Scottish Rite and leaving/changing your blue lodge

devlin

Laus Deo
As I have been interested in joining the Scottish Rite I have been reading up on the rules and one seemed peculiar considering how life is in the 21st century with people having to move for various reasons especially due to work (their own or their spouses), military duty or other life issues.

I read that you can not for any reason leave (demit from) your blue lodge or you loose you membership in the Scottish Rite. I can understand this in the day most people never moved, you built/bought your house and there you stayed until your death. Now few stay in the same town or even state all their adult lives. It seems the SR hasn't kept with the times with this one. It got me wondering. What if I for some reason had to move out of state and it was a permanent move...

Would the SR expect me to pay dues to my old lodge AND the lodge I found in my new location and was going to regularly attend in order to retain my membership in the Rite?

It isn't something that is a current situation for me but I don't know if I'd want to waste time joining and paying dues only to be bounced because something unexpected happened and I had to relocate far from the lodge of which I was raised.

I guess what I am asking is did I misunderstand something? I'd imagine there is some kind of loop hole or the SR would be in serious jeopardy of falling apart from loosing so many people each year due to those that moved for one reason or another.

Hope I wasn't too repetitive... I'm having a particularly bad ADD day....

Bro. Bill L.
 

Ashlar2006

Masonic Mafia
I take it that you are talking about just switching lodges and not leaving Masonry all together correct ?

If so ... Untrue , if you are a member of the southern Jurisdiction , then it does not matter what lodge/jurisdiction you are a member of as long as you remain in the Southern jurisdiction . For example , if I moved from Ky to Florida , I would retain my membership (if I was still a member) in my Valley in Ky . As long as you petition for affiliation and are favorably balloted upon in the new lodge BEFORE you demit from your mother lodge then you are good .

We have members who change lodges within our own state and into other states and have retained their SR membership .

We have members who have went through the SR in other states also . I know of brethren in a Ohio Valley , WV Valley , TN Valley , Florida Valley , Virginia Valley (he was one who moved here and affiliated with our lodge and demitted out of his Virginia lodge but retained his SR Valley in Virginia membership) .

The only difference I can see is if you are switching from a lodge in the Southern Jurisdiction to a lodge in the Yankee jurisdiction . OR you are a member of the Northern Jurisdiction and they have different rules than we do .
 

Winter

I've been here before
That rule exists because the Scottish Rite and other Appendant Bodies, are predicated upon the Craft Lodges. They are not independent entities in their own and therefore the status of the membership is based upon the status of the member in his Craft Lodge. Since one of the rules of the Appendant Bodies is that a member must be in good standing in his Craft lodge, they require you to maintain it. Now, whether you must maintain a Craft lodge membership in a Lodge that is in the same jurisdiction of that SR Valley is a good question. For example, Joining the Valley of Milwaukee, does my Craft lodge need to be inside the boundary of that Valley. Or whether a Brother only need to maintain his good standing in "a" Craft Lodge. Maybe it need be only in the same jurisdiction, i.e. Northern or Southern?

If you are set on petitioning the SR and are concerned with having to relocate, I do not see it as an issue though. If you do need to move, both memberships are portable. That is, once you know where you are relocating to you can petition a local Craft Lodge in your new location as a plural member and then demit from your home Lodge and then do the same thing with your SR membership. I would recommend contacting the Secretary of the Scottish Rite Valley nearest you and pose these questions to in order to get the most accurate information.

Hope this helps.
 

devlin

Laus Deo
Thanks brothers... I am not planning any move, I just read this and was very surprised considering how much people move around these days. You never know what circumstances may arise in the future so I felt it save to ask before petitioning than assuming and feeling foolish later...

As always thanks for your input! :)
 

devlin

Laus Deo
I wrote the Scottish Rite NMJ since most of you seem to be from the Southern Jurisdiction and mentioned the northern may have different rules. First I received a reply the next day that said you could affiliate between valleys if you relocated. I had to reply back I was referring to moving from one craft lodge to another not SR Valleys. Oddly, I've heard nothing back since.....
 

Ashlar2006

Masonic Mafia
As long as you are in good standing in your Craft Lodge , any Lodge , then you are fine . As I stated above , I have a brother from Virginia who affiliated with a Ky lodge , he then demitted out of his Virginia lodge but remained a member of the Orient of Virginia . They do not care what lodge (or jurisdiction) you are a member of , as long as they are receiving your yearly dues .
 

devlin

Laus Deo
Okay, you guys haven't steered me wrong yet, so I'll just trust your judgement especially considering your experience over mine in Masonic matters.

I'll follow my leaders and fear no danger. :)
 

Ashlar2006

Masonic Mafia
Here is another reason (I think) it does not matter . Many states only have Two Valleys , so this leaves many of us out in the cold when it comes to being active . Not to many are willing to drive well over 200 miles round trip to be active in their SR temples , more so with gas prices at $4.00 a gallon . So moving would really be no big a deal , UNLESS your move lands you close to that Orient's Valley . Then you could change your affiliation , but if you are still in the same boat as you were in your old jurisdiction and you move to an area that is no where close to a Valley , then there is really no use in changing your affiliation . You could always go to reunions and even help out as a visitor .

I would still inform your Valley of your intentions though , you never know they may have some weird rule we are unaware .
 

devlin

Laus Deo
Here is another reason (I think) it does not matter . Many states only have Two Valleys , so this leaves many of us out in the cold when it comes to being active . Not to many are willing to drive well over 200 miles round trip to be active in their SR temples , more so with gas prices at $4.00 a gallon . So moving would really be no big a deal , UNLESS your move lands you close to that Orient's Valley . Then you could change your affiliation , but if you are still in the same boat as you were in your old jurisdiction and you move to an area that is no where close to a Valley , then there is really no use in changing your affiliation . You could always go to reunions and even help out as a visitor .

