temptation to lower myself to the level of my detractors and endeavored to rule and govern the Lodge fairly. Whereas I could have dealt with them harshly, the worst I ever did was gaveled one of them to sit down during a lengthy discussion (which occurred only once).

Thanks to my business, I have been fortunate to see quite a bit of the world, meet a lot of people, and have dealt with a lot of corporations. A lot of people haven't had such experiences and, as such, when they become head of a nonprofit group, such as a Worshipful Master, it represents the pinnacle of their career. And because of this, they become inebriated with power. As I tell all incoming Worshipful Masters, Masonry is a volunteer organization. The Master is a benevolent dictator who should be mindful of his constituency. It is a privilege to sit in the East, not a right. Without the support of the Craft, nothing will happen, regardless of how power hungry you might be. Nonetheless, not everyone shares my view on this and often use their term of office as a reign of terror. I have seen more and more of this happening recently in the fraternity. For example, what happened to the Grand Lodge of Minnesota over their recognition of the Grand Lodge of France a few years ago can best be described as "dirty-pool." The facts were not accurately reported and the officers of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota castigated.

There have also been recent reports in other Grand jurisdictions where the Grand Lodge officers have used their office to bully their constituents, and to expel or suspend members over trumped-up charges without the benefit of a Masonic trial. This is not Freemasonry as I understand it. I have also seen Worshipful Masters and other Brothers from craft lodges suspended due to political paybacks or because someone simply didn't like the person. Its pretty scary when we see Brothers digging up dirt on other Brothers, back stabbing, fabricating distortions of the truth, and twisting the interpretation of our rules to suit our personal needs,

Freemasonry is a multicultural, multi-denomination institution, with Brothers who possess a wide variety of personal and professional interests and who live under different socioeconomic conditions. It should therefore come as no surprise that we won't always love all of our Brothers. However, we should respect their right to exist and treat them with the same dignity we afford all Masons, in a uniform manner. This fraternity, which was founded on some rather sound fraternal principles should prohibit such "witch hunts" from occurring. Anything less is sheer hypocrisy. Freemasonry is not a place for character assassination or to conduct some personal vendetta. It only tarnishes our credibility as a noble institution.

How often have you heard someone say about a person being elected to Master, "Well, its only for one year."? A lot can happen in one year. Reputations can be ruined, Brothers can be suspended or expelled, and life in general can be made miserable. This is why I still have a problem with the manner by which we elect our officers. I am most definitely not a fan of people "rotating through the chairs." Instead, we should allow nominations and be allowed to ask about the candidate's qualifications and motivation for seeking an office.

As the fraternity struggles with membership and finances, I would remind you that now is not the time for alienation or estrangement, but rather how we can best work together as a cohesive unit. We need more Freemasonry and less Masonic Mafia tactics. Finally, I have only one suggestion for those who believe in political domination and control over a nonprofit organization: "Get a life."

Keep the Faith.

Note: As with all of my Masonic articles herein, please feel free to reuse them in Masonic publications or re-post them on Masonic web sites (except Florida). When doing so, please add the following:

Article reprinted with permission of the author and "FreeMason Information"

— Bro. Tim Bryce

Masons | United Grand Lodge of America | Grand Lodge of Georgia | Freemasonry | Modern Free-Masonry | BurningTaper.com | Tim Bryce | Witch Hunt

Missouri Masonry: Maybe it's time to show me!

Brother John Ratcliff has written another very interesting blog entry today, about his experiences in Free-Masonry in his native state of Missouri.

It continues to amaze me that Missouri Masonry is so Masonic, embodying the ideals we all want to see in Masonry, while tales of Masonic misdeeds and malfeasance continue to come in from Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, Virginia, Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and other states. Is Missouri immune to the petty politics and shady shenanigans other Masonic jurisdictions have seen? Is Brother John wearing blinders? Or are the rest of us just sucking on sour grapes, failing to see how wonderful mainstream Masonry really is in Georgia, etc.

I know I would have been ecstatic to have found the joy and the comaraderie in my lodge that Brother John has in his in Missouri. Naphtali Lodge sounds like an amazing place, the type of lodge many of us were seeking when we became Masons. I hoped for it, I prayed for it, I worked for it... but I didn't find it.

Brother John's article includes a tongue-in-cheek list of "Top Ten Reasons Not to Become a Freemason."

His number five reason:

You are a religious fundamentalist and believe the dogma of your faith is the only one true path to salvation. You believe that your only duty in this world is to convert other human beings to your faith, or damn them to hell if you fail. You have no room for "so called" religious tolerance, and this idiotic ideal of "freedom of religion" is a liberal commie plot by those pot-spoking hippies in the American Revolution.

Number Five struck me as less-than-humorous. To me, it sounded like the reason many men actually became Masons, not a reason they stayed away. In Georgia, it's practically an unwritten rule that you must be a fundamentalist Christian to become a Mason, at least in the lodges I've sat in.

As I've written many times before, it is customary in north Georgia lodges to pray loud and long to Jesus, asking for revival and soul-saving and redemption and all those other fundamentalist Christian buzzwords. It's like a different Masonry here than the one Brother John describes in Missouri.

