Masonic Bill of Rights

C

cemab4y

Member
I am interested in your claim that Masonry is not dying. To what do you pin this assertion? Do you have any reliable statistics, which show that lodge and Grand Lodge membership is not declining (Nationally)? I would be delighted to see some concrete numbers, provided by Grand Lodges, which show growth. I worked for the US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, in statistical data collection and anaylsis. I have a great deal of experience in demographics (human statistics).

When your average age of your membership is 68, and the human life span is 73, can you not see that in five years, your average member will be lying on a slab in the morgue with a tag on his toe? And the members we are losing through deaths (as well as resignations, and suspensions) are not being replaced. Do you have some evidence that proves otherwise? Why have I not seen it? Why has the Masonic Service Association of North America (which tracks our membership statistics) has not published such rosy and optimistic data?

You have to look into what demographers call the "out years". As lodges decline in membership (and the concurrent financial support through dues), lodge buildings will fall into rot and disrepair. And the declining membership base will not be able to restore our buildings. And as the older membership continues to fight any meaningful reforms, the operation of the lodges will continue to be "calcified". Young men will not be attracted to join any organization with a crumbling infrastructure and geriatric leadership.

Of course, we experienced an artificial "bump" in our numbers, in the years following WW2. We did not appeal to the sons of this generation, and we are now reaping the harvest we refused to sow.
 
Winter

Winter

I've been here before
I already gave you my take on this. I am using the exact same numbers you are. We, as an organisation, are returning to more appropriate numbers for our organisation. The majority of the buildings need to go away. We have too many. And if we focus more on the quality of the programming in our Lodges, the numbers will never be an issue. Freemasonry was never intended to be a huge organisation. Throughout history the esoteric orders that focused on mysticism and personal/spiritual growth were always a very small percentage of the population. I don't want to grow Masonry. I want it to keep shrinking to where it belongs.
 
jaya

jaya

Active Member
Bro. Charles, I see you are still argueing that Freemasonery is dying and will soon not exist. I wondered what had happened to you. I have not seen you on TMS since I started posting there again.

Freemasonry is not going to die.

If you look at the numbers, there was also a steady decline from 1929 until 1941. There was declining numbers the same or worse than we are seeing today. During WWII an up till 1959 there was positive growth. Starting in 1960 the decline started again. Some of this can be attributed to the 60s generation wanting to do their own thing and not interested in joining any organized group. This has continued throughout the 70s. During that time we lost some of the family tradition of joining freemasonry. We are now seeing younger people searching for "something" and many of them are finding it in freemasonry. Many of the declines now are from those that had joined in the 40s and 50s basically dying or being dropped for NPD because they do not see much benefit in staying in if they are not able to attend lodge. How many stories do we hear from those that are in a nursing home or unable to travel that do not get a visit or phone call from a brother? I have met a few men like that recently. I would expect to see the numbers turn around within the next few years. It is expected that in NC we should see positive numbers this year.

If there was more incentives to join then, how come the numbers dropped? The reasoning might be different (or not) why the numbers dropped. What happened in 1941 that caused the increase in numbers again? Was it WWII or some other reason? If it was WWII, then why did the numbers keep climbing until 1960? What happened in 1960 to cause the decline in numbers that we still see today? I do think we can learn something by looking at the trends of the past.

Lets go back even further. Look at what happened during the time of the Anti-Masonic party right after the Morgan affair. The numbers in Freemasonry declined drastically. There were even some Grand Lodges that closed or went underground. Many lodges closed. The numbers dropped to an extream low. However, Freemasonery did not die.

If you are going to look at numbers, look at the entire set and not just a subset. Or do you not think that Freemasonery before 1940 was important?
 
C

cemab4y

Member
q- I would expect to see the numbers turn around within the next few years. It is expected that in NC we should see positive numbers this year.
end q

Why do you expect this? Do you have any hard statistics, or a report from the Grand Lodge? I lived in NC for a while. I would love to see Freemasonry turn around in NC. Please back up your claim.

Masonry saw explosive growth in the WW2 years (Keep in mind the USA did not get involved in the war, until mid-December 1941). The combination of men returning from combat, and seeking a similar camarderie, expanded leisure time, and increasing urbanization, all contributed to the growth. It was a "perfect storm".

