The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

Chapter 10 - Conclusion 853
or Jewish lodges, because they are clandestine, or the Grand Orient de France,
because it rejects the "Supreme Being" and puts a "White Book" on the Masonic
altar instead of the Bible. Or let us take black Freemasonry, for instance: "The
actual state of American Freemasonry, which has not been universalist, has not
believed in or practiced the equality of men and races, but rather has been a
major support of racism and segregation in America, should reasonably have
turned most blacks against it. But it did not. The promise of brotherhood was
there [...]." 2095
Even among black Masons, who have most reasons to strive for unity in their
own ranks, there exists racial prejudice. Thus, Muraskin states that "[i]ntraracial
'blackballing' by light-skinned blacks against darker ones was probably fairly
widespread in the Order. Indeed, it continued to some extent well into the
twentieth century." 2096 In 1951, the Grand Master of Wisconsin expressed the
dilemma of Masonic universality when asking: "How long can we go on
mouthing vain babblings about the universality of Masonry while tolerating what
we know to be the denial of the basic concept and cornerstone of Masonry, [the
division into] one section white, one section black." 2097 Walkes sees it even more
drastically when commenting on segregation exercised in Freemasonry:
[...] [A] Civil Rights leader noted that 'the Church was the most
segregated institution in America,' but he was mistaken. Freemasonry is
the most segregated institution in America, and this to its shame.
Mainstream American Freemasonry and Prince Hall Freemasonry must
come together under the true Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of
Man with the respect that is due God's creatures, or Freemasonry in
America is doomed! 2098
Inter-Masonic intolerance can even lead to military aggression, and although
this constitutes a rare exception, we want to mention a South American "battle"
between two rivaling Masonic groups:
Wohl werden freundschaftliche Beziehungen zwischen den sich
anerkennenden Großlogen unterhalten; darauf beruhen ebenso oft die
bissigen Angriffe zwischen feindlichen Brüdern, d. h. zwischen
freimaurerischen Großmächten, die einander nicht anerkennen, und
jeder wirft dem anderen vor, vom ursprünglichen, wahren Geist der
Freimaurerei abgewichen zu sein. In Südamerika ist es geschehen, daß
zwei Freimaurergruppen in geschlossenen Reihen gegeneinander
aufmarschierten und sich eine regelrechte Feldschlacht lieferten! 2099
2095
Muraskin, p. 201.
2096
Ibid, p. 41.
2097
Ibid, p. 208.
2098
Walkes, A Prince Hall Masonic Quiz Book, p. 87.
2099
Dierickx, p. 170.