the blue lodge: the bedrock of freemasonry
by W.
Bro. Tim Bryce
I was smoking a cigar with a Brother the other day and we
got into a lively discussion on the Blue Lodge (aka, Craft or Particular Lodge).
He wondered why I was so committed to the Blue Lodge and not the other bodies of
Freemasonry. Although I joined the Shrine and High 12, my participation in these
bodies can be described as spotty at best. As to the Scottish Rite and York
Rite, frankly, they haven't made their case for me yet.
My friend argued, "Surely you do not believe the body of
Masonic knowledge stops at the Blue Lodge door?" Perhaps not, but I
countered that the Blue Lodge is the bedrock of the fraternity. If it crumbles,
so will all of the other Masonic bodies.
The Blue Lodge represents the foundation of the fraternity.
All of the other Masonic bodies are built on top of it and, as such, they are
totally dependent on its existence. Yet, it seems people are anxious to be
raised and move on to these other bodies that are seemingly more fun and
interesting. Perhaps this is because there are more rules and regulations heaped
on to a Blue Lodge than the other bodies. Consequently, Blue Lodges are
inhibited by their Grand Lodges, some to the point of paralysis. Small wonder
people want to move on to other bodies.
These other Masonic bodies often behave autonomously, as if
they were independent of the Blue Lodge. They're not. They are totally dependent
on it. Yet, they rarely lift a finger to help the Blue Lodge. Instead, they fly
overhead like vultures waiting to pick off the new members for their own
organizations. This is resulting in a growing rift between the Blue Lodge and
the other bodies, a very unhealthy situation. Instead of snatching bodies, the
other Masonic organizations should be looking for ways to cooperate with the
Blue Lodge, such as attracting members, presenting educational programs, helping
in fund-raisers, assisting in Lodge newsletters and web sites, etc. Instead of
an adversarial relationship, they should be building a spirit of cooperation and
trust. Unfortunately, this is not what is happening. Relations have gotten so
bad that some Lodges flat-out refuse to let the other bodies in their doors.
I guess the point of all this is that we are all on the same
team, but we should always be cognizant of the fact that the Blue Lodge is the
bedrock of the fraternity. I like to think of it as the offensive front-line of
a football team; without them, everyone else will get clobbered.
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