LODGE RE-CONSECRATED
IN EAST GERMANY

Jena,German~. OnNovember 16,1991,
members of Johannis Loge Sum
Markischen Hammer in Ludenscheid, in
former West Germany, travelled to the
town of Jena in former East Germany to
sponsor the revival of the lodge there.

Freemasonry was outlawed in
Germany by Hitler and the National
Socialist Party, and those lodges in former
East Germany remained closed under the
post-war Communist government. Only
now, with the recent fall of Communism,
is Freemasonry beginning to reappear in
what was the German Democratic
Republic. But prejudice and mistrust of
Freemasonry still exist in an area where
individual freedom has been outlawed for
over half a century.

'But preju~ice an~f mistrust of
~reemasonry stiae7ast....

The new Master of the lodge, Hans-
Joachim Naber and his officers are all
from Ludenscheid, but they have just
recently initiated three new Entered
Apprentices from Jena. It is expected that
in a very few years the Jena brethren will
be numerous and experienced enough to
assume the governance of their own lodge.

The ceremonies of re-Consecration
and installation were attended by brethren
from England and France.

M. S. A. APPEALS FOR

AID TO GRAND LODGES

IN EASTERN EUROPE

Silver Spring, MD. The Masonic Service
Associationrecentlyreported onthe good
response to its appeal for funds to assist
the emerging grand lodges of Eastern
Europe. Support for the appeal has
increased steadily as word of it has spread
among American grand lodges.

The May 1992 issue of EmessayNotes
stated that the American-Canadian Grand
Lodge of Germany reported on the appeal
to the Senate meeting of the United Grand
Lodgesof Germanywhichenthusiastically
welcomed the news of support from the
grand lodges of North America. Funds
donated to the appeal may be sent to the
Masonic Service Assn., 8120 Fenton St.,
Silver Spring MD 20910, and may be
designated for the support of Freemasonry
in Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary
or Poland.

NEW MEXICO PERMITS

"INVITATION" AND

LOWERS AGE REQUIREMENT

Albuquerque, NM. In an article titled
"Selective Invitation" which appeared in
the April - May issue of The New Mexico
Freemason, it was reported that the Grand
Lodge of New Mexico has adopted
legislation stating that "any Master Mason
in good standing may invite a man he
knows to be of good character and morals
to join the fraternity...."

However, in an interview with New
Mexico Grand Secretary Ray Carpenter,
it was learned that the wording of the
legislation may be a bit misleading.
Masons may not invite men to "join the
fraternity," but rather they may invite
men to "petition for membership in the
fraternity." Prospective members are still
expected to petition, undergo an
investigation and wait for their petition to
be balloted upon. There is therefore no
difference in status between petitioners
who have not been invited to petition and
those that have.

Carpenter further explained that
previous to this new legislation New
Mexico Masons were not permitted to
issue an invitation to petition to a man
who had expressed an interest in the
fraternity. However, this prohibition was
not codified in law but was simply a
tradition. Therefore, the new law is not so
much a change in law as it is a change of
common practice.

Historically, few grand lodges, if any,
have ever prohibited members from
inviting a man to petition for membership.
Most simply recognize the impractical
aspect of issuing what can only be a hollow
invitation to a man who must still petition
and be balloted upon.

In other legislation, the grand lodge
lowered its minimum legal age for
petitioners to 19 years of age.

COMPUTER BULLETIN

BOARDS ATTRACT MASONS

AND ANTI-MASONS

Washington, D.C. The August 1992
issue of The Scottish Rite Journal reports
on two popular interactive computer
services, Prodigy and CompuServe. Both
services offer sections on Freemasonry.

CompuServe established a Masonic
message section in April that has become
very active with callers from all over the
world. CompuServe * "Cornerstone
Computer Chapter-' has become the first
'-telecommunications chapter" of the
Philalethes Society, the International
Masonic Research Society. CompuServe
offers a free introductory subscription plus
a $15 usage credit to those Masons who
call 1-800-848-8199 and ask for
representative #378.

