🚀 go-pugleaf

Earlier LEE21@AOL.COM  said this to ALL  about Anyone Bothered?:

L>Message-ID: <9406211928.tn09770@aol.com>
L>To: Bob Jones

L>I have been reading John J. Robinson's -Born in Blood-.  As a
L>non-Mason, I was wondering if any Mason who's read the book was
L>he concerned about the detail gives regarding rituals, symbols,
L>he secrets, etc.  What do you think?  Did blab away all the secrets,
L>or have I seriously underestimated the amount of secrecy in the
L>brotherhood?


I can only speak for myself on this one since Masons in general dissagree.
The dissagreement isn't so much about John J. Robinson's book, but about what
is and isn't really a secret.

The first expose's on masonic rituals were published in the 1700's.  The fact
 is, you
can go to any bookstore and spend less than $30 (US) to purchase 2 books that
will tell you every single Masonic secret between them.  John J Robinson did in
 fact
divulge most of them in his book.  The only things he left out was hand-shakes
 and
passwords that get you into meetings.  These secrets are simple, minor, and
amount to no more than any secret handshakes and passwords held secret by
any college greek fraternity.

My opinion about secrecy in Masonry is as follows.  There isn't as much as we
ourselves through the decades have led the world to believe.  Why? because in
decades past, Masons just like Elks, Moose Lodge members, and any other social
group found that it was fun to keep secrets and they enjoyed making people think
they were privy to something "Top Secret".  In truth, there ARE a few secrets we
never discuss.  These secrets are simple ones.  They are the handshakes and
passwords mentioned above and are only used as methods or recognition.  The
other so called secrets can be purchased (as I said before) in any bookstore.
 We
Masons hurt ourselves by playing this "Top Secret" game with the public.  It was
OK in the 1940's since at the time Masonry had a very public and positive image
with the public.  Many if not most ministers were Masons as well as practically
every pillar of our community.  Masonry took care of every person that crossed
their paths that needed help (whether Masons or not).  In doing so, we showed by
example, that whatever secrets we may have could not be sinister because the
members of our fraternity were of obvious high moral fiber and our conduct and
compassion for our fellow man was beyond reproach.  In later days, our public
image has deteriorated a bit.  We DO still commit around $2 Million a day to
various philanthropies, but the public does not see the actual Masons doing
positive things in society.  Also, it is the nature of people today to think
 that if
something is a secret, it must be wrong.  To this I say bull.  If you have a
 spouse
and a healthy physical relationship with them you will likely keep the details
 of that
relationship a secret from everyone else.  Is it wrong since it is a secret?  Of
 course
not.   It simply isn't anyone elses business.

In short, I have no problem at all with John J. Robinson's book.  he has not
divulged any Masonic secrets that were not long since divulged already.  I know
many Masons who agree.  On the other hand, there are still those Masons who
derive a large part of their identity from telling people they "can't talk about
 some
things as they are Masonic secrets".  These are the type of people who would
 love
to go around town telling people they are in the CIA if they thought anyone
 would
believe them (haha).  What they refuse to see is how Masonry as a fraternity has
suffered for their fun and games.

Ron Boutwell
Indianapolis, Indiana


---
 * CmpQwk 1.30 #648 * What has four legs and an arm?  A happy pit bull.