The Grand Lodge of Alaska

The Grand Lodge of Alaska is the next stop on the tour of American Grand Lodges.

alaska_greatsealAlaska Masonic membership:
2,053 – 2006
2,003 – 2007
gain/loss  –  -50
data from MSANA

State population – 683,478 as of 2007 (estimated)

About the Grand Lodge:

On February 7, 1981, the MW Grand Lodge of F. & A.M. of Alaska opened its First Special Communication, its lodges having formerly been under the Grand Lodge of Washington.
Alaska Grand Lodge History

Vision statement:

Alaska Freemasons are a respected fraternity comprised of men with high moral character who make a positive difference in their community and the lives of their fellow man.

Mission statement:

The mission of the Grand Lodge of Alaska is to encourage and support the advancement of Freemasonry in Alaska by developing Masons who are assets in their communities

Alaska does not have a listing on Wikipedia.

One thing I do want to make note of is that Alaska is probably the youngest of Grand Lodges in the United States.

Some of what I found on my excursion there:
Opening the website, the user is met with a very clean two column layout.  The top has an image of the Alaskan landscape with the sun at the horizon (which has an interesting symbolic aspect perhaps implying the sunrise in the east).  Immediately on the page is a message from the Grand Master for 2009 about Unity.  This site itself is built with an HTML architecture, where the navigation is straight forward on the left and the content resides in the larger well on the right.  This is a frequently used architecture, because it is often the most straight-forward as clicking on the left side navigation the new content populates the right.

alaskapage

The Grand Lodge of Alaska Website

The navigation is text based which makes change easy to do on the fly, and it does employ a roll over change, so you know when the button is clickable.  The only aspect that I found problematic at first was the differentiation between the heading for the site navigation and the links themselves, as both employed similar styled text.  Also, several of the off links point directly to very large PDF and Word Docs, which when clicked proceed directly to be opened.  This can be invasive as it is not giving the user the option of downloading it vs. it just opening on your browser.  Also, not every user may have the program necessary to see the native document, creating additional confusion or loss of interest by the visitor.

From a navigation stand point, it seems that a missed opportunity here is to make each of the main areas: Home, Learn about Masonry, About the GL, Events, etc… into their own pages.  That way, the content of the PDF could be laid into the page as text rather than a force to open/download file.

Informational Content:
When looking at the site from an informational stand point, I found that it was very robust, and all right at the top level of the navigation.  It included aspects of Freemasonry and Religion, the Grand Lodge history, the Grand Officer line (including elected, affiliated, appointed, honorary, and past officer), and a list of “Masons of the Year”, and double list of state lodges by alpha and lodge number.  It really covered its bases.

Also, it answers the 2be1ask1 question of how to become a Mason.  Rather than employing the 2be1ask1 moniker, they come straight forward and have a link “How to Become a Mason”.  Following the link sends you to a page with a link to a contact page; lodge connect page, and a “more info” link.  As the prospect of the page started strong, it does lose the conversion appeal of the call to action (for more info!) immediately from that page rather it sends them out to another page with address, email and phone.  This can be hard to change as it presumes that there is a mechanism in place to take in those contacts and manage them as they are received.  This speaks to the broader organization (the back end of the site management) that necessitates some form of infrastructure to address any inquiries.

Look and Feel.
The Alaska Grand Lodge site is definitely informational driven and not based on art, which is fine.  There were some good inclusions of artwork that highlight the state of Masonry in Alaska including the masthead, the state seal, the leadership, and the Grand Masters Trowel on the front page.  Besides those hits, there was little use of art in the site.  Where I did find the artwork was in the newsletter, which included a very generous application of fun images.  I think that this was a great way to show off what the state of Alaskan Masonry was about.  My only recommendation is to move the newsletter content out of the PDF, and into the website which makes it more accessible and user friendly.  Why hide the photos of Masons on trips, in boats (or the goat with the saddle for that matter) when they show off what’s going on.

bo-trowel

Overall:
The site is everything that a Grand Lodge website should be.  The links work, and the content is spot on for what an interested Alaskan would want to know.  Besides some off links to PDF’s and Word Doc’s, it tells the story that it needs to.  My only real recommendation is to move the newsletter content out from the PDF and into the content of the site, because it would really go far to tell visitors what they are up to and what being an Alaskan Mason includes.  I really like that the Grand masters message is on the front page right for the visitor to read as soon as they land, but it seems more crafted to the membership rather than the first time visitor, or non Mason who may have stumbled in from a Google search.  There is information to be found, but it is mixed with who the message is meant for: the member vs. non member.

