THE BUILDER MARCH 1918

INTERNATIONALISM AND FREEMASONRY  
BY BRO. P. E. KELLETT, GRAND MASTER, MANITOBA

PART II.

LET us now briefly consider the great point of cleavage between
Anglo-Saxon Masonry and the Masonry of the Grand Orient of France.
This cleavage is based largely on the suspicion, if not on the
definite charge that French Masonry is atheistic in its practices
or in its tendencies.

The Grand Orient of France was organized in Paris in 1736. Its
constitution was of the model of Anderson's original Constitution
1723. The Grand Orient was recognized as legitimate Masonry by the
Grand Lodge of England, and in fact by all legitimate Masons
throughout the world. At that time in all Masonic Constitutions
there was an absolute absence of dogma concerning in which all men
agree; that is to be good men and true, men of God and religion,
and Masons were bound only to that religion in which all men agree;
that is to be good men and true, men of honor and honesty. The aim
of the fraternity was purely humanitarian, its principles broad
enough for men of every diverse opinion. The desire was simply to
unite them, whatever their private religious beliefs, in uplift
work for themselves and for humanity.

Changes came first in England. About the middle of the eighteenth
century, the so-called Landmarks regarding a declaration of belief
in the G. A. of the U. and the placing of the Bible on the Altar,
were adopted. Following this, for the greater part of a century the
French Constitution adhered strictly to the original plan of the
fraternity and did not contain that formula which has since, in
some places, come to be regarded as essential. During this time
neither the Grand Lodge of England nor any other recognized Grand
Lodge took any exception to this notable omission. French Masons
were considered neither "Godless" nor "Atheistic." As time went on,
the French Constitution was changed to conform to that of the Grand
Lodge of England. One writer has said this was co-incident with a
closer political approach of the two nations, England and France.
The constitution of the Grand Orient of France followed the English
copy until shortly after the Franco Prussian war, when they
reverted back to what it had been originally. Co-incident with this
change, history records political estrangement between France and
England which continued until recent years. When France reverted
back to her original constitution, the Grand Lodge of England
immediately afterwards severed relations with France, and generally
speaking, Masonry of English speaking countries followed suit,
claiming that the change made by the Grand Orient of France was
Atheistic in tendency.

Can French Masonry be said to be atheistical ? Atheism is the
doctrine that there is no God. It is no longer considered
reasonable for anyone to dogmatically assert that there is no God,
and it is a question if such a being as an atheist exists today.

There is no unbelief. 
Whoever plants a seed beneath the sod, 
And waits to see it push away the clod, 
He trusts in God.

Whoever says, when clouds are in the sky, 
"Be patient, heart; light breaketh by-and-by," 
Trusts the Most High

Whoever sees, 'neath winter's fields of snow, 
The silent harvest of the future grow, 
God's power must know.

Whoever lies down on his couch to sleep, 
Content to lock each sense in slumber deep, 
Knows God will keep.

Whoever says, "Tomorrow," "The Unknown," 
"The Future," trusts the Power alone 
He dares disown.

The heart that looks on when the eyelids close, 
And dares to live when life has only woes, 
God's comfort knows

There is no unbelief; 
And day by day, and night unconsciously, 
The heart lives by that faith the lips deny--
God knoweth why!

To be atheistic, French Masonry would need to have made the
dogmatic assertion, "There is no God." This it has never done. It
neither affirms nor denies anything relative to God. To suppose
that French Masons deny the existence of God is to totally
misunderstand them. They are as much averse to a dogmatic assertion
of that kind as to one of the opposite kind. They are simply
against a dogmatic assertion of any kind, as Masons, believing that
Masonry is antidogmatic. Many, and possibly all, of their members
would doubtless declare a belief in God at the proper time; but not
as Masons in a Masonic Lodge.

The French Masons found their attitude on the first edition of the
Constitution, which obliges Masons only to that religion in which
all men agree; that is, to be good and true, or men of honour and
honesty.

Let us briefly examine what ground there is for their stand, and
see whether or not we are justified in condemning it. For this
purpose I want to direct your attention to:

ANDERSON'S CONSTITUTION, 1723

Concerning God and Religion.

A Mason is obliged by his tenure to obey the Moral Law, and if he
rightly understands the Art he will never be a stupid atheist, nor
an irreligious Libertine. But though in ancient times Masons were
charged in every country to be of the religion of that country, or
nation, whatever it was, yet it is now thought more expedient only
to oblige them to that religion in which all men agree, leaving
their peculiar opinions to themselves; that is to be good men and
true men of Honour and Honesty by whatever Denominations or
Persuasions they may be distinguished; whereby Masonry becomes the
centre of union and the means of conciliating true friendship among
persons that must have remained at a perpetual distance.

OUR OWN CONSTITUTION Concerning God and Religion.