Prodigy permits subscribers to create
their own subjects under a variety of
bulletin board topics. Subjects dealing
with Freemasonry can be found grouped
under the "Hobbies" topic of the Prodigy
Homelife Club, one of the eight bulletin
board "clubs," and are preceded by the
abbreviation "FM." Tom Dean, Past
Master of Oxnard Lodge No. 34 1, Oxnard,
CA, has formed "Electronik Research
Lodge No. 1," an unofflcial computer
"research lodge" that meets daily under
the "Hobbies" topic.

In recent months, several non-Masons
have invaded the bulletin board with anti-
Masonic information, often printing
portions of the Masonic ritual and
passwords familiar to craft lodge Masons.
The vast majority of Masonic subscribers,
unwilling to provide a forum for the anti-
Masons, ignore the anti-Masonic
messages. But an ever-growing number
of Masons are beginning to respond to the
anti-Masons, thereby turning the formerly
Masonic subjects into a battleground with
theconservativereligiousfundamentalists.
The increasing discord has caused many
Masonic contributors to cancel their
subscriptions.
BAPTISTS VOTE TO

STUDY FREEMASONRY

Indianapolis, IN. At the annual meeting
of the Southern Baptist Convention,
delegates voted to begin a yearlong study
of Freemasonry. The convention, held
June 9-11 in Indianapolis, overruled a
previous vote by the Southern Baptist
Home Mission Board's Interfaith Witness
Department. In that decision, the board
declined to consider the issue. The
Interfaith Witness Department issues
position papers on religions, sects and
cults, but not on fraternal organizations,
according to Gary Leazar, head of the
department.

However, the church-s conservative
fundamentalist majority was easily
swayed by Dr. James L. Holly of
Beaumont, TX. Holly has authored,
published and distributed an inflamatory
booklet titled The Southern Baptist
Convention and Freemasonry. The
rhetoric used in the booklet is best
illustrated by Holly's description of the
Masonic fraternity as a "spiritually
devastating and unGodly brotherhood of
Satanic darkness." One section of Holly 's
booklet describes Masonry's teaching of
toleration as anti-Christian.

The infiltration by fundamentalists
in recent years has many members of the
troubled denomination concerned that the
Southern Baptist Convention is narrowing
its appeal and moving even further away
frommainstreamAmericanprotestantism.
The Masonic fraternity has long enjoyed
a sizeable number of Southern Baptists
among itsmembers. Arecentpoll of 1,400
Southern Baptists found that 14 percent of
pastors and 18 percent of church deacon
chairmen interviewed are Masons.

NEW BOOKLET ANSWERS

ANTI-MASONIC CHARGES

Guthrie, OK. In response to the anti-
Masonic movement among conservative
churches, the Masonic Leadership
Institute, located at Guthrie, Oklahoma,
haspublished Conscienceand the Craft, a
ten page booklet dealing with questions
on religion and Freemasonry.

The booklet deals with both the simple
and complex issues most frequently raised
by fundamentalists in attacking the
symbolism, philosophy and ritual of the
Masonic fraternity.

The booklet, authored by Jim Tresner,
Ph.D., was distributed to members of the
press attending the recent Southern Baptist
Convention and has been met with praise
from many grand jurisdictions that have
reviewed it.

In an interview with Tresner
concerning the actions of the Baptist
convention, he said that if the Baptists do
a study of the fraternity, "they will find us
to be partners, not competitors."

Tresner, who holds the 33 in the
Scottish Rite, is editor of The Oklahoma
Mason, is a video script consultant to the
National Masonic Renewal Committee,
and is a regular contributor to the Scottish
Rite Journal.

GRAND COMMANDER

ISSUES STATEMENT ON BOOK

BY PAT ROBERTSON

Washington, D.C. The Sovereign Grand
Commander of the Scottish Rite Southern
Jurisdiction, C. Fred Kleinknecht 33,
issued an open letter to the Reverend Pat
Robertson correcting one of the many
inaccuracies that appear in Robertson's
new book, The New World Order.

The book published in 1991 by
Robertson's own Word Publishing
Company has not been taken seriously by
legitimate scholars of politics and history,
but it has had a significant impact upon
the less sophisticated, conservative
American reading public.

