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Whither Are We Drifting ?
WHITHER ARE WE DRIFTING ?
WE allude , with great caution , to the so-called infidel or agnostic question that at the present time is so thoroughly arousing * the attention of the Craft througho ***! onr jurisdiction . It is a pity that terms " infidel or agnostic " were introduced into the subject , as neither , in this
case , are applicable . The brother , who has appealed against what we must consider a most unjust and partizan decision of his Lodge , is neither the one nor the other , and has as
good a right to his own religious opinions , so long as they do not . conflict with the constitutional requirements of onr Order , as our Hebrew or Mahommedan brother has .
The question is , not in what "Book of the Law" a brother places his belief , and , with all due respect to the M . W . the Grand Master , we fail entirely to understand upon what grounds or by what authority he rules that the
applicant to our mysteries must profess a belief in " the God of the Bible "—the Bible meaning the Old and New Testaments . If this be the case , we proclaim ourselves a
sectarian society , ancl drive from our ranks the thousands of Hebrews , who , according to our traditions , were the founders of our Fraternity , because they do not and cannot believe in "the God of the Bible" as revealed to ancl
"understood by the followers of the Christ in the New Testament . The special pleading of M . W " . Bro . J . K . Kew , and the eloquent sophistry of the Grand Secretary were excellent ,
but not Masonic . What right have we to put special questions in special cases ? Could the centenarian , onr late brother Sir Moses Montefiore , whose noble deeds and character have excited the admiration of thousands , have
answered the questions upon which these distinguished brethren laid such stress in a manner satisfactory to them ? No ! certainly not—because he , like all his Hebrew brethren , denounces a belief in * ' tbe God of tbe Bible " as worshipped by the Christian .
Well may we ask then , " Whither are we drifting ?" when so conservative a Grand Lodge as the Premier Colonial Grand Lodge of the world allows religion to be discussed within her portals . Once we permit the creed
of any brother to be attacked or denounced , within the Lodge , we throw open wide onr doors to sectarianism , bigotry and intolerance . Every Mason has the right to believe in the Book of the Law he likes , so long as that
book teaches him that there is a Supreme Ruler , who has revealed His will to man and will reward , or punish us as we have obeyed or disobeyed His divine commands . Beyond that no Mason , Grand Master or otherwise , has
the right to inquire . This brother , however , who was tried (?) was catechised and badgered by a series of questions that he should have declined to answer at all . Questions merely asked for the purpose of extorting an
unfavourable expression , and which , when declined , as he ¦ aery properly did , to answer , were twisted into an expression of his belief . In our opinion a most unfair and unjust
advantage was thus taken of his very proper answer to a very improper question , when he said , " I decline to answer . "
" I decline to answer " would not be the reply of onr Hindoo , our Parsee , our Mahommedan and our Hebrew brethren , ancl , thank God , we have tens of thousands of them who range themselves under our banners . To think
that we , the children of the Grand Lodge of England , whose liberty without bigotry , whose advocacy of a broad freedom of thought without the least tendency to infidelity , should at this late clay and in this enlightened age
lend ourselves to a principle , which , if adopted by Grant Lodges , wonld land ns on the quicksands of bigotry anc intolerance , or smash our bark upon the snnken rocks o narrow-minded sectarianism or canting Phariseeism .
This question , then , at the present time is one tha must be discussed from a calm ar > d dispassionate stand point . The brethren must wei gb well the great import ance of the matter before them . No eloquence or sonhis
try , or special pleading must be permitted to carry tberr away from common sense and justice . Every Mason' ! religions vieivs must be protected I The glory and boast o : our Institution is that around our altars men of ever * .
colour , country and creed can kneel , and there offer w \ their adoration to the Most High God—T . G . A O . T . U . Are we by one fell swoop to throw aside this heritage , handed down to us by our forefathers , and for which many of them have suffered persecution , martyrdom unci
Whither Are We Drifting ?
death ? Surely not . We have within the last quarter of a century been obliged to burn onr diplomas and charters to save ourselves from the cruelty of the myrmidons of a
Russian fanatic , who see ; -- iu onr Institution the germ of liberty , and in priest-ridden Cuba our brethren have been oast into prison and irons by the Church because of our freedom of expression and avowed liberality of thought .
