Freemasonry has survived over the
years in the face of very significant challenges. Even today we
are buffeted by critics who spread misconceptions about us in
an effort to impugn our reputation and erode our membership.
We also face a more silent challenge, the indifference of a generation of men who are not joiners. They do not criticize us. They simply see us, if aware of Masonry at all, as a relic of the past irrelevant to their world. In the face of these twin challenges, some Masons have begun to believe that Masonry's best days are in the past. Not so. Freemasonry is more relevant today than ever before.
Understanding Our Critics
It often comes as something of a surprise to Masons that Freemasonry,
the "Gentle Craft," comes in for such virulent criticism.
The Fraternity is portrayed by its enemies as a secret society
that must be opposed because it is in competition with existing
religions, cultures, and political entities.
Opposition to Masonry stems from the fact that it is not just another men's organization or social club. Rather, it represents a rich philosophical tradition, and it is opposition to this tradition that undergirds much of the criticism. Philosophically, Freemasonry is inclusive rather than exclusive and transcends the barriers of religion, ethnicity, and nationality that separate one man from another. This does not sit well with zealots who see an essential dichotomy between their one true belief and all other creeds or philosophies. Thus, religious tolerance, which allows each man to worship God in his own way, is as foreign to their thinking as it is fundamental to ours.
Similarly, the cultural true believer is also an opponent of Freemasonry. In many primitive societies the word for human and for man was the name of one's own people, expressing syntactically the view that all others were not human or men. Today, the cultural fanatic continues this tradition and devalues all those who are not of his own group. This extreme of ethnicity and nationality led to the horrors of Nazi Germany and to the genocide and tribal strife that now afflict Africa and the former Yugoslavia.
In contrast, Masonry joins together men of all cultures and nationalities because its fundamental philosophy supports freedom of thought and expression. This explains why totalitarian regimes make it a first order of business to oppose Masonry. Standing foursquare in favor of democracy, toleration, and justice, Freemasonry should be proud to number religious bigots and political chauvinists as its enemies on the right.
But Freemasonry also has its critics on the left. There are many who now believe there are no absolutes of right and wrong. They espouse an ethical and cultural relativism that views rules of conduct as simply the preferences of a particular community or group at a particular time. In their worldview, there are no immutable principles or fundamental truths. Values, they claim, change over time within a society so that what is right and moral today may not be viewed in the same way tomorrow. And even more to the point, what is right and moral in one society has no necessary validity in another society. Freemasonry does not believe good and evil are wholly subjective and that any action is as valid as any other action. It is willing to stand up for certain values that are both timeless and universal.
Consequently, Freemasonry is philosophically equidistant from a bankrupt ethical and cultural relativism on the one hand, and the tyranny of religious and cultural absolutism on the other. It rejects the "anything goes" philosophy of the extreme left as firmly as it rejects the bigotry and chauvinism of the extreme right.
Challenging Indifference
The challenge of indifference is no less pernicious. Our critics
at least find us worth fighting; to many others, we are virtually
invisible. This points to a serious problem in our society. At
a time when people can communicate so much more easily and quickly
with others around the world via the Internet, they are becoming
more isolated from their families and their neighbors. The sense
of community which long sustained us as a nation is eroding.
Our society is more transient and in flux than ever before. In the business world, the free-lancer is replacing the company man. The loyalty of an employee to the corporation, or of the corporation to the employee, has waned to the point of non-existence in many cases. Neither values the other beyond what is required by a temporary and narrowly defined economic self-interest. And a political environment which has become mean spirited, if not downright vicious, parallels the law of the jungle in business. These corrosive influences extend to the family environment where the divorce rate is dangerously high, and there is less sense of family.
The philosophy of Masonry is at odds with this trend toward self-indulgence and self-absorption. But the battle cannot be fought by ignoring the changes in our society, by maintaining the low profile of the past decades, or by drawing more deeply into our Lodges and ourselves. Instead, Masonry must reach out to the community, tell its story, and begin to attract more of the good men who should be joining our ranks.
With its tolerance for different views and beliefs, Masonry can be an integrative force in a society that is becoming more fractionalized and divided. With its emphasis on an almost chivalric courtesy and politeness, it can help to re-establish a tone of civility that is notably lacking in our social discourse. And with its emphasis on the universal principles of brotherly love, relief, and truth, it can exert the moral leadership needed in a society where many have lost their way. But in order for Masonry to reach its potential, we must remain true to our principles, articulate what we stand for, and challenge like-minded individuals in our communities to join our ranks.
Preserving Our Heritage
Although we must move boldly to improve the position of the Fraternity,
we must also take care not to destroy its very essence. This requires
that we remember what we are and keep in mind what we are not.
