From: GOD
To: My Children on Earth
Re: Idiotic Religious Rivalries


    My Dear Children (and believe Me, that's each of
you),  I consider Myself a pretty patient guy. I mean,
look at the Grand Canyon. It took millions of years
to get it right. And about evolution? Boy, nothing is
slower than designing that whole Darwinian thing,
to take place, cell by cell, and gene by gene.
    I've been patient through your fashions, civiliza
tions, wars and schemes, and the countless ways
you take Me for granted until you get yourselves
into big trouble again and again. I want to let you
know about some of the things that are starting to
tick Me off. 
    First of all, your religious rivalries are driving Me
up a wall. Enough already!  Let's get one thing
straight. These are YOUR religions, not Mine. I'm
the whole enchilada; I'm beyond them all. Every one
of your religions claims there is only one of Me
(which by the way, is absolutely true). But in the
very next breath, each religion claims it's My favor
ite one. And each claims its Bible was written
personally by Me, and that all the other Bible's are
man made. 
    Oh, Me.  How do I even begin to put a stop to
such complicated nonsense? Okay, listen up now.
I'm your Father AND Mother, and I don't play
favorites among My children. Also, I hate to break
it to you, but I don't write (though, as you can see,
I'm a fair typist). My longhand is awful, and I've
always been more of a "doer" anyway. So ALL of
your books, including those Bible's, were written by
men and women. They were inspired, remarkable
people, but they also made mistakes here and there.
I made sure of that, so that you would never trust a
written word more than your own living heart.
    You see, one human being to me, even a bum on
the street, is worth more than all the Holy Books in
the world. That's just the kind of guy I am. My
Spirit is not a historical thing, it's alive right here,
right now, as fresh as your next breath. Holy books
and religious rites are sacred and powerful, but not
more so than the least of you. They were only meant
to steer you in the right direction, not to keep you
arguing with each other, and certainly not to keep
you from trusting your own personal connection
with Me.
    Which brings Me to My next point about your
nonsense. You act like I need you and your religions
to stick up for Me or "win souls" for My sake. Plea-

se, don't do Me any favors. I can stand quite well on
my own, thank you. I don't need you to defend Me,
and I don't need constant credit. I just want you to
be good to each other. And another thing, I don't get
all worked up over money or politics, so stop drag
ging My name into your dramas. For example, I
swear to Me (*smile*), I never threatened Oral
Roberts. I never rode in any of Rajneesh's Rolls
Royces. I didn't put any Pope in office. I never told
Pat Robertson to run for president, and I've never
EVER had a private conversation with Jim Baker,
Jerry Falwell, or Jimmy Swaggart! Of course, come
Judgment Day, I certainly intend to. The thing is, I
want you to stop thinking of religion as some sort of
loyalty pledge to Me. The true purpose of your
religions is so that YOU can become more aware of
ME, not the other way around. Believe Me, I know
you already. 
    I know what's in each of your hearts, and I love
you with no strings attached. Lighten up and enjoy
Me. That's what religion is best for. What you seem
to forget is how mysterious I am. You look at the
petty differences in your Scriptures and say, "Well,
if THIS is the truth, then THAT can't be!" But
instead of trying to figure out My paradox's and
Unfathomable Nature, which by the way, you
NEVER will, why not open your hearts to the
simple common threads in all religions. 
 You know what I'm talking about. Love and respect
everyone. Be kind, even  when life is scary or
confusing, take courage and be of good cheer, for I
am always with you. Learn how to be quiet, so you
can hear My still, small voice. (I don't like to shout.)
Leave the world a better place by living your life
with dignity and gracefulness, for you are My Own
Child. Hold back nothing from life, for the parts of
you that can die surely will, and  the parts that can't,
won't.  So don't worry, be happy. (I stole that last
line from Bobby McFerrin, but who do you think
gave it to him in the first place?)
    Simple stuff. Why do you keep making it so
complicated? It's like you're always looking for an
excuse to be upset. And I'm very tired of being your
main excuse. Do you think I care whether you call
me.... Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Wakantonka,
Brahma, Father, Mother or even the Void of Nir
vana? Do you think I care which of My special
children you feel closest to, Jesus, Buddha, Rishna,
Mohammed or any of the others? You can call Me
and My Special Ones any name you choose, if only
you would go about My business  of loving one
another as I love you. 
    How can you keep neglecting something so
simple? I'm not telling you to abandon your reli
gions. Enjoy your religions, honor them, learn from
them, just as you should enjoy, honor, and learn
from your parents. But do you  walk around telling
everyone that your parents are better than theirs?
Your religion, like your parents, may always have
the most special place in your heart, I don't mind
that at all. Each religion is unique for a reason. Each
has a unique style so that people can find the best
path for themselves.
    But My Special Children, the ones that your
religions revolve around, all live in the same place,
(My heart), and they get along perfectly, I assure
you. The clergy must stop creating a myth of sibling
rivalry where there is none. My blessed children of
Earth, the world has grown too small for your
pervasive religious bigotry's and confusion. The
whole planet is connected by air travel, satellite
dishes, computers, telephones, fax machines, rock
concerts, diseases, and mutual needs and concerns.
    Get with the program! If you really want to help,
then commit yourselves to figuring out how to feed
your hungry, clothe your naked, protect your abused
and shelter your poor.  And just as importantly,
make your own everyday life a shining example of
kindness and good humor. I've given you all the
resources you need, if only you abandon your fear of
each other and  begin living, loving and laughing
together.
I'm not really ticked off. I just wanted to grab your
attention because I hate to see you suffer. But I gave
you free will. I just want you to be happy.

