Well what do you say let’s do it Brothers good to see you all this is episode 53 of our virtual Masonic education series hosted by the Rubicon Masonic Society thanks everyone for joining us uh and on behalf of the Rubicon Masonic Society I want to express our gratitude and thanks for
Coming back together with us to learn a little bit more about Freemasonry learn a little bit more about ourselves and hopefully utilize the tools of our craft to improve ourselves within our everyday lives as I said this episode episod marks our 53rd episode of our series entitled the 251st century conversations
On Freemasonry for those of you who are returning visitors to our education as always thank you we appreciate your support and participation for those of you who may be joining us for the first time we welcome you we hope you enjoy the education tonight and hopefully we’ll
Come back for another round next month and finally for anyone watching this video online please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel so that you never miss a monthly episode of our Masonic education and if you ever have an interest in joining us for a live presentation please visit Rubicon Masonic society.com
RSVP quick special thanks as usual to our good friends and sponsors William oare and Lexington lodge number one we want to say thank you to each and every one of you as well as our honorary members for your continued support and involvement in the Rubicon Masonic Society alongside wor for brother John
Bisac worshipful brother Dan kemell worshipful brother Alan Martin my name is Brian Evans and we will now proceed with the business of the evening worful brother Alan Martin chaplain sir will you please deliver the opening devotion absolutely brothers let’s pray grand architect of the universe we
Ask for your blessing this evening as We Gather once more to continue our exploration of Freemasonry we pray for open minds that we may be better and able to receive understand and apply new knowledge in such a manner that leads us to become better men and Masons these things we
Ask in your holy name amen so so it be thank you brother uh friends as you know our virtual Masonic education aims to help us to become better men always devoted to our family our faith our country may we all come together to learn to subdue our passions this evening to discipline
Our minds and to improves our improve ourselves through the tools of Freemasonry as always any opinions expressed during this virtual education will be those of the presenter or participant and they do not necessarily reflect the views of any Lodge Grand Lodge or the Rubicon Masonic Society the
Full disclaimer can be found at Rubicon micocci dcom disclaimer a little bit more protocol as you all know Brothers these are not tiled meetings Masons and non-masons are more than welcome to attend and participate so please be mindful that anything discussed should always be suitable for Mas of all degrees as well
As non-masons we expect gentlemanly manners no alcohol no smoking no food no foul language no discussion of politics or religion in an effort to best assure that these meetings are as enjoyable as possible uh recommended attire if you are joining us uh with your camera on is
Coat and Thai please type your name and any appropriate Masonic title in your video to identify yourself if you’re not a Mason please simply type guest after your name please enable your video camera please reduce background noise please turn off all other computer programs and as always please be patient
Should any technical difficulties occur Brothers tonight’s presentation is our very own chaplain of the Rubicon Masonic Society worful brother Alan Martin and he will be presenting tonight on the decline of American Freemasonry cause and effect but to give him a proper introduction worshipful brother John bisak will you please do those
Honors my my friend my pleasure Alan Martin is a 34 year veteran of the lexton police department he served in every Bureau in the department he appointed to the rank of commander in 2008 and he served on the chief senior staff until he retired in 2011 he was elected president of both
The US police K9 Association and the Kentucky Peace Officers Association and he’s also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and serves eight consecutive years in the Kentucky law enforcement Council he’s the founder of both delmare LLC which is a professional service consulting company and off Point Technologies an information technology
Company providing IT services in Central kentucky wor for Brother Martin he’s past master and current treasur of Robert M Circle Lodge here in Lexington and he’s currently the senior Warden at lexton lodge number one he’s a member of Rubicon Masonic Society where he serves as chair chaplain and of the William
Oare Lodge of research and the regional Ambassador for the Masonic Homes of Kentucky brother Allen the floor is yours thank you worshipful brother John good evening everybody good evening see see if I can’t get my screen shared should be all set okay did the PowerPoint come up Yep looks good you’re all set
Perfect Brothers this evening uh I’m going to share quite a bit of information with you it’s my perspective from my experience and observations of the decline of American Freemasonry its cause and its effect for again I’d like to pose a question for you to think about uh while I am giving my
Perspective this evening and then once I finish I will ask the question again to uh help kick off our our question and answer session the question is simply this does American Freemasonry need to be saved and if so what does it need to be saved from does America Freemasonry need to be
Saved and if so what does it need to be saved from there have been many conversations about the present state of Freemasonry in America it’s not uncommon to hear concerns about the lack of participation and attendance of Lodge members neither is it uncommon to hear members Express their disappointment in the perceived
Masonic value that they are experiencing within their lodges Freemasonry is much more than regular business meeting minutes bills and charity the design of the Masonic institution is predicated on the delivery of the tools and knowledge necessary for good men to practice self-discipline live a rewarding life become closer to
God commitment alge leadership to provide quality instruction and understanding of our rituals and degrees are essential in the development of those initiated into our ranks history has shown the unintended consequences when leadership fails to deliver upon the intent name of Freemasonry the purpose of this writing
Is to explore the reasons why there will be further decline in America Freemasonry over the next decade the level of decline will depend on the efforts of its members to correct the errors of the past that have led to American Freemasonry to its current conditions having an understanding of
How Freemasonry has arrived at its current state is essential to learning how to mitigate the effects of its decline as noted by John W bizak author of sins of our Masonic fathers we cannot practice Freemasonry until we have first learned to know it and part of learning
To know it is finding out how it got here how it unfolded and why it is as it is today undoubtedly the most influential aspect of the state of our fraternity’s current standing rest squarely with the rapid expansion of Freemasonry in America and the departure of delivering upon the design of the Masonic
Institution during the periods of Rapid expansion of Freemasonry in America with a steady flow of men being emitted through the west gate and the inability of lodges to keep up with the delivery of the aim and person purpose of Freemasonry less and less men receive the benefits becoming wiser better and
Consequently happier the influx of men into the fraternity and relying on ritual as being most commonly the only form of instruction provided to the initiates led to the practice ofing regard to what is in turn men without the knowledge of the purpose of Freemasonry ascended to leadership rowes within their lodges
Over the years and have perpetuated the practices taught to them by previous generations of men the fraternity undoubtedly brought men together during the years of expansion but in its unted growth lack of capacity Andor desire to deliver on the design of the Masonic institution it set in motion what has
Led to the challenges confronting the existence of The Craft today as noted in 1923 by HL Haywood author of symbolic masonry for if ever the walls of Freemasonry go down which God prevent it will be due to no failure in the order itself but to the defective
And Illy qualified men who are received within its portals what our order lost during the periods of Rapid expansion has manifested clearly in our order today relaxed guardianship of the west gate and members with limited knowledge and understanding of The Craft its purpose or its intent members who believe occasional
Ritual work suffice for Masonic education and pancake breakfast fish fries and regular business meeting minutes bills and charity is the essence Freemasonry this is no way meant to be a condemnation against any particular member Lodge or grand jurisdiction of our fraternity rather my personal observation of the state of Freemasonry
Today this is not to say that Masonic education and the exploration of Freemasonry is not being conducted it simply is not in the mainstream of the fraternity the lack of proper restraint guarding the west gate failure to deliver proper instruction to our members and a desire to almost beg for
