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Bayou Lodge
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Freemasonry teaches the universal principle
of unselfish friendship and promotes those moral precepts, which are
in keeping with all great faiths. The following, though not
exclusive, is considered basic: One God created mankind; This God is
the author of all life; God's existence is revealed to man through
faith and the Book of Holy Scriptures; The Book of Holy Scriptures
is the Ultimate Authority or Great Light in Freemasonry; The soul of
man is immortal; Man's commitment to Divine Providence determines
his destiny; Man's reverence for God is best exemplified by his
actions toward his fellow man; Considering the universality of
freemasonry, its teachings cannot be defined in any single statement
or established profile. The following is considered to be
representative of its fundamental precepts: Man's first duty is to
love and revere God, implore his aid in all laudable undertakings,
and seek his guidance through prayer, embrace and practice the
tenets of religion, extend charity and sympathy to all mankind,
shield and support the widow and orphan, defend virtue, respect the
aged, honor the bonds of friendship, protect the hopeless, lift up
the oppressed, comfort the downcast, restore dignity to the
rejected, respect the laws of government, promote morality, and add
to the common stock of knowledge and understanding. The heart
of Freemasonry is the heart of its members.
The
making of a Freemason is a continued course of education,
training and character forming or symbolically known as
the search for more light. It is also an innermost desire,
followed by obligations, that makes one a member of the Craft,
yet in a truer sense, a man is not a Freemason unless he lives
up to his obligations. The philosophy of Freemasonry, when
discovered and then accepted and practiced, provides simple but
profound solutions to the problems of human relationships.
The man who has been raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master
Mason must understand that there is nothing higher and nothing
superior to him in Masonry. When he has become a Master
Mason, he has become as much a Mason as he will ever be.
Thus, the man who has received the three degrees in the Symbolic
Lodge or Blue Lodge is a Master Mason. The Master Mason
Degree is the climax of Freemasonry. Thus, it is the
sublime degree, and is supreme and unexcelled. From the
Symbolic Lodge or Blue Lodge, one may join other Masonic groups
such as the York Rite and the Scottish Rite. These are
sometimes called higher degrees. They are higher only in
the sense that they have higher numbers and that some of them
are prerequisite for others. However, there is nothing
higher and nothing superior to the degree of Master Mason.
There are certain other organizations, the best known of which
are perhaps the Shrine and the Grotto, which are not Masonic
bodies, but organizations which require Masonic membership as a
prerequisite for joining them. These organizations, in
other words, draw their membership exclusively from the Masonic
Fraternity, but they are not a part of it.
Freemasonry is not a religion even though it is religious in
character. It does not pretend to take the place of
religion nor serve as a substitute for the religious beliefs
of its Members. Freemasonry accepts men, found to be
worthy, regardless of religious convictions. An
essential requirement is a belief in the existence of a
Supreme Being. Freemasonry is not an insurance or
beneficial society. It is not organized for profit.
However, the charity and services rendered are beyond
measure. It teaches the Golden Rule. It seeks to
make good men better through its firm belief in the
Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of Man and the
Immortality of the Soul. The tenets of Freemasonry are
ethical principles that are acceptable to all good men.
It teaches tolerance toward all mankind. It is known
throughout the world, it consists of men bound together by
bonds of Brotherly Love and Affection. It dictates to
no man as to his beliefs, either religious or secular.
It seeks no advantage for its Members through business or
politics. Freemasonry is not a forum for discussions
on partisan affairs. We assemble for work and
fellowship and to learn to love and cherish one another.
By so doing, we bring light out of darkness, beauty out of
drabness, exaltation out of despair, to the end that every
Brother's life may become more radiant and meaningful.
To surmise, no man can live according to the principles
and teachings of Ancient Craft Masonry and do anything,
knowingly and willingly, that is contrary to moral and
upright principles. Freemasonry frowns on every
wrongful act and admonishes the right actions between
each of us and the world at large. Freemasonry is
and should always be a guide to our actions.
Freemasonry is kindness in the home, honesty in
business, courtesy in society, fairness in work, pity
and concern for the unfortunate, resistance toward evil,
help for the weak, forgiveness for the penitent, love
for one another and, above all, reverence and love for
God. Freemasonry is many things but, most of all:
Freemasonry
is a way of life...
Freemasonry doesn’t tell men what they are supposed to believe,
rather the fraternity attracts men who already adhere to a set of
beliefs about the nature of God, their relationship with him, and the
moral conduct their God requires.
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