 Always Trust in Me. Your One and Only,

 God



From: "Dr. Roger M. Firestone" 
  There is no comma in the EA phrase, "t l t s m p..." 
Those who think there should be are demonstrating for
us how ritual changes and why many jurisdictions,
especially those without a cipher, have vastly different
rituals.  (E.g., how a Sea Captain and a Wayfaring
Man get joined together, perhaps when those who
memorized parts were fewer and sometimes had to do
more than one, to become a Seafaring Man. Or why
extremely unusual words, like "caviling," get pre
served, while commonplace ones or mere archaisms,
get changed--as "aught" becomes "any.")
  But the proof is in the 2nd degree, 2nd section, in
which the SD describes speculative Masonry: "By
speculative Masonry, we learn to subdue the passions,
act upon the square,..." There is obviously no place for
a comma after the word "learn" in this discourse,
which clearly is intended to parallel the lesson taught
to the EA. 
  "A general love of learning" is taught in the FC
degree.  The EA is taught a different lesson--that of
self-control, through keeping silent, especially about
the secrets of Freemasonry.  In addition, the inserted
comma implies that the Mason should subdue his
passions always. This is not the proper lesson. A man
who gives free reign to his passions is not under
control, but neither is a man who never allows them to
be used. There is a time and place for passion, even in
Freemasonry.  (The Cryptic Mason signs his missives
"zealously" rather than "fraternally"--but he has
learned a lesson about the proper place and time for
zeal, as well.) To have one's passions subdued, rather
than controlled, is not what Masonry teaches--t he
Mason who has learned to subdue his passions has, by
implication, gained control over them and should,
given the knowledge of the other degrees, know when
to use that control to subdue them or when to use that
control to stir them to action.
  The comma is not there in the cipher, nor does it
belong.  To place it there is to obscure an important
lesson and improperly anticipate the lesson of a subse
quent degree.
Roger M. Firestone, 32 KCCH
Musician/Lodge Educ. Ofcr., Henry Lodge #57,
AF&AM of VA, Fairfax 



                         