New members to join our ranks will only facilitate the further decline of our venerable institution past grandm Robert M Circle Grand Lodge of Kentucky and his 19 53 addressed during the annual proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky noted I’m happy to inform you that during the past year the craft has enjoyed
Prosperity we made a net gain in membership of 384 making a total of 92,3 masons in this Grand jurisdiction while it is very gratifying to know that we are growing in number we should bear in mind that the true strength of our fraternity is not in
Numbers but rather in the quality of our membership and the Deeds accomplished more recently when thinking about the history of Freemasonry Thomas W Jackson noted regretfully we in North America have lost our appreciation for the craft simply because we do not even know the craft ignorance of its
Structures and its purpose has become a way of life to many Freemasons so little is required from the member that lack of knowledge has become the accepted Norm it is of no consequence of small magnitude that the admonition that we receive of a commitment to the acquisition of
Knowledge has been lost in our own most pathological quest for members many Masons have long held the thought that the number of members on Lodge rosters rosters somehow equates to the success of both a lodge and the fraternity if the aim and the purpose of Freemasonry is to make its voies wiser
Better and consequently happier it would stand a reason that the only way to do that is is through the voter gaining an understanding of the principles of Freemasonry through the exploration thereof unfortunately having large number of members on rosters does not equate to large number of members in the
Seats of our lodes if members are not coming to the lodge to explore Free Masonry and gaining a greater understanding of the teachings of The Craft then how can we possibly equate large membership roles to the overall success of the institution American free lodges today observe only 8 to 10% membership attendance during
Lodge meetings this is constantly observed and documented in my State’s jurisdictions consistent efforts to improve on this dismal statistics have proven unsuccessful absent the exception of fested boards table lodges novelty degrees and other special activities designed to solicit greater attendance of members of The Craft large numbers of
Members in attendance do not manifest within our lodges so the notion of success based on the number of names on membership rosters has to be vacated American Freemasonry has observed a steady decline in membership for the past six decades in 1960 the total number of reported members of American lodges was 4,
99,9 in 2020 the total Masonic membership reported was 89 8,433 in just over 60 years Freemasonry has lost 78% of its membership and continues to decline to date exploring the influences of the decline of Freemasonry should be at the fraternity’s forethought through careful exploration and understanding of the
Fraternity’s decline the craft will be better prepared for what lies ahead now rather than later is the time for the fraternity to look at the reasons why why American Freemasonry will continue to decline over the next decade and realize fewer numbers within the fraternity is not a death nail for our venerable
Institution moving forward modern Freemasonry will most certainly continue to experience a decline of membership this is inevitable as our grain fraternity continues to lose members the Contemporary threat to our fraternity however will not be caused by the loss of our senior members but rather as a result of lodges continuing
To abandon the delivery of deeper understanding of our ritual and their teachings while trying to keep the doors of their lodges open continued quest to identify the next charitable giving public fundraisers to infuse the treasury will do little to write the errors of the past holding on to the concepts of the
Past rooted in high membership totals most certainly will cause many lodges to wait too long to identify what others have discovered that returning to the delivery of a philosophical understanding and exploration of The Craft with membership based on the quality of the member rather than the number of members produces a membership
That is wiser better and consequently happier now this does not mean however that there will not be challenges for observant lodges the impact of a diminishing membership base will most certainly challenge leadership or tough decisions will have to be made to ensure the survival of the lodge success successfully meeting the challenges of
Freemasonry’s future requires knowledge of past errors and a plan of action based on removing the obstacles practices and policies that prevent the cultivation of a thriving Lodge plan of actions can only be successful if they are implemented plan of actions define what the the challenges or challenge are
Clarify the issue u define the goals or outcomes desired identify the root causes of the issue or challenged Define the steps to implement to overcome the issue or Challenge and have steps for evaluating the result the results of and the continuous Improvement of the plan there are eight issues or
Challenges I believe will continue to promote the decline of America Freemasonry over the next seven years and Beyond failure guard to West lack of value Financial cost lack of suitable candidates lack of relevance as it relates to social interaction with others lack of appeal to younger Generations lack of public awareness and
Lack of leadership the lessons of past errors associated with periods of Rapid expansion and the thought that quality rather than quantity should guide the centry of the west gate unfortunately is either unknown or disregarded in in many lodges Wallace and Bradshaw noted in a path to Providence many are so excited
To have new candidates interested in the fraternity they jump at the chance to elect and Rush candidates through the degrees in Hope of adding New Blood to their officer lines Thomas W Jackson noted there can be little doubt that the public image of Freemasonry has eroded considerably one of going from a highly
S after organization to one a public solicitation for whomever we can convince to join we have gone from an organization selective of its members to one of almost begging for members without a departure from this practice the craft will continue to facilitate what past errors have delivered us
Today this continued practice and lack of delivering quality instruction and understanding of Freemasonry will do little to promote the interest and understanding of newly initiated members some new members who come to Freemason masry seeking spiritual and philosophical self aw awareness will either become self-learned in the principles of Freemasonry or look
Elsewhere for what they are seeking fading away to become yet another missing in action statistic found in many lodges and further facilitating the decline of Freemasonry every Lodge should fix and collect such annual dues as may be necessary to enable it to maintain itself artificially low du made possible
By large numbers of members on Lodge rosters are now challenged as the number of members and lodges decreases available funds for maintaining Lodge expenditures also decrease lodges that have responsibly engaged their fiary duties and have saved Andor invested rainy day funds may be more capable of offsetting cost by tapping those
Available resources unfortunately many lodges demands associated with maintaining physical plan improvements or the effects of inflation and will be less likely to weather the storm absent a quick fix of adding additional members to the roster the conversation will turn to raising membership dues and with it the often arduous task of
Consensus it is not uncommon for leaders of a lodge to meet resistance or simply avoid the topic of raising dues altogether hopes that the next master will address this issue only prolongs the inevitable when the topic is brought about common responses from some members are to keep dues Low by simply adding
More members to the roster Solutions such as offering one- day degrees along with questionable membership solic solicitation practices often find their way into the conversation some jurisdictions don’t require or have engaged in the pratice practice of allowing 50-year members to be ex exempt from paying annual dues one has to ask the
Question how many Masons join the fraternity based on an expectation that they would one day be relieved from paying dues if they reached this admirable Milestone laudable as it may seem continuing this practice will be challenged in many lodges especially when the reality of possible Lodge closures enters into the
Conversation some lodges have fallen in such disrepair from lack of upkeep and maintenance along with diminishing revenue streams will find it difficult to correct the course of their Destinies and will ultimately have to consider Lodge consolidations if not surrender their Charter altogether Stark as it may seem the impending Reckoning on the
