Many thanks to Sister Darlene, and Brother Richard Cole, members of
Silver Leaf Chapter, who now reside in Nebraska. They forwarded this
very informative article to me. INTERESTING READING!!!!!!!
This article was in Saturday's Lincoln Journal Star.�� It was the cover
page for one section with some nice pictures.
�
Who are the Masons?
BY BOB REEVES
One of the most highly skilled crafts in the Middle Ages was that of the
stonemasons, who traveled from place to place building castles and
cathedrals.
The stonemasons formed guilds, akin to trade unions, to assure that
everyone calling himself a mason was properly trained and qualified.
They were called freemasons because, unlike serfs tied to the land,
they were free to move from job to job.
While working on a job, they lived in buildings called lodges. To be
admitted to a lodge, freemasons demonstrated their membership in the
guild with secret handshakes and passwords. Masons also were
known by the leather aprons they wore to protect themselves from rough
stones and tools.
These practical aspects of the masons' craft have carried over into the
modern organization known as Freemasonry, or just Masonry. The
lodges, aprons, secret grips and passwords continue. But, rather than
building edifices of stone, today's Masons focus on building
brotherhood and moral character.
Today, the Masons are the largest fraternal organization in the world,
with some 6 million members on all continents. But Masons have also
been the subject of controversy, misunderstandings and even violence.
The popular novel "The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown draws links
between the Masons and secret societies that supposedly have passed
down beliefs and practices considered heretical by the Roman Catholic
Church.
And just this week there were two news stories about violence involving
Masons. In Istanbul, two suicide bombers stormed a Masonic lodge on
Tuesday, killing one person and wounding five. That same day, it was
reported that a man was fatally shot at a Masonic lodge in Patchogue,
N.Y., when a gun went off during an initiation ceremony. A Masonic
leader said guns are not part of any officially sanctioned Masonic
ceremony.
The organization known as Ancient Free and Accepted Masons traces
its origins to 1717 in England, when four masonic lodges joined
together to form a grand lodge, explained John Parsons, historian for
the Masons in Nebraska.
Within a few decades, it had grown to a significant organization that
included many leading members of British society, he said. It also
spread rapidly to the European continent and the American colonies,
where it became an influential force in building a new nation.
Masonry continued to grow throughout the 19th and 20th centuries,
becoming a popular organization for business and professional men
worldwide.
It has grown largely because of its emphasis on character building and
good will, said James F. Brown, a professor of accounting at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a past grand master of the Masons
in Nebraska.
"What I really like about the organization is this: It's an organization
where you have men of high integrity," he said. "They constantly try to
improve themselves. They are men who are very moral."
But he admits that the Masons are something of a mystery to outsiders,
who wonder about the rituals they perform and the strange-looking
symbols they use.
One of the chief mistakes about Masonry is made by those who call it a
"secret society," he said.
"There's nothing secret, except the handshakes and the passwords,
which are like other fraternal organizations," he said.
The so-called Blue Lodges, which are the entry points into Masonry, are
open to men of all faiths and backgrounds, he said. "Masonry isn't a
religion (and) we don't ask a person's religion. We only ask if they
believe in a supreme being."
New members must be voted into a lodge, but it's not supposed to be a
matter of money, prestige or family background, Brown said. "Race,
creed, color, none of that matters to a Mason."
Once joining the Masons, a man progresses through three "degrees,"
called Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason. At each level,
he goes through an exercise like a drama in which various lodge
members play parts, teaching him valuable lessons. He also is given
reading material and a small amount of memory work and has to
answer a series of questions before moving to the next level.
At one time it took at least three months - sometimes more than a year -
to advance through the three degrees, but now most candidates do it in
three weeks.
"The Masonic degrees teach the great lessons of life - the importance of
honor and integrity, of being a person on whom others can rely, of being
both trusting and trustworthy, of realizing that you have a spiritual nature
as well as a physical or animal nature, of the importance of self-control,
of knowing how to love and be loved, of knowing how to keep
confidential what others tell you so that they can 'open up' without fear,"
according to a pamphlet entitled "What's a Mason?"
