As some of you may know I am currently overseas. I left a little while ago and I am now writing you from over the border of Hungary and Romania. With my recent trip back overseas I have a great idea of the things I would like to discuss. I would appreciate everyones participation. The contact information will be below this article.
We are a world of many nations and many religions. As Freemasons we do not recognize any one religion but are open to the GVSL of all religions. But I would like to implore you to look inside yourself and take due notice of the many characteristics we may allow to hurt our cause. I was at a lodge recently in Michigan and heard a rumor of a man being denied access to becoming a Freemason. Now, this as we all know tends to occur if everyone in the lodge does not agree with the young man being accepted. However, there was one piece of information that stood in my mind. The young man requesting to become a member of our great institute of brotherly love was a Muslim. Now, Is this the reason he was expelled from our community before even entering its gates? To be perfectly honest, I do not know the young man nor do I want to believe that the reasoning behind his denial is because of his religion. I would like to believe that he was denied access into our fraternity based on something that someone in the lodge knew about the young man. However, because we as Free and Accepted Masons elect a candidate based on anonymous decisions I do not know the proper way to address this. I do know the lodge was considering which GVSL would be used... The consideration was to open both books, or open one book. However which book must that be? Brethren, the bylaws of your state dictates everything regarding the how your lodge shall be conducted. However there is one special instruction regarding the GVSL. Because we are all brethren under GAOTU the GVSL needs to be opened according to the candidate’s preference. We do not use multiple GVSL’s we use one. Now, in a lodge where Anglo-Saxon males are the majority, the Christian Bible tends to be the GVSL. In a lodge dominated mostly by Hebrew men the books tends to be the Torah. If you took an oath as a Christian in a Hebrew dominated lodge I am sure they would open the lodge on the GVSL of your choosing in order to please you the candidate.
Why must we we debate about which law to open if it is a Muslim candidate? This is the reason we do not discuss politics or religion in our lodge. It tears us a part from the center out. It does not concern you or I which religion preference a candidate is or which GVSL he wishes to take an oath. He worships the same God you and I do. His laws are the same within our religions. In fact Islam teaches that the Quran is the final testament of Abraham’s God. Just as the New Testament adds to the Torah.
If it is the religion of the candidate that denied his service to our fraternity I must ask everyone of us to look inside ourselves to ask why that is. Is it because of Islam’s history of violence? If it is I must have to remind you of the Christian’s violent past. Christian’s have just as much blood on their hands as Muslim’s if not more. Come to think of it so do Hebrews. Every year we have watched the news of another hostility between Israel and the Gaza Strip. You may argue with me and say that the Gaza Strip started it and Israel responded with a stronger attack. I must ask you another question, who cares who started it? When you were growing up did your mom care if you or your brother started the fight? No, you were both punished equally because that is exactly what we are... Equal. Regardless of Gender, Race, Sexual Preference or Creed.
We as Free and Accepted Masons must recognize exactly that. We teach morality by the great laws. We teach that we are all equal but if must debate about allowing a child of God into our fraternity based on any of these things that make this person an individual we are not practicing what we preach and we are no better than the churches and governments we have fought against in history. We are of one believe as Freemasons, There is a God he controls the Universe. With the Great Enlightenment we have come across a knowledge that must be protected from the wrong hands, but given to those deserving of the greatest secret of all man kind. The best way to do that is not turn away anyone based on their personal faith. I am not saying allow just anyone in because you are afraid of the consequences, instead look at the candidate as if you are looking in the mirror, if you see yourself you will be strict about what you know about them, but also looking inside yourself knowing how you have become a better man thanks to the world of Freemasonry. We take pride in that saying and we are right for feeling so proudly about our organization. We make Good Men Better!
Fraternally,
A.R.G
Triangle Lodge 548
Lawton, Oklahoma
