# lodge ritual exams



## david918

I know a lot of brothers here think the ritual is very important.I was just wondering what percentage of the members of your lodge could pass one of the exams(EA,FC,or MM)?

100%

75%

50% 

25% or less


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## jonesvilletexas

Can you give more information my brother?


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## david918

jonesvilletexas said:


> Can you give more information my brother?



I was just wondering how many members of your lodge could pass all 3 exams today.In both of my lodges it would probably  only be 4 members the 4 who hold certificates.The other 98%  could not pass one today including my self.I could get most of it but not enough that if I was voting on it I would consider it a passing exam.I was just wondering why it's so important to so few members.


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## Wingnut

I was only counting active Masons, not our members...


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## js4253

If I don't stay on top of it, I tend to loose it.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who has that problem.


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## Bill Lins

Wingnut said:


> I was only counting active Masons, not our members...



OUCH!  

Bro. David- I assume you're referring to the trial lectures? The ones all of us supposedly learned at one time or another?


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## Bro. Stewart P.M.

I am going to say that 50% of our active members could pass the certificate exams in all three degrees. For us it might be a little easier than most since we meet twice a week every week of the year.

On a side note: Wingnut, I believe that I have been in your lodge room. I was at the YR Festival held there late last year. Ya'll have a lot of stairs to climb!


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## Wingnut

If you got tired going up stairs you were at our lodge!  It will wear you out!


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## david918

Bill_Lins77488 said:


> OUCH!
> 
> Bro. David- I assume you're referring to the trial lectures? The ones all of us supposedly learned at one time or another?



Yep the ones we spent hours learning and then forgot


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## cale

js4253 said:


> if i don't stay on top of it, i tend to loose it.  I'm sure i'm not the only one who has that problem.


hey john want to practice tomorrow? Monday, is so let me kenow what time would be good.


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## LRG

david918 said:


> Yep the ones we spent hours learning and then forgot



i learned straight answers, now i get the pleasure of learning the questions as well


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## LRG

david918 said:


> The other 98%  could not pass one today including my self.



Bro. David i doubt that, you're pretty darn good


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## RogerI

I think the fraternity now spends too much effort in getting the Lodges to be word perfect. To the point that we have lost what Freemasonry is all about.  What do we as Masons do?   We talk about the hospitals and the widows and orphans, but these we all started before many of us were born.   What do WE do.  Give a token donation to the hopital?   What is your Lodge doing for for your community?  Giving a $500 scholarship to a graduating Senior?   Is your Lodge making a differnce or just getting the words right?

Roger


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## jonesvilletexas

Roger, how well do you know your work? LOL


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## rhitland

The machine of Masonry has many facets to making it work properly and getting the words right is just a portion of our duties as Mason along with charity and others. The duty of a speculative Mason is laid out in the FC lecture (the long version anyway) and the only thing we perfom externally is charity work, the rest is done internally and has nothing to do with anybody but yourself. Subdue the passion, act upon the square, keep a tongue of good report, maintain secrecy and practice charity. 4 out of the 5 parts of speculative Masonry are internal and to me if learned properly charity is a natural by-product of the first 4. So if we plan to act upon the square, keep a tongue of good report or subdue passions with a Maosnic temperment we must learn the lesson for ourselves in the memory work; and to properly maintain secrecy should you not know what your keeping secrect. In my opinion this is Masonry's problem in a nut-shell, if we all looked internally and DID what we felt was right for Masonry things would change but we spend to much time on the external and point fingers as if our solution is the ONE. If you feel charity is important recruit members of your Lodge and friends and start something charitable I promise it will be hard work and long hours you feel you do not have but blessing will abound you and time will stand still. If you feel ritual work is important go get your A cert and perform the rituals with heart so wehn you run into another ritualist being born he will be encourage by your efforts. Most important of all is to not get sucked into negative conversations or tricked into thinking someone is drestroying Masonry with there lack of intrest in your solutions or ideas. YOU are responsible for Masonry and the way it is headed so step up or shut up.


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## 4thgenPM

The question here is what would you consider "passing?"  It is important to note that "proficient" is not a synonym for "perfect."  In fact, I have never seen the work done perfectly by anyone...even members of the Committee on Work (see MM exemplification at GL2008 for prime example).  

This is why this decision is up to the Lodge individually.  What would be deemed proficient in one of my Lodges would probably not be in the other two.  The difference is the availability of competent instructors as well as the mentality of the Lodges themselves.   Each Lodge makes that determination based on their circumstances and those of the Brother being examined.  

