The Keystone-Cornerstone

The only way someone can build of themselves a temple to God, is if it is founded upon, and framed by love - love of God above all and neighbor as self. It is an all inclusive propostion, and there is nothing exclusive, or secretive about it.

It's as simple as that. It matters now what "tools" were used in the creation. Tools can be mimicked, even stolen, appropriated, and misused and abused, even to the point that they come to serve the antithesis of love.

No, everthing was surely made by and for love. Therefore love is the cause, the first and the last, the alpha and omega.

It's not esoteric, or occultish, it's not magical, but it's miraculous.

But if you think you can erect a temple to God by your own hand, and by works, and love is not the cement, the very foundation, and the framework, then it's just a house built on sand.

The truth is simple. All a person need do is read the sermon on the mount, and imagine themselves listening to the speaker.

Everything else, in the final analysis, is bull# and people taking themselves way too seriously.

If we lack love, and the capacity to laugh at ourselves, and in particular, at the absurdity of the devil within, and if we lack the passion and the committment to risk a breakdown in the face of what is true and authentic, then we have nothing.

All the tools are in God's hands, and they works automatically and miraculously according to God's good grace in the presence of love, and to become fully present to it, is to experience the proces of being brought into repentance, forgiveness, death and resurrection. The new life doesn't occur in the space of a secret witheld, and it cannot. No, it is something which is to be made known right across the entire spectrum of all being and becoming, shouted from rooftops, from mountaintops, and there is nowhere to hide. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.

No one can hold or contain the light, not the Masons and not the Roman Catholic Church.

Originally posted by OmegaPoint
No one can hold or contain the light, not the Masons and not the Roman Catholic Church.

Freemasons do not hold or contain light. I feel you are misinformed about Freemasonry.

Ok the ritual of masonry then. I should have said Freemasonry instead of Masons the people themselves.

All I am saying, is that if you have not love, and mirth, you have nothing, and furthermore, if that love is reserved only for an exclusive group, then it is not love.

Read and study the Parable of the Good Samaritan for illumination.

And we are the light of the world. A person's innermost being raised to conscious awareness IS the light, but again, without love, it dims and dies.

I think a good sign of a loving person, is their mirth and gentlekindness. People who lack the capacity to laugh at themselves, but who are puffed up with airs of their own importance, they are dead. I've seen them, and I'll bet you have as well.

The highest wisdom is kindness and the infallible proof of the presence of God, is joy.

Best Regards,

OP



[edit on 22-3-2009 by OmegaPoint]

doubled posted

[edit on 22-3-2009 by OmegaPoint]

Originally posted by OmegaPoint
Ok the ritual of masonry then. I should have said Freemasonry instead of Masons the people themselves.

All I am saying, is that if you have not love, and mirth, you have nothing, and furthermore, if that love is reserved only for an exclusive group, then it is not love.

Read and study the Parable of the Good Samaritan for illumination.

Then you understand nothing about Freemasonry. Charity is the first lesson taught to a Mason. At the local level, my lodge gives scholarships to two students every year before they go off to college. They don't need to have any Masonic ties at all. They just have to write an essay about what their dreams and aspirations are and how college will help them achieve those goals. At the larger level, the Scottish Rite Learning Center helps children with dyslexia. There's a Scottish Rite hospital that specializes in orthopedic treatments for kids with scoliosis, and the Shriners Hospitals that are world renowned for their burn victim treatments. None of these institutions charges a penny to those who need their services. And none who ask need have any affiliation with Masonry. If these aren't Good Samaritans, I don't know who is. Every thing you THINK you know about exclusivity—about Masons only helping other Masons—is completely wrong.

The Good Samaritan was MOVED by compassion, which is why he helped (I know it was just a parable, but it's about the HEART which resulted in the act, not the act itself).

If I throw a five dollar bill to a man begging on the street, like it's scrap from my table, there is nothing of value in it. I might even demean the person by treating him as of a lower value if my heart isn't in the right place.

You've misunderstood. Works of charity could be done outwardly for reasons having nothing to do with the love of God.

I was talking about the inward man, not outward works.

All I am saying is look at the heart of the man. If the man is cold, too serious, steel-like, then he is known by the outward display of his inner being.

