Post by munkholt on Mar 10, 2005 20:41:39 GMT
Leading off from another thread, I would like to expand on my choice of “regular” masonry, rather than joining co-masonry with my girlfriend.
Things that attract me to the Danish Order of Freemasons (DDFO):
- it was the order my father was in, and it was through him I got my interest
- the Swedish Rite sounds like an beautiful, meaningful system
- the overtly Christian content is an added value, for me
- it is the “strongest” order in Denmark, so they have an impressive building and a healthy membership base
- it’s the “regular”, UGLE-sanctioned order, meaning a lot of potential for making international contacts
- I was met by a very intelligent and interesting gentleman, my Proposer, when I came knocking
- a chance to work the craft parallel to my girlfriend
Detracts from DDFO:
- old and strong, seems to mean conservative and rigid in some cases
- very dismissive of non-regular orders, including women’s FM
Things that attract me to Le Droit Humain (LDH):
- implicitly more aware of gender equality
- more accepting (so it seems) of spiritual and esoteric matters (but I do think Swedish Rite has retained strong speculative elements)
- international structure
- a chance to work the craft with my girlfriend
Detracts from LDH:
- I am not sure about working with my girlfriend; could be fantastic, but it might be more fruitful to stay separate (she would also have to change her order, as she is in contact with a women-only lodge)
- my dealings with LDH have so far been unimpressive – basically, they haven’t convinced me about the quality of their work
- small lodge, few members, low activity level (which can also be positive in some ways)
I know LDH has a nice lodge-room here in Copenhagen (shared with a couple of other orders). But I have been in mail-contact with them twice, and the people who have answered didn’t really “reach” me in the way that DDFO-representatives did. It is probably a nice lodge once you get to know it, but I can only judge from what I see from the outside.
To answer Stewart who enquired about why I felt I would be joining co-M for the wrong reasons .... I feel that we have each come to the right place (my girlfriend has her own reasons for having ended up with women-only FM, and she has no plans to change order). And I still feel that while DDFO won’t change its ways any time soon, we can get a better communication going, and I can take the first step, but not if I turn my back now. There is something that needs addressing, and going co-Masonic will just be side-stepping that issue. I would be joining because I was mad and out of spite - and couldn't bother trying to make things right.
Now this is all specifically relating to me ... but there is a more general question here: If I could go in with a fresh mind, meeting FM for the first time, and my girlfriend had the same freedom fo choice ... what would we do? Would we join together, or still keep it separate? I'm not sure.
Things that attract me to the Danish Order of Freemasons (DDFO):
- it was the order my father was in, and it was through him I got my interest
- the Swedish Rite sounds like an beautiful, meaningful system
- the overtly Christian content is an added value, for me
- it is the “strongest” order in Denmark, so they have an impressive building and a healthy membership base
- it’s the “regular”, UGLE-sanctioned order, meaning a lot of potential for making international contacts
- I was met by a very intelligent and interesting gentleman, my Proposer, when I came knocking
- a chance to work the craft parallel to my girlfriend
Detracts from DDFO:
- old and strong, seems to mean conservative and rigid in some cases
- very dismissive of non-regular orders, including women’s FM
Things that attract me to Le Droit Humain (LDH):
- implicitly more aware of gender equality
- more accepting (so it seems) of spiritual and esoteric matters (but I do think Swedish Rite has retained strong speculative elements)
- international structure
- a chance to work the craft with my girlfriend
Detracts from LDH:
- I am not sure about working with my girlfriend; could be fantastic, but it might be more fruitful to stay separate (she would also have to change her order, as she is in contact with a women-only lodge)
- my dealings with LDH have so far been unimpressive – basically, they haven’t convinced me about the quality of their work
- small lodge, few members, low activity level (which can also be positive in some ways)
I know LDH has a nice lodge-room here in Copenhagen (shared with a couple of other orders). But I have been in mail-contact with them twice, and the people who have answered didn’t really “reach” me in the way that DDFO-representatives did. It is probably a nice lodge once you get to know it, but I can only judge from what I see from the outside.
To answer Stewart who enquired about why I felt I would be joining co-M for the wrong reasons .... I feel that we have each come to the right place (my girlfriend has her own reasons for having ended up with women-only FM, and she has no plans to change order). And I still feel that while DDFO won’t change its ways any time soon, we can get a better communication going, and I can take the first step, but not if I turn my back now. There is something that needs addressing, and going co-Masonic will just be side-stepping that issue. I would be joining because I was mad and out of spite - and couldn't bother trying to make things right.
Now this is all specifically relating to me ... but there is a more general question here: If I could go in with a fresh mind, meeting FM for the first time, and my girlfriend had the same freedom fo choice ... what would we do? Would we join together, or still keep it separate? I'm not sure.