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aedifico42| Liars and Thieves Among Us…

Posted at: 1:59 pm

You bet that’s a harsh title.  It is a name-calling that is appropriate and justified, and does not even begin to establish the resentment and loathing that real Masons ought to harbor when their Craft is exploited for the personal gain of the profane.

Irregular and Unrecognized Grand Lodges exist.  They have existed for a long time.  Many of them observe the same landmarks we do…and most with only slight variation.  This is not a major problem.

In fact, it was not that many years ago when our Prince Hall Brothers were considered among the Irregular and Unrecognized…now, they’re just as Regular (in this Jurisdiction) as any other Lodge.  We are proud to recognize these good men, and even more glad when we get a chance to sit in Lodge with them.

Then, there’s the question of the Grand Lodges in France.  There are two.  One (the one we recognize) was a break-away group of Men who created their Grand Lodge because the original Grand Lodge was, in their opinion, waivering from the Landmarks.  So be it.

My problem is not with these groups…their history is understood, and their legitimacy has been established by the law of institutional continuity.  But there are others, more dangerous, sinister and flatly-fake.  These are the organizations which betray the Craft.  These are the “Grand Jurisdictions” which act dishonestly…these are the enemy.

Yes, I understand that the tone is serious.  I also understand that I may be giving them too much credit…for the reality is that these fly-by-night organizations usually go away in just a few years…and our institutional continuity remains.  But in a world where the exchange and flow of information is not limited as it was in the past, we must think outside of the box.  We must prepare for what we do not expect.  We must…dare I repeat myself…be vigilant.

Now, I appreciate that this is a topic that is circulating around the Masonic Blogosphere.  I also know that many other commentators feel that giving these fakers too much credibility just bolsters their position.  These are legitimate positions.  But why not be ready?  Why not learn about them and their founders?  Why not be prepared to answer the questions that our own brothers may ask when confronted with the existence of these “Other Masons”?

While we continue to investigate the “Grand Lodges” in question…checking the background of their founders and verifying that many are convicts, frauds and liars, we must also maintain our focus on the real Masons who sit next to us in Lodge.  We must nurture our relationships with them…teach the newer members how to ask questions and think about the answers…we must remain true to our Craft.

Yammering-on about the Liars and Fakers is fun.  But please don’t fall into the trap I have fallen into for the last few weeks (that is, don’t spend too much time on worrying about these guys).  Be a Man, be a Brother, be a Mason.

The passing fancy we have with the clandestine [insert slur], [insert insult], [insert four-letter word] [insert animal name] is just that…passing.  They will (I hope) fade into our collective memory as just another one of those hiccups that some of us wasted too much time worrying about.

And in the end, when we can clear the air and move back to where we ought to be, they will be forgotten (again, I hope).

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