Masonry saw huge declines in the years following the Morgan affair. The Grand Lodge of New York took a major hit, membership declines and nearly half the lodges in the state closed. EVERY lodge in the state of Vermont closed. So What? That was a freak occurence, and is not likely to repeat.

I do not believe that Freemasonry prior to 1940 was "not important". It was. The problem is, we live in a different world. In 1940, there was no Cable TV. Women rarely worked for wages outside the home. Most people never travelled more than 75 miles from where they were born. That world does not exist anymore. Keeping Freemasonry, and our modalities and practices as if it were, is part of reason we are in so much trouble.

Perhaps it is a bit of hyperbole, to state that Masonry is "dying". More accurately, we should state that Masonry is "contracting". The absolute numbers are declining. Lodges are closing. We are NOT appealing to younger men. We are NOT embracing technology, and social media, and the internet, like we should. I believe that we can make some adjustments, and keep true to our ancient landmarks, and stop the bleeding.
 
Winter

Winter

I've been here before
We aren't appealing to younger men OR older men because when they show up to Lodge, all that happens is that you sit around for 2 hours while the same three people argue about the bills and then maybe close and have some sandwiches in the dining room that was meant to hold 100 Brothers. Arguing about numbers and whether we should modernize our approach to appeal to younger men is useless if we don't change what they actually get when they do join our Order. Instead of looking at overall numbers and declining membership, look at the number of new Brothers that do not stay after their first year and find the answer to THAT question.
 
jaya

jaya

Active Member
The following was posted on another forum earlier today.

Yesterday (January 7th) - the Grand Lodge of Michigan announced that, for the first time since 1959, they had a gain in membership during 2012.This is not only due to the increases in new members, but a reduction of NPDs by more than 30%.The GL is planning a celebration later this year.

As for NC, that is what both the GM and Grand Secretary have said. Last year we were close to making the turn.
 
C

cemab4y

Member
No one needs to tell me that lodge meetings are boring. I would love to see more interesting programs, and snappy ritual. I would love to make every aspect of Freemasonry exciting, and more relevant to the 21st century. I sincerely believe, that if we had more younger men, and we would see a change in the character of Masonry, and we could turn this thing around.

Masonry has faced challenges in the past. We will face challenges in the future. How we face up to these challenges, is going to determine the future of Freemasonry.
 
Gary2112

Gary2112

Troll Stomper
Staff member
cemab4y said:
No one needs to tell me that lodge meetings are boring. I would love to see more interesting programs, and snappy ritual. I would love to make every aspect of Freemasonry exciting, and more relevant to the 21st century. I sincerely believe, that if we had more younger men, and we would see a change in the character of Masonry, and we could turn this thing around.

Masonry has faced challenges in the past. We will face challenges in the future. How we face up to these challenges, is going to determine the future of Freemasonry.
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Snappy Ritual? You didn't really just say that did you? Wow. I'm a firm believer that the ritual has been messed with too much already. It should be as it was when the fraternity started. That's one of the only things that points to our history. If you modernize it you lose that entirely.
 
C

cemab4y

Member
Let me clarify myself: By "Snappy ritual", I mean rituals that are performed properly, respectfully, and with proper decorum. I visit lodges, and the opening closing ceremonies are sloppy, the lines are not delivered properly, and the brothers on the sidelines giggle and laugh. I have seen degree work, where the ritualists need constant prompting, and the ceremony is a disgrace. The solution to this is to have ritual schools, operated at the district level, where new ritualists can get proper training and instruction, and practice, before they go before their lodges. Even more experienced ritualists can use some "polishing" and practice on ritual performance.

A sloppy, poorly performed ritual, where the members laugh and joke during the performance just does not do honor to the Craft.

That is what I mean by "snappy"- a new committment to excellence, both in ritual performance, and all aspects of Masonry.
 
C

cemab4y

Member
Here are some great ideas about how to revitalize and renew Masonry, while keeping faithful to our ancient landmarks. Massachusetts is one of the few states where Masonry is seeing some increase in membership (as well as a new committment to the Craft). See:

http://www.masonicrenewal.org/in.php

Open up and read the information from the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. Your lodge/Grand Lodge may get some useful ideas.
 
