How do we progress through the degrees?

Duncan1574

Duncan1574

Lodge Chaplain & arms dealer
Ashlar2006 said:
We have been trying to get legislation passed that would allow our lodges in Ky to open and conduct business on any degree the Master wishes , but some of the old timers got it in their head that all business is "supposed" to be conducted in the Master Mason degree . I have presented history/evidence , one night a 30 minute educational paper on it , till I am blue in the face that this is not the case but they will not have any of it .
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Perhaps you should submit the paper to your GL?
 
PatrickWilliams

PatrickWilliams

I could tell you ...
BG_TRBL said:
I was always told that it is the WM's decision as to what degree to work in. Traditionally all business is conducted in MM, but I don't believe there is anything that states it has to be conducted in it. It might just be that is how its been done, and how it continues to be done.
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Hard to say. GL PA does not have its Masonic Code online (or, at least, I can't find it) so it's impossible to check. As far as traditionally is concerned, however, Masons meeting ONLY on the MM degree has only been traditional in this country since the late 1800's.
 
Duncan1574

Duncan1574

Lodge Chaplain & arms dealer
PatrickWilliams said:
Good luck on that, Ash. We've tried that more than once in Wisconsin, too, and it keeps getting shot down at Grand Lodge. I've read varying explanations of why we do business on the 3rd here in the USA and find all the explanations lacking. We've just got to keep on pushing and maybe someday ...
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It is a major frustration on my part.:mad: I became a FM to part of something that I am not allowed to because I am not a MM. I asked my mentor why and he said it was to give me a goal to become a MM.
What it has done is make me an E-Freemason, I have and will spend more time on this forum talking, debating, discussing, laughing, and meeting with Brethren than I will ever spend in Lodge twice a month. :(

Change is difficult, it destroys the safe container that has been created by and for the existing members and indoctrinates the new ones into the same mindset.
 
Ashlar2006

Ashlar2006

Masonic Mafia
PatrickWilliams said:
Good luck on that, Ash. We've tried that more than once in Wisconsin, too, and it keeps getting shot down at Grand Lodge. I've read varying explanations of why we do business on the 3rd here in the USA and find all the explanations lacking. We've just got to keep on pushing and maybe someday ...
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It is like beating my head against the wall . The Craft is of the mind that this is "how we done it and this is how we want it to stay " .

I was not disappointed when I was an EA or FC because I just took it as "this is the way it's done " and took it for granted that this was how it was done everywhere , so I moved quickly through the degrees so I could set in Lodge .
 
Duncan1574

Duncan1574

Lodge Chaplain & arms dealer
Ashlar2006 said:
The GL has nothing to do with it , all these points I presented in the paper has been brought at our Grand Lodge communications , and it is the Craft who votes it down .
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define, the Craft, as in the membership of all the Lodges? There is a vote of some kind that takes place?
 
Ashlar2006

Ashlar2006

Masonic Mafia
Duncan1574 said:
define, the Craft, as in the membership of all the Lodges? There is a vote of some kind that takes place?
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Each lodge in the jurisdiction sends a Lodge representative (normally the Master of the lodge) to each and every Annual Grand Lodge communication . This representative speaks (votes) for his entire lodge . Legislation is brought to the floor at the Annual Communication and every lodge in the state votes either to except it or reject it .
 
G

Gary

Guest
Duncan1574 said:
define, the Craft, as in the membership of all the Lodges? There is a vote of some kind that takes place?
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My understanding is that representatives from the various Lodges in the Jurisdiction attend and vote on the "craft's" behalf. It's not a vote from every member in every Lodge.

The representation is made up of Lodge officers (who are required to attend), and Master Masons who decide to attend the GL meetings. At least that is my understanding for Florida. It may be different in other jurisdictions.
 
Duncan1574

Duncan1574

Lodge Chaplain & arms dealer
GaryE said:
My understanding is that representatives from the various Lodges in the Jurisdiction attend and vote on the "craft's" behalf. It's not a vote from every member in every Lodge.

