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Freemasonry Is Dying

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Squire Bentley View Drop Down
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    Posted: December/01/2018 at 8:10pm
Brother Lance Kennedy outlines the decline in American Freemasonry

Illigitimi non corborundum
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Sec'yBob View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sec'yBob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/04/2018 at 8:35am
Very interesting,
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote droche Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2018 at 10:00pm
Well, it's sobering but true. The lodge in which I am active has pretty much followed all those graphs he displayed. There was an uptick in new candidates in my lodge from about 2009-2012, but since then, we have only had two or three go through the degrees. The only things I can think of as to why there was an increase in membership about 10 years ago was there was at the time an interest in the Dan Brown novels like the DaVinci Code, which stressed the mystical aspects of the Craft, and my GL had a heavy advertising campaign in which an actor portraying Benjamin Franklin exhorted men to "bring out the greatness in you" by becoming a Freemason. Both of these were misleading in my opinion as the Craft today is nothing like that portrayed by Dan Brown, if it ever was, and joining the Craft is not automatically going to make someone great. In the case of the latter, we simply couldn't deliver what we were implying.

The challenge now is how to get the so called "millenials" interested. As a group, they don't seem to want to join anything. So how do we get them interested and still maintain our traditions and values? I don't have the answers. I'm way past their age group and don't understand what makes them tick.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sec'yBob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/08/2018 at 8:25am
I am far from an intellectual but if I might offer thoughts as to how I see it.
I have written a book about my family's past [genealogy] that I have spent countless hours and years researching. My children and grandchildren will not read it nor do they want a copy of it.

We hold ourselves to a better moral conduct. Kids today cannot say that.
We hold tradition in value. Millennials could care less about the past.

The norm is multiple sexual partners and numerous children by many fathers.

We believe in a Supreme Deity. Most young people today laugh out loud.
They take the stand, if I can't see it, it doesn't exist.

We believe we are part of something bigger than ourselves as individuals.
Millennials do not care about such things.


We believe in helping others less fortunate than us. Watch the news and see who is helping the poor and less fortunate. They are mostly middle age and older.


I don't know what makes them tick either, sometimes they just piss me off with their attitude, and lack of caring and self respect. I have personal knowledge of several of these people, they do not pay tickets, they do not show up in court, they think stealing is OK as long as you don't get caught, OH and one more thing. I do not have to pay my bills, let someone else do it.

I maintain that we just keep plugging along, holding ourselves to a higher level, stay the course, and those few people who grow mentally and intellectually will see what we do and how we respect each other and what we stand for, hopefully that will make an impression.

We are good and proper. My parents taught me that good will triumph over evil. We are "clean" and have good hearts. Masonry may be faltering, but I believe we have a good chance of keeping our corner of the world alive and well. Ya can't win 'em all.


Edited by Sec'yBob - December/08/2018 at 11:44am
Raised 2001
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Past DDGM Dist #24
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote droche Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/08/2018 at 2:24pm
I can't disagree, but I think there still remains a sizable amount out there who defy the norms of the generation. The challenge is, how do we reach them?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Micheal Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/26/2019 at 7:28am
Does anyone have a Mentoring Program? Ours is just going into effect starting now. Basically it's assuring every lodge has someone that candidates and new members can go to, to ask questions, and be given advice, so they're just not rushed through the degrees, and carry on in meetings or go through offices with the feeling being put on the spot, or still wondering what's going on. It'll be interesting to see how it goes.

This was going by the statistics that within the last 10 years here, that the numbers have halved between those that have joined Masonry, and continued with it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sec'yBob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/26/2019 at 7:35am
WE have mandatory mentoring from GL. Asa practice it is seldom done or if at all very little.

I myself, talk with candidates and while not divulging any secrets, talk with them, answer their questions, give them advice or prompting where needed.

Afterwards I talk again with them, and explain what they just went through and what to expect forthcoming.

I also try to keep Masonic education a part of our meetings. The "older" men love this stuff, and the newer ones find it very interesting and relevant.
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Past DDGM Dist #24
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote log cabin Bill Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/30/2019 at 7:03am
In Pennsylvania, Grand Lodge requires that each individual lodge has a mentor for each candidate as he progresses through the degrees. As of Dec. 27 we have a new Grand Master and our District Deputy is scheduled to meet with the lodges in his district to inform them as to the mandates of the new GM. I understand that some changes are coming forth.
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