# Free Born?!



## Shahkem (Aug 10, 2014)

Peace Brethren! I've always been a bit bothered by this part of the 18th Landmark. And as I further study it, it bothers me more. From what I'm able to gather, if a man was born into slavery, that automatically disqualifies him from membership. That really doesn't bode well with me. How do you guys feel about it?


Sent From My Freemasonry Pro App


----------



## Morris (Aug 10, 2014)

I've thought about the same thing before. Then I thought can you have free will if you are not a freed man?  I don't think you can and  not just talking in terms of slavery but any person subservient to another human, do they truly have free will. 

Now, I've had great conversations about if any person truly has free will but that is another question in itself. 

I would love to read others thoughts on this as well. I often catch myself too narrow minded. 


Jeff


----------



## Morris (Aug 10, 2014)

Haha, I don't even think I gave an answer, maybe I did. I'll sit back and learn now. 


Jeff


----------



## Shahkem (Aug 10, 2014)

Shahkem said:


> Peace Brethren! I've always been a bit bothered by this part of the 18th Landmark. And as I further study it, it bothers me more. From what I'm able to gather, if a man was born into slavery, that automatically disqualifies him from membership. That really doesn't bode well with me. How do you guys feel about it?
> 
> 
> Sent From My Freemasonry Pro App





Sent From My Freemasonry Pro App


----------



## Shahkem (Aug 10, 2014)

Jeff, a slave can possess the will to be free. Most often, it's isn't the slave's lack of free will that maintains his slave state, it's the barbaric actions of the slave owner, imposing atrocious fear tactics that keeps his slaves in check. 

In actuality, the slave owner is just as much a slave than the man he has subservient to him. He's a slave to his animal  passions. i.e. George Washington. Regarded as a worthy mason, but was a slave owner. But the 18th landmark is in his favor, but not the victims the inhumane system he benefited from. 


Sent From My Freemasonry Pro App


----------



## Levelhead (Aug 10, 2014)

Back in the days of slavery most african americans were slaves. If you were born to a slave you were not free born. I guess if a white person was born to a slave he would not be free born either, 

Thus prince hall formed.

Plain and simple what it means, and theres no other excuses for its meaning.


Sent From Bro Carl's Freemasonry Pro App


----------



## coachn (Aug 10, 2014)

Shahkem said:


> Peace Brethren! I've always been a bit bothered by this part of the 18th Landmark. And as I further study it, it bothers me more. From what I'm able to gather, if a man was born into slavery, that automatically disqualifies him from membership. That really doesn't bode well with me. How do you guys feel about it?


You are not alone my Brother!

The problem most Brothers (and future possible Brothers) shall have with this is the misunderstanding that each of them bring to the word _*freeborn*_ when they read it.

_*Freeborn*_ (and Free born) did not mean _*"not born into slavery"*_ as most people define it today.  It meant that the person had a _*superior or excellent* birth*_ and more specifically, he was *"able of birth",* alluding to all that this simple phrase meant at the time it was first put down in the old charges; _and it also implied a whole lot that we have little understanding of in this day and age._

The word _*freeborn*_ was used to describe the phrase _*"able of birth"*_ at the original time of its use.  It is most unfortunate that semantic drift over the years, that was caused by a myriad of factors, has left the meaning of the word *freeborn *utterly different from its original intent.  The phrase *"able of birth" *meant that:  _*No man should ever be allowed to Enter who is unsuitable and who would have anything in his character preventing him from being molded into a Superior or Excellent Craftsmen. (and more specifically, no Master or Fellow Craft shall take into his charge and Apprentice such a man!)
*_
(Shameless Plug) I have written extensively upon this subject within Volume 8 of my Uncommon Masonic Education Series, Building Free Men.  I show the historical basis for what you have just read, if there is further interest in knowing more about the subject.  The material just referred to can be found in chapter VIII, but is best supported be reading the supporting chapters leading up to it first.

