MANY FAITHS, ONE BROTHERHOOD

LODGE HUMANITAS No. 840

Under the United Grand Lodge
of Ancient, Free & Accepted Masons of Victoria.

An evening of sharing among brethren of different faiths led by

Wor.Bro. Very Rev. Frederick A. Shade PGStdB
Worshipful Master

Wednesday, 24th September, 2003

Abbotsford Masonic Centre,
Gipps Street, Collingwood, Victoria

Speakers:

Bro. Peter Bryar
Secretary, Lodge of Amity No. 339
(Buddhism)

V.Wor.Bro. Rev.Dr. Ian Hunter
Grand Chaplain
Lodge Humanitas No. 840
(Christianity)

V.Wor.Bro. Joel Solomon PGIW
King David Lodge No. 460
(Judaism)

Included here are the preface and opening remarks, followed by extracts from the talks.

The full version of this document can be downloaded as a Word document by right clicking here and saving to your computer.

PREFACE

The September meeting of Lodge Humanitas No. 840 was an evening set aside for brethren of different faiths to share their understanding of their religion and how Freemasonry is compatible with it. The purpose of the meeting (i) share with one another in a climate of mutual respect what we believe, (ii) share what we have in common as Freemasons irrespective of our religious affiliations, (iii) to remind ourselves that the Craft is a very strong force for good in society and for cementing society together on a non-sectarian basis, and (iv) to prepare ourselves to tell the world that the Craft complements our religious affiliation and that we are proud to be Freemasons.

It is high time that we stood up as Freemasons and proclaim our beliefs, and this includes informing others of the spiritual principles that underpin our ritual and teachings. If others have a problem with this, then that is their problem, not ours. It goes without saying that the world will not take us seriously until we take ourselves seriously.

The lodge welcomed to the meeting approximately 40 visiting brethren, a very unusual outcome these days. And in order to give equal time to discussions, each speaker was given only fifteen minutes for their presentation, hence the brevity of the enclosed papers; they are not intended to be a comprehensive outline of the Religions presented. Many of the visitors contributed to the discussions by way of questions and personal experiences and this demonstrated the level of interest in the Theme for the evening. Of course, there are other major Religions not covered at this meeting e.g. Islam, Hinduism etc., and hopefully these can be presented on another occasion.

The South continued in a similar vein with the Wor. Master submitting a special Toast to Freemasonry with the words "Many Faiths, One Brotherhood", to which all suitably responded. The Toast to the Visitors was in the hands of the Foundation Master of Lodge Humanitas, R.Wor.Bro. Jack McColl PSGW, who delivered the Toast in a manner unique to Jack!

It is the hope of the organisers of this meeting that the Craft will build on what was achieved, and perhaps have an open forum to which brethren, family and friends, and civic leaders could attend, as was the case when Lodge Humanitas was founded in 1966.

Copies of these Proceedings may be obtained from me, and copying of this paper is also permitted, with appropriate acknowledgement.

Frederick A. Shade

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OPENING REMARKS

Theme: MANY FAITHS, ONE BROTHERHOOD

Brethren,

Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternity and it is also the oldest multifaith and multicultural organisation in existence. In these uncertain times it is a light in the world, declaring that it is possible to live together in harmony, if only we hold to a belief in the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man.

This evening, brethren of different religions will address the meeting and outline their faith. They are V.Wor.Bro. Joel Solomon PGIW, representing the Jewish Faith, Bro. Peter Bryar, representing the Buddhist Faith and V.Wor.Bro.Rev.Dr. Ian Hunter, Gr. Chaplain, representing the Christian Faith. Each of them will explain to us how Freemasonry is compatible with their personal faith. To us, this compatibility is a given, but to many in the world, including sometimes family and friends, this is not how they view it. And I feel that, as Freemasons, we need to be better equipped to answer their questions and concerns. I believe also that we need to know better our own personal faith or religion to which we are affiliated, and know better and more deeply what Freemasonry is, what it teaches, what it practices, and why we go to lodge. I hope this evening's sharing will help us all to achieve these various goals.

Discussion is a very important feature of this evening, and this will take place after each presentation. I ask you to put questions to the speakers, share your personal experiences (and your own personal faith if you wish), and also to raise issues that you feel need addressing by us present as well as by the Craft in general. There is a time limit on each presentation so that we can adjourn to the South at a reasonable hour and continue there in an informal manner our sharing of ideas.

I should also reassure you that I am well aware of that fact the religion and politics are subjects that are not permitted to be aired at lodge meetings. In another Masonic Order the following words are used when the meeting has been opened" "forbidding all argumentative topics of Religion or Politics." This is what we are observing this evening, and so our sharing and discussion is strictly on the basis of "Many Faiths, One Brotherhood."

In 2006 this lodge will be celebrating its fiftieth birthday, and I have already started to research the beginnings of the lodge. You know, when the lodge was formed, with R.Wo.Bro. Jack McColl PSGW as its Foundation Master, there were many nationalities and religions represented by members of this lodge. It was really the first multi-faith and multi-cultural lodge in this Constitution (if not in Australia). Many of the consulates in Melbourne had representatives in this lodge; most faiths and European languages were also represented by our membership. And in addition to the normal lodge meetings there were special gatherings where the general community, including civic leaders, met with the lodge members and had discussions on various topics.

