From Son to Father, from Father to Son

I would like to tell a story about my family and Freemasonry, specifically my father, grandfather and I during my father’s raising. As I have mentioned in my first post, I initially learned about Freemasonry through my Grandpa. (It can be found here.) I discovered Freemasonry and found that I really enjoyed all the aspects of the Fraternity. During the course of my participation in different Lodge activities, my Dad grabbed one of the pamphlets at a booth that the Lodge was running during my first summer as a Master Mason. He told me that he might be interested in joining but he was not sure that he had the time. However, even with his concern for time, I gave him more information about the Lodge and Freemasonry in general.

I knew that he would really enjoy himself in the Lodge. After the summer ended, I asked what he thought about the Lodge. He really wanted to join and I handed him the petition. We began the degree work over the fall until we came to the third degree. I invited my Grandpa to come to the Lodge; my Grandparents live about an hour and a half from my parents’ house. I was asked by my brothers in the Lodge if I would like to raise my Dad. I knew that it would be more meaningful to my Dad if my Grandpa would raise him so I declined. It was really moving to see father and son together in the confines of the Lodge performing ritual that has been worked for centuries yet still as fresh as if it had been communicated in the quarries yesterday. And there we were, three generations of Masons together for the first time.

Later in the evening, my Dad received what my Lodge gives to every recently raised brother: the Bible, Apron and Chris Hodapp’s Freemasons for Dummies. My Dad really loves coming to Lodge and was even made the Co-Tyler of the Lodge when I took the Junior Warden’s chair. Also, with how expensive gasoline has gotten in the States, it is really nice to carpool to the Lodge and we can talk about what is going in our lives and can have a bonding experience to and from the meeting.

It was really different to bring my Dad into Freemasonry. The old trend was that a grandfather would bring in his son and the dad would bring in his son. My family bucked the trend and I really think that it is auspicious for our Fraternity. I have been told that this trend is becoming much more commonplace in Lodges today. During the Sixties, Seventies and even the Eighties, fathers were just not bringing in their sons or conversely, sons were not joining their father’s Lodge as they became of age. At least in my family, my Dad did not join the Lodge because he was in a different town than my Grandpa. When I joined, I became the connection for my Dad to join Freemasonry. I think it really creates a bond between all three generations that is different many men have.

If you have been a part of this new trend in Masonry, feel free to leave a comment. As a final question, what do I call my Dad and my Grandpa: brother? It seems kind of strange, but I guess that I will get used to it.

Pop Culture and Freemasonry: The Flintstones

This week's entry concerns the Flintstones and the wonderful organization known as the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes Lodge. In the Flintstones, Fred and Barney (who were modeled after the television program, the Honeymooners) are members of two societies that seems to be fashioned after a mix of the Freemasons, the Shrine, the Elks and the Moose: the Water Buffaloes and the Order of Dinosaurs. The Loyal Order of Dinosaurs was the precursor to the later group known as the Water Buffaloes. (Ironically, the Elks may have been named the Buffalo had the votes been different.) Water Buffaloes are led by a man known as the Grand Poobah and meet in Lodges. The brothers have wild parties and is strictly restricted to men. Fred and Barney are members of the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes Lodge No. 26.

Although there appears to be more in common with the Elks or the Moose, such as the fact that alcohol is freely consumed and that the brothers of the Water Buffaloes have stag parties, there are still some similarity to Freemasonry and the Shrine. There is a secret phrase to gain admission: Ack, Ack, A-dak. The Grand Poobah is also sometimes referred to as the Grand Imperial Poobah just as the leader of the Shrine is known as the Grand Imperial Potentate. As a side note, the name of Grand Poobah originally comes from the Gilbert and Sullivan musical, "The Mikado" where the Grand Pooh-bah is a man that holds many exalted titles that meant absolutely nothing. Even today, the title of Grand Pooh-bah is a lampoon on anyone who seeks great prestige with meaningless jobs.

