Fear of extinction?

Here's a question I have been wondering with masons getting older and their continued pracitce of not seeking out masons is there any fear among masons that eventually people won't want to ask a mason and therefore membership rates might drop? and if so what is masonry willing to do (start advertising ? and if so on what basis?) This all just hypothetical but I was just wondering.


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Beware the 34 degree masons they're the most evil of all

Originally posted by CanadianConspirator
Here's a question I have been wondering with masons getting older and their continued pracitce of not seeking out masons is there any fear among masons that eventually people won't want to ask a mason and therefore membership rates might drop? and if so what is masonry willing to do (start advertising ? and if so on what basis?) This all just hypothetical but I was just wondering.


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Beware the 34 degree masons they're the most evil of all

Personally I think as long as the Masons are here and visible in the community there will always be that curiosity that draws men to want to know more. As far as the age of the membership as a whole, I agree that alot of the members are older gentlemen, but across the board I am hearing that there have been a growing number of younger members ove rthe last few years. I think as long as that continues to happen, and people see that youg men as well as the old gummers ore into it, it will only increase the number of younger petitioners. I mean I'm 25 and chomping at the bit so to speak, so...

In my eyes, if the Masons, both young and old, continue to carry themselves as Masons should, they by default set an example that many men will want to emulate.

The members of masonry have allways been growing older and not actively sought out new membership tho. Seems to have worked for a hundred years or so.

Freemasonry has survived for hundreds of years without actively seeking membership.
In recent years we have had our fair share of doomsayers (even those amongst our own ranks) who state that there aren't enough members coming through. This isn't exactly true though. In England, our membership numbers are up over the past year or so. We have to take into account these trends. Some years there have been drought and some years gluts. In my Lodge there are a lot of younger members joining at the moment - we have gained far more than we have lost over the past 5 years or so.

This isn't to say that we are complacent. But to my mind, what Freemasonry needs is quality, not quantity.

www.detnews.com...

news article on masonic recruitment drive

from www.detnews.com...

To do so, lodges in New York and elsewhere are taking steps such as cutting the yearlong initiation procedure, in which members must pass the first three (of 33) Masonic "degrees," down to a two-week course. California has launched two support programs intended to help its 355 individual lodges sign up at least five new members each year.

But the organization will change only so much. The one key requirement is that each man must believe in one Supreme Being, "the Grand Architect of the Universe."

I think the statements I have emphasised are a little misleading, at best. I have never heard of a "yearlong initiation procedure". I have heard, however, that in other parts of the world, like the UK for example, it takes much longer to achieve all the 29 degrees of the Scottish Rite, whereas it can be done over a weekend class here in the States. I find it interesting that people tend to think that the "33 degrees" are what makes up Masonry, where in truth it is only the first three, Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason that are Masonry. The rest is only an expansion on the first three, whether York Rite, Scottish Rite, or whatever. As has been said here innumerable times, a man is never any more of a Mason than when he recieves the Sublime Degree of Master Mason.

Additionally, I think the statement there about the "Grand Architect of the Universe" implies that Freemasonry advocates one God, as opposed to the fact of the matter, which is that TGAOTU is a universal term that Masons use so as to be inclusive of all Gods from all Faiths.


[edit on 2/3/05 by The Axeman]

I'd think that the biggest stumbling block to getting new members is, why would people want to pay to hang out with masons? I mean, obviously the masons here have found an answer for that, but why would a non-mason?

Originally posted by Nygdan
I'd think that the biggest stumbling block to getting new members is, why would people want to pay to hang out with masons? I mean, obviously the masons here have found an answer for that, but why would a non-mason?

Part of the fees go towards purchasing your regalia and whatnot (not sure if Blue Lodge gives you a ring or if you have to buy it on your own; I know the Scottish Rite includes a ring with the initiatin fees, along with your other regalia), part goes to charity, and part goes to admin and general upkeep of the facilities (electric/water, etc.). I don't see it as "paying to hang out with them", rather, it's more just doing your part. At least that's how I see it, as a non-Mason.

Originally posted by Nygdan
I'd think that the biggest stumbling block to getting new members is, why would people want to pay to hang out with masons? I mean, obviously the masons here have found an answer for that, but why would a non-mason?

If you call $30 per year "paying to hang out", methinks you're holding your wallet a little too tight.

The Six Hundred and Sixty Six Year Plan is almost complete and the Six Seals will be opened. Then the masons will finally reap the fruit of their careful planning and begin the New World Order...



[edit on 3-2-2005 by masqua]

Originally posted by masqua
The Six Hundred and Sixty Six Year Plan is almost complete and the Six Seals will be opened. Then the masons will finally reap the fruit of their careful planning and begin the New World Order...

