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Post by Blackadder on Nov 20, 2008 18:28:58 GMT
I was speaking to a young Brother from Australia last night and he informed me that his lodge always opens there lodge meeting in the EA Degree. I have read about this happening somewhere else,I think it was Scotland but Im not to sure. The Brother told me it was to keep the EA,FC interested . I'm very interested to find out other Brothers views on this subject
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Post by waynecowley on Nov 20, 2008 18:32:33 GMT
UGLE lodges open in the 1st degree and do all routine business in that degree as well
Wayne
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Post by ericb on Nov 20, 2008 19:00:20 GMT
Blackadder, your info is correct. as Wayne has said UGLE lodges open and conduct business in the first. This is the same practice in Scotland (and, I think, Ireland). If a degree is being conferred where a member (or visitor) is not qualified, he retires and is usually accompanied by a PM who will either go through parts of the degree(s) he has had, or some other Masonic discussion.
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Post by xiii on Nov 20, 2008 19:28:33 GMT
We (Denmark, and I think the same goes for the rest of Scandinavia) don't do business as such, but what little we have, is mainly done in the First. I don't think it has anything to do with keeping EA/FC interest, though; their interest (and most everyone's, I think!) is kept by not having too much business in the first place ...
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Post by penfold on Nov 20, 2008 19:42:06 GMT
I believe a lot of US GL's conduct business meetings, not degree meetings, in the 3rd degree. There is a historic reason for this - although a number have recently changed to business in the 1st
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Post by pastseniorwarden on Nov 21, 2008 0:02:05 GMT
Brethren, Here in Victoria Australia we open the lodge in the first. All normal lodge business is done in the first degree and the lodge is allways closed in the first degree regardless of whether we have other degree work that evening.
Bro Blair MM
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Post by keith on Nov 21, 2008 0:18:46 GMT
THis is a result of "THe Morgan Affair" which you can find out about at www.masonicinfo.com . This scandal caused considerable damage to American Freemasonry for many years and on its resurgence, it was decided to do all business in the 3rd Degree unlike British based Freaamasonry which works predominantly in the 1st Degree, opening in the superior Degrees only when required for ceremonial purposes
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Post by AndyF on Nov 21, 2008 7:35:01 GMT
If you are a full paying member of an organisation, you should be able to know about inwards/outwards correspondence and financial goings on. Not opening in the first excludes some members from information they should be entitled to - all interest issues aside.
If you open in the first, your new brethren can be there for the business, the closing, and the festive. If the entire meeting is held in a higher degree, new brethren have no insentive to show up at all. If you consistantly open in higher degrees, you couldn't really expect to hang on to new members for very long.
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Post by penfold on Nov 21, 2008 8:14:40 GMT
I think that is the very reason that some US GL's have changed their practice
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Post by davidjperry on Nov 23, 2008 20:29:56 GMT
Here in the Grand Lodge of Ireland all business other than degree work is conducted in the lodges on the first degree, but Provincial and Grand lodge conduct their business on the third degree.
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