Coming up next – The Grand Lodge of Arizona.

The Portrayal of the Capitular Arch

euphratesbanner

An important part of the capitular degrees is the completion of an arch found in King Solomon’s Temple.

In the Mark Master and Most Excellent Master degrees, the discovery of the keystone as well as putting it at the apex of the arch constitutes a large part of the ceremonies of those degrees. However, the arch is widely regarded as being a Roman invention. So one may wonder whether the presence of the keystone and the portrayal of the completion of the arch during the time frame of these degrees is historically accurate.

The true arch constructed with voussoirs
The true arch constructed with voussoirs

Historians generally agree that the reign of King Solomon began around 970 B.C.1 The Old Testament states that Solomon began the construction of the temple in the fourth year of his reign.2 This means its completion came circa 959 B.C. Could it have been possible that the ability to construct an arch would have been known unto a Phoenician builder at that time?

Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture states that the true arch was known to the Sumerian builders as early as the second millennium B.C.3 The term ‘true arch’ is an important detail. The true arch is distinctly different from the corbelled arch used by the Egyptians. The true arch is what the Romans are commonly lauded for creating. A definition of the word ‘arch’ says that “A true arch is curved. It consists of wedge-shaped stones or bricks called VOUSSOIRS (vu-swar’), put together to make a curved bridge which spans the opening.”4 The arch shown in art pertaining to the Capitular degrees displays this type of arch. Therefore, the theory that an arch constructed with wedge-shaped stones at King Solomon’s Temple is plausible since the true arch was used in Mesopotamia a thousand years before the temple’s construction.

A traditional depiction of the capitular arch, notice the freestanding columns.
A traditional depiction of the capitular arch, notice the freestanding columns.

However, there is a truly Roman characteristic to the arch as depicting in the Chapter. Banister says, “The really significant contribution of the Roman builders to the early development of the arch—and therefore the barrel vault—was to support it on freestanding piers.”5 The depiction of the arch found in the Chapter degrees shows it supported by free standing piers. This evolution did not take place until the first and second centuries B.C.5 So the piers shown as supporting the arch in the degrees of the Chapter would not have been found at the building of King Solomon’s Temple.

The idea that the completion of the temple was accomplished by placing the keystone in the arch could be historically plausible, if the piers of the arch were surrounded by masonry or earth in order to prevent them from moving laterally. So perhaps the the stone which the builders rejected did become the keystone of the arch in King Solomon’s Temple.

1.Old Testament Chronology of the NIV Study Bible published by Zondervan in 1985.

2.1 Kings 6:37-38

3. Banister, Fletcher and Cruickshank. A History of Architecture p.74.

4.Whitehead, Anne. Utah Educational Network.

5. Banister, Fletcher and Cruickshank. A History of Architecture p.197

Like what you are reading at the Euphrates? Email the author at euphratesblog@gmail.com to join the  Banks of the Euphrates mailing list.

In Pursuit Of Truth

grand lodge of west virginiaI think many Freemasons from many Obediences have heard about Minnesota withdrawing Recognition from West Virginia. The Blue Lodge reports the story:

Minnesota Masons Join the call for Change:

It appears that the Masons in Minnesota are now joining the call for change from within our fraternity. Below is the motion that passed during this years GL Of Minnesota’s session:

Whereas the Grand Lodge of West Virginia has arbitrarily and recklessly ignored the will of their brethren, expelling a Past Grand Master without trial or redress, violating the ancient and accepted customs and tenets of our Fraternity and bring shame and disrepute on all Masons and Freemasonry, and

Whereas they have been named in a civil suit further bringing the Craft into public disrepute and score,

Therefore be it resolved that the Grand Lodge of Minnesota expresses its concern over these actions and will consider suspending recognition of the Grand Lodge of West Virginia upon the recommendation of our External Relations Committee at our next Annual Communication in 2010 if there is not correction of these actions and a renewed willingness by the Grand Lodge of West Virginia to enter into the modern fraternity of Freemasonry.”