Maybe The Fly Bottle was right when he wrote, "Missouri is the metaphysically essential center of the USA."

Maybe I should move....

Freemasonry | Masons | Missouri

Freemasonry nearly extinct in modern era

Freemasonry nearly extinct in modern era: Fraternity, in steady decline as members age and die, looks for ways to remain relevant in a changing culture, by Holly Lebowitz Rossi
Reprinted from the Dallas Morning News, May. 18, 2006

In a long-in-the-tooth corner of downtown Dallas, between the Farmers Market and the Stewpot, sits the solid, well-maintained — but largely vacant — Masonic Temple.

The 65-year-old landmark has been on the market since October. (Asking price, $3.6 million.) Like the organization it represents, the temple has seen better days.

The Freemasons were once a cornerstone of American society, counting among their members nine signers of the Declaration of Independence, 14 presidents and 42 U.S. Supreme Court justices.

The organization is a fraternity, social club and "brotherhood" that, using the ancient craft of stonecutting as a metaphor, seeks to instill morality and upright behavior in members. At monthly lodge meetings, Masons perform rituals to induct new members, attend classes on what they call "the craft," and organize charitable activities in their communities.

But the organization is in serious decline — and, looking at the downtown temple, one might even call it an institution of generations past.

Any close look at the centuries-old Masonic fraternity reveals more than a dying group with a mysterious past.

Freemasonry today echoes questions that are being asked in churches and other religious institutions across the country. How do we recruit new members? Should we change to fit modern social conventions? How do we overcome biases against us?

Popular with the World War II generation, the Masons hit their peak in 1959, with more than 4 million U.S. members. Now, membership is around 1.5 million.

Ward Guffey, president of the Masonic Temple Corp., which owns the downtown Dallas temple, said it was once home to nine lodges with a combined membership of roughly 10,000. Today five lodges, with a total of 2,000 to 3,000 members, meet there.

"Modern-day people, especially younger people, just don't have as much time to devote to social and fraternal organizations," he said. He added that many Masons in days gone by were downtown businessmen — and many of those downtown businesses have moved or disappeared entirely.

Masons do, however, seem to be making a cultural splash. The May release of the film version of "The Da Vinci Code" has piqued interest in secret societies and ancient rituals. "Da Vinci" author Dan Brown's next book, "The Solomon Key," is rumored to be about Masonry and the Founding Fathers. Masonry also figured prominently in the 2004 Nicolas Cage adventure film, "National Treasure."

Many Masonic leaders see the spike in interest as an opportunity to re-energize Freemasonry and its various subgroups — which include, in addition to the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, the Order of the Eastern Star, and the Shriners.

The fraternity has a lot of history on its side — and legend, precisely the kind that is so fascinating to eager consumers of tales such as "The Da Vinci Code."

There are different theories about the origins of the Masons. In the most popular narrative, the fraternity looks back on two historical moments in particular.

One is the building of King Solomon's Temple, which Masons say was completed in the 10th century B.C. by stonemasons of three skill levels — entered apprentice, fellow craft and master mason.

The second dates to medieval times, when a group known as the Knights Templar, or the Poor Knights of Christ, was sent to protect Crusaders on their way to Jerusalem. Legend has it that the Knights were actually on a different mission, having learned that treasure had been buried by the builders of Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed in 587 B.C.

Many historians are skeptical of a direct link between the Knights Templar and Freemasonry. But scholars do agree that around 1717, Freemasonry emerged in England as a fraternal order, distinct from the medieval craft guilds. (Starting in that period, working as a builder was no longer a criterion for membership in the Masons.)

Masonry arrived in America by 1730, when Benjamin Franklin became a member in Philadelphia. In 1733, the fraternity's American presence became official with the establishment of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.

Freemasons today view the tools of the masonic craft as metaphors: They see their lives as "spiritual and moral edifices," and they try to fulfill the fraternity's motto, "We make good men better."

Masons advance through the ranks by "degrees." To move up, a participant must undergo a ritual in which he learns secret handshakes and words, as well as moral and ethical lessons.

The first three degrees bear the same names as those of Solomon's era. To move beyond those three, a candidate joins either the Scottish Rite, which awards degrees 4 through 32, or the York Rite, which includes the degree of Knight Templar — the only Masonic degree that requires Christian faith.

Knights, secret rituals and treasure aside, Masonry is, its leaders say, fundamentally about giving back to the community and being a force for good in the world.

"If everyone lived in the world based on our teachings — not what we preach, but what we actually do — the world would be much better off," said Jeffrey Hodgdon, grand master in Massachusetts.

Freemasonry | Masons | Dallas Masonic Temple

Why I became a "Modern" Free-Mason

Why I became a "Modern" Free-Mason by Bro. Jeff Peace

I was initiated, passed and raised in an "Antient" lodge over 19 years ago, and went on to become a member of the York and Scottish Rites as well as the Royal Order of Scotland. My experience with "Antient" Free-Masonry is much like that of many other men my age, and is probably quite similar to those who have joined an "Antient" lodge more recently. After many years of BBQ’s and suffering through the back-biting and internal politics I decided to just walk away.