I have to admit that among the Masons posting here, it's hard to detect any sense of mirth, playfullness, and humility. You could do cherity out of cold logic, presuming a reward for yourself in the spiritual life, when all the treasure is in God's love.

What we do is measured against the standard of God's love, and like I said, that's the foundation, the cement and the final framework.

Look inside Master Masons - do you love your neighbor, regardless of who they are, and do you really love as you are loved?

If you love only those who love you, and even if you give everything, but have not love, there is no reward in that. You know these things. Surely you've read the Bible and in particular the New Testament?

I'm not really accusing anyone of anything, just noticing and posting a question of vital importance.

Without love, the temple is just a house built on sand.

And if you would bypass Christ, then I would think that you would be compelled to follow the highest law of love God above all with every bit of heart, mind, strength and soul, and no less so, neighbor as self, with everything you've got.. that's the measure of man, and a great man, since the greatest among us will be the servant of all.

[edit on 22-3-2009 by OmegaPoint]

Originally posted by OmegaPoint
The Good Samaritan was MOVED by compassion, which is why he helped (I know it was just a parable, but it's about the HEART which resulted in the act, not the act itself).

If I throw a five dollar bill to a man begging on the street, like it's scrap from my table, there is nothing of value in it. I might even demean the person by treating him as of a lower value if my heart isn't in the right place.

You've misunderstood. Works of charity could be done outwardly for reasons having nothing to do with the love of God.

I was talking about the inward man, not outward works.

All I am saying is look at the heart of the man. If the man is cold, too serious, steel-like, then he is known by the outward display of his inner being.

You still don't get it. A man is made a Mason first at heart. It is the inner qualities that make him such, and not the outer. We do good works not to seek reward, but because doing the right thing is the right thing to do.

reply to post by OmegaPoint


How can you presume to know the heart of a man let alone those of an entire orginization?

I don't.

I suppose that I'm posing the question to you as Masons really.

And I would blast Christians equally for their attitudes toward insiders vs. outsiders.

A loving person, who is committed to love, is obvious. Equally so are people without love.

Here's a quote regarding nationalism and patriotism, which could equally apply to any group of people.

Nationalism is our form of incest, is our idolatry, is our isanity. "Patriotism" is its cult. It should hardly be necessary to say, that by "patriotism" I mean that attitude which puts the own nation above humanity, above the principles of truth and justice; not the loving interest in one's own nation, which is the concern with the nation's spiritual as much as with its material welfare -- never with its power over other nations. Just as love for one individual which excludes the love for others is not love, love for one's country which is not part of one's love for humanity is not love, but idolatrous worship.

"You will know them by their fruits"

What do you see at Lodge, and yes, I'm presuming that YOU can see the heart of a man. Anyone with any degree of awareness can. It's plain as day.

You can even read it between the lines of what people post in these forums, to a degree.

I know a Mason or two. They are charming, and wise.

I guess I'm talking about an issue of witholding, not secrets, but the more important things to God, which is all that matters in the final analysis.

If they teach you that your innermost way of being is a public affair, then that would be good teaching.

Or does your esoteric knowledge set you apart from the masses, from the ignorant, in some way..? Where is the line drawn? And I suppose that I'm saying that love erases that line, making the "secrets" meaningless in the face of the greater truth.

It seems part of the process of growth involves a differentiation and a reintegration.

When reintegrating the learning, what does a Mason carry to the outer world from his innermost being, and how can he freely extend himself to any other with the Love of God, if he believes himself in possession of something which cannot be shared? At some level is the Mason not removed from the everyday person..? Set apart?

Funny, I'm a Christian myself, but to follow Christ I really have to do away with the exclusivity of Christ which would set me apart from my fellow man, or I cannot really love them as Christ loves me..

The keystone, is something I'm in search of I guess you could say, since it will uphold the bridge and the "royal arch" through which we may ALL one day pass into eternal freedom, for it pleased the Father to share His kingdom with ALL his children.


Question: Can non-Masons enter the celestial lodge above?

And what would you do if you discovered that Jesus Christ is himself in spirit, that temple, the master builder and the high priest, the ultimate model of perfection? Will he know you? Will you know him?

Matthew 21:42
The very stone which the builders rejected
has become the head of the corner;
this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
~ Jesus, quoting the Psalms to the Temple Priests

1 Peter 2:7
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, "


[edit on 22-3-2009 by OmegaPoint]

Originally posted by OmegaPoint
I guess I'm talking about an issue of witholding, not secrets, but the more important things to God, which is all that matters in the final analysis.