And now we are actually asked to throw aside this glorious heritage , bequeathed to us by the founders of Masonry , and accept in its place the doctrines of a sect or the dosrmas of a church . It is time , indeed , to ask
" Whither are we drifting ' ? " That noble and Christian Mason , the Rev . and Ut . W . Bro . Oliver , when alluding to his Hebrew brother—and the remarks apply with equal force to the Hindoo , Mahommedan or Parseo brothersaid : —
" I cannot throw odium or even doubt on the cross of Christ , nor can I allow any contempt to be cast on that sacred atonement by which I trust to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven , either by my silence or connivance . I will
admit my Hebrew brother into a Mason ' s Lodge—I will exchange with him freely all the courtesies of civil and social life ; but as he will not abandon his faith at my command , neither will I ; we each pursue our own path ,
under the consequences of our own free choice , like Thalaba and his companion in the caverns of Haruth and Maruth . It is a false species of liberality which influences the feelings of mauy good and estimable men
at the present day , and induces them to concede , out or respect to the prejudices of others , what they ought to hold most sacred . Ask your Hebrew brother to lay aside
his prejudices and eat with you , and he will reject your proposal with abhorrence . And he acts on a correct and laudable principle—for it is in accordance wifch the injunctions of his religion . "
In conclusion then we can only express tbe hope that tho day may be far distant before the Grand Lodge of Canada will over stultify herself by drifting into sectarianism or narrow-minded intolerant cliqnism . It is a
matter of the greatest importance , and must be judged upon a fair and open basis . Once open our portals to arguments upon theological points ancl it will be next to impossible to close them . Our Constitution and traditions and unwritten
law lay down certain requirements for the neophyte before he can be received into our mysteries and become a member of the Craft . Beyond that we have neither the right not power to go . Let us then guard well the outer door , and
we need fear "neither the encroachment of the infidel , fche intolerance of the churchman , or the bigotry of fche sectarian . But let ns be very careful , for we are now stepping on dangerous ground . —Canadian Craftsman .
Ad01102
Crown Svo , price 2 s 6 cl , cloth lettered . ImfOTtiij0I|fe«§itolaMWbmmm. By Bro . JAMES STEVENS , P . M ., P . Z ., & c . " May be read with advantage by the whole Craft . "—Sunday Times . " Grand Lodge should at once set to work to secure the desired uniformity . " —She / field Post . "The subject is , ibly argued by the author . "—Western Daily Mercury . " Useful and valuable in fc'ic highest degree . "—Exeter Gazette . "Will have a material effect on the future of Masonic Ritual . "South Western Star . " Tho author adduces many vai aitions in the language used by different Preceptors "—Cox ' s Monthly Legal Circular . " Ought to be infche hands of every Mason . "—Northampton Guardian . " To Freemasons generally it will ' bo found useful and valuable , and we commend it to their notice accordingly . "—Surrey County Observer . " 13 ro . Stevens' motion i ' or a Committee on the subject of Uniformity of "Ritual was carried by a large majority . "—Freemason ' s Chronicle report of Grand Lodge meeting , 3 rd December 1379 . Sent , hy post , on receipt of stamps , by the Author , Bro . JAAIK . S STEVENS , 112 Hisrli-street , Clapham , S . W . ; or by Bro . \ V . W . Mo ¦•. CAN , Belvidere Work .- ' , Hermes Hill , Pentonville , London , N .
Ad01103
Now Beady , Oroitm 8 DO , 96 pp , PriceOneShilling, Freo by Post on receipt of 24 Halfpenny Stamps , OCCASIONALPAPERS ON [HEHISTORYOFFREEMASONRY. Written expressly for delivery iu Lodges of Instrnoiio *! . LONDON : W . V . MORGAN , BEC / VIDKRE WORKS , HEK -UBS HILL , PENTONVILLE , N .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Whither Are We Drifting ?
