What Are The Rags Of Our Righteousness?

BY: ROBERT G. DAVIS, 33*, GRAND CROSS

The interrogatories of Craft Masonry are said to have been penned by William Preston and appear in the ritual workings of the Entered Apprentice Degree sometime after 1772. Prior to this, the preparation room was used for different purposes. In the earliest days of Speculative Masonry, the candidate was “made” a Mason in the preparation room by having the obligations administered to him by the Master before he ever stepped foot into the lodge. This was the case during the late 17th century period and remained common through the first two decades of the 1700’s.

As degree workings became more formalized, the “making ceremony” was moved into the lodge room itself and the anteroom became the waiting area for the candidate while the Master opened the lodge. Once the lodge was opened, the Master asked if anyone was in waiting to be “made.” The Wardens and the proposer retired to prepare the candidate. He was relieved of his metals, asked some basic questions such as name, occupation, and place of residence, and then left to his own reflections for at least half an hour. His proposer sat with him, and he was not allowed to talk. Guards (likely the deacons) stood near with swords drawn.

While all this was taking place, the lodge set up its trestleboard, or set of figures drawn into the floor with charcoal and chalk, set in an oblong square.

Preston changed all this with his formal interrogatories; and these are adopted and in use today. After the questions are asked in the preparation room, the Deacon gives the candidate a charge which informs him of the seriousness of the journey he is about to take, and suggests that, through the language and hieroglyphics of our ceremonies, we may come to understand the meaning of death and rebirth.

And then he is given a warning. He is told that his status in life is not enough to gain him a place in heaven; that indeed he must become poor and destitute, blind and naked. Of course, he doesn’t realize this at the time, but what he is being told is that we will be communicating with his soul rather than his body from this point forward; because we already know it is only his soul that is capable of interpreting and understanding the allegories we will present to him. And then we add another very brief and eccentric afterthought—that “he must be divested of the rags of his own righteousness…. .” Now, what in heaven’s name does this mean? Why would we divest someone of their righteousness?

Righteousness is defined as conformity of life to the requirements of the Divine or Moral Law. This would seem a very Masonic plan. Righteousness means virtue, or integrity—again, a central Masonic goal. To be righteous is to be morally right or justifiable. So again, why are we divesting our man of his own moral justification?

Well, I’m not sure. But I think we are imploring him to consider what righteousness means to him. The operative word in our admonition is that we are divesting him of the rags of his own righteousness. This would imply we are suggesting the validity in which he defines righteousness is worthy of his reconsideration. Because righteousness is a subjective thing. Like Truth. It is a virtue which has been so broadly used throughout history that one hardly knows what to make of it.

For instance, Barclay complained about the greediness of some merchants in mixing European plants with Indian wrappers and calling it righteous and legitimate tobacco. What does that mean? It was said of George Washington that he was righteous in the treatment of his slaves? Now there’s an oxymoron. We have been told over and over again that America has a righteous government. Oh really?

You get the idea. A man does not even get to knock on the door of Freemasonry before he is told to set aside what he has already been taught, or told, or ordered, or mandated in so far as his moral code is concerned. You see, we are not so much interested in what someone or something has already made of him. Freemasonry asks him to set aside the assumptions of his past; be divested of his subjective upbringing, bear the nakedness of his own heart, and be clothed in the purity of his soul. Only then can he objectively learn what he does not know; and begin the great and important undertaking of re-discovering himself.

It is only when he makes this mystic journey within that he can take on the mantel of righteousness; and know that he is justified in his moral standing.

So, regardless of our station in life, or where we are on our own journey, it never hurts to occasionally stop and ponder this significant question for ourselves:

What are the rags of my own righteousness?

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Who Do You Sit By in Lodge?

By: Wor. Jason E. Marshall

A few nights ago, Bro. Nathan Warren came over to my house, and as we sat on my porch smoking cigars, drinking scotch, and enjoying a nice cool fall evening, the conversation inevitably weaved itself in and around Freemasonry. During the conversation, Bro, Warren relayed how some people (non-Masons) were astounded that we can actually go to Lodge and sit next to people from almost any conceivable religion, race, or social background, and be totally comfortable around them. While this ability to "meet on the level" with one another is a hallmark of our fraternity, it is unfortunately not always put into practice, and even when it is, we too often take advantage of it by failing to truly get to know the people that we sit in Lodge with on a personal and intimate level.

As Bro. Chris Hodap has covered on his blog: Freemasons for Dummies, the Grand Lodges of Tennessee and Georgia have recently made moves to ban homosexuals from being Freemasons. This is most likely a misplaced knee-jerk reaction to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Obergfell v. Hodges) that struck down gay marriage bans across the country, and held that marriage is a universal right regardless of one's sexual orientation. The moves by the Grand Lodges of Tennessee and Georgia are particularly disturbing, because the Lodge has long been a safe haven for those seeking a place of acceptance and enlightenment ideals. This is why our rituals contain admonishments that it is the internal and not the external qualifications that make a man fit to be a Freemason, and that no disharmony or contention should exist between brothers.

The Lodge is simply not a place that any strife over religion, race, or sexual orientation should exist. The Lodge should be place of harmony, reflection, and spiritual growth, and in order to accomplish that lofty and fundamental ideal, arbitrary divisions such as race, sexual orientation, or social background, should not get in the way of spreading the cement of brotherly love. Ever.

