# We are NOT all Brothers



## Blake Bowden (Oct 21, 2013)

An introduction to Clandestine Freemasonry by Bro. Antoine Lilly

View attachment we-are-not-all-brothers.pdf


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## usmcvet (Oct 30, 2013)

Thanks.  Just printed it.


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## chrmc (Oct 30, 2013)

Very informative, thanks


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## The SERVICE (Oct 31, 2013)

The servers in China are not allowing me to view whatever it is that you posted, not cool!!! 

My Freemasonry


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## crono782 (Oct 31, 2013)

The SERVICE said:


> The servers in China are not allowing me to view whatever it is that you posted, not cool!!!
> 
> My Freemasonry



It's not just you. I can't see it either. 


My Freemasonry


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## brother josh (Oct 31, 2013)

Same here


My Freemasonry


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## crono782 (Oct 31, 2013)

works fine on the website, not so much on the mobile app.


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## towerbuilder7 (Dec 18, 2013)

Thanks for that post, Bro. Bowden....Bro Lilly is a member of a Prince Hall Research Forum called The Blue Lite....I am not a member YET, but the Past Master in my Lodge is.......Brethren are VERY well educated on Prince Hall Masonry, and also the spurious off shoots that plague and demean our beautiful Brotherhood...........this publication will help to educate the Brethren who are interested on the DIFFERENCES between Prince Hall Affiliated (PHA) Masonry, and the John G Jones, AF&AM Grand Lodges...........Obviously, the MAIN difference is that we as PHA Brothers are REGULAR IN ORIGIN, AS WELL AS RECOGNIZED......THESE OFFSHOOTS, WHILE SOME MAY EVEN PRACTICE MASONRY IN A REGULAR MANNER, ARE NOT RECOGNIZED IN ANY WAY BY THE PRINCE HALL GRAND LODGES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, NOR THE MAINSTREAM BRETHREN..............BRO JONES


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## Bro. Staton (Nov 13, 2014)

Very good read and one to add to your library as well. Thanks for the information very informative.


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## Warrior1256 (Nov 15, 2014)

Interesting info.


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## Bro. Stewart P.M. (Nov 16, 2014)

Thanks for the information!


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## Bro Mathews (Nov 22, 2014)

I Learned  so much from that post above thanks Mr. Blake Bowden


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## Tony357 (Dec 22, 2015)

Great read! Definitely needs to be in everyone library.


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## Bloke (Jan 5, 2016)

JamestheJust said:


> - Who are we to say that other humans are not our brothers?



Indeed brother James.... I strongly agree... I pretty much stay out of this section and you have summed up my feelings well in the above as to why I often skip this thread. Things said on "regularity" often grate on my sense of justice and equality because they indirectly or directly value others traditions as of less value or of less merit than mine ("the majority").

Mind you, I do like reading about the divide(s) because of its history, we should always seek understanding and light, but all this talk of clandestine and irregular, "not a real mason"  gets to me.... it sort of feels like one Christian condemning another because they are of a different denomination... at the end of the day, yes there are distinctions, but arent Catholics and the many types of Protestants all still Christians when you step away from the detail ? ? 

(and sure, there are folks out there selling degrees, but that's a different story, as are gangs and quasi criminal groups calling themselves "Freemasons"..... just as there are "regular" GLs out there who have a long history of doing that I regard as the wrong thing - '"Regular" Prince Hall once did not get the acceptance it does now on boards, and sometimes the solution offered to the problem was for Prince Hall GLs to give up their traditions and join anther GL so they could regarded as "regular"... LOL... like I would want to do that if I was a PHFM... and didn't i read recently in here of a GL excluding gay brethren they initiated and accepted as part of the fraternity ? GL's are far from infallible.... just as we a good masons need to be open to others and acknowledge we are only fallible humans)

I recognise many of these clandestine/irregular etc as Freemasons, even if they dont observe the same landmarks - they are just Freemasons of a different ilk... Freemasonry puts so many other differences aside, why not this one ? I dont reject Anglicans because they are not of my Church, just a I dont reject a Muslim because they are not of my faith...doing such is called *prejudice *... a lot of Freemasons seem prejudiced against people from different masonic traditions...

Such are the Honourable Order of Freemasons - they work very close to the same ritual as I do with one exception - it is only for woman... 

