Answer To Puzzler #4 and the Presentation Of Puzzler #5

I will say that you will all know what an eavesdropper is by now, so I won’t spend any time on this, let’s just concentrate on the word cowan for this discussion.

From the affair of Jephthah, an Ephraimite was termed a cowan. Cowan comes from the Hebrew and Egyptian word, cohen which was the title for a priest or prince, and a term of honor. Cohen was the name for a dog as well. Cowan also has a middle French counterpart, couenne, which means “bumpkin”, “ignoramus”, “fool”, “pretender” or “interloper”.

Now, in that we understand the meaning and origin, then perhaps this passage by St. John, which cautions the brethren, that “without are dogs” (κυνες), cowans or listeners as seen below, takes on new meaning:

  • Outside the city are the dogs–the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.. Revelations 22:15 NLT

Or, maybe now when we read the passage where St. Paul exhorts the Christians to “beware of dogs, because they are evil workers” as seen below becomes more eye opening for us Masonically:

  • Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. Philippians 3:2

Here are also other biblical examples of this:

  1. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. Psalms 22:16
  2. Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. Psalms 22:16
  3. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 2 Cor 11:13
  4. If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Galatians 5:15

 

 

For a complete listing of biblical references that I found, check out:

1)    Pr 26:11 Isa 56:10,11 Mt 7:6,15 24:10 Ga 5:15 2Ti 4:14,15 2Pe 2:22 Re 22:15

Once again see how the rule and guide has played a crucial role in informing our masonic ritual. From our reading and discussion on this topic, we should be able to see that the Hebrew/Egyptian/French word, cowan/κυων/couenne, for a dog, evil worker, ignorant, pretending fool, is the masonic cowan. NO WONDER WE SHOULD WATCH FOR THEIR APPROACH! ‘Til next time brothers,

Puzzler #5

Brothers, Today we will go back to the ritual and some of the allegory found therein. Please read this short passage:

  • We are told that in our “raising” that we have represented one of the greatest men, and perhaps the greatest Mason, the world ever knew, viz., our GM Hiram Abiff, who was slain just before the completion of King Solomon’s Temple. His death was premeditated by fifteen Fellow Crafts, who, seeing the Temple about to be completed, and being desirous of obtaining the secrets of a Master Mason…entered into a conspiracy to murder GM Hiram Abiff, or take the real word. but, reflecting with horror on the atrocity of the crime, twelve of them recanted; the other three persisted in their murderous designs.
  • Our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, was slain at high twelve. It was his usual practice at that hour, while the craft were called from labor to refreshment, to enter into the unfinished “Sanctum Sanctorum, or Holy of Holies,” of the Temple, and there offer up his adorations to the Deity, and draw his designs on the trestle-board.

Here are my questions:

  1. Where was GM Hiram Abiff come from (his land of origin)?
  2. What is the name given to him by Josephus, biblically speaking?
  3. Why does this fact (that he needed to go and “lay out” the next day’s work on the trestle board) appear to be in direct contradiction to the description of the building of KST in the books of Kings and even from the first and second degree rituals?
  4. How is it possible for GM Hiram Abiff to enter into the “Sanctum Sanctorum” if the Temple was unfinished?
  5. If the Sanctum Sanctorum was finished (completed, it was supposed to house the Ark of the Covenant), would he have been allowed into its presence there?
  6. Is this story consistent with what the bible records about what happened to GM Hiram Abiff before, during and after the building of KST?

This one will require that you will look a little deeper into the rituals of the first, second and third degrees AND compare and contrast those with the biblical accounts of the building of KST, and GMs Hiram of Tyre, Hiram Abiff and King Solomon. Happy hunting! As usual, an email with the following keyword for answers.

KEYWORD:  GM Hiram Abiff

Answer to Puzzle 5

Answer To Puzzler #3 and the Presentation of Puzzler #4

1 Kings 6:7 –  In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.

Some metallic substance is demanded after we were taught to wear our clothes, but we had not…(I won’t go into further detail, so as to stay true to our obligation-besides if you don’t know this basic stuff from the ritual, then we’ve got big problems). No doubt, most of you have gotten the above reference as the answer to this week’s puzzler about the building of King Solomon’s Temple. As Masons, we study both the Old (Torah Law) and New Testaments. God commanded that an altar, erected to God, be completely natural and not made from stones cut by metal tools. No altar stone(s) could be hewn or shaped with metal instruments. Stones subject to such treatment were disqualified for Temple usage.  They became profane in God’s eyes. Period. The basic logic underlying this is that metal tools are usually used for war, whereas the altar is the tool for peace. Thus the tool for peace should NEVER be hewn with the tools of war. This reason alone should suffice us, yet, as with all things in Torah, there is much more than meets the eye ( I will leave it up to you to study more and discuss how the SHAMIR comes into play here…way too deep a discussion for this email, but enlightening though).

