Honor

T.F.S.
Three, five, and seven
3 5 7
Number 150 – July 01, 2009

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” Denis Waitley.

This publication, while it is printed with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F. & A. M. of Minnesota, contains the writings and opinions of Ed Halpaus and is not in any way the opinion of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.

“You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices.”
Deepak Chopra
Honor

Some time ago a Brother wrote to me asking whether I had written an article on ‘honor,’ and asked, if I had, to please send him a copy. Well, it was a good question because it told me I needed to do something on that topic, as I hadn’t written specifically about ‘honor’ previously. I had given talks at Masonic functions where I did mention honor, because it is important to Freemasonry and to Masons. Honor is one of the things a Mason is admonished to keep uppermost in mind when he is wearing his Masonic apron; (we symbolically wear our apron 7 days a week 24 hours a day as Freemasons – the charge to wear it with honor and pleasure does not end when the Lodge is closed.) The New Mason gets this first important lesson about his apron when he is presented with it in his first degree: When you think about our degrees there is so much wisdom in the life lessons that are woven into them that we could spend the rest of our lives pondering the lessons and living up to them.

The new Mason is told to wear his apron with equal pleasure to himself and honor to the fraternity; actually Honor to the Fraternity also means honor to others and to himself as well. Equal Pleasure to himself and honor to the fraternity is an interesting phrase, because when a man is honorable he is a happy man; it’s acting in less than an honorable fashion that contributes to unhappiness.

One of my favorite authors is Rabbi Zelig Pliskin; his books are not entirely religious, they are more like self-help and books for living than religious books, although religion is a part of self-help and joyful living.

In his book “Harmony with Others” he has a short chapter (all of his chapters are on the short side) called “Who is an Honorable Person?” The question comes from the Talmud, and the Talmud also provides the answer; from Pirkei Avos 4:1 “The one who shows honor and respect to others.” This is not strictly something that is taught only in Judaism – it’s something I was taught all through my youth from my parents, teachers, and ministers, – treat others with dignity and respect. Most religions of the world have something akin to the Golden Rule about treating others as you would like to be treated; The 14th Dalai Lama says he likes to amend it to “Do unto others – more – than you would have them do unto you”

Rabbi Pliskin, in his book, says we all want to be treated with basic respect, and, ‘as we internalize the essential message of the Sages [Pirkei Avos 4:1], we will decrease our concern about how others treat us and we will increase our concern about how we treat others.’

In Rabi Pliskin’s book “Building Your Self-Image – and the Self-Image of Others” is another short chapter called “I am My Choices.” In this chapter he reminds us that in every situation we have the opportunity to make a choice. J. Martin Kohe back in the 1950’s wrote a ‘wonderful’ small book called “Your Greatest Power;” this is a self-help classic and well worth reading if you can get a copy; in it he tells us our greatest power is the power to choose. Rabbi Pliskin reminds us about this great power, one which we use all day long every day, and he tells us that in every instance, especially stressful and disturbing moments, we have the opportunity to use our great power to choose; we can say to ourselves ‘I am My Choices:” This can serve to remind us to make wise choices.

We choose our feelings, because our feelings are created by our choice of thoughts, words, and actions: The essence of who we are, as Rabbi Pliskin says, comes from our choices; choices come from thought, and are manifested through our words and actions. When we say to ourselves ‘I am my choices,’ we are stating a truthful fact, and we are in a position to make wise choices.

There is a lot to study about honor, but unfortunately the subject is not found in many ‘Masonic’ books, so in order to study it we need to look elsewhere. But then, it may come down to our power to choose, to decide, what a Masonic book is. To me a Masonic Book is not only one that talks about symbolism, history, and Masonic Lodges or Masons. It is a book that will help the Mason in his search for truth, one that helps in understanding Masonic values even though they are not labeled as such, one that will help him in his quest to become a better man than he was previously to the learning gleaned from the book, one that will help him mentor and teach his Brother Mason, and help him in his personal quest for truth and improvement.

Information and learning about what Masonry stands for and teaches can be found in a great number of places. All we need to do is broaden our horizons and be open to finding this information in places we might not have thought of before.

Words to live by: There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy.

