A Brother Asks: Why “A Belief in God”?

 

A Brother Asks: Why is “A Belief in God” the only religious requirement to be considered when a pre-mason petitions to join the Free & Accepted Masons associated with UGLE, GLS & GLI?

Coach: It fits perfectly with the target market the organization desires to serve without placing too many condition on that requirement.

Brother: Target Market?

Coach: Yes.

Brother: What do you mean by “Target Market”?

Coach: The organization only looks for those individuals who meet specific requirements. “Belief in God” is one of them.

Brother: Why is it the only religious requirement?
Coach: It is stated this way to stress upon the petitioner that no matter what his faith, the only requirement is belief in God, not his religion itself*. 
Brother: Does this mean he must have a religion?
Coach: No. He doesn't have to be any specific religion at all.  Just a belief in God.

Brother: So, the target market consists only of those who believe in God.
Coach: Yep. That is, exclusively within any UGLE recognized organization.

Brother: Why?

Leverage

Coach: Affect.

Brother: As in influence?

Coach: Yes. 

Brother: Please explain this.

Coach: What Freemasons offer to their target market is “affect”. 

Brother: The organization is offering influence?

Coach: Yes.  But not the influence one might expect.

Brother: Such as? 

Coach: Remember that slogan…

Brother: …the “Masonry makes good men better” slogan?

Coach: Yes. You cannot better men without influencing them to do just that.

Brother: So you’re implying one of the ways of influencing members toward betterment is using their collective belief in God as leverage?

Coach: Yes. I am.

Brother: And if they don’t really believe in God, then the intended influence these ceremonies have will not be there?

Coach: Yes. It will not be as intended.

Intentions

Brother: Intended?

Coach: Yes.  The organization calls what they offer to their candidates “ceremonies” and “rituals”.

Brother: Yes.

Coach: But in reality, these are all morality plays.

Brother: Morality plays?

Coach:  Yes, every last one of them.

Brother: What's a morality play?

Coach:  A morality play, also called "morality", is an allegorical drama popular in Europe.

Brother: You mean popularized during the 15th and 16th centuries?  

Coach: Yes, the characters in these plays personify moral qualities (such as Vices or Virtues) or abstractions (as Death, Wisdom or Beauty) and in which moral lessons are taught, or at least conveyed.

Brother: Wow! That describes Ritual perfectly.

Coach: Yes, without a doubt.

Brother: Hey!  Is that what is meant by "A peculiar system of morality"?

Coach: Yes. And it also alludes to the usual definition of "morality" as well since these moralities are all about morals.

Brother: Are you saying the organization puts on these plays to affect the morality of those who participate?

Coach: Yes. I am.

Brother: That’s the intent?

Coach: Yes. Let's go back to the slogan...

Brother: ...okay, to make a good man better... 

Coach: Yes.

Brother: WOW! To do is, a man would have to fundamentally change his moral nature for the better.

Coach: Indeed!

Brother: And the leveraging to do this is his belief in God.

Coach: Yes. These morality plays all point him toward his morality, put a spot light upon it and let him know what he can do to improve it, should he commit to specific actions.

Lights, Camera, Actions

Brother: And the scripts and choreography used within these plays are all designed to have that impact on a specific target audience.

Coach: Yes.  And to have the impact these scripts were intended to have, an impact upon believers in God, the audience must believe in God regardless of the specifics of their beliefs.

Brother: Otherwise the words and actions would not be experienced the same way.

Coach: Yes. To invoke deity through prayer and not believe in God would be a ludicrous act.

Brother: It would not be experienced as sacred.

Coach: Not by anyone who didn’t believe in what they were saying or doing.

Strong Foundations

Brother: So the target audience wants something rock solid (pun intended) that they can believe in.

Coach: Yes.  And if the foundation of the play was experienced as a farce due to a lack of belief, the experience would be pointless or at least have an entirely different meaning assigned to it that was never intended by the playwrights.

Brother: I see better now how this all fits together.

Coach: How so?

Brother: The obligations that each candidate takes.

Coach: What about them?  