Horizon will cause some loges to fail further facilitating the decline of American Freemasonry the poll of suitable candidates candidates for entry into the craft will be another challenge for Lodges as they try to stem the effects of declining membership aside from The apparent moral degeneration witnessed in modern society the number of potential prospects seeking entry into our order is not sufficient to compensate for the membership losses observed thus leading to continued decline with nearly 80% loss in membership over the past six decades it should be obious Freemasonry no longer
Holds the influence or attraction to society that it once commanded as our society developed and changed into a 24-hour 7-Day a week environment the social needs associated with fraternal membership changed right along with it Generations that followed our membership highs of 1960 have not sold out fraternal organ organizations
As their parents did as a result of increased activities afforded to the public fewer individuals found a need for fraternal participation advances in technology and the Advent of the internet further removed the need for younger generations to follow the path of previous ones according to a study into the decline of
Fraternal organizations John HK noted societal changes and advancements in technology appear to have led to individuals becoming more isolated while using the internet social media and other social applications on phones social platforms like Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Tik Tok and X formerly Twitter all VI for members and all have developed sophisticated algorithms that
Keep their viewership screen addicted the ease of accessibility to these platforms along with the desire to be a part of their following by contemporary Society cannot be understated and has further led to the decline of fraternalism it is is hard for Freemasonry to attract the attention of the Contemporary Society engrossed with
Tech technological platforms designed to Garner continual connectivity of their subscribers especially when part of our fraternity’s precept is the principle that men should come to the fraternity of their own free will and Accord for a man to come to the to the fraternity they F first must have some
Knowledge of the fraternity what it is what it represents and what is what it is intended to do absent public awareness of who and what our fraternity is all about will continue to contribute to the lack of suitable candidates for initiation into the craft and further to the decline of American
Freemasonry men who seek out Freemasonry do so for different reasons some come to Freemasonry out of Family Ties some come seeking to join to meet and socialize with other men others come out of a sense of curiosity to disc discover the Intrigue associated with the secrets of the craft While others come seeking
Spiritual growth whatever the reason that attracts a man to Free Masonry failing to properly vet the motivation and interest in the craft does nothing to keep The Lodges from perpetuating status quo leadership is required to ensure that those who come seeking truth and Free Masonry have the essential qualities and commitment necessary to
Benefit from its teachings unfortunately we have too many lodges where Lodge leadership is a product of the past men who entered into Freemasonry and never received quality instruction and understanding of what Freemasonry is what it represents what its original design and intent are men who progress through the chairs of the
Lodge as a matter of tradition instead of being elected or appointed based on Merit this is not a condemnation of these men as they only know what they know and not not what they don’t a lodge that meets for regular or meets for dinner regular business meetings minutes bills and charity alone
Without any knowledge of its structure or desire to explore or spend time with Freemasonry is destined to struggle with what awaits them this is not to say that these lodges don’t have members who see a different path in Direction forward for their lodges those who would like to change
The culture in their lodges by instituting practice that promote quality instruction and understanding of The Craft typically meet resistance resistance most often comes from older members who bemoan change insist it is not needed that they like it the way it is saying that’s the way we’ve always done it changing the
Culture of any organization is difficult and takes time leadership Vision commitment and support of its members the most common failure in changing the culture of an organ organization come directly from leadership and its failure to follow through with the commitment and guidance necessary to realize self- sustaining change returning to practices
Of the past because it is difficult to facilitate change undermine advances made and will ultimately lead the organization back to the practice of status quo without a line of qualified leaders committed to being change agents in their lodges change will be difficult to achieve leading further to the decline of our
Institution the eight areas identified as contributing to the further decline of America free masonry provide the craft with an opportunity to correct errors of the past the negative impact that rapid expansion created for Freemasonry cannot be overstated however having knowledge of those events better enable the craft to
Address those issues and lessen the effects that followed them the current circumstances facing Freemasonry today cannot be overcome by continuing to neglect delivering upon the design of the Masonic institution and holding on to the notion that bigger is better we need to realize and embrace the warnings
From the past and what we know to be true that the true strength of our fraternity rests not in the number of our members but in the quality of our members in the Deeds accomplished only then can we seize on the opportunity afforded Us by those warnings and that opportunity begins at
The west gate it has been said many times that guarding the west gate is essential to ensuring only well-qualified men who would be credit or would be a credit to Freemasonry are admitted into the order during the 52nd episode of the Rubicon Masonic society’s education series The
Right Stuff guarding the west gate so only the worthy may pass brother Jerry Johnston introduced us a multidimensional concept of the west gate consisting of six Gates or opportunities for the lodge to determine the suitability and worthiness of of a prospective candidate before admitting them into our ranks there are no
Guarantees that a candidate admitted into the fraternity will become a successful Mason however if followed and applied the process of guarding the west gate as presented by Brother Johnston provides the lodge with the ability to better determine the suitability of a candidate from their initial contact with the lodge through inperson meetings
Orientations background investigations and finally their election or rejection at The Ballot Box the adoption and implementation of structured degree programs to deliver quality instruction and understanding of each degree further promote the delivery upon the design of the Masonic institution to make its voies wiser better and consequently happier providing new members with a
Quality education and understanding of the degree conferred before permitting advancement to a higher degree generally generates greater interest in the Progressive nature of Freemasonry the responsibility of our fraternity to provide good men with the tools necessary to promote self-discipline live rewarding lives and become closer to God can be realized
With the implementation of such programs many lodges and jurisdictions have already engaged and implemented programs and practices designed to educate their members through structured degree programs and by having in-depth conversations and exploration of what Freemason is in doing so they have provided an environment beneficial to the development of a nobler nature of
Their members as the number of our membership continues to decline let us remember that there can be strength in a membership of Fess a fraternity based on the quality of the member rather than the number of members our opportunity is advancing West to Freemasonry as noted by as McBride the
Lodge is a workshop wherein The Souls of men may be shaped molded and made fit for the great ideal Temple opportunity opportunity Brothers opportunity I ask again does Freemasonry need to be saved and if so what does it need to be saved from thank you worship brother excellent
Excellent presentation um I think all of our wheels are spinning um yeah I’m just curious we’ll come back to that question so if anybody wants to answer that question please um raise your virtual hand um enter a comment in the chat box let us know we want to hear your thoughts on
This topic a lot of the younger brothers I think that come in to our lodges you you may agree that well at least and ours why do we talk so much about this problem why why do I always hear about the the negative side of Freemasonry and
I think the fact is it’s a big problem it’s the biggest problem we have but maybe maybe we’re looking at it as the wrong way maybe it’s not a problem Allan maybe maybe it doesn’t need to be saved right maybe maybe the answer is it needs
To be purged and it needs to be cleaned um those are my initial re reactions and thoughts to your question um I have lots of comments but does anybody have any specific questions Ellen why did you do this topic what was it that drove you to prepare for this research the data and