“To decide to be at the level of choice is to take responsibility for your life and to be in control of your life.” Arbie M. Dale

From the Great Light of Masonry: “Butter and honey will he eat when he knows to reject the evil and choose the good.” Isaiah 7:15

Please remember: if you would like to participate in the latest Masonic Monday Question, please go to http://www.lodgebuilder.org and click on the Lodge Education forum. When you have an answer send it to masonicmonday@gmail.com the Masonic Monday Question for the week of 07/06/09 is: What are the ornaments of a Freemason?

“For what is the best choice, for each individual is the highest it is possible for him to achieve.” Aristotle

More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by Email at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to these publications just send an E-mail to erhmasonic@gmail.com with Subscribe in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publications.

“Of neighborhoods, benevolence is the most beautiful. How can the man be considered wise who when he had the choice does not settle in benevolence.” Confucius

To read some past issues of Ed’s publications on the web go to: http://www.halpaus.net and click on the publication you would like to read.

With “Brotherly Love”,
Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer

Seek to mentor a Brother Mason:
It’s good for him, it’s good for you, and it’s good for Freemasonry!

Morals and Dogma

T.F.S.
Three, five, and seven
3 5 7
Number 146 – May 01, 2009

“Travel teaches tolerance.” Benjamin Disraeli

This publication, while it is printed with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F. & A. M. of Minnesota, contains the writings and opinions of Ed Halpaus and is not in any way the opinion of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.

“The highest result of education is tolerance.” Helen Keller

It has been a maxim for a very long time that if a person is unhappy in that person’s present situation to make a change for the better. Making a change for the better can be done in various ways: One man has commented that if you don’t like where you are – move. Another suggests that when you are faced with a problem the best advice is to either go around it, tunnel through it, or turn a mountainous problem into a gold mine. Still another puts it simply: Bloom where you are planted.

What is your philosophy, what is your attitude about problems; especially problems in your Masonic Lodge? I hope there are no real problems in your Lodge. It’s a real pleasure to be a member of a Lodge where Brethren genuinely like each other enough to work together for the common good of the Lodge, and sincerely enjoy seeing each other in Lodge.

Unfortunately there are some Lodges where friendliness and mutual respect is sometimes hard to find. That’s, (also unfortunately,) nothing new in Freemasonry; in fact, in a way Brother Albert Like wrote about that problem in Morals and Dogma. If you don’t have a copy of Morals and Dogma of your own I urge you to get a copy, or get one to read; there is a lot to learn in that book.

Some Masons think Morals and Dogma is hard to read, or they will think it only has value for the Masonic scholar, or only for a Scottish Rite Mason: Sadly these misconceptions sometimes are passed from Brother to Brother for such a long period of time Masons think it’s true, but it isn’t. Reading Morals and Dogma is not as hard as you may have been lead to think. The book is something the average Mason can read, so it is not only for the serious Masonic student it is a book every Mason can get something out of, even the Mason who’s not in the Scottish Rite. As a Scottish Rite Mason I think it is a good body to join and take the degrees, (a Mason can learn a lot about Freemasonry and himself in each one of the degrees of the Rites and, of course, the Blue Lodge,) but you don’t need to be in the Scottish Rite to learn from the writings of Brother Albert Pike.

There is a particular part of Morals and Dogma I would recommend to every Mason to read if he is concerned about peace and harmony in his Lodge, and peace of mind for himself. What I’m recommending is short, only 6 pages long; it is Chapter 6 in Morals and Dogma and has to do with Brother Pike’s commentary on the 6th degree or the degree of Intimate Secretary. I think it should be a ‘must read’ for every Mason. If you don’t own a copy of Morals and Dogma there may be a copy in your Lodge library for you to read, or if you prefer you could read it on-line at: http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/ This is a great web site that has a lot of Masonic E-books on it; this is one web site I hope never goes away.

Here is just a small portion of what Brother Pike wrote in the chapter about the 6th degree:
“Masons must be kind and affectionate one to another. Frequenting the same temples, kneeling at the same altars, they should feel that respect and that kindness for each other, which their common relation and common approach to one God should inspire. There needs to be much more of the spirit of the ancient fellow-ship among us; more tenderness for each other's faults, more forgiveness, more solicitude for each other's improvement and good fortune; somewhat of brotherly feeling, that it be not shame to use the word ‘brother.’
“Nothing should be allowed to interfere with that kindness and affection: neither the spirit of business, absorbing, eager, and overreaching, ungenerous and hard in its dealings, keen and bitter in its competitions, low and sordid in its purposes; nor that of ambition, selfish, mercenary, restless, circumventing, living only in the opinion of others, envious of the good fortune of others, miserably vain of its own success, unjust, unscrupulous, and slanderous.”