WHITHER ARE WE DRIFTING ?
WE allude , with great caution , to the so-called infidel or agnostic question that at the present time is so thoroughly arousing * the attention of the Craft througho ***! onr jurisdiction . It is a pity that terms " infidel or agnostic " were introduced into the subject , as neither , in this
case , are applicable . The brother , who has appealed against what we must consider a most unjust and partizan decision of his Lodge , is neither the one nor the other , and has as
good a right to his own religious opinions , so long as they do not . conflict with the constitutional requirements of onr Order , as our Hebrew or Mahommedan brother has .
The question is , not in what "Book of the Law" a brother places his belief , and , with all due respect to the M . W . the Grand Master , we fail entirely to understand upon what grounds or by what authority he rules that the
applicant to our mysteries must profess a belief in " the God of the Bible "—the Bible meaning the Old and New Testaments . If this be the case , we proclaim ourselves a
sectarian society , ancl drive from our ranks the thousands of Hebrews , who , according to our traditions , were the founders of our Fraternity , because they do not and cannot believe in "the God of the Bible" as revealed to ancl
"understood by the followers of the Christ in the New Testament . The special pleading of M . W " . Bro . J . K . Kew , and the eloquent sophistry of the Grand Secretary were excellent ,
but not Masonic . What right have we to put special questions in special cases ? Could the centenarian , onr late brother Sir Moses Montefiore , whose noble deeds and character have excited the admiration of thousands , have
answered the questions upon which these distinguished brethren laid such stress in a manner satisfactory to them ? No ! certainly not—because he , like all his Hebrew brethren , denounces a belief in * ' tbe God of tbe Bible " as worshipped by the Christian .
Well may we ask then , " Whither are we drifting ?" when so conservative a Grand Lodge as the Premier Colonial Grand Lodge of the world allows religion to be discussed within her portals . Once we permit the creed
of any brother to be attacked or denounced , within the Lodge , we throw open wide onr doors to sectarianism , bigotry and intolerance . Every Mason has the right to believe in the Book of the Law he likes , so long as that
book teaches him that there is a Supreme Ruler , who has revealed His will to man and will reward , or punish us as we have obeyed or disobeyed His divine commands . Beyond that no Mason , Grand Master or otherwise , has
the right to inquire . This brother , however , who was tried (?) was catechised and badgered by a series of questions that he should have declined to answer at all . Questions merely asked for the purpose of extorting an
unfavourable expression , and which , when declined , as he ¦ aery properly did , to answer , were twisted into an expression of his belief . In our opinion a most unfair and unjust
advantage was thus taken of his very proper answer to a very improper question , when he said , " I decline to answer . "
" I decline to answer " would not be the reply of onr Hindoo , our Parsee , our Mahommedan and our Hebrew brethren , ancl , thank God , we have tens of thousands of them who range themselves under our banners . To think
that we , the children of the Grand Lodge of England , whose liberty without bigotry , whose advocacy of a broad freedom of thought without the least tendency to infidelity , should at this late clay and in this enlightened age
lend ourselves to a principle , which , if adopted by Grant Lodges , wonld land ns on the quicksands of bigotry anc intolerance , or smash our bark upon the snnken rocks o narrow-minded sectarianism or canting Phariseeism .
This question , then , at the present time is one tha must be discussed from a calm ar > d dispassionate stand point . The brethren must wei gb well the great import ance of the matter before them . No eloquence or sonhis
try , or special pleading must be permitted to carry tberr away from common sense and justice . Every Mason' ! religions vieivs must be protected I The glory and boast o : our Institution is that around our altars men of ever * .
colour , country and creed can kneel , and there offer w \ their adoration to the Most High God—T . G . A O . T . U . Are we by one fell swoop to throw aside this heritage , handed down to us by our forefathers , and for which many of them have suffered persecution , martyrdom unci
Whither Are We Drifting ?
death ? Surely not . We have within the last quarter of a century been obliged to burn onr diplomas and charters to save ourselves from the cruelty of the myrmidons of a
Russian fanatic , who see ; -- iu onr Institution the germ of liberty , and in priest-ridden Cuba our brethren have been oast into prison and irons by the Church because of our freedom of expression and avowed liberality of thought .
