This file was infected with a virus.
The file was quarantined by Norton AntiVirus.
Sun Apr 29 21:25:37 2001
 From: tmote@juno.com, DR  TOM MOTE
Subj: Re: PSOC One day Mister to Master programs....
Read: NO                            Status: RECEIVER ONLY
Conf: Internet E-Mail (1)        Read Type: MAIL FOR YOU (A) (+)

Message-ID: <19970407.203549.14902.1.tmote@juno.com>
From: tmote@juno.com (Dr. Tom Mote)

Bro. Joe, Bro. Carl, Bro. Bob, et.al,

[1]  I agree that the dues from "Shriners"may very well keep the
Scottish Rite, York Rite and Craft Masonry solvent.

[2  I also agree with one or more of you that there is probably not
much difference in the amount of "Masonic knowledge retention"]
between those who pass through the degree hurdles in from one to three
days and those who take a few months to reach the Shrine.

I was raised as a MM more than 43 years ago in a Massachusetts lodge
and have therefore been exposed to some of the best  Craft Masonry
available in the "New World."  I have attended lodge meetings in many
different states and in London. I have spent years "going through the
chairs" in my lodge here in San Antonio, in various York Rite bodies
and in the Consistory of the Scottish Rite. With that said, now let me
make a statement that will be heretical to many of you. The amount of
MASONIC KNOWLEDGE that I have learned within the lodge room, either
during stated meetings or degree conferrals has not been enough to
make the journey worth while.  This in no way denigrates the
fellowship I have had with other members or the knowledge that I have
obtained from some of them.

My point is that there is relatively little actual LIGHT imparted in
our degree work and even less imparted in our stated, ie, business
meetings.  As a parallel comment, let me say that, although I have
been a college and university professor for more than thirty years, I
know that most of the knowledge achieved by graduates has been gained
OUTSIDE of the class room.  I have often said to other professors and
administrators that I could probably count all of the outstanding
class room professors, that I have studied under, on my ten fingers. I
don't recall ever having anyone disagree with that concept.  On the
other hand, I have "come under the spell" of a much larger number of
professors who, while not necessarily outstanding in the class room,
were able to motivate me to LEARN ON MY OWN.  I have no illusions
about my abilities in the class room.  I do hope, however, that I have
been able to motivate a reasonable number of the students under my
guidance.

Now, what is the point of the statements I have made?  I think that
most of us will agree that there are obvious reasons that a typical
stated meeting is attended by [1] at least some of the elected
officers, [2] several past masters and [3] a relatively small number
of other members.   Reason One:  Who wants to listen to the minutes,
pay the bills and hear the other past masters say how nice it is to be
in ......?  Reason Two:  When is the last time that you heard the WM
actually make a presentation [as he is required to in some
jursidictions] of a carefully prepared topic of Masonic Knowledge?
[Have you ever been appalled by the lack of knowledge, and I'm not
talking about ritual, on the part of your WM, HP, TIM, etc.?  And, if
you were, did you take steps to "help him gain the missing knowledge?]
In my experience, very little effort is expended toward teaching much,
other than ritual, to our members.  This is most unfortunate!

Rumor has it that Carrie Nation and the WCTU carefully orchestrated
our eventual demise way back in the mid-1800s.  When are we going to
consider making our meetings so interesting, even if that means a
return to some form of Table Lodge, that our members will look forward
to returning, participating and enjoying?  I can guarantee you that
the most memorable meeting I have ever attended was an afternoon in a
London Lodge and the delightful dinner afterward!

Fraternally,
Tom Mote
Physics Department
St. Mary's University
San Antonio, Texas




Date: 04-08-97 (04:35)              Number: 401 of 405 (Refer# NONE)
  To: ALL
From: cafemojo@aol.com, CAFEMOJO
Subj: Re: To All My Brothers
Read: (N/A)                         Status: PUBLIC MESSAGE
Conf: alt.freemasonry (12)       Read Type: GENERAL (A) (+)

Newsgroups: alt.freemasonry
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
Message-ID: <19970408043400.AAA16695@ladder01.news.aol.com>

Dear Victor,

I just wanted to share a quick note of thanks for some of your posts.
It is always a pleasure to read the thoughts of a sincere intelligent
person also interested in Life's Path to Experience & Wisdom.