On page 184, Robertson reproduces
a quotation falsely attributed to Albert
Pike 33, Sovereign Grand Commander
of the Scottish Rite, 1859-91. According
to Grand Commander Kleinknecht, the
quotation, titled "Instructions to the
twenty-three Supreme Councils of the
World,July 14, 1889,"falselymakesPike
an advocate of "Luciferian Doctrine."

Originally written in French, after
Pike's death, by the notorious atheist
Gabriel Jogand-Pages, who was better
known under his pen narne, Leo Taxil, the
false "Instructions" were written as part
of an elaborate hoax and were published
in 1894 by Abel Clarin de la Rive in La
Femme et l'Enfant dans la Franc-
Maconnerie Universelle (Women and
Children in Universal Freemasonry).

Taxil publicly exposed his hoax on
April 19,1897, and de la Rive, who had
been fooled by Taxil, publicly denounced
the writings of Taxil. The hoax is well
known to most Masonic scholars, but
apparently not to Robertson ' s researchers .

Robertson is best known as the head
of a fundamentalist quasi-religious and
political organization that engineered his
unsuccessful bid for the Republican
Presidential nomination in 1988.

MASSACHUSETTS PRODUCES

INFORMATIONAL BROCHURE

TO COMPLEMENT VIDEO

Boston, MA. The Masonic Awareness
Committee of the Grand Lodge of
Massachusetts has recently published a
beautiful twelve page full color
informational brochure titled What It
Means To Be A Mason. Designed to
complement the recently produced video
of the same name, it contains a wealth of
information about Freemasonry.

Probably the most striking element
of the brochure is the beautiful color
graphics, illustrations and photographs.
Among these are pictures of Grand Masters
Paul Revere of Massachusetts (1794) and
Harry S. Truman of Missouri (1940), the
Allyn Cox mural of Washington leveling
the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol in
1793, Mozart's Masonic apron, a portrait
of John Wayne, a photograph of Astronaut
Buzz Aldrin on the moon, Masonic
working tools, and more.

The various sections of the brochure
deal with the aspects of Masonic tradition
and history, the belief in "old-fashioned
values," the fraternal aspect of
Freemasonry, a personal Code of Moral
Ethics, and the charitable side of the
fraternity.

The brochure and the video are
available from the Grand Lodge of
Massachusetts, Supply Dept., 186
Tremont Street, Boston MA 02111.
NEWSWEEK CRITICIZES

SHRINE HOSPITALS

New York, NY. An article in Newsweek
Magazine,titled'-OtherPeople'sMoney"
(March 16, 1992), listed The Shriners
Hospitals for Crippled Children among
several national charities criticized by the
Council of Better Business Bureaus for
failure to spend a larger share of its annual
revenue on its primary purpose.

The article, written by Steven
Waldman of Washington, D.C., with
Karen Dukess of Tampa, FL, reported
thatof$412millionraisedfortheShriners
Hospitals in 1990 only 52.5 percent went
directly to the hospitals. According to the
samearticle,thenationalaverageformajor
charities is roughly 76%.

Lewis K. Molnar, executive vice
president of the Shriners Hospitals
explained that the remaining money is
invested in an endowment fund to provide
additional income to keep pace with
inflation and meet future needs. The
implication of the article was that by
putting money away to invest in its future
the Shrine Hospitals corporation was
failing to use its income wisely.

The article was accompanied by a
photo of a Shriner with a fez driving a
miniature automobile.

SEVEN ORTHODOX MONKS

RECEIVE DEGREES

Lincoln, NE. The Nebraska Mason
newspaper, published by the Grand Lodge
of Nebraska, recently reported that seven
Gnostic Orthodox monks from the Holy
Protection Gnostic Orthodox Monastery
of Geneva, Nebraska, had received the
degrees of Masonry.

The monks became interested in
Freemasonry after they had witnessed a
comerstone leveling ceremony in 1989
and subsequently invited Nebraska Grand
Master Thomas W. Tye to level the
comerstone for their new monastery. That
ceremony was Feceded by a dinner hosted
by Abbot Bishop Burke and the 6 monks
of the new monastery.

