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aedifico42| On The Clandestine…

Posted at: 3:37 pm

The Regular Grand Lodge of England.  The Grand Orient of the United States.  The United Grand Lodge of America.  Alharam Lodge.  Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Democratic Republics.  The Grand Lodge of All England.

These are not regular organizations.  Their titles ring nicely, and they even have a presence on the internet.  But to communicate with them, in some jurisdictions, is a Masonic Offense.

Many may not know that we have our own system of jurisprudence.  Like any other society, one may be expelled or suspended from our fraternity for a variety of reasons (adultery, theft, intoxication…just to name a few).  Not all of these actions are un-Masonic…it just depends on the jurisdiction and its particular rules.

One of the other reasons that a Mason may have to face charges is (in some jurisdiction) Masonic Communication with a clandestine Mason.  So…what is a clandestine Mason?  Funny you should ask…

The system of recognition currently employed by many, if not most Grand Lodges is a product of years of shifting and changing by the various Grand Lodges of the world.  None is beholden to the other, and therefore there is no one singular Supreme Masonic Authority…other than the Grand Lodge of any particular jurisdiction.  There is, then, much to be researched and re-researched when deciding which Grand Lodges are legitimate and therefore deserving of recognition.

We have, on occasion, seen organizations (usually it’s just a handful of guys with a computer and a nice website) pop-up and claim legitimacy.  They tend to go-away, and then they sometimes pop-back-up with a different name.  These guys are not regular Masons, and have earned themselves the title “Clandestine”.

To be fair, many of these men may not know better…they may be disgruntled…they may just be ignorant.  But the title fits nonetheless, and they are not welcome in regularly recognized Lodges.  Some of these men may actually be good guys with bad information who would otherwise be perfectly welcome to join regular Lodges.  The cases and circumstances are as numerous as the individuals.  Each deserves clear and concise judgment by regular Masons, practicing the kind of honest assesment we would expect from the oldest and best fraternity in the world.

All that having been said…it is again necessary for the cooler and smarter heads to prevail.  Clandestine Masonry is on the rise in the United States, and by virtue of the internet, around the world.  Traditional and recognized Grand Lodges would do themselves a favor to be vigilant of the public and internal discourse utilized when dealing with these issues.

It is not enough to know who is clandestine and who is not.  The duty is to the Craft.  Teach your brothers, inform them, educate them and guide them in these issues.  The integrity of our Craft requires it, and the perpetuation of our legitimacy demands it.

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