The Cornerstone Newsletter

Re-Inspection scheduled

Brethren, your help is really needed. We call for all Brethren who are willing to take the time from their busy schedules to serve and help their Lodge as a participant in the Master Mason Degree. Our recent Inspection did not go very well to say the least. Several Brethren who had been practicing with the Fellowcraft Team were unable to attend and we had to substitute a number of Brethren at the last minute. Not to make any excuses, we did a lousy job. Several practices have been scheduled before we are re-Inspected in the Degree Monday, March 22, 2010. These practices are scheduled for Saturdays, March 13, & 20, 2010, 10:00 A.M. at the Temple. Please come and help.

GM Class fast approaching

Don’t forget that the 25th Masonic District will be sponsoring a Grand Master’s Class Saturday, May 15, 2010 in the Warren area this year. Our District Deputies are already asking for number of candidates. Petitions for Degrees have to be returned accompanied with the appropriate fees for ALL the Degrees before an Investigation Committee can be appointed.
Several Brethren have taken out Petitions but we haven’t received any back yet. Remember, the investigation and voting of a possible candidate must be accomplished before we can enroll names into the Grand Master’s Class. Please act quickly.

Youth groups to be our guests

We have the distinct pleasure of hosting our youth groups at our Stated Meeting Monday, March 15, 2010 as they present degree work from their respective organizations. In addition to their degree work, they will be presenting information about their group and how they connect with the Masonic Fraternity. Come and enjoy our youth as we join together in the family of Freemasonry.

Families in need of your support

Please keep the families of Brothers David E. Bayless and David R. Williams in your thoughts and prayers on the passings of these Brethren. Bro. Bayless obtained 53 years as a member of our Lodge while Bro. Williams enjoyed 57 years as a Master Mason.

Address and phone changes

If you have moved and are reading this newsletter at your new address, please contact me with your new information. Every year we have to track down Brethren who have moved, changed phone numbers or moved over to cell phones. We need to know where you are so we can provide information, relief and support when necessary. Thanks.

The Lost Symbol—the book

This article is quoting from the September 2009 issue of the Masonic Information Center’s Focus publication:

Dan Brown, in May 2004 was quoted as saying about his new book, “Masons should be happy because there is so much misinformation about the group.”

In September 2009, after the release of the book, he further said, “The world will now realize my new book The Lost Symbol is in fact a reverential exploration of Masonic Philosophy.”
The most quoted comment used by the media is:

“I have enormous respect for the Masons,” Dan Brown told the Associated Press during a recent interview. “In most fundamental terms, with different cultures killing each other over whose version of God is correct, here is a worldwide organization that essentially says, ‘We don’t care what you call God, or what you think about God, only that you believe in a god and let’s all stand together as brothers and look in the same direction.” “I think there will be an enormous number of people who will be interested in the Masons after this book (comes out),” Brown said . . . speaking of The Lost Symbol out today.

It’s very clear from the media that his message was correctly understood and that Dan Brown was true to his word about his portrayal of Freemasonry.

There will be countless reviews of this book but some of the things Dan Brown said will be very helpful to Freemasons because he meets—head on—many of the misunderstandings about the Fraternity. Here are some of Dan Brown’s thoughts found in his book The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon is Dan Brown’s main character in the book):

Was Washington, D.C. designed by Masons?

Last year, a freshman had rushed wild-eyed into Langdon’s classroom with a printout from the Web. It was a street map of D.C. on which certain streets had been highlighted to form various shaped—satanic pentacles, a Masonic compass and square, the head of Baphomet—proof apparent that the Masons who designed Washington, D.C., were involved in some kind of dark, mystical conspiracy.

“Fun,” Langdon said, “but hardly convincing. If you draw enough intersecting lines on a map you’re bound to find all kinds of shapes.”

“But this can’t be coincidence!” the kid exclaimed.

Langdon patiently showed the student that the same shapes could be formed on a street map of Detroit.

The kid seemed disappointed.

A definition of occult

“Every spring I teach a course called Occult Symbols. I talk a lot about D.C. You should take the course.”

“Occult Symbols!” The freshman looked excited again. “So there are devil symbols in D.C.!”
Langdon smiled. “Sorry, but the word occult, despite conjuring images of devil worship, actually means ‘hidden’ or ‘obscured.’ In times of religious oppression, knowledge that was counter doctrinal had to be kept hidden or ‘occult,’ and because the church felt threatened by this, redefined anything ‘occult’ as evil, and the prejudice survived.”

Is Freemasonry a Religion?

“So tell me, what are the three prerequisites for an ideology to be considered a religion?”
“ABC,” one woman offered. ”Assure, Believe, Convert.”

“Correct,” Langdon said. “Religions assure salvation; religions believe in a precise theology; and religions convert nonbelievers,” He paused, “Masonry, however, is batting zero for all three. Masons make no promises of salvation; they have no specific theology; and they do not seek to convert you. In fact, within Masonic lodges, discussions of religion are prohibited.”

“So...Masonry is antireligious?”

“On the contrary. One of the prerequisites for becoming a Mason is that you must believe in a higher power. The difference between Masonic spirituality and organized religion is that the Masons do not impose a specific definition or name on a higher power. Rather than definite theological identities like God, Allah, Buddha, or Jesus, the Masons use more general terms like Supreme Being or Great Architect of the Universe. This enables Masons of different faiths to gather together.”

An example of a “metaphor”

Langdon exhaled. “He’s made the same error many zealots make—confusing metaphor with a literal reality.”

Similarly, early alchemists have toiled in vain to transform lead into gold, never realizing that lead-to-gold was nothing but a metaphor into true human potential—that of taking a dull, ignorant mind and transforming it into a bright, enlightened one.

Masonic initiations

Masonic initiations were startling because they were meant to be transformative. Masonic vows were unforgiving because they are meant to be reminders that a man’s honor and his “word” were all he could take from this world. Masonic teachings were arcane because they were meant to be universal...taught through a common language of symbols and metaphors that transcended religions, cultures, and races...creating a unified “worldwide consciousness” of brotherly love.