A Mason is obliged by his tenure to obey the Moral Law, and if he
rightly understands the Art he will never be a stupid atheist, nor
an irreligious Libertine. He, of all men, should best understand
that God seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward
appearance, but God looketh to the heart! A Mason is therefore
particularly bound never to act against the dictates of his
conscience. Let a man's religion or mode of worship be what it may,
he is not excluded from the Order, provided he believe in the
Architect of Heaven and Earth, and practice the sacred duties of
Morality. Masons unite with the virtuous of every persuasion, in
the firm and pleasing bond of fraternal love; they are taught to
view the errors of mankind with compassion, and to strive by the
purity of their own conduct to demonstrate the superior excellence
of the faith they may profess. Thus Masonry is the centre of union
between good men and true, and the happy means of conciliating
friendship amongst those who must otherwise have remained at a
perpetual distance.

CONSTITUTION OF GRAND ORIENT OF FRANCE

Freemasonry, an essentially philanthropical and progressive
institution, has for its object the pursuit of truth, the study of
morality, and the practice of solidarity; its efforts are directed
to the material and moral improvement and the intellectual and
social advancement of humanity. It has for its principles, mutual
tolerance, respect for others and for one's self, and absolute
liberty of conscience. Considering metaphysical conceptions as
belonging exclusively to the individual judgment of its members, it
refuses to accept any dogmatic affirmation. Its motto is: Liberty,
Equality, Fraternity.


As to whether the Grand Orient of France has departed farther from
the spirit and the letter of Anderson's original Constitution than
we have is not open to much controversy. The change they made in
1877 rather reverted back to it than went farther away from it.
To show the real misunderstanding that has occurred with regard to
their position let me quote from the minutes of their General
Conventions when the change was made. We can then understand what
the real meaning of their action was.

At the French Masonic Convention of 1876, on the proposal of a
Lodge in the department of the Rhone, a Committee was appointed to
consider the question of suppressing the second paragraph of the
first article of the Constitution, concerning God and Religion. The
Committee recommended that the proposition be postponed, and in
recommending this the reporter of the Committee, Bro. Maricault,
made the following statement:

"Your Commission has recognized that bad faith alone could
interpret the suppression demanded as a denial of the existence of
God and the immortality of-the soul; human solidarity and freedom
of conscience, which would be henceforth the exclusive basis of
Freemasonry, imply quite as strongly belief in God and in an
immortal soul as they do materialism, positivism, or any other
philosophic doctrine."

Postponement met with opposition. Bro. Andre Roussell, in
advocating immediate action, among other statements made the
following:

"I am anxious to recognize with my brother, the reporter of the
Commission, that Freemasonry is neither deistic, atheistic, or even
positivist. In so far as it is an institution affirming and
practicing human solidarity, it is a stranger to every religious
dogma and to every religious Order. Its only principle is an
absolute respect for freedom of conscience. In matters of faith it
confirms nothing and it denies nothing. It respects in an equal
degree all sincere convictions and beliefs. Thus the doors of our
temples open to admit Catholics as well as Protestants, to admit
the atheist as well as the deist, provided they are conscientious
and honourable. After the debate in which we are at present taking
part, no intelligent and honourable man will be able to seriously
state that the Grand Orient of France has acted from a desire to
banish from its Lodges belief in God and in the immortality of the
soul, but, on the contrary, that in the name of absolute freedom of
conscience it proclaims solemnly its respect for the convictions,
teachings, and beliefs of our ancestors. We refrain, moreover, as
much from denying as from affirming any dogma, in order that we may
remain faithful to our principles and practice of human
solidarity."

Bro. Minot, in speaking on the same subject, said: "The
Constitution of 1865 had realized a transitory progress. The work
must be completed and purified by suppressing dogma and by
rendering Masonry once again universal, by the proclamation of the
principle of absolute freedom of conscience. Let no one be mistaken
in this. It is not our aim to serve the interest of any philosophic
conception in particular by our action in laying aside all
distinction between doctrines. We have in view only one thing:
Freedom for each and respect for all."

The recommendation of the Committee prevailed, and action was
postponed. In 1877, after a year's study by the Lodges, the change
was adopted by an almost unanimous vote. The reporter of the
Committee at the time said: "Who is not aware, at this moment, that
in advocating this suppression no one among us understands himself
as making a profession of atheism and materialism. In regard to
this matter every misunderstanding must disappear from our minds,
and, if in any Lodge there should remain any doubt in reference to
this point, let them know that the Commission declares without
reservation that by acceding to the wish of Lodge No. 9 it sets
before it no other object than the proclamation of absolute liberty
of conscience."