This 1933 movies is interesting http://www.britishpathe.com/video/honourable-fraternity-of-ancient-freemasons/query/Sash

At the end of the day, it's my GL which regulates what is "regular" but Bro Karen Kidd helped me ultimately understand the sovereignty of a GL, as Karen said



			
				Bro Karen Kidd said:
			
		

> "This (her initiation)  all occurred within my jurisdiction which, like all Masonic jurisdictions, claims no binding authority over the Freemasons in any other jurisdiction...... this means a Brother is Regular by virtue of being so recognized within his/her own jurisdiction. No Brother upon the Earth requires recognition by any other jurisdiction to be Regular. Each Brother is as Regular within their own jurisdiction as any other Brother is Regular within their own jurisdiction



I may not be able to sit in lodge with her, but that does not make her any less of a mason than I, after all, don't we believe in equality ?

It is worth reading and reflecting on her paper... "I am Regular" which won UGLE's internet paper competition in  2008. I recommend you read it, *it is here *She changed my thinking and hence my words and actions... a core process in being a good Freemason in my view... For those who have been on web for a while, they will know of her, they may have even spoken to her in places like T3Ps (sadly gone now). I am richer for having engaged with Bro Karen and men and woman from other masonic traditions.. 

Again


JamestheJust said:


> - Who are we to say that other humans are not our brothers?.



Not I brother James... not I...

Yes, all masons need an understanding of "regularity", esp if they are bound to observe it through their Jurisdiction's Constitution and Obligation, but surely Freemasonry calls upon us to respect others, even if they are slightly different. Cowans seem to get more respect on some  boards than Freemasons who are not in amity with us.

I often feel hostility from some regular Freemasons is born of insecurity....

At the end of the day I am happy I joined a *regular fraternity*, and I enjoy the fraternal aspects of my regular GL,  but that does not make the traditions of Le Droit Humain or other Co-Freemasonry etc etc etc of any less value than the path I follow..


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## dfreybur (Jan 5, 2016)

JamestheJust said:


> Who are we to say that other humans are not our brothers?



In the topic the word has a capital letter - Brother versus brother.

Masonry has a list of conundrums that use contradictions as sources of strength.  We do not admit atheists yet we lead the world in freedom of religion.  We do not admit women yet we lead the world in equal treatment of all people.

One of these contradictions is the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law.

I have promised to not attempt to pass the tiler of an irregular lodge.  That means I have no restriction against going to the social events of such a lodge.  I tend to use the term step-brother.

I have promised to attempt to look up recognition lists before presenting myself to the tiler at a regular lodge.  If my jurisdictions make it hard to figure out exactly which regular jurisdictions are and aren't recognized that's rather more my jurisdiction's issue than mine.  Recognized or not all members of regular jurisdictions get the capitalized form Brother from me.

I learned at church that all men are brothers, but I knew that before I reached that lesson.  I learned in science that all men are brothers, but I knew that before I reached that lesson.  I learned at lodge that all men are brothers, but I knew that before I reached that lecture.  Then at lodge I learned the distinction between brother and Brother, but it was in my more extensive study not in any part of the ritual.

Capitalized or not is about the letter of the law.  Is the jurisdiction regular that I can use the capitalized form Brother?  Is the jurisdiction recognized that I can take the next step and present myself to their tiler?  Is the person a member of the one human family descended from common stock and my close blood kin?  I don't need to look up in any rule book to know to use the not capitalized form brother.

It is significant that the ritual teaches us the spirit of the law that we are all close blood kin descended from the same common stock and members of the same family.  It was not until I was elected Junior Warden that I was required to read the entire (called code book in some jurisdictions, called law book in other jurisdictions) to learn the letter of the law.

Before I was Junior Warden I learned the issues around regularity and recognition, but that's because I'm more studious than the average Mason.

If a brother mistakenly presents himself at the tiler at the wrong lodge, I figure that's a teaching moment not a Masonic charges moment.  If a brother mistakenly thinks he should not attend a social event sponsored by a coed lodge, I also figure that's a teaching moment.  There's no tiling at social events.


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## Bloke (Jan 5, 2016)

JamestheJust said:


> ....It seems to me that since Grand Lodges admit to lacking knowledge of the genuine secrets, an obligation to humility naturally follows.



LOL...... i'm gonna use that one


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