🚀 go-pugleaf

This is in reply to HICKEYB@BVSD.K12.CO.US  who said:



H>In an earlier posting, bit.listserv.freemasonry #275, Ron addresses
H>a common question of the "apparent" requirement in the York Rite
H>that brothers be of the Christian faith.  I must respectfully
H>disagree  with  Brother Ron in his interpretation of the ritual and
H>his following conclusion that the Knight Templar degree is not
H>religiously specific on closer examination.  It does indeed make
H>a SPECIFIC religious requirement of the applicant to the Templar
H>degrees.

Well, I have heard that some lodges where Commandries exist require a
candidate to be a Christian on the petition.  I will add though that
the petition nor the Commandry I am a member of requires such a
thing.  It seems to change from GL to GL and sometimes (as in
Indiana) from Commandry to Commandry.  I think it gets back to
whether we are taking it at face value or looking deeper for the true
message in the degree.



H>"Chapter VI.  Qualifications for the Grades
H>63.  Esquire.  Every Aspirant for admission as an Esquire must be
H>a recorded Royal Arch Mason above the age of twenty-one years and
H>in good standing with his Lodge and Chapter.  HE MUST PROFESS THE
H>CHRISTIAN RELIGION AND AVOW HIS BELIEF IN THE HOLY TRINITY."
H>[emphasis in the last sentence is mine]

I do not dissagree that these restrictions exist.  In fact SOME
commandries here in the US also require it.  I still maintain that in
doing so, we are relegating ourselves to only scratch the surface of
the lesson the degree was meant to teach.  I realize that a part of
the obligation requires you to do (roughly) the same thing.  But then
again, crusade knights took such oaths during the time frame in which
the allegory is set.  It is only natural that a Holy Crusade knight
be depicted as taking a Christian oath.  I do not however believe
that the York Rite is thus saying you haveto be a christian to be a
member of a York Rite Commandry.  Well, as you pointed out above,
they do sometimes require it.  But in doing so I still think they are
missing the point a little.  The degree was not menat to make good
faithful christians out of Masons, but rather to teach staunch
integrity and committment to ones values and beliefs even in the face
of complete intimidation to change (as the ancient Templars were also
faced with just such a choice.).  Had the Templars been Muslims, I
fully expect there would (today) be an Islamic oath to Alla involved
in the allegory.  But that would be all it was, a part of the
allegory that was set in the proper time frame.



H>"In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, One God...."
H>and later, "...I will employ my sword, strength, life and every-
H>thing else that is mine, in the cause, defence, honour and fame of
H>the Christian Religion, my Sovereign and my country..."

H>Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but those words seem to
H>be VERY specific and do not leave a lot of room for
H>"interpretation."

They ARE very specific.  They are once again, in my opinion, an
example contained within a larger allegory of a solemn oath taken by
the Knights Templars of many centuries ago.  To change it from a
Christian context would be an innacurate representation of the oaths
they took.  For instance, the word SOVEREIGN is mentioned above.
Many countries where tempary is practices (especially the US) do not
HAVE SOVEREIGNS at all.  yet our oath is just as it is above without
change.  We are declaring allegence to a system that does not exist
here.  Why?  Because it is part of the HISTORICAL ALLEGORY.  It's a
hisorically correct (as much as possible) EXAMPLE of an ancient event
presented theatrically to teach a deeper moral lesson.

H>While a non-Christian could, in theory, participate in the ritual,
H>it is my opinion that if they made the oaths above (and others)
H>that they would be unable to be true to their own religions, which
H>would seem at odds with Ron's interpretation of the meaning of the
H>degrees.

I don't think so.  My interpretation of the meaning is that a Mason
should always defend and be staunchly committed to his beliefs NO
MATTER WHAT THAT RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OR PHILOSOPHY IS.  So to take this
oath, viewing it as a theatrically presented and historically correct
example, is not putting ones self at odds with the meaning.

H>Further, I was warned in advance about the Christian oath, as were
H>all the candidates; this was to allow anyone not able to execute
H>the oath to gracefully withdraw.

Bill, I do not mean to sound so stuborn and emphatic about my
position here.  It simply is what I truly believe to be the truth
since to have a religiously discriminatory degree within Masonry
would be in my mind non-Masonic just as racial predudice is as well.
You mentioned some histoical evidence to support you position that a
KT must be a christian however.  If this evidence is indeed
conclusive and proves you right.  Then out of conscience I would
haveto demit from my commandry as I think such a system is contrary
to masonic tenets of non-descrimination based on race, color, or
RELIGION.
---
 * CMPQwk 1.4 #648 * I still miss my ex-wife, but my aim is getting better.