Page 37 - Ashlar April - June 2025

N A L G R
I O
G E AND LODGE
Covid-19 R Vol. XX Issue I
Bulletin-I
The Ashlar
Modern day Freemasons, free accepted and situations there was tremendous risk and
speculative non-operatives are organized in danger awaiting them. Many went
local lodges, where meetings promote social underground to escape the concentration
activities, offer charity assistance and carry camps where death was served in wholesale
out standard business required by all to the prisoners /inmates forced to inhale
institutions. Thus they have been able to build poisonous gas sprayed to the closed
up what sociologists refer to as “Social encampments. It is believed that to protect
Capital” It is however noted that these social one another, they left/ discarded their
activities are advertised and given priority traditional symbols like the square and
sometimes relegating the cardinal principles compasses and adopted another one that
of the Craft. would not be recognized – a small blue flower
The organized Freemasonry came into called, “Forget me Not”.
existence in 1717 when United Grand Lodge Even in India during the emergency period in
was established in London as a governing the 75 there was a contemplated move to ban
authority over various lodges then the association allegedly blaming to
functioning in England/U K. For more than conspiracy, ,intrigue and treason. When the
300 years the organization has survived and Grand Master appeared before the
continue to function to the present days. authorities – P.M. and explained to them the
Nevertheless it should be recollected that the position of the association which has its
association has faced/confronted occasional members , political leaders like Motilal Nehru,
difficulties and dire calamities from opposing C.Rajagopalachari, Swami Vivekananda,
and unfriendly authorities almost leading to and other prominent dignitaries in its fold, the
abrupt grinding halt of its operations idea of banning the association was shelved
threatening its very existence. to the great reliefand comfort. During the
In 1799 Freemasonry almost succumbed to Golden Jubilee celebrations held at New
a halt . In the wake of the French Revolution a Delhi in 2011, the chief guest was Dr.Abdul
number of Acts of Parliament had been Kalam Azad, the missile man and
passed in an attempt to curb trade unions, Ex.President .
p o l i t i c a l c l u b s a n d o t h e r RELIGIOUS OPPOSITIONS
‘subversive’institutions The 1799 Unlawful Freemasons has attracted criticism from
Societies Act banned any meetings of groups theocratic states and organized religions for
which required their members to take an oath supposed competition with religion or
or an obligation. supposed heterodoxy within the Fraternity
The period leading to outbreak of the second itself, and has long been the target of
World War was to have consequences for conspiracy theories, which sees it as an
today. A great deal of anti- Masonic occult and evil power.
propaganda came out of Nazi Germany and As earlier pointed out Freemasonry is not a
Franco’s Spain in the late 1930’s. in both religion or a substitute to any religion. The
countries Freemasonry was banned and constituents to become a religious person ie.’
many Freemasons ere imprisoned and killed A B C D,Accept, Believe, Convert and Devote
.Plans were laid by the Nazis to abduct are not applicable to the associationwhich
prominent Freemasons when they occupied allows a member to freely practice his
Britain. religion. While Freemasonry respects and
In fact decline of Freemasonry was recorded honour all religions, the belief in a
before the Second World War. Many lodges supernatural power which terms it as the
were dissolved and their properties Great Architect of the Universe is the criteria
confiscated. By early 1934 Freemasons in envisaged in the Order for the Supreme
Germany knew that in the prevailing Power.

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