Yes!  You should be bothered, not by the Landmark my Brother, but by the way it is misunderstood and how this misunderstanding is applied in ignorant and unjust ways.  I hope that this Further Light shall assist you in being a Light bearer in a dark forest of indifference and ignorance.  Good Luck!

F&S,

Coach John S. Nagy, MM

* The word "Free" within the context of use within the words, *Freemason *and _*Freeborn*_, originally meant *"Excellent; Superior". *(See chapter III for details)


----------



## Levelhead (Aug 10, 2014)

coachn said:


> * The word "Free" within the context of use within the words, *Freemason *and _*Freeborn*_, originally meant *"Excellent; Superior". *(See chapter III for details)



Dont get me wrong brothers. Any man who took the same obligations i did and got raised like i did is a brother to me "in my heart" but as in my jurisdiction, followed by my law i can only recognize what is allowed and what i promised.

With that said. I do not like the fact of how some things are or how some things WERE. But it happened and ritual is based on its roots and origin. 

The word "superior" in your definition would be the opposite of a slave of a man born to a slave. 

Its sad brother but it means what it means "free born or freeborn" its how your jurisdiction spells it. I just wish people would stop beating around bush.   (Not speaking about anyone here, just people in general). 

Now obviously noone that i can fathom in this lifetime can be physically be born to a slave. White, black, whatever. 

If a person was born to a slave or for a worse use of words "an actual slave", they would not have control of their life and therefore not qualify.   


Sent From Bro Carl's Freemasonry Pro App


----------



## coachn (Aug 10, 2014)

Levelhead said:


> Dont get me wrong brothers. Any man who took the same obligations i did and got raised like i did is a brother to me "in my heart" but as in my jurisdiction, followed by my law i can only recognize what is allowed and what i promised.
> 
> With that said. I do not like the fact of how some things are or how some things WERE. But it happened and ritual is based on its roots and origin.


Yes.  Some men join the Fraternity and find the Word, and others find nothing that shall enlighten them whatsoever.  We have the Fraternity that is a result of many not finding the Word.


Levelhead said:


> The word "superior" in your definition would be the opposite of a slave of a man born to a slave.


In your mind, I can see this.  This is not how I take it though.  It exists outside the either/or pairing of opposites for me.  For me it means as I had stated.  A freeborn man is one who is *suitable* and *has nothing holding him back.   *This would include preconceived notions or those notions accepted as truth which are not.


Levelhead said:


> Its sad brother but it means what it means "free born or freeborn" its how your jurisdiction spells it. I just wish people would stop beating around bush.   (Not speaking about anyone here, just people in general).


Yes, it is sad.  So many men just accept what is handed to them and do not think for themselves.  We accept them into our ranks without question.  As a result, we have a fraternity of Brothers who as a whole superficially understand this and other things.  And each jurisdiction is supported by the mentality of the whole.


Levelhead said:


> Now obviously noone that i can fathom in this lifetime can be physically be born to a slave. White, black, whatever.


Yet the majority are slaves to their ignorance.  Interesting how some things do not change with time.


Levelhead said:


> If a person was born to a slave or for a worse use of words "an actual slave", they would not have control of their life and therefore not qualify.


There is plenty of proof that this is not universal.  There are countless stories of those born into slavery who have have been freed due to who they chose to be in their lifetimes.


----------



## dfreybur (Aug 10, 2014)

The roots of Masonry date from a time when serfdom still existed in parts of Europe and chattel slavery still existed in parts of other continents.  People born under the yoke were legally unable to keep secrets.  The exact wording varies by jurisdiction.  I've heard the words you list, bondsman and no mention.

Is this requirement good or bad?  The depends on your preconceived notions, doesn't it?  Masonry as an organization has tended to lead the way on topics of freedom.  Does the fact that there were exceptions spoil that like one rotten apple spoils the barrel?  Does the fact that Masonry's freedom movement started as small as a mustard seed that grow steadily and eventually pervaded show that even the best crops grown best when planted in manure?

