It Is The Mason As A Man Who Has Impacted History

[MASON]

It Is The Mason As A Man Who Has Impacted History
by Thomas W Jackson FPS

For a considerable number of years I have been wondering how an organization with as much influence as Freemasonry has had over several hundred years, could fail to be acknowledged for its contribution to the development of modern civilization and human thought. I even developed a talk which I titled "How Can They Ignore This?" In it, I ask those to whom I am speaking how often they ever saw Freemasonry presented in a history text. I simply was unable to comprehend how we could be ignored.

With the exception of organized religion, " Freemasonry probably has created a greater beneficial impact upon the development of present day civilization than any other organization which has existed on Earth, and yet, when you read historical documentation of the evolution of civilization, Freemasonry is rarely mentioned and, if it is, it is only peripherally.

Last year, the first World Conference of Grand Masters was held in Mexico City. Out of that conference came the Charter of Anahuac. The third item in that Charter presented the need of the Craft in the 21st Century "to fight against. . .ecological depredation, contamination of the environment. .against . . ., social instability . . ., and religious commitments in education, " amongst others.

I have a very serious concern with any proposal that suggests Freemasonry's involvement in political and/or religious issues, and item three of the Charter suggests precisely that. There is no way social and ecological issues can be dealt -with, without involving politics or religion. This Craft has been able to weather the storms which wiped out many organizations and even toppled governments because it stayed above the controversies of religion and politics.

When I present my concerns about the Charter to some Masonic leaders, the rebuttal I received was that Masonry must have been involved in political and religious issues in the past. Freemasonry's influence in the American Revolution was cited as an example. They pointed to the actions of men like Washington, Franklin, Lafayette, and others, as Masonic involvement. In addition, Simon Bolivar in South America, Lajos Kusata in Hungary, Theodore Kolokotronis in Greece, Benito Juarez in Mexico, amongst many other who contributed so much to the concept of freedom, were examples of political involvement in other countries.

And then, for the first time I began to understand why the influence of Freemasonry is not discussed in history books. We cannot deny the impact of Washington and so many others in the development of American freedom; but it was Washington, the man, not Washington the Mason, and not Freemasonry that made America what it is. This is also true of Bolivar, Kusata, Kolokotronis, and Jaurez and all of the other great patriots of their countries.

The philosophical purpose of Freemasonry always has been to develop the man-to start with good men and make them better, to increase the intellectual capacity of the individual, and to give the man the incentive through our lessons to contribute to making the world a better place to live.

As an ecologist, I have for more than 35 years expressed my views on ecological issues and on the population explosion; but I speak as a man, not as a Freemason. My compassionate thought of life might have been nurtured in a Masonic Lodge, but, when I speak, it is not Freemasonry speaking. When Washington acted, it was not Freemasonry acting. Thankfully, Freemasonry has had great influence on many leaders, but the man influenced does the acting. Thus we read about the man in history texts, not the organization.

So, now I understand why Freemasonry does not occupy a prominent place in history books, but that does not lessen its place in history. It probably would behoove historians to discuss the influence of Freemasonry on the man, and perhaps that is starting to occur.

The Philalethes Society
 

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I have a book called (IIRC) Freemasonry and Technology. I did not read it yet but I can lend it to you.

[MASON]

i can probably find it here in our libraries. i ll take a look at it. Thank you.

[fbracer]

Any time
Did you read born in Blood? Or Hiram Key?

[MASON]

nope. not yet. i havent even watched the The Davinci`s Code yet. I dont have that much time to read a book. Maybe some movies and thas all.

[fbracer]

nope. not yet. i havent even watched the The Davinci`s Code yet. I dont have that much time to read a book. Maybe some movies and thas all.

I love reading...