Pretty easy to read and understand isn’t it? The whole 6 pages in this chapter are that easy to read too. The entire chapter has to do with peace and harmony and how and what Masons can do to help achieve that.

Much of what is and has been written by Masons over the centuries has to do with Tolerance; (Pike is no exception) tolerance of each other and tolerance with ourselves; The degrees of Freemasonry teach us about tolerance, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded about tolerance from a mentor from long ago through his writings.

By reading in Morals and Dogma we can learn from one of the most knowledgeable Masons who ever lived. That does not mean we would or should agree with everything he has written, but we ought to read it and consider what he wrote because, it might be we can use his thoughts and knowledge to help us in some way to become better men, and in the process become better Masons and enjoy Freemasonry more.

Words to live by: We are all one people; we all want to be peaceful.

“Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.” John F. Kennedy

From the Great Light of Masonry: [Love] “It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:5

Please remember: if you would like to participate in the latest Masonic Monday Question, please go to http://www.lodgebuilder.org and click on the Lodge Education forum. When you have an answer send it to masonicmonday@gmail.com the Masonic Monday Question for the week of 05/04/09 is: What is the covenant of Masons [Freemasonry]?

“Nothing dies so hard, or rallies so often as intolerance.” Henry Ward Beecher

More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by Email at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to erhmasonic@gmail.com with Subscribe in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publications.

“Wherever there is strife and hatred among the Brethren, there is no Masonry; for Masonry is peace, and Brotherly Love and Concord.” Albert Pike

To read some past issues of Ed’s publications on the web go to: http://www.halpaus.net and click on the publication you would like to read.

With “Brotherly Love”,
Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer

Seek to mentor a Brother Mason:
It’s good for him, it’s good for you, and it’s good for Freemasonry!

Masonry and Religion - December 01, 2005

T.F.S.
Three, five, and seven
3 5 7
By Ed Halpaus, Grand Lodge Education Officer.
Number 64 – December 01, 2005

This publication, while it is printed with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F. & A. M. of Minnesota, contains the writings and opinions of Ed Halpaus and is not in any way the opinion of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.

“The truths of Masonry are contained within the religions of the world.” From the 26° of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite: Prince of Mercy or Scottish Trinitarian.

It happened the other day that I was listening to a talk given by David Gergen where he mentioned about asking the hard questions. Hard questions are questions you know need to be asked but many times a person doesn’t want asked, or to ask, because he really doesn’t want to give or hear the answer. It’s kind of like the commercials on TV lately where there’s this elephant in someone’s home or office that no one wants to acknowledge or talk about.

Hard questions are not necessarily controversial; they’re just questions people would rather ignore. What may seem like a hard question to me may not be considered a hard question by you. Well I have a couple of questions, and I hope they’re not hard questions; but I’m wondering how many Masons in Minnesota know the position of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota on Religion? Have the officers of your Lodge ever talked about this in a Lodge Communication for educational purposes, or had something about it in the Lodge Newsletter?

I do believe all Masons know that Freemasonry is not a religion or a substitute for a man’s religion, but knowing what our Grand Lodge’s stance is on this question is very helpful to know why we advocate that Freemasonry is not a religion.

The Grand Lodge of Minnesota’s official position on this question can be found in the latest edition of the Minnesota Masonic Manual, which can be purchased from our Grand Lodge office, and it can be viewed, read and printed from our Grand Lodge Web Site at http://www.mn-masons.org/ under the topic of Brethren Resources.