I am not a Mason, and have only recently become familiar with this NG.
It has been quite an enlightening experience reading some of this groups
posts.

Like any groups, a heathly kook ratio, but also a very large majority
of seemingly genuine & decent folk sincerely interested in serious
thoughtful answers to this world's challenging & very complex
questions.

"I love the sea and would live no place else. The sea is my religion,
or perhaps I should say, what I have instead of religion. The sea
creates life, and can also end it. She has beauty and great mystery,
and she is eternal." - Hemingway

For many years thoughout my 20's & 30's, those words were my core
belief. However, now at the ripe old age of 38, perhaps due to some
recent carnage, I have found myself re-evaluating all I thought I
knew, and searching, more sincerely and openly for whatever real
truths there are to be found in this life.

I've never been too sure about the Bible, as I consider it an inferior
"man-made" product, however, as far as nature & the world go, I sure
do admire G-d's Craft and stand in awe & respect of G-d's workmanship
& beauty.

My knowledge of Freemasonry is miniscule, & I admit even that may be
skewed and mis-understood. But it seems ( to me anyway ) that the
basic core to your belief is a faith in a "Great Creator" or "Great
Architect of the Universe", and a collective sincere search for truth
& enlightenment, in whatever forms it may present itself, and that
while you have "faith", it is not so much "blind faith" as many
"christians" indulge, but rather faith based on education, science,
physics, and all the world's collected knowledge as we now know it. In
other words, you strive for a firm solid foundation to build upon. And
the building upon is a daily labor, that continues our entire life.
And that thru interaction with brother masons you share this wisdom
and debate/discuss merits of individual/group findings. I also admire
your groups unselfish charity & world betterment contributions.

Did I at least hit the side of the barn here???  at least close
perhaps??? I have written to you because you seem a sincere decent
Mason, and until now, I have not posted the NG , as at this point, I
would have little but my ignorance to contribute.

All that I know of Freemasonry, is what I have read on this NG, and
being somewhat Net savvy, I take much of it with a grain of salt. But
much of what I have read here makes a great deal more sense to me than
most of the so-called standard "religous" therories I've read about.

Hey, what's not to like about a group that admits it doesn't have
"all" the answers and is still honestly looking, yet also seems to
believe that being a decent, moral, honest person is it's own reward,
and wishes to keep the company of like-minded others?????

If I'm off-base here on my understanding please correct me. This is
the first time I've ever "knowingly" spoken with a Mason and shared
these questions & thoughts. Freemasonry has impressed me to the point
I'm considering calling and arranging a visit to a local lodge.
However, I thought it best to establish some dialog with a Mason whose
opinion I respect before I proceed further. And perhaps gather a
little more feedback & overview. I would very much appreciate any
thoughts or guidance you might be kind enough to offer another
less-educated seeker of truth.

So far, there are only a few "carved in stone" truths I know, and the
ones I'm most sure of are as follows:

1) It takes no longer to make the best of a bad situation
    than it does to make the worst of one.
2) Assholes are born that way, and usually don't change.
3) Luck sometimes bumps into a Fool, but never sits down to drink with
one.
4) Never play cards with anyone whose first name is also the name of
    a city, town or state.
5) If you decide to run with the ball, just count on fumbling and
getting the crap knocked out of you a lot, but never forget how much
fun it is just to be able to run with the ball.

6) Every day is a new chance to start over and be better than yesterday.

