tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post1473669303582939902..comments2024-03-26T12:05:58.591-04:00Comments on Freemasons For Dummies: West Virginia: The Continuing CrisisChristopher Hodapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04201859873755654395noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-22717566103026999472011-06-16T16:23:29.809-04:002011-06-16T16:23:29.809-04:00I haven't heard any thing about this case....N...I haven't heard any thing about this case....Nor would I like to choose sides , but it seems to me that you have forgotten what AF&AM really stands for, Ancient FREE & Accepted Masons. Which means that the ancestors of members of that lodge were FREE men in ancient times or of white decent.....I'm not trying to sound racist because God knows I've never been nor will I ever be....But colored men were not free in that time of our history .......Sad but true.Thats why most colored lodges are F&AM FREE and Accepted Masons....As far as the women go.....Thats what I thought The Order of The Eastern Star was for.....I do not care for the lifestyle of a gay or lesbian person but thats thier choice.Just because a lesbian thinks she should be a man doesn't mean that she should be treated as one.....She is still female and even if she's not a lesbian the only reason I think a female wants to join a lodge is to keep an eye on her husband or to have something to talk about across the fence with her neighbors.And come to think about it ,women weren't really FREE to speak of in that time either. They didn't have the right to vote and they were there to serve thier husbands,that was a womans job then. I know your saying to yourself "this guys a nut" but think about it...If you are a true Mason then you would want to keep the true core values of the lodge .....Don't let it be attacked and destroyed like so many other things have been in the past just because they were trying to "Bring everything into the 21 Century" I have been a Mason for a little over 10 years....But to see what the Lodge has become in some places sickens me .Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13556173713114313420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-25056528040109580432008-06-15T20:58:00.000-04:002008-06-15T20:58:00.000-04:00"Stranger and Stranger"...it is both a sad reflect..."Stranger and Stranger"...it is both a sad reflection on Masonry in West Virginia and many Grand Lodges and GM's to actually allow all MM to stand on the level with them.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01381861694750750776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-73764633213046813752008-06-14T11:35:00.000-04:002008-06-14T11:35:00.000-04:00That is a scary comment, "The days of Masonic trai...That is a scary comment, "The days of Masonic trails[sic] etc. are coming to and end as this is just the tip of the iceberg."<BR/>Masonic trials do have good uses such as when a brother has done something criminal. Freemasonry is an organization "making good men better" and to maintain the goodness of the organization, we need Masonic trials. I agree that using the trial in a Draconian fashion is antithetical to our ideas of equality and due process and should be stopped, including through legal means but there still remains legitimate purposes for using Masonic trials.Millennial Freemasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10365269439441609340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-39077793825798436162008-06-13T22:16:00.000-04:002008-06-13T22:16:00.000-04:00It's not a matter of if but of when and the when i...It's not a matter of if but of when and the when is coming little by little, Man by Man, day by day.<BR/><BR/>Truth is good and MWB Haas has chosen to tell his side in a REAL COURT since he was not given a the chance of a lame Masonic court.<BR/><BR/>The days of Masonic trails etc. are coming to and end as this is just the tip of the iceberg.sec昴宿六 2https://www.blogger.com/profile/13196337571525550080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-81299709551193654132008-06-10T22:39:00.000-04:002008-06-10T22:39:00.000-04:00As always Brother Chris we appreciate your fair an...As always Brother Chris we appreciate your fair and balanced reporting on what is going on here. It is a pressure cooker here with expulsions and threats of expulsions. MW Brother Frank is a good man hopes to right wrongs with his lawsuit. If there had been any other method to be heard he would have pursued it. GL is not listening to the voice of the brethren. We are all aware of the can of worms that may be opened. <BR/><BR/>Pray for us brethren.<BR/><BR/>A MasonUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17030105151301509229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-65807510781056843032008-06-10T18:27:00.000-04:002008-06-10T18:27:00.000-04:00My error. Not the Charleston Reforms, but the Whee...My error. <BR/>Not the Charleston Reforms, but the Wheeling Reforms.<BR/><BR/>The text of PGM Frank Haas' agenda is at:<BR/>http://masonic-crusade.com/gallery/1/agenda.pdf<BR/><BR/>It includes the wording of WVa masonic laws and the changes he proposed. Bear in mind it was this agenda document that was voted on as a whole and passed by a slim majority. Also bear in mind that some of the controversy now resides in whether WVa Masonic law could be changed properly by voting <I>en masse</I> on such a document. I questioned that myself. But it is only partially about this document.<BR/><BR/>Instead of making comments based on suppositions and summaries from blogsites, I strongly urge brethren to take the trouble and time to read ALL of the documents at:<BR/><BR/>http://masonic-crusade.com/index.php?op=ViewAlbum&albumId=1&blogId=1<BR/><BR/>Included are letters from both PGM Coleman and current GM Montgomery, plus texts of the vote reversals and expulsions.Christopher Hodapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04201859873755654395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-21089447266932446032008-06-10T17:43:00.000-04:002008-06-10T17:43:00.000-04:00"Haas' goal was to make Masonry more tolerant, fri..."Haas' goal was to make Masonry more tolerant, friendly, decent and accepting of everyone regardless of nationality, race, religion or disability," the suit states.