MASONRY AND RELIGION
Masonry does not profess to be a religion, although it is obviously religious in character. It also does not pretend to take the place of religion, nor serve as a substitute for the religious beliefs of its members.
Freemasonry will open its doors to all men regardless of their religious conviction, the essential requirements in this regard being an avowed belief in God and expected punishment for vice and reward for virtue. (See the first Ancient Landmark in the Grand
Lodge Constitution, Section C2.03 (1) That belief in the Supreme Being, “The Great Architect of the Universe,” who will punish vice and reward virtue, is an indispensable prerequisite to admission to Masonry.)
MINNESOTA’S OFFICIAL POSITION
The National Masonic Information Center proposes the following statement concerning Freemasonry and religion and is encouraging Grand Lodges throughout the United States to adopt this statement so that they will have a common position regarding this religious issue.
The Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Minnesota adopted the following statement as a standing resolution at its 1996 Annual Communication:
Basic Principles Freemasonry is not a religion, nor is it a substitute for religion. Freemasonry requires of its members belief in God as part of the obligation of every responsible adult, but advocates no sectarian faith or practice. Masonic ceremonies include prayers, both traditional and extempore, to reaffirm each individual’s dependence on God and to seek divine guidance. Freemasonry is open to men of any faith, but religion may not be discussed at Masonic meetings.
The Supreme Being: Masons believe that there is one God and that people employ many different ways to seek and to express what they know of God. Masons primarily uses the appellation, “Grand Architect of the Universe,” and other non-sectarian titles, to address Deity. In this way, persons of different faiths may join together in prayer, concentrating on God rather than on differences among themselves. Masonry believes in religious freedom and that the relationship between the individual and God is personal, private, and sacred.
Volume of the Sacred Law: An open volume of the Sacred Law, “the rule and guide of life,” is an essential part of every Masonic meeting. The Volume of the Sacred Law to a Christian is the Bible; to Freemasons of other faiths, it is the book held holy by them.
The Oath of Freemasonry: The obligations taken by Freemasons are sworn on the Volume of the Sacred Law. They are undertakings to follow the principles of Freemasonry and to keep confidential a Freemason’s means of recognition. The much-discussed penalties are judicial remnants from an earlier era and are symbolic, not literal. They refer only to the pain any honest man should feel at the thought of violating his word.
Freemasonry Compared with Religion: Freemasonry lacks the basic elements of religion: (a) It has no dogma or theology, no wish or means to enforce religious orthodoxy. (b) It offers no sacraments. (c) It does not claim to lead to salvation by works, by secret knowledge, or by any other means. The secrets of Freemasonry are concerned with modes of recognition, not with the means of salvation.
Freemasonry Supports Religion: Freemasonry is far from indifferent toward religion. Without interfering in religious practice, it expects each member to follow his own faith and to place his Duty to God above all other duties. Its moral teachings are acceptable to all religions.
Concerning Prayer
Masonic custom dictates that the Lodge be opened and closed with prayer. It is always proper to address the Supreme Being as “The Great Architect of the Universe.” Addressing the Deity in prayer at Masonic functions should never be done in a way that excludes Brothers of other faiths and of necessity should be inclusive and universal, not sectarian or denominational.
Display of Flags
Every Masonic Lodge should have the American flag displayed to the right of the Master’s podium in the East and the other national flags or the Minnesota Masonic flag displayed to the left. It is never proper to display the flag of any religious group or faith tradition in a Masonic Lodge when conducting Stated or Special Communications.
The Volume of Sacred Law
An open volume of Sacred Law (Holy Bible) which includes the Old and New Testaments shall be displayed upon the altar at all Stated and Special Communications. When Brothers of other faith traditions who have taken their vows on a different Volume of Sacred Law are present, it is proper and salutary to display on the altar the Volume of Sacred Law which they honor and revere. This practice conforms to the highest ideals of our Craft in respect for the various faith traditions of our members when in Lodge assembled.
The vows of the candidate’s initiation must be taken upon the Volume of Sacred Law that will bind them to the solemn obligations of our Fraternity. Each candidate for Masonic initiation should be asked, prior to the first degree, what Volume of Sacred Law they revere as their Great Light in Masonry. If a candidate desires to provide a Volume of Sacred Law other than the Lodge’s, he may do so and his obligations can be taken upon that book. Separate books can be used for each candidate.

“Masonry is a system of ethics and moral conduct. Genuine religion must include morality but the science of morality does not include religion.” Brother Prentiss Tucker

More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by E-mail at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to ed@halpaus.net with Subscribe and the Title, or ‘all 3,’ in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publication you want.

Sans Dieu Rien = [French] = Without God, nothing.

From the Great Light of Masonry: “Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: To look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
James 1:27 NIV

With “Brotherly Love,”
Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer