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Trouillogan wrote:Oh, how I absolutely, totally and completely agree to the utmost extent - is that clear enough?!
One of the ways I try in that direction is to 'interview' the proposers of prospective candidates in the Lodge committee just before interviewing the candidate, in order that we all can decide whether or not the proposer really knows the chap. Things like name of wife, how may kids, his hobbies and interests, what's the dog's/cat's name - you get the drift. It seems to have its effect on future proposers too.
How do others address this issue?
Paterson Burns wrote:To improve Masonry, it needs to be a lot more difficult to become a Mason. People only value what takes effort to accomplish. Make it harder to become a Mason, make folks wait in line awhile, or see a few get turned away, and things will improve quickly.
Paterson Burns wrote:Masonic membership for the sake of having membership, isn't worth much to the generations (X & Y) that all grand lodges are trying to appeal to. They, we just don't have the same perspective as those seasoned and senior Brethren, cuz we're knocking on the door of the lodge because we want to find something that is not on the Internet.
Masonry is supposed to be esoteric. Thats the pitch we hear and see from history, but... when you get to the lodge, the doors are flung wide open and those present are desperate to get petitions signed. Where's the mystery? Where is the esoteric?
Sadly our fraternity struggles to maintain many corporate charities that our policy makers are not willing to let go of, so... it becomes all about numbers, dues and semi - annual returns....
As a result, there will be a great many more Masonic funerals before things get to the point that there is no other choice but to abandon publicity drives and media friendly campaigns.
Masonry was never meant for every man.
Lloyd Wiebe wrote:Is Saskatchewan doing the one day degrees? It is certainly not allowed in Ontario, at least not yet.
Paterson Burns wrote:Dear Brother, clearly you are as passionate about your Craft as I, and my comments do not take aim at any grand lodge, but rather the perspective of those who occupy some of them.
An example of what I am referring to would be the situation of an initiate who comes through his degrees with a requirement of proving himself with delivery and comprehension of the signs, words, grips and Posting Lecture, with a full moon having passed between each degree.... versus what we have here in north america now called the One Day Degree or Field day, whereby a man may be initiated after breakfast and be a Master Mason by lunch. Further that he is in receipt of the Order of the Temple by dinner.
Those concerned with membership and numbers don't care whether or not that man has understanding of what the message or value of the degrees are, just that there is now another dues-paying member on the books.
Please keep in mind that there differences in the culture of the Craft between the UK and North America. Your experiences are not the same as mine.
Lloyd Wiebe wrote:Is Saskatchewan doing the one day degrees? It is certainly not allowed in Ontario, at least not yet.
Paterson Burns wrote:The make-a-mason-in-a-minute degrees are not being overtly practiced in Saskatchewan at present.
We do however have those Lodges that are known for unashamedly churning out new Masons (whose qualifications and proficiency in the Craft are widely questioned) soley for the purpose of meeting the membership requirement for another organization, that at present can only draw its membership from Lodges.
These are members of our fraternity who know nothing about the Craft and after they are raised, they are never seen in lodge again.
It would be preferable if these other organizations could draw directly from the public so that the members of the same, did not refer to themselves as Masons.
Sadly, the Lodges in my area who are guilty of this ongoing activity, are known to those who could do something about it, but choose to maintain the status quo because GL still gets its slice from the dues paid to the Lodge, whether that member should be there or not.
Although the lodges are not doing one day degrees, some of our appendent and concordant bodies do, as they currently struggle for new members from the same pool of Master Masons and too many of these orgs have empty officer stations and cannot afford to wait for the traditional maturation process to run its course.
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