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There was also a time when there wasn't enough volunteers. Conscription hasn't been in effect since the early 70's, and today it's more of a contingency plan than anything else. I'm generally not a practitioner of holding grudges against issues that were before my time. That said, citizenship...

Re: Why is it so hard to get Masons to join the Co I've been doing a lot of research on where/if I will pursue Masonic Light beyond the Blue Lodge. My father-in-law has done both the Scottish and York Rites, in addition to the Shriners and High Twelve. He was also in Commadery. At least in my...

Yeah, 100% is great to aim for. But there can be a difference between what is swimming around in our heads versus what comes out of our mouths, and our Brothers recognize that. They'll know if you really made an attempt to learn the material, or if you're just trying to skirt your way through...

Here in Ohio, we are given the option to do the full or short version of our exams. My mentor said that he was obligated to tell me that, but he would be disappointed if I chose the short version. There was never a question in my mind anyway, and I chose the full version. Here's why: Yes...

I'm well aware of the symbolism. That wasn't my question, thank you.

Interesting. F&AM is on the door of our Lodge. I've heard more than a few Brothers say that they don't recognize AF&AM. The "official" ruling and explanation on this is pretty clear, but like with a lot of things, there are misconceptions.

Curious as to how the most public of all Freemasonry symbols is considered a secret? Respectful of differences in our work, yes. Absolutely. But if you are prepared to go down this road, then by the same logic, this very forum shouldn't even exist.

Maybe the lessons and ritual taught in degree work are different in your jurisdiction, but the EA symbol was not conveyed in mine. This is information that can be gleaned with a simple Google image search, should one be so inclined to look for it. It's not a matter of cheating anyone out of...

Sounds like echos from the lunatic fringe to me.

38. The demographic here seems to be much younger than down @ the local lodge haha!

The history has already been posted above, but the abbreviated version in Layman's Terms is: No, Shriners does not have Islamic roots or teachings. The group was formed by some Freemasons who thought that all the seriousness and ritual work was a bit too stuffy for their tastes, so they formed...

Cool avatar, did you make that?

Your recent comments sound as though you have an ax to grind with the military.

It's a fad that will pass. I remember doing a research project when I was in college on this very thing. The movie Malcolm X was very popular, and director Spike Lee popularized clothing, black hats with an X on it in particular, that a lot of kids started wearing. I spoke to and polled over...

Ohio has code books in use. My father-in-law told me that it used to be that they were only sold to the Lodge itself, and that only officers could borrow them. There were so many requests for them that GL decided to make them more available for individual use and started selling them @ $50 each...

I'm new to my Lodge, and just completed my EA exam last night. It's a very small, rural Lodge with a limited budget. While I realize that the importance in having nice "things" for the Lodge is not the point, some of our regalia is very unimpressive. Most notably, the G positioned in the east...

I don't think that's an apron. There are no tie strings, no flap, and no pocket. Looks more like a homegrown project.

The legal voting age used to be 21, but was lowered to age 18 with the 26th Amendment. Up until 1971 when this was passed, the legal voting age was set by individual states, and for the vast majority of them, the legal age to vote was 21. Texas was one of the states who challenged this new law...

As a general rule, politics and religion are taboo topics for any setting, even outside of Freemasonry. There is rarely anything to be gained by having such discussions. The odds of proving a point or somehow turning them to your side are about one in a million. It's not worth ruining...

I just passed my EA exam this evening. I had 2 weeks to learn it. For me, the beginning and end was a breeze, but the middle was difficult. I disagree with simply reading it over and over in your head, though. Saying it aloud is a very good way to practice because hearing yourself say the words...