If they teach you that your innermost way of being is a public affair, then that would be good teaching.

They teach us to lead good lives. If others recognize that goodness and wish to emulate it, then so be it. It's not our intent to try to change anyone's way of life against their will. You have to want to change, which is why it is a requirement that to join the Masons you must come of your own free will and accord. Lessons taught to those who aren't seeking them tend to fall on deaf ears.

Or does your esoteric knowledge set you apart from the masses, from the ignorant, in some way..? Where is the line drawn? And I suppose that I'm saying that love erases that line, making the "secrets" meaningless in the face of the greater truth.

There is no line. We are no better or no worse than any other people. In fact, we're no different.

Question: Can non-Masons enter the celestial lodge above?

Sure. Masonry isn't a way to get into heaven. That's dictated by the religion an individual Mason may follow. In Masonry we meet under only two religious presumptions: That there is a God who created us, and that there is an afterlife of some sort which Masonry in no way presumes to define. As Masons may come from different faiths or backgrounds we refer to God as the Grand Architect of the Universe, because it is through His plan that we even exist. Likewise, the Celestial Lodge Above is just a non-descriptive term for Heaven, or Nirvana, or Valhalla or whatever afterlife the individual member has faith in. Masonry doesn't suppose to offer any means or methods of salvation, nor any exclusivity of how to get there. It's all about being good men, trying to make positive differences to the lives of those we touch, our families, our communities, our churches and our countries. We're only mortal, so why not try to make the most beneficial impact on those around us while we can?

How long have you been a Mason, and what is the extent of your study JoshNorton?

And what is your interpretation of the secret referred to in your signiature?

I would describe it in terms of the human mind as a sphere within a sphere, whereby there is no end to the self awareness of God. Variables, of a supreme value, we are. Therefore, as we have freely recieved, we must freely give in turn. I also think that the secret is that there is no duality of good and evil, only goodness for goodness' sake is fruitful, and everything else is discarded and falls away as useless. Therefore, only affirm the positive, and "resist not evil". And we can never break the law, only break ourselves against it, since the law of life and love is inviolate. And finally, that God is a good and righteous God, a God of eternal light and love, and we, as children of God are all part of one HUMUNGOUS family of God.

I could never be a Mason, because the greatest truths cannot and should not be witheld, and people can handle it - the same genious for disovery resides within us all.`Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened...

But I tell you in all sincerity, if there`s any ego in it, extreme seriousness, or any degree of hard heartedness, when you look around the lodge, for God`s sake as well as your own, get the hell out of there as fast as you can and never look back.

I have seen very wize dead men, men of no passion, all ego, devils. And more often than not, those same men are the `pillars of society`. They are not to be admired, because there is no love in them. They are no different from the Pharisees which Jesus had such a problem with, `whitewashed tombs filled with dead mens bones and all corruption`
If I ever found myself `framed` within the context of those types, I would be GONE, and they would get my letter of resignation forthwith.

Just watch out is all I`m saying..

Best Regards,

OP

[edit on 23-3-2009 by OmegaPoint]

Originally posted by OmegaPoint
And what is your interpretation of the secret referred to in your signiature?

I would describe it in terms of the human mind as a sphere within a sphere, whereby there is no end to the self awareness of God.

A sphere within a sphere?
Or a point within a circle, perhaps?

Masonic ritual describes it as a point within a circle, whereby there is no end to the self awareness of God.

OmegaPoint, perhaps you were a Mason in a past life...

Originally posted by OmegaPoint


I could never be a Mason, because the greatest truths cannot and should not be witheld

Masonry is a revealer of truth, not a withholder of it.

and people can handle it - the same genious for disovery resides within us all.`Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened...

Interestingly, the same passage of Scripture is quoted in the degree of Apprentice.

But I tell you in all sincerity, if there`s any ego in it, extreme seriousness, or any degree of hard heartedness, when you look around the lodge, for God`s sake as well as your own, get the hell out of there as fast as you can and never look back.

I have to agree with what my brothers said above in that I don't think you really understand Freemasonry. Freemasonry is not some organization attempting to hide esoteric truths from the masses. Freemasonry is a method of self-exploration.