Christian D. Moore, PM


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## Bill Lins

Bro. Christian,

What I (speaking solely for my self & not my Lodge(s), the Grand Lodge, or other Brethren) consider "proficiency" to be, is that the Brother being examined gets through the work without having to be prompted excessively and that he obviously understands the lessons which we are trying to teach by means of the work. I DO hold those who will go on to teach the work to others to a higher standard. YMMV.


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## LRG

Brethren
           With Our Almightys Will we should conquer both ( community work and prof. work ) may we keep setting great examples for those now and those to come.
GOD Speed to us


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## Linduff

*What if we changed the system*

D = open and close all 4 Lodges
C = EA questions and answers and lectures
B - FC             "
A = MM           "

Just a thought.

Ben



david918 said:


> I know a lot of brothers here think the ritual is very important.I was just wondering what percentage of the members of your lodge could pass one of the exams(EA,FC,or MM)?
> 
> 100%
> 
> 75%
> 
> 50%
> 
> 25% or less


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## 4thgenPM

Bro. Bill,

Sounds like you and I are on the same page.  I'd rather the Brother understand the meaning of what he's saying and TRY to get the wording right than focus on getting the words perfect and not have a clue about the lessons being taught.  Instructors should be held to a higher standard...and further, the examination is not the time to teach or ridicule the Brother who is already nervous enough. If he misses a word, work on it later...not in open Lodge.

Christian D. Moore, PM


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## RAY

Since I instruct 2 lodges I am up to date and most of our young Masons still know there work but many of our elders  (68 years old and up) do not


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## Blake Bowden

1


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## RichmondMiMason

Do you mean Degree Work, 1 letter char?...for Each degree?. Here in Michigan they did away with it, but I am one who is doing it the old way but that is my Choice, and I believe if I can do it anyone up here can do it, it's Long but well worth the Studying. It taught me also to not just learn it, but always have it in your heart and follow it.

Nick Fuller
JD Richmond Mi 187


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## HKTidwell

Yes he is referring to the degree work.  Texas requires all petitioners to learn the work mouth to ear.  I may be wrong in this but the basic requirements is for a person to be proficient in answering the questions, some lodges go further and encourage the candidate/brother to learn both the answers and questions to each degree.  To be honest in the long run I think this is best because it creates a better group of teachers.  

The more I reflect on this the more I think my lodge would be higher in the number of brethren who could answer and be proficient.  When I was learning the work some of the "older guys" would sit in on me learning and while they might not know it 100% if the person, who was teaching me that night got off, you'd hear a cough or a comment about well doesn't this come next and so on.  And most of these "Old guys" made a claim about not remembering or not knowing the work but when placed in a group going over it every bit of it came back.

I use the term "Old Guys" because sometimes we don't give them the credit they deserve.  They are the bedrock and from them we have gained so much.  At some point I think I'm going to write a  story/article about "The Old Guy".


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## Bill Lins

HKTidwell said:


> At some point I think I'm going to write a  story/article about "The Old Guy".


 
At some point we're gonna *be* the "old guys"! :wink:


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## HKTidwell

Bill_Lins77488 said:


> At some point we're gonna *be* the "old guys"! :wink:


 
Nothing like a brother giving you square kick in the butt to motivate you.    I've got a couple years but the last few have flown by so I guess I'll have to make it a priority.


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## Bro_Vick

When you wrote members, I was think of active members, not the entire membership, in that case I would change my answer to less than 25%.


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## RichmondMiMason

Sorry up here in Michigan we never Get Old, or gonna be the Old Guys....Decline in Masonary, anyone that comes in now is Over 50 yrs of age, so a few Brothers will always be Young.....lol


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## jbolt

While you may be correct about the certificate holders being able to pass Committee on Workâ€™s official   "proficiency test for an A Certificationâ€â€”I believe 90+ percent or more of Masonâ€™s know the intent and live by the tenants. Most Americans cannot quote the â€œThe Declaration of Independency or the Bill of Rightsâ€, but they know whatâ€™s in them.


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## Bill Lins

jbolt said:


> While you may be correct about the certificate holders being able to pass Committee on Workâ€™s official   "proficiency test for an A Certificationâ€â€”I believe 90+ percent or more of Masonâ€™s know the intent and live by the tenants. Most Americans cannot quote the â€œThe Declaration of Independency or the Bill of Rightsâ€, but they know whatâ€™s in them.


 
True, but one can find the Declaration of Independence & the Bill of Rights written out in reference materials. We need Brethren to be proficient in the work in order to pass it along to those who follow in our footsteps.


