In the wake of this month's killing of a Freemason in Texas and the bombing of a Masonic building in Greece, MW Steven C. Martin, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Washington (state), has issued a warning letter, urging Masons to be vigilant when displaying their membership in public. (Click image above to enlarge.)
Brother Robert Wise was shot on July 10th in the parking lot of McAllen Lodge 1110 following the installation ceremony of their lodge officers. The (alleged) attacker, Julio Diaz, had posted paranoid threats, rants and allegations against Masons on his social media pages prior to the shooting, and even uploaded a video of himself as he killed Wise.
Grand Master Martin issued his warning in connection with anti-Masonic social media rants and open threats of violence against Freemasons by an individual. That man has previously been arrested for making threats, but was ultimately released by authorities.
Members are urged not to engage with such people if they are encountered in person, but to call 911 immediately.
We tragically live in an age when it's not uncommon to find social media posts that accuse Masons of "worshipping Lucifer," and are followed by comments like, "Burn the place into the ground and with them inside" (such as was spotted today on a 4-Chan message board discussion). There's no reasonable or practical way to put an end to these kinds of accusations and threats, so I fear that advising our members to "be vigilant" seems like a weak defense. But the truth of the matter is that no rational engagement with these kinds of grotesques will ever talk them out of their delusions. No exposures of rituals, no testimonies by hundreds and even thousands of Masons, no stacks of truthful Masonic books and articles will convince these die-hard anti-Masons that we are anything but child-sacrificing, Satan-worshipping, world-controlling "unseen Masters" of society.
And so, the danger remains.
Where can we find thus picture?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately part of the problem is the result of the polarization and misinformation coming from extremist religious groups that ignore the fact that for centuries Masonry has stood for tolerance, or even dislike that.
ReplyDeletehello, I tried to join but without success, they took money from me and only talk, money thrown on lies and ect
ReplyDeleteWithout knowing your name, location, the Masonic jurisdiction or the lodge you contacted, it's impossible to give you advice. Lodge business meetings normally take place one night a month. Your petition gets read to the lodge and accepted for investigation. A committee is assigned to contact you, which usually takes another month. They report their investigation at the NEXT meeting, and you are voted on. But many US lodges suspend meetings (or "go dark") in hot, busy summer months, so it's possible the lodge simply hasn't even met yet to act on your petition. Contact the lodge Secretary to see what the holdup is, but try not to sound irked about it. Masonry moves to a slower beat.
DeleteHowever, there are many illegitimate, bogus (what we call 'clandestine') groups masquerading as a Masonic organization just to fleece unsuspecting people out of their cash. They rely on the fraternity's reputation of secrecy and the piles of misinformation all over the internet. Typically in the US, each state has only two legitimate Masonic organizations you should be in contact with if you are wanting to participate within the vast majority of what we call regular, recognized Freemasons: the Grand Lodge of *your state here* F&AM (or AF&AM); or the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of *your state here* F&AM (there are only a couple of noteworthy exceptions to this wording). Alternately, visit the www.beafreemason.org website and it will put you in contact with the legitimate Masons in your state.