Winter

Winter

I've been here before
cemab4y said:
I am an experienced demographer (specialist in statistics about people), and a former employee of the US Census Bureau. The reason that we must focus on numbers, is that numbers are members and members are Freemasonry. Without members, our buildings are empty, our lodges close up. Here is an excellent article, which focuses on both sides of our problem:
http://scottishrite.org/journal/july-august-2012/qualityquantity/
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Several parts of that article are upsetting to me. I will attempt to hit the high points.

First, the article is written from the point of view of the Scottish Rite and the issue is laid out plainly in the beginning that the numbers in the Valleys are dependent on the numbers in that GL jurisdiction. That tells me right away that the article has a strong bias to promoting larger numbers in Craft Masonry in an attempt to bolster flagging Scottish Rite numbers and SNPDs.

His solution was simple: Increase the number of members. He implemented “selective invitation”—seek and ask a man to join. His grand lodge also had a One Day Masonic Journey; district-wide conferrals (many small lodges could not confer degrees, so districts formed teams); printed rituals; relaxed dress code; balloting changed to three cubes for rejection; shorter meetings with “useless” ritual removed; and fees adjusted to match CPI to keep up with financial needs. These interesting ideas resulted in approximately 4,500 new Masons being added to the rolls over the last two years. The questions of how many others left over that period went unanswered, as well as how many of those 4,500 will maintain their membership after two years (remember the comment above on our three-year loss figure).
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I really don't even know where to begin with this one paragraph as I try to type around the bile that is rising from my gullet over this laundry list of horrible ideas that will never have a positive impact on the Craft. (With the exception of the increased fees to match CPI) Talk about a watered down shadow of the Craft that I would be ashamed to be a part of. And shame on the Masons in that jurisdiction that allowed it to happen!

The Brother that describes the TO experience and initiation process describes a beautiful initiatic experience that has no place in the world envisioned by the Brothers who equate larger numbers in Masonry with a positive health of the Craft. And you will notice, that this viewpoint, while included for the appearance of balance, is never mentioned again and not analyzed for its merits since this method does not translate into increased numbers in the Craft Lodge that the SR needs to recruit from.

So using all of the pieces of information brings us back to some basics—men want to belong to something that offers them value in belonging. They want fellowship. They seek friendship, involvement for their families, service to their community, and an opportunity to be a leader.
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I agree that many men want the fellowship and friendship. Those are important. The family issue is debatable as many of the Brothers I know are single as I am. Service to the community is important as well but I don't agree with the desire to be a leader. Freemasonry is very similar to my military time in that many men just want to be part of it, not leading the charge. (pun intended)

In some cases, Masonry has burdened itself with property—buildings that are creating issues that have nothing to do with Masonry.
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This statement says a lot. Although it is not "in some cases," It is in MOST cases. Too many Brothers would rather sink to the bottom of the river with the beautiful old building tied around their neck than consider any alternative.

I am definitely not in favor of returning to 1825 when all things Masonic rented space over taverns and mercantile stores.
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Why not? Think of the flexibility that gives? A Lodge would not be tied to a particular space. Rather, they could acquire the space needed based on the current needs of the Lodge.

Quality/Quantity—you decide what is correct for you in Freemasonry. Practice the lessons of our Rite—the answers are there. Thank you for practicing the lessons each day.
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The fact that the Scottish Rite does not see the obvious correct choice in this issue that quality trumps quantity every time (unless you are the Russian Army fighting on the Eastern Front in WWII) makes me glad that I dropped my SR membership.
 
T

TH2012

Member
Thank you Brother Goomba, for pointing me in the right direction. I can not get my head over being independent and the different opinions. The amendments are meant to protect and serve. It his can either make or break the growth.
 
goomba

goomba

Active Member
TH2012 said:
Thank you Brother Goomba, for pointing me in the right direction. I can not get my head over being independent and the different opinions. The amendments are meant to protect and serve. It his can either make or break the growth.
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Winter

Winter

I've been here before
TH2012 said:
Thank you Brother Goomba, for pointing me in the right direction. I can not get my head over being independent and the different opinions. The amendments are meant to protect and serve. It his can either make or break the growth.
Click to expand...
You have lied top us and contribute nothing to any thread you post in. We know you for who and what you are. I think it is time you go annoy another forum now.
 
jaya

jaya

Active Member
The degrees have been changed. The third degree did not come into existance until at least 1725. Even then it was based on Noah in many places.
 
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