Sort of depends on if you're a "US glass is 42 51sts full" kind of guy or a "US glass is 9 51sts empty" kind of guy.  Improving that number is only some number of Masonic funerals away, and look closely as to which funerals those will have to be.  In the US a hundred miles is a short way and a hundred years is a long.  In many other parts of the word a hundred klicks is a long way and a hundred years is a short time.  If this cliche' were true of everyone in the US I suggest that this question would not have been asked.  We should all be from Connecticut in our hearts.


----------



## Zack (Aug 10, 2014)

dfreybur said:


> y.  Improving that number is only some number of Masonic funerals away, and look closely as to which funerals those will have to be.


 
I hate when this statement is made.  It smacks of piety and a "holier than thou attitude".  It is an ignorant statement.


----------



## Shahkem (Aug 10, 2014)

coachn said:


> You are not alone my Brother!
> 
> The problem most Brothers (and future possible Brothers) shall have with this is the misunderstanding that each of them bring to the word _*freeborn*_ when they read it.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much, Brother. I really appreciate the clarification. 


Sent From My Freemasonry Pro App


----------



## coachn (Aug 10, 2014)

Shahkem said:


> Thank you so much, Brother. I really appreciate the clarification.


You are most welcome Shahkem.  I hope the Light helps you in your journey.


----------



## jwhoff (Aug 10, 2014)

coachn said:


> Yes.  Some men join the Fraternity and find the Word, and others find nothing that shall enlighten them whatsoever.  We have the Fraternity that is a result of many not finding the Word.
> 
> In your mind, I can see this.  This is not how I take it though.  It exists outside the either/or pairing of opposites for me.  For me it means as I had stated.  A freeborn man is one who is *suitable* and *has nothing holding him back.   *This would include preconceived notions or those notions accepted as truth which are not.
> 
> ...


 I, too, have always had a problem with the obvious interpretation of "free born."  Rather that he who is born into servitude, I would rather _*not be associated*_ with he who owns another person. 

However, I like the deeper interpretation Doc has offered.  "Freeborn" people who are not inhibited by ignorance and fear are those whom I wish most to associate with.  And these are the people, if we take the second degree in masonry seriously, with whom we will be most associated with.  Those who are most equipped to live a life of free will.


----------



## dfreybur (Aug 10, 2014)

Zack said:


> It smacks of piety and a "holier than thou attitude".



I do notice that you didn't actually say you think the statement is an incorrect projection of current status into the future.  Harsh truths don't switch to false because they are harsh.

The qualification can and should be taken literally as well as figuratively.  There's physical bondage which becomes more and more rare as the centuries and decades pass.  There's also mental bondage which does fade gradually across time but that has done so more slowly than physical bondage.  Grand lodge speculative Masonry is a child of the Romantic and Enlightenment eras.  Masonry teaches free thought as one of the parts of making good men better.  We are taught to look beyond the veil.  The admonition can be taken on the surface as a statement about the afterlife.  It can also be taken as breaking free of mental bondage.

Fundies have good reason to want to keep their better men from joining our assemblies when we start discussing such topics.  Environmentalists say "Think globally.  Act locally".  Our parallel might read "Think to an enlightened future.  Act today with that future in mind."  Not as succinct in words but at least as simple in concept.  Excelsior!


----------



## Morris (Aug 10, 2014)

coachn said:


> You are most welcome Shahkem.  I hope the Light helps you in your journey.


Have you broken down each by-law in a single volume?


Jeff


----------



## coachn (Aug 10, 2014)

JMorris said:


> Have you broken down each by-law in a single volume?
> Jeff



Not yet.  I didn't go about breaking own any bylaws (or landmarks for that matter).  I simply wanted to get to the root of some important words used within the Fraternity that are too often misunderstood.  Yours is a great idea though.


----------



## jwhoff (Aug 10, 2014)

I think it is an excellent idea!  Both years I was in the East I asked the JW to read the ancient charges, then challenged each member of the particular lodge to challenge their beliefs and thoughts over the next few days of each charge presented. 

Not surprisingly, there was much personal feedback from a large number of members of each lodge. 