When Solomon’s Temple was built the Biblical record records that there was no sound of stones being chiseled into shape, that’s from a reference found in the book of I Kings 6:7. But what most Masons don’t know is that King Solomon, as God’s choice to lead the chosen people, was compelled to comply with Jewish laws and customs the preceded him by millennia. So, he was given orders that it be so. Specifically, God gave instructions on how to construct altars that would be consecrated for offerings. Check out these biblical references.

Deuteronomy 27:5-6 – “Moreover, you shall build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones; you shall not wield an iron tool on them.  “You shall build the altar of the LORD your God of uncut stones, and you shall offer on it burnt offerings to the LORD your God;

Exodus 20:25 – And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

Joshua 8:31 –  Now Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel in Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of uncut stones on which no man had wielded an iron tool; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.

You see brothers, as soon as they were come into Canaan, the Israelites had to set up a monument, on which they must write the words of Moses’ Law. They were also instructed to set up an altar, because the word and prayer must go together. And they were required to do this without delay, and without caring for the unsettled state of Israel, or their enemies. By doing this, they confirmed the covenant of the Lord with his people, as appointed. This altar must be made of unhewn stones, such as they found upon the field. This should sound familiar to some of you Red house brothers, with a twist…Christ, our Altar, is a stone cut out of the mountain without human hands, refused by the builders, as having no form or comeliness, but accepted of God the Father, and made the Head of the corner (corner stone). In the Old Testament the words of the law are written, along with the curse for violations of the law. These together would easily overcome us with horror, if we had not received, in the New Testament, an altar erected close by, which gives consolation. God in his infinite patience and wisdom has left the printed copies of the Scriptures among us, to do away the necessity of such methods as were presented to Israel. The end of the gospel is to make the word of God as plain as possible. (obviously, our Muslim brethren would actually have Mohammed as their cornerstone and their rule and guide is the Qur’an)

Like the Israelites, we must not think to defer covenanting with God till we are settled in the world; nor must any business put us from minding and pursuing the one truly needful thing in our lives (remember our 24 inch gauge brethren). They built an altar, and offered sacrifice to God, in token of their dedicating themselves to God, as peaceful, living sacrifices to his honor, in and by a Mediator.Following Christ’s life is how we are to becme that “perfected ashlar” untouched by the “metal” of the world. Masonically understanding this ultimate sacrifice, allows us to conceptualize a way to begin to prepare ourselves to fit as living stones, for that spiritual building, without being profaned in any way, fully acceptable to and pleasing in th eyes of, God.

Puzzle 4

We have all seen this/ read this or took part in the following at some point (we should see this every time we meet);

WM: Brother JD what is the first great care of Masons when convened?

JD: To see that we are duly tyled.

WM: You will attend to that part of your duty, and inform the Tyler that we are about to open a Lodge on the ……and direct him to act accordingly.

The JD opens the door, and relays the orders from the WM…….

JD: WM, the Lodge is tyled.

WM: How tyled?

JD: By a brother of this degree, without the inner door, invested with the proper implement of his office.

WM: His duty there?

JD: To ward off the approach of all cowans and eavesdroppers; suffer none to pass or repass, except such as are duly qualified, and have the Worshipful Master’s permission.

How many times have we as Masons, parroted this exchange and never took the time to consider what the words “cowans” and “eavesdroppers” mean? So today’s puzzler will require that we look a little deeper. Here are the questions for today:

  1. Why use both of these words together and at that particular time in the ritual?
  2. What exactly are the meaning of the words cowans and eavesdroppers?
  3. What is the origin of these words in this particular usage?
  4. Are there relevant Biblical/Qur’anic passage(s) that relate to the word cowan particularly?
  5. What does the word cowan have to do with Jephthah and the Ephraimites?