The vast majority of "Antient" Masons never attend lodge or any other function. If you invite these men back they are reluctant to return because of their past lodge experiences. Too many of them have been stabbed in the back by their supposed brothers. "Antient" Free-Masonry can take a good moral man and remove his faith in the goodness of humanity. I’m not the first nor will I be the last to leave "Antient" Free-Masonry. Since 1963 the number of "Antient" Free-Masons has dropped by over 50%.

The ideas and concepts behind the new United Grand Lodge of America are both modern and refreshing. By returning to the basic principles of the "Moderns" of 1717 it has gone a long way towards restoring Free-Masonry and rendering it a viable 21st century institution. Not since the great schism of 1751 has Free-Masonry had such an honorable and noble mission — "the brotherhood of all mankind under the All-Seeing Eye of Deity." It is more than just words; it can be an achievable goal by working with other organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Amnesty International, and the Nature Conservancy.

The United Grand Lodge of America has removed the veil of unnecessary secrecy and brought Free-Masonry into the light of day. It has paved the way for a return to the enlightened natural philosophy of Spinoza and Descartes, and openly admitted that the progress of Reason and Science are synonymous with the progress of Free-Masonry. No longer do Masons have to wander down the endless tangents of the occult superstitious non-sense brought into our fraternity by the Scottish Rite in 1855. Free-Masonry has returned to its solid roots in natural philosophy, progressive science and reason.

The new "Modern" Free-Masonry offers every man the opportunity to open his mind to the world of ideas and better both himself and his family. The United Grand Lodge of America isn't just talking about a voyage of self-discovery; it is driving us towards the ultimate discovery: that we are all a part of something much greater than any single individual, and that through uniting ourselves together as one great brotherhood there is no limit as to what we can accomplish.

I don’t know about you, but I need to be continually inspired by such high and noble ideas; it helps keep me focused on what is best in life. I think all human beings need something to look up to and strive towards. Not just a single goal but a global vision of what is possible when we open our hearts and minds to one another. "Modern" Free-Masonry can and will provide that vision for all who desire it.

In the past to be a Free-Mason was to be a dues-paying member of a social club. Today, it is to join together as one great brotherhood and chart a new moral course for all of mankind. The scope of this vision goes beyond the individual to the very core of what makes us all what we ultimately want to become. For it is in this that we can all find contentment and happiness.

I became a "Modern" Free-Mason not because I wanted to be a member of a club, but because I wanted to do something good for myself and others.

— Bro. Jeff Peace

You can read previous essays by other former Antient Masons who have left their original lodges and become Modern Free-Masons:

• Brother Darren
• Brother Evangelos
• Brother Scott
• Brother Erik

Rite of Rose Cross of Gold | United Grand Lodge of America | Grand Lodge of Georgia | Freemasonry | Modern Free-Masonry | BurningTaper.com

The Traveling Man's road maps

Click here for some cool travelin' music to get you through this post.

A friend on the Burning Taper MySpace site posted a cryptic comment asking, "Did you know there is a Boaz, Alabama?

Short answer: Yes, of course.

Long answer: There are actually towns called Boaz in Alabama, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico and Virginia. The one in Kentucky is in Graves County, the one in Missouri in Christian County.

But there is only one town called Jachin in the United States, and wouldn't you know it — it is in Alabama!

Having a few minutes to spare, I called upon the Miracle which is the Internet and found out there are towns called Hiram in Arkansas, Georgia, Maine, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Texas.

But oddly, again, there's only one Abiff. It's in Tennessee.

Ten states have towns called Mason: Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennesee, Texas and Wisconsin. And Iowa has Mason City.

Not content to stop here, I found out there are three states with towns named Warden: Louisana, Washington, and West Virginia, but only one state with a town called Deacon: Indiana.

Checking the other officer-names shows none called Master, but three called Masters, in Louisana, Colorado, and Missouri; two towns called Masterson, both in Texas; one called Masterson Mill, in Alabama; and one called Mastersonville, in Pennsylvania.

There is only one town called Steward, in Illinois.

There are no towns spelled Tiler, but ten spelled Tyler. They are in Texas, Minnesota, Washington, Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and Missouri.

On a whim, I looked to see if there were any towns called Square. There are none, but there is Square Butte, Montana; Square Corner, Pennsylvania, and Squaretop, Oklahoma.

One state has a town called Compass: Pennsylvania.

Two states have towns named Level: Maryland and Nebraska.

There's a Plumb, Washington.

There's a Shibboleth, Missouri.

There's Ashlar Hill in Maryland and Acacia Lake in Texas.

Apron Crossing is in Arizona.

Two states have towns named Craft: Texas and Nebraska.

Illinois, South Carolina and Virginia are home to towns called Lodge.

There is a Red Lodge, Montana, but no town named Blue Lodge.

Towns called Solomon can be found in Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois.

