| Missed a message? Check the Archive!
Master's Message
April 2007
Dear Brethren,
Recently the Discovery Channel aired a documentary titled "The Secret History of Freemasonry." This program seemed to cause quite a stir among our brethren, if the New Jersey Freemason Digest website posting is an accurate barometer. While I personally do not approve of public displays of our ritual, I was not all that upset by the content of the program. The fact of the matter is that all of our ritual, symbolism, and lectures can easily be found on the internet. Days after the program aired, several acquaintances of mine, knowing my involvement in Freemasonry, smugly informed me that they knew my "secrets." They said a word, gave a grip. I asked if they understood the word, or the significance of that grip, well knowing that they did not. I then informed them that I would reveal even greater "secrets" of our craft. I explained the secret that Freemasons and their appendant bodies donate untold amounts of money to charitable causes. I explained that our Lodge donated money to purchase bullet proof vests for local police departments, and equipment to detect toxins in the air in the event of a terrorist attack. I informed them of the Eighth Masonic District's involvement in the A.R.C. walk. I pointed out that in order to become a Shriner, you must first be a Master Mason, and the Shriners maintain a network of twenty-two children's hospitals in North America, specializing in orthopedic, burn, and spinal injury care. I also explained that one does not need a Masonic connection in order to be treated in these hospitals, and there is no fee charged for treatment. It seems that those secrets were overlooked in the Discovery Channel's program. Remember Brethren, the instruction that you were given in the Entered Apprentice Charge, "never suffer your zeal for the Institution to lead you into argument with those who, through ignorance, may ridicule it."
Fraternally,
James T. Lind
Worshipful Master
|
