Post by jmd on Nov 12, 2006 3:37:56 GMT
ORDO claims that LDH (Co-Freemasonry) is not recognised by regular Freemasonry around the world. This is simply untrue, as most REGULAR GLs in France recognise LDH.
Whether or not UGLE, or another GL, recognise these and LDH as 'regular' is an entirely different question. In terms of 'apostolic succession', in terms of its regularity, and in terms of its historical development, LDH is regular - and it makes all upright 'men' (in the generic sense of the term, as was plainly used in all places until the late 1970s) who are first prepared in their hearts, and apply to be made, into masons, irrespective of their gender, sexual orientation or colour or race.
Those constitutions that have allowed a body of men to alter the ritual to include a specific reference to the exclusion of women have shown themselves to be both short-sighted and merely reflecting the mores of the day.
Though I agree with Giovanni that there are fundamental characteristic differences between men and women (that can of course be recognised and celebrated as such), these are not grounds for exclusion from Freemasonry. Rather, the Craft benefits from the many Lodges that have seen fit to drop this discrimination.
...of course, some would still argue that Prince-Hall masonry should not be recognised, or that allowing women to vote or be in parliament is 'un-natural', or that women and children should, to paraphrase a text from the 5th century BCE Greek, 'seen and not heard' - unless they direct a slave to his rightly duty, of course!
In terms of combining 'York' and Ancient and Accepted [Scottish] Rite, this is, as far as I am concerned, a mere short-hand for the standard manner in which various appendent and superior degrees are worked in most places around the world (with the general exclusion of male Craft in the USA). Basically, in the USA, York 'incorporates' appendent bodies (KTs, etc.) as though there was an equivalence with the higher degrees in the AAR. This 'equivalence' is not what is standardly worked in many other parts of the world, where one could, for example, be a KT and never taken the 18th (or vice versa) and thus be excluded from visitation to the degree or grade of which one is not a member.
LDH (Co-Freemasonry) in this sense reflects Freemasonry Universal more so than the many peculiarities of American (or Scandinavian!) Freemasonry (that I also, incidentally, likewise admire and respect).
Whether or not UGLE, or another GL, recognise these and LDH as 'regular' is an entirely different question. In terms of 'apostolic succession', in terms of its regularity, and in terms of its historical development, LDH is regular - and it makes all upright 'men' (in the generic sense of the term, as was plainly used in all places until the late 1970s) who are first prepared in their hearts, and apply to be made, into masons, irrespective of their gender, sexual orientation or colour or race.
Those constitutions that have allowed a body of men to alter the ritual to include a specific reference to the exclusion of women have shown themselves to be both short-sighted and merely reflecting the mores of the day.
Though I agree with Giovanni that there are fundamental characteristic differences between men and women (that can of course be recognised and celebrated as such), these are not grounds for exclusion from Freemasonry. Rather, the Craft benefits from the many Lodges that have seen fit to drop this discrimination.
...of course, some would still argue that Prince-Hall masonry should not be recognised, or that allowing women to vote or be in parliament is 'un-natural', or that women and children should, to paraphrase a text from the 5th century BCE Greek, 'seen and not heard' - unless they direct a slave to his rightly duty, of course!
In terms of combining 'York' and Ancient and Accepted [Scottish] Rite, this is, as far as I am concerned, a mere short-hand for the standard manner in which various appendent and superior degrees are worked in most places around the world (with the general exclusion of male Craft in the USA). Basically, in the USA, York 'incorporates' appendent bodies (KTs, etc.) as though there was an equivalence with the higher degrees in the AAR. This 'equivalence' is not what is standardly worked in many other parts of the world, where one could, for example, be a KT and never taken the 18th (or vice versa) and thus be excluded from visitation to the degree or grade of which one is not a member.
LDH (Co-Freemasonry) in this sense reflects Freemasonry Universal more so than the many peculiarities of American (or Scandinavian!) Freemasonry (that I also, incidentally, likewise admire and respect).