There are ten U.S. towns called Temple, found in Texas, Georgia, Louisana, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Indiana.

There are two towns called Tyre, one in Michigan, one in New York.

Two states have towns named Light: Arkansas and North Carolina.

There are ten towns called Orient, in Iowa, Illinois, Maine, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Oregon and Pennsylvania, but only one state with a town called East: Tennesee.

Three states have Travelers Rest: South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia. And Kentucky has one, too, but they spell it with two L's, Travellers Rest.

Oregon and Illinois have towns called Brothers, and there is a Brotherton in Pennsylvania, one in Texas and two in Tennessee. Plus Brothertown in New York and Wisconsin.

There's Masonic Home, Kentucky; Masonicville, Delaware, and Masonicus, New Jersey. And Masonry Peak in Montana. And ten states have towns called Macon: Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, North Carolina, Illiniois, Nebraska, Ohio and Virginia. Missouri's and Illinois' Macon is located in Macon County. Macon, or rather Maçon, is the French word for Mason. Macon, Georgia, is the home of the Grand Lodge of Georgia.

There are four towns in the U.S. with the word Freemason in them: Freemason Creek, in North Carolina; Freemason Islands, in Louisiana; Freemason Harbor, in Virginia; and Freemason Run, also in Virginia.

But the most interesting geographical fact I discovered was this secret: There is one town in the U.S. called Tubal. And one town in the U.S. called Cain. And they're both in Arkansas.

---

I used MapQuest in my Map Quest. If you get different results using other software, please let me know. If you divine the Secrets of the Universe doing some wacky, mystical geometry involving ley lines, squares, compasses, secret codes and pendulums, let me know. And if you figure out if any of this means anything other than I have insomnia tonight, please let me know that, too.

Image: Man, if I gotta tell you who those two east to west and back again cool cats are, you ain't with it....
Tune: Ditto. Get hip, man.

Freemasonry | Masons | United States of America | Maps and Legends | Jachin | Boaz | Tubal Cain | Hiram Abiff | Masonic Word

The Truth about the "Antients" and the "Moderns"

The Truth about the "Antients" and the "Moderns" by Bro. Jeff Peace

For many Freemasons the schism between the "Moderns"’ and the "Antients" is a thing of the remote past. Most believe that it was over the usage of the secret passwords used during the degrees and never give it any further consideration. Looking back does it seem reasonable that the entire Masonic organization would have splintered in two over something so simple? Is it possible that there was something much deeper taking place — something as shrouded in secrecy today as it was two hundred and fifty years ago?

As a historian it is my job to ask such probing questions and, if possible, attept to uncover the answers. Much of the written history of Freemasonry was written by men who could only speculate upon the details because they had little, if any, material from the early period of Freemasonry from which to work. Oliver, Mackey, Pike, Hall, and Wilmshurst were forced to work from the material they had available at the time they wrote their famous works. Serious Masonic scholarship wouldn't begin until the 1960's with the scholarly works of Yates. Today Masons have more accurate material to work with than at any other point in Masonic history. In 2002 the Russian government returned thousands of manuscripts, stolen by the Nazis in World War II, to their rightful owners in Paris and the Netherlands. This is original material from the eighteenth century when Freemasonry first began. It is from these documents that any serious history of the conflict between the "Moderns"' and the "Antients" must be derived.

The purpose of this paper isn't to discover who was right and who was wrong, but to discover the details of what ultimately led to the schism. It is believed that the schism came to an end with the formation of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1813, when the two opposing Grand Lodges merged. This, however, may not necessarily be entirely accurate.

The "Moderns" are typically portrayed as elitists and the "Antients" as commoners. This has led to the belief that the "Moderns" were composed primarily of educated men, and the "Antients" were uneducated peasants and soldiers. On the surface this does indeed appear to be true, but when we look through the membership rolls of the "Antients" we discover the names of many educated men as well as those of certain members of the nobility. This begs the question "could this schism have really been over secret passwords and the refusal of some 'Modern' lodges to admit Irish Masons?" The available evidence suggests something far deeper. Before evaluating the evidence we need to take a brief look at the merger of 1813 and the changes in society that led up to it.

The philosophical movement that led to the birth of Freemasonry is commonly referred to as the Enlightenment. This movement was built upon the ideas passed down to it by philosophers from the Age of Reason: men such as Sir Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes, and Benedict Spinoza. The Enlightenment is characterized by the abandoning of faith for reason. The concepts of human rights, modern democracy and the equality of people were given birth to during this period. Science and mathematics went from being heresies and forms of magic to legitimate disciplines at the universities.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century there was a reaction within society led by certain minor philosophers of the Counter-Enlightenment such as F. H. Jacobi. Jacobi is usually closely associated with the Romantic movement and their opposition to the Enlightenment concept of sufficient reason. Sufficient reason is where all things can be explained through scientific inquiry and logic. The Romantics saw this as a form of determinism that effectively removed the concept of freedom of will.

