tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3312826199921098655.post6061547461941053026..comments2023-12-04T03:37:31.401-05:00Comments on The Hedge Mason: Blinded By the Light: Resolving Freemasonry's ProblemsE C Ballard ஃhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467348696099148972noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3312826199921098655.post-50453587042690740682016-03-26T12:28:09.190-04:002016-03-26T12:28:09.190-04:00Thank you for a great article. In PA, there is an...Thank you for a great article. In PA, there is an upheaval going on that is being ignored by the Grand Lodge as just a couple fanatics and "Not real Masons." There is a great feeling of frustration and we are seeing newer and younger members joining and disappearing quickly. Lodges are being told this year, that a 5,000 member gain is to be accomplished. For those that have thought about it, with the annual attrition through death and suspensions, it works out to more like a 7,000 member gain. Break it down to lodges, and it works out to about a 20 member increase in each lodge. We are doing one day classes, dropping initiation fee's for veterans, completely dropping initiation fees for Scottish rite members this fall. For those that want to find out more, I will not post the link here but if interested go to facebook and search for discovering truth about pa freemasonry.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09284238364003475101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3312826199921098655.post-72888647949421432072016-03-25T15:38:55.442-04:002016-03-25T15:38:55.442-04:00Your post brings to mind MWB Dwight L. Smith's...Your post brings to mind MWB Dwight L. Smith's comments made in 1962 in "Whither Are We Traveling." In it he states that Freemasonry cannot return to its past glory and prestige unless the level of leadership is raised above its present position. Grand Lodges elect their leaders from the ranks and unless they invest in properly training leaders at the local lodge level then the result is poor leaders running the Grand Lodges. I have immersed myself the last 11 years in personal development & leadership training for the Fraternity and am fortunate that in Ohio my Grand Lodge has embraced the idea to train better leaders. We have www.FreeMasonUniversity.com for online leadership training and last year presented leadership training in each of our 25 districts with a program entitled Masons Lead Better (www.masonsleadbetter.com). The result over time will be that great leadership will create a great lodge experience. Great Masonic leaders will lead "on the level" and understand their role is to serve the craft.<br />Fratnernally,<br />Mike ClevengerMike Clevengerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06144751621432364230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3312826199921098655.post-53993787736427560392016-03-25T14:02:38.816-04:002016-03-25T14:02:38.816-04:00[All too often, I suspect masons have come to expe...[All too often, I suspect masons have come to experience a freemasonry which is mediocre.]<br /><br />I cannot recall the number of times in 26 years I have used the word mediocre in connection with Freemasonry... and mediocrity rules the day as Freemasonry is concerned.<br /><br />When fear, intimidation, and manipulation are utilized by a so-called leader, that is NOT leadership. Freemasonry is a voluntary association often run in the manner an ineffective, selfish CEO runs a business model that refuses to pay a livable wage, exception being that no wages are paid to anyone, neither literal nor symbolic.<br /><br /><br />[As for creating deep and critical divisions within the craft, do we not have them now?]<br /><br />Yes, I too have seen the divisions in American Freemasonry over 26 years; divisions that remain in place due to dictatorial, ineffective leaders that seem unable to simply inspire the Craft that has voluntarily given authority to a Grand Lodge charged with managing/ supervising only.<br /><br />As Bro. John Williams of the Phylaxis Society has stated in a series of articles titled "Masonic Growth", Grand Lodges make Lodges, and Lodges make Masons... Grand Lodges could stand to stay in their lane and allow lodges the room to do more of what they (the lodges) should be doing, namely making and instructing Masons.<br /><br />And please know that I do realize there is no easy fix, but I do know that failure to learn from and follow Ecclesiastes 12: 1-7 will not produce any positive result.<br /><br /><br /><br />Fraternally,<br /><br />Raymond Sean Walters<br /><br /><br />Raymond Sean Waltershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09598843764013005691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3312826199921098655.post-68628437434548850762016-03-25T13:46:23.958-04:002016-03-25T13:46:23.958-04:00I think you are spot on when you talk about the &q...I think you are spot on when you talk about the "problem". I addressed this in the panel discussion in the second video of our PA forum. Someone asked about the craft dying. I believe I said "It will never die, but Grand Lodges will." Take it for what it's worth. And I'm glad you enjoyed my gallery of Pie Charts! ;)<br /><br />RHJ<br />Editor Midnight Freemasons<br />Host - Whence Came You<br />Cohost - The Masonic Roundtable. WCYPODCASThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11550845537256450502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3312826199921098655.post-75996945389582773222016-03-25T13:33:40.480-04:002016-03-25T13:33:40.480-04:00Thank you Brother Christopher. I would not wish to...Thank you Brother Christopher. I would not wish to suggest that the approach I mentioned here is perfect, nor that it would be free of complications. However, what practice ever is? How does such an approach compare with our current conditions? As they say, the Devil is in the details. That being said, none of the current avenues for redress do that much better. <br /><br />As for creating deep and critical divisions within the craft, do we not have them now?<br /><br />Eoghan BallardE C Ballard ஃhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15467348696099148972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3312826199921098655.post-64181779905166914512016-03-25T11:38:35.734-04:002016-03-25T11:38:35.734-04:00Great article! Thanks for posting it. The idea of ...Great article! Thanks for posting it. The idea of an inversion of power sounds like it could work, but it also brings up some troubling thoughts for me.<br /><br />Let us for example imagine a lodge, say in the rural fringe of an otherwise liberal state, which decided that the grand lodges of GA and TN were right, and that homosexuality is immoral and all gay masons should be expelled, when the vast majority of masons in the state felt very strongly otherwise.<br /><br />I would think this could create some rather deep and critical divisions in the craft, and rob the rite of travel of some of its benefit.<br /><br />What do you think?<br /><br />C&F,<br />Bro. Christopher Patti<br />Amicable Lodge, AF&AM<br />Cambridge, MA.feohhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311859282925748371noreply@blogger.com