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Are the principles on which Freemasonry is founded still
relevant today and more importantly are they relevant to the
future? First let us establish what Freemasonry is and what
better way than to take the accepted definition of ‘a system
of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols’.
It is a movement whose members are joined together in an
association based on brotherly love, relief and truth. These
are the principal tenets of Freemasonry. Derived from these
tenets are the virtues of faith, hope and charity - all
supported on the three great pillars of wisdom, strength and
beauty.
There are many other principles and virtues, but it would be
of no advantage to examine them at this time as they are
derived from the four sets of three. Every Mason is familiar
with these words but, unfortunately, familiarity often means
that the definitions are forgotten. These words were
probably penned in the early eighteenth century and more
than likely taken from much earlier sources. Since then,
time has moved on and as English is a dynamic living
language, new words are added as knowledge increases while
older and redundant words are dropped and again other words
change meaning, some radically and some by degrees.
Have the words used in the description of Freemasonry
altered in meaning? Are they still relevant today or, more
importantly, for
tomorrow? Have the concepts behind them changed? To answer
these questions it is necessary to examine the meanings of
these words. Consider the first set of three words in the
definition, which are ‘morality, veiled in allegory and
illustrated by symbols’. With regard to morality, it can be
seen that all societies have a view of what is the correct
way of life for both individuals and society, thus
distinguishing between right and wrong. The first moral laws
were evolved for the protection of the community. In
the course of evolution they became systematic and codified
on
the basis of custom, for example the Ten Commandments. The
object of the code was to secure coherence in the group so
that
the members would act effectively.
Morality needs the strong arm of the law, say in the form of
the
police and judiciary, to make itself effective and the codes
were
enforced with relentless severity, bolstered by taboos and
religious
sanctions. External authority also strengthens the non-legal
virtues
such as chastity, truthfulness, kindness, benevolence and so
on.
Morality continues to evolve and each generation must solve
its
moral problems in its own way. The circumstances of the
modern
world have brought new moral dilemmas in such areas as
euthanasia, abortion, birth control, medicine, human rights,
the
role of women, divorce and so on. With regard to
individuals,
there is admitted to be such a power in the mind as
conscience
which warns the person when they are doing wrong and to a
certain extent, a force to make the person do right.
Conscience
grows and needs to be trained and nurtured by precept,
example
and experience and often reinforced by religious sanctions,
the
force of public opinion, social approbation and reprobation,
and
with systematic punishment before it can be really effective
in
controlling conduct. For example, a child is trained in the
concept
of right and wrong by, amongst other things, punishment,
encouragement, rewards, example, criticism and guidance.
There are variations in conscience among nations and amongst
individuals in each nation. In the West, emphasis appears to
be
shifting away from social morals to individual morals
resulting in a
‘pick-and-mix’ morality. The morality of Freemasonry
requires
Masons to deal justly with others, not to defraud, cheat or
wrong
them of their just dues and rights. A Mason is therefore
particularly bound never to act against the dictates of his
conscience.
The teaching of morals by allegory is a time-honoured
technique
still relevant, though members new to the Craft may not be
familiar with it. Allegory is a story that can be read on
two levels,
firstly as a surface narrative and secondly at a deeper
level which
is moralistic. It is the embodiment of a train of thought in
a visible
form by means of images and thus involves a transfer of
meaning
with a number of correspondences with the real world. For
example, the whole of the third degree is allegorical for
behind the
story of the central character lies the foundation of the
philosophy
of Freemasonry.
The signs used in Freemasonry are derived from the allegory
and
are used as a method of recognition. The signs and the
symbolic
instructions are the only secrets of Freemasonry.
The symbols used derive from the distant past when the
wisdom
of the ancient peoples was largely symbolic. It was in the
early
seventeenth century that speculative Masons adopted
symbolism.
The symbol is an image which hides an inner meaning. The
meaning is usually hidden behind a form which most people
think
they can understand immediately. The Masonic Lodge itself is
a
symbol and the interior abounds with them. For example, the
three
lesser lights. Light in Masonry has a symbolic meaning.
Light is
opposed to darkness and suggests many opposites such as
right
and wrong amongst many others. Symbols illustrate the
principal
tenets of Freemasonry. These are relief, truth and brotherly
love -
the second group of four.
By ‘tenet’ is meant some teaching that is so obviously true
that it
is accepted and believed without question, for example, thou shalt
not steal, not commit adultery, not bear false witness and
so on. In
terms of logic they are axiomatic, that is to be relied on
utterly for
use as the basic data from which conclusions are to be
derived.
Thus they are ‘self evident’ which means that no other
evidence
can make them more evident or less evident than they already
are.
The certainty of the tenets lies in their being confirmed by
experience and the impact of the tenets on the lives of
those who
receive them. Tenets are part of the system of morality and
not of
the allegory that veils it or the symbols that illustrate
it. They are a
fundamental part of Freemasonry which cannot be altered
without
destroying the identity of Freemasonry itself. This is
confirmed
each year at the installation of office-bearers when the
principles
of Grand Lodge are read out and puts a check on innovation.