The merger of the two Grand Lodges takes place at a point in history where the ideas of the Enlightenment were falling victim to the moral fears of the Romantics. It is also worth noting that the "Antients" had far more lodges than the "Moderns" and out numbered them in Masons significantly. I think it is safe to say that "Moderns" simply gave up their quest to continue with their Enlightenment-based ideas.

So what exactly did the "Moderns" hope to accomplish? What were the differences that separated these two groups of Freemasons? In short, it was moral philosophy. The "Moderns" taught that the Great Architect of the Universe was eminent in his creation while the "Antients" taught that he was transcendent and not even involved in the creation. To the "Moderns" the deity was ever present and beyond good and evil. To the "Antients" the Cosmos was the creation of a demiergos and the deity was altogether transcendent of both the demiergos and the Cosmos because all physical matter was unclean and/or evil.

Ultimately, the argument would come down to a debate over the ideas of Benedict Spinoza versus those of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. The "Moderns" viewed Spinoza's Geometrical Morality as the key to uniting mankind into one great universal brotherhood. The "Antients" saw this as pure heresy and adopted Leibniz as their patron saint because of his open opposition to Spinoza and his support of Judeo-Christian cosmology. By the time of the merger in 1813 Jacobi and the Romantics were also ardent supporters of Leibniz.

Throughout the nineteenth century the "Antients" flourished around the globe, but more especially in the United States. Then, in 1905, a previously unknown scientist shook the world with a radical new view of the universe. Albert Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity ended once and for all the debate over Leibniz's cosmology. In one brief moment of history the entire philosophy of the "Antients" was rendered incorrect. When Einstein was asked whether or not he believed in god, his reply was "In Spinoza's god."

The early "Moderns" had been right in their beliefs but it would take almost 200 years to prove it. Unfortunately, for both humanity and Freemasonry the "Antients" had nothing of value to offer in Einstein's new cosmology. It was at this point that Freemasonry was set adrift on a high sea without a guiding star. The philosophy and symbolism of the "Moderns" had been lost and forgotten. In 1949 things begin to look better for Freemasonry in America. It was the beginning of the Age of Social fraternities, and Freemasonry had the Shrine. Finally, after fifty years of wandering aimlessly the "Antients" had found something they could sell and people would buy. The Shrine reigned supreme up until the 1960's when social fraternities began to fade. At the beginning of the 21st century Freemasonry had declined to less than fifty percent of what it had once been.

On December 27th, 2005 a new Grand Lodge was formed based upon the principles and ideas of the "Moderns." The United Grand Lodge of America is dedicated to continuing the pursuit of the brotherhood of all mankind through the same peculiar system of Geometrical Morality envisioned by the "Moderns" of 1717. The United Grand Lodge of America offers a unique form of natural philosophy, the same as that of Thomas Jefferson. It supports a progressive scientific agenda believing that through knowledge and understanding mankind can overcome the many obstacles it faces today. The United Grand Lodge of America isn't your grandfather's Freemasonry; it is the Freemasonry of the 21st century.

— Bro. Jeff Peace

Image: Benedict Spinoza (1632-1677)

Freemasonry | Masons | Antients | United Grand Lodge of America | Moderns | Jeff Peace | Spinoza | Leibniz | Einstein

The Burning Taper blog named "Link of the Month"

We were notified yesterday by Freemasonry.fm that the Burning Taper has been selected to be their "Link of the Month" for June, 2006. You can see the Burning Taper link prominently displayed in the upper left corner of each of their pages.

Their webmaster wrote to us:

Dear Brother,

Your website have been selected as "Link of the Month" for June at http://www.freemasonry.fm.

Congratulations for your great job.

Fraternal regards,

Robert Moray

Thank you, Brother Robert. We are honored that you have noticed our Work, and we greatly appreciate the honor you have given us.

Not familiar with Freemasonry.fm? Check them out. It's a group of Masons from all over the world, who have bonded together to create a truly unique Masonic website.

Here's their "About Us" page:

We are freemasons. Freemasons coming from everywhere in the world. Different cultures, different masonic ways. We are proud of this virtual real fraternity.

Internet is a wonderful tool, with extrordinary ressources for all masonic interests. But it's so large, so huge, so complicated, so changing...

With Freemasonry.fm we create an internet masonic departure point. From here, you can acces to the best of masonic websites around the world. Then, depending of your quest, you will continue your own masonic travel.

We didn't want to make an exhaustive links websites. Too much informations kills the information. Here, you only will find the most representatives, selected, handpicked, masonic websites, but about quite all the subjects interesting for the Brethren.

It's a fantastic work. An hard work: search and visit quite all the masonic websites of the internet and then, select, classify, verify and daily update the best of the best. Today, we are proud of our contribution to the internet masonic community.

We are open-minded. We think it's not our role to promote or expurgate any masonic way of thinking. We only would like to help our Brethren to use internet masonic ressources more easily. We believe you are able to make your own choices and visit or not the masonic websites according to your own decision. We are your brothers, not your fathers ;-))

Sorry for our incorrect english sometimes. It's not the mother tongue of all participating Brethren. We obviously cannot ask for our american or british Brethren to always revise all our texts. So we decided to do our best... with some errors ;-)

For any comment, problem, encouragement, proposal... contact@freemasonry.fm

Freemasonry | Masons | Freemasonry.fm | BurningTaper.com | Web Awards

More Masonic racism: "That which God has put asunder, no man should put together"

A good brother from Alabama unearthed this 50-year-old document from the archives of the Grand Lodge of Alabama. It speaks not only for its time, but for now. Sadly, not much seems to have changed in the minds of most of our Alabama brethren.

"Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Alabama" for 1956:

George Johnson, Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge of Alabama

"We are now living in trying times, with respect to racial relations brought about by an unavoidable edict of the Supreme Court, invading again the rights of the states. The Grand Master of the Universe created all men and all races, which no God fearing person could or would want to deny.

"I submit that it is my humble judgement, brethren, that segregation is manifested in the creation.

"I went, last spring, to the beautiful gardens in Mobile, Bellingrath Gardens and I saw, there, a beautiful squirrel blue-necked swan down at one end of the lake, and its friend, the white one, down at the other end of the lake. As I observe geography and plant life, I see that alfalfa is grown yonder in the north and northwest and is not adaptive, without supplemental treatment, to this section of the country. I observe that the great Creator of the Universe put the white bear in the Arctic regions and the black bear in the mountains and I looked across the scopes of this creation and saw the dark man down yonder in Africa and the yellow man, my brethren, yonder in the Orient, and the white man here in the United States and over on the the edges of middle and central Europe.

"My friends, I don't want to presume upon the greatness of this question, man is so finite that I sometimes wonder if we ought to presume upon the great and Omnipotent creative handiwork of God, but I say, in all humility, that it is my conception that segregation is written all across the face of the earth, and I say to you, my brethren, it is my humble, but deep conviction, that that which God has put asunder, no man should put together.

"Yes, the Supreme Court has seemingly turned from jurors to psychologists and have thrust upon us a vicious edict called integration which, in my opinion, is destined to destroy the peaceful relationship which has gradually been built up between the races of our country over the past one and a quarter centuries. This integration is a monster unworkable, and undesired by either race in Alabama. It can only serve as the father of chaos and strife and I dont believe we have to have it here in Alabama until we want it, which will be a long, long time."

Image: The Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Alabama held an emergent Grand Lodge Communication at The George Washington Masonic National Memorial to inaugurate November 2001 as The Grand Lodge of Alabama Month at the Memorial. Officers of the Grand Lodge of Alabama who participated were: M.W. V. Wayne Causey, Grand Master; R.W. Roger A. Simmons, Deputy Grand Master; R.W. Billy C. Ford, Senior Grand Warden; R.W. Darrell Neill, Junior Grand Warden; M.W. Jerry M. Underwood, PGM and Grand Secretary; W. Lew W. Jones, Junior Grand Deacon; Lyn Emfinger, Senior Grand Steward; and Luther S. (Pythagoras) Holder, Chairman, Committee on Work and Past Junior Grand Steward.

Freemasonry | Masons | Alabama Grand Lodge | Racism | Bigotry | Racial Segregation | Prince Hall Masonry | Grand Lodge of Alabama | Civil Rights Movement

Masonic Racism

Brother Tim Bonney, a Baptist minister and Freemason who is also an outspoken critic of the United Grand Lodge of America, has lately been beating his drum calling the UGLA's public stand against segregation and racism in American Freemasonry "...a smoke screen to cover the fact that they were expelled from Masonry for not following the laws, rules, and regulations of a lodge of Master Masons."

I'll let the UGLA defend themselves if they wish against Bro. Bonney's illogical suppositions and innuendos. No UGLA member was expelled; they were simply "whited out" (no pun intended) from the rolls of their Blue Lodges without so much as a hearing. Expulsion requires a Masonic Trial.

Bonney calls UGLA brothers whom he does not know "hot-heads who threw a temper tantrum when they could not get their way." Amusing how he keeps pointing out that UGLA Masons failed to follow Masonic rules while he himself violates the obligation against speaking ill of a Brother Mason.

I'm amused at Bro. Bonney's "I'm not a racist" claims. Like we saw in Bro. Williams' email in the previous post here on Burning Taper, Bonney trots out the "some of my best friends are black" defense.

But what really interests me is Bonney's inadvertent explanation of what is truly rotten in coventional American Freemasonry.

He worries that individual Masons will be denied visitation rights to their sons' raising, or some poor dead Mason won't be eligible for a Masonic burial, etc., should Grand Lodges that do recognize Prince Hall lodges withdraw recognition from Grand Lodges that do not recognize Prince Hall.

"In these cases those who were 'punished' likely knew nothing about disagreements between Grand jurisdictions," he writes.

Therein is the true rottenness of conventional American Freemasonry: Grand Lodges, period. Far too much power has been claimed by a small group of usually self-appointed, not elected, "career" Freemasons. The rank-and-file Mason indeed "knows nothing" about the politics and behind-the-scenes goings-on in Grand Lodges. In my experience, Average Joe Mason is content to show up once in a while at his Blue Lodge (usually only when someone he knows is being initiated), shake a few hands, listen to the minutes, and maybe help fry the fish for the yearly fundraiser. When the big issues arise, they look towards busy-body Past Masters to take care of them, and defer to "The Grand Lodge."

George Wallace (1919-1998), multi-term governor of Alabama and long-time Freemason, was perhaps America's most famous racist and segregationist. He left us with a few choice quotes teaching us about Masonic brotherly love:

• "If any demonstrator ever lays down in front of my car, it'll be the last car he'll ever lay down in front of."


• "I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."


• "Sure, I look like a white man. But my heart is as black as anyone's here."

Image: Gov. George Wallace blocks the doorway to Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, June 11, 1963

Freemasonry | Masons | Alabama Grand Lodge | Racism | Bigotry | Racial Segregation | Prince Hall Masonry | George Wallace | Civil Rights Movement | Timothy Bonney

"That doesn't make any of us racists, we just like our lodges the way they are."

We received an email last night from a brother named Robert Williams of Monroe, Louisiana. It was addressed to Bro. Alex Harris.

I had to search through the archives of the Burning Taper to figure out that the writer was replying to an article posted here on March 13, 2006, which in fact was a reprint of a speech given by Bro. Harris at the 1999 Alabama Grand Lodge. Bro. Harris' speech called the Alabama Grand Lodge to task for failing to recognize Prince Hall Masonry, which is composed predominantly of black Masons.

I found the email fascinating, sad, and a bit disgusting, actually. I haven't heard the "I have friends who are black" and "there are some good black people out there" lines used to justify racial segregation since I was a child.

— Widow's Son


Here is the email, just as it was received:

BRO ALEX HARRIS,

FROM READING YOUR ARTICLE, YOU MAKE OUT LIKE ALABAMA IS THE ONLY STATE THAT DON'T RECOGNIZE PRINCE HALL MASONRY. WELL, I AM HERE ARE TO INFORM YOU THAT THERE ARE OTHER STATES THAT DON'T RECOGNIZE THEM AND THERE ARE MANY LODGES UP NORTH THAT WON'T LET THEM IN OUR LODGES EITHER. THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY OF US RACISTS, WE JUST LIKE OUR LODGES THE WAY THEY ARE. IT'S ALL ABOUT PEACE AND HARMONY AMONGST BROTHERS. I HAVE MANY FRIENDS WHO ARE BLACK. YES, THERE ARE SOME GOOD BLACK MASONS OUT THERE BECAUSE I HAVE TALKED TO A FEW OF THEM IN THE PAST. IF YOU ARE SO INTERESTED IN RECOGNIZING THEM, YOU SHOULD HAVE JOINED A PRINCE HALL LODGE FROM THE START. FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I AM NOT A RACIST AND I AM NOT IN NO MEANS A MEMBER OF A HATE GROUP.

BRO WILLIAMS

Images: Theophilus Eugene "Bull" Connor, Alabama police commissioner, public service commissioner and outspoken segregationist during during the 1940s, 50s and 60s, reportedly was a Freemason and a "very active" Shriner. It was Connor who ordered the police to have the German shepherd dogs attack protesters, and the fire department to turn their firehoses against them, in Birmingham in 1963. One disgusted fireman said later, "We're supposed to fight fires, not people."

Freemasonry | Masons | Alabama Grand Lodge | Racism | Bigotry | Racial Segregation | Prince Hall Masonry | Bull Connor | Civil Rights Movement

Old Tiler's Talk: What is Masonry?

The Old Tiler is a character in a series of very short vignettes by Bro. Carl H. Claudy, written between 1921 and the late 1940s. The story usually involves a conversation between The Old Tiler and a newly raised Mason called "the New Brother."

When I was the webmaster for my Blue Lodge, I had dozens of Claudy's Old Tiler Talks on the lodge website, and in my role as Director of Masonic Education, I would often read one of these talks during a lodge meeting.

Sadly, I found that even the reading of these short stories from the early 20th century bored most of my brothers. I never did figure out why most of them even came to lodge meetings, other than to shake hands with each other, drink coffee and tell each other who was sick and who had died.

Here follows a short introdution by Bro. Claudy, and then the first of many Old Tiler Talks I hope to post here in the days and months to come.

— Widow's Son

---

The Old Tiler first appeared in print in August, 1921 when the first of four hundred and fourteen "Old Tiler Talks" were printed in the Fellowship Forum, a fraternal newspaper published in Washington, D.C.

In 1925 the publisher (The Temple Publishers) asked the author to select a few of the best of the talks and thirty-one were accordingly made into a little volume, copyrighted in that year. The book, which sold for a dollar, ran into two editions of five thousand copies each.

By the time they were all sold the Fellowship Forum ran head on into the depression and disappeared and with it the Old Tiler.

His homely philosophy, sharp tongue and common sense, however, had made a place for him in the hearts of readers; demand for the book has never ceased, although it has lessened in the twenty-four years since the Old Tiler first spoke from between the covers.

At long last the Old Tiler sits again before the door of his lodge, there to repeat the tales which made him liked so long ago, and, from the wealth of material of his hundreds of homilies, make thirty-nine talks new to the book, a total of seventy in all.

These have been roughly classified under seven headings. To offer in defense of his fanciful classification the author has no other alibi than the weak statement that the Old Tiler is himself a fancy!

The portrait of the Old Tiler on the book jacket is the loving work of Brother Frank A. Stockwell of Buffalo, New York, who has (at least to the author's eyes) succeeded in getting the biting sarcasm, courage and philosophy of the Old Tiler into his kindly face.

The author does not always agree with the Old Tiler — perhaps it is the Old Tiler who disagrees with the author! Some to whom that statement is made make answer: "Why don't you make him say what you think? You are the boss man!"

All who have written know that, if they live, pen and ink characters have minds and thoughts of their own, sometimes to the benefit, sometimes to the grief of their fathers!

Therefore, with what is hoped is becoming modesty, this invitation is extended: whatever you like in the Old Tiler's talks, credit it to his creator; if his sharpness or his ideas offend, blame the Old Tiler and not.

— The Author

---

What is Masonry?

"I've been a Mason six months now and I ought to know something about Masonry. But there are more secrets in the fraternity I don't know than those I have been told!"

The New Brother was puzzled. The Old Tiler laid down his sword, picked up a half-smoked cigar and lit it, and settled back in his chair.

"Get it out of your system," he invited.

"Is Masonry a religion," continued the New Brother, "or a system of philosophy, or a childish getting together of men who like to play politics and wear titles? I have heard it called all three. Sometimes I think it's one and sometimes the other. What do you think?"

"It isn't a childish getting together for the love of titles and honors," answered the Old Tiler. "Men would soon' invent a much better organization for the satisfaction of such purposes. In fact, he has invented better ones. Men who want to play politics and be called the Grand High Cockalorum of the Exalted Central Chamber of the Secret Sanctorum can join these. If Masonry were nothing but play, it wouldn't live, and living, grow.

"Masonry isn't a religion. A religion, as I see it, is a belief in a deity and a means of expressing worship. Masonry recognizes Deity, and proceeds only after asking divine guidance. But it does not specify any particular deity. You can worship any God You Please and be a Mason. That is not true of any religion. If you are a Buddhist, you worship Buddha. If a Christian, Christ is your Deity. If you are a Mohammedan you are a worshipper of Allah. In Masonry you will find Christian, Jew, Mohammedan and Buddhist side by side.

"Masonry has been called a system of philosophy, but that is a confining definition. I don't think Masonry has ever been truly defined."

"Or God," put in the New Brother.

"Exactly. A witty Frenchman, asked if he believed in God, replied, 'Before I answer, you must tell me your definition of God. And when you tell me, I will answer you, no, because a God defined is a God limited, and a limited God is no God.' Masonry is something like that; it is brotherhood, unlimited, and when you limit it by defining it you make it something it isn't."

"Deep stuff!" commented the New Brother.

"Masonry is 'deep stuff,'" answered the Old Tiler. "It's so deep no man has ever found the bottom. Perhaps that is its greatest charm; you can go as far as you like and still not see the limit. The fascination of astronomy is the limitlessness of the field. No telescope has seen to the edge of the universe. The fascination of Masonry is that it has no limits. The human heart has no limit in depth and that which appeals most to the human heart cannot have a limit."

"But that makes it so hard to understand!" sighed the New Brother.

"Isn't it the better for being difficult of comprehension?" asked the Old Tiler. "A few days ago I heard an eminent divine and Mason make an inspiring talk. I hear a lot of talks; nine-tenths are empty words with a pale tallow-dip gleam of a faint idea somewhere in them. So when a real talker lets the full radiance of a whole idea shine on an audience, he is something to be remembered. This speaker quoted a wonderful poem, by William Herbert Carruth. I asked him to send it to me, and he did; please note, this busy man, president of a university, and with a thousand things to do, didn't forget the request of a brother he never saw before!"

The Old Tiler put his hand in his pocket and took out a much-thumbed piece of paper. "Listen, you," he said, "till I read you just one verse of it:

'A picket frozen on duty;
A mother, starved for her brood;
Socrates' drinking the hemlock,
And Jesus on the rood;
And millions who, humble and nameless,
The straight hard pathway plod;
Some call it consecration
And others call it God.'

The New Brother said nothing, held silent by the beauty of the lines.

"I am no poet," continued the Old Tiler, "and I know this isn't very fitting, but I wrote something to go with those verses, just to read to brothers like you." Shyly the Old Tiler continued:

'Many men, banded together
Standing where Hiram stood;
Hand to back of the falling,
Helping in brotherhood.
Wise man, doctor, lawyer,
Poor man, man of the hod,
Many call it Masonry
And others call it God.'

"I don't think it makes much difference what we call it, do you?" asked the New Brother.

Freemasonry | Masons | Old Tilers Talks | Carl Claudy