The Scottish Rite And Extremism

Dr. E. Necdet Egeran,  33°

The broad road of Scottish Rite philosophy has many avenues between unacceptable extremes.

Photo: Dr. E. Necdet Egeran,  33°
During my 50 years of Masonic life, I had the good fortune to be very active and, by successive elections, to assume important duties in Freemasonry, including Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Turkey. Being a dedicated worker for the betterment of Turkish Masonry, I served both in Blue Lodge and in Scottish Rite, except for an involuntary interruption of a few years. I shared my thoughts with the Brethren through my talks in Lodges as frequently as possible in order to attain a clearer understanding of the Masonic teachings through my own interpretations, without any pretensions.

I have always thought that the Scottish Rite Degrees are progressive. Step by step, they supplement and complete the teachings of the first Three Degrees in moral and philosophical knowledge, forming a clear system of Masonic thought. My aim has always been to learn well and to share this knowledge with my Brethren.

When a Master Mason enters into the Scottish Rite Degrees, he finds himself in a large avenue with many lanes. Two high walls are delimiting the avenue's borders, Humanism to the left and Theism to the right. The Master Mason may choose for himself any lane either close to Humanism or to Theism or a lane somewhere between the two. He can move freely between the high Humanistic and Theistic walls, but he cannot go beyond them. This means that the Scottish Rite Masonic system is set up in such a way that both extreme points of Humanistic and Theistic thought, which I see as Communism and Fundamentalism, are not viable avenues for a Mason. These extremities fall in one or more of the following targets against which Scottish Rite carries on a war: Ignorance, Bigotry and Error, especially when adherents of either extreme become fanatical and threaten the order of society.

A Mason is, of course, well attached to both Theistic and Humanistic thought and morality in principle, being a real believer in God and the eternity of the soul from one aspect and, on the other, a builder of the Temple of Humanity as a perfect ideal. As to the direction of the avenue and who traced it, a Scottish Rite Mason believes that his own soul and all others, being a part of the Grand Architect of the Universe, ever travel toward the Light and God.

The Scottish Rite teaches that God is loving and has a concern for each individual, because each individual soul is an emanation from Him. Therefore, the direction of the avenue has been traced beforehand by God and by human souls. That is why, when a Freemason takes his place in one of the lanes of the avenue, he never loses the sense of reaching toward the Light of Truth.
It is obvious that with his first step into the inner sanctuary of Freemasonry, a Mason's main attempt is to seek the Truth. Perfect Truth is unattainable, but we must try to approach it as closely as possible. One must pass through the darkness to reach the Light. The beginning of the avenue may be in darkness, but the virtues taught in the Degrees of every Blue Lodge or Scottish Rite Temple are candles successively placed on each lane of the avenue. As we travel, we go gradually from darkness toward the Light, which, while still not the Perfect Truth, represents the Supreme Being as best conceived within the limits of our human consciousness. Our souls alone shall continue climbing slowly toward the goal of perfection, however unattainable in this life.

Enver Necdet Egeran
was born in Cyprus on January 17, 1907, and graduated as a Geological Engineer, earning his Doctorate degree from the University of Nancy in France. In his professional capacity, he worked for the Government of Turkey where he served as the Managing Director of the Geological Survey of Turkey and of the Petroleum Department of the Mineral Research and Exploration Institute. After the denationalization of the oil business in Turkey, he was the Vice President of the Petroleum Administration until his retirement in 1956. He then joined Mobil Exploration Mediterranean Inc. as a Director and served as General Manager. In 1968, Dr. Egeran established his own consulting firm, which remained active until 1991, and he is the editor of geological and tectonical maps of Turkey. Very active in social life, he has been the Chairman of several national and multi-national organizations, including the Ankara Rotary Club and the Turkish American Association. Initiated into Freemasonry in 1949, he was elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Turkey in 1965 and is the author of a book on Freemasonry as well as numerous articles and papers on the Craft.