The representation is made up of Lodge officers (who are required to attend), and Master Masons who decide to attend the GL meetings. At least that is my understanding for Florida. It may be different in other jurisdictions.
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AH, so the ones with the least to gain from the change vote about it!
 
Custer148

Custer148

Masonic Traveler
NE GL finally allowed all Blue Lodges to open in any degree the WM wishes to open in. Any voting on candidates is to be done in the MM degree. The FC and MM degrees are conferred in the appropriate degree. We make sure that any EA's or FC's who plan on attending lodge let the WM or at least the Sec know they will be there so we can open in the proper degree. I dislike having to turn a brother away because he is not a MM and we are open the MM degree. It makes for disappointment.
There are still lodges that have recycled WM so often that they will not open in anything but MM, and they are having trouble getting new petitions because of the way they do things (sorry for this) but they will not change with the times. "This is the way we have done it for years and we don't want to change." In my opinion this will be the death of some lodges.
 
Custer148

Custer148

Masonic Traveler
GaryE said:
My understanding is that representatives from the various Lodges in the Jurisdiction attend and vote on the "craft's" behalf. It's not a vote from every member in every Lodge.

The representation is made up of Lodge officers (who are required to attend), and Master Masons who decide to attend the GL meetings. At least that is my understanding for Florida. It may be different in other jurisdictions.
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In NE, the WM, SW, JW, Sec, or proxies of each Blue Lodge as well as GL officers(including Past Grand Masters) make up the voting members of GL. Each Blue Lodge has up to 4 votes, each GL officer has 1 vote.
Each lodge is required to attend Annual Communication at least every other year (or show just cause) or risk losing their Charter (a GL rule that has not been applied very much until this year).
 
G

Gary

Guest
Duncan1574 said:
AH, so the ones with the least to gain from the change vote about it!
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Pretty much. They are "supposed" to get feedback from their respective Lodge brethren, and deliver a vote based on that. Not their sole opinion on the matter.

Custer148 said:
In NE, the WM, SW, JW, Sec, or proxies of each Blue Lodge as well as GL officers(including Past Grand Masters) make up the voting members of GL. Each Blue Lodge has up to 4 votes, each GL officer has 1 vote.
Each lodge is required to attend Annual Communication at least every other year (or show just cause) or risk losing their Charter (a GL rule that has not been applied very much until this year).
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Sounds similar to what we do here.
 
PatrickWilliams

PatrickWilliams

I could tell you ...
Ashlar2006 said:
It is like beating my head against the wall .
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Ah. So that's what that flat spot on my head is. I had wondered.

Ashlar2006 said:
The Craft is of the mind that this is "how we done it and this is how we want it to stay " .
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Well, we are a 'traditional' organization, after all. It's hell when you are faced with getting rid of some traditions, but upholding other ones.

Ashlar2006 said:
I was not disappointed when I was an EA or FC because I just took it as "this is the way it's done " and took it for granted that this was how it was done everywhere , so I moved quickly through the degrees so I could set in Lodge .
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Yeah, me too.
 
PatrickWilliams

PatrickWilliams

I could tell you ...
Duncan1574 said:
It is a major frustration on my part.:mad: I became a FM to part of something that I am not allowed to because I am not a MM. I asked my mentor why and he said it was to give me a goal to become a MM.
What it has done is make me an E-Freemason, I have and will spend more time on this forum talking, debating, discussing, laughing, and meeting with Brethren than I will ever spend in Lodge twice a month. :(

Change is difficult, it destroys the safe container that has been created by and for the existing members and indoctrinates the new ones into the same mindset.
Click to expand...
Well. If you read Bro. Hodapp's Freemasonry for Dummies you'll find a great explanation of why we in the US have our Stateds in the 3rd. Warning: It will not make you less frustrated. The reason is really not to "give you a goal to become a MM." You already had that goal when you signed your petition. As I've already written (where I chastised you on another thread today), you and only you can make Masonry 'work'. Nobody's going to make the Lodge work for you. And again - being an E-Mason is a great thing, but it's only a pale imitation of being a committed and active Mason in a real life Lodge (IF you're committed enough to make it work).
 
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