Love in itself is a concept that has been and continues to
be one of
the most potent forces within the traditions of humankind.
Love
has been described as the most powerful force in the
universe
binding all living things together. Love is a
multi-dimensional
phenomenon but can be categorised under three headings.
Firstly,
there is erotic or sensual love. Secondly, there is a divine
love
bestowed upon the recipient though grace. Thirdly, there is
brotherly or friendly love. This is offered in affection to
another
human being without thought of personal gain. It means that
we
place on another person the highest possible value as a
friend, a
companion, an associate, a neighbour.
There is an old Arab saying which states that ‘man’s love
for a
woman waxes and wanes like the moon but man’s love for his
brothers shines eternal like stars in the heaven’. Brotherly
love is
an essential element which binds the Brethren to each other,
as
they have pledged themselves to exercise it and it is one of
the
greatest duties of a Freemason. On this principle, Masonry
unites
people of every country, sect and opinion and conciliates
true
friendship. Brotherly love also manifests itself in the
second tenet
of relief, which is one of the forms of charity. Masonic
relief takes
for granted that any man may be in temporary need of a
helping
hand. It can take many forms, such as alleviating
misfortune,
soothing calamity, helping to restore peace to a troubled
mind, and
so on. This is one of the natural and inevitable acts of
Brotherhood.
The third of the principal tenets is truth, which is a vital
requirement if Brotherhood is to endure. Truth takes
different
forms, such as conformity of a concept to a fact or reality
and not
being false or erroneous. It is also the knowledge of the
underlying
reality of things. This form of truth is often linked with
the
concept of goodness and is regarded as eternal, absolute and
immutable. To be good and true is the first lesson taught in
Freemasonry. On this theme, Masons should endeavour to
regulate
their conduct in order to eliminate hypocrisy and deceit. In
Freemasonry, truth is accepted as the foundation of every
virtue.
The three principal virtues are faith, hope and charity -
the third
group of four. Faith has variously been defined as belief,
trust,
devotion and dependence. It is a universal feature of
humankind’s
response to the presence of the divine in the midst of life.
In the
words of St. Paul ‘faith is the assurance of things hoped
for, the
conviction of things not seen’. Faith is the bond of
friendship and
a support of society.
Hope is an orientation towards some future event which will
radically transform the present order. What is hoped for
depends
on the specific understanding of reality as displayed by a
particular
faith, by an individual or by society. Hope is a ground for
expectation, trust or confidence. Hope can lead to
dissatisfaction
with the present order of things and becomes the basis of a
liberating or transforming practice.
Charity, or brotherly kindness, is said to be the chief of
all the
social virtues and ought to be the distinguishing
characteristic of
every Freemason. Charity is devoted to the promotion of the
welfare and happiness of humankind and not for the benefit
of the
individual. If charity is misapplied it ceases to be a
virtue and
becomes a folly.
Freemasonry is said to be supported by three great pillars
called
wisdom, strength and beauty, which have allegorical
meanings.
This is the last of the set of four.
In pursuing knowledge, the aspirant will find that
knowledge, in
itself, is insufficient but if coupled with understanding it
will
produce wisdom. In turn, wisdom gives an inner strength and
these two combined will engender beauty, not the beauty of
adornment, but the inner beauty of insight. The fact that
knowledge expands through time should be a stimulus to those
who pursue it and should give them greater wisdom.
Before becoming a Freemason, the candidate must affirm that
he
believes in a Supreme Being. The Supreme Being takes many
forms in the various religions. Within our Volume of the
Sacred
Law we can see the Deity being transformed from a vengeful
personal God of the Old Testament to a universal one of love
in
the New Testament. The proponents of a spiritual movement
known as ‘Process Theology’ argue that god evolves along
with
men and is no longer thought of as an external, unchanging
God.
Believers, who are examining their ideas of faith, religion
and
spirituality on the Internet, which links computers to
virtually any
source of stored information, are rapidly accepting this
view.
Ideas can resonate and faith is being shaped by a collective
spirit
which will bind Christian and Jew, Muslim and Buddhist
together.
The founding fathers of speculative Masonry had thoughts on
similar lines for it is seen in Lodges that there are
various Volumes
of the Sacred Law as, for example, the Bible for Christians,
the
Koran for Muhammadans, the Bhagauat Geeta for Hindus and the
Torah for the Jews.
The concept of morality in the sense of right and wrong
remains
constant. It is with us today and by the allegory present in
Freemasonry, can assist us in living a moral life in our
changing
society. The tenets of Freemasonry are self evident and
still
relevant today but only if kept alive by every member of the
Craft
living up to them. It is imperative that Freemasons cease
paying lip
service to the principles, translate them into action, and
live by
them.
Having questioned the relevancy of the principles of
Freemasonry
in today’s world and for the future, I hope that you will
agree that
not only are they relevant, but are the essential rock on
which to
anchor our faith, belief and conduct in society’s changing
maelstrom. |
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