I would love to see you tackle this one Doc.


----------



## coachn (Aug 10, 2014)

The Challenge is deciding on which Old Charge!


----------



## Zack (Aug 10, 2014)

dfreybur said:


> I do notice that you didn't actually say you think the statement is an incorrect projection of current status into the future.  Harsh truths don't switch to false because they are harsh.
> 
> The qualification can and should be taken literally as well as figuratively.  There's physical bondage which becomes more and more rare as the centuries and decades pass.  There's also mental bondage which does fade gradually across time but that has done so more slowly than physical bondage.  Grand lodge speculative Masonry is a child of the Romantic and Enlightenment eras.  Masonry teaches free thought as one of the parts of making good men better.  We are taught to look beyond the veil.  The admonition can be taken on the surface as a statement about the afterlife.  It can also be taken as breaking free of mental bondage.
> 
> Fundies have good reason to want to keep their better men from joining our assemblies when we start discussing such topics.  Environmentalists say "Think globally.  Act locally".  Our parallel might read "Think to an enlightened future.  Act today with that future in mind."  Not as succinct in words but at least as simple in concept.  Excelsior!


 
And if obfuscation was music you'd be a brass band.


----------



## Shahkem (Aug 11, 2014)

Brethren, I really appreciate the feedback. I'm glad i posted my concern about  this topic instead of just allowing it to continue to bother me. You guys were  a great help! 


Sent From My Freemasonry Pro App


----------



## BryanMaloney (Aug 12, 2014)

dfreybur said:


> The qualification can and should be taken literally as well as figuratively.  There's physical bondage which becomes more and more rare as the centuries and decades pass.  There's also mental bondage which does fade gradually across time but that has done so more slowly than physical bondage...
> 
> Fundies have good reason to want to keep their better men from joining our assemblies when we start discussing such topics.  Environmentalists say "Think globally.  Act locally".  Our parallel might read "Think to an enlightened future.  Act today with that future in mind."  Not as succinct in words but at least as simple in concept.  Excelsior!



So, then, if one is born into a family that practices mental bondage and grows up in such mental bondage, one is forevermore disqualified from being a Mason, even if one has become a freedman? Freedman is a different status than freeborn, after all.

The historical exoteric meaning of "freeborn" is an easily-defined and rigid legal status, that of not being born into helotry, slavery, etc. Someone who was born to slaves could never be "freeborn" as the term has been traditionally used. However, if that born slave was freed before having children, his children would be "freeborn".

On the other hand, what is the esoteric meaning of "freeborn". If we are to embrace Enlightenment philosophy (and there are those even in Freemasonry who would reject the Enlightenment in favor of Romanticism, Obscurantism, or both), then all are innately "freeborn", what matters would be claiming your inherent status. One of the great innovations of the Enlightenment is that individual people matter. They do not matter by virtue of belonging to a certain class, race, or society. They matter simply because they exist. "All men are created equal." All are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights". All of us have those rights, in full measure. No government can create them, no government can remove them. They could be violated, but they cannot be alienated from us.

These principles were unthinkable to the Enlightenment's predecessors, and they are rejected by the Enlightenment's successors, be it on the basis of Romantic hierarchicalism, Marxist collectivism, or one of the other more "up to date" paradigms that ascribes identity and value to membership in a group instead of being inherent attributes of simple human existence.

Thus, exoterically, someone could fail to be "freeborn", but the moment he steps up and says "I choose this for my reasons. Nobody compels me." he claims his innate esoteric "freeborn" status, which is always there and always exists for all people, waiting to be seized. It would not matter if he is still technically "in bondage", be it physical or mental. Such a "bondage" is imposed. When he makes his claim, he shows that it is also illusionary.

This does not require redefining "free" to mean something it has never meant outside a tiny circle of people. It does not require excluding people due to the misfortune of circumstance that they did not contribute to. Instead, it contrasts the inner reality of being freeborn to the outer appearance of being born into bondage.


