PeterLT
Premium Member
Are you saying that M&D and FMfD are religious texts? If so, you are undercutting your position.
No, only that our understanding of any document, including religious texts and VCR instructions, is based on common knowledge, morals and our own experiences. I dare say that a Martian has not played little league ball (maybe he has?). Take the baseline out and the text becomes words.
Only academic. As a freethinking Mason, I have always questioned authority; which doesn't mean I never see the reason behind authority.
Granted, freethinking is a mark of a Mason. However it is not the mark of organized religion. As I’ve said before, for a religion to be so it must be exclusive of all other points of view or beliefs. Hence the main basis for discounting Freemasonry as a religion.
So are you saying that people would try to tag Freemasonry as a religion just to vilify it? I think I found them.
Absolutely. Many of us are taught to hate what we cannot understand. This doesn’t mean we are hateful people, only that we are taught so as a defence mechanism.
But why? Why specifically? If a religious nut forced you to defend this position academically, what would you say?
First off, and perhaps most importantly, it is absolutely futile to try to convince a person immersed in religious dogma that he is wrong. It’s just too earth shattering and strikes too close to the heart. I would argue on two points. The first, that the Craft is inclusive and apart from formal exclusive dogma. Second, rather than try to defend the Craft, I would ask him to defend his assumption that the craft is wrong or evil. What makes a person hate? Hate is usually a by-product of anger, “I can’t stand this or that because it’s a threat to me and mine.†Anger is the only emotion that must be chosen, it isn’t spontaneous and usually results from one’s lack of control over a given situation (or an institution).
Well, gotta run! I’m the WM of my lodge and we’re conferring a FC Degree tonight. I’ll be back later to see what has been written.
Fraternally,
Peter
No, only that our understanding of any document, including religious texts and VCR instructions, is based on common knowledge, morals and our own experiences. I dare say that a Martian has not played little league ball (maybe he has?). Take the baseline out and the text becomes words.
Only academic. As a freethinking Mason, I have always questioned authority; which doesn't mean I never see the reason behind authority.
Granted, freethinking is a mark of a Mason. However it is not the mark of organized religion. As I’ve said before, for a religion to be so it must be exclusive of all other points of view or beliefs. Hence the main basis for discounting Freemasonry as a religion.
So are you saying that people would try to tag Freemasonry as a religion just to vilify it? I think I found them.
Absolutely. Many of us are taught to hate what we cannot understand. This doesn’t mean we are hateful people, only that we are taught so as a defence mechanism.
But why? Why specifically? If a religious nut forced you to defend this position academically, what would you say?
First off, and perhaps most importantly, it is absolutely futile to try to convince a person immersed in religious dogma that he is wrong. It’s just too earth shattering and strikes too close to the heart. I would argue on two points. The first, that the Craft is inclusive and apart from formal exclusive dogma. Second, rather than try to defend the Craft, I would ask him to defend his assumption that the craft is wrong or evil. What makes a person hate? Hate is usually a by-product of anger, “I can’t stand this or that because it’s a threat to me and mine.†Anger is the only emotion that must be chosen, it isn’t spontaneous and usually results from one’s lack of control over a given situation (or an institution).
Well, gotta run! I’m the WM of my lodge and we’re conferring a FC Degree tonight. I’ll be back later to see what has been written.
Fraternally,
Peter