However, in all, Freemasonry does not appear to feature as prominently a part as other fraternal organizations. It seems that the joke is directed, fairly or unfairly, to the Shrine, the Elks and the Moose who attended heavy drinking parties and saw as the episode I have posted, dancing girls and "cactus juice". Freemasonry does not, in and of itself, promote the idea of heavy drinking and raucous fun; the Shrine provides those opportunities for men to have "fun".

During the Fifties, Freemasonry experienced a boom time as well as many other fraternal organizations when former members of the military kept in contact with their friends in the military after both the Second World War and the Korean War. Almost five million men joined Freemasonry and the Lodges truly flourished. Although "the Flintstones" was created between 1960 and 1965, many of the ideas that were presented in the show were in fact from the 1950's. The turbulent era of the Sixties had not yet come to complete fruition as the United States did not come to grips with the Viet Nam War until much later on in the decade. "The Flintstones" are examples of the what the 1950's ideals meant in the United States.

The title of the Flintstones episode that I have posted here is "Pebbles' Birthday Party". Season 5 Episode 118. The story in a nutshell is that Fred is nominated to take care of the party planning for the Lodge's big gathering and needs to get dancing girls, cactus juice (Tequila?) and a swinging band. He also is asked by Wilma to plan Pebbles' Birthday Party. He goes to the only party planner in town where a mix up occurs and hilarity ensues. http://video.aol.com/video/tv-the-flintstones-pebbles-birthday-party/1797298

If you would like to see more from "the Flintstones", visit http://video.aol.com/video-category/the-flintstones/103140.
#

What a New Guy Should Know, Candidate or Brother

New brothers or guys thinking about joining Freemasonry, don't worry because Help! is on its way.



One of the main reasons that I decided to create a blog was to give a young man's perspective in the Fraternity. However, I have never given advice to the young man that would like to join the Craft. I wanted to write about my own victories and faux pases when I first inquired and joined the Lodge and what men should not do when it comes to Freemasonry. It can be very difficult for a man to come to the door and asked to be let in if he doesn't know what he should do.

DO

1. Ask lots of questions. I discovered a lot of history about the Lodge before I was even initiated. It can be a great ice breaker between candidate and brothers.

2. Go to a Friendship or Fellowship Night if possible. It can really help to meet the brothers of the Lodge as well as other possible candidates. Also, it is very possible to get your questions answered even if you did not think of it at the time as many other guys might ask a good one.

3. Ask for help when learning the exam. I was fortunate enough to have a great Past Master to help me learn the exam with great accuracy.

4. Get involved in Lodge activities early. When I was raised, I immediately got involved in different things to do. Before I had been in for even a few months, I was already helping out with KidsID, the corn dog stand and anything else the Master wanted. I really felt a part of the Lodge and was incredibly excited for every meeting.

5. Learn the basic happenings in the Lodge. I didn't understand what I was supposed to do in the Lodge, like voting and other stuff. I asked what I should do and the brothers helped me out.

6. Ask questions about the decorum of the Lodge. I learned that my Lodge is very relaxed but we still are expected to wear nicer clothes. Many Lodges have different requirements for dress and you should remember what you can wear or when you should arrive.

DON'T

7. Joke about the ritual, i.e. riding goats, paddles, and other stuff. On my initiation day, the brother that I would go through the ceremonies with and myself entered the Lodge and introduced ourselves to the brothers that we had not met and was incredibly nervous. I was talking to them and jokingly said, "I don't have to worry about paddles, do I." I was given a look of curious indignation. Luckily, I was able to bounce back from my speaking SNAFU but I still feel dumb to this day.

8. Try to elicit information about the other degrees before you have gone through them. I have always been curious and I really wanted to know the secrets. Luckily, my brothers were kind enough to not tell me any of the secrets without being mean. I am happy that I did not push as hard I could have and I really felt I learned much more from the slow uncovering of the ritual.