Sincethen,allsevenhavebeenraised
to the degree of Master Mason in Mid
West Lodge No 317 at Hastings, Nebraska .
Hastings is approximately 50 miles west
of Geneva, a town of 2100 population,
where the monastery is located. Past Grand
Master James N. DeMoss was
instrumental in assisting the monks in
petitioning for and receiving the degrees.

Theodore Hamilla, a spokesman for
the Orthodox Square Clubs of America,
Inc., stated, ' Orthodox Christian Masons
are aware that the hierarchy of the
Orthodox faith have, over the past many
years, looked upon the Masonic fratemity
as a determent to the philosophy of the
Orthodox faith. Those of us who are
members of the fraternity do not share this
thinking. Further, this is supported since
we do have Orthodox clergy who are
members of the fratemity. They are
successful leaders and deeply respected
by the members of their parishes, as well
as by Orthodox Masons.'

This is believed to be the first time in
history that men who have taken the
traditional monastic vows of poverty and
obedience have been permitted to take the
degrees of Speculative Freemasonry and
their accompanying obligations.

200TH ANNIVERSARY

OF WHITE HOUSE

CORNERSTONE PLANNED

Washington, D.C. Plans for the
celebration of the 200th anniversary of
the leveling of the White House
Comerstonearebeingfinalized. Originally
scheduled for Monday, October 12, the
new plans call for the ceremonies and
celebrations to take place on Tuesday,
October 13, 1992.

The grand lodges of Maryland,
Virginia and the District of Columbia will
host the event which will commemorate
one of the most significant Masonic events
in American history, the leveling of the
White House comerstone by President
George Washington, Past Master of
Alexandria Lodge No. 22.

The days events will begin with a
church service at 7:30 am at St. John's
Episcopal Church, the traditional "Church
of the Presidents,' followed by the
reenactment of the leveling of the
comerstone ceremony and celebration
from 9:00 to 11:45 am on the Ellipse near
the White House. The public is invited to
attend both these events.

The afternoon and evening events
will include a luncheon and bus tour from
12:15pmto4:00pm,andaReceptionand
Banquet from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. Both of
these events are by subscription. Complete
information will be sent to all grand
secretaries of fices before August 31. For
further information telephone Mary
Friend, Administrative Assistant in the
Grand Lodge Offices in Washington, at
(202)686-181 1.

The Bicentennial Cornerstone
Committee is currently negotiating special
rates for visiting Masons at the Henley
Park Hotel, the Capitol Hilton and the
Hotel Washington. Masons arriving on
Monday are invited to attend a Grand
Visitation at Anacostia Lodge No. 21,
2010 Martin Luther King Ave. SE. A
seperate program will be planned for the
ladies at a seperate location. Information
packets will be available at your hotel
when you check in.

SCOTTISH RITE TEMPLE
DAMAGED IN L. A. RIOTS

Los Angeles, CA. The July 1992 issue of
the Scottish RiteJournalreported damage
caused by the May riots to the Los Angeles
Scottish Rite Temple. The beautiful
marble and the first floor offices of the
building, which stands at 4357 Wilshire
Boulevard, were damaged by fire.
Fortunately the damage was confined to
the lower level and is covered by insurance .

~ls a resu~t of the e~erience, 36~cati~
~uarlfsmen requeste~petitions for the
mysteries of ~reemasonry.

Shortly thereafter, the temple became
home to 400 National Guardsmen from
the 3rd Battalion of the 185th Armor.
During their stay at the Temple, guardsmen
wereprovidedwithfoodandentertainment
by members of the Los Angeles Scottish
Rite. As a result of the experience, 36
National guardsmen requested petitions
for the mysteries of Freemasonry.
SCOTTISH RITE PUBLISHES

PLUMBLINE, CREDITS

AMER. MASONIC REVIEW

Washington, DC. The newly formed
Scottish Rite Research Society has come
out with a new lookfor the second issue of
The Plumbline, the Society's official
quarterly publication. This second issue,
dated June 1992, is printed on gray paper
with a black and purple masthead.

