EDICT ISSUED BY GRAND MASTER of KENTUCKY

[Bro. Jason Lloyd]

Originally Posted by Loewenstein

Being a German brother, it is really strange to learn that such an edict was necessary. We have a passage in our ritual (!) that says that it is strictly forbidden to ask for the candidate's faith, creed, or political party or opinion.
Ideed there are brethren of my lodge of whom I do not know their religion - if any …

EVERY country in the world has racism to some degree.

Please don't get on a high horse. I would put money on the fact that there is closet racists in your lodge.

Every lodge has one or more. They are just not necessarily open about it.

[Fire Mist]

On further history of the story, seems the now past GM who issued this edict, was literally kicked out an is no longer a KY mason. This edict has been since overturned.

An Ohio lodge has initiated him (and since passed and raised) causing the severing of relations between KY and OH lodges.

I hear more through the grapevine, but those points have been fairly public.
It is so sad.

[Imakegarb]

K, I thought it was the ousted West Virginia GM who got taken in by the GL of Ohio, leading to raspberries blown across the Ohio River. Has the GM of KY also been ousted? And taken in by the GL of Ohio?

Is this some new fangled way to get new members in Ohio?

[Fire Mist]

THAT is what I'm was trying to find out.
I sincerely hope it is wrong information.

[Fire Mist]

I just got off the phone with my friend in S. Ohio. I am pleased to report the following.

He says he misspoke and meant WV. KY is still in good fraternal relations with Ohio.
More he says he is proud of KY's edict on race relations and said Georgia passed similar law to KY's but thinks it was recinded earlier this year.

He emailed me more on this, which he says is about the best writeup on the subject he's seen;

http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/war_declared.htm

http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/lest_we_forget.htm

[Imakegarb]

Ah, well, I can see where KY could be confused with WV, having spend part of my life there

I feel fortunate that I can watch the whole thing with a sort of detached bemusement. I hope they work their stuff out.

[Fire Mist]

Me too, but I know folks on all three sides... It has severed some of their doings. I understand not being able to sit in one another's lodges, but what with the rest? I'll never understand it. Glad I don't have to.

Can't we all just get along?

[Imakegarb]

I'm sorry to hear you know folks who are being all silly. All boils down to what "Masonic intercourse" or "Masonic Communication" means.

I tend to be a fundamentalist about such things and go with the original definition: sitting in lodge with certain folks (a meeting being a communication). Basically, the way it originally worked, you wouldn't do anything with a so-called "irregular" Brother that you wouldn't do with a nonMason. You don't sit in Lodge (have Masonic communication) with nonMasons and you don't do it with Brothers you consider irregular

However, some Brothers have decided on an innovation the includes not shopping at the same grocery store or going to the same ball games as an "irregular" Brother. I think this innovation is downright silly at best and a little worrisome at worse.

For if this were an accurate definition, then it needs to apply to the nonMasons as well. I mean, you're not suppose to have Masonic Communication with nonMasons either. So if you can't be in the same swimmng pool with an irregular Brother, you can't very well risk getting Profane pee on you either.

So, carrying the silliness to the worse logical conclusion, Freemasons couldn't go to grocery stores or ball games at all, for fear of having Masonic Intercourse (I hear it tickles ) with the Profane. I'm pretty sure they'll soon be in burkas so they won't accidentally make Masonic eye contact with anyone they ought not to

So, yeah, I think the original, uninnovated definition makes scads more sense.

[Fire Mist]

Actually, more like they are the children of parents who are feuding and their cousins are the ones being silly. (as far as not shopping at stores etc)

and burkas are rather prevalent around my neighborhood....seems silly as it is obvious that it actually accents the eye contact......to each their own. I still talk to all and am cordial. I just don't understand it. it is all rather odd to me. (both subjects)

[Imakegarb]

true burkas cover everything, including he eyes. It's just a little hard to convince any of the emoticons to go that far.

You see the point, though, yes? I kid about it but this innovation in the definition of "Masonic Communication" really is problematic. And puzzling. We're suppose to be about making good people better. I have no clue how this idea can help.