Friday, April 7, 2023

A Brother Asks: TOP TEN Destructive Statements Members Make

 

A Brother Asks: What are statements that you hear from Brothers that are wrong and even counterproductive or destructive to our Fraternity?

Coach:  That's a great question!  Here are just a few statements of many that tell me a Brother has not thought things through enough and therefore ultimately drive off members:

 ---------------------------

Destructive Comment #10 - Everyone has their own interpretation.

  • This statement implies that no one interpretation is better than any other and therefore there is no one interpretation that can provide the truth that is sought.  
  • This therefore is antagonistic to our Work since one of our tenants is "TRUTH" implying it can be obtained by true and forthright authentic speculation, and not by just any old interpretation based upon conjecture! - this is destructive & counterproductive!

  • POINT: Although there exist infinite interpretations, there exists only a finite set of interpretations that actually are optimized for any one given situation and that are supported by the surrounding context offered.  

Destructive Comment #9 - The Temple is never completed.
  • This statement ultimately disappoints & disenchants those who join to accomplish this very thing. It is actually antagonistic to the Craft since it implies what was joined for will never be realized - this is destructive & counterproductive!

  • POINT: The Temple referred to in the 3rd degree is "King Solomon's Temple", and this term is an idiom for "a body of wisdom" which can only be obtained by completing the Work spelled out within both the Apprentice and Fellow Craft degrees. Wisdom is a direct result of the two results working together in harmony, not just one result or the other. 

Destructive Comment #8 - The work is never done.
Destructive Comment #7 - Hiram was resurrected.
Destructive Comment #6 - There are only 2 Apprentice Working Tools.
Destructive Comment #5 - You'll never perfect your ashlar; you'll always be a rough ashlar.
Destructive Comment #4 - Because you're always learning something, you'll always be an Apprentice.
Destructive Comment #3 - There's no such thing as Esoteric Freemasonry
Destructive Comment #2 - We are a society with secrets.
  • We are not a society with secrets. We are a society that doesn't talk about specific things with outsiders.  Not talking about specific things with outsiders is a discipline that members share in common.  These things not discussed with outsiders are NOT secrets, but internalizing and perfecting this discipline of non-discussion keeps us from talking about things with outsiders.

  • POINT: The "Secrets of a Master Mason" are in actuality internalized disciplines realized by doing the Work pointed toward by our rituals.  When you don't do that Work, you'll not have those secrets.   In this light, NO ONE can TELL YOU these secrets!  They are disciplines that you have to cultivate for yourself!
  • POINT: The statement "We are a society with secrets" is misleading for all the wrong reasons. It gives the wrong impression as well, making it destructive &  counterproductive.  Nothing that Freemasons have or do within its walls is secret.  But there are plenty of things that Freemasons will not talk about.  Why?  Because that discipline is one of many disciplines which are important in life.
  • POINT: What are these things that we won't talk about?  Become a member and we'll let you know.

Destructive Comment #1 - Freemasonry makes good men better.
BONUS LEVEL COMMENTS

  1.  Destructive Comment - Any public accusation of an Obligation violation by a member.

    • Publicly accusing any member violates two things:
      1. It alerts the public, and hence cowans, that what was shared is something that was considered confidential to the fraternity.
      2. It violates the accused member in that you didn't whisper counsel and you may very well have misunderstood what was shared and thereby accused him without due process.

  2. Destructive Comment - The Word "Free" used in "Free & Accepted", "Free Mason" & "Freeborn", means "unrestrained."

    • Not sharing its true meaning does great disservice to our membership's ability to comprehend our true heritage and future exemplification of the Craft. This makes it destructive & counterproductive. 

    • POINT: The word "free" used in these terms comes from the French "franc" , "frank", and "franche" and have the same meaning assigned to the first part of the compound word "frankincense" - that is "pure; excellent, superior."  It implied "Mastery" and is the very reason that "Free-Frac-Franch-Frank" were used as precursors to all guild professions.
    • POINT: Free Masonry is about superior-excellent-masterful masonry!  It has nothing to do with being unrestrained to travel and work.

  3. Destructive Comment - The meaning behind the Ruffian's names are unknown.

    • Uninformed members who believe this statement to be true provide counter-support to members who seek the truth - this is destructive & counterproductive.

    • POINT: This claim used to be true, but it is no longer valid.  Members who do not know what the ruffian names mean have not been keeping up with the latest discoveries.  
    • POINT:  First off, they're not names.  They are phonetic representations of statements that are in a foreign tongue. 
    • POINT: Secondly, the meaning behind these foreign statement is known.  
    • POINT: Thirdly, once understood, these statements make for a more understandable degree experience.

  4. Destructive Comment - The Lost Master's Word is provide to Members of the York Rite.

    • This is a statement that leaves some members, who know better and who think things through, feeling conned and let down by their Brothers.  Even worse, it'll diminish in the eyes of these conned members the value of those Brothers who provided it and the Craft as a whole - this is destructive & counterproductive.

    • POINT:  What is provide through the York Rite is "A Lost Word", but it is not "The 'Recovered' Master's Word."  That Word was already provided to Blue Lodge members within the Apprentice degree (and any member who paid attention, and thought the degree information through, would know this.)  By its very nature, what is provided by York members does not qualify as "The Master's Word".

2 comments:

Swany said...

This list is outstanding. I recognize some of the questions from your books. Great teaching points. Thanks for the compilation coach.

Coach John S Nagy said...

Thanks Bro. Swany! Much appreciate the feedback.