KEY WORD: Cowans and Eavesdroppers.

Answer to Puzzle 4

Answer To Puzzler #2 and the Presentation of Puzzler #3

The origin of the word is a Greek translation of Latin and it does reference exactly what you pointed out (that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens). First degree is also right, but wherein does the answer lie my brother?

Acheiropoieta also called “Icons Not Made by Hand” are a particular kind of icon which are alleged to have come into existence miraculously, not created by a human painter, which are usually images of either Jesus or the Virgin Mary. The works are believed to be so wondrous and beautiful, that no mere man could have created them. The most notable examples are, in the Eastern church the Image of Edessa or Mandylion, and in the West, the Veil of Veronica and the Shroud of Turin. More importantly for western Masons is the Shroud of Turin (burial shroud or linen that purportedly has an image of Jesus Christ after crucifixion but before resurrection). What is really important is that it is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy.  Reportedly, the shroud was one of the sacred relics that our Templar forebears kept as part of their treasure. (No wonder it is kept in a church dedicated to the memory of the Holy St. John the Baptist…) All of these icons have been known to heal miraculously. So why is there no emphasis on the Mandylion like there is for the Shroud of Turin?

So, to sum it all up, we as masons are to fashion our minds, as living stones to fit in that wondrous and beautiful spiritual building…that house not made with hands (human) eternal in the heavens! But where in the bible brother, does this particular part of our ritual come from? Surely it didn’t just crop up out of nowhere? We tell new initiates and our younger brothers that our Rule and Guide offers an explanation for everything in Masonic rituals and it does (Scroll down to see the answer below).  Good job…

Mark 14:53-63 (King James Version)

And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire. And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death ; and found none. For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together . And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying , We heard him say , I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. But neither so did their witness agree together . And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying , Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace , and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said , I am : and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith , What need we any further witnesses?

(This is more than Jesus talking about tearing down a physical temple, he was specifically talking about tearing down this body to prepare for that spiritual building, not made with hands eternal in the heavens)

2 Corinthians 5:1 (King James Version) – For we know that if the house of this tabernacle were dissolved , we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

 

Puzzle 4

Remember, in Masonry there are always several layers. So the next puzzler is one question with multiple parts, each digging deeper than the last:

  1. After being taught to wear your apron as an EA, what were you then asked? Why was there no metallic sound heard at the building of King Solomon’s Temple (it may have something to do with acheiropoieta from earlier today)? Why did King Solomon decree that no metallic sound would be heard during the building of the temple? Are there other biblical references (laws in the Old or New Testament) that King Solomon used to justify his actions? And finally, after you answer all of those questions, WHY is all of this important?
  2. You will probably start in the ritual, but remember brothers, the ritual is just the beginning and will only get you the esoteric stuff. Let’s see how our ritual is grounded in the Rule and Guide (and for our Brothers who practice the faith of Islam, I have also researched this in the  Qur’an and found the answers, so please help those of us who do not practice the “peaceful way” understand how this unfolds for you in your search).

KEY WORD: “Silence”

Answer to Puzzle 3

 

Meeting in the Bollywood Sanctum Sanctorum!

Is it me, or does anyone else out there wish some of the meetings were conducted like this? Is guess its how they do it in Jorhat, in the Indian state of Assam.

Freemasons Kaun Hai Jorhat
Part I

Part II.

Bollywood GhostHunters – so I appologize in advance for the audio – my guess, its Indian?

Fred Milliken,Freemason Information,The Beehive

Answer To Puzzler #1 and the Presentation Of Puzzler #2

Here is the answer to the previous puzzler.

The Seven Liberal Arts were divided into the Trivium (“the three roads”) and the Quadrivium (“the four roads”).

The Trivium (Masonically alludes to the three Principal Moral Virtues)  and consists of:

  • Grammar–Teaches a man the ability to speak and write truly
  • Rhetoric— Teaches a man to speak fairly and in soft terms
  • Logic— Teaches a man to discern the truth from falsehoods

The Quadrivium (Masonically alludes to the Four Cardinal Virtues) and consists of:

  • Arithmetic — Teaches a man to reckon and count all manner of numbers
  • Geometry — Teaches a man the mete and measure of the Earth and all other things (remember G is also for God,
  • Music, Harmonics, or Tuning Theory — Studying numbers in time
  • Astronomy or Cosmology — Studying number in space and time (planetary movements)

These seven roads are supposed to lead to Truth and Knowledge (Illumination or More light in masonry). These ideas were first introduced in the FC degree during your journey up a flight of winding stairs.

