[kcraig1011]

Good Afternoon, Brothers.

I wanted to hear some opinions from MMs in other states on some of the changes being implemented by the Grand Lodge of PA. I have conflicting feelings on one topic in particular, but would like to hear from you in order to calm some of my fears. I will start by listing some of the changes that will be taking place this year.

1. 3 Negative votes will now be needed to deny a petitioner.

2. Masons may ask outsiders to look into Masonry.

3. One written book of all of the degree work, oaths, obligations, charges, etc, will be given to each Lodge to facilitate in learning degrees. This book is to be kept in the Lodge, and if a copy of these writings is found outside of the Lodge, that Lodge automatically loses it's warrant.

These are not all of the changes coming, just the three that I find to be most controversial. I believe that these changes will hurt our Fraternity more than help it.

In PA Masonry, our EA O&O blatantly states that we may not write anything that may give any knowledge to non-Masons. Number 3 above is a clear violation of one of the first things a PA Mason promises not to do. Number 2 above is a clear violation of PA Masonry also, as we are not to recruit or advertise our Fraternity. Being a newer Mason myself, I was very humbled and honored that I had been admitted, knowing that one negative vote would have kept me out. Part of being proud of belonging to this great Fraternity is that everyone who voted on my ballot voted in favor of my petition. This is also a violation of the "having walked the same path..." idea, as all Masons before the future petitioners were granted access due to unanimous vote.

I feel these changes are turning our great Fraternity in PA into another Elks club. I realize that our Fraternity has to evolve and change in certain ways in order to survive, but these are three changes that do not help it survive, but on the contrary, allows unworthy people an opportunity to join the Fraternity. Also, these rules change some of the oldest and most basic concepts of PA Masonry.

Maybe I am over-reacting to this, but I just feel that these changes are reducing the value of the Fraternity to it's current and lifelong members. Even as a recently made MM, I object to these changes. I could not imagine how some of the 50 year MMs feel about this.

What do you all think? Am I over-reacting, or is the Grand Lodge doing the right thing for the Fraternity by lowering it's standards for membership, and responsibility of a PA Mason to learn the degrees without written aid? I look forward to hearing all of your responses, Brothers. Take care.

[BG_TRBL]

You are not over-reacting. I was completly appalled by the changes being instituted by our PA Grand Master. I am not happy with any of these changes being made. Not only does it go against our oaths and obligations, but also, the fact that learning has been reduced to reading a book, eliminates the need for the up and coming to make contact with other brothers, officers and Past Masters. I myself being a Past Master, do not agree with these, and feel that they should be recinded.

[Jason]

I caught a glimpse of this before, but did not have time read. Are these things to be voted on, suggested or are 100% for sure being implemented?

No offense, I understand a lot of Lodges are struggling for members, but I think there are better ways of getting people in then that. It looks like an attempt to fill the seats to me.

I learned a lot about our Lodge, and Freemasonry itself learning the degrees with my Brothers. I would have lost all that knowledge if all I did was read a book.

[BG_TRBL]

Jason,
This is the information we were provided. Anyone who is interested is welcome to read.

These are being instituted by our newly seat RWGM in PA

www.pagrandlodge.org/gmaster/renaissance.html

[Ashlar2006]

Though I do not have a dog in this fight and how I feel really does not count , but I like having my Monitor (Ritual) myself . I can study at home , at my own pace , any time I want and if questioned about wording in lodge during practice , we can "go to the book" without hearing the good ol' "That's not how we used to do it" gem . Take the Winding Staircase lecture (Middle Chamber) for example , I would have never learned that without my ritual , I am only one of 5 or 6 Masons in my area that puts it on and not one other Mason in my lodge other than myself has it put to memory (the last Bro. to have done so was in the 50's) . It was several long months of study , at a few hours a day , at my own pace and using my own memorization technique to get it word for word , letter perfect as worded in the ritual with no deviations from the actual text . And even though I know it word for word there are times I can still get some of the wording mixed up or my brain freezes up and I forget parts all together while practicing for degree work at home alone ( it's a very , very long lecture after all ) but I can refer to my ritual and get it right and back on path , so if I was teaching another Mason this lecture mouth to ear , there could be a chance I would be teaching him incorrect wording and parts of the lecture may lose some of it's meaning ( do not take it that I am saying this happens in PA , I am just stating as to why I like a written , standard ritual) . I have often wondered how PA Masons went over their lectures at home when preparing for upcoming degree work without the aid of a ritual when/if they forgot a word , line or section . Do you call a lodge brother or just wait for a lodge practice to refresh yourself on it (not arguing , just curious) ? I go over my lectures when the wife is away once a week , and my Monitor is worn out from putting so many lectures to memory and referencing it for forgotten sections or wording .

If I read that correctly , these rituals are for MMs only , so I take it the candidates will be still learning mouth to ear . And lastly , I have been reading other PA Masons stating that they will be violating their OB because of these ritual books . The only Masons who are violating their OB are the Grand Lodge officers , they are the ones after all putting it to print . The PA Masons themselves are still golden .

As for the others, there is a couple I agree with and the others I don't , but like I said before it's not my jurisdiction . I understand why PA Masons are up in arms though , they walked a certain path to become Master Masons and now that path has taken a very sharp turn and it is just not the same .