Brother:  Each must have a lead into it and an anchor at the end for those going through them to appear to have any validity to a believer in God.

Coach: Meaning without being surrounded by a belief in God, they lose their significance?

Brother: Yes. I mean, sure a person who didn’t believe in God can glean some benefits from it…

Coach: ...but?

Brother: The obligations are intended for those who actually do believe in God; believers not non-believers.

Coach: Back to the target market?

Brother: Yes.  This makes so much sense!

Coach: Yes, especially when one thinks through all the necessary connections.

Brother: I can see why prayer and other references to deity are necessary supports for the obligation to have a lasting affect upon those who do believe in God.

Coach: For not to have such things within the play would lessen the intended experience?

Brother: For Sure!  When everything is put into place, those going through it will commit to improvement and follow through upon that commitment.

Coach: Why?

Brother: Because it's no longer about them. 

Coach: What is it then?
Brother: It's about them and their relationship with God!  

Coach: And?

Brother: They are influenced by their belief in God so much so that the importance they place on their commitment makes it a top priority in their life.

Non-Believers

Coach: Agreed! But does that mean non-believers can’t benefit?

Brother: Not really. It just means the motivations would be different and so would the affect these plays have upon them.

Coach: Agreed!  Non-believers would also have an undesirable impact upon others within the ranks who do believe in God.

Brother: How so?

Coach: They would not have belief in God as a motivation behind their actions. 

Brother: And not having this motivation would require believing members to question the very core of a non-believer's involvement.

Coach: Yes. And requirement in the belief in God also does something politically to the organization as well. 

Brother: What's that?  

Coach: It prevents governments, institutions and organization from falsely accuse the membership of harboring heretics and atheists. 

Brother: Ah!  Things that early on in Freemasonry's creation would have closed its doors very quickly.

Coach: Indeed.  When you have every member of the organization believing in God, even before they are even considered for membership, such accusations become quickly impotent.

Wrap Up

Brother: Thank you brother!  You put Masonry into perspective for me.

Coach:  You're most welcome. Thanks for taking it positively.  Many would take these words as an affront on the Craft. 

Brother: How so?

Coach: They don’t understand the Morality Play basis of these rituals and ceremonies.

Brother: You mean they want the romanticized version of the Craft?

Coach: Yes.  Not the reality…

Brother: … but the fantasy.

Coach:  Yes. I view it as a realistic way to present the Craft that places great importance upon staying in character.

Brother: And when you don’t rightfully understand the art of Masonry, you are likely going to have a very difficult time playing your part.

Coach: Indeed!

* There is only one recognized Grand Lodge that requires a specific religion. This will not be addressed here.

A Brother Asks: Road Map Focuses

A Brother Asks: Coach, you mentioned Masonic Road Maps many times. 

Coach: Yes.  I have.

Brother: Would you walk me through the different focuses each map provides at the blue lodge level?

Coach: Sure!  Which one would you like to discuss first?


First Degree Focus

Brother: How about the first degree road map?

Coach: Okay. What would you like to focus upon first?

Brother: How about the overall reason for the map?

Coach:  Sure. The first Degree provides a roadmap for Inward Travels.  That is the degree's purpose and the reason the map is provided.

Brother: Internal travels?

Coach: Yes.  It provides a guide to the inner Terrain that, when Traveled, enables a man to know his true self and true nature.

Brother: Ah!  The Creature that is himself.

Coach: Yes.  The Work the map directs him to do is also Foundational to his Learning.

Brother: Okay. I see it.  His Work is laying his learning foundation!

Coach: Yes!  In this respect, it is a roadmap of Preparation for Learning.

Brother: And that Work includes unburdening and strengthening himself?

Coach: That's yes to both!  He unburdens himself so he doesn't have anything distracting him from what he needs to learn. He doesn't have anything draining him while he learns. And he will have the resources to do the actual learning.  Much of the Work the first Degree directs him to do assists him on doing both of these.

Brother: And having the strength to carry out the learning as well?

Coach: Indeed!  It also is focused upon the physical man and how his heart affects his decisions and choices.

Brother: Bringing order to the chaos of his heart?