And and present to us today what was it what’s the motivation the motivation comes from my personal initiation into the craft and I in no way mean to denigrate my home Lodge but I was initiated into the craft and I was given no education or form formal instruction
Or understanding as to the meaning the symbolism the allegory of any of the degrees um what I did was I was instructed um Word of Mouth wrote memorization of the recapitulation of the degrees uh I stood up and regurgitated a bunch of information and while I was regurgitating what I
Memorized I was thinking to myself what does all this information mean what is it that I’m supposed to be getting out of what I am supposed to be giving back to the satisfaction of the lodge um so it um it it it it pick my interest and I
Really wasn’t finding the education that I uh was in search for and what I was seeking and in my travels um to other lodges in the area I stumbled across lodges that were engaged in providing education and understanding exploration of Freemasonry and uh my my light bub went
Off of my head and I said this is it this is this is what what I’ve been been trying to get exposed to and what would I believe would be Ben beneficial to me to make me a better um representation of myself so that U that facilitated my desire to uh to
Watch the environment uh and to see who was providing the information and who wasn’t it and for for the most part I found that it was only being delivered by a handful of lodges and everybody else was engaged in coming to Fellowship for dinner sometimes a good dinner sometimes
A bad dinner uh going into a lodge meeting going through the order of business and rushing home to see the basketball game football game with no no conversation at all about um Freemasonry what it is what it was all about so that’s what has motivated me to to
Explore that in Greater detail yeah good good good point it’s it’s not a uh it’s not a priority for those men so is it is it freemasonry’s fault that that that that man wants to go home and watch the game or is it that man’s fault or is it a
Combination I think it’s a combination and and I think the I think in a lot of cases uh we have members in in the fraternity that they just don’t know they know what they’ve been taught had I not gone out and explored uh other lodges and just
Remained in the environment in which I was initiated passed and raised well I would think well this is what it’s all about we’re supposed to come and have a a a dinner and socialize with one another hop in LOD run through that order of business and call it a day so I
Think in some regard it’s it’s it it’s learned within the culture of the lodge and I think in that has been passed down by those of earlier Generations who received that culture from the previous generation and it’s just been perpetuated uh where’s brother bisak you have a question for Alan I do excellent
Presentation every generation since 18 43 at least here in Kentucky uh discussed the issues that you’ve expertly summarized this evening and we find the issues in our annual proceedings they’re in our lodge minutes uh there’s books written about them there’s presentations there’s essays there’s commentaries over the past 160 some
Years about these topics so in your view why is it that the fraternity and its leadership’s not been effective in addressing any of these issues in these past eras and then the one Rec currently in well I think uh it’s probably multiple factors that influence that primarily because engaging Freemasonry is not easy
It’s hard work we refer to to it as work and it’s difficult work uh to come in and and apply the teachings of The Craft and to to become better individuals U I also think that some are are reluctant to engage it because they don’t feel like they have a complete
Understanding of it and in a lot of regards they have nobody to to give them that the ability to have that understanding um in some cases some are uh self-learn they pick up books they read they try to try to uh have a better understanding of of
What the fraternity is what its aim and goals are and but for the most part I think people just shy away from it because one it is hard work and to it takes effort and time um I’ve heard this said many times and I’ve heard you say it many times for
Freemasonry to mean anything to the man and the man meaning anything to Freemasonry they have to spend time with it and I think in in a lot of regards that it just hasn’t happened I think people see it as and this isn’t 100% obviously but I
Think we we have members in the craft that see it as an opportunity to socialize and have fun and not engage it for what it is intended to be engaged with Brothers I’m going to do something I haven’t done before but it looks like Zoom allows us to do a poll maybe you
All have done this before I have not so I’m going to hit this button here and and do this poll and check your computer in front of you this is anonymous and answer yes or no does Freemasonry need to be saved so please do that over the next five minutes
Um alen I’m gonna ask you a tough question I don’t know the answer to this question if somebody were to ask me so I’m going to ask you really put you on the spot here if you had a magic wand and a time machine and superpowers to make people
Do what you say what would your magic wand be to fix or to keep Freemasonry at its highest potential however you define that and when in time would you do that and what would you do that is a tough question but I believe it starts at the
West gate if I had a wand it’d be a Westgate wand and it would be a wand that actually vetted the members or those candidates that we wanted to um enter into our ranks not everybody is suited for Freemasonry uh free masonry isn’t for everybody uh so I think if I could do
Anything I’d have me a Westgate one and I would go back to uh oh probably 1750 1770 in that time period and throw up the west gate wand is exactly what I would do I think if we can can engage candidates that have won a uh exposure to what
Freemasonry is what it’s about what its aim and goals are before they enter into the craft to give them a better opportunity to to see if they’re suited for Freemasonry and Freemasonry is suited for them I think that the craft would be better off in the in the in the
Long term so I think a West W would would be my suggestion but it’s a tough question you know it’s we just can’t open the west gate and let everybody in because if we let everybody in then we have individuals in that that don’t understand what we’re actually trying to
Accomplish because they get in and and um either it’s not for them and they they they die off they come that statistic that doesn’t follow through with the degrees or they they go through all the degrees then we never see them again they’re actually just masons in in name only um
Because they’re not actually participating and engaging in Freemasonry but that’s a tough question but I’d have a Westgate wand thank you Brothers I did a poll only one person answered so either I did something wrong we can’t see it brother Evans it’s not showing up on our screen
Anywhere let me let’s let’s see if we can figure this out stop sharing so well one person answered so somebody saw it so if anyone knows well no all I think that the person that said uh that just thought that this would be a way to answer there’s another
One in here that’s saying uh that that that they can’t that they can’t say it so they’re trying to vote by just putting it in the chat okay I know the system they talking about we we use resource center but I don’t know how to work it does anybody body see this on
Their end does Freemason need to be saved poll I see it on mine yeah I don’t see it on mine Brian yeah I don’t know how to answer it neither do I well we we’ll try that again for another day um Victor Victor Williams you’ve made a couple comments uh you said Freemasonry
Does not need to be saved uh and a couple other comments I would not dare brother M Mason I’m not sure what that means do you have some I’d like to hear your your take please are you there I knew thank excuse me um I think is a fraternity it’s always been
It’s history is very um delightful it’s very Orient um material or worthy and and that I mean the author of the information that we access when wear you know we could start there and give credit to the authors instead of really just you know take the whole lump
Some for what is someone else’s written we’re having a very hard time hearing you there’s a lot of background noise if you are able to get in another spot maybe we can try again uh Jerel go ahead brother uh yeah um as you as you well well know um this
Is this is the thing that I’m occupied by all the time and um I I me the fact that there’s no such thing as a uh as as as a wand and it’s very hard given the Good Will of the non understanding membership in a large Lodge and I’m talking from
The experience of this is where I am right now I have a 300 member Lodge and um the strategy that so far appears to be uh working and unfortunately by definition I won’t I won’t see it work um is to really be active with everybody that comes through your
Door uh convince them that if they’re going to to join this Lodge they need to go through this very vigorous education program and what’s coming out the other end is a growing number of younger men who are more frequently uh uh participating who do know what it’s all
About they’re starting to go into our chairs now uh uh and and um I think the strategy is if we can keep doing that sooner or later the old farts like me the the part of my My Generation that doesn’t doesn’t and isn’t interested has