The "degree work" and other meetings take place in the main meeting
room of the lodge, which looks something like England's House of
Commons. Benches line the sides of the room, with an altar in the
middle on which an open Bible is placed with a brass compass and
square, the main symbols of Masonry, lying on it.
"The compass draws a circle, which means circumscribing your
desires," Brown said. "The square means to square your action by the
square of your virtue."
In most American lodges, the Christian Bible is used, but it could be the
Jewish Torah, the Quran, or a holy book of Hinduism, Buddhism or
another faith, Brown said.
The Bible isn't read or recited in the rituals, but sometimes men are
asked to place a hand on it when taking an oath.
Masons have been criticized for requiring "blood oaths," but any such
references are merely traditional carryovers from the early days of
Masonry and have only symbolic significance, Brown said.
At the east end of the room is a raised platform where the highest
ranking officer of the lodge, the worshipful master, sits. On the wall
above is a framed letter G, which is interpreted to stand for both God
and geometry, the latter referring not only to mathematics but to an
orderly and well-balanced life.
Participants generally wear suits and ties, but all wear white aprons
symbolizing purity. "The idea is to keep your life spotless," Brown said.
Lodge officers' aprons are adorned with special symbols, and they also
wear ornate chains with a pendant known as a jewels, identifying their
office.
Masons move up through the offices, giving men an opportunity to learn
different skills. "For me it's a personal leadership development
program," said member James Foote, who is a mortgage loan
originator for Lincoln Lending Group.
Although the organization formally began in England, some Masons
trace its origins to the architect of King Solomon's temple. Masons also
draw a connection with the Knights Templar, an order formed in 1118
during the Crusades.
Many of the leaders of the French revolution were Masons, Parsons
said. In America, at least a third of the founding fathers - signers of the
Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and members of the
Continental Army - were Masons, including Benjamin Franklin, George
Washington, John Hancock, Paul Revere and Gen. Lafayette, as well as
the traitor Benedict Arnold.
There is evidence that the Boston Tea Party was hatched at a masonic
lodge in Boston. Many principles of Masonry, such as "all men are
created equal," are expressed in our founding documents. After
Washington became president, he performed a masonic ceremony to
lay the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol.
Composers Mozart and Liszt were Masons, as were authors Goethe
and Rudyard Kipling. A number of other U.S. Presidents were Masons,
including Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman.
Today there are about 13,200 Masonic lodges nationwide. There are
159 lodges in Nebraska, with more than 17,000 members.
Despite the widespread nature of Masonry, many outside the
organization still see it as something mysterious or even evil.
A number of Christian denominations have opposed Masonry over the
years. Some objected to the taking of oaths; others feared that the
rituals represented a rival religion.
In 1738 Pope Clement XII ordered the excommunication of all Catholics
who had joined Freemasonry, and for more than two centuries the
church specifically forbade membership in Masonic organizations.
In 1983 the Vatican issued a new code of canon law which omitted the
specific reference to Masons, leading some to conclude that the ban
had been lifted. However, subsequent statements from the Vatican
made it clear that even though they were not referred to by name, the
principles of Freemasonry were still considered incompatible with
church teachings. Some of the objections cited included the alleged
secrecy of the organization and relativism in regard to matters of faith.
In 1996, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of the Lincoln Roman Catholic
Diocese gained national attention when he said local Catholics would
be excommunicated if they joined any of a dozen prohibited
organizations, including the Masons and all Masonic-affiliated
organizations.
That prohibition still stands, said Father Mark Huber, chancellor for the
diocese.
Nevertheless, Brown said he knows a number of Catholics who are
Masons and apparently see no conflict.
With the popularity of "The DaVinci Code," public interest has grown in
the Masons, Knights Templars and secret societies in general.
However, Foote said, he believes most Masons "would be just as
shocked by 'The DaVinci Code' as anybody else."
In fact, he said, most American Masons are members of churches and
follow the traditional teachings of Christianity.