I would still inform your Valley of your intentions though , you never know they may have some weird rule we are unaware .
Ashlar,

I think we have a misunderstanding. I was not talking moving between SR Valleys, I was talking about changing Craft Lodges. Say due to work, family matters, etc.. I had to move hundreds of miles from my Craft Lodge, I would want to still be active in Masonry so I'd want to be a part of a lodge in my new location. According to the info I read it would seem if I took a demit from my old CRAFT Lodge for any reason I'd be dropped as a member of the SR.
It seemed odd since they said I could switch between SR Valleys. Taken from the Supreme Council NMJ's website FAQ's page.
"AFTER BECOMING A MEMBER OF SCOTTISH RITE WILL I BE PERMITTED OR REQUIRED TO TAKE MY DEMIT FROM MY CRAFT LODGE?
No. Termination of membership in a craft lodge, for any reason, automatically terminates your membership in Scottish Rite. "

I should have thought to post this quote from the get go both here and in my e-mail to the Supreme Council and it may have made my question easier to understand.
 

Winter

I've been here before
No, you will not be dropped from the SR for changing Lodges. They do not care if you change Lodges. They only care that you are a MEMBER in GOOD STANDING in A CRAFT LODGE. As long as those requirements are met you will be fine. In today's mobile world it would be ridiculous for the SR to require you to remain a member of the Craft Lodge you belonged to when you joined the SR.
 

devlin

Laus Deo
Winter,

Thank you, it did seem odd that in this day and age they would have a rule such as that. I was just trying to show Ashlar what I was trying to ask and what it seemed he thought I was asking.

I filled out my petition yesterday evening after reading your answers. I will be turning it in Tuesday when I am next going up to the lodge for our weekly coffee get together.

It was funny, earlier I was sitting here a little worried I had so much to learn being so new to the Craft.....Then I realized I have the rest of my life to learn and perfect it and myself! :)
 

Winter

I've been here before
Which brings up the more important point. Why do you feel the need to rush into joining an Appendant Body when you are so new to Freemasonry and have so much to learn in your Craft Lodge?
 

Ashlar2006

Masonic Mafia
Ashlar,

I think we have a misunderstanding. I was not talking moving between SR Valleys, I was talking about changing Craft Lodges. Say due to work, family matters, etc.. I had to move hundreds of miles from my Craft Lodge, I would want to still be active in Masonry so I'd want to be a part of a lodge in my new location. According to the info I read it would seem if I took a demit from my old CRAFT Lodge for any reason I'd be dropped as a member of the SR.
It seemed odd since they said I could switch between SR Valleys. Taken from the Supreme Council NMJ's website FAQ's page.
"AFTER BECOMING A MEMBER OF SCOTTISH RITE WILL I BE PERMITTED OR REQUIRED TO TAKE MY DEMIT FROM MY CRAFT LODGE?
No. Termination of membership in a craft lodge, for any reason, automatically terminates your membership in Scottish Rite. "

I should have thought to post this quote from the get go both here and in my e-mail to the Supreme Council and it may have made my question easier to understand.

No misunderstanding as I was not talking about changing SR valleys in your case . They (the SR) can care less what lodge you are a member of as long as you are in good standing in a lodge , any "recognized" lodge , and as long as they get their cash . I hate to say this , but in my Valley petitions/money/titles , petition/money/titles is all they care about . The educational aspect for the membership means very little to them . When education is brought up to them , their answer is PAY for the Master Craftsmen Program . I WAS already paying dues before I demitted , I should not have to spend more money for education .

I knew exactly what you were asking and why you started this thread .
 

devlin

Laus Deo
No misunderstanding as I was not talking about changing SR valleys in your case . They (the SR) can care less what lodge you are a member of as long as you are in good standing in a lodge , any "recognized" lodge , and as long as they get their cash , they do not care what lodge you are a member . I hate to say this , but in my Valley petitions/money/titles , petition/money/titles is all they care about . The educational aspect for the membership means very little to them . When education is brought up to them , their answer is PAY for the Master Craftsmen Program . I WAS already paying dues before I demitted , I should not have to spend more money for education .

I knew exactly what you were asking and why you started this thread .
Sorry it would seem I was the one who misunderstood then. My apologies.
Glad to get your perspective as well. :)
 

Gary2112

Troll Stomper
Staff member
No misunderstanding as I was not talking about changing SR valleys in your case . They (the SR) can care less what lodge you are a member of as long as you are in good standing in a lodge , any "recognized" lodge , and as long as they get their cash . I hate to say this , but in my Valley petitions/money/titles , petition/money/titles is all they care about . The educational aspect for the membership means very little to them . When education is brought up to them , their answer is PAY for the Master Craftsmen Program . I WAS already paying dues before I demitted , I should not have to spend more money for education .

I knew exactly what you were asking and why you started this thread .
Off topic- Brother Ashlar, The YR has recently started a program that follows the same structure as the Master Craftsman program. You have to pay for that too. Nudge... nudge... :grouphug:

Now back to the topic at hand...
 

Ashlar2006

Masonic Mafia
I know , and do not worry , I do not agree with that either . If a brother pays his dues (ETA) and degree fees , then the educational materials should be given to them at no charge .

It seems that all these bodies talk about , including the Craft lodge , is MONEY . Dues are necessary , we have bills to pay , but we are nickle and dime'd to death for every little thing . And they are always holding their hands out for more like beggars .

And now back to our regular programming .
 
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