----------



## dfreybur (Aug 12, 2014)

BryanMaloney said:


> So, then, if one is born into a family that practices mental bondage and grows up in such mental bondage, one is forevermore disqualified from being a Mason, even if one has become a freedman? Freedman is a different status than freeborn, after all.



In asking this question and then explaining how it works you have explained very well what the mental qualification version of being free means the way I have thought about it.  There are many types of symbolic birth and stepping out of mental bondage into free thought is one of them.  Consider that we call the date of our raising our "Masonic birthday" as it is the day we are symbolically reborn into a life where good works are seen as having spiritual goals independent of and consistent with other forms of symbolic rebirth.  The type of mental rebirth you have described is one of many transitions that can be symbolically described as a rebirth.


----------



## Knowled/G\e_Seeker (Aug 17, 2014)

JMorris, I'm with you on the whole questioning whether free will exists or not.


----------



## pointwithinacircle2 (Aug 17, 2014)

JMorris said:


> I've thought about the same thing before. Then I thought can you have free will if you are not a freed man?  I don't think you can and  not just talking in terms of slavery but any person subservient to another human, do they truly have free will.


Here is my book recommendation on this topic, as described by wikipedia: _*Man's Search for Meaning*_ is a 1946 book by Viktor Frankl chronicling his experiences as an Auschwitz concentration camp inmate during World War II, and describing his psychotherapeutic methhod, which involved identifying a purpose in life to feel positively about, and then immersively imagining that outcome. According to Frankl, the way a prisoner imagined the future affected his longevity.

It is my opinion that man always has _a_ choice, he simply does not have _all_ choices.  We choose within the limited scope of what is available to us.


----------



## Morris (Aug 17, 2014)

pointwithinacircle2 said:


> Here is my book recommendation on this topic, as described by wikipedia: _*Man's Search for Meaning*_ is a 1946 book by Viktor Frankl chronicling his experiences as an Auschwitz concentration camp inmate during World War II, and describing his psychotherapeutic methhod, which involved identifying a purpose in life to feel positively about, and then immersively imagining that outcome. According to Frankl, the way a prisoner imagined the future affected his longevity.
> 
> It is my opinion that man always has _a_ choice, he simply does not have _all_ choices.  We choose within the limited scope of what is available to us.


I started it's own topic. Maybe we will see each other's view a little better. I always do appreciate a good book recommendation, so thank-you.


----------



## AndreAshlar (Aug 20, 2014)

BryanMaloney said:


> Thus, exoterically, someone could fail to be "freeborn", but the moment he steps up and says "I choose this for my reasons. Nobody compels me." he claims his innate esoteric "freeborn" status, which is always there and always exists for all people, waiting to be seized. It would not matter if he is still technically "in bondage", be it physical or mental. Such a "bondage" is imposed. When he makes his claim, he shows that it is also illusionary.
> 
> This does not require redefining "free" to mean something it has never meant outside a tiny circle of people. It does not require excluding people due to the misfortune of circumstance that they did not contribute to. Instead, it contrasts the inner reality of being freeborn to the outer appearance of being born into bondage.



On point.


----------



## Warrior1256 (Aug 22, 2014)

coachn said:


> You are not alone my Brother!
> 
> The problem most Brothers (and future possible Brothers) shall have with this is the misunderstanding that each of them bring to the word _*freeborn*_ when they read it.
> 
> ...


Wow! Did not know this. Thanks brother.


----------



## coachn (Aug 22, 2014)

Warrior1256 said:


> Wow! Did not know this. Thanks brother.


You're most welcome my Brother.  It's sad that more Brothers don't.


----------



## AndreAshlar (Sep 16, 2014)

When discussing the requirement of being freeborn, I believe we tend to think of how this impacts blacks in masonry.  I understand that to be a natural connection:  One must be freeborn.  Prince Hall freemasonry.  The descendants of slaves in America.  Interestingly though, there are large numbers of freemasons worldwide, who are of Jewish descent.  Yet no correlation, in my experience, gets made with the freeborn requirement as it pertains to Jews.


----------