Most of the negative associations that people have about minorities, the LGBT community, and religions other than Christianity, come from a place of fear and ignorance. Fear is a natural human reaction and emotion to things that are unknown to us. It is what kept our ancient ancestors from being eaten by lions and tigers; however, ignorance driven fear morphs into fanaticism, and fanaticism gives way to tyranny. Ignorance, fanaticism, and tyranny are the antithesis of Freemasonry, and must never be allowed to take root in our hallowed halls.

For men that are supposed to be working on our international ashlars, fear has no place, especially fear that is borne out of ignorance. The only cure for ignorance is knowledge, and our fraternity is blessed to have a vast reserve of wise and diverse brethren within our ranks. In order to tap into this vast reserve of wisdom, we must first take the time to get to know our fellow brethren on a personal and intimate level, whether the individual brother is gay, straight, white, black, Hispanic, Christian, Non-christian... Any Brother. Only after spreading the cement of brotherly love and affection can we open the doors of our hearts so that we can truly learn from one another.

In order to truly meet on the level, we must be willing to actively practice the ideals that we espouse, and not close the doors to our hearts, or our Lodes, to those that don't fit into a neat homogeneous box. We must take the time to learn from our brothers, those who sit by us and Lodge, and those who sit in Lodge hundreds or thousands of miles away. Above all, we must be truly open-minded to new ideas and concepts. After all, having a unique and diverse membership is what has always made our fraternity great. Each of us holds aloft our own Light that we have gathered and nurtured on our own personal and spiritual journeys, and the more unique Lights that we can gather around us, the more illuminated the pathway for all craftsmen will become.

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When the Buzzards Go to Roost

BY: ROBERT G. DAVIS, 33*, GRAND CROSS

It’s only an opinion, of course, but buzzards seem to me to be an especially nasty species of bird. I don’t even like to give them the dignity of thinking they are birds. They never really fly, they’re only half-dressed, and they have no apparent means of employment. They just sit around with their necks hanging down between their pointed shoulders, knees bent, buttocks tucked in—in kind of a semi-fetal, perpetual slump.

And there they sulk. They don’t appear particularly to like anything, not even their own kind. They sleep most of the time, and you never really see much of them. At least not until something begins to die.

Then, it’s as if they had a calling. They stretch and yell and jump and pick at themselves. They sort of collectively launch after their wounded game in a feathered frenzy. It becomes a contest to see which of them will be the first to get their talons and their beaks in the warm flesh of their poor victim. Tearing and ripping at their prey and at each other, to see who will devour the most and the best of what is offered up to them.

It’s a pitiful sight. Almost a ritual, repeated time and again until there is nothing left but bones.

It reminds me of another species I have observed. This one’s also a rather strange bird. It’s called a Past Master.

I’ve seen this fowl do pretty much the same things. It generally sits around minding its own business, cleaning its talons, and rubbing its bald head. Until something happens; almost anything at all. And then, watch out! It doesn’t take much to provoke this bird. In fact, he has been a little disagreeable ever since he was relegated from the head of the flock to his roost as Past Master—usually by some “up-start” who, in his way of thinking, can’t know half as much about what is going on. As far as the gaggle of Past Masters is concerned, the judgment is almost always in on the “sitting” Master before it ever went out. It is assumed that, if not watched like a hawk, the new guy will most assuredly tear everything down that they tried to erect while they were the head of the flock.

Now, the not so interesting thing about this is that, in the kind of lodges I am describing, these old birds were no different when they served their year in the “chair.” In fact, it is unlikely they tried anything earth shaking in their own time to move their lodge forward. Rather than actually take a chance on saving their lodge, they made the same choice every Master had made before them. They opted to contribute to the lodge’s death for yet one more year—by doing nothing.

And now, having passed to the ranks of “Past,” they sit in their roost, usually along the north side of the lodge, and sharpen their talons--in case something happens--so they can turn it back into nothing.

Of course, this visual image of Masonry does not apply to active, vibrant, dynamic lodges; of which we have many. And there are many wonderful Past Masters in the world of Masonry. But nonetheless, the image too often does exist across the landscape of American Masonry. I can well imagine it exists in any organization that has a progressive line.

It brings up a point. When a Worshipful Master chooses to “do nothing” during his year, and the Past Masters heartily endorse his lack of effort; they are, in effect, contributing to more than just the death of their lodge. They are contributing to their own demise. They are eating the meat from their own bones. And, over time, there will be no reason to be a Past Master. There will be no place for them to roost.

They will have no lodge in their area. And it will no longer mean anything to be a Past Master. They will spend their last days just being “old buzzards.” Then, when they die, there will be no younger birds to watch over their remains.

If there is a moral to this rambling, perhaps it is that our fraternal institution was never supposed to die because we had only buzzards for leaders. The ideal was never that a presiding officer be only an average leader; neither should he be expected to imitate a poor example. Nor should anyone who has already led feel envy because a successor outdoes him. Rather, all of us should act together in care of what brings our lodge success. And success is always fed by right example.

Leadership in Freemasonry has never been about titles, jewels, caps, fezzes, honors, or tradition. It is about making good choices in how we act, think, behave, and bring credit to our teachings. It is not the past, after all, but the future which conditions us—what we do with what lies in front of us is far more important than anything that has already happened to us.

Here is a key: Vision, integrity, and a focus on excellence happens one man and one lodge at a time. Once an environment is created that is conducive to self-motivation, the group dynamic changes. And when enough of the right things change in lodge after lodge after lodge, Freemasonry will grow again.

When the buzzards go to roost for good.

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