Just died off I don’t see how we can how we can Purge men of good willll who have come in Better or Worse have have been uh better persons by being in masonry but it’s such a hollow shell of what it could be and I wonder whether
Given our our ancestry in the um in the uh ancient uh mystery schools that um there isn’t some sort of a natural thing in human nature that if you’re striving for something extraordinary the group ends up having two parts an inner part and an outer part and I think that’s what I see
Growing here is and and it’s perfectly described in brother bak’s book uh uh Island Freemasonry um we may be facing the thing on the physical plane in this world is the rising sea levels because of a lot of people not wanting to take the effort to
Save the uh the the the the continents from rising sea levels we may literally be on Islands but but um as as the jel jeral listen no I understand that and I’m not talking about politics I’m I’m talking about realities that we have to live with um one of the reasons why I
Have I I make it a a special point when I’m speaking about observant masonry is we all have to follow the same rules for for being observe for being in a in a grand lodge and and um we we uh hurt our cause I don’t phrase
It this way uh but it it hurts our cause to to belittle the Masons who are ignorant not of their own making but who have have grown comfortable with that they I would say they control a majority of the grand lodges in in the United States and
Um but I I think keep doing what we are doing we trying to to introduce as much education as you can and as the people come in the west gate um as I suggested in my talk if they’re not really interested in this kind of masonry help
Them find another Lodge that is a knife and fork LOD you you we have to we have to maintain comedy with the the other brothers who were choosing and this is why I wasn’t in masonry for the first 40 years I was a Mason I was out getting that information came back to
Masonry with it but um this is a real dilemma that we have and I also want to say um brother Allan this this is one of the the the best uh explorations of the idea that that I have heard including mine including the one last month um but
But I think we I think we should still be preaching for the faithful but I think that there’s going to for a long long time there are going to be these uh islands that brother bizak described where we’re doing real masonry and and there it maybe it’s just
It’s it’s a two your fraternity um I I I hate to sound fatalistic like that especially at 78 years old but um I’m having a heck of a good time bringing really good guys into a a a lodge that’s got 300 members uh 250 of which I think I think I haven’t
Met I’ve just been in it since 2015 thank you thank you brother always appreci thank you guys for what you’re doing thank you always appreciate your comments and perspective even though it comes from the West Coast I’m hitting you hard today gosh I’m sorry just joking I’m joking but you
Brought up a really good point and I think this is something to pose a question for everyone as well Gerald you mentioned this kind of masonry so is there is there multiple this is an open question for everyone is there multiple kinds of masonry are there various
Shades of masonry is that okay so think about that one brothers because that’s really kind of on the same subject Alan what would you say to that question well I would say that that there are different shades of Freemasonry um I know that U I listened to a presentation by Andrew
Hammer is what originally came to mind uh when he was discussing seen um lodges that are engaged in nonmon work and but yet they have masons in the lodge u i don’t Advocate that we belittle anybody and believe that education is the is the answer like brother Jerel
Believes going forward um but I do believe that we can help ourselves tremendously uh if we do try to identify suitable candidates for the craft before they come in uh obviously we have a significant number that that um um could do a better job in having a
Full understanding of The Craft and that comes through education I think eventually what will occur is those Lo th those lodges that have those members will have to adjust to um finding a individual that they admit into their lodges that is there for reasons other than what they’re
Practicing at the present because that’s not their LOD is not going to they’re not going to be able to sustain Lodge unless they just want to become a a social service entity and that’s not what Freemasonry is yeah great great conversations and questions Brothers uh brother Tracy go
Ahead um thank you thank you brother martin for just a really wonderful presentation um I was I was in a conversation very recently with members outside of our lodge um on this topic on the topic of um specifically um showing up for Lodge participation wasn’t it wasn’t an education oriented
Conversation so much as a participation conversation but um the point that this other brother made was he said you know there’s a role for everyone in the lodge the active members and the inactive members the inactive members who are paying their dues um are helping us keep
The lights on was basically his Baseline kind of comparison um but what it triggered in my mind was was thinking about you know sort of a concept of um um sort of a critical mass for an organization a critical mass for a fraternity and I wonder if if you could
Speak to that um is that a concern of yours that if we I know that I I recall at um at the Rubicon um conference um the phrase uh that um um Japanese te cozy collector’s Club was thrown around is you know is the idea of like you know this extremely small
Dedicated group but but sort of you know a very different kind of group is it a concern of yours or do you think it should be a concern of ours the idea of of having some type of critical mass where we basically still have an international functioning fraternity or
Is that a paradigm that we should sort of prepare ourselves to let go of at this point good question I hope that makesense let me know if it didn’t I’ll try to clarify thanks Tracy Alan what do you think makes sense well is that question to me
Tracy it was I was looking for your response to it do you think critical mass should be a concern of ours or not or do you think it’s something that if we focus on education if we focus on people truly dedicated to be Freemasons that we
Are not concerned if we don’t have the numbers and the resources to basically keep an international organization going at this point should we sort of turn loose of it and look to some other structure well well this is what I would say we need to let go to
Grow I’m gonna say it again we need to let go to grow uh critical mass doesn’t doesn’t really concern me uh the idea of Freemasonry dying at both a philosophical or at a fraternal level I do not believe will ever occur what I do believe is that the
Environment will change in such a way that our numbers will decline to where we just have have fewer members um I think what we have to guard against is elitism uh and not becoming a barrier U for entry into our fraternity for individuals that um aren’t capable of meeting certain du’s obligations
Because dues have gotten so high to support physical plants and activities of L that they they just can’t join otherwise they would be excellent Masons there will be lodges in extent that that don’t have relatively high does um but I I think the quality of the member coming into The Lodges will
Improve and in doing that and looking from within instead of saying it’s external influences that has created the problems in Freemasonry um that we will have a stronger membership base albeit a smaller membership base I don’t the critical mass that that didn’t concern me I think we have to let go of the
Practices of the past learn from the past learn from always doing what we’ve always done because when we do that we’re always going to get what we’ve always got we have to let go to grow that’s what I would say I don’t know if I answered your question or
Not you did because I was looking for your response so that it’s excellent thank you so much thank you for your question brother may I as well say something yeah Victor go ahead let’s try again go ahead thank you brother um I think what I hear and is is that we are right
Now talking about TR trouble shooting and it’s not Freemasonry it’s the design that we’re structured and trained in terms of skill um and craft to be able to approach and it could be overwhelming because we’re still in an exploration in this fraternity and so I think
Everything I hear not just here in every other meetings what I hear because I’m a broadcast journalism major as College not everybody is in the fraternity we’re multiple various professions and online we actually do need some broadcasting craft and not everybody who’s online has that kind of P personality to really in
Person project what we are talking about in image in terms of Freemasonry to public people which is applied masonry and so it’s a technical glitch that we’re going through and it seems to me it’s kind of um essenc over onto some brothers and they’re just you know know
Misperceiving the situation to be a problem with Freemasonry significantly because we’ve transitioned to this virtual platform just in the past few years and it’s very brand new to a Freemason uh in that you know traditional and genuine type of distinguished way um because it’s a phenomenon as well is right down our