Coach: Yes!  It also prepares him for Adulthood!

 

Brother: How so?

 

Coach: It lays the Foundation for the House that he'll Build should he continue with the second Degree Work.

Brother: Which ultimately becomes the home he will live in?

Coach: Exactly!  Imagine what would occur for men who follow this map, one that they are offered by simply being a member.

Brother: I can imagine for sure.  What about the second degree map?


Second Degree Focus

Coach:  The second Degree provides a roadmap for Outward Travels.

Brother: I'm not following this.  Would you expand upon this please?

Coach: The second Degree provided a guide to the outer Terrain that, when Traveled, enables a man to know the Universe.

Brother: The Whole of Creation?

Coach: Yes!

Brother: So, it points him in the direction of learning about the universe and the laws that govern it?

Coach: The Work it directs him to is Structural and it sets the stage for his Actual Learning. 

Brother: So, by learning specific structures, patterns that occur all over the place, he teaches himself how to recognize specific patterns all around him?

Coach:  Yes!  In this respect, it's a roadmap to Learn How to Learn. Much of this is preparing the mind to see patterns, what they mean and how to deal with them effectively when necessary or appropriately desired.

Brother: Wow!  Is that why we're pointed toward studying the seven liberal arts and sciences! 

Coach: Exactly!  Their study prepares his mind. The Degree is focused upon giving direction to the mental man.

Brother: And by doing the Work, it brings order to the chaos of his mind?

 

Coach: It also prepares him for Age!

 

Brother: How so?

 

Coach: Doing the Work Builds a House of Comprehension that he can both live within and build on to as needed.

Brother: Which ultimately becomes his retirement home?

Coach: Yes! One of many, if that is what he Works upon. 

 

Brother: Wow!

Coach: Imagine what would occur for men who follow the maps they are offered.
 
Brother: I can!  What about the last blue lodge Degree? 


Third Degree Focus

 

Coach: The third Degree provides a roadmap for Eternal Travels.

Brother: Eternal?

Coach: Yes! It provides a guide to the spiritual Terrain that, when Traveled, enables a man to know the Word.

Brother: The Creator?

Coach: Indeed!

Brother: That makes so much sense!

Coach:  The Work the third Degree directs him to do greatly enhances his Actual future Living, Learning and Teaching.

Brother: As a Master?

Coach: Yes!

Brother: Sort of like an artificer instructor that is himself continually refining his craft?

Coach: Indeed!  In this respect, it is a roadmap to Further Cultivation of the Heart and Mind, Further Travel and the Employment of Cunning Craftsmanship.

Brother: This dovetails very nicely with the first two degrees.

Coach:  Yes.  It is also focused upon the spiritual man.

Brother: How so?

Coach: The entirety of the first two degree Work when done prepares a man's soul to do spiritual Work!

Brother: This is making so much sense!

Coach: Thanks! But this spiritual Work should never be done before the soul has been cultivated. 

Brother: Why not?

Coach: Have you not ever asked yourself the lessons presented by the Sorcerer's Apprentice?

Brother: Ah!  The apprentice lacked all the qualities necessary to properly direct the knowledge, resources and powers entrusted to him!

 

Coach: Yes.  He lacked self-discipline, experience and knowledge.
Brother: And with a chaotic heart, mind and spirit, he wrought nothing but the same.

Coach: Indeed! Sadly, it is a rare man who follows the map that they are offered.

Brother: Why are these three aspects so important to a man?

Coach: Which aspects?

Brother: The heart, head and spirit?

Coach: The first two constitute the makeup of the soul.  Without a properly disciplined  soul, the spirit will never be directed properly by it.

Brother: And all deeds are directed by the soul and spirit!

Coach: And chaotic souls and spirits never bring about order. 

Brother: Wait!!  Isn't that the goal?


Fraternal Focus

Coach: The goal of what?

Brother: Of the Fraternity... Bringing Order to Chaos?

Coach: Ya think?

Brother: Yes!  I do!  Thanks for walking me through these road maps Coach!

Coach: You're most welcome. Thanks for asking me to come along for the ride!