[kcraig1011]

Ashlar,

Although I certainly agree that a written ritual aid will facilitate the accuracy of learning degree work, and plan to make use of it myself if it is available, as I am a perfectionist and insist on learning things as they were meant to be learned, my only problem is that it clearly violates one of the first things they teach EAs. I agree that the blood is not necessarily on my hands for using something that another Mason has written, but it shows a poor example to new initiates, and may end up lowering the value of the promises that these new initiates make. If they make these promises, then see that the Grand Lodge violates the promise, then what are they going to think of the other promises they make? Will the Grand Lodge change the O&O, and the degree work explaining the balloting process to correspond with their new rules? These are rhetorical questions, but I believe that the new RWGM has taken the wrong steps to adapt our Fraternity. There are better ways to get our name out to good people, and to bring in worthy candidates, than violating the most basic concepts of Masonry, and lowering the standards for acceptance. As I said, the writing of the ritual does not personally bother me, but it is the principal of the matter. If it is in the O&O, then it should be adhered to. Additionally, the punishment for this written aid being copied by someone is the automatic closing of the Lodge. I know it is a long shot that something bad happens, and the PA degree work is posted on the internet, but it can happen, and it all starts with one person not being responsible.

I know of several long-time MMs in my Lodge that are resigning over these rules. It seems that the PA GL is pushing out some of the good Brothers, in exchange for a future of less worthy Brothers. At this pace of change, there will be alcohol served in our Lodges by the end of this year. I hope I am joking about that. I enjoy beer, but the Lodge is one place that I feel should be kept pure.

Looking forward to more discussion. BG, thanks for the link.

[BG_TRBL]

Ashlar,
As you should know by now, I don't consider anything said to be an insult, I encourage others opinions and viewpoints so that I can determine a basis for my own seated feelings. When refering to the middle chamber lecture, I assume you are referring to the council degree, which was quite a degree. In our chapter and commandary we have written books (in code however) to assist with the learning and refreshing of ritual and various other proceedures. The Blue Lodge is what I am concentrating on with these various new edicts handed down by our newly seated RWGM. These as Kcraig has mentioned, go against the basic information being conveyed in the initial (and in my opinion, most important) degrees of the EA, FM, & MM degrees. These I consider the most important, because without these first 3 degrees, no other degree's would exist, as everything is based on or referenced to these degree's.
To answer your other inquiry about how I (we) would prepare for degree work, it would typically happen a week before the degree night, where during a practice the "Degree Master" for that degree would go over the degree with another MM or PM who is proficient in that degree, we also ensure that during that degree there is an individual sitting in one of the decon seats as a "prompter" incase there happens to be a "brain freeze" during the degree. This seems to be the position I assume most of the time. There is also the evening phone calls to ensure that we are offering the incoming initiate the best possible service to them, by knowing the information well.
I truly hope that the brethren of this venerable institution working under the jurisdiction of the GL of PA show a rebellion toward the use of these written works, and continues to use the "mouth to ear" way of teaching. These are basic fundamental teachings that should take the initiate time and effort to learn.
These of course are my opinions, and should not be taken as a concensus of the fraternity at large.

Fraternally,
Past Master #232

[Ashlar2006]

I was talking about the FellowCraft Staircase Lecture (Middle Chamber) which is the second section of the second degree . But I must apologize for my post . I always assumed that your jurisdiction used the Monitor (Ahiman Rezon) that has the basic lectures for each degree with the true secrets left out , such as grips , words and OB etc; etc; such as ours . You'll have to excuse me as I am on some new medications that have left me confused and befuddeled like an Alzheimer patient ,and it's kind of scary ! So what I am asking now is , do you not have any kind of Monitor (Ahiman Rezon) period ? Because I am now somewhat confused by reading what various PA Masons have posted on the internet , some are making it look like every single word , of every single degree from start to finish is mouth to ear , or is it just words , grips , and OBs' etc , etc , that are taught mouth to ear ? Because , like I stated before , I was always under the impression that you all used the Ahiman Rezon as a guide for the bulk of the lectures .

[removed12612]

Please forgive me if I am out of line for asking but does the GM of PA have the ultimate authority to change the way things are to be done or is it something that has to be brought to a vote? If he does, what would stop him from simply putting the info on the GLofPA website for every Tom, Dick or Harry to read. Here in Indiana I am not sure how it is taught as I havent started by degree work (one week away) so I dont have a valid point on whether it should be in print or mouth to ear. I just wonder what kind of authority they have to make such a change.

Again, I apologize if my asking questions is not proper, I am a naturally inquisitive person. The only dumb question is the one that you dont ask.....right.

[Ashlar2006]

No , he could not post them on a web site or any where that could be read by the profane . As it is not my jurisdiction , I really do not know why he wanted to skew from tradition and put the ritual into print or how their voting system works and what authority he has to make changes like that. I will let BG answer that .

We have had our rituals in print in the Th KY RTL (coded) and The Kentucky Ritual (uncoded) long before I came along . I have never used either because I received all the true secrets mouth to ear and that is how I pass them on . But they are not in our Monitor , which is given to all Master Masons after they are Raised , our monitors have all the lectures such as Apron Lectures , Bible lecture , Middle Chamber lecture and the myriad of others that would be far to much to pass on mouth to ear .