Masonic (From Barry And District News)

Masonic

YOUR newspaper has begun to publicise aspects of Freemasonry recently.

Perhaps I should declare that I am not, nor have ever been, a member of this organisation, but it is one topic to which I have attempted to give some degree of consideration.

With any organisation, as with any individual, it may be unfair that there should be a presumption of 'guilt' - guilt in this context being the frequently heard allegation that members (brothers) help one another and do one another favours. This too could be legitimate, provided - and this too must be important - that these favours are in no way prejudicial to others in any way. I am not yet satisfied that this final condition is satisfied.

I am inclined to think that Freemasonry per se, though it has odd rituals, is not intrinsically harmful, and that it may quite possibly have some good aspects, but the pervasive secrecy, which is far from being completely eliminated even in 2002, will always lead to perhaps unfounded suspicions.

Secrecy is a key notion with this society and this could lead sometimes to a perception of wrong doing which as often as not may not be there. The tendencies in the movement towards openness which I have noted for some years now, at a national level in Britain, would seem healthy as least as far as they go.

An 'Open Day' for example could be of interest to outsiders but what about the other 364 days a year when they would not be open to non members?

Michael O'Neill Railway Terrace Penarth