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Should Codebooks Be Allowed
- Thread starter Blake Bowden
- Start date
Good call there Brother Rhit. The C.O.W. would recommend any changes which would probably do away with certain parts and possibly add others, to the Grand Lodge , and the members of the Grand Lodge would have to vote to ratify it and make it become Law.
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The C.O.W. did not back the resolution that made it legal to own a code book, and it passed. It will be an intresting to see how this and some other resolutions do during the 2009 session.
Tuchue! This is true, and will make for a fun GL I hope.
J
JEbeling
Guest
Well the "Committe on Hope and Change" may just have to get on board.. !
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Bro. Ebeling, I believe the word is "hope," not "hop." .. !
how will putting the esoteric work into print solve the problem. if want to learn the work you will. you have to want it in your heart. if you want it you will find a way to learn it. you will do what it takes to get it done. my fear is that if the c. o. w. breaks its obligations. and prints a codebook. it will find its way into the lodge room. how proud would you be if you had to watch your officers open and close, or confer a degree. while they fumbled through the pages of a book. how do you develop the bonds of brotherhood. if you just pass out a book. i have made bonds with brothers that will last me a lifetime. by spending hours with them as i learned the work. we have talked about our views of life. what masonry means. and so many other topics that i can not list them all. teaching the work by word to mouth is a learning process for both teacher and student. and to me is what makes us so great. how do solve the problem of getting the bothers who want to learn, into the hands of those who want to teach. i do not know. i do know this. you could write a book in plan English, and it would not make them learn it any faster or better. it has to be in your heart. or it will not happen.
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ddreader,
I see your point, and do not disagree. The book was all over the place before it was legal, and it will always be around. I personally do not use it to "learn" from. I use it to brush up before conferring a degree, or before teaching a new brother. I am with you 100% about it not needing to be in the lodgeroom. No debate there.
As far as the COW, whole different story. It would be highly convenient if all of those guys were always in agreeance on everything involving the ritual, but it is not uncommon for you to speak to a couple of them on one issue, and get several different answers.
I see your point, and do not disagree. The book was all over the place before it was legal, and it will always be around. I personally do not use it to "learn" from. I use it to brush up before conferring a degree, or before teaching a new brother. I am with you 100% about it not needing to be in the lodgeroom. No debate there.
As far as the COW, whole different story. It would be highly convenient if all of those guys were always in agreeance on everything involving the ritual, but it is not uncommon for you to speak to a couple of them on one issue, and get several different answers.
I think everyone here knows that I was dissapointed when code books were voted as not being illegal to own in Texas. I also agree with most of what Brother Reader says in his post. The only way to truly get the work in your head is by learning it mouth to ear.
HOWEVER, I have not personally encounterd any problems with brothers using a code book to refresh their memories, except for one occasion when another DI asked me to run something for him, and he then informed me that the way I did it was not the way it was in the book! I quickly informed him that the book was wrong. That was the end of the discussion. Until the next time I suppose..
Therefore, I also do not have a problem with using a book as Brother Shelton says as a refresher before doing a degree or lecture, etc. I know that before 1930 something the ritual as we almost know it didn't even exist, I have been told that the little book didn't even appear or get copywrited until the 40s. I have also been told that the publisher of the little book was not a Mason! I do not know if this is factual or not. I am intrested in who will have to write a new one if the law changes. I am wondering if the COW would have to make some verbal recommendations in a year , or if they would just start writing?
HOWEVER, I have not personally encounterd any problems with brothers using a code book to refresh their memories, except for one occasion when another DI asked me to run something for him, and he then informed me that the way I did it was not the way it was in the book! I quickly informed him that the book was wrong. That was the end of the discussion. Until the next time I suppose..
Therefore, I also do not have a problem with using a book as Brother Shelton says as a refresher before doing a degree or lecture, etc. I know that before 1930 something the ritual as we almost know it didn't even exist, I have been told that the little book didn't even appear or get copywrited until the 40s. I have also been told that the publisher of the little book was not a Mason! I do not know if this is factual or not. I am intrested in who will have to write a new one if the law changes. I am wondering if the COW would have to make some verbal recommendations in a year , or if they would just start writing?
Those Committeemen I have talked with have stated that they will resign en masse should that resolution be voted in.
can you blame them? read the ea charge real slow. think about it. then ask the question, if we do do this?. were do we go from here? what do we do now. we are no different from anybody else. do you really think we should go down that road? if you knew that you could find out everything you wanted to about Texas masonry. just by reading a book ,would you have even bothered to join. really? what about the people in the future, will they want to? there is more to it than just writing a book. its not just that simple. when you tell masons from others places how much we have to learn. their eyes bug out. what do you think when they tell you what they have to learn? we need to set the standard. not comply with what everybody else is doing.
Question on C.O.W. how does one become a member and how long are they on that committee?
I really do not have a hard core opinion this one, I see many Grand Jurisdiction doing just fine while actually writing out the work in plain english. Ours being a cypher book you have to know how to cypher it so it is almost imposable to learn the work from it if you have never heard it. I certainly respect the way C.O.W. feels and do not feel this one will pass but as said before I did not feel the code book itself would pass in the first place but here we are.
I really do not have a hard core opinion this one, I see many Grand Jurisdiction doing just fine while actually writing out the work in plain english. Ours being a cypher book you have to know how to cypher it so it is almost imposable to learn the work from it if you have never heard it. I certainly respect the way C.O.W. feels and do not feel this one will pass but as said before I did not feel the code book itself would pass in the first place but here we are.
The COW is made up of 5 brothers who make themselves availabe to serve the GLOT for a period of 5 years. They are the only committee in GL that selects their own Chairman. There is also a requirement that they must make themselves familiar with the work.
So after 5 years is that it or can you run through it again for another 5?
and what if more than one Brother makes himself available, do we vote?