Resolution to Revoke Florida's Ruling and Decision No. 3

The Landmarks are important.

I am very sorry that it has come to this.

In an earlier post, I described the Ruling and Decision No. 3 issued late in November by the MW GM of Florida. This edict essentially bans members of certain minority religions (Pagans generally; Wiccans and Odinists in particular; Gnostics) as well as Agnostics from being Freemasonry. This is a problem for me and many other Florida Masons, because it violates not only the letter of Florida Masonic law (Regulation 31.16, to be precise), but also the longstanding Landmark of Craft Freemasonry under which Masons simply do not inquire into the specifics of the particular religion of a candidate or a brother Mason. What matters is whether or not he believes in God; beyond that, we do not, as Masons, have requirements or conduct inquiry. This practice is foundational for establishing the atmosphere of religious toleration that is part and parcel of regular Freemasonry in North America and Great Britain.

Over the two weeks since I posted my detailed objections to the Ruling and Decision No. 3 on December 7, I have received a great deal of support for the idea of revoking R&D3—private comments by e-mail, largely—but no word has emerged from the Grand Lodge of Florida regarding changing this policy. Consequently, as a matter of conscience, I must take things to the next level.

Below, I give the text of a Resolution that I will present to the Grand Lodge, for a vote of the Craft at the next meeting of Grand Lodge (scheduled, I believe, in late May 2013).

Any Master Mason with membership within the Grand Lodge of Florida, F&AM, may co-sign this Resolution. Eligible brethren who wish to do so should do the following:

1. On a piece of paper, please write or type the words, “I co-sponsor this Resolution.”
2. Sign your full name in ink. (Only statements with original signatures are acceptable to Grand Lodge.)
3. Print or type your name, your Lodge’s name, and your Lodge’s number. (If you are a WM, PM, or hold another Craft Masonry office, you may indicate that status after your name.)
4. Send your signed statement to the following address:

                        Mark Koltko-Rivera

                        PO Box 20223

                        New York, NY 10023

I must receive co-sponsor's original signed statements—which will be submitted to Grand Lodge with the Resolution—by Thursday, December 27, 2012. (Grand Lodge must receive everything from me by Dec. 31^st.) If a signed statement is mailed to me from a Florida Post Office even as late as Monday December 24th by 12 noon, via regular mail, it is likely to reach me in time.

UPDATE (Fri. 12/28/12): Florida Masons who wish to co-sign at this late date may do so by printing out the resolution itself (only the resolution itself!), signing it in ink, printing their names, lodges, and title (for example, "WM John Smith," or "William Jones, PDDGM"), and sending it on Saturday December 29th from a Florida Post Office to:

     MW Richard E. Lynn, PGM
     Grand Secretary
     The MW Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons
          of the State of Florida
     PO Box 1020
     Jacksonville, FL 32201-1020
    

I hope to receive signed statements from many eligible co-signers.
 

RESOLUTION FOR REVOCATION OF RULING AND DECISION NO. 3

WHEREAS, “The Grand Lodge … is … the supreme head and authority of Ancient Craft Masonry in this jurisdiction” (Constitution, Article V, Section 1), and,

WHEREAS, “The Constitution and Regulations of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Florida as set forth and contained in this Digest [that is, the Digest of Masonic Law of Florida F. & A. M.] … with the amendments, changes, alterations and additions thereto which may hereafter be made by jurisdiction of Grand Lodge, are declared to be the supreme Masonic Law of this Grand Jurisdiction” (Regulation 1.01), and,

WHEREAS, the Most Worshipful Grand Master is delimited in his power, in that he “may do, order and direct all matters and things which in his wisdom and judgment may tend to the prosperity of the Craft, not in violation of this Constitution and the Ancient Landmarks of Freemasonry” (Constitution, Article VI, Section 6, emphasis added), and that fraternal matters “shall be subject to supervision, direction, and control of the Grand Master, subject to provisions of the Landmarks of Freemasonry and the Constitutions and Regulations of the Grand Lodge” (Constitution Article I, Section 7, emphasis added), and,

