If I were a student looking for more light in this forum, I might be discouraged by what I've read of late. The petty bickering does not make a good impression on those visiting us. Nor is it Masonry in any real sense.
Instead of finding brotherly love, relief and truth, the visitor finds BB who enjoy playing one-upmanship with each other, giving the impression we're a shallow bunch of fellows. One of the basic tools of the Craft is tolerance – in religion, in politics and in all the other activities of life and that includes counting the number of angels dancing on the point of a pin.
Debate often has fruitful results, but we can't dignify the exchanges we read here with that name. They are petty and sniping and not worthy of BB who hold Masonry in high esteem.
stepnwolf, if we lock out our 'guest of ill-will' we also lock out our casual visitors.
We are taught to be brotherly to all, to turn the other cheek and all that, I guess we can practice that here. As per the post above, our guest is obviously not looking for Light, I can only suppose he hopes to extinguish ours. If the flame wavers in the breeze we need to try and see the beauty in the flickering. We have had many good topics arise out of these interactions.
If we have to, we do try to reduce the ill-wind by deleting the more obnoxious posts without explanation. We will continue to do this.
Bear with us, we are doing the best that we can. Remember, friction smoothes rough stones... there is always an up-side
Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting…trailing clouds of glory do we come from God, who is our home -Wordsworth
The less respectful brethren feel called to come to dispute experiences and beliefs that contradict their own.
Their periodic presence generates useful object lessons and interesting new threads.
Further, they seem to live "isolated in a vast and impersonal universe" and as skeptics must live without hope. I wonder whether the presence of a forum based on a more intimate relationship to the universe gives some subconscious hope that there is more to Life.
Post by stepnwolf on Feb 19, 2013 11:47:33 GMT 9.5
Can anyone give any example of this forum ever providing any actual masonic light?
Oh, yes! Here not even a year and my whole attitude is changing. The old ways intrude often, but I think I'm more tolerant than I was when I crossed this threshold. The forum has encouraged reflection, thought and a gentler heart, if I may say so.
The forum is like a training school where we're encouraged to learn as well as to express ourselves in public. Because of poor heath, the forum is my only Masonry for the time being. That's why a negative attitude upset me so much. I will always be indebted to the administrators for keeping the forum's doors open for all of us.
The forum has been temporarily closed to guests. Registration is currently required to view the forum. No doubt it will be reopened in the near future.