On page 2, Dr. Brent Morris 33,
Editor, states, "Journalistic integrity
demands that we acknowledge some of
the inspiration for the design of The
Plumbline. Anyone familiar with the
American Masonic Review will note
immediately the similarity of its layout
and that of The Plumbline." He adds, "...it
is only common sense to emulate only the
best designed publications.'V Imitation is
indeed the sincerest form of flattery.

Since January a number of Masonic
publications have endorsed American
Masonic Review, including The Scottish
Rite Journal, The Northern Light, The
Philalethes Magazine, and a number of
grand lodge magazines and research lodge
newsletters.

Charter Memberships in the Scottish
Rite Research Society are still available
for $100, plus $35 for 1992 dues. Send
your check to Plez Transou, Secretary,
S.R.R.S., Dallas Scottish Rite, P.O. Box
1850, Dallas TX 75221. His phone number
is (214)748-9196.

MASONIC ANALOGY USED

TO DESCRIBE SERBIAN

PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC

Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Milos Vasic, a
journalist for the Belgrade weekly
newspaper Vreme recently described
Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic as
an opportunist who would do anything to
further his personal advancement. Said
Vasic, "If tomorrow he found it fit to be a
Freemason,he'dbethefirstGrandMaster
of the first Serbian lodge."

In an article that appeared in the June
8, 1992, issue of Time Magazine, "The
Butcher of the Balkans," author James L.
Graff reported on the man who he says
"has seized on generations of ethnic
hatreds and resentments to turn what was
once Yugoslavia into a slaughterhouse."

The illustrationby thejournalist Vasic
utilizing the Masonic analogy casts a great
deal of light on the view of Freemasonry
asabastionoftolerationandunderstanding
in a part of the world that desperately
needs its influence.

JAMAICA ISSUES MASONIC

POSTAGE STAMPS

Kingston, Jamaica. A set of four new
postage stamps commemorating the 250
anniversary of the first Provincial Grand
Master in Jamaica under the English
Constitution has been issued by the
Jamaican Post Office.

The stamps come in four
denominations, 50c, $1.10, $1.40, and
$25, and all bear the inscription:

1742-1992
First Provincial Grand Master of
English Freemasonry in Jamaica
250th ANNIVERSARY

ST. ALBAN'S SHRINE

TO BE RESTORED

AFTER 450 YEARS

St. Alban's, England. The Very Rev.
Peter Moore, Dean of St. Alban's
Cathedral, has announced plans for the
restoration of the 14th century marble
shrine pedestal dedicated to St. Alban,
England's first martyr. The pedestal was
destroyed in 1539 during the Protestant
Reformation. Since 1872, when it was
rediscovered and reassembled, the shrine
has deteriorated to the point that it must be
restored in order to save it.

According to Professor Martin
Biddle, archaeological consultant to the
Cathedral, each piece and fragment must
be carefully taken apart, cleaned and
reassembled. Other pieces rediscovered
since 1872 can be added, and missing
pieces can be replaced with new pieces
identical to the original Purbeck marble.

St. Alban is remembered as the first
patron of masonry in England. He was
martyred in the year 209 and was buried in
the Roman cemetery near the site of the
present Cathedral . One hundred years later
a church was built over his tomb during
the reign of the Emperor Constantine.
Today, St. Alban's Cathedral remains as
the oldest place of worship in continuous
use in England.

In 793, King Offa of Mercia founded
the Benedictine monastery of St. Albans.
In place of this older Saxon structure, the
first Norman abbot built a larger Abbey
church between 1077 and 1088 using
Roman bricks from the ruined city of
Verulamium. This was the meeting place
for the Great Council of 1213 which
framed the "freedom clauses" for the
Magna Carta.

Large portions of the Abbey were
repaired and rebuilt during the 12th to the
14th centuries. It remained the premier
Abbey of medieval England until 1539
when the monastery was closed by Henry
VIII during the Protestant Reformation.

Donations to the Restoration Appeal
may be sent to:

"The Restoration Fund - Shrine of St.
Alban," The Deanery, Sumpter Yard, St.
Albans, Hertfordshire AL 1 lBY, England.
