Sunday School
Wolf Sherman
- ForewordThe
- reader
- will
- discover
- that
- there
- is
- no
- "Conclusion"
- at
- the
- end
- of
- this
- work
- -
- for
- two
- reasons.
- In
- the
- first
- place
- this
- is
- a
- work
- of
- research
- subject
- to
- better
- proof
- or
- arguments,
- and
- in
- the
- second,
- it's
- up
- Masons
- and
- researchers
- of
- the
- Craft
- to
- decide
- for
- themselves.
The
- aim
- of
- this
- work
- was
- to
- create
- a
- condensed
- data
- bank;
- if
- you
- want,
- for
- the
- men
- and
- women
- of
- modern
- Freemasonry
- -
- placing
- focus
- on
- seldom-discussed
- topics.
- In
- a
- way
- impressing
- information
- on
- the
- global
- family
- of
- brothers
- and
- sisters,
- that
- the
- author
- feel
- is
- lacking
- from
- our
- general
- discussions,
- and
- explaining
- in
- some
- detail
- the
- origins
- of
- our
- rituals.
- In
- doing
- so,
- it
- made
- sense
- to
- list
- and
- discuss
- censorship,
- religious
- freedom,
- freethinkers
- and
- politics,
- and
- maybe
- a
- different
- view
- on
- the
- King
- James
- Version
- of
- the
- Bible,
- as
- it
- is
- central
- to
- our
- Lodges
- -
- at
- least
- as
- far
- as
- the
- workings
- within
- the
- "Regular"
- or
- "Non-clandestine"
- Lodges.
In
- this
- work,
- "Sunday
- School",
- however
- a
- portion
- of
- the
- information
- is
- regularly
- available
- to
- both
- devout
- or
- serious
- Masons
- and
- maybe
- some
- researchers
- of
- the
- Craft,
- it
- is
- not
- generally
- known
- outside
- the
- walls
- of
- the
- Temple.
- In
- accomplishing
- the
- aim
- of
- the
- author,
- it
- was
- after
- much
- deliberation
- decided
- appropriate
- to
- start
- with
- what
- at
- the
- time
- was
- considered
- a
- thought-provoking,
- if
- not
- quite
- a
- controversial
- quote.
- With
- the
- world
- in;
- sad
- to
- say,
- a
- sorry
- state
- -
- in
- particular
- for
- religious
- Masons
- -
- these
- words
- have
- in
- modern
- history,
- arguably
- not
- rung
- truer
- than
- today.
- One
- thing
- it
- would
- seem
- had
- over
- aeons
- not
- veered
- from
- its
- course.
- The
- parallel
- road
- that
- the
- Church
- insists
- on
- travelling
- on,
- near,
- but
- never
- intersecting
- with
- that
- of
- Freemasonry.
"Some
- churches
- are
- complaining
- today
- that
- Masonry
- is
- not
- compatible
- with
- Christianity.
- An
- examination
- of
- the
- evidence
- suggests
- that
- the
- question
- should
- really
- be,
- "Is
- the
- church
- compatible
- with
- Christianity?"
- The
- question,
- honestly
- put,
- does
- not
- beg
- an
- answer
- but
- suggests
- first
- that
- church
- history
- is
- too
- full
- of
- instances
- of
- pride,
- cruelty
- and
- violence
- for
- the
- church
- to
- cast
- the
- first
- stone.
- Secondly,
- it
- suggests
- that
- the
- present
- controversy
- should
- never
- be
- reduced
- to
- an
- attack
- by
- the
- church
- and
- a
- defence
- by
- Masonry.
- When
- such
- lines
- of
- battle
- are
- drawn,
- the
- roles
- expected
- of
- both
- sides
- may
- become
- too
- rigid
- for
- the
- advancement
- of
- knowledge
- and
- understanding."
- -
- Thomas
- E.
- Weir.
- Grand
- High
- Priest, Maryland.
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