Why are Masons afraid to discuss problems?

Bro. Cemab4y,

There are exceptions to the point you raise. Masonic Research Lodges and Study Circles do often discuss these problems. Sadly, their members are a minority within the Craft and what they discuss often goes no further, sometimes as a matter of policy. For instance, back in 1993, our Grand Secretary at the time wrote to the local DGIW saying, in part:

Thus, the majority of members are to be patronising shielded from certain matters.

The same Grand Secretary had written to me back in 1991, saying, in part:

Thus, in controversial matters, we ought not expect a Grand Master to demonstrate leadership!?

Here we have another way members are treated like mushrooms. We have had (and I expect still do) a Regulation prohibiting anything "irregular" being brought before the Grand Lodge. The problem being that it is not the Grand Lodge, as such, which determines what is "regular" or not but a committee (it used to be the Board of General Purposes). Thus, a proposal the Board considered to be "irregular" could not even get on the agenda, despite good arguments as to the "regularity" of the proposal.

A further problem arises when, after decades of keeping members in the dark and feeding them BS, time and circumstances require changes previous dismissed as being "irregular." Considerable education is then required to bring members up to date on issues previously cloistered among masonic scholars. Indeed, considerable effort is required to have members, who have become used to being treated like mushrooms, turn their minds to such matters; especially when matters are brought before the Grand Lodge with official recommendations, being virtual faits accomplis (little wonder that attendances are often poor).

There is a website www.masonicleaks.com Whenever I try to talk about the problems facing Masonry, I get kicked off the discussion board, or the topic is locked down. There is an elephant in the bathtub, and no one wants to talk about it.