Education and the SR/YR

[Ashlar2006]

I have something for all to discuss and ponder . Before I ask my question let me say that I love the YR , I am very active , I love the degrees , the ritual , we have a strong bond among my Companions in my personal YR bodies and I love the fellowship but I think I like it because it gives me greater opportunity of growing closer to my brethren from other lodges . Now on to my questions .....

Like everyone else we have all heard "The SR is the college of Freemasonry" , "You can learn more about the Craft degrees in the SR or YR" , "You will gain more understanding of the Craft Lodge if you go through the degrees of the YR/SR" , "You learn more about the Craft in the SR but just in a different manner" etc; etc; etc; .

Now I ask , why ? Why do we need these others bodies to teach what we should be learning and teaching in the Craft Lodge ? Why are we not teaching these lessons in the Craft lodge already ? And is the SR and the YR REALLY furthering the knowledge of Masons ? From what I seen of the SR , I went through the degrees and then left on my own to gain more light . I went to a few SR functions and all they talked about was paying the bills and pounding the pavement with those petitions . I found it no different than most Craft lodges , they put you through the degrees then..... NOTHING .

The other day at lodge I overheard two visiting brothers in the SR hounding my new MM about petitioning the SR , telling him about how much more he would learn and the greater understanding of the Craft degrees he would gain in the SR . I walked up to them and asked them to explain to me what exactly such and such SR degree (I chose one at random) teaches and how does it relate to any of the degrees in Ancient Craft Masonry and they looked at me blankly . They had NO idea .

So again , should we not be delving more deeply into the degrees of Freemasonry within the Craft lodge itself , instead of having to look elsewhere for more clarity ? And if we were doing what we should be doing in the Craft lodge , do you think we would truly need the SR and the YR ?

 

[goomba]

I like you Companion love the YR. Hence my avatar. However, the blue lodge does not do nearly enough Masonic education. The symbolic lodge had more light than I will ever be able to get. While doing Masonic eduction I harp that the lodge is the MOST important Masonic body you can belong to.

 

[jason]

So again , should we not be delving more deeply into the degrees of Freemasonry within the Craft lodge itself , instead of having to look elsewhere for more clarity ?

Yes.

And if we were doing what we should be doing in the Craft lodge , do you think we would truly need the SR and the YR ?

If the above was being done, no we would not need them. I wouldn't mind them being done as a special degree or something like that, although I see people in either body shaking their head at that. But if first three were looked into more deeply then the other bodies would not be needed.

Hate to bring up what is seen as another sore point, but the numbers are just not supporting the extra bodies anymore.

 

[trysquare]

My own personal take on this is that the Mark Master and Royal Arch are the only Appendant Degrees that truly "add" to the lessons of the Craft Degrees. (I list them separately because they are not always under the same leadership as they are in the USA.)
I feel it is an individual experience as to whether the SR, Council, and Commandery can impart "more light" that actually applies to the Craft Lodge, or whether it's just fluff that adds another suffix to ones Masonic signature.