 |
| MW Kenneth C. Gorgen, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge F&AM of Wisconsin |
In the wake of last week's protests in Washington, DC and the deadly rampage through the U.S. Capitol building, the Grand Master of North Carolina issued a statement denouncing the violence and exhorting his members to reject ignorance and intolerance.
Yesterday, MW Kenneth C. Gorgen, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge F&AM of Wisconsin issued his own statement on the events (see the message below). Like the North Carolina message, this one has also caused its share of heated online remarks and arguments.
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
My Brothers,
January 6, 2021 was a time for the wheels of our government to begin turning for the four-year ritual acknowledging the will of the people and validating the selection of a leader for our beloved country. This ritual has been a legacy and part of our heritage for over 200 years. Unfortunately, on this day, a group of thugs decided to force themselves into this sacred process and stop these wheels from turning. They attacked the sanctuary which houses a place for our elected leaders to carry on the business of the Country. Regardless of our political persuasion or beliefs, as Citizens of the United States and as just and upright Masons, we should be sickened by the ruthless actions of these criminals.
Our Country is founded on a humble principle that “we the people” are entitled to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. As Masons, we are charged to promote these principles to all people and as the ritual teaches, “…give every man his just due without distinction.” There is much work to do to make sure all people of this Country have an equal share of that dream, but the work of equality under the law and in this case, the peaceful transfer of power must never stop or be interrupted by force.
These criminals have in the past and on January 6th exposed everyone to the rhetoric and actions which promote mistrust, suspicion, discrimination, separation and hatred, which in the end resulted on an assault on the cradle of our government.
Masons who believe in the principles of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth cannot in clear conscience belong to any organization that teaches hate and supremacy of one person over another because of color, nationality, and religious beliefs. These organizations are in direct conflict with what we as Masons hold dear. It cannot be possible to hold membership in one of these subversive organizations and still be a Mason.
You were first prepared to be a Mason in your heart. I cannot condone one of our Masonic Brothers maintaining a membership in one of these organizations. If you hold a membership in one of these organizations, I encourage you to hold fast to your Masonic teachings and resign from that group. Otherwise, I will gladly accept your resignation from the Masonic Fraternity.
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Kenneth Gorgen
Grand Master of Masons in Wisconsin
"You are entitled to your own opinions, but not to your own facts."
ReplyDeleteWe may be seeing the genius of Freemasonry at work.
Grand Masters in Freemasonry (unlike some similar organizations outside of Freemasonry) are not figureheads or symbolic.
GRAND MASTERS IN FREEMASONRY ARE ACTUAL RULERS. They are tasked with the burden to protect, defend, aid, and rule, the entire Craft.
Of course, being rulers, a sitting Grand Master has every right to determine if certain organizations (and the men belonging to them) outside of the Craft would be harmful to it.
Not all men are fit to be Freemasons, and not all Masons are fit to be Grand Masters.
Men require direction and the Craft requires its Grand Masters. The genius of Freemasonry.
This is again a political statement,which proves that the difference between "regular" and "liberal" freemasonry is
ReplyDeletebeginning to fade.
It's mind boggling that people would be so upset at a Grand Master for saying "no nazis allowed". I don't recall any charges or lectures telling us to endorse genocide. The nazis even murdered Freemasons. But this is the hill that some want to die on? Some brothers are willing to throw away brotherly love and years of fraternal improvement just because someone said "nazis are bad"? I just don't get it.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteStrange time to be living in that a GM has to issue a statement that one can not be both a Mason and a domestic terrorist.
And, that such a statement is in any way, shape or form controversial.
Noah Schultz, PM, Jefferson County Lodge #9, Wisconsin
There is not a civil war coming, its already here and some people have and will continue to draw their lines in the sand.
ReplyDeleteI'll make one comment that those who continue to make these overtly political statements fail to recognize, it is this:
For 5 months Domestic Terrorists BLM/Antifa attempted to take-over the capital building and lay it under siege for 70 days, no charges were pressed in their attempts, conspirators which included sitting Senators and Representatives raised funds for their bail, to include Kamala Harris, left-wing media, Journalists, Politicians, and Masons encouraged it, Biden on the debate stage refused to even say it. And they still failed.
About 30 unorganized people from the other-side accomplished it in 20 minutes.
Before another official statement is put out, maybe they should stop and think about that and meditate on it and whether or not their statements are helping or hurting.
If you are a brother, I strongly encourage you to be truthful and not spread lies. The attack on the US Capitol was well documented by many sources. I watched the events unfold on live video feeds, Twitter and YouTube live streams, and non-stop updates with photographs and videos on the scene. In the following days, I watched four different video angles from four different smart phones of that terrorist who was shot trying to walk through that window, with the videos synchronized. This is the internet and the smart phone era. We no longer have to rely on word-of-mouth reporting after the events, we can literally see news as it happens on our phones and computers.
DeleteI'll echo some of Michael R's comments. Abonifi1, IF you are a Brother, I would advise you to educate yourself and study--really study--the seven liberal arts and improve your mind. Of the five statements/paragraphs in your comment, 4 of them were, quite simply, untrue. Remember your Oath and Obligation as a Brother! Quit mindlessly repeating what you stumble across on the internet. Read your local paper, not to confirm what you already think you know, but to get facts and information that perhaps, don't confirm your beliefs. Read a Masonic book, or a Bible. Quiet yourself. Talk to a friend that you might not agree with 100%. Grow as a Freemason. That's the only advice I can give you.
Delete