And now we are actually asked to throw aside this glorious heritage , bequeathed to us by the founders of Masonry , and accept in its place the doctrines of a sect or the dosrmas of a church . It is time , indeed , to ask
" Whither are we drifting ' ? " That noble and Christian Mason , the Rev . and Ut . W . Bro . Oliver , when alluding to his Hebrew brother—and the remarks apply with equal force to the Hindoo , Mahommedan or Parseo brothersaid : —
" I cannot throw odium or even doubt on the cross of Christ , nor can I allow any contempt to be cast on that sacred atonement by which I trust to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven , either by my silence or connivance . I will
admit my Hebrew brother into a Mason ' s Lodge—I will exchange with him freely all the courtesies of civil and social life ; but as he will not abandon his faith at my command , neither will I ; we each pursue our own path ,
under the consequences of our own free choice , like Thalaba and his companion in the caverns of Haruth and Maruth . It is a false species of liberality which influences the feelings of mauy good and estimable men
at the present day , and induces them to concede , out or respect to the prejudices of others , what they ought to hold most sacred . Ask your Hebrew brother to lay aside
his prejudices and eat with you , and he will reject your proposal with abhorrence . And he acts on a correct and laudable principle—for it is in accordance wifch the injunctions of his religion . "
In conclusion then we can only express tbe hope that tho day may be far distant before the Grand Lodge of Canada will over stultify herself by drifting into sectarianism or narrow-minded intolerant cliqnism . It is a
matter of the greatest importance , and must be judged upon a fair and open basis . Once open our portals to arguments upon theological points ancl it will be next to impossible to close them . Our Constitution and traditions and unwritten
law lay down certain requirements for the neophyte before he can be received into our mysteries and become a member of the Craft . Beyond that we have neither the right not power to go . Let us then guard well the outer door , and
we need fear "neither the encroachment of the infidel , fche intolerance of the churchman , or the bigotry of fche sectarian . But let ns be very careful , for we are now stepping on dangerous ground . —Canadian Craftsman .
Ad01102
Crown Svo , price 2 s 6 cl , cloth lettered . ImfOTtiij0I|fe«§itolaMWbmmm. By Bro . JAMES STEVENS , P . M ., P . Z ., & c . " May be read with advantage by the whole Craft . "—Sunday Times . " Grand Lodge should at once set to work to secure the desired uniformity . " —She / field Post . "The subject is , ibly argued by the author . "—Western Daily Mercury . " Useful and valuable in fc'ic highest degree . "—Exeter Gazette . "Will have a material effect on the future of Masonic Ritual . "South Western Star . " Tho author adduces many vai aitions in the language used by different Preceptors "—Cox ' s Monthly Legal Circular . " Ought to be infche hands of every Mason . "—Northampton Guardian . " To Freemasons generally it will ' bo found useful and valuable , and we commend it to their notice accordingly . "—Surrey County Observer . " 13 ro . Stevens' motion i ' or a Committee on the subject of Uniformity of "Ritual was carried by a large majority . "—Freemason ' s Chronicle report of Grand Lodge meeting , 3 rd December 1379 . Sent , hy post , on receipt of stamps , by the Author , Bro . JAAIK . S STEVENS , 112 Hisrli-street , Clapham , S . W . ; or by Bro . \ V . W . Mo ¦•. CAN , Belvidere Work .- ' , Hermes Hill , Pentonville , London , N .
Ad01103
Now Beady , Oroitm 8 DO , 96 pp , PriceOneShilling, Freo by Post on receipt of 24 Halfpenny Stamps , OCCASIONALPAPERS ON [HEHISTORYOFFREEMASONRY. Written expressly for delivery iu Lodges of Instrnoiio *! . LONDON : W . V . MORGAN , BEC / VIDKRE WORKS , HEK -UBS HILL , PENTONVILLE , N .