Saturday, August 09, 2008

Degrees: What Thomas Jefferson Thought.........








Thomas Jefferson, Founder and Patron of the University of Virginia, never allowed his university to give degrees. He considered them pretentious, irrelevant to learning and unconnected to the preparation for responsibility. This was not idealism. It was the opinion of the most successful practitioner of Reason. The purpose of Universities has now been inverted. Learning has become a goal-oriented process aimed at winning a degree.

Could this be true of Masonry?
Original masonry consisted of 2 degree's, with a third, for occult reasons, added later. It was a calm and peaceful useful society for the times. Once the "higher degrees" were introduced for membership purposes; knowing how man is gluttonous and awestruck easily, the Aspirant then began his goal oriented membership aimed at "winning" degrees.
For what, I ask?
Outside of satisfying the Ego, what do these "higher degrees" add to Freemasonry?
Having gone through the Scottish Rite and York Rite degree's, they added nothing to "bettering" me, they just added to the amount of dues I had to pay, also I had a couple of more "guys" trying to tell me what to do!

If Thomas Jefferson knew the folly in degree chasing, why are masons so hungry for degrees and titles?
Not only hungry: but impatient?
How can letting in people, in one day, without any training or proficiency, sit within a tyled Lodge Room and it be an environment of Equality?
Letting in cowans this way has cheapened our "university", and the selling of degree's to just about anyone, and then letting them loose on society as 32 degree dousche bags will cause irreparable damage to your craft and name.....
Why have our Leaders left Jeffersonian Reason for UGLE Obligatory neutered masonry?
Degree factories instead of Learning Temples for those searching Enlightenment...

Are we not supposed to be HUMBLE servants of the Craft?
Not egotistical title craving degree hounds?
The opposite of Thomas Jefferson………..
Time to go Old School with Freemasonry

Jefferson:
"Though you cannot see, when you take one step, what will happen next, yet follow truth, justice and plain dealing, and never fear their leading you out of the labyrinth, in the easiest manner possible. The knot which you thought a Gordian one, will untie itself before you. Nothing is so mistaken as the supposition that a person can extricate himself from difficulty by intrigue, by chicanery, by dissimilation, by trimming, by an untruth, by an unjustice."

Chicanery,trimming and untruth equate to one day masons enjoying the rights and benefits that many have died and laboured for throughout the Ages.
Shame

2 comments:

Peter Clatworthy said...

In fact it is an Ancient Landmark:

the equality of the Brethren is an unalterable principle;

This Landmarks is wholly inconsistent with any system of rank which is an innovation on Freemasonry.

Tubal Cain said...

ego's my brother, ego's...
the leaders have allowed their ego's to rule the craft...