The significance of the this can be found by thinking about all of the symbolism and allegory found in the FC degree. We are taught that when we come to the number seven, we are almost overwhelmed with the many facts associated with it.  The number seven was said to be ‘perfect’ because it contained the numbers 3 and 4 and was itself indivisible and could not be created by multiplication.  This gave it the name of the virgin number.  Originally, there were seven years to an apprenticeship, there were seven planets known to man of the middle ages (organization period of modern Freemasonry), and there are seven days in a week of which the 7th is the Sabbath and Solomon’s temple was said to have been built in seven years.  Jericho was encircled seven times by seven priests, and these seven liberal arts and sciences, known as the trivium and quadrivium, were thought to contain the total sum of all human knowledge.

Seven represents symbolically the combination of the Trinity and four cardinal virtues (Justice, Temperance, Fortitude and Prudence), it is the number of the basic musical notes, of colors and of the spheres.  Seven is related to perfection, to religious truth and also with knowledge.  It is hard to find a more astounding mass of facts associated with a number until we observe that three and five are similar. Masonically, we are reminded that a Lodge needs seven officers to open the Lodge and those seven steps of the staircase reminding us of the liberal arts and sciences.  Jacob’s ladder is usually shown with seven rungs of which 3 are considered most exemplary for masons (Faith, Hope and Charity) and the other four rungs are concerned with four cardinal virtues(Justice, Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence) and the perfect points of our interests (Manual, Guttural, Pectoral, Pedal) [you guys match the proper virtue with the right point].  While then there also usually seven small stars clustered together on the WM jewel, which is significant, in that they are repeated as a symbol at least three times within our Lodges and give us much to think about. What else can you find that relates to this topic? For Biblical reference see- 1 Cor 13:13 (Three moral virtues)

 

Puzzle 2

As Masons, we are often called to travel in “foreign lands”. In order to do this “work” effectively, we should also study foreign languages. This puzzler comes from a foreign land and represents something that should be intimately familiar to all of us. Can anyone tell me what Acheiropoietos means, where it comes from (which “land” or language), how does it relate to masonry and finally what degree you first encountered this concept?

KEY WORD: “Acheiropoietos”

Answer to Puzzle 2

Fred Milliken,Freemason Information,The Beehive

Masonic Trivia: Puzzle Number One

My Lodge, Pride of Mt. Pisgah #135, MWPHGLTX, is a small, low budget Lodge operating in simple surroundings.  But don’t let that fool you. Serious and deep study of Masonry is going on among its members. Not only does Mt. Pisgah spend a great deal of time and effort in instructing its candidates but it also offers much in the way of continuing education for Master Masons, even those who have been Masons for many years.

Pride of Mt. Pisgah has many learned members who contribute to that education and understanding of Masonry.  One who dedicates himself to that purpose is Bro. Dr. Audra Robinson, PM.  It is he who has been running a Puzzler/Quiz for our members.

Now I bring that Puzzler/Quiz to a greater audience. Please feel free to offer some answers to what is asked in the comments section. Before researching the question ask yourself if you have any hint to what is being asked before looking it up.  Bro. Dr. Robinson is not only looking for word definitions but also themes.  What is the over all scenario of how certain words are used, what is their context and what does this all have to do with Masonry?

In the first Question:

What does trivium and quadrivium mean?

Some things to think about: what do they mean, where did you first encountered them, how are they symbolized and why are the divided that way.  Is there any biblical references to them?

KEY WORD: “trivium and quadrivium”

Answer to Puzzle 1

The Autobiography of Mark Twain aka Samuel Clemens

An 86 Year Old Book Review

The Autobiography of Mark Twain aka Samuel ClemensLooking for something to read, I went back into my library and pulled out a copy of The Autobiography of Mark Twain which I have had since High School.

I’ve always been an admirer of Samuel Clemens’ work, but I have to admit I balked at taking his autobiography seriously years ago. This time though, I was in the proper frame of mind and wanted to know more about the renowned author and humorist, not so much about the facts and history of his life, but more about his perspective of the times. I wasn’t disappointed.