When the proposition of the Committee had been adopted by the
General Assembly, the President proposed, as an amendment, the
insertion of these words: "Masonry excludes no one on account of
his beliefs." Many regarded this as superfluous, but the President
was insistent, in order that it might be clearly established in the
eyes of all that Masonry is a neutral territory, in which all
beliefs are admitted and treated with equal respect. The suggestion
was adopted.

It may be interesting to note that the original proposer that the
Grand Orient of France should suppress the formula of the G. A. of
the U. was a clergyman of the Protestant Church, and he stated, in
justification, as follows:

"In suppressing the formula respecting the G. A. of the U. we did
not mean to replace it by a materialistic formula. None among us in
proposing this suppression, thought of professing atheism or
materialism, and we declare formally and emphatically that we had
no other end in view than to proclaim absolute liberty of
conscience."

I have given the words and opinions of those responsible for the
change in the Constitution so that there may be no room for
misunderstandings. The Grand Orient of France, in making the
change, has done no more than was done by the Government of Great
Britain when she admitted members to seats in the House of Commons
by allowing them to make an affirmation only when their convictions
would not allow them to take a religious oath. The same custom
prevails in our Courts of Justice.

Their position will bear a little further examination to make clear
its consistency. The story, as depicted by our Ritual, tells of a
great loss and a life-long search for this something, which was
lost. Masonry ends at the point when something else is substituted
to temporarily make good that loss, and at the point where Masonry
ends we are expected to begin the search.

Various explanations have been given as to what this is that was
lost, and which all Catholic and Protestant, Jew and Gentile,
Christian and Pagan, are seeking for. The simplest and clearest
explanation of this that was lost is that it was "the way back to
God."

"The way back to God." That is the door then to which Masonry
leads. Cannot any of us go as far as that door with any, be he
Agnostic, Deist, Buddhist, or any other, so long as he conforms to
Anderson's original specifications, and is a good man and true, a
man of honour and honesty? At the door, of course, we would
separate, each to follow on his own way. But happily we can come
back to the Lodge again and again for mutual encouragement, and for
strength for a fresh start on our several paths, all of which are
alike dark and obscure.

It is not the function of Masonry to solve the riddle of life but
to propound it and stimulate and encourage each of her initiates to
search for his own solution. It takes each man so far, and there
leaves him to find the answer for himself. By the very fact that
Masonry itself gives no answer, it demonstrates clearly that the
answer is not the same to every man. All this would seem to lead to
freedom from dogma of all kind and justify France and Belgium in
the stand they take.

I do not wish to be understood to say that it is wrong for a Mason
in Lodge to declare belief in God. But I would like to be able to
accept as brethren any good men and true, men of honour and
honesty, who are earnest searchers after the same truth as we are,
even though they do not insist in Lodge on a declaration of belief
in God. French Masons appear to be worthy men, doing a wonderful
work for the cause of progress and enlightenment.

Another so-called grievance against the Grand Orient of France is
that they have taken the Bible off the altar. Many of us have
imagined that because the Bible is one of the Great Lights
according to our Ritual and usage that its place has been in
Masonic Lodges from time immemorial. To most the presence of the
Bible on the altar is in some way a landmark. Surprising it may be,
but the Bible was not even mentioned in Masonic Rituals until 1724,
and it was in 1760 that Preston moved that it be made one of the
Great Lights of Masonry. One might properly question whether
Anglo-Saxon Masonry did not violate a landmark when she introduced
religious dogmatism into Masonry in the middle of the Eighteenth
Century.

As Masons, we have before us the great object of the fraternal
brotherhood of man. This will carry with it peace and prosperity.
Is not the attainment of this worth the abolition of narrow
intolerance ? Let us maintain, if we wish, our own principles
concerning God and religion, but forever banish all dogmatism as to
what others shall do in this connection, so long as they are
earnestly working to attain the great principles of Masonry. Does
not the situation demand the serious thought of every Master Mason?

Should not Tolerance and Fraternity prevail ? France is holding out
the brotherly hand to us, saying: "Let by-gones be by-gones, and
let us look solely to the future." Should we as Masons hold at more
than arm's length an institution which consistently devotes itself
to those lofty aims and pursuits which we preach better than we
practice?

Even as the Arts, Sciences, and other phases of human activity have
benefited by international discussion and concord, so also can
Masonry benefit. If Masonry is to sustain in the future its
splendid record, and attain the object she seeks, is not world-wide
international co-operation necessary? How else can we attain a
Universal Brotherhood?

With the present world crisis the time has come when Freemasonry
should stand forth, free from all entrammelling influences, in its
grand simplicity. Our Lodges should be centres of thought,
influence and effort, holding no task alien that will advance the
cause of righteousness on earth. To this end we could learn much by
confraternity with such an organization as the Grand Orient of
France. Is "Brotherly Love" to be nothing more than a label which
we carry but which does not properly belong to the goods at all ?