Of course, since 1966, we have had established in Melbourne lodges of particular nationalities and interests, and this is as it should be. However, this lodge can claim to be a pioneer in this respect and even today, with our small membership, we still have a representation of a number of nationalities and religions, hence the several Volumes of the Sacred Law open on the Master's pedestal. I salute our Foundation Master, Jack McColl and his co-founders for their vision, and I hope this evening's meeting will give them some reassurance that their labours have not been in vain, and also some personal pleasure in seeing their ideals again expressed in a forum where there is a meeting of minds and a sharing of ideas.

Following this meeting, I will arrange for the papers presented by our speakers, and indeed any other contributions from the brethren present, to be put in a published form for general distribution and have this material ready by the next meeting of the lodge. I also hope, if it is the wish of the brethren present, that we develop the concept of this evening and plan for another meeting at which brethren, family and friends may be able to attend and thus reach out to an even wider audience. I am also confident that Grand Lodge, which is aware of this evening's activities, will see from its success that this concept has merit, and that they may wish to support us more directly in the future.

The presentations will be in alphabetical order - Buddhist, Christian and Jewish. I now invite the speakers to make their presentation and, on this occasion, ask you to put your questions to them directly at the conclusion of each presentation.

Frederick A. Shade PGStdB
Wor. Master
24th September 2003

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THE ESSENCE OF BUDDHISM

Sang-gya cho-dang tsog-kyi chog-nam-la
Jang-chub bar-du dag-ni kyab-su-chi
Dag-gi jin-sog gyi-pai so-nam-kyi
Dro-la pan-chir sang-gya drub-par-shog

I go for refuge until I am enlightened.
To the Buddha, Dhamma and the highest assembly
From the virtuous merit that I collect by practicing giving and other perfections.
May I attain the state of Buddha to benefit all sentient beings.

Buddha refuge means accepting the guidance of enlightened beings as the only solution to the continuing cycle of temporary happiness and suffering. Dhamma refuge is them wisdom that understands our own true nature. So it means using our inner wisdom immediately. Sangha, or highest assembly refuge, means seeking security in the company of those endowed with wisdom, such as ordained monks and nuns, and also spiritual friends who inspire and support us in our quest for the flowering of our inner-mind wisdom.

This short prayer of refuge and mind generation is for all intents and purposes a short explanation on the Buddhist philosophy.

Buddhism is a universal philosophy, one that has brought peace of mind, happiness and harmony to millions of people in its long history of more than 2,500 years. It gives comfort to about 300 million people around the world. The word Buddhism comes from 'budhi', which means awaken, and has its origins with Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, when he was himself awaked (enlightened) at the age of 35 years.

Siddhartha was born into a royal family in Limbini, now located in Nepal, in 563 BC. At the age of 29, he realised that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, so he explored the different teachings, religions and philosophies of the day, to find the key to human happiness. After six years of study and meditation he finally found what was termed 'the middle path' and enlightenment. After enlightenment, the Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching the principles of Buddhism, called the Dhamma, or Truth, until his death at the age of 80.

(full text available in download file)

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The Christian Faith - a Short Evaluation in a Masonic Setting

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be now and always acceptable in your sight, O Lord our Strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

In order to evaluate the Christian Religion and how it fits into the ethos of the Fraternity of Freemasonry, it is necessary to make some points about the nature of Christianity as a world religion. As with most other world-religions, it has a tendency to mean "different things to different people" but it is possible to summarise it briefly as follows.

History

Christianity arose from the 'Cradle of Judaism' from about 35 AD and spread quickly using the Jewish Diaspora as a conduit throughout the world of the Roman Empire. By 100 AD it had ceased to be a specifically Jewish sect through the conversion of large numbers of Greeks. It was a proscribed Religion within the Empire until the conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine in 300 AD. It then became a sort of established religion within the empire.

Until the Eleventh Century it had a sort of informal unity when an official split occurred between the Christian Communities in the West (based on Rome) and those in the East (based on Constantinople). Further splits occurred in the Western Church in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries and these occurred as an attempt to purge the Church of perceived internal evils, and the movement which championed the desire for Reform was known as the Reformation.

This has produced a 21st Century world-Christianity which is divided into the following groups:

· Roman Catholics
· Eastern Orthodox
· Anglicans/Episcopalians
· Protestants

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JUDAISM

My name is JOEL SOLOMON. I am a member of an Orthodox Synagogue. I am not a Rabbi nor am I a Hebrew scholar. I am a Freemason. Religion and politics in a Masonic lodge I think NOT. At least that is what I was taught by my late father 45 years ago. But a few weeks ago when your WM invited me to speak tonight about being JEWISH and being a FREEMASON I said yes, without evasion but with a little mental reservation.

So what changed my mind? Religious tolerance and understanding of other people's needs and the currant world tension I guess is part of the answer, and it would be unmasonic if I offended a brother because I did not make the effort learn about his religious beliefs.

Does being Jewish and being a Freemason conflict? The answer is NO.

Moses, when he received the Tablets of the Law (10 Commandments) was confronted by a burning bush- a symbol of light, and is reported to have heard the words " Take off thy shoes for the ground on which you are standing is holy ground." We have all heard these words in 1st Degree and when I look at the rituals we can see other such similarities - the Craft, the Mark and the Chapter and the Royal Ark Mariners Degree all reflect a strong Jewish influence. The Craft - our VSL is opened at Kings and deals with the building of King Solomon's temple, and our Tracing Boards also reflect Hebrew letters and words. The Mark Master mason has a jewel on which are a number of Hebrew letters, while the Chapter jewels show a Star of David. And the Royal Ark Mariner Degree is centred on Noah and the Ark.

Let us look closer at the connection between Judaism and Freemasonry.

(full text available in download file)