WHEREAS, the Most Worshipful Grand Master is delimited in his power in relation to the issuance of Edicts, given that “issuance of Edicts, Proclamations, Executive Orders, and Dispensations and all such Fraternal matters … shall be under exclusive control and direction of the Grand Master,” but said issuance is explicitly “subject to the provisions of the Constitution and Regulations of the Grand Lodge” (Constitution, Article I, Section 8, emphasis added), and,

WHEREAS, the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Freemasons in Florida, Jorge L. Aladro, did issue on or about November 28, 2012 the Ruling and Decision No. 3, and,

WHEREAS, the Ruling and Decision No. 3 states that, in relation to “Paganism, Wiccan [sic] and Odinism, and … Agnosticism and Gnosticism,” that “none of the above mentioned beliefs and practices are compatible with Freemasonry since they do not believe or practice one or more of the prerequisites to be a candidate for Masonry”; and,

WHEREAS, the Ruling and Decision No. 3 stipulates that “any member of the Craft that professes to be a member of one of the groups mentioned above shall tender his resignation or suffer himself to a Trial Commission whose final outcome will be expulsion”; and,

WHEREAS, Florida Masonic Law clearly stipulates that “Belief in God is the only religious prerequisite of a candidate for initiation into Masonry, but a Mason is bound by his tenure to obey the moral law” (Regulation 31.16, emphasis added); and,

WHEREAS, Pagans, Wiccans, Odinists, Gnostics, and even many so-called Agnostics in fact believe in God, and all of these groups recognize a moral law; and,

WHEREAS the Ruling and Decision No. 3 violates Regulation 31.16 by making further religious prerequisites of a candidate beyond the stipulations of Regulation 31.16, and

WHEREAS the Ruling and Decision No. 3 violates a Landmark of Freemasonry by inquiring into the specifics of a candidate’s or a Mason’s particular religion,  

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

1.      that Ruling and Decision No. 3 be, and be declared, hereby revoked, rescinded, repealed, and of no force and effect; and,

2.      that all Masonic Trial Commissions currently in progress pursuant to Ruling and Decision No. 3 be immediately and forthwith dissolved; and,

3.      that all those who were expelled from Freemasonry by Masonic Trial Commissions pursuant to Ruling and Decision No. 3 are hereby and herewith restored to the rights, benefits, and privileges of Freemasonry, subject to the unanimous consent of each such individual’s respective Lodge, as in cases of a ballot for membership, per our Constitution (Constitution Article V, Section 3), but without need for the Lodge to convene an Investigation Committee, or conduct a criminal background investigation, or require payment of any fees but dues; and,

4.      that all those who resigned from Freemasonry pursuant to Ruling and Decision No. 3 be permitted without prejudice to petition for readmission to their respective Lodges, subject to the unanimous consent of each such individual’s respective Lodge, as in cases of a ballot for membership, but without need for the Lodge to convene an Investigation Committee, or conduct a criminal background investigation, or require payment of any fees but dues; and,

5.      that Florida Masonry hereby declares its eternal devotion to the religious toleration that is one of the immoveable and Ancient Landmarks of Freemasonry, never to be changed by any man or group of men.

Respectfully submitted,

(signature)

Bro. Mark E. Koltko-Rivera, M\M\ —  Winter Park Masonic Lodge No. 239 F. & A. M.

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[The image shows a landmark or boundary stone in Popadia, within Gorgany, on the pre-World War II border between Poland and Czechoslovakia. It is a photo taken by Tomasz Kuran (a.k.a. Meteor017) on August 16, 2006. It was obtained from Wikimedia Commons, and appears here under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, and the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.]

(Copyright 2012 Mark E. Koltko-Rivera. All Rights Reserved.)