Alley in terms of philosophy I think that’s where we really are is learning to get around this bubble that we’re inevitably in and it’s kind of you know GI some we here to our force fields if you will um but that being said one suggestion could be to incorporate the
Online uh groups into a group itself rather than have it seem seemingly deriving from various branches or directions of regions around the world right so we could just learn to Coast for a minute as a fraternity when we’re normally gauging 100% Full Speed Ahead in terms of Charity and Hope and Faith
And making good men better we went through a crisis and and we cannot pretend that do not happen to us all and if we do then it’s going to crumble like it’s crumbling people’s relationships and homes and everything and none of that’s touching the science or getting
To the phenomenon which I don’t think we deserve that kind of a staple or a label on us you know say the pandemic really ever does totally blow over and we know for fact is G uh so I just want to say I don’t think Freemason is in trouble I
Don’t think any Masons or for Masons are in trouble the FR is not in trouble everybody’s going through something and we’ we’ve got professions you know when you’re in a doctor’s office it’s overwhelming if you’re a broadcaster a interrupt so so you think Freemasonry is in a good
Place I absolutely do because we’ve so much is not that it’s that word Freemasonry I think it’s us who come together and have continued the tradition and the craft that is the Freemasonry so we need a firsters perspective we need an interpersonal intelligence reach to what we are EXP
If we’re looking at if we’re looking at data and making decisions on data numbers continue to decline you don’t think that that’s a problem worth talking about I do but I think the majority of us in the in the uh correspondent Circle are more important for where how much
Studying we do in history that’s going in the and we we’ve not much going in the future and so we’ve got to look in a in a in a psychologically careful term at some point maybe it’s not now maybe it’s eons from now but at some point logically geometrically architecturally we’ve got
To attend on what there is to the correspondence circle with nonmembers or what is applied masonry and that’s getting what Freemasonry is to people who aren’t interested even they just live on this planet and they’re curious because it’s a word right that’s what we that’s generally what we’re trying to
Just apply masonry in terms of the objective uh uh nature of it in a universal term and so that’s got to be a proactive thing we’re at a point where it’s not what we want to do but it’s a call to duty upon us I feel from the majority
Population mass population and that’s to say hey we know you’re free but you’re my husband you’re my brother you’re my friend can you help me with those skills you have and we should have been be able to do that without exposing anything because individually we’ve learned the
Working tools so it’s not a Freemasonry thing it is a fraternal type of intercourse but we’ve got to maintain it regardless and that’s my thing I’m just optimistic no no no things broadcasting Equity how I’m a commercial radio personality producer we I appreciate I appreciate appreciate your comments very much in
Jumping on thanks Victor I’m sorry oh I thought you were speaking so I’m a music producer radio personality so my commercial APR 1.0% to $1 appearance rating percent is higher than you know typical and you I’m sure we familiar with it I’m 43 I was initiated 18 um I was aured College
Freshman at 40 that was and I’m 43 that was the year the Corona virus hit it hit the screen break I started that semester so I’ve learned that with the students and Society what their demands and cries are that they have not learned really how to make really clear for someone for
Like the Freemasonry right they need this they need us initiated to help and I’m not saying we got to go to to them because we’ve got so much technology we’ve got internet so therefore we need to learn as we’ve got virtual lodges and everything else that’s emerging let’s
Follow that pattern because it’s a strategic pattern it’s not defiling Freemasonry that’s with the faith okay I want to I want to I want to give someone else a chance I appreciate your feedback and comments very much thanks Victor brother crickard go ahead welcome brother hello hey brother Allen thank
You and uh wonderful presentation and thanks to everybody on here I’m going to answer your question first and must and as usual I’ll probably uh insult somebody so uh uh no it doesn’t need to be saved uh and like you said earlier uh brother Allan Freemasonry will not die uh
Uh I think we should raise dues I I came to that I came to this uh new way of thinking not too long ago after one of our business meetings you know I think we should raise dues and every LOD should raise dues to the point where
You’re able to keep the lights on and if that for some reason keeps somebody out of Freemasonry at that point of their life I look at it it’s like well what’s important you know is it a dollar day is it uh $2 a day is
It worth $2 a day is it worth a cup of coffee at Starbucks a day that a lot of people spend money on useless things so in my opinion we do need to raise the dues in order keep lodges open but uh the decline is worth talking about but I
Don’t think it’s the problem the problem is uh now I’ll come back to the problem I got one more statement to say so you know uh we are charged with to take Freemasonry what we learn in the lodge or the temple you know and take that out
To the world and that’s how we will bring men to Freemasonry is by going out taking what we’ve learned you know and talking to these men about Freemasonry stop keeping it a secret keep the stuff secret the the obligation the ritual uh the handshake the the the
Passwords keep those secret but talk but you can talk anything else about Freemasonry all you want so now go to what I believe the problem is with Freemasonry is you know and this has been the problem with Freemason forever we’re lazy we’re arrogant and we’re you know uh we we have a problem
With killing our ego and so you know and the issue is is when I say arrogant and you know I was at a lodge one time and I was over hearing some brothers talking that we were visiting and you know I was wearing a suit and the person making and the
Comment was wearing a tie-dye T-shirt and shorts and he was sort of dogging he’s and I could hear him saying we don’t need to wear you know a suit to and that’s fine you’re right you don’t need to wear a suit but the thing is is
You put you got to spend time with it you got to put effort into it and putting on a suit and tie is not hard so I’m making a bunch of statements here not really asking a question but it’s like we’re just as human beings we’re lazy as human beings we’re arrogant
And we have a really hard time killing our ego that’s the problem with Freemasonry we’re not spending time with it to understand it to try to improve ourselves and make us better we’re more concerned about uh things that are not Freemasonry so I will stop with that thanks brother G brother Mario go
Ahead good evening Brethren um as always brother martin your presentation Mario I I unmute yourself please I think I was trying to lower your hand and I muted you that was not intentional no no problem so I was saying um Brother Martin I’m always encouraged when you’re with your
Presentations I was just only a fellowcraft when I first saw one of them and I was absolutely um you know uh impressed by what you what you did that night um but I have this point of view which I wish to share with you all the other day I was participating in a
Subreddit which is our Freemasonry in Reddit and um I’m a I’m a follower there and um there was this person saying how why did we lose so much power and I I was uh for a moment I was a little bit angry because if you don’t realize that
You are Freemasonry and you are Freemasonry actually is what its members are so if you would like to see Freemasonry restored to any place it’s based it’s going to be based on the work of the brothers not anyone else and in this sense I think it’s important that
We take responsibility and see what the past has been so far what I have understood about Freemasonry is that we’ve always been pioneers and I say we because now I’m including myself in this boat right um the the Brotherhood that’s been Pioneers they have been laying cornerstones inserting Trends into the
World and they have changed Futures entire nation’s Futures by the precepts and one thing that is that was done is because you know it it coincided with a lot of new knowledge um and in a lot of things that were especially brought out to people that were that were aware of
What was going on and they wanted to join this sort of movement that was going on and not stay behind and now the movement has seemed to us like in a way past us like you know we have this all this technology and we don’t use it
Because we haven’t we haven’t learned to cope with it but we should because we have to be upfront we have to be trend again if we want to reach for other people I mean by by staying the same way we were 200 years before well you know
We’re not going to do that so we have to move a little bit ahead I’m always advocating for example for you know all authors to have their books become ebooks so we’ll be more accessible for everyone and now I’ve discovered that if you have an Audi book accompanying your