We are a fraternity, a band of men joined together by common values
and freely taken obligations. As Masons and members of a Lodge
and other Masonic Bodies, we build social relationships with men
of different generations, diverse backgrounds, varied interests,
and wide-ranging talents. And these endure for decades.
What we are not is a lobby or a public interest group—although we are concerned about the important issues of our time. We are not a public service organization—although we care deeply about our communities. And we are not an organized philanthropy, like the Cancer Society—although we support with our time and money many charitable causes. In sum, we are not an organization of people temporarily joined together for one particular purpose; we espouse values and principles that are far broader and more enduring.
This distinction is important because it explains why we should not pattern ourselves on these other organizations. It explains why we must continue to be selective in deciding who should be admitted to our ranks. And it explains why we care, not just about a man's dedication to a cause, but about his moral character as well.
Living Masonry And Telling
Our Story
For the Craft to survive, we must first actually live our Freemasonry.
There are many allusions to knighthood in Masonic ritual. This
is not a throwback to a romantic medievalism, but rather the symbolic
recognition that in this modern, fast-paced, impersonal, dog-eat-dog
world, Freemasons still believe in and stand for the knightly
values of courage and faithfulness, courtesy and kindness, honesty
and fairness. These are the values that will continue to attract
the kind of men we seek. But we have to live up to these values.
Each of us needs to be the kind of person who inspires trust and
confidence in others so that people will say: "If he is the
type of person who is a Mason, that is the organization for me."
Second, we must tell our story. Today, public awareness of our Fraternity has declined to the point that many are unclear about what Freemasonry stands for and what it does. Because of our silence, they get misinformation from scandalous accounts in sensationalist publications that purport to tell about the "secrets" of Freemasonry.
We have not escaped criticism by lowering our heads and trying to avoid controversy; we have only become more obscure and more of a target. The answer is to raise our profile in our communities and in society at large, to publicize our activities, and to proclaim what we stand for. To do this, each of us must now become an effective ambassador of Freemasonry. Reduced to bare essentials, we need to ensure that everyone in America knows at least seven things about Freemasonry:
Attracting Masons At Heart
Finally, we cannot ignore the developing crisis of declining membership.
Although we do not solicit members, we must work actively to interest
men in Freemasonry. We all know men who are Masons in every way
but one; they have not yet petitioned the Fraternity. We must
make it possible for them to ask us for a petition, and we must
be prepared to answer two questions.
The first is "Why join an organization at all?" Many
good men do not feel they can join an organization and still devote
enough energy to their job, take care of their family, be active
in their church, and have a little time left to relax. The answer
is that man is fundamentally a social creature with an inherent
need for friendship, love, and association with others. Thus,
the right organization can play a very positive role in every
good man's life by helping his personal growth, expanding his
circle of friends, and making him a well-rounded human being.
With so many organizations competing for members, the second and even more critical question is: "Why join the Masons?" The answer is that Freemasonry, with its proud history and rich tradition, is the one organization with everything. It is a social and fraternal organization, but it has a more serious side. It brings together men for worthwhile activities, gives them a sense of belonging, an opportunity for personal development through involvement in activities which are socially responsible and impact favorably on their fellowman and on their community.
The men we are seeking recognize we live in dangerous times when moral and social advancement has not kept pace with scientific and technological progress. They know weapons of mass destruction are often in the hands of men without scruples or conscience. They are worried about scientific advances that may save our bodies at the cost of our humanity. Such men will want to play a role in an organization that seeks to redress the balance, and they belong with us in a fraternal organization dedicated to the propagation of moral values and ethical precepts.
It is necessary that each of us carry our message to such men, men we know at work and at church, in our social relationships and in our professional associations. These men already are Masons in their hearts, but do not know who we are or how to approach us. We must educate them about Freemasonry, interest them in our work, and lay the groundwork so that they will ask to join. Each of us must be engaged in the revitalization of our great Fraternity. We owe it to the Masons who came before us and to those who will come after us. We must bequeath to them a strong and vibrant Freemasonry.
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Edmund Cohen is a senior executive with the Federal government. An attorney and member of the D.C. and Virginia bars, he is currently Grand Junior Steward of the Grand Lodge of Virginia and a member of the Board of Governors of the Masonic Home of Virginia. Bro. Cohen is a Past Master of Henry Lodge No. 57 in Fairfax, Virginia, and a Past District Deputy Grand Master. He is currently High Priest of Loudoun Royal Arch Chapter, in Herndon, Virginia, and a member of the Valley of Alexandria, Virginia, where he is Senior Warden of the Lodge of Perfection. |