From: "Michael L.Segall (FR) 
>>>Which is correct:
to learn to subdue my passions and improve myself in
Masonry .... or to learn, to subdue my passions and
improve myself in Masonry ...<<< 
  I'm a little late in responding to your initial question
and many Brethren have already made some very
interesting comments. I will however express a brief
opinion.I think that both are correct, and that it doesn't
matter. Our texts, be they rituals, catechisms and so on,
have three distinct functions:
  One is to build a bridge (aren't we all pontifici<g>?)
between individual Masons, lodges and Grand Lodges,
reuniting men who would have otherwise remained at
a perpetual distance. To that end, and taking  in
account the many differences between our rituals and
catechisms, it is important to stick to them just as they
appear in each of our Grand Lodges' traditions 
  Even if we know that things change, however slowly
but always, they are important to us as the means to
test and be tested, preliminary to recognizing and being
recognized.
  Another function, and this applies mainly to ritual, is
to emphasize that, at least for a couple of hours, we are
abandoning the noise and fury of the profane world for
the harmony and the timeless of the Lodge, and to
supply a smooth transition between the two.
  Finally, rituals and catechisms contain the concen
trated symbolic meanings and teachings of Masonry as
a whole. It is by meditating on the meaning, interpreta
tion and application of our rituals that we can progress
in our understanding of who we are, whence we are
coming, where we are going and why, as men and
Masons.
  Thus I think that in the matter of that comma between
"to learn" and "to subdue" it is good, in lodge, to stick
to the traditions of our Grand Lodges. I also think that
we have the right thereafter, in our own thoughts and
minds, to place that comma --or those commas-- as we
like and according to our conscience, in the way that
best fits our needs. If my passions are my major prob
lem in Masonry, I'd put no comma. If learning is my
major challenge, I'd put it in.
Fraternally, Mike Segall, PM,




(although one of our members swears there is no
comma anywhere..he probably thinks the King James
version is the original also! (vbg)); 
This reminds me of the time I was attending college
back in the early 50's.  The Revised Standard Version
of the Holy Bible had just come out and there was a
special meeting at the church I was attending to present
it to the congregation.  When the meeting was over
there was a little old grey haired woman sitting behind
me and I heard her say "Well, if the King James
Version was good enough for Jesus it's good enough
for me!"

Dear Brother Pete,
In your response to Bro. David you allude "Tradition".
Here's a tradition:
  A bride prepares her first dinner. Her hubby asks,
"Honey, the dinner was terrific, but why did you cut the
ends off the ham before you baked it?" She said, "I
don't know, but my mother always baked it that way.
By the way, she has invited us to dinner next week, you
can ask her then". The following week  the bride's
mom served baked ham - with the ends cut off.
  The man asks his bride's Mom why the ends were cut
off. She replied, "I don't know, but that's the way my
mother always baked it". A couple of weeks go by and
the newlyweds visit Grandma. The man asked the
Grandmother about the cutting off the ends of ham
prior to baking. Grandma answered, "When I got
married, we were very poor and the largest baking pan
I could afford to buy was too small for the ham, so I
had to cut the ends off."
             That's tradition!

This reminds me of a story on one of my very good
friends, a Texas PGM. He had been to a Masonic
meeting that was a good distance from his farm and he
was returning home very late.  He was on a black top
road that was very narrow when he had a flat tire. 
There was no moon to give him light and the rear tire
was in total darkness.  He tried several times to get the
jack in place, but was having no luck when he heard a
car approaching.  He got in the middle of the road and
waved frantically to get the driver to stop.  The car
stopped and a black man stepped out of it and into the
beam of the headlights.  When my friend told him what
the problem was he got back in his car and positioned
it so the headlights were on the flat tire.  He then got
out and helped with changing the tire.  When the job
was finished my freind offered to pay him for his help. 
Evidently the man had seen the Grand Lodge sticker on
the back window of my friend's car because he said,
"You don't owe me a thing, but you sure need to work
on your GHS, bro
          