Well, that's all I really know & believe for sure.
And, while not "secrets",
I wouldn't call'em "common knowledge" either, just common sense.
Think I could be Mason material? ;-)

Thanks for your time & best regards,

Ron Smith
Chickahominy Key, VA
CafeMojo@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/cafemojo/index.html



Date: 04-13-97 (19:18)              Number: 446698 of 446936 (Refer# NONE)
From: GLCA_Library@msn.com, KEVIN M  TUCK
Subj: RE: PSOC the public perception of Masonry (and some thoughts
Read: NO                            Status: RECEIVER ONLY
Conf: Internet E-Mail (1)        Read Type: MAIL FOR YOU (A) (+)

From: "Kevin M. Tuck" <GLCA_Library@msn.com>
Message-Id: <UPMAIL03.199704131918460052@msn.com>

Dear Brother Jacques,

<<Sorry, my Brother, my intention was not at all to hurt. I sincerely did not
realise you would have felt that you were being attacked.>>

Oh, that's okay; I was probably having a bad day or something. <grin>  I was
just surprised that you would have responded as you did without clarifying my
position first.  Anyway, no harm - no foul. ;)

<<This, according to my experience and information, is only a local and
temporary phenomenon, which is not at all irreversible.

I do have doubts however that the current action in your country in favour
of collective one-day ceremonies, carrying candidates all the way from
initiation through the 32nd degree, will indeed produce the lasting
results necessary to improve the public perception of Masonry in the US.>>

You know, I was determined to stay out of the one-day class discussion, but
what you have said struck a cord, so I will jump in with my opinion.

(*WARNING: STRONG OPINIONS TO FOLLOW*)

I find it incredibly ironic that we in the United States are feverishly
debating the merits of our current three-month system vs. the one-day system,
when it was the THREE MONTH SYSTEM THAT GOT US INTO THIS DESPERATE SITUATION
IN THE FIRSTPLACE!  It's not like 3 months is some kind of landmark of
Masonry. Far from it, actually.  As far as I know, the 51 grand lodges in the
United States are the only jurisdictions that sell their Masonry so cheaply
and at the same time offer so little for the money.

In my not-so-humble opinion, we have gradually lost contact with the true
spirit of Freemasonry.  We have become so devoted to the ritual, that we have
allowed the other aspects of the Craft to wither on the vine.  The ill-thought
out decisions of the Baltimore Convention have lead to a progressive weakening
of the fabric of Masonry within this country.

The solution is not to make men 32 Degree Scottish Rite Masons in one day or
one year.  The solution is a dramatic reevaluation of what it means to be a
Freemason and what is required to claim that title.

It is not a matter of changing the time period in which we offer the same
Brand X product.  We could require a 20 year waiting period but if all we did
was memorize and repeat the ritual, it would make no difference at all.

The solution, in my opinion, is for us to start providing the LIGHT which our
candidates supposedly are seeking.  The ritual is simply a foundation upon
which should be erected the great superstructure of the Craft.  It is time for
us to start working on this superstructure.  This is something which should
have been done a long, long time ago.  But, it is not too late to start now.

Trying to encourage young men to join the Order is not the biggest impediment
we face.  This is something that will take care of itself in time.  Our
biggest hurdle is convincing the
if-it-was-good-enough-for-me-then-it's-good-enough-for-you Masons of the
necessity of introducing fundamental change.  Far too many of our brothers see
nothing within the Craft except the boring meetings and rote
memorization/repetition of the ritual.  They are happy with the status quo and
see no reason to change it.  After all, if it was good enough for them....
<BFG>

Happily, the actions of a single brother can have a profound impact in
reversing this trend.  I believe our candidates (and our brothers) have a deep
hunger for the light of Masonry.  It can be argued that many of our brothers
have no interest in such things.  Personally, I question why they became
Masons in the first place.  Surely it wasn't to hear the reading of the
minutes! <grin>

Those of us in the U.S. can work towards restoring Freemasonry to what it can
and should be.  Our brothers around the world can help us by continuing to
remind us of what Masonry is like in other places.  I believe each of us can
make a difference.

*PLEASE NOTE*: I realize that the above comments may contain some very strong
sentiments.  My opinions are just that: MY OPINIONS.  I am not speaking for
any Masonic jurisdiction, nor do I claim to hold a monopoly on Truth.  Please
take all of my comments in the spirit in which they were intended. I simply
hope to stimulate debate and discussion which, I believe, is ALWAYS healthy.

Warmest fraternal regards,

Kevin Tuck
.
