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by: Donald MacLeod, PM/GSW
Published on: 2005-10-16 |
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THE GREAT LIGHTS AND FAITH GROUPS
Some months ago, I was addressing an Initiate during the Entered Apprentice Degree, on the V.O.S.L. He, being a Muslim, I pointed to the Holy Quran. Had he been a Jewish brother, it would have been the Torah and if a Christian brother, the Holy Bible.
The Master is required to urge the Initiate to follow the teachings of his personal Volume of the Sacred Law. Anyone who has taken the time to read the Holy Bible, the Koran or the Torah, cannot but understand that within each VOSL can be found those principles upon which one can build a righteous and everylasting life, as the individual Brother understands it.
The name of the G.A.O.T.U. is spelled and spoken in different manners in various language groups. Germans, for instance, say "Gott" and the French "Dieu". Our Muslim brothers say "Allah" and our Jewish brothers may say "Jehovah", "Abba", G-d, or they may not say His name aloud.
We Masons collectively say the Great Architect of the Universe (G.A.O.T.U.).
As Freemasons, we are taught to support the Faith Group of our personal upbringing or choice and we are taught to respect the faith groups of all brothers. That is one of the pillars upon which our Fraternity rests.
I have heard some brothers say "The Lodge is my church". This simply cannot be. Every Mason is aware that Freemasonry is neither church nor religion. That we do all of our work, in the name of the G.A.O.T.U., is no different than an individual, family or social group praying to the G.A.O.T.U. for guidance in their daily lives. That does not make Freemasonry a religious group. It makes us men with sincere faith and strong belief in God.
Freemasonry is not a substitute for any Faith Group. Freemasonry supports the individual Faith Groups through those members who are members of them.
As Freemasons we take good men and make them better men. That, of necessity, means Initiates must first be men with that strong faith and sincere belief in God.
And so, my Brothers, it should be with each one of us.
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Don MacLeod, PM/GSW
Fairview Lodge #126, GRNS |
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