Book it’s way better and if it’s read by the person who wrote it and narrated this way you sort of understand everything that this author wants to tell you and and the message becomes a lot more important and that’s just a small idea on what you could do to bring
Someone closer maybe give away a book maybe listen to this this might help you this is good stuff you know and it doesn’t have to be anything related to whatever the secrets of Freemasonry are or other things that are considered you know considered private or secret within
The fraternity it has to be with you know based fraternity among men and I I sort of asked this question before I I was asking maybe Brother Martin has an an idea about this do you consider that the lack of Honor among men is a problem in why Freemasonry is
Becoming less um uh sought after because you know we are our fraternity is based in honor the first thing a Mason gives when he enters the lodge is his word and this is an honor System and we are all together here because we are willing to participate in that and well
You know you could you could have an idea that that is like a it’s it’s a it’s a custom it’s a habit that it’s I don’t see it you know being out there everywhere so um you know I’ve St I said a lot of things but the idea is that I
Think we should change a little bit more into the future into what we want to become and and you know I I don’t I don’t disagree that we need to keep the west gate watched and guarded well but we also need to find the balance and the
Way that we can you know tell more people out there who may just Freon Frey may be what they need to be actually better but it’s it’s complicated and I do think that it has to come from from our hups it cannot it cannot just be the
Base I’m I’m doing what I can to let or to participate in this in this but you know I think it has to start up there so it will be something more structured more organized and you know able to reach out a lot more and well those are
My two cents here no and thank you brother martin for that presentation it was it was really good brother Mario I certainly appreciate your your feedback every time you get it um um you’re and I agree with you and I think that technology is something that that the
Fraternity has to look at and leverage to um help promote the public awareness of who and what uh we are as a fraternity and what Freemasonry is all about um I want to answer your question U about honor but before I do that I want to say there’s
Um in my lifetime there’s probably never been um more of a need for free masonry uh in the world than there is now uh the philosophy of Freemasonry and and what it affords its members and what it affords Society you’re absolutely correct Freemasonry has been instrumental in the development of civil
Societies and governments and and influence um the thinking of individuals since its Concepts have been envisioned honor um do I think that there’s been a diminished capacity of Honor uh in the world and I think all we have to do is look at our society and see that we have um diminished moral
Standards um in some cases that does relate to honor um I I don’t believe that um and I may misunderstood you but I I thought that you were seeing dishonor in the craft I may have misunderstood that U I think when we find dishonor in the craft that craft
Has a mechanism for dealing with that I think think we have a hard time finding suitable candidates to enter into the craft candidates that are truly worthy and well qualified they exist but not in the numbers that I think the fraternity would like for them to exist um so we
Have to I think we need to be selective about who we let in our order so that there is honor in our fraternity and that we can take um what we have learned in the our teaching our education our understanding of Freemasonry and apply that not only in our lives but
Externally in society and as I said there’s never been a greater time in my lifetime anyway that there’s been a greater need for Freemasonry I don’t know if I responded to your honor question or not but um those are my thoughts on your comment comments and your feedback I certainly
Appreciate every time you get it your spot on yeah go thank you Alan go ahead Mario go ahead respond oh well no I I didn’t mean dishonor inside our our our fraternity actually I I do believe that all the people I’ve met they’re just you know
Like columns that hold up to their honor I I honestly believe that what I’m thinking is if the society is not exercising honor as a standard or it has become diminished among Society we will of course suffer that in our own members in the sense that we will be we will we
Would be getting less candidates because of that because nobody is interested in holding up to their words nobody is interested in for example following the law just because it is the right thing to do not because if if I it’s a it’s it’s something punitive you know like if
You if you do not obey the law then you will be punished it shouldn’t be seen like that it should be seen like we we don’t go at 110 miles per hour because I might get hurt I might hurt someone and then that’s the the idea not not not the
Other way around not of I’m going to go and break this law because I feel like it you know that’s dishonor for me and I have absolutely not find the that in our in our fraternity I absolutely respect and and and that is one thing that have
That has kept me here that I can see a lot of people practicing their honor and staying there and I appreciate that and I’m I’m I commend you Brothers stay on it please because it is it is our badge and we must wear it with pride and I I
Well I congratulate you all for doing that for willing to be men of of good thank you Mario thank you I think you you had one word in there that was probably the wisest word for me is is freem is complicated prry is complicated this discussion is complicated this topic is complicated the
Perceptions and of every unique person in here is complicated so I think part of the the fact that we can come together and maybe uh not all agree but try to understand what is going on what this topic is and and offer hopefully good food for thought is really what
What this is all about Jeremiah I want to ask you a question here in a minute so um really just want to get your perspective since you are a newly raised Mason and you were at the conference so um but before I I just want to give some
Some initial thoughts um wrote down a couple things I think may be worth sharing freemasonary is only a tool for thought and that thought has to be put into action but um it requires self-discipline and it requires our own energy it’s not going to do it for us
It’s just a tool it’s no different uh Freemasonry is no different than any free market Society or free market organization in my opinion it’s always about supply and demand and value proposition and if we’re not delivering a good value and value proposition then it’s not going to be delivered I think
If we’re all I think at the end of the day for me it’s it’s it is simple and it’s cliche it’s it’s making a man better is what it’s all about um so if that’s the service we say and if that’s the service that men expect when they do
Knock on the door but if we don’t provide that service in some form of uniformity on behalf of our fraternity then um we’re going to get what we have now which is very water down masonry it’s very segmented masonry it’s very misunderstood masonry um
I think to me if you want to create an analogy lodges are equivalent to almost the school system in society really where the teachers uh the teachers of the classes are The Lodges and the teachers of the classes are the members but the teachers are also the students so whatever that
Means I feel like it makes a little bit of sense um we’re always having to learn and use Freemasonry as the tool but we’re the teachers and the students and however much we know or don’t know is what we’re going to pass on or learn from those before
Us Jeremiah what are your thoughts about tonight um well first of all Brother Martin great great presentation um I just tend I tend to be the guy that listens to the lecture then listens to everybody’s questions and then I let that stew for a couple weeks then I
Usually send an email so this might be kind of rambling but um I simply I everything that you have that you just said is kind of where I’m at it’s kind of it’s complicated but you know we need to be providing value and I believe and the reason that
I listen to these lectures and you know read the stuff that I read is and uh participate in what I participate in is that that value is the um is the is the education component like for in business terms what we’re selling is making a better man or we are a
Um an you know a initiatic mystery School based you know self-improvement school right so when someone comes to us so again kind of rambling but to flip it and the reason that it’s complicated is you know the the guarding the west gate discussions and the last lecture
And all of that stuff is is super super super important um but you know currently at the moment I’m kind of dealing with the opposite I’m I have a friend who is kind of like me I guess you say or you know similar uh spiritual Seeker that is
Interested in masonry and has gone to um a couple couple different lodges in his area and they don’t he’s met with them and had dinner with them and they haven’t been able to even explain to him what what they’re doing what the point of it is so he called me and we’re on