Some time ago I took a lot of flak for coming out and actually saying that I thought The Masonic Society was a bad mistake.  Not only were the makers and shakers over there on the rebound after a failed and foiled attempt at a coup d’état over at The Philalethes Society but they insisted, unlike The Scottish Rite Research Society or The Philalethes Society, on only permitting full membership from those Masons in good standing or in amity with the Conference of Grand Masters of Mainstream Masonry.

Now we have before us this problem.  It’s called West Virginia.  And whether you believe it or not and whether you like it or not or whether you care or not, what West Virginia does is a reflection on all of Freemasonry especially those Grand Lodges formed together into The Conference of Grand Masters of Mainstream Masonry. For you see the CGMMNA recognizes West Virginia and they do so like most Mainstream Masons and especially the Masonic Society no matter what The Grand Lodge of West Virginia does.  By wedding yourself  – and that goes for anyone – to support The CGMMNA through thick and thin you remove your ability to remain INDEPENDENT.  And if you cannot remain INDEPENDENT then you cannot be in pursuit of the TRUTH.  And seeking the TRUTH is something we all are supposed to be doing as Masons.

That’s the main crux of what I was saying before and what I am reiterating now.  As a Mason subscribe to your Grand Lodge but do not tie yourself down by signing on to entangling agreements with others to pit one group or Obedience against another or others.  Do not decide the TRUTH beforehand thereby perhaps allying yourself with what may become the less honorable or less noble position.  Remain neutral, investigate, educate yourself and then try to make the best possible decision you can on your own coming from your heart and your conscience not from the lynch crowd who have already made a pre judgment.

Those that pre-judge are then muzzled and when they find one of their group that is out of line, unmasonic, untruthful they cannot speak out or right a wrong because they have agreed in advance to support other groups no matter what. The Good Old Boys Gentleman’s Agreement – you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. You promise never to criticize me and I promise I will never criticize you no matter what the circumstances.  It smacks of our Congressmen who tell their peers, you vote for my earmark and I’ll vote for yours.

I have heard all the other objections that you will bring up. Again we don’t mess in another Grand Lodge’s business.  What another Grand Lodge does is no concern of mine.  And we are only getting one side of the story. I reserve judgment until I hear the Grand Lodge side of the story.

Quite frankly that’s never going to happen.  So your pursuit of TRUTH is going to have to go on without it unless you have already signed onto those who have agreed in advance never to criticize in which case you can never pursue the TRUTH.

And that’s when YOU HAVE SOLD OUT.  “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men to do nothing.”

But the problem will not go away if you ignore it, refuse to talk about it and bury your head in the sand.  And it hurts, it hurts so bad.  Listen to the Millennial Mason:

“All throughout Fridays sessions, I would run into M.W.B. Haas and I would discuss the situation of Masons in West Virginia. He told me everything from handicapped brethren not being allowed to be made Masons even if it occurred fighting for our Nation’s freedom, the lack of recognition for Prince Hall Masons in West Virginia and the fact that Lodge halls may not be used by groups like OES and Demolay to fundraise. Although he could not discuss the matter of his own expulsion as it is currently in court, I was intimately aware of his plight through sources found online and elsewhere. It is truly shocking what has and is continuing to happen in West Virginia.”

“I have looked at the different messages throughout the Internet, and I would like to clear up some miscommunication about the motion (which carried) concerning the Grand Lodge of West Virginia. The motion does not revoke recognition immediately nor even at the next Communication. The motion charges the External Relations committee to look into the regularity of the Masonic practices of the Grand Lodge of West Virginia and to report its findings to the Craft next year. At that time, it is possible that the Grand Lodge will vote on withdrawing recognition of the Grand Lodge of West Virginia.”

“As I am sure most of you are aware, it is a terrible, repugnant state of affairs within the borders of West Virginia for the average Mason. If he voices support for M.W.B. Frank Haas’ case, he is expelled through edict. The Grand Lodge is using hidden codes within their communications to flush out critics of their policies if that critic should give the communication to the Masonic Crusade. It is truly a story that even a fiction writer could not have invented.”

“Why am I so passionate about this issue? I met M.W.B. Haas and I immediately recognized that he was a good man, a man seeking to improve himself and his Grand Lodge in Masonry. This should be our calling as well.”

Brother Nick, this cannot be our calling unless we are FREE and INDEPENDENT to pursue the TRUTH. So heed the words of Brother George Washington and avoid the entanglements of foreign alliances (outside your Grand Lodge). Be true to yourself and let your conscience be your guide and act for the good of the Craft. And the truth shall set you free!