If any of the other brothers can think of some good advice, just leave a comment. I would especially like to hear from other really young guys. I really think it is important to calm the fears of our new brothers when they join the Fraternity.

Who is at Fault for the Economic Crisis: The Freemasons?!

Well, if you thought that the Freemasons are only a group of men doing charity, you would be wrong according to the Centre for Research on Globalization. No, no, it is not the fact that banks were creating poor investments while being egged on by investors seeking unsustainable growth for shareholder value. According to Richard Cook, who has apparently worked as a government analyst, (emphasis added) has pinpointed the cause of our Nation's collapse, Freemason bankers. I can not even do the article justice.

Now that you read it, I have decided just to talk about the highlights:

"They have been especially influential in northwest Europe , where elitism in the form of Freemasonry endeavored since the time of the French Revolution to destroy the authority of the Catholic Church."

"In fact, World War I was a project of the Freemasons in dismembering Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, both largely Catholic. This destruction allowed the masters of usury to flourish within the atheistic and materialistic culture that Freemasonry fostered across Europe ."

Apparently, Freemasons are to blame for the French Revolution, World War I and the problems in the Middle East. I always thought there was something more than Table Lodges in Freemasonry. Wait..., if I remember correctly France and Italy were fighting against Germany and Austro-Hungary. Maybe my facts aren't completely clear. Stupid AP European History.

Here is a nice theme song to go with his assertions:

Pop Culture and Freemasonry: NewsRadio

Our next installment in the Freemasonry and Pop Culture series is NewsRadio. The basic premise behind the show, "NewsRadio" is the story of the crazy personalities at a small radio station in New York. The cast is led by Dave Foley of "Kids in the Hall" fame who plays a Level-Headed Midwesterner who starts as the station manager and discovers the incredibly bizarre behaviors of the employees at the station as well as the owner, Jimmy James.
The episode that presents a Masonic reference is entitled, "Rose Bowl" and involves station owner Jimmy James purchasing what he believes to be authentic movie memorabilia. He takes the kid to Court and asks Joe, the station tech, to represent him in the case. To win the case, Joe tells Jimmy that all Judges are Freemasons and that all that he needs to do to win is to say a magic word and the Judge will rule in his favor. Joe brings up some "Masonic" references and finally tells Jimmy James to say the secret word at which time, the Judge overturns his own ruling.

I have to say that I have always found the show humorous and off-beat. I did like this episode and laughed at the joke of the secret word for its absurdity. The concept of a Judge ruling in Jimmy James favor for uttering it is humorous. The major section of the video to watch is at 5:40, 9:00 and 18:36 minutes.



Masons have often held high positions in society, from US Presidents, Canadian Prime Ministers, and for the purposes of this article, Judges. From Justices Black, to Blair to famed legal scholar Roscoe Pound, Freemasons have been in the legal sphere. Roscoe Pound published a book on Masonic Jurisprudence to explain the nuances of the law within Freemasonry. It is important to note, however, that Mason are forbidden from showing favoritism to a brother under the color of law. If a brother should commit a wrong, he must pay for the crime he has committed. Freemasonry is built upon the idea of charity and helping to carry your needy brother when he has difficulty standing. Freemasonry is not a Cabal of men attempt to subvert laws but are given the task of constructing goodness in the structure of Society.

Seriousness aside, I really found the episode humorous. The Judge seems completely fed up with Mr. James until the secret word is spoken, then it is a complete change in personality. Also, I have to admit that the part with Goober (George Lindsey) is really funny as I used to watch reruns of the Andy Griffith show as a kid.

In all, I really think Freemasonry benefits more than it hurts from humorous representations like this. I get a kick out of watching the Media and its portrayals of the Craft. So, next time you are standing in front of a Judge, remember the secret word.

(In addition to posting the episode here, I have also linked to the Hulu site if you would like to see the episode in an expanded mode. Again, I apologize to my Canadian and international friends who can't see the Hulu videos. I am trying to find a way to rectify the problem.)