The book was originally published in 1924 (fourteen years after Twain’s death) and basically consists of sketches describing his life spanning the years from 1835 to 1910, which is known as a very rich period of American history. He describes life prior to the Civil War, his involvement during the war, and the expansion west. I found his narratives of life in the Midwest, both as a child and an adult, particularly colorful and interesting. Clemens did a remarkable job describing life as a boy living on a farm. His description of the foods of the period made me hungry and I could vividly visualize the school he attended and life on the farm.

I’m afraid African-Americans will not be too happy with the book as Twain uses the “N” word liberally, but not maliciously. It was just the way people talked back then. There was no ulterior motive for using the word, nor venom in his language, it was simply a snapshot of the times. Nonetheless, African-Americans may call for the book to be banned from schools if they read it.

As a writer, I found his rich vocabulary, sentence structure, and punctuation particularly interesting. It was much different than what I am used to in the 21st century. Unlike today where we typically try to gorge ourselves on a novel as expeditiously as possible, Twain’s style forces the reader to slow down and savor each sentence. You can tell that it was written by a craftsman intimate with the English language.

His humor is also different. Instead of today’s “in your face” approach to comedy, Twain mischievously takes the reader down an unknown path where he inevitably springs a humorous conclusion on you. It is not backslapping funny, just elegant humor very tastefully presented. His anecdotes are always designed to teach a lesson and cause a chuckle in the process.

I wanted to read his autobiography, not so much to learn about his family history, which he volunteered reluctantly, but more to understand his perspective of the times which I found was essentially no different today than 100 years ago.

He made a few comments that particularly caught my attention; the first was the cycle of life, to wit:

A myriad of men are born; they labor and sweat and struggle for bread; they squabble and scold and fight; they scramble for little mean advantages over each other. Age creeps upon them; infirmities follow; shames and humiliations bring down their prides and their vanities. Those they love are taken from them and the joy of life is turned to aching grief. The burden of pain, care, misery, grows heavier year by year. At length ambition is dead; pride is dead; vanity is dead; longing for release in their place. It comes at last – and they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence; where they achieved nothing; where they were a mistake and a failure and a foolishness; will lament them a day and forget them forever. Then another myriad takes their place and copies all they did and goes along the same profitless road and vanishes as they vanished – to make room for another and another and a million other myriads to follow the same arid path through the same desert and accomplish what the first myriad and all the myriads that came after it accomplished – nothing!

The second observation that caught my attention was his comments regarding success. In the book, he comments on the many bad business deals he had made in his lifetime which cost him dearly. He also missed an opportunity to invest in Alexander Graham Bell’s new invention, the telephone. However, an acquaintance of Twain’s invested $5,000 in the company and was paid back many times over thereby causing the writer to observe:

It is strange the way the ignorant and inexperienced so often and so undeservedly succeed when the informed and the experienced fail.

Concerning heroes:

Our heroes are the men who do things which we recognize with regret and sometimes with secret shame that we cannot do. We find not much in ourselves to admire, we are always privately wanting to be someone else. If everybody was satisfied with himself there would be no heroes.

On writing, which I wholeheartedly agree:

…when the tank runs dry you’ve only to leave it alone and it will fill up again in time, while you are asleep – also while you are at work at other things and are quite unaware that this unconscious and profitable cerebration is going on.

Although Clemens was known to be a Mason (Polar Star Lodge No. 79, St. Louis, MO) there was no direct mention of his affiliation with the fraternity in the book. However, there were a couple of passages that suggested Masonic influence (I believe it was “wrong, cheat or defraud” and something else along those lines). The only other Masonic connection was Clemens’ meeting with Bro. Rudyard Kipling (Hope and Perseverance Lodge No. 782. E.C., Lahore, India, and one of the original forty Fellows of the Philalethes Society). Clemens spoke at length of his meeting with Bro. Kipling while the latter was but a young 24 year old visiting the United States for the first time. In his travels, he made it a point to look up Clemens where he was working in Elmira, New York.

Although they only met for a couple of hours, Kipling impressed Clemens by his breadth of knowledge, causing Twain to write:

He is a stranger to me but he is a most remarkable man – and I am the other one. Between us, we cover all knowledge; he knows all that can be known and I know the rest.