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## JEbeling

Man I am sure glad I am under the 68 year old group... ! but just by a hair... ! 

Proficienty exams are very good to get things straight .. ! and words that have worked in wrong.. ! I always learn something at every exam for the last 25 years... ! 

If the committee on "hope and change" will quit adding to the work and moving it around... ? hehehe ( that was for Bill.. ! )


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## cale

Deeper understanding comes from contemplation. Doing the work is more than memorizing words it causes one to contemplate the meaning.


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## jwhoff

25%.  The other 75% are too busy talking about how important the ritual is.  Kind of like combat:  those who talk about it and those who've been.


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## Brother Joe

I am proud to say that I was only initiated in April and raised in September; but I just passed the Committee on Work Exam for a C Certificate. I believe the memory work is an important piece to keep members interested. Especially as the members that teach the material to younger masons are getting older. The younger brothers of the lodge need to pick up the torch and carry it for the next generation for the sake of our great society and the lodge itself.


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## jwhoff

Brother Joe, if I had five more like you, I'd start a new civilization.  Don't lose that white-hold zeal brother.  Burn bright for those who cannot see!


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## CajunTinMan

JEbeling said:


> Man I am sure glad I am under the 68 year old group... ! but just by a hair... !
> 
> Proficienty exams are very good to get things straight .. ! and words that have worked in wrong.. ! I always learn something at every exam for the last 25 years... !
> 
> If the committee on "hope and change" will quit adding to the work and moving it around... ? hehehe ( that was for Bill.. ! )



Off topic.  But one thing that makes me feel good about going to Lodge is when one of the older guys tell me that they are glad to see us young guys working so hard.  And I'm 50.  Where else could I get an ego boost like that?


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## Brent Heilman

CajunTinMan said:


> Off topic.  But one thing that makes me feel good about going to Lodge is when one of the older guys tell me that they are glad to see us young guys working so hard.  And I'm 50.  Where else could I get an ego boost like that?




I know that feeling. I am 40 and get told the same thing. A couple of nights ago I was thanked by one of the Brothers from my lodge for being as active as I am. Me and another guy have been very active in trying to move the lodge forward and improve the experience for everyone. He said if it wasn't for me and this other guy he probably would have dropped out because he was getting burnt out. He said our enthusiasm for the Craft has rekindled his and the same went for a couple of other guys. It feels great knowing that we have made a difference to them and that the Craft hasn't lost a few Brothers because of complacency.


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## scialytic

david918 said:


> I know a lot of brothers here think the ritual is very important.I was just wondering what percentage of the members of your lodge could pass one of the exams(EA,FC,or MM)?
> 
> 100%
> 
> 75%
> 
> 50%
> 
> 25% or less



Unfortunately, I probably only know less than 10% of the Brethren at my Lodge and I've been to nearly every dinner since May (including the installation of Officers)... :-(


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## scialytic

jwhoff said:


> 25%.  The other 75% are too busy talking about how important the ritual is.  Kind of like combat:  those who talk about it and those who've been.


 :thumbup:

I can't believe I skipped out on having beers with you at Crickets! What an EEEEDIOTTT, STIMMMPYYYY!


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## Belcher

My journey in masonry started on June 9th 2012. I turned in my fc proficiency tonight (Feb. 7th ) And as set to be raised to the degree of mm on Feb 20th. This far i chosen to learn both question and answer in my degree work. I plan to someday teach the upcoming new generation of masons the work as it was thought to me. I have heard it said that in masonry you get what you put in to it. I plan on visiting the lodges In south central Texas and someday Scottish rite and shriner. I'll see you in lodge my brothers.


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## crono782

Excellent choice brother. I've started instructing my first EA in his work recently and I must say, teaching is the ultimate learning tool for yourself. You must ponder what you are relating to your student before instructing it and it gives you much more insight into the work.


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## jwhoff

Now there is a mason's mason!


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## RedTemplar

I cannot do it right now, but sitting in a Texas Lodge with some of the brothers on this forum is still on my bucket list.


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## Warrior1256

Being a MM raised approx. 10 weeks ago I believe that I could still pass all three.


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## Bill Lins

Warrior1256 said:


> Being a MM raised approx. 10 weeks ago I believe that I could still pass all three.


Hang onto your work- we'll need for you to be able to pass it along to new initiates when us greybeards are gone to the side of the GAOTU!


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## Warrior1256

Bill_Lins77488 said:


> Hang onto your work- we'll need for you to be able to pass it along to new initiates when us greybeards are gone to the side of the GAOTU!


Thanks brother but I'm in the same boat as you being 58 years old.


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