"An educated Mason is a dedicated Mason."
Most of what we learn about in Freemasonry is conveyed by word of mouth. For example,
we are taught catechisms which remind us of our obligations and help perpetuate our
ancient rituals, but doesn't really help us in terms of the philosophical aspects of
the fraternity. We also have lectures and charges which admonish us about our duties
as Masons, but doesn't truly explain our history or etiquette. There is also our
governing laws (constitutions, bylaws, etc.) but they do not adequately explain such
things as the rationale behind our Ancient Landmarks, or Grand Lodge government and
politics. As Masons we are admonished to seek further light, but this can be a rather
arduous task if you do not know where to look.
Some time ago I wrote about the birth of "Masonic Renaissance" representing a new
chapter in our history where new members are joining to learn the philosophical
underpinnings of the fraternity. As a result, they are challenging the status
quo which I believe will make us stronger in the long run. With the exception
of those joining the fraternity only to get to the Shrine (and never look back),
I believe the lion's share of our newer members yearn for our ancient tenats of
friendship, morality and Brotherly love, and possess a steadfast belief in faith,
hope and charity. This is all good and noble, but if we are unable to effectively
educate our Brethren they will inevitably lose interest. It therefore behooves us
to reconsider how we implement Masonic Education in each grand jurisdiction as this
may very well indeed be the key to our future.
We are told to seek further light, but we are not really encouraged to do so. To
illustrate, I know several Brothers who have memorized their catechisms, yet know
nothing about the history of their own Lodge, let along the fraternity overall.
Most do not have a clue of the goings-on in neighboring Lodges, let alone other
grand jurisdictions. Most are unfamiliar with the names Pike and Mackey, and
believe "Ancient Landmarks" are such things as the pyramids in Egypt. In other words,
we have been doing a rather pitiful job of teaching Freemasonry to ourselves. As
Pogo said, "We have met the enemy... and he is us."
There are of course some efforts to overcome this problem, such as Masonic research
organizations which are typically under funded and lack participation. There are
also independent authors writing books on various aspects of the fraternity.
Some grand jurisdictions offer tests and questionnaires that turn Freemasonry
into a game of "Trivial Pursuit," which I am not convinced is an effective way
of teaching Freemasonry.
Over in Europe, there are some grand jurisdictions that require Masons to tackle
research assignments in order to progress through the three degrees. Further,
they are less inclined to dash through the three degrees as Americans do. I can't
help but believe these Brothers have a better appreciation for Freemasonry.
In North America, there appears to be little effort to devise a concerted program
of Masonic Education. The one exception to this appears to be California who
recently revamped their entire program. I do not know the specifics of their
case but I am led to believe it is starting to have a positive impact on the
membership of that jurisdiction. Whether the program is any good or not is
immaterial; what is important is they sensed a problem existed and took measures
to correct it.
Some people believe Masonic Education is a one time proposition which you learn
as part of your initiation. I do not subscribe to this notion and see it as
an ongoing process. To this end, I still believe what is needed is a certification
program which Masons must renew every few years. Other professionals such as
doctors, attorneys, building contractors, computer technicians, etc. all have to
be re-certified every so often in order to practice their craft. I fail to
see how Freemasonry is any different. It would keep us mentally sharp and
spiritually committed to the Craft, thereby benefiting the fraternity and
the world at large.
Regardless of what approach is taken, it is important that grand jurisdictions
do some soul-searching and allow a dialog to develop in terms of how to improve
Masonic Education. What we have now is very rudimentary, if not primitive. Young
men are joining the fraternity in search of True Masonry, we're just not teaching
them as effectively as we could be.
Keep the Faith.
NOTE: The opinions expressed in this essay are my own and do not
necessarily represent the views or opinions of any Grand Masonic jurisdiction
or any other Masonic related body. 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 www.FreemasonInformation.com
Please forward me a copy of the publication when it is produced.
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