Samuel Clemens was a past master of the anecdote. His autobiography was assembled more as a collection of such stories as opposed to a flowing history. I appreciated his cogent comments regarding the world of the 1800’s. His ability to paint a picture with words and tell a story was like taking a ride on a time machine. I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed the trip, but I’m not sure today’s younger readers would feel likewise as his stories are less about the complexities of life and more about the simple truths of living it.

Most book reviews are printed either just prior to publication or shortly thereafter. I apologize for the slight delay.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim’s columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

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Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

faith_hope_charity

Glenn Beck – The Illuminati is going to off him…

Chris Hodapp over on Freemasons for Dummies does a terrific job of capturing the exchange of Glenn Beck and David Barton, from the Wallbuilders ministry organization, on the Fox News Channel in an exchange over the Founding Fathers and Freemasonry.

As Br. Chris captures the exchange perfectly, there seemed to be more misinformation given than factual info.  See for yourself in this clip from the program.

I won’t get into the facts of the program, but as discussed by Barton such as Washington’s sincerity in Masonry, his lodge activity, or the difference between American and European Masonry at the time.  One document I will point you towards is The Origin of Freemasonry written by a contemporary of Washington, one amongst the pantheon of founding fathers, Thomas Paine.  I’m sure Barton may glean much from this short work.

faith_hope_charity

As for Beck, if you haven’t’ paid close attention to his program lately, he has laid a foundation of the Founding Fathers atop the gestalt of Faith, Hope, and Charity even promoting it so far as to create his own university of the triumvirate as the great virtues.  Samuel Adams as Faith, George Washington as Hope, and Franklin as Charity which unmistakably two of the three were prominent Freemasons, one of whom was a Grand Master of Freemasons in Pennsylvania in 1734.

But, to Beck, the principals of Faith, hope, and Charity (as seen on these products) are the principals that, he says, are Christian principals which Beck has tied to American Principals and supports with the edifice of the founding fathers.  He’s developed it to a point that he’s formed his own Beck University to impart them.  While the ideas behind these great social virtues are rightly extolled, what Beck missed is that Faith, Hope, and Charity were ideas adopted into Freemasonry as three tenants by which the Mason were to strive for, but not I would argue, in the way Beck suggests.

Faith – a faith in the divine, the Great Architect, the primitive idea of deity that all men can agree, founded on the Golden Rule, the principal of Do unto others as you would have done to you.

Hope – As an idea that stretches into antiquity as an evil released from Pandora’s Box which entered the world to torment man.

Charity – Is a simple idea that translates to the agape styled love, a fraternal brotherly love towards mankind, which facilitates the other two.

These are three subjects I cover in much greater detail in the book Masonic Traveler.

So, if Beck and Barton won’t brush up on their Masonic history maybe you can help let him know and send him an email to me@glennbeck.com with your thoughts about it.

Loss Of Tax Exempt Status Would Hurt American Freemasonry

The United States is still in the middle of the longest and deepest recession since the Depression of 1929. As unemployment seems to be stuck at close to 10% government tax revenues are down everywhere. The Federal government has borrowed some serious money from China.  Some state governments are in serious trouble, teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. California has, at times, issued I.O.U.’s in lieu of payment.

It is times like these that the government looks around for creative ways to finance itself. It cannot forever continue to borrow money, for lenders get nervous when the debt is substantial. It can come up with additional taxes, perhaps hidden so they are less noticeable if it is willing to endure the ire of American taxpayers.  Or government can close “loopholes” which translates into taking back discounts, privileges and exemptions.

As a member of a small Lodge that is filing for 501©3 tax status I have to wonder what would happen to American Freemasonry if the government removed all charitable and nonprofit status from it? No more 501©3 or other like exemptions, no more nonprofit status, no more special treatment.  Of course if this were undertaken Freemasonry would not be the only target.  Other like groups would suffer the same consequences as well as perhaps houses of worship.

If you think that is a far fetched idea that would never happen, then you need to know what has just happened to New Zealand Masons. After a year long battle New Zealand Freemasonry has given up fighting the government over the loss of its tax exempt status which it has held continuously since 1933.

Freemasons New Zealand appealed to the High Court last month, arguing that the Grand Lodge’s primary activities were “beneficial to the community” and therefore charitable.

As well as directly charitable activities such as university scholarships (which the commission conceded were charitable), the lodge also teaches public speaking and lessons on ethics to its members, which it argued should also be considered charitable.