<BR/><BR/>It is heart-breaking that these changes would even need to be made to Freemasonry, given all the talk about its being a moral system cloaked in allegory. I guess for me tolerance, frienship, and decency all fall under the rubric of "brotherhood"; too bad Masons from certain demographics don't feel the same.Thom Fooleryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12818320706747408688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-65417222147301657872008-06-10T13:06:00.000-04:002008-06-10T13:06:00.000-04:00A couple of points to clarify, based on documents ...A couple of points to clarify, based on documents located in the Albums section of the Masonic Crusade website.<BR/><BR/>PGM Coleman declared that the vote for the so-called Charleston Reforms was taken improperly, and nullified all rules passed by that vote. I do not know West Virginia masonic law, so I can't say one way or the other. I WILL point out that Frank read an agenda of his recommended rule changes, and it was proposed and seconded from the floor that the entire agenda be adopted, instead of voting on individual changes one at a time. This was done, and the agenda was adopted. The vote was taken using a physical tally of collected ballot cards, and again, as I have had it explained, it passed by a very slim margin. But it did pass.<BR/><BR/>Questions about the legality of the voting method were brought up by PGM Coleman, Haas' successor, just a month after taking office in October 2006, and he eradicated the rule changes by edict. GMs control the agenda of the GL meeting, and PGM Coleman did not introduce legislation in October 2007 to attempt to reintroduce any of the rule changes that had been passed the previous year. There is, apparently, no mechanism for anyone but the GM to introduce legislation (again, I may be mistaken here, but that's my understanding).<BR/><BR/>GM Charles Montgomery came into office in October 2007. He expelled Haas in December without trial. When his lodge (Wellsburg Lodge No. 2) asked to try Haas according WVa law, they were denied and placed "on probation," a condition that has no provision in their law. When a district grand lecturer attempted to ask the GM to reconsider his actions, he was expelled in the parking lot.<BR/><BR/>More recent developments have included an apparently coded letter, sent not on GL stationary, but as a private letter from the GM to all WMs warning them not to let visitors from outside jurisdictions into meetings if there was any chance they might talk about the situation with Haas. The WMs were to deny the existence of said letter and not read it in lodge, or let anyone else see it. The internet being what it is, allegedly one Master leaked his copy, and based on wording in his version, the GM determined who it was and expelled him as well.Christopher Hodapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04201859873755654395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-33604146585836667952008-06-10T10:36:00.000-04:002008-06-10T10:36:00.000-04:00Scout, this has nothing to do with ritual; this is...Scout, this has nothing to do with ritual; this is an internal dispute that has gotten out of hand. <BR/><BR/>I'm not sure what Haas hopes to gain by this, although my guess is that he is hoping to both draw some attention to the issues and to embarrass the current GL officers into re-examining their priorities.Tom Accuostihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07005315193581153959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-47734762658426406742008-06-10T08:33:00.000-04:002008-06-10T08:33:00.000-04:00PGM Haas made proposals during his term as GM, the...PGM Haas made proposals during his term as GM, the proposals were voted on during Grand Lodge & PASSED by the majority vote. Coleman, Montgomery and a few others were against the reforms that GM Haas proposed. Coleman was next in line. When he became GM, within days he issued edicts against all the reforms calling them null & void without consideration for what the GL members had voted for themselves. <BR/><BR/>Next GM was Montgomery, who followed in Coleman's footsteps, he too had voted against the reforms (not a known fact, a guess based on his current actions). Anyone that spoke out against what Coleman did was soon on the 'expel' list that Montgomery was putting together. Montgomery sent out 'secret coded' letters with warnings about reading them, or letting anyone see them. None of them on official letterhead. He then proceeded to expel not just PGM Haas in a humiliating way without trial but also another member of the same lodge, and one of the youngest Master of Lodge in a long time. <BR/><BR/>Hopefully this gives you an idea where this problem started. My impression of Grand Lodge of any Masonic Fraternity is that it's just that - a fraternity - brotherhood where another person's opinions and wants matter. Apparently not so for Coleman & Montgomery. The suit explains the rest of the issues.MIAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05887949427449571075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-31175303767454903692008-06-09T20:10:00.000-04:002008-06-09T20:10:00.000-04:00No good can come from this...none.No good can come from this...none.The Palmetto Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08049500796697782077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-26327223216028281122008-06-09T20:05:00.000-04:002008-06-09T20:05:00.000-04:00Can someone tell me exactly what happened to start...Can someone tell me exactly what happened to start this whole problem? We all seem to talk about what is going on now with Jurisprudence, etc. but what caused such a monumental fissure between the two parties?Millennial Freemasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10365269439441609340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-30413930871805590392008-06-09T19:20:00.000-04:002008-06-09T19:20:00.000-04:00While I hope this goes well for Bro. Haas, I see t...While I hope this goes well for Bro. Haas, I see this possibly taking an unexpected turn in the future.<BR> What happens when a female co-mason applies to our Fraternity and is rejected. She may know our ritual and might be more proficient that many current brothers.Scout32https://www.blogger.com/profile/13019214668555425185noreply@blogger.com