Masons never officially excluded anyone because of race, but in fact the
lodges reflected the segregation of American society, Parsons said. A
parallel black organization is Prince Hall Masons. Fifteen years ago, the
Nebraska Grand Lodge was one of the first in the country to recognize
Prince Hall Masons, who now are recognized in about half the states.
Once a man is a Master Mason, he then may join any of three other
Masonic the organizations: the York Rite, Scottish Rite Masons or the
Shrine (the full name is the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine). Other groups are Eastern Star, a Masonic organization
for women; Job's Daughters, for girls who have a father or other relative
who is a Mason; and the Order of DeMolay for boys and Rainbow Girls,
neither of which require a Masonic connection.
The Order of DeMolay takes its name from Jacques DeMolay, the last
grand master of the Knights Templar, who was burned at the stake in
1314.
All Masonic organizations are involved in charitable and service projects.
The Shriners operate children's hospitals which provide free medical
care to children. Scottish Rite lodges sponsor clinics for children with
speech impairments, and York Rite lodges support free eye care. Job's
Daughters support an endowment that provides free hearing aids to
needy kids.
The Blue Lodges in Nebraska sponsor the Masonic Band Camp each
summer for high school musicians from across the state.
Lodge 54 gives scholarships to nontraditional students at Southeast
Community College and provides food for the annual Shrine Bowl, said
Kent L. Hemmerling, current worshipful master of that lodge. The lodge
also plans to work with Matt Talbot Kitchen to help feed the hungry.
Many local Masons said they joined the organization because their
father or grandfather was a Mason.
Brown, who grew up in Tennessee, said his father was a Mason but
never invited his son to join, following a tradition that forbids Masons to
solicit members.
Les Seiler, an attorney in Hastings and current grand master in
Nebraska, noted that Masonic organizations have been suffering from
declining memberships, as has been the case with other fraternal
organizations nationwide.
Nebraska Masons no longer have a prohibition on solicitation, which
has kept the membership decline to 2 percent per year here compared
with 5 percent or more in states where recruiting is prohibited.
Seiler hopes to turn that around this year with a statewide membership
campaign. Many younger men are joining the Masons today because
they want to network with older men, he said.
The youngest member of Lodge 54 is Blair Talley, 18, a student a
Doane College, Crete. Before becoming a Master Mason in January, he
was a member of DeMolay, an experience which he said "made me a
better leader and a more well-rounded person."
Masons have fun, fellowship and do service projects, but the bottom line
is building character, several members said. As Hemmerling put it:
"What brings us all together is a desire for seeking a moral way of
living."
Reach Bob Reeves at 473-7212 or at breeves@;journalstar.com.
Masons are visible
Masonic activities are publicly visible in many ways.
At the funeral of a Mason, members of his lodge perform a ceremony
wearing their aprons and jewels and using symbolic tools such as a
trowel, rule and square.
Masons also are often called on to perform cornerstone ceremonies at
new buildings, following the same ritual George Washington used to lay
the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol in 1773.
Last year, Masons helped lay 12 cornerstones for public organizations
such as churches, schools, libraries and hospitals in Nebraska.
The state headquarters for the Masons is the Grand Lodge, located at
1240 N. 10th St. in Lincoln. It has informational brochures about the
Masons, a library and museum with Masonic memorabilia and records
since Masonry came to Nebraska in 1857.
There are 11 Masonic lodges in the city of Lincoln, including three that
meet at the Masonic Temple, 1635 L St.
Shrine activities are centered at Sesostris Shrine Center, 1717 Yolande
Ave. Shriners sponsor the annual Shrine Circus, scheduled Wednesday
through next Sunday, and the Shrine Bowl and parade on July 24 this
year.
Job's Daughters is sponsoring a special concert March 27 to raise
money for HIKE (Hearing Impaired Kids' Endowment). The musical
group Cross Rhythm will perform from 7-9 p.m. at St. Mark's United
Methodist Church, 8550 Pioneers Blvd. Tickets are $5; call 483-9484.
For more information about the Masons, check www.msana.com, the
Web site of the Masonic Service Association of America.