Our introduction into Masonry impressed upon us the fact that we wished to be brought from darkness to light, and when we were raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason, we doubtless concluded that our wish had been fulfilled and that we had indeed arrived at that glorious state of enlightenment. And yet today when we look about us at the conditions which prevail in our Fraternity, we question the accuracy of this conclusion. We view with concern the spectacle of empty seats at our Lodge meetings, and we are given cause for alarm when we consider the sad consequences if attendance continues to decline in our Lodges. We are puzzled by the fact that so many newly raised Master Masons drift Modern away and in many cases never return to their Lodges after they have received the three degrees of Masonry. Perhaps even more disturbing is the regrettable fact Mission that many of these Brethren are still in the dark as regards the philosophy and teachings of Masonry. We never cease to be dismayed by our daily encounter with the evidence of Masonry's declining influence in our society. And upon close examination we come to the inevitable conclusion that the trouble lies on our own doorstep. For, if we listen closely and observe quietly, we learn, also to our dismay, that far too many members of the Craft are either ill-informed, misinformed, or completely uninformed concerning the true philosophy of Masonry. Either they have come into our order as unfit subjects for the degrees, or we have failed somewhere in our efforts to get across to them the beautiful lessons to be found in the degrees of Masonry. As we meditate upon the manifold problems that beset our ancient Fraternity today, we necessarily must admit that perhaps we ourselves have not yet arrived at that glorious state of enlightenment
April 1989
Masonry's Message is More Relevant Today Than Ever and Its Proponents Must Carry It into Every Area of Life
Masonry's Modern Mission by Sir Knight L. R. Thomas, Jr. Grand Master of North Carolina
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