Opposite sides of the country and we were talking he’s like oh I know you’re really into this and I was like oh yeah and he’s like so what is it and I explained what I think it is which is what I just said like a basically a you know 300y old
Self-improvement school or system or whatever and and it it blew his mind because he’s like well he kind I mean he kind of knew he kind of had an inkling that’s kind of why he he pursued it but when he gets there it’s like well this is about Brotherhood and fellowship and
Helping each other out and you know be you know uh having a support system of of of you know like-minded men which that’s not untrue but um so I think that you know uh conversation you know fraternity wide as to I hate to say but what are we
Selling that needs to be standardized I think that um I didn’t run into that specific problem but uh so people need to know the the general public all needs to know what it is that we’re selling that’s a big that’s a big thing but then on top of
That with perceived value is the the dues question which I don’t think should be a question at all we just raised our dues and you know I don’t know about anybody else but I can’t leave the house for less than $100 nowadays so you know this idea of like well our
Dues are $75 and if we if we push it to 100 100 or 125 or whatever that threshold is to keep the lights on um me personally that’s just kind of a no-brainer I mean people spend twice that much just on their cable bill in
One month or I know people that do so your your commitment to this practice or this school or this fraternity needs to be more than you know you need to take it more seriously than like I don’t know uh football or or what you know or whatever it is you’re you’re recre Rec
Recreationally into Um so there there’s value in what we what we’re selling quote unquote and then the the dues is is perceived value and they kind of go hand inand so it’s like if you’re GNA have if your dues for your Lodge are going to be $300 a year or whatever then great but
That this person who’s the per the brother who is paying this yearly needs to be getting something in return and what is he getting in return is it needs to be clear that y it’s not just hanging out and and you know having pancake breakfast or whatever which and I’m not
I’m not knocking that because there’s a lot of lodges that need to do that to keep the doors open so again it’s complicated and everything’s connected and you know I just I have a million thoughts about everything that was being said tonight and it’s um yeah sorry for rambling I
Have more to say but I can’t quite put it all together oh but um but just in my opinion the reason I’m here the reason I’m still around the reason I don’t mind paying dues the reason I’m you know excited and engaged in the fraternity is because I’m
Getting Masonic education out of it which is what should be you know Paramount and then I guess real quick uh I think that the decline in membership I I I don’t know because I’m a a fairly new guy I I don’t I I don’t want to come across as a
Guy you know some of some of you gentlemen have been in this for 40 years or something and uh it it must be painful to can see a continual decline but you know I I’m all I’m also of the opinion that you know things need to sometimes things need to do do need
To collapse in order to rebuild the proper way and I don’t mean you know necessarily complete collapse but um but I guess I’ll just say you know I’ve read Island Freemasonry as well and I’m pretty much on board with the the thesis and and um the way to move forward and I guess
The way to move forward is if the if the the the the roles continue to drop and uh the institution continues to shrink um you know as long as we are continuing to do what brother Jerel said continue to do what we’re doing Masonic education is Paramount and
Um you know some of these quote unquote observant Lodge practices I mean that’s I think that’s the stuff that’s gonna survive and grow so that’s what I got thank you brother appreciate your comments well said so we’re we’re getting short on time are there any other final comments
And then Alan I’m gonna ask you one last question where’s brother Dan anything you’d like to ask or say tonight nothing you’re muted okay um all right Dan or um Allan so the million-dollar question that you posed in the beginning does does American Freemasonry need to be saved and if so from what
No it doesn’t need to be saved there’s nothing to be saved from the fraternity is what the fraternity is the philosophy of Freemasonry will always exist whether it has a million members four million members or one member right and does not need to be saved very good wor brother
BR I’m a low Tech guy as you know I couldn’t find my mouse for a moment there so I couldn’t unmute myself I really don’t have any comments other than just to uh to tell worship brother Allan it was a fine presentation and uh and your points were well said sir thank
You very much thanks Dan yeah I agree Alan great job thank you for putting this together together sharing your thoughts and comments thank you very much appreciate it greatly all right Brothers we are going to move on and close out the evening uh next month our presenter will be Daniel
Rivera brother Gerald I think you know him uh current Master of the Southern California research Lodge look forward to having him I don’t believe we have a specific topic yet but I’m sure it will be a worthy topic indeed for well I’ll I’ll drag it out of him and send it to
You good good good good perfect so join us next month Brothers uh the date will be November 27th I think um the Rubicon Masonic Society is a big support of the phy society worst brother bizak would you mind just saying a few words can’t hear you brother I’m sorry here we go
Phil ay Society RB was founded in 1928 it’s um an international Masonic research society and the oldest independent Masonic research Society in North America uh you can learn more about Phil AES if you’ll follow the link that I’ll post in the chat room in just a minute
Or feel free to get a hold of me and I’ll tell you how you can get the journal uh they have uh four issues a year and they do have a program that your Lodge can subscribe and they’ll send you 50 copies that you can share
With other members in your Lodge for a full year so get a hold of me and I’ll let you know more about it and I hope you’ll check it out if you aren’t already familiar with it thank you thank you John uh Brothers if you do not have a
Copy please purchase one the transactions of the Rubicon Masonic Society volume one are out you can purchase them on Amazon um so please purchase a copy let us know your feedback we are encouraged to know what you think uh and maybe what any potential topics could be for volume
Two so please take a look uh proceeds go to Rubicon thank you for those of you that are were at our recent festive board uh pictures are up so you can go check those out if you haven’t already done so Rubicon Masonic society.com photos and on that same note uh we did
Record this event and we’re putting together um a semiformal production to share the knowledge that was taught during that event um so stay tuned we will let you know for sure when that is out Masonic table documentary if you’ve not watched that please do so as well
It’s on Amazon uh you can go to the Masonic table.com if you live outside of the country let us know reach out to Rubicon personally info Rubicon Masonic society.com and we can help get you an access uh copy of the the documentary just let us know all right any other final comments
From anyone before we close out Geral yes go ahead just just real quickly I’m right now um doing the proof reading for the forthcoming uh issue of the Fraternal review it’s being guest edited by myself and Rodriguez and it’s on the topic of guarding the west gate it doesn’t get
In well I won’t say what it doesn’t do but I will say that it it also uh one of the feature articles in it is excerpted from Brother biz’s book um Island free masonry and we’re also featuring in our our pop culture uh section um your book
For the good of the order brother John I’m I’m acting on your your open ended uh uh offer for me to use any of your stuff any time uh and uh I I want to thank you in advance for it and I’ll send you CLE copies you’re
Welcome to do it thank you very much thank you course brother Allen will you please do the honors of delivering closing devotion absolutely gr architect of the universe as we now prepare to close our time together this evening we pray that you will endue us with compet competency of
Your Divine wisdom that we may be better enabl to conduct Our Lives as just an upright men and Mason guide our thoughts and actions fortifying every moral virtue within us granting us the necessary strength wisdom and courage as we Endeavor to work for your great purposes through
Masonry these things we ask in your holy name amen Brothers uh brothers and friends thank you for joining us uh if you know anyone else that may be interested please ask them to RSVP at Rubicon Masonic society.com RSVP next meeting November 27th 2023 7 p.m. uh look forward to seeing you all
Then may we always be happy to meet sorry to part and happy to meet again Brothers have a great evening or morning wherever you are from thank you
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