me said:
You continue to gloss over the fact that Albert Pike certainly is the primary influence behind the Scottish Rite (SJ) ritual system. He may not be Masonry, but he sure as heck was the SR/SJ.
Simpleman25 said:
Since his book has not been issued in decades, far fewer even know who he is.
Albion said:
No, that's not correct. He is a famous person, quite aside from his Masonic membership; and he is also well-known among anti-Masons for having written of his own insights into what Masonry meant to him. I never hear him mentioned in meetings of Masons, and his writings are never referred to--at least not in any gathering, formal or informal, that I know of or have been present for. He spoke of his feelings about Scottish Rite Masonry which relatively few Masons belong to. There's nothing in those facts that amounts to 'glossing over' anything.
What you have here is more of the same selective commentary Masons use to hide uncomfortable facts. Let's review the bidding about Albert Pike and you will see how the above comments are so misleading.
Let's let the SR/SJ speak for itself about
Morals and Dogma, which is the book we are discussing:
This fundamental sourcebook of Scottish Rite philosophy is now available in a new, user-friendly, and scholarly edition! First published from 1872 to 1969, Morals and Dogma is one of the most insightful works ever prepared for Freemasonry. It is a collection of thirty-two essays which provide a rationale for the Scottish Rite degrees. It encompasses a study of Freemasonry, wise philosophy, ancient mysteries, mythology, ritual, and religion. It serves the useful purpose of putting Masonic morality and ethics within the context of the general society, and bids man to think large–to cast aside the petty concerns of everyday life and to improve ourselves. (SR/SJ website)
Note that M&D discusses and defines the degrees of the SR/SJ; thus, they are not merely his views on Freemasonry. Also note that they highlight his influence throughout Masonry, and do not limit that influence to just the SR/SJ.
Unless you had time to kill, Pike's book is heavy lifting. But it was traditionally given to every new SR/SJ Mason after he completed his 14th degree, at least up until 1974. Most promptly put it on a shelf somewhere and never read it. In 1988, the Supreme Council of the SR/SJ, recognizing such ignorance of Pike's views, published Rex Hutchens' book
A Bridge to Light, which had this as its goal:
This book was designed to act as a bridge between the ceremonies of the degrees and their lectures in Morals and Dogma. (pg. 4)
In their view, it was important to know what Pike had to say. In reference to M&D, Hutchens wrote:
Contained in its pages are some of the most profound teachings of the Rite.
I've noted where many SR/SJ valleys give this book out as a gift upon completion of the 32nd degree, but I don't know if all valleys do that.
Arturo de Hoyos also noted Pike's influence in his massive
Scottish Rite Ritual - Monitor and Guide:
Albert Pike was the Master Builder of the Scottish Rite and was chiefly responsible for its current development and ceremonial. His ritual revisions and philosophy have influenced those of mast Supreme Councils worldwide, and his writings are among the most insightful and profound in this history of Freemasonry. (pg. 25)
Quite simply, Pike wrote the SR rituals, which in the SJ are described as the "Revised Standard Pike Ritual."
So we can reach some conclusions about the misleading comments noted above:
1. M&D continues to be distributed in new, annotated and readable form by the SR/SJ. It's publication in original form ended in 1969, but the SR/SJ bookstore sells a new annotated edition. You can even get it with bonded leather, gilt edges and cloth markers. Too late for a Christmas gift, though.
2. Every SR Mason knows who Pike is, as do many non-SR Masons. Every SR/SJ mason who has gone through the 'Revised Standard Pike Ritual' must of, at least, heard the name.
3. M&D was not written to provide Pike's "own insights into what Masonry meant to him", nor were they to speak "of his feelings about Scottish Rite Masonry..." They were formal and authoritative explanations of the SR degrees which he himself had compiled, and are, in fact, used today. The SR gets as close as it can to Pike, while occasionally noting that no one has to believe what he says. Yet another example of intellectual cowardice.
4. One simply cannot trust the Masons on this forum to speak honestly concerning Masonic criticism. Their goal is to either ignore the criticism or misdirect it. Read any thread addressing Freemasonry and you will see many examples of both.
Simpleman25 said:
Then again, an outsider, especially an anti mason, has far less knowledge than someone who's actually participated in the SR degrees.
From your comments, I'd say I know a lot more about them than you do. As a 33rd degree SR/SJ Mason, I'm sure you can diligently search for the truth about Pike in your home valley, even though you were selected at a young Masonic age, far younger than most SR Masons (just passing that along to save you time).
Finally, let's not forget Pike's view of 'god,' as previously noted in the first post:
The Supreme, Self-existent, Eternal, All-wise, All-powerful, Infinitely Good, Pitying, Beneficent, and Merciful Creator and Preserver of the Universe was the same, by whatever name he was called, to the intellectual and enlightened men of all nations. The name was nothing, if not a symbol and representative hieroglyph of his nature and attributes. The name Al represented his remoteness above men, his inaccessibility; Bal and Bala, his might; Alohim, his various potencies; Ihuh, existence and the generation of things. None of his names, among the Orientals, were the symbols of a divinely infinite love and tenderness, and all-embracing mercy. As Moloch or Malek he was but an omnipotent monarch, a tremendous and irresponsible Will; as Adonai, only an arbitrary Lord and Master; as Al Shadai, potent and a destroyer.” (Morals and Dogma, pg. 208)
I'll also pass on this commentary from
A Bridge to Light:
Pike believed that certain ancient cultures possessed the Truth that God had originally given to man; as such, they had a more accurate and comprehensive knowledge of the Deity and His relationship to the universe and man than modern philosophies and religions. He referred to this kbnowledge as the "primitive religion" (p. 541), carrying the sense of 'primary', meaning first. (pg. 248)
Thus, the SR rituals are written by a man with such a philosophy and it shows. Self-proclaimed Christians who participate in Pike's rituals are thus influenced by such thoughts. And it shows. Cordially, Skip.