I sure hope so, cuz I'm sick and tired of hearing how we're so great and powerful but never actually experiencing it for myself.

Wow thanks for all the replies guys. Yeah it's true I mean I'm not even old enough to join here (20) but I can understand why some people do I guess the reason I asked is because there seem to be less and less people here who see things the way I do and therefore would not seem like likely candidates. I guess it'll be interesting to see over my lifetime where masonry goes hopefully I'll be able to see it from the inside. Anyway to add on this with younger members joining and taking over the ranks will we see a change in masonic order/rules because of the different world that we live in?

Originally posted by CanadianConspirator
Anyway to add on this with younger members joining and taking over the ranks will we see a change in masonic order/rules because of the different world that we live in?

I sure hope not. I think I would consider myself a traditionalist in this aspect. Things have been done the way they are for hundereds of years, who are we young whippersnappers to come along and try to change things?

RE:

I sure hope not. I think I would consider myself a traditionalist in this aspect. Things have been done the way they are for hundereds of years, who are we young whippersnappers to come along and try to change things?

I’m for traditions as well. However, I believe that change is good - when the change is for the better. I'm not say'n we should start a revolution, just to change things. Yet, our fore fathers (of Masonry) were part of a revolution, to make things better. They didn't cross any rituals, yet still had the freedoms to help make this a better world.
Who are we young whippersnappers? I believe we are the ones to guide our transactions with all mankind, but especially our brothers in masonry.
I am secretary of our lodge, and a young one as "tradition" goes, we read our minutes, visit with brothers, comfort the widows & orphans, and everything tradition requires. Yet there is no harm in Fingerprinting, and Identifying Children for safety, cleaning up highways, and having our lawyers help the Senior Citizens. I can’t speak for all lodges, but in our lodge the veterans of the lodge don’t mind help’n the cause, just have a hard time gett’n their motors turned over.

That's not what I'm saying. I'm all for what you're talking about, but I don't think the order itself or the rules should be changed, like CanadianConspirator is talking about. I don't think the way Masonry does things within the lodge should be changed. Of course, I'm not a member yet, so what do I know right? Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that the traditions shouldn't be compromised due to youthful membership. I think the members should conform the the fraternity, not the other way around, that's all. As far as community projects like you're talking about, I'm all for fresh ideas and things like that, so long as the core of the Craft remains as it shoud be.

[edit on 2/4/05 by The Axeman]

Originally posted by The Axeman
That's not what I'm saying. I'm all for what you're talking about, but I don't think the order itself or the rules should be changed, like CanadianConspirator is talking about. I don't think the way Masonry does things within the lodge should be changed. Of course, I'm not a member yet, so what do I know right? Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that the traditions shouldn't be compromised due to youthful membership. I think the members should conform the the fraternity, not the other way around, that's all. As far as community projects like you're talking about, I'm all for fresh ideas and things like that, so long as the core of the Craft remains as it shoud be.

I completely agree with you Axeman. I'm the youngest member of my lodge (25), and yet I think that I'm more for upholding the past traditions and styles of Freemasonry than most of the old-timers in the lodge. There's a big push, I noticed, in the Craft to make it seem as less mysterious and secret than it has been in the past. To me, the mysterious nature and traditions of Freemasonry are what makes masonry so special, this hasn't changed in a long long time. There's no reason to change ANYTHING about the Craft now, regardless of the world we live in. This is what made me join in the first place, I'll be damned if I see those principles, which I honor immensely, just go out the window.

Originally posted by sebatwerk
I completely agree with you Axeman. I'm the youngest member of my lodge (25), and yet I think that I'm more for upholding the past traditions and styles of Freemasonry than most of the old-timers in the lodge. There's a big push, I noticed, in the Craft to make it seem as less mysterious and secret than it has been in the past. To me, the mysterious nature and traditions of Freemasonry are what makes masonry so special, this hasn't changed in a long long time. There's no reason to change ANYTHING about the Craft now, regardless of the world we live in. This is what made me join in the first place, I'll be damned if I see those principles, which I honor immensely, just go out the window.

At 25 myself, I'm probably going to be the youngest, too, though from what I understand there has been an influx of younger candidates lately. Still, I think the mystery and the grandeur of it all is one of the attractive things about it to me. I think it just makes it that much more... Interesting. If you take away that sort of shroud of mystery, it would be just like every other club in a sense, you know? That's a part of what Masonry is about, at least in my opinion. The traditions and the way they do things is what makes it Masonry, and I just don't think it should change.

[edit on 2/4/05 by The Axeman]