Acting for the Crown, Tania Warburton argued that many of the activities of the Grand Lodge were primarily for the benefit of its members, not the entire community. She said its membership, limited to men over the age of 21 who reached the rank of master mason, was too exclusive for a charity.

Judge Simon France rejected the Freemasons’ appeal. He concluded that the activities of the Grand Lodge, and freemasonry in general, “do not benefit the public other than indirectly and intangibly by seeking to produce members who are better citizens”.

Laurence Milton, the grand secretary for Freemasons New Zealand, said the decision meant the Grand Lodge would have to apply for separate charitable status for its Fund of Benevolence, which did most of its charitable work.

The administration and other activities of the Grand Lodge would now be subject to tax.

You can read the rest of that story here.

I can see it know.  A high level prosecutor brings American Freemasons into court and charges them with primarily benefiting their own members.  Furthermore he or she charges that most of these benefits do not apply to children or women.

Once the door is opened for the removal of tax exempt, nonprofit status from American Freemasonry it might also open the door for the filing of discrimination and Civil Rights suits because membership is only available to men.  Now wouldn’t that be a bloody awful mess?

Occult Forces at the Heart of Freemasonry

Occult Forces at the heart of Freemasonry is an English translation of the film titled Forces Occultes – Au Coeur De La Franc-Maconnerie.

The film’s full title is Occult Forces – The mysteries of Freemasonry and was released in French theaters in 1943.

None of what’s in this video could possibly be real, its French Vichy propaganda, right?

IMDB has a great review on the film.

The Plot, from Wikipedia – recounts the life of a young député who joins the Freemasons in order to relaunch his career. He thus learns of how the Freemasons are conspiring with the Jews to encourage France into a war against Germany.

The history of the film, also from Wikipedia:

The film was commissioned in 1942 by the Propaganda Abteilung, a delegation of Nazi Germany’s propaganda ministry within occupied France by the ex-Mason Mamy. It virulently denounces Freemasonry, parliamentarianism and Jews as part of Vichy’s propaganda drive against them and seeks to prove a Jewish-Masonic plot. On France’s liberation its writer Jean Marquès-Rivière, its producer Robert Muzard and its direction Jean Mamy were purged for collaboration with the enemy. On 25 November 1945, Muzard was condemned to 3 years in prison and Marquès-Rivière was condemned in his absence (he had gone into self-imposed exile) to death and degradation. Mamy had also been a journalist on L’Appel under Pierre Constantini (leader of the Ligue française d’épuration, d’entraide sociale et de collaboration européenne) and on the collaborationist journal Au pilori, and was thus condemned to death and executed at the fortress of Montrouge on 29 March 1949.

Sharpen up your French if you want to get something from the dialog, otherwise, follow along with the visuals and you’ll get a good idea of whats going on.

From the Google Video posting:

In 1943, the film “Forces occult” spell on the screens. The scenario this means fifty-minute film was directed by two former brother Jean Marques-Riviere and Jean Mamy (under the pseudonym Paul Rich). This film shows some aspects of the usual dark Freemasonry had its status as a secret society. The filmmakers will be at the end of the war and the Vichy regime were tried and convicted, but Marques-Riviere happens to escape the vengeance of the allies. He will be sentenced to death in absentia.

Directed by Jean Mamy, who was a a French actor, producer, film, theater director, screenwriter and journalist, and more notably Vichy regime collaborator. He was, a Venerable [Master] between 1931 and 1939 of the Renan lodge of the Grand Orient de France, until he parted ways. This film, Forces Occultes, was his last.  The film was written by Jean Marques-Riviere who was a French writer and journalist.

Want to find out more about the film?  The Canonbury Masonic Research Centre is hosting its twelfth annual conference, the theme of which this year is ‘Anti-Masonry’ which will also host a screening fo the film.

The Canonbury Masonic Research Centre
2010 Conference – Anti-Masonry,
6 Canonbury Place, London N1 2NQ
October 30 and 31, 2010
Tickets to which are available now for are £140 which includes the film and Saturday dinner.

Canonbury Masonic Research Centre was founded in October 1998 and began work in December the same year. Its purpose is the study of western esotericism and related fields, in particular that of